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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
It’s impossible to overstate the challenges that the last eight months have brought our way. We’ve seen the tragic health and economic impacts of an unprecedented global pandemic, the overwhelming calls for racial justice after the killing of George Floyd, and a catastrophic wildfire season here in Oregon and along the west coast. In response, a record number of Oregonians cast their votes in this year’s election--something we should all feel good about!
I am humbled and honored to have received the confidence of House District 38 voters to return to Salem as your state representative. The work will not be easy, but I am incredibly grateful to have the support of the most informed, intelligent, and compassionate constituency in the state for the next two years to come. We may not always agree, but I value your views and appreciate you sharing your concerns with me. You help inform my decisions and I look forward to continuing civil dialogue and demonstrating that challenging one’s views isn't threatening but leads to healing.
In this newsletter, I share some resources available to veterans, new coronavirus restrictions that begin tomorrow, updated school reopening metrics, Employment Department updates, and information about health insurance.
As always, please reach out to my office if you have any questions or need further assistance.
Sincerely,
 Andrea Salinas, State Representative
Tomorrow is Veterans Day and I have been thinking about our veterans and reflecting on the sacrifices they’ve made for our community and country. They spent extended time away from their families, put their own lives in danger, and faced physical and mental health challenges, the effects of which many still feel today. I am immensely grateful for their service and the contributions they have made for the rights and freedoms we all cherish.
Now, during the coronavirus pandemic, a new set of mental, physical, and economic challenges has presented itself. But there are a number of benefits available to veterans and the Oregon Department of Veteran’s Affairs has put them all in one place. The COVID-19 resource navigator can help veterans find the economic, education, housing, health, and other resources for which their military service entitles them.
Here is a link to this guide.
Governor Brown announced a two-week pause on social activities for Clackamas and Multnomah County that will begin tomorrow (November 11) and continue through November 25. This is in response to the alarming rise in coronavirus cases Oregon has experienced over the last couple of weeks. Health officials are concerned that if Oregon’s record case numbers continue to rise, hospitals will soon be at capacity and further business closures will be necessary to keep Oregonians safe. This pause is designed to slow community spread, make sure health care resources remain available, and prevent further shutdowns.
Starting on Wednesday and through November 25, the following measures will be in effect in counties with a case rate above 200 per 100,000 people over a two-week period, or more than 60 cases over a two-week period for counties with less than 30,000 people:
- Businesses will be urged to mandate work from home to the greatest extent possible.
- Long-term care facility visits that take place indoors will be paused to protect staff and residents.
- Maximum restaurant capacity will be reduced to 50 people (including customers and staff) for indoor dining, with a maximum party size of 6. Outdoor dining and take out will continue to be encouraged.
- Maximum capacity of other indoor activities will be reduced to 50 people (which includes gyms, fitness organizations/studios, bowling alleys, ice rinks, indoor sports, pools, and museums).
- Social gatherings will be limited to your household, or no more than six people if the gathering includes those from outside your household, the frequency of those social gatherings should be reduced (significantly in a two-week period), and the same six people should be kept in your social gathering circle.
You can read the Governor’s press release, which contains more information about the new measures, here.
Governor Brown, the Oregon Department of Education (ODE), and the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) recently changed the metrics that guide school districts’ reopening decisions. Oregon’s new approach allows for more students to return to in-person instruction with health and safety measures in place, but still sets strong requirements for low case counts to open schools.
The four new metric updates are as follows:
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Adjusts measurement period--County metrics will now be measured for one, 2-week period instead of three, 1-week periods.
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Removes statewide positivity metric--County positivity rates, not statewide rates, will now be used to determine whether or not schools can reopen.
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Exemption for elementary schools now extends to K-6--Under previous metrics, only K-3 students were allowed to return to school first, meaning that elementary schools were able to open in some districts but students in 4th, 5th, and 6th grade could not go back to the classroom. Now, OHA and ODE have determined that students in grades K-6 can return to school if strict protocols are followed.
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Final decisions are left to local officials--ODE and OHA will advise and confirm with school districts when their county has satisfied the metrics required to return to in-person learning, but final decisions about returning to the classroom will be left to school districts and local health authorities.
ODE has released an update to their Ready Schools, Safe Learners guidance, which includes more information about the metrics required to return to in-person learning, and details about the health and safety protocols that schools must have in place before students return. You can find that here.
You can view county progress towards meeting the metrics on ODE’s metrics dashboard here.
Lake Oswego School District (LOSD)
Public health authorities have advised school districts in Clackamas County to remain in comprehensive distance learning because of the concerning upward trend of coronavirus cases. When Clackamas County meets the requirements to open for a hybrid model, LOSD will notify teachers, staff, and families. There will then be two weeks before students and teachers gradually begin to return to the classroom, starting with kindergartners.
To learn more about the new metrics and how they apply to LOSD, watch the the latest school board meeting here.
You can view LOSD’s roadmap to reopening here, and you can find more information in their weekly newsletters, which you can find here.
Portland Public Schools (PPS)
Even with the updated metrics, Multnomah County’s COVID-19 numbers prevent them from reopening classrooms to in-person or a hybrid model of learning until there is improvement. Comprehensive distance learning in PPS will continue through January 28, 2021.
PPS hopes that the new metrics will allow them to reopen with a hybrid learning model, or full in-person instruction when the second semester begins in February 2021, but case numbers still need to improve.
You can find future updates from PPS here, and find coronavirus resources available to PPS families here.
Riverdale School District
Riverdale School District will not be reopening under the updated guidance. Officials continue to review the data, but comprehensive distance learning will be in place for the immediate future.
You can find more information about Riverdale School District and their reopening plans here.
Reminder: Self-certify for Lost Wages Assistance (LWA)
Recently, an OPB article shared that OED inadvertently paid out LWA benefits to thousands of Oregonians who hadn’t yet applied online. OED has said that while most who received these payments are likely eligible, it is exceptionally important that individuals seeking LWA self-certify online that their unemployment or partial unemployment is due to disruptions caused by COVID-19 to avoid having to return the funds.
If you receive PUA, you do not need to self-certify, but if you receive regular Unemployment Insurance (UI), Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), or Extended Benefits (EB), you must self-certify online to be eligible for payments.
OED is contacting individuals directly to encourage them to self-certify online, but if you haven’t yet, it is important you do so on the Online Claims System as quickly as possible.
Waiting Week Payments
I’ve heard from a number of constituents who are eager to receive unemployment insurance payments for the waiting week, which Governor Brown waived back in April. OED says they will send payments to Oregonians by the end of November, but could begin sending benefits before Thanksgiving. They will know by next week whether this will be possible.
If your waiting week falls between March 29, 2020 and July 25, 2020, you will also receive the extra $600 in Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC).
I know how important this extra week of benefits is to people in our district, so I will continue to provide updates as they become available.
Now through December 15, you can purchase health insurance on Oregon’s Marketplace if you don’t qualify for the Oregon Health Plan (OHP) and don’t receive health insurance through your employer. For many, this is the only time of the year to sign up for an individual or family plan to have coverage in 2021.
The Oregon Marketplace’s new window shopping feature allows you to compare plans, find out how you can save money on health insurance, and help you identify the plan right for you and your family. You can access that here.
If you have further questions, insurance experts are available at no cost to help you identify the right plan and help you enroll in coverage. You can find this assistance here.
email: Rep.AndreaSalinas@oregonlegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1438
address: 900 Court St NE, H-485, Salem, OR, 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/salinas
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