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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Let me start by wishing all the mothers out there a Happy Mother's Day! This year has been particularly hard for families because of the pandemic and I admire all mothers out there for their hard work and dedication.
It was a very busy week at the Capitol with Floor Sessions Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday and of course meetings and hearings every day of the week. Next week will be even busier as I have 4 bills up for hearings in Senate Committees. I have been working long and hard on these bills and look forward to the opportunity to testify on them in the Senate.
2021 Session Committee Assignments
Joint Committee On Ways and Means
Joint Committee On Transportation - Co-Chair
House Committee On Agriculture and Natural Resources - Vice Chair
Joint Committee On the Interstate 5 Bridge - Co-Chair
Joint Committee On Ways and Means Subcommittee On Education - Co-Chair
2019-2020 Joint Emergency Board
Watch all Oregon State Legislature Live-Streams and Meetings HERE
Track all 2021 Session Bills HERE
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Instructions for how to testify:
English instructions here
Aquí están las instrucciones
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High school theatre students have been working very hard all year to continue creating, expressing, and performing despite the considerable challenges of the pandemic. For example, at Glencoe High School, the advanced theatre classes (Theatre 3, Theatre 4 and Tech Theatre 2) have created five original podcast re-imaginings of the classic Little Red Riding Hood story. Each podcast is of a different genre and done in radio-style. Next up for the students is Spotlight on Thursday, May 13. Spotlight celebrates the work of Glencoe’s advanced artists and features original short films directed by students, artwork by seniors, and student musical compositions. Learn more here.
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House Bill 2165 - Electric Vehicle Affordability
I was proud to vote for HB 2165 as a co-chair in the Joint Transportation Committee and proud as a House Member to vote for it on the floor. I am happy to report that this bill passed 35-22. This bill not only helps the environment but also helps greatly with modernization. The bill increases the affordability of electric vehicles (EVs) by removing the sunset on the Oregon Clean Vehicle Rebate Program, and doubling the Charge Ahead rebate offered by the program to $5000.
The bill also empowers electric companies to develop EV infrastructure statewide, ensuring that rural and low-income communities have access to these vehicles. By shifting some of the infrastructure cost collection upfront, the legislation will create greater predictability and stability for utilities’ planning for EV infrastructure before the Public Utility Commission, instead of later, through rates.
The bill headed to the floor with the unanimous support of the House Energy and Environment Committee and the subsequent endorsement of a majority of the Joint Transportation Committee members and now heads to the Senate.
Upcoming Hearings
I am excited that next week 4 of my bills will have hearings in Senate committees. On Monday, House Bill 3254 will be heard in the Senate Education Committee. This bill provides important funding for two residential treatment programs in my community that provide an invaluable service. Specifically, these residential treatment sites serve students with co-occurring mental health and developmental disabilities. Not only are these programs designed to deal with academic and behavioral issues, but they provide high-quality mental health services to students in need. They offer a safe environment to students who may be unsafe in typical school environments. And the programs serve students locally in their own communities and have transitioned many students back to their old neighborhood schools successfully.
On Tuesday, the Senate Committee on Human Services, Mental Health, and Recovery will hear House Bill 2953, which promotes the oversight of community-based structured housing programs that provide wrap-around services to individuals living in these programs.
House Bill 2954 allows public charter schools to implement a weighted lottery that favors historically underserved students when the number of applicants for enrollment exceeds the capacity of the program, class, grade level, or building. This bill is being heard in the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday.
Also on Wednesday, the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Wildfire Recovery is hearing House Bill 3185 , which provides statutory language specifying that material removed from traditionally maintained channels during maintenance activities cannot be placed on or in undisturbed wetlands, either temporarily or permanently. This is a simple yet important clarification to ensure that the program honors the ecological values associated with ditches. House Bill 3185 is the result of extensive conversations involving the Oregon Farm Bureau, WaterWatch, The Nature Conservancy, and Trout Unlimited to ensure that the fix put forward protects the intent of the Agricultural Channel Maintenance Program.
*This article comes from a press release from House Democrats. Click the link above to read more.
Last week House Democrats passed House Bill 3110 A, which will require boards of director from publicly traded corporations to have a minimum number of directors who are women and members of underrepresented communities. The bill, which is part of a concerted effort in Oregon to increase diversity on its boards and commissions, aims to diversify the workforce and ensure historically excluded populations are given a seat at the table. Boards are an important part of a company, supporting shareholder interests, company goals, and even selecting CEOs.
