You can read our previous newsletters here.

Dear Friends and Neighbors, 

Tomorrow we will move into our two week freeze and it will present new challenges for all of us. Like many of you, I am preparing personally and professionally for this freeze by changing my Thanksgiving plans, figuring out who will be in my “bubble” for the next two weeks, and making plans to keep in touch with everyone else virtually.   My family and I are disappointed not to all gather together for the holiday, and not to be able to take our annual family photo, but we know it is necessary for getting control of this pandemic.  

Rain is definitely a hallmark of Oregon life, and it is what brings us a lot of the natural beauty we are blessed with. Recent rains are feeding Multnomah Falls and Oregon water supplies!

2-Week Freeze Begins Tomorrow (11/18):

Our rising COVID-19 case levels are threatening our hospital capacity. Governor Kate Brown has called for a statewide Two-Week Freeze, with new limits on gatherings and some businesses to stop the rapid spread of COVID-19. These measures will help slow the spread of this virus so we can get quality health care to everyone in Oregon, whether they are suffering from COVID-19 or any other condition.  Governor Brown’s press conference on these measures is available here, and her executive order is available here. More information on the freeze is available on the Governor’s COVID-19 Page.  For the next two weeks we must: 

• Limit social get-togethers (indoors and outdoors) to no more than six people, total, from no more than two households. 
• Limit faith-based organizations to a maximum of 25 people indoors or 50 people outdoors. 
• Limit eating and drinking establishments to take-out and delivery only. 
• Close gyms and fitness organizations. 
• Close indoor recreational facilities, museums, indoor entertainment activities, and indoor pools and sports courts. 
• Close zoos, gardens, aquariums, outdoor entertainment activities, and outdoor pools. 
• Limit grocery stores and pharmacies to a maximum of 75% capacity and encouraging curbside pickup. 
• Limit retail stores and retail malls (indoor and outdoor) to a maximum of 75% capacity and encouraging curbside pickup. 
• Close venues (that host or facilitate indoor or outdoor events). 
• Require all businesses to mandate work-from-home to the greatest extent possible and closing offices to the public. 
• Prohibit indoor visiting in long-term care facilities (outdoor visitation permitted for supporting quality of life).

New Developments

• Bottle/Can Redemption: The two week freeze may also affect the ability of Oregonians to redeem their bottles and cans.  For the duration of the statewide freeze and any other relevant local shutdowns, retailers that currently accept cans and bottles for redemption will be allowed to suspend those operations.  Bottle Drop facilities will remain open, and retailers may opt to continue redemption if they choose to.  Check with your local redemptions site to see what their policy will be.  Learn more from this Willamette Week article.  
• Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV): The DMV will be opening up 200,000 more appointment slots for in-person appointments in January and February.  Use the DMV website to schedule an appointment, or find out if you can complete your business online! 
• Governor Announces Small Business Aid: The state will commit $55 million in financial assistance to support Oregon businesses who have been impacted by COVID-19 restrictions. These funds will be allocated to counties to distribute to businesses who have been financially impacted, with a priority for the hospitality industry, businesses impacted by the freeze, small businesses, and women, Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and Tribal-owned businesses. Every county will decide on their own application process, and each county will receive at least $500,000 with additional allocations made on a per-capita basis.  Read the full announcement here.  
• Self Isolation vs. Quarantine: With a large increase in cases across the state, more people are being asked to quarantine and self-isolate to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Quarantine keeps someone who was exposed to a person with COVID-19 away from others. Isolation keeps someone who is sick or tested positive for COVID-19 without symptoms away from others, even in their own home. You can learn more about quarantining and self-isolation below. Learn more from the Oregon Health Authority’s Facebook Page
• Legislative Leadership: Now that the election is over, new and returning members have had the opportunity to elect leaders for within the House and Senate.  Positions like Speaker of the House, Speaker Pro Tempore, President of the Senate, and President Pro Tempore will require full votes from the respective chambers, but the Democratic Caucuses have nominated candidates for those roles. Here is what we know so far about legislative leadership:
  • House Democrats:
    • Speaker of the House nomination: Rep. Tina Kotek
    • Speaker Pro Tempore nomination (leads the House when the Speaker is unable to): Rep. Paul Holvey
    • House Majority Leader: Rep. Barbara Smith Warner
    • House Majority Whip: Rep. Andrea Salinas
    • House Majority Deputy Whip: Rep. Julie Fahey
    • Assistant House Majority Leader: Rep. Pam Marsh
    • Assistant House Majority Leader: Rep. Rachel Prusak
    • Assistant House Majority Leader: Rep. Janeen Sollman
  • House Republicans:
    • House Minority Leader: Rep. Christine Drazan
  • Senate Democrats: 
    • Senate President Nomination Senator Peter Courtney 
    • Senate President Pro Tempore Nomination: Senator James I Manning Jr. 
    • Senate Majority Leader: Senator Rob Wagner 
    • Senate Deputy Majority Leader: Senator Elizabeth Steiner Hayward 
    • Senate Majority Whip: Senator Lew Frederick
    • Senate Majority Whip: Senator Sara Gelser 
    • Senate Assistant Majority Leader: Senator Michael Dembrow 
    • Senate Assistant Majority Leader: Senator Kate Lieber 
  • Senate Republicans:
    • Senate Minority Leader: Sen. Fred Girod

