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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Last week saw the devastating murder of eight people in Atlanta, Georgia—six of them women of Asian descent. My heart goes out to the grieving communities who have lost their loved ones, and to our Asian and Pacific Islander neighbors who experience the reverberating fear and grief of these horrendous attacks.
While these racist killings were carried out on the other side of the country, similar violence has taken place here in Oregon. We must remain committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of all who live in Oregon, and stand together unequivocally against hate, racism and violence. I encourage you to read this statement from the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO), which includes resources on education and donation.
This past week, I proudly voted yes on Senate Joint Resolution 12, known as the HOPE Amendment. SJR 12 proposes an amendment to the Oregon Constitution establishing a state obligation to ensure every resident of state has access to cost-effective, clinically appropriate and affordable health care. Oregonians deserve access to appropriate and adequate health care. The passage of SJR 12 recognizes the need to ensure effective, equitable and person-centered health care and social services that enable Oregonians to live well and thrive. Read my full statement below.
 The Senate's discussion of SJR 12 immediately followed consideration of a resolution honoring the life of the late Representative Mitch Greenlick. Representative Greenlick is an Oregon legend. He’s embodied public service, he mentored many – including my Chief of Staff, he was witty and above all he adored his wife, Harriet. Oregon is better because of him and I was honored to share my experience getting to know Mitch on the Senate floor.
 Click the image to watch my remarks on the Senate floor honoring Representative Greenlick.
 You can watch the hearings by clicking on this image.
Las Thursday, the Senate Committee on Rules and Executive Appointments held a crucial set of public hearings on bills to rein in the wasteful walkouts that have derailed the past two legislative sessions. You can learn more about each piece of legislation below and I will keep you posted on the bills as they move through the legislative process.
Senate Bill 261- Prohibits members of Legislative Assembly from soliciting or using contributions to pay fines or legal expenses, replace salary, defray expenses or otherwise compensate members for monetary losses incurred as result of unexcused absences from sessions of Legislative Assembly.
Senate Bill 262 - Prohibits member of Legislative Assembly who is absent and unexcused when Legislative Assembly is in session from receiving salary, per diem or expense reimbursement, and imposes fine of $500 per day of unexcused absence.
Senate Joint Resolution 3 - Proposes amendment to Oregon Constitution to provide that member of Legislative Assembly who, without permission or excuse, does not attend 10 or more scheduled legislative floor sessions of Legislative Assembly is deemed to be engaging in disorderly behavior and is disqualified from holding office as Senator or Representative for term following member's current term of office.
Senate Joint Resolution 4 - Proposes amendment to Oregon Constitution to modify portion of each house of Legislative Assembly needed to be in attendance for quorum necessary for house to conduct business.
Many of us are eagerly awaiting our turn to be vaccinated and are hearing from others about their experiences taking the vaccine. The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) has launched a new page to help you get vaccinated. The new "How to Find a Vaccine" page – available in English and in Spanish – will help you identify who can get a vaccine, why to create a Get Vaccinated Oregon account, and where to find a vaccine, including links to the CDC Vaccine Finder, pharmacy options and your local public health authority. Please share this information with your community.
It also includes information about preparing for a vaccine appointment and what you can expect afterward. OHA also published refreshed versions of covidvaccine.oregon.gov and vacunacovid.oregon.gov to make them easier to navigate. As we learn more about updates to eligibility groups and other resources, these pages will be updated.
At the same time, not everyone is able to use the internet for vaccine scheduling. If you need to schedule your vaccination and you don’t have access to the internet, you can call 211- their wonderful and knowledgeable staff can help you through the process.
You may also have noticed that some people have side effects from the vaccine and others don’t. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), side effects are normal signs that your body is building protection. Having side effects may make it difficult to do daily activities, but they should go away in a few days. And if you don’t experience side effects, that’s great! The vaccine is still working and will protect you.
Finally, the CDC has new guidance for people who are fully vaccinated. People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose in a two-dose series, like the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, like the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
If you are fully vaccinated, you may visit with other fully vaccinated people indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing. You may also visit with unvaccinated people from a single household who are at low risk for severe COVID-19 disease indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing. If you can, please err on the side of caution.
If you are fully vaccinated, you should still take steps to protect yourself and others in many situations, like wearing a mask, staying at least 6 feet apart from others, and avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces. It’s also important to get tested if you have COVID-19 symptoms, follow guidance issued by individual employers, and follow CDC and health department travel requirements and recommendations.
I am heartened to see so many community members getting their vaccine, and appreciate all you do to keep your loved ones and community safe.