The bill would require the board of directors of publicly traded corporations located in Oregon to have at least one "female" director and one director who is a member of an "underrepresented community" by January 1, 2024. The measure also establishes violations, sets civil penalties, and requires annual reporting by the boards and Secretary of State on compliance with the bill.
House Bill 3110 A passed 40-18 and now moves onto the Senate for consideration.
TriMet gets on board for staff vaccinations
Bus drivers, light rail operators and transit maintenance employees all work shifts that can make it hard to get to vaccine appointments. So TriMet, which provides bus, light rail and commuter rail transit services in the Portland Metro area, is bringing vaccinations to them.
Recently, the transit agency held a series of vaccination clinics at its operating facilities, photo of clinic at left. Employees, qualified family members and contract workers rolled up their sleeves for one of the 1,000 Moderna vaccine doses included in Trimet’s first allocation.
The first clinic was April 26 at TriMet Operations Headquarters in Southeast Portland, pictured at left. Bus operator Steven Martinson, pictured below, got the very first dose. “It was absolutely painless, he said. “I’ve been in self-isolation for the last year other than coming to work, so to have the clinic here is very helpful.”
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TriMet Interim General Manager, Sam Desue, Jr. said he was thrilled that Trimet is able to offer a safe, convenient vaccination option to its employees. “Our operators, frontline staff and other employees have worked selflessly throughout the past year to keep our transit service rolling and our community moving. They are heroes, and this is one way we can show our appreciation for their commitment and dedication.”
If you’re wondering about riding transit in the pandemic, know that all TriMet employees and passengers must wear masks. TriMet cleans and sanitizes vehicles regularly, limits capacity so riders can spread out safely, and provides masks and hand sanitizer on board buses and most trains.
You can learn more about their safety procedures by clicking on the image below.
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Washington Co. Vaccine Information:
There is still less vaccine supply than necessary to meet the needs of everyone who is eligible and wants the vaccine. We ask for your continued patience until we get more vaccine (coming soon!).
Please do not double-book or no-show for your appointment.
Oregon Convention Center: Sign up here and you will be sent an invitation when a vaccine is available to you. Names are selected at random from eligible pool. The Convention Center is also ACCEPTING WALK-INS NOW!
OHSU drive-thru clinics at Hillsboro Stadium and PDX Airport Red Economy Lot: Schedule online via OHSU's tool. New appointments are released at 9 a.m. on Mondays and Thursdays at the very least. Other days are often added at the last minute, so you might want to visit OHSU's page weekdays at 9 a.m. if you are looking for an appointment.
OHSU clinic updates: No appointments are necessary for first doses to Oregonians ages 16 and older this weekend at OHSU’s PDX Airport Red Economy Lot site. Drive-up vaccines will be for a first dose only.
- Saturday, May 8: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
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Sunday, May 9: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
You can now schedule your second vaccine dose with OHSU even if you got your first dose elsewhere. Call 833-647-8222, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., to schedule.
Washington County-Sponsored Community Clinics: May 7-8: Drive-through clinic on Nike campus. This will be the final first-dose clinic at this location. People who receive/d their first dose here will be notified about their second dose appointment. In partnership with Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue, Nike and City of Beaverton. Pfizer vaccine. Schedule appointment here.
Local pharmacies: As of April 27, 2021, pharmacies are required to offer second/boost doses to people who received their first dose somewhere else.
How much does the vaccine cost? Vaccines are provided free of charge to the recipient. If you have health insurance, you may be asked to provide that information so the vaccinator can bill your insurance an administration fee.
Johnson & Johnson Update: On April 23, the Food and Drug Administration lifted the pause on the use of the J&J vaccine, with a warning about the potential for rare blood clots for women under age 50. The Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup also found that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is “generally safe and effective and that the resumption of its use is warranted once culturally and linguistically appropriate patient and provider educational materials in plain language that support informed decision-making are available.” The FDA has provided an updated Q&A about the J&J vaccine.
The Oregon Health Authority says that Oregon health care providers and pharmacies may resume administering the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine if they can ensure patients or their caregivers are informed about the benefits and risks of the vaccine in their primary language.
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National Numbers:
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Confirmed Cases: 32,049,374
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Deaths: 573,312
- These national numbers come from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. You can view their national and state by state data here.
Oregon Status Report:
- Oregon now has 189,162 total cases (confirmed and presumptive) of COVID-19.
- Today we have 745 new confirmed and presumptive cases, and 5 new deaths.