• Updates from the City of Hillsboro: 
  • City Council Meeting Tonight at 6pm: The agenda includes the City's Alley Naming Project, a proclamation of Native American Heritage Month in Hillsboro, and a work session discussion with the Hillsboro School Board regarding Hillsboro's School Resource Officer Program.  Full agenda and Zoom link.
  • Utility Assistance: You may be eligible for utility bill payment assistance if you have been impacted by COVID-19, including job loss, reduced work hours, illness, quarantine, or other factors. See the full list of qualifications and application information here. The city has also posted a helpful video on their Facebook Page. 

• Washington County Updates:
  • Monday November 30th-2020 Year End Update.  Join Washington County Board Chair Kathryn Harrington for a look back at the county’s response to the many challenges of this year, and a hopeful look forward to 2021.  Learn more here. 

Case Data

• National Numbers: 

• Confirmed Cases: 11,136,253 (up 151,855 from yesterday)
• Deaths: 246,232 (up 762 from yesterday)
• Cases in the last 7 days: 1,099,790
• These national numbers come from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  You can view their national and state by state data here. 

• Oregon Status Report:  Oregon now has 58,570 total cases (confirmed and presumptive) of COVID-19.  
  • Today we have 935 new confirmed and presumptive cases, and 13 new deaths.
  • Monday: 781 cases, 4 deaths, 118 new cases in Washington County
  • Sunday: 868 cases, 2 deaths, 110 new cases in Washington County
  • Saturday: 1,097 cases, 6 deaths, 191 new cases in Washington County
  • A total of 778 Oregonians have died from COVID-19.  

• Washington County still has one of the highest case counts at 8,020 confirmed cases, including 88 new cases today.  You can review on-going updates from OHA by clicking on the table below. 

• The Oregon Health Authority recently provided a Public Health Indicators Dashboard to enable communities across Oregon to monitor COVID-19 in the state.The dashboard, which will be updated weekly on Thursdays, provides a transparent report that presents complex epidemiological data in an interactive, easy-to-understand way on a state and county level. 

Table showing Oregon case, testing and demographic data, link to more information

Wildfire Recovery Resources:

State offers no-cost wildfire debris cleanup for all Oregon homes and businesses: 

The State of Oregon will provide no-cost wildfire ash and debris cleanup for all homes and businesses in the eight counties affected by the disastrous September wildfires, the Oregon Debris Management Task Force announced today. This cleanup includes mobile home parks, second homes, businesses, and other structures.

Home and business owners that opt into this government-led wildfire cleanup program will pay no upfront costs for any cleanup work. Additionally, no government agency – state, federal or contractor - will seek payment from any insurance policy unless it is specifically designated for debris removal or left over after the home or business is completely rebuilt.

The no-cost cleanup is available to home and business owners in Clackamas, Douglas, Jackson, Klamath, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, and Marion counties.

Property owners need to sign a Right of Entry form to allow cleanup crews onto their property. Cleanup crews will remove ash and structural debris, hazard trees, concrete foundations, and burned vehicles. To submit your Right of Entry form and for more information, visit wildfire.oregon.gov/cleanup or call the wildfire debris cleanup hotline: 503-934-1700

Wildfire cleanup is a two-step process. Step 1 is removal of household hazardous waste, which is dangerous to people, communities and the environment. This work is nearly completed in all fire-impacted counties. Progress on Step 1 efforts can be viewed on EPA’s 2020 Oregon Fires Recovery website. Step 2 is the Ash and Debris stage, described above.  

