|
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
We are continuing to make progress on important legislation in the Capitol.
The COVID pandemic, recession, and devastating wildfires have worsened Oregon’s existing housing crisis over the past year, leaving thousands of Oregonians and their families with few places to turn. House Bill 2006, which I chief sponsored and was passed by the House by a 54-4 vote on Monday evening, will help local communities provide emergency shelter in a time of great need.
Legislators recognize that our housing crisis is an emergency, and we’ve taken strong steps to address it. But too many cities and towns still have difficulty establishing shelter locations due to complicated red tape. Those delays can cost people their lives, especially in the winter months.
HB 2006 will give local governments more flexibility to site emergency shelters to assist unhoused Oregonians. Thank you to my colleagues for the broad bipartisan support for helping local communities provide critical assistance to struggling Oregonians.
On Tuesday, the House passed House Bill 2009 to reinstate the statewide foreclosure moratorium to protect thousands of homeowners impacted by the pandemic. We’re doing all we can to keep Oregonians in their homes during the worst public health crisis of our lifetime. The Oregonian covered this in more detail here.
Bold action is required to address Oregon’s housing crisis, and HB 2006 and HB 2009 are part of a broader agenda to increase affordable housing, address homelessness, and support homeownership. There is much more work to come!
Additionally, the Oregon Senate today passed House Bill 5042, which the House passed unanimously last week, to invest about $300 million in response to Oregon’s most urgent needs, including funds for summer learning and child care, emergency shelters, and wildfire recovery. The bill will next head to the Governor’s desk to be signed, and I’m thrilled that this critical funding will soon start moving to the communities that desperately need it.
Earlier this week, Governor Brown announced that everyone in Oregon who is 16 and older will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine starting Monday, April 19. This moves up the eligibility timeline by nearly two weeks.
This is welcome news as our vaccination rates continue to rise. This week Oregon crossed the threshold of two million vaccine doses administered. Nationwide, a record four million people received a vaccine last Saturday.
I joined the ranks of Oregonians who have received a vaccine when I got the single-dose Johnson and Johnson shot yesterday. I’m relieved to be vaccinated and encourage all Oregonians to schedule their appointment once they are eligible.
As can happen, I did have some side effects today. This does not happen for everyone. But for those who do have post-shot side effects, it simply means the vaccine is working!
Lastly, if you’re an immigrant, please know the following:
- All eligible people in Oregon can get the vaccine.
- You do NOT need to be a U.S. citizen to get the vaccine.
- Getting the vaccine will NOT affect your immigration status or count as a public charge.
- You do not need to have or provide a social security number.
- You do not need to have identification.
If you need support or information on resources for help you can call the Safe + Strong Helpline: 1-800-923-HELP (4357).
The Oregon Health Authority released its latest COVID-19 Weekly Report on Wednesday, which can be read in full here. Here are some of the highlights:
- During Monday, March 29, through Sunday, April 4, 2021, OHA recorded 2,964 new cases of COVID-19 infection, up another 21% from last week’s figure.
- Testing increased 1.4%, but test positivity rose again, from 3.7% to 4.5%.
- Hospitalizations rose from 137 to 150, and 19 Oregonians died in association with COVID-19.
- Over the past 2 weeks, case counts have risen by 29% from the preceding two weeks. During that time hospitalizations increased 6.7%, and deaths associated with COVID-19 declined from 67 to 29.
The trend we’re seeing in increased cases is similar to the trend we saw last October, which led to our highest spike in daily cases. While our vaccination rates are increasing, public health officials have been clearly warning that we are at risk of a fourth wave of the virus as new variants emerge. Remember, variants develop when the virus gets transmitted.
As The Oregonian reported here, a recent forecast by Oregon Health & Science University anticipates daily infections will jump from 390 per day to more than 1,000 per day over the next month. The same risk exists for a surge in hospitalized patients.
So, make sure to get vaccinated as soon as you can, and keep your guard up!
This week, Governor Brown announced the latest updates to the statewide COVID-19 County Risk Levels, which will be in effect from Friday, April 9 through Thursday, April 22.
