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Friends,
Thank you for taking a few minutes of your time to read our newsletter, and for staying consistently engaged with us—it is the best part of this role and it is a constant joy to hear from you so that I can serve you better in Salem.
There is a lot of information to share in this newsletter today, please reach out if you have a question, need help on an issue, want to testify on a bill or just want to share how things are going for you and your families with us.
Thank you and be safe,
 Representative Mark Owens
Oregon House District 60
Oregon is redrawing its political lines
Redistricting is the once-a-decade process of redrawing United States House of Representatives (Congressional) and Oregon State Senate and State House of Representatives (Legislative) district boundaries to account for changes in population. This work will change the voting lines for our districts and impact your representation in the Oregon legislature and in Congress for the next 10 years.
Do you believe the state has been served well by the last redistricting? Do you believe the current district boundaries are fair? Do you think the legislature being in charge of the redistricting process is fair, transparent, and nonpartisan? Now is your chance to tell the Redistricting Committee your answers to these questions and more. Oregon voters from congressional districts are invited to participate in hearings that start this week, with more scheduled through April. For the purposes of prioritizing constituent voices, public hearings are organized by Congressional Districts so for residents in House District 60, that means we fall into the CD2 schedule.
CD 2 Hearings:
 For more information on how to testify, please use the links below:
Student Spotlight
During our last virtual town hall, Ella, a sophomore at Ontario High School, posed a poignant question about why our schools are not open and what’s the plan to help her and hundreds of her classmates receive the education they need to be competitive? I had the opportunity to speak with Ella and learn more about who she is, what her goals are, and what the challenges are that she faces due to schools being closed for almost an entire year. I had the privilege of reading a letter about Ella’s story on the floor of the House. Click here to watch the video and hear Ella’s story.
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Ella, we are grateful for and inspired by your courage to approach your legislators and ask the hard questions we’ve been trying to get answers to for over the last year. Our schools are slowly reopening, but we know that’s not enough—we have been fighting for months to re-open our schools and ensure you and your classmates can get back in the classroom and get the education you deserve.
We invite you to continue to work with us so we can learn how to best serve you and your peers in this challenging environment. We have no doubt you will be successful and achieve your educational goals.
While we haven’t solved this issue entirely, we’re seeing progress in schools reopening across the state. You can read more about that below.
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Schools Re-Opening Update
Last Thursday, the House and Senate Republicans sent a letter to Governor Brown asking that the governor use her executive orders to open schools for in-person learning as quickly as possible. On Friday, the Governor announced she is calling on school districts to return to full or hybrid in-person instruction on or before the weeks of March 29 for grades K-5, April 19 for grades 6-12.
After the weeks of March 29 and April 19, all public schools in Oregon will operate under either a fully on-site or a hybrid instructional model when counties meet or exceed Oregon’s advisory COVID-19 metrics. Individual students or parents who want to remain in comprehensive distance learning, or who have health needs, may do so.
If you have questions or need more information about schools in your district, please contact your local superintendents or administrators.
COVID-19 Vaccine Info
We’ve received many questions and inquiries about the COVID-19 vaccines, availability, and how to register for a vaccine in House District 60. With the ever-changing vaccine roll-out from the Governor’s office and OHA, as well as the frequent changes in availability of vaccines in local areas, we’ve found the best resource for information is to call or email your county health department specifically to learn the options for you and your families. They’ve each provided this contact information below.
House District 60:
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Baker County: Baker County COVID-19 Website: https://www.bakercountycovid19.com/call the Vaccine Call Center at 541-523-0015, or Baker County Health Department at 541-523-8211.
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Grant County: Email the health department at vaccine@ccsemail.org to sign up for the vaccine.
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Harney County: Harney County Public Health at 541-589-1501
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Lake County: Lake County Public Health. 541-947-6045
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Malheur County: Malheur County Health Department: 541-889-7279 or visit malheurhealth.org
State information:
District Phone: 541-889-8866
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1460
District Address: 258 S. Oregon St, Ontario, OR 97914
Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, H-475, Salem, OR 97301
Email: Rep.MarkOwens@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/owens
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