- A total of 2,514 Oregonians have died from COVID-19 (previous daily case updates from OHA here)
- Washington County has 25,097 confirmed cases, including 229 deaths.
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The Oregon Health Authority provides a Public Health Indicators Dashboard to enable communities across Oregon to monitor COVID-19 in the state. The dashboard, which will be updated weekly on Thursdays, provides a transparent report that presents complex epidemiological data in an interactive, easy-to-understand way on a state and county level
*This article comes from Governor Kate Brown’s Press Release. Click the link above to read more.
Governor Kate Brown announced updates to county risk levels under the state's public health framework to reduce transmission and protect Oregonians from COVID-19. With the statewide seven-day average increase for hospitalized COVID-19 positive patients dropping below 15 percent, Oregon no longer meets the statewide metrics for the Extreme Risk level.
- Effective Friday, May 7, 15 counties will return to High Risk. In total, 24 counties will be at High Risk, four at Moderate Risk, and eight at Lower Risk. A complete list of counties and their risk levels is available here.
Oregon counties have new indoor capacity limits for indoor recreation and indoor entertainment
Under the direction of Governor Brown, indoor capacity limits in moderate and high risk levels are now updated for indoor recreation and fitness and indoor entertainment for Oregon counties. As of Wednesday, May 5, indoor entertainment establishments and indoor recreation and fitness establishments in all Oregon counties may allow the following:
- Moderate risk: Maximum 20% occupancy or 100 people total, whichever is larger
- High risk: Maximum 10% occupancy or 50 people total, whichever is larger
Lower and extreme risk capacity limits for these sectors remain the same.
To view the updated capacity limits, please refer to the Sector Risk Level Guidance Chart.
Celebrate mothers in the safest way this year
Mother’s Day is a special time. Since this is the second Mother’s Day during the COVID-19 pandemic we may be remembering what it was like to celebrate last year. We were just starting to learn about how to keep each other and ourselves safe from getting COVID-19. This year’s celebration may feel more hopeful since we now have vaccines that protect against severe illness and hospitalization from COVID-19.
It’s still important to consider the risk of gathering to celebrate this year.
If everyone who is gathering is fully vaccinated (that’s two weeks after a second dose in a 2-dose series or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine), then you may choose to gather inside in a private space to celebrate your mama.
If you gather anywhere else, or with unvaccinated people from more than one home, you’ll need to continue to take precautions - wear a mask, maintain your physical distance and keep your gathering small and outdoors.
If you don’t live together, the safest way to connect with your mom is over the phone or the internet. Even though you may want to see your mom, it’s worth missing seeing her in person if it helps to keep her safe from this virus.
Here are some ideas about how you can celebrate your mother safely.
- Have a meal, food basket or flowers delivered to your mother’s home.
- If she lives near you, cook her a meal and drop it off outside her door.
- Go for a walk together outdoors with masks and physical distance.
- Order a good book, puzzle or craft activity for her.
- Make time to have a long, uninterrupted phone call with her.
- Send her a picture of yourself with a Happy Mother’s Day sign.
- Tell your mother what you love about her over a video call.
- Play a game or watch a movie together over a video call.
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Forest Grove is 'branching out' with new tourism campaign
Summary of article by Wade Evanson can be found here @ FG-NewsTimes.
Forest Grove is branching out.
The city is launching a new tourism campaign consisting of a new brand, logo, website, social media, street banners and signage in and around downtown Forest Grove.
Additionally, the city recently entered into an agreement with the Forest Grove/Cornelius Chamber of Commerce, which houses Forest Grove's visitors center, to help implement the tourism plan and bolster overnight stays.
As part of the agreement, the Chamber's executive director, Juanita Lint will take over as the new city tourism coordinator. Lint replaces Court Carrier, who will be retiring this month, according to an announcement from the city government.
"The Forest Grove and Cornelius Chamber of Commerce has always been actively involved in tourism, so to me, it's the right fit for us to be in that position," Lint said. "I couldn't be more excited about it."
Integral to the campaign, the new city logo includes the slogan "Branch Out in Forest Grove," which aims to pique the curiosity of those looking to try something new.
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- The Washington County Elections Division says that all but one of its ballot dropsites are now accessible 24 hours, without having to enter a building.
- The drop sites are available for voters to cast their ballots up until 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 18. There are 21 throughout Washington County.
- Aloha Community Library, 17455 S.W. Farmington Road, Suite 26A
- Banks City Hall/Library, 111 Market St.