Six counties increased in risk level. In the Portland metropolitan area, Multnomah and Clackamas counties have been moved back from Moderate to High Risk. Among the county guidelines this will impact is indoor restaurant capacity, which The Oregonian covered here. Washington County remains at Moderate Risk. Marion County, where the Oregon State Capitol resides, remains at High Risk.
Additionally, there are no counties currently in the Extreme Risk category. Public health officials have adjusted metrics to determine these risk levels, saying that case counts and percent positivity will not be adequate indicators on their own for measuring the COVID-19 threat as vaccine distribution increases. Beginning this week, counties will only remain Extreme Risk if they are above the threshold on county metrics for case rates and percent positivity, as well as having COVID-19 positive patients occupying 300 hospital beds or more and a 15% increase in the seven-day average of cases over the past week.
Below are the latest risk levels. Guidance and frequently asked questions based on county risk levels can be found here.
High Risk (14): Benton, Clackamas (moved from Moderate), Coos (moved from Extreme), Curry (moved from Extreme), Deschutes (moved from Moderate), Douglas, Jackson, Josephine, Klamath (moved from Moderate), Lincoln, Linn (moved from Moderate), Marion, Multnomah (moved from Moderate), Tillamook (moved from Moderate)
Moderate Risk (6): Clatsop, Columbia, Polk, Umatilla (moved from High), Union, Washington
Lower Risk (16): Baker, Crook, Gilliam, Grant (moved from Moderate), Harney, Hood River, Jefferson, Lake, Lane, Malheur (moved from Moderate), Morrow, Sherman, Wallowa, Wasco, Wheeler, Yamhill
As a reminder, the state’s lead budget writers will host virtual public hearings starting next week to hear feedback on how the Legislature should balance the budget for the 2021-23 biennium and use federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act.
These meetings are organized by congressional districts. You can find your congressional district here.
Below are instructions on how to submit written testimony and register for live testimony:
Written Testimony – Written testimony will be accepted up to 24 hours after the start time of the public hearing. Testimony is uploaded to the Legislature’s website as part of the legislative record and is then publicly available. To submit testimony electronically, go to: https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2021R1/Testimony/JWM. To submit testimony by mail, send to: Ways and Means, 900 State Street NE, Room H-178, Salem, OR 97301.
Oral Testimony (Live Remotely) – Registration is required to testify by phone or video link. Registration closes at the time the meeting is scheduled to begin.
To register electronically, go to:
District 1: https://survey.sjc1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3gEVis1CKyJQFgi
District 2: https://survey.sjc1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9AHDgxQGeJVmkoC
District 3: https://survey.sjc1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4PGQ17iFvpyxnPo
District 4: https://survey.sjc1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9EJCb3HDLD9DYi2
District 5: https://survey.sjc1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eJT6e1ZhpsjQyrA
If you need assistance with electronic registration, please call 1-833-698-1371.
-
Oregon Public Broadcasting has details here on how the full or partial return to in-person learning may impact unemployment benefits for some parents, including Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC).
- The Oregon Health Authority announced 678 new confirmed cases of coronavirus, bringing the statewide total of new and presumptive cases to 168,795. The OHA also reported five more deaths, meaning 2,439 Oregonians have died of the coronavirus. As of today, 824,229 Oregonians have been fully vaccinated. There have been more than 2.1 million total doses administered. You can click the images below for links to interactive data tables about coronavirus and vaccines in Oregon.
To read past newsletters, you can go to this link. For up to date information, please check this link to the Oregon Health Authority where regular updates are posted: https://www.oregon.gov/oha/ERD/Pages/News-Releases.aspx
Please email me at Rep.TinaKotek@oregonlegislature.gov if you have specific concerns that have not been addressed by the OHA. Our office will do all we can to help and protect all Oregonians.
Thank you for reading! We will get through this together.
Best,
Tina Kotek
State Representative
House District 44
Speaker of the House
email: Rep.TinaKotek@oregonlegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1200
address: 900 Court St NE, H-269, Salem, OR 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/kotek
| 
