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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Working at home the last nine months has been very interesting because I feel like I have two and half hours saved commute time! My productivity is sky-high! The down side has been isolation from staff, lack of supplies, and agency supports on some issues. Our office has learned how to navigate remote meetings, remote communication, and team interaction without being intrusive to personal time.
Now we will have a third Special Session on Monday the 21st of December. It will be in Salem and I will pack hand sanitizer, my state laptop computer, and food for 12 to 15 hours. I will bring masks to wear and have plenty of spares. I will also try and remember water in a container and coffee for the day. I am glad we can add four more areas of support for our communities for pandemic relief, fire cleaning, and re-building efforts. Enjoy your weekend! Enjoy some Holiday moments. Thank you for helping remember safety first!
- Confirmed Cases: 16,756,581 (up 236,913 from yesterday)
- Deaths: 306,427 (up 3,435 from yesterday)
- 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 98,936 total cases (confirmed and presumptive) of COVID-19.
- Today we have 1,339 new confirmed and presumptive cases, and 21 new deaths.
- A total of 1,283 Oregonians have died from COVID-19.
(previous daily case updates from OHA here)
- Washington County still has one of the highest case counts at 13,991 confirmed cases, including 131 deaths. You can review on-going updates from OHA by clicking on the table below.
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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.
Governor Kate Brown has extended her declaration of a state of emergency regarding COVID-19 for an additional 60 days, until March 3, 2021. The previous executive order was set to expire on January 2, 2021. The declaration is the legal underpinning for the Governor’s COVID-19 executive orders and the Oregon Health Authority’s health and safety guidance.
The House sent a letter to the Executive Branch asking the Governor to call us in to deal with emergency needs before the end of the year. We must deal with issues like school liability and renter/landlord support that is so necessary to keep people in their homes. The Special Session of the Oregon Legislature begins at 8:00 a.m. Monday, Dec. 21, 2020. We will be considering both critical policies and $800 million in relief to support Oregonians during a one-day special session on COVID-19 and wildfires. Included in the Governor’s budget priorities is aid for tenants and landlords, funding for vaccine distribution and contact tracing, wildfire prevention and community preparedness, and support for reopening schools.
Joint Committee to Hear Public Testimony Prior to Third Special Session: Prior to Monday’s special session to address urgent issues critical to the COVID-19 pandemic and wildfire relief, the Joint Interim Committee on the Third Special Session of 2020 will hear public testimony on the legislative concepts to be considered during the session.
The committee will meet virtually at the following times:
- Thursday, December 17, 6:00-9:00 pm
- Saturday, December 19, 10:00 am-1:00 pm
The Saturday public hearing is scheduled in order to hear any remaining testimony from the Thursday meeting. The committee will receive public testimony on the following legislative concepts that will be considered during the special session.
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LC 10 – Restaurant Relief Package
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LC 18 – Eviction Moratorium Extension and Landlord Compensation Fund
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LC 21 – School Liability Protections
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LC 28 – Emergency Fund Allocation
Members of the public can provide written or verbal testimony at this meeting. Written testimony, which is encouraged, should be submitted by email to J3SS.exhibits@oregonlegislature.gov. Testimony is posted online to the Oregon Legislative Information System (OLIS) as part of the legislative record and made publicly available at this link. The public record will be extended 24 hours after the committee meeting is set to begin.
Registration is required to testify by phone or video. To sign up, members of the public can either use the online form at this link or by calling 833-588-4500 for assistance. Registration closes at 1 pm on Thursday, December 17, 2020.
The following members will serve on the committee:
- Senate President Peter Courtney (D-Salem), Co-Chair
- House Speaker Tina Kotek (D-Portland), Co-Chair
- Senate Republican Leader Fred Girod (R-Stayton), Co-Vice Chair
- House Republican Leader Christine Drazan (R-Canby), Co-Vice Chair
- Senator Ginny Burdick (D-Portland)
- Senator James Manning (D-Eugene)
- Senator Kim Thatcher (R-Keizer)
- Representative Teresa Alonso Leon (D-Woodburn)
- Representative Julie Fahey (D-Eugene)
- Representative Duane Stark (R-Grants Pass)
The Capitol Building is currently closed to the public and meetings are taking place remotely. Go to https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2019I1/Committees/J3SS/Overview to access a live stream of these meetings. Locate the meeting date and click on the camera icon at the designated time.
Benefits Expiring – Week Ending December 26, 2020
From State of Oregon Employment Department:
“We are closely monitoring potential federal legislation and will work to get any new benefits to people as quickly as we can. We will provide more information once it becomes more clear when federal legislation may pass and what new benefit programs may become available.”
Without any extensions to the CARES Act, PUA and PEUC are set to end the week ending Dec. 26.
- We have a webinar you can review about the ending of CARES Act programs and the reduction in number weeks of benefits under Extended Benefits. You can see our webinars, by visiting unemployment.oregon.gov/webinars.
- As we stated last week, starting Dec. 13 the extended benefits extension program will shift from High Extended Benefits, which provided up to 20 weeks of benefits to Extended Benefits, which provides up to 13 weeks of benefits.
