2021 Legislative Session: Week 2

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Representative Smith Warner

Greetings:

We have completed two weeks of the Legislative Session and things are already getting busy. As Chair of the House Committee on Rules I have been planning committee discussions on voting rights and campaign finance reform while also continuing to work with my colleagues on  ways to help support Oregonians impacted by recent wildfires and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. I have also enjoyed discussions with constituents, students and community advocates on issues important to them, and had insightful meetings with parents, education advocates, foster youth, gun violence prevention activists, and more. 


Upcoming Constituent Events

I will be holding a constituent chat every third Saturday of the month from 2-3 PM on Zoom to provide legislative updates and information about COVID-19 response efforts. The first constituent chat of 2021 will be on February 20. Please register in advance using this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMsdu2vrzIpGNTmJdQmdilVnTpFlm2Tq6Mw
As always, please contact my office with any questions you might have, or if you need assistance registering.


How to Participate in the Legislature
The Oregon Legislative Information System (OLIS) has lots of information available for the public to stay up-to-date about what is happening in the Oregon State Legislature. You can view legislative committee meetings, find bills, submit testimony and information about the legislative process

OLIS

Oregon Health Authority Update
The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reports up-to-date information regarding testing and vaccine statistics that can be found on their website. You can review the daily update and read reports that details the overall picture of the COVID-19 response in Oregon. Here are some recent developments from OHA:

  • Today, OHA reported that 23,004 new doses of COVID-19 vaccinations were added to the state immunization registry. Of this total, 15,813 doses were administered on Jan. 28 and 7,191 were administered on previous days but were entered into the vaccine registry on Jan. 28.

  • Oregon has now administered a cumulative total of 382,374 first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccines. To date, 614,525 doses of vaccine have been delivered to sites across Oregon.

  • OHA released the latest COVID-19 model today, which shows a decrease in daily cases. The new report estimates that, as of Jan. 13, our statewide reproductive rate was 0.81.

  • According to the newest forecast, if we continue along our present course of wearing masks, keeping physical distance and restricting our gatherings, daily COVID-19 cases will decline to an average of 420 per day and COVID-19 related hospitalizations will decrease by 13 per day. Please continue to wash your hands, wear a mask and practice physical distancing so that we can continue to protect the health and safety of those around us.

Remember that my office can connect constituents to services and help navigate state agency systems. In the past we have helped people schedule meetings with the BOLI commissioner, work through health insurance coverage gaps, and get answers to their questions about housing resources. Please don’t hesitate to call or email with any questions or problems you are experiencing. My office may be able to help, or connect you to someone who can.

Sincerely,

Sig

Representative Barbara Smith Warner
House District 45

email: Rep.BarbaraSmithWarner@oregonlegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1445
address: 900 Court St NE, H-295, Salem, OR 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/smithwarner