- Beaverton City Library, 12375 S.W. Fifth St. (box on Southwest Hall Boulevard)
- Beaverton Murray Scholls Branch Library, 11200 S.W. Murray Scholls Place, Suite 102
- Bethany Community Library, 15325 N.W. Central Drive, Suite J-8
- Cedar Mill Community Library, 1080 N.W. Saltzman Road
- Cornelius City Hall/Library, 1355 N. Barlow St.
- Forest Grove City Library, 2114 Pacific Ave.
- Garden Home Community Library, 7475 S.W. Oleson Road, Suite 6 (indoor drop box with limited hours)
- Hillsboro Brookwood Public Library, 2850 N.E. Brookwood Pkwy.
- Hillsboro Shute Park Public Library, 775 S.E. 10th Ave.
- King City City Hall, 15300 S.W. 116th Ave.
- North Plains City Hall, 31360 N.W. Commercial St.
- Sherwood City Hall, 22560 S.W. Pine St.
- Tigard City Hall, 13125 S.W. Hall Blvd.
- Tualatin Public Library, 18880 S.W. Martinazzi Ave.
- Washington County Elections Office, 2925 N.E. Aloclek Drive, Hillsboro
- Washington County Service Center East, 3700 S.W. Murray Blvd., Beaverton)
- Washington County Sheriff's Office/Jail Parking Lot, 236 S.W. Dennis Ave., Hillsboro
- West Slope Community Library, 3678 S.W. 78th Ave.
- Westside Commons (formerly Washington County Fair Complex), 801 N.E. 34th Ave., Hillsboro
Ballots placed in an official election drop box outside of Washington County will still be counted as long as they are in by the 8 p.m. Election Night deadline. However, they may take longer to arrive in Washington County to be tallied and added to the vote count.
Ballots can also be mailed, although they must be mailed in time to be received by Tuesday, May 18. In Oregon, ballot envelopes do not require paid postage.
When not at the Capitol, we are always online for meetings!
As we approach the hotter and drier weather of the summer, the risk of wildfires increases. Last year people in Oregon witnessed what it was like to experience a wildfire at the same time as a pandemic. This Wildfire Awareness Month we encourage you to make sure your home and your family are prepared for potential wildfires.
Oregon Housing & Community Services and the Oregon Latinx Leadership Network have partnered together to offer up to $6,500 in relief funds to qualifying applicants whose homes were damaged by the 2020 Oregon wildfires.
Applications are being accepted now through May 31, 2021. Learn more about the program.
Wildfire Recovery Resources
OEM has put together this list of contacts to help speed up the process of replacing these documents:
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Green cards: Phone (800)-375-5283; Website: www.uscis.gov
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Medicare cards: Phone: (800)-772-1213; (TTY) (800)-325-0778 Website: www.medicare.gov
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Military records Phone: 866-272-6272 Website: www.archives.gov/contact/
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Passport Phone: 877-487-2778; (TTY) 888-874-7793 Website: travel.state.gov
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Social Security card Phone: 800-772-1213; (TTY) 800-325-0778 Website: www.ssa.gov
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U.S. Savings Bonds Phone: 844-284-2676 Website: www.treasurydirect.gov
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U.S. tax returns Phone: 800-829-1040 Website: www.irs.gov
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Birth, death, marriage, domestic partnership, divorce certificates Phone: 888-896-4988 Website: www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/Birthdeathcertificates
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Driver’s license, auto titles and registration, ID cards Phone: 503-945-5000 Website: www.oregon.gov/odot
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SNAP (Oregon Trail Card) Website: www.oregon.gov/DHS/Assistance/Food-Benefits
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State taxes (Oregon Dept. of Revenue) Phone: 503-378-4988 or 800-356-4222 TTY: All relay calls are accepted. Website: www.oregon.gov/dor
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Real estate and property - Contact your county government.
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Credit cards - Contact your credit card company directly.
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Credit reports from Equifax, Experian, TransUnion Phone: 877-322-8228 Website: www.annualcreditreport.com
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Insurance documents - Check with your insurance agent.
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Medical records - Call your doctor or your medical insurance company; medical and prescription records are tracked electronically.
The Governor’s office has put together a Wildfire Resources page that you can access from the Governor’s home page. It has links to many of the most important updates about the status of fires and resources for evacuees. This website will be updated regularly.