- If someone has already received 13 weeks of EB, they may be able to receive PUA benefits for the few weeks remaining in the year before that program expires on Dec. 26.
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That only can happen if their unemployment fits one of the CARES Act listed criteria for being COVID-19 impacted.
- To apply for PUA, claimants should use the Online Claim System. The online PUA application is available in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Korean, and Arabic
- The loss of this safety net is going to be incredibly difficult. While we cannot offer more benefits without new legislation, we encourage Oregonians to seek additional resources:
- Free or low-cost health coverage through the Oregon Health Plan, even if someone has been denied in the past. Visit OregonHealthCare.gov or call 800-699-9075.
- For assistance paying for rent or groceries, accessing child care or transportation, and accessing other critical resources, visit https://211info.org or call 2-1-1.
- For job seeking assistance and support, contact your local WorkSource center. Companies are hiring, and they are reaching out to us for help finding new employees. Visit http://www.worksourceoregon.org/Centers.html for more.
The COVID-19 vaccine has arrived in Oregon! It will take time before every Oregonian is able to get their shots though. In line with CDC guidance, Oregon will be prioritizing frontline health care workers and long-term care residents and employees as the first group to receive the vaccine. This includes our doctors, nurses, janitorial staff, and others who have the potential for direct or indirect contact with COVID-19 patients or infectious materials. For more information on the COVID vaccine in Oregon, please click here.
Oregon’s Vaccine Allocations – Preliminary
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Allocations
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Anticipated Date of Arrival
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Week of Dec. 13
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Week of Dec. 20
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Week of Dec. 27
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Pfizer
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35,100
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25,350
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48,750*
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Hospitals
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24,375
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19,500
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42,900
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Skilled Nursing Facilities
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10,725
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5,850
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5,850
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Moderna
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N/A
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71,900
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31,700*
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Hospitals
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N/A
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71,900
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31,700
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Allocation is the amount Oregon expects from CDC.
* Includes the second dose for patients that received vaccine from prior distribution
Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup Finds that the Pfizer Vaccine is Safe for Public Use: The Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup completed their concurrent and thorough review of the federal process and has confirmed the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is safe and efficacious. The Workgroup provided their confirmation to the Governors of California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington on Sunday.
Safety First: Your best protection from COVID-19 will be a combination of getting a COVID-19 vaccine, wearing a mask, staying at least 6 feet away from others, avoiding crowds, and washing your hands often. No one tool alone is going to stop the pandemic. Learn about the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination so you’ll be ready: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/about-vaccines/vaccine-benefits.html
What are ‘Underlying Conditions’? These conditions include: cardiovascular disease, chronic liver and lung disease, chronic renal disease, being a current or former smoker, diabetes mellitus, immunocompromised condition, neurologic and neurodevelopmental conditions, obesity and other chronic diseases. Having type 2 diabetes increases your risk of severe illness from COVID-19. Based on what we know at this time, having type 1 or gestational diabetes might increase your risk of severe illness from COVID-19.
Oregonians are some of the most charitable people and they have continued to step up and support non-profits during these trying times. If you have a little extra to give this holiday season, please consider donating to one of these amazing organizations doing great work in Washington County:
Oregon Food Bank
Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center
Centro Cultural
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As of Dec. 7, FEMA has approved nearly $31 million in disaster assistance for homeowners and renters. When combined with low interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration totaling more than $52 million and an additional $33 million in salaries, services and goods contracts, more than $116 million in federal funding has been approved for residents and businesses across Oregon.
Wildfire Recovery Resources:
OEM has put together this list of contacts to help speed up the process of replacing these documents:
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Green cards: Phone (800)-375-5283; Website: www.uscis.gov
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Medicare cards: Phone: (800)-772-1213; (TTY) (800)-325-0778 Website: www.medicare.gov
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Military records Phone: 866-272-6272 Website: www.archives.gov/contact/
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Passport Phone: 877-487-2778; (TTY) 888-874-7793 Website: travel.state.gov
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Social Security card Phone: 800-772-1213; (TTY) 800-325-0778 Website: www.ssa.gov
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U.S. Savings Bonds Phone: 844-284-2676 Website: www.treasurydirect.gov
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U.S. tax returns Phone: 800-829-1040 Website: www.irs.gov
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Birth, death, marriage, domestic partnership, divorce certificates Phone: 888-896-4988 Website: www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/Birthdeathcertificates
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Driver’s license, auto titles and registration, ID cards Phone: 503-945-5000 Website: www.oregon.gov/odot
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SNAP (Oregon Trail Card) Website: www.oregon.gov/DHS/Assistance/Food-Benefits
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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
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Real estate and property - Contact your county government.
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Credit cards - Contact your credit card company directly.
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Credit reports from Equifax, Experian, TransUnion Phone: 877-322-8228 Website: www.annualcreditreport.com
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Insurance documents - Check with your insurance agent.
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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.
Employers and Employees
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 (Personal que habla español disponible en este número: (503) 992-3221)
Washington County
Utilities Assistance
Portland General Electric (en inglés y español)
NW Natural
City of Hillsboro Utility Billing
Comcast
CenturyLink
AT&T
City of Forest Grove
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.
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
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