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Hello Friends,
The Capitol is slowly starting to feel like a Legislature again. People, a few more each week, are working in the building. That said, we often spend most of our days in our respective offices sequestered with a computer for virtual meetings, but at least we are in the building performing our assigned duties. This Legislative Session promises to be a "first" in many categories. Whatever the case, I am grateful for the opportunity to work in a common cause with so many men and women who want to do good for our people and place.
This past week our committee tackled some interesting concepts for veteran programming, including housing and transportation. We also had an opportunity to have public hearings on a series of bills intended to support our baseline Emergency Management delivery bill HB 2927. We discussed proposals expanding emergency management training, statewide all-hazards exercises, changes to the statute that will allow for better sharing of incident critical information, a bill outlining a statewide PPE (personal protective equipment) stockpiling strategy, and concepts regarding the development of regionally located emergency shelters with response capacities. These hearings were interesting and helpful: two suggestions offered by stakeholders have already been drafted and will be considered in the workgroups. Hopefully, these bills will get passed, and we will be more prepared when catastrophe strikes.
Most of our committee work has been focused upon understanding the "status quo" of plans, programs, and policies. This next week most of our committees will pivot to holding public hearings and even a few work sessions on legislation that has been in the works for a while. And then, a few weeks after that, the new concepts will emerge; this is always the fun part of the roller coaster -- none of our ideas have been tossed to the side yet. It is also the best time to coordinate efforts for the bills we have been working on during the Interim. I am starting to get into the routines of five committees a week (which often means two virtual meetings per committee per week). We are learning a lot, and soon enough, we will be putting some of what we have learned to work (at least we hope).
This week there are few topics that I believe you need to know about...
One of my legislative priorities this year is HB 2927. This bill seeks to reorganize how the emergency management and disaster response systems in the State of Oregon and is the result of a three-year workgroup. Every possible stakeholder interest was invited to participate and share their perspective. HB 2927 also addresses many of the recommendations outlined in an independent third-party after-action report by EM Partners on the State's COVID response. This bill was the subject of an op-ed I wrote for the Statesman Journal that I encourage you to read. This bill is up for a public hearing on February 11th starting at 3:15. If you are someone who wants to see our emergency response system transformed, I ask you to write your legislators and send testimony in support of HB 2927.
 There continues to be a lot of confusion and frustration on who is in each vaccine rollout phase. As shown in the graphic above, starting on February 8th, Oregonians 80 and older will be added to the list of eligible recipients fo the vaccine. However, for the second straight week, the Oregon Health Authority has decided to move vaccines that were dedicated to the Mid-Valley up to the Portland Metro Area. I appreciate the feedback I have received from my constituents and have shared that feedback with the Governor's team. Statewide, 412,650 people have received at least their first COVID-19 vaccine, with 136,062 individuals fully vaccinated. For more information on statewide data, click here.
Locally, Salem Health set up the first mass vaccination clinic in the state with their first full day on Thursday, January 7th. The effort has been so successful, Marion and Polk counties are among the most immunized counties in the state (per 10,000 people). Marion County has vaccinated 34,851 (1,002.2 per 10,000) and Polk County has vaccinated 10,664 (1,285.7 per 10,000). Salem Health is now allowing for preregistration for individuals in the 1A and 1B category through Mychart, which will cut down on the wait time. For more information and the most up to date information, please go to Salem Health's COVID-19 vaccine website at https://www.salemhealth.org/covid-vaccine.
As a member of the Joint Committee On Ways and Means Subcommittee On Transportation and Economic Development (JWMTR), my colleagues and I received a two-day budget presentation from the Employment Department. This includes the Unemployment Insurance division. See the links below for the two days of budget presentations and the meeting materials from the presentations.
JWMTR Agenda for Monday, February 1st -
JWMTR Agenda for Wednesday, February 3rd -
Meeting materials for these presentations
I sit on the House Special Committee on Wildfire Recovery. Our committee will be holding two public hearings entirely dedicated to hearing from Oregonians who were impacted by the wildfires about their post-fire experience and needs related to shelter, clean-up, and rebuilding. Your stories will help direct the committee where to focus its efforts this session. I strongly encourage you to participate either by testifying or submitting public testimony to the committee. Below is additional information and instructions on how to participate in these hearings.
 
Please remember to join our town hall next week: February 16th, 2021, at 6:00 pm. Senator Patterson will be co-hosting with me, and it promises to be a lot of fun. Please bring your questions, share your concerns, and/or listen in -- we both believe in engaged transparency -- and you are critical in our approach to governing. Pre-registration is required, and you can register by clicking here.
Yours truly,
 Representative Paul Evans
House District 20
email: Rep.PaulEvans@oregonlegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1420
address: 900 Court St NE, H-471, Salem, OR 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/evans
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