Other Wildfire Resources: 

OEM has put together this list of contacts to help speed up the process of replacing these documents:

• Green cards: Phone (800)-375-5283; Website: www.uscis.gov
• Medicare cards: Phone: (800)-772-1213; (TTY) (800)-325-0778 Website: www.medicare.gov
• Military records Phone: 866-272-6272 Website: www.archives.gov/contact/
• Passport Phone: 877-487-2778; (TTY) 888-874-7793 Website: travel.state.gov
• Social Security card Phone: 800-772-1213; (TTY) 800-325-0778 Website: www.ssa.gov
• U.S. Savings Bonds Phone: 844-284-2676 Website: www.treasurydirect.gov
• U.S. tax returns Phone: 800-829-1040 Website: www.irs.gov
• Birth, death, marriage, domestic partnership, divorce certificates Phone: 888-896-4988 Website: www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/Birthdeathcertificates
• Driver’s license, auto titles and registration, ID cards Phone: 503-945-5000 Website: www.oregon.gov/odot
• SNAP (Oregon Trail Card) Website: www.oregon.gov/DHS/Assistance/Food-Benefits
• State taxes (Oregon Dept. of Revenue) Phone: 503-378-4988 or 800-356-4222 TTY: All relay calls are accepted. Website: www.oregon.gov/dor
• Real estate and property - Contact your county government.
• Credit cards - Contact your credit card company directly.
• Credit reports from Equifax, Experian, TransUnion Phone: 877-322-8228 Website: www.annualcreditreport.com
• Insurance documents - Check with your insurance agent.
• Medical records - Call your doctor or your medical insurance company; medical and prescription records are tracked electronically.

The Governor’s office has put together a Wildfire Resources page that you can access from the Governor’s home page.  It has links to many of the most important updates about the status of fires and resources for evacuees.  This website will be updated regularly.  

Legal Resources: Oregon State Bar’s Lawyer Referral Program, Oregon lawyers, through the Oregon State Bar, are partnering with FEMA and the American Red Cross to provide legal assistance on FEMA claims, contract claims, insurance claims, landlord-tenant matters and more.

The Department of Forestry’s Wildfire Response and Recovery Overview has ongoing updates about firefighting efforts, damage reports, and more.  

FEMA Updates: FEMA has provided several different Fact Sheets and resources for accessing benefits, determining eligibility and avoiding scams.

• How to Appeal a FEMA Disaster Assistance Decision
• Oregonians Affected by Wildfires: Flood Risk and Insurance; Fraud Awareness
• FEMA Rental Assistance May Be A Valuable Housing Solution for Oregon Wildfire Survivors
• Citizenship and Immigration Status Requirements for FEMA Disaster Assistance
• What to Expect When Applying with FEMA
• Disaster Unemployment Assistance Available for Oregon Wildfire Survivors
• Look Out for Disaster Fraud, Scams
• Understanding a FEMA Determination Letter, How to Appeal
• FEMA Approves Direct Housing Mission
• Apply with FEMA Even if You Have Insurance

Additional Resources

Employers and Employees

• Unemployment options at https://unemployment.oregon.gov/
• Apply Online: https://secure.emp.state.or.us/ocs4/index.cfm
• FAQs: https://unemployment.oregon.gov/frequently-asked-questions
• Contact Form: https://unemployment.oregon.gov/contact-us
• Work Share program at oregonworkshare.com
• The Oregon Labor and Industries Technical Assistance for Employers page at https://www.oregon.gov/BOLI/TA/pages/index.aspx  has information about employer obligations and responsibilities.
• Business Oregon has a robust list of financial resources including non-bank lenders at https://www.oregon4biz.com/Coronavirus-Information/ 
• The US Small Business Administration offers disaster assistance in the form of SBA loans to designated states. Information about these loans is available at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/Information/Index 
• The latest COVID-19/Coronavirus information on resources for workers and business owners is available at https://www.oregon.gov/gov/Pages/coronavirus2020.aspx 
• Oregon Secretary of State’s business resources can be found at www.oregon.gov/smallbusiness or you can email questions to business.sos@oregon.gov. 

Education Links

• Hillsboro School District (en inglés y español)
• Forest Grove School District (en inglés y español) 
• Oregon Department of Education
• COVID-19 Resources for Oregon Higher Education Partners

Local Government

• City of Hillsboro (en inglés, español y más idiomas) 
• City of Cornelius (en inglés, español y más idiomas)
• City of Forest Grove
• Washington County

Utilities Assistance

• Portland General Electric (en inglés y español) 
• NW Natural
• City of Hillsboro Utility Billing 
• Comcast 
• CenturyLink
• AT&T 

Food and Housing Assistance

• Community Action.org
• Oregon Food Bank
• Meals on Wheels

View Past Updates, Share and Subscribe: 

If there was COVID-related information in a past newsletter that you want to go back to, but find you’ve deleted it, you can always go to my legislative website (http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/mclain), click on “News and Information,” and you’ll find them all there. You can also share this site with your friends and loved ones, so they can view past newsletters, and subscribe to future updates.  

My staff and I had our last socially distanced meeting yesterday to prepare for the next two weeks of only virtual meetings.

Yours truly,

Representative Susan McLain
House District 29

email: Rep.SusanMcLain@oregonlegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1429
address: 900 Court St NE, H-376, Salem, OR 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/mclain