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Dear Neighbors and Friends,
I hope you are doing well and enjoying the glimpses of sunshine and fair weather we’ve been experiencing now that Spring is finally here!
With only 15 working days left until the exact mid-point of legislative session, I have many updates to share! March 19 was our first legislative deadline of the session. Past March 19 at 5:00 p.m., no bill can move forward without having had a work session posted on a committee agenda. I’m working on many exciting bills about health equity, decreasing health care costs, instituting farmworker overtime, and more that have passed this first legislative deadline. Find more information about them below this message.
Even though we made it through the first legislative deadline, this past week has been challenging. During a session where we need to address COVID-19 response, racial injustice, climate protection policy and much more, my Republican colleagues are refusing to “suspend rules” on the floor. This means that instead of reading the shorter description of the bill, our clerk must read the bill in its entirety—even when it is hundreds of pages long. Due to this time consuming tactic, our legislature was scheduled to be on the House floor for 19 hours this week.
However, most of those hours were cancelled after we received news that someone in the legislature had tested positive for COVID-19. Now, every member of the legislature should be tested for COVID-19 and quarantine for 10 days to uphold our responsibility to protecting public health. We hope to resume our floor sessions on Monday, March 29.
For the past two years, Oregon’s legislative process has been obstructed by my Republican colleagues in both the House and Senate, refusing to attend floor sessions. Because Oregon’s constitution requires two-thirds of the members for a quorum, their absence from the Legislature meant no bills could be voted on, on the House floor, completely stalling our process in 2020. The 2020 session ended with only 3 bills having passed into law. These years of obstructionist tactics have led to a huge backlog of policy that needs to be passed.
As a legislator, I truly value bipartisan collaboration. I have sponsored many pieces of legislation that were introduced by my colleagues from across the aisle, and I continue to work with them on issues that affect Oregonians every day. However, these tactics are putting the health of legislators and staff at risk, while also delaying the passage of bills that are critical to public health, economic recovery, and racial justice. Despite these obstructionist tactics, I will do whatever it takes to complete the work that I was sent to Salem to do.
Finally, I’d like to touch on some updates about COVID-19. As of March 24, our state has administered just over 1 million COVID-19 vaccine doses. Because responsible Oregonians like you have continued to wear your mask, wash your hands, and socially distance, our COVID-19 cases are on a downward trend. By Friday, March 26th, only two counties will remain in the extreme-risk level. Schools are beginning to slowly open again, and our vaccination capacity will only continue to grow. For more in-depth updates about eligibility, access to vaccinations, and school reopening, keep scrolling.
Warmly,
 Andrea Salinas, State Representative
Legislative Updates
HB 2357: OFRI
One of my priority bills this session, HB 2357, is up for a work session today in House Agriculture and Natural Resources. This bill addresses the illegal and unethical behavior by the Oregon Forest Resources Institute (OFRI).
In the bill’s original form, OFRI would have been eliminated entirely and its funds would have been transferred to an account at the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) to help support key environmental positions. The amended version of the bill, which I hope will pass out of committee, is slightly different.
In this version of the bill, OFRI is reformed, their resources are re-allocated, improvements are made to the board, and money is still given to ODF for important environmental positions.
While I had hoped to repeal OFRI entirely, I do believe this is an important first step which will give ODF the ability to begin hiring these crucial positions which really help move the ball forward on climate monitoring and environmental science. I hope this is something we can build on in future sessions.
HB 2357: Farmworker Overtime
Over the course of the year, Oregonians have faced a global pandemic, catastrophic wildfires, and a bitter ice storm. No community was left unscathed from tragedy, but some, like the farmworker community, felt disproportionate impacts of a particularly rough year. Despite all of these challenges, Oregon’s farmworkers continued to risk their lives, their health, and their safety to make sure that Oregonians are able to feed their families.
Image above: farmworkers continue to work during the wildfires.
But despite the essential nature of their work, farmworkers are not guaranteed overtime pay due to exemptions in the 1938 Federal Labor Standards Act and the 1983 Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protections Act. As a result, farmworkers continue to be some of the lowest paid workers in the state, making an estimated $28,000 per year.
Furthermore, the exclusion of farmworkers from overtime pay is rooted in racism. As I explained in my testimony to the committee, which you can read in full here, farmworkers were originally meant to be included in the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938 (which established overtime pay. But they were later removed in order to secure the votes of Southern lawmakers. The South relied heavily on the exploitation of Black labor in agriculture, and lawmakers feared that these reforms would disrupt the racist and segregated economic structure that allowed for this continued exploitation. In order to secure their vote, farmworkers were removed from the bill.
By extending overtime laws to farmworkers, as I’ve proposed in HB 2358, we can provide vital economic security to a vital – and large (approx. 174,000) – portion of Oregon’s workforce, ensure that farmworkers receive appropriate compensation for their work, and correct a historic injustice that still persists to this day.
The bill had its first public hearing a couple of weeks ago, and I provided testimony in support, you can re-watch the hearing in full here (it begins just after the 27:30 mark). It’s scheduled for a second public hearing on March 29, and set to have a work session on April 7. You can track the bill’s progress on OLIS here.
I was also interviewed for an article in the Oregonian about farmworker overtime. You can read that here.
HB 2359: Health Care Interpreters
A third bill that I’m so excited to be working on is HB 2359, my Health Care Interpreter bill. This bill is scheduled for a work session on March 30. For more details on the legislation, to watch the public hearing from March 2, and to watch the work session next Tuesday, click here.
Around 570,000 Oregonians speak a language other than English at home, and almost half of that population report they don’t speak English very well. Currently, federal law requires that health care providers who receive federal funds provide interpreters to those who have limited English proficiency.