Renters in Oregon must take a step to be covered under the current statewide eviction moratorium that will last until June 30, 2021. With limited exceptions, landlords cannot evict renters for nonpayment or without cause until July of 2021 — if renters sign and return a form to their landlord if they can’t afford their rent. Renters who do not return the form are not protected, and can be evicted.
In order to be protected from eviction, you will need to download the declaration of financial hardship form, sign it, and return it to your landlord as soon as possible. Remember to keep a copy for yourself for your records. Renters can return the form by text, email, first class mail, personal delivery, or fax. Renters can give the form to their landlord at any time, up until the first appearance in eviction court. But renters should give the form to their landlords as soon as possible.
If you have questions or need legal information you can contact the Oregon Law Center, Legal Aid Services or Community Alliance of Tenants.
On Thursday, March 11th, 2021, the 10th anniversary of the Great 9.0 Japanese Earthquake, Governor Brown declared ShakeAlert Day in the State of Oregon to raise attention to the fact that our new earthquake early warning system ShakeAlert is now online.
This system is a partnership with the State of Oregon, the Federal Government, the University of Oregon, and others to develop an early warning system that will give Oregonians precious seconds to move to get to a safe place before an earthquake hits. This could save lives and reduce damage during the quake. For more information on the ShakeAlert system, please click here.
The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period ends March 31. If you take advantage of this open enrollment period, you will have coverage that starts the first day of the month after you enroll. You must have an existing Medicare Advantage plan on January 1 to use this enrollment period.
During this time, if you already have a Medicare Advantage plan, you can change to a different Medicare Advantage plan, either with or without drug coverage, or enroll in a stand-alone Part D (prescription drug) plan, which returns the beneficiary to Original Medicare.
If you need to switch Medicare Advantage plans you can get help by calling 800-722-4134 (toll-free) or find local help using the locator tool. SHIBA counselors provide objective options counseling using the Medicare plan finder tool. The 2021 Oregon Guide to Medicare Insurance Plans can be found here. To order a print version, contact SHIBA by phone at 800-722-4134 (toll-free) or email at shiba.oregon@oregon.gov.
Last weekend, two local students participated in the state Poetry Out Loud competition, held by the Oregon Arts Commission. Sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, in cooperation with state arts agencies, Poetry Out Loud encourages high school students to memorize and perform highly regarded poems.
Emma Fang was named runner up of the competition. She is a sophomore at West Linn High School and hopes to pursue a career in dance. She is a member of her school's mock trial team, and spends much of her time dancing competitively and teaching others. In her free time, Emma enjoys reading and listening to a diverse range of music.
Arman Manternach is a sophomore at Catlin Gabel. He loves reading sci-fi and fantasy novels. He is a captain of the LOCR Varsity Men's rowing team, and his favorite poem is "Midsummer, Tobago" by Derek Walcott. This is Arman’s second year participating in Poetry Out Loud.
Congratulations to Emma and Arman for their performances!
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Our office is very excited to welcome three new student interns this session.
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Danny Adzima - Danny is a PCC dual enrollment student from Hillsboro, Oregon. They are a high school senior and next year they will be transferring to the University of Oregon to study political science. They have lived in Oregon for most of their life. When they’re not doing schoolwork or interning, they enjoy camping, hiking, reading, and spending time with their two dogs. During a typical non-pandemic school year, they spend about a week per term as an outdoor school student leader. |
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Giovanni Bautista - Giovanni was born and raised in Portland, Oregon and attends Willamette University. He is a junior double majoring in Politics, Policy, Law & Ethics and Economics. Outside of class, he is a resident advisor, and serves as a senator in Willamette’s student government and a student representative on the Academic Council. In his free time, he enjoys reading, learning about cities and urban planning, following politics, hiking, and hanging out with friends. |
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Ken Johnson - Ken is a junior who is studying politics and policy at Willamette University. Next semester, he will start his law degree at the university's College of Law. He grew up in Olympia, Washington before he moved to Salem for college. He plans to continue living in state capitals; they usually have interesting museums, beautiful parks, and great coffee shops. If he ever leaves Salem, he will probably move to Boise, Sacramento, or Helena. He likes to read, to hike, and since the pandemic began, to listen to podcasts about the Napoleonic era. |
As always, please let me know if you need any assistance. My office and I will work to connect you with resources and get your questions answered as quickly as possible.
Sincerely,
 Senate Majority Leader Rob Wagner
Senate District 19
email: Sen.RobWagner@OregonLegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1719
address: 900 Court St NE, S-223, Salem, OR, 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/wagner
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