Unfortunately, current Oregon law does not hold health care providers or health care interpretation service agencies accountable for working with unqualified of non-certified health care interpreters. This lack of enforcement leaves many Oregonians without recourse if they haven’t been provided appropriate interpretation services. Everyone deserves access to health care in a language that they understand and this has become abundantly clear during the pandemic.
My bill seeks to close the current loophole in Oregon law by requiring providers and agencies work with certified or qualified health care interpreters registered in the interpreter registry managed by OHA. It will also require OHA, BOLI, and DOJ to develop an enforcement process including written warnings, correction plans, and civil penalties.
HB 2362: Equal Access to Care
The last bill I will share with you is the Equal Access to Care bill, which deals with mergers acquisitions and consolidations of health care systems.
Mergers, acquisitions, and other partnership arrangements have been increasing in recent years and data shows that consolidation in health care often leads to higher prices while not necessarily improving quality. We’ve made significant progress in health care policy innovation, but more must be done to address the root causes of the health care cost drivers, like hospital and provider consolidation.
The bill seeks to engage communities through an open public process, that requires entities that seek to consolidate to demonstrate that the transaction will benefit consumers by either reducing patient costs, increasing access to services in medically underserved areas, or addressing historical and contemporary factors contributing to the lack of health equity in our state. Then, the community will make a recommendation to OHA, who will make the final decision on whether the merger will benefit Oregonians. If it will not, OHA will have the power to reject the merger.
This bill will have a work session on March 30. To tune in to hear more about the amendments, to hear discussion on the bill, and to watch the committee vote, click here.
Here you can read my op-ed with Senator Patterson on HB 2362 in the Statesman Journal.
School Reopening
Portland Public Schools (PPS)
As of March 18, Portland Public Schools and the Portland Area Teacher’s Union have reached the below agreement as it relates to reopening schools.
Timeline
- Pre-K through Grade 1 classrooms will begin in-person hybrid instruction on April 1 and April 2.
- Grades 2 through 5 will begin hybrid instruction on Monday, April 5.
- Grades 6-12 will begin hybrid instruction the week of April 19.
- Students in hybrid instruction will be assigned into morning or afternoon cohort groups (all middle and high school cohorts will have in-person instruction in afternoon groups).
- The phased-in return meets the requirements of the governor’s recent executive order and allows for professional development, building preparation and critical planning time for educators.
Schedules
- In-person instruction for grades PK-5 will consist of 2 hours and 15 minutes of daily in-person instruction (except on Wednesdays).
- In-person instruction for middle school and high school will take place in the afternoon. In most cases, students who participate in in-person instruction will be on campus twice a week for 2.5 hours. PPS continues to be bound by physical distance requirements, which limits the number of students we can place in classrooms. It is their goal to get our secondary students in the building twice per week, and they continue to problem solve where space is posing a challenge.
- Middle and high school schedules allow for continuation of learning and applied learning activities. In-person time with teachers will allow students to have interaction with their teacher and peers to explore topics more in-depth as well as get assistance with material that may present a challenge. Students will have opportunities to interact with peers in small, physically distanced groups.
- The structure of middle and high school hybrid schedules does not require teacher changes with the exception of teachers who may be on leave.
- You can find examples of middle school and high school hybrid instruction schedules by clicking here.
Healthy & Safety
- PPS is prepared to safely welcome back students and staff.
- They have followed science-based guidelines since the onset of the pandemic, and continue to listen to public health experts, including our PPS Health Advisory Panel.
- They will have HEPA Air Purifiers for every room or space where students are designated to meet with educators.
- All schools will have a School Nurse or School Health Assistant on campus.
- Each building will have a Safety Committee, including PAT members. They will be required to do a full walk-through of each building by March 19.
- There will be rapid COVID-19 testing for all symptomatic staff and students - and PPS is following OHA protocols for contact tracing and isolation.
Lake Oswego School District (LOSD)
In February, the Lake Oswego School District began transitioning to hybrid learning and have been continuing to hold in-person classes, as well as completely virtual classes. For an up to date school calendar click here.
For more information about Lake Oswego’s Roadmap to Reopening click here.
COVID-19 Updates
Vaccine Eligibility
As of March 22, 2021, all Oregonians in Phase 1A and groups 1-5 of Phase 1B are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Those currently eligible include:
- Health care workers
- First responders
- K-12 teachers and school staff
- Childcare providers
- Oregonians 65 and older
- Migrant and seasonal farmworkers (in counties where they are currently working)
Click on this link to view OHA's sequencing timeline to see the current and next groups of people eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.
Clackamas County Vaccine Clinics
Clackamas County is hosting several COVID-19 vaccination clinics throughout the county starting March 24. Vaccination clinics are set at Clackamas Town Center, Clackamas Community College Wilsonville Campus, Clackamas County Fair Grounds, Molalla High School and Sandy High School.
How to get an appointment:
- All vaccination clinics are by appointment and only open to Clackamas County residents who are currently eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.
- You can schedule a vaccination appointment by visiting Clackamas.us/coronavirus/vaccine.
- If you do not have access to a computer to schedule your appointment, please call 503-655-8224 and they will help you set up an appointment.
- Some vaccination appointments are filling quickly. They will host more vaccination clinics as they obtain more vaccines. They will announce additional vaccination clinics on their website and social media networks once they are scheduled.
At your appointment:
- Please bring photo ID.
- Wear your mask and observe physical distancing guidelines.
- Insurance information will be collected at time of appointment. Uninsured will not be turned away. You will not be charged for your vaccine.
- Everyone welcome, regardless of immigration status.
- Your information will be kept confidential.
You can also use Vaccine Finder to figure out which pharmacies near you have an available supply of vaccine. You can find that here.
Email: Rep.AndreaSalinas@oregonlegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1438
address: 900 Court St NE, H-282, Salem, OR, 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/salinas
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