Legal Resources: Oregon State Bar’s Lawyer Referral Program, Oregon lawyers, through the Oregon State Bar, are partnering with FEMA and the American Red Cross to provide legal assistance on FEMA claims, contract claims, insurance claims, landlord-tenant matters and more.
The Department of Forestry’s Wildfire Response and Recovery Overview has ongoing updates about firefighting efforts, damage reports, and more.
FEMA Updates: FEMA has provided several different Fact Sheets and resources for accessing benefits, determining eligibility and avoiding scams.
As you might recall, this past Wednesday was the first day of online driver license/ID renewals. Historically renewals have been an in person transaction; we decided a few months ago to begin offering this online in addition to the field office. This does not apply to everyone – for example if folks want a Real ID, want to add a designation, etc. – but it does apply to the more general/common license renewals and we expect a significant amount of people will take advantage of this new service. Since it went “live” late last night, we’ve had 200 people already utilize it. Will keep you posted on progress and how this continues to roll out. (Note: we also continue to offer this in-person as well for folks who don’t want to/aren’t eligible online).
Field Offices & Tests
- Field offices continue their upward trend, with ~36,000 weekly customer visits.
- Knowledge tests remain high, with over 9,000 administered per week.
- Drive tests continue their upward trend, with close to 2,500 weekly tests being administered.
Titles & Call Centers
- Average title wait times continue to drop, and is now at 15 weeks (recall not too long ago we were at 20/21 weeks). We know this is still a very long time to wait and continue to keep our eye on further reduction in this time; this transaction time has been steadily dropping since implementing our title backlog reduction project.
- Call center wait times continue their steady decline, and is now at ~29 minutes. We expect these wait time to continue their downward trend as other DMV services continue to improve.
- Quick reminder also that the federal Real ID deadline has been delayed by the Department of Homeland Security from October 2021 to May 2023. This means folks will have a longer period of time to get a Real ID before they need it to board a commercial flight or enter a federal building.
*This article comes from The Oregonian. Click the link above to read more.
- On the same day Gov. Kate Brown shut down indoor dining in 15 Oregon counties, Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer urged restaurants, bars, food trucks, tasting rooms, catering companies and other food service business owners to apply for their share of $28.6 billion in federal relief grants.
- Privately owned food businesses with fewer than 20 locations are eligible to apply for up $10 million in funding made available through the American Rescue Plan. Registration is already open at the Small Business Association website. Applications can be submitted starting at 9 a.m. on Monday, May 3, for the program.
- According to Blumenauer, whose original Restaurants Act legislation (H.R.7197) called for $120 billion in funding, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has said he is willing to work with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to inject more money into the program.
- The American Rescue Act, which passed in March, incorporated a slimmed down version of Blumenauer’s bill to help food businesses survive the economic downturns imposed by state-imposed restrictions on dining designed to curb the COVID-19 pandemic. The program will provide eligible businesses with funding equal to their revenue loss of up to $5 million per location, and $10 million total.
- Unlike earlier Paycheck Protection Program loans, which restaurant owners found onerous to apply for and use, recipients are not required to repay the funds so long as they are used for legitimate expenses before March 11, 2023. Those expenses included everything from rent to mortgage payment to insurance to the construction of outdoor seating.
- Businesses can apply through the Small Business Administration or through various point-of-sale companies, including Square, Clover and Toast. A sample application can be found here.
- The first 21 days of the program are dedicated to “priority” businesses, defined as businesses that are at least 51% owned by women, veterans or people who are socially and economically disadvantaged. The program includes various set-asides worth around $10 billion total for smaller businesses with 2019 revenue under $1.5 million, $500,000 or even $50,000.
- While the application process doesn’t open until 9 a.m. on Monday, May 3, Blumenauer encourages Oregon restaurants to do the following:
*This article comes from the Oregon Health Authority Press Release. Click the link above to read more.
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Sometimes it’s hard to know how to get help when things feel difficult. Last fall, the Oregon-based nonprofit Lines for Life and OHA launched the Safe + Strong Helpline to support people in Oregon in response to the need for emotional support around disasters like COVID-19 and wildfires. Callers are routed to a counselor who can provide emotional support, mental health triage, drug and alcohol counseling, crisis counseling or just connection.
- No matter where you are in Oregon, the Safe + Strong Helpline is here for you. Call 800-923-HELP (4357). The line offers free, 24-7 emotional support and resource referral to anyone who needs it – not only those experiencing a mental health crisis.
Employers and Employees
The following list of resources is from Oregon’s Secretary of State’s Office. The fastest way to get in touch with the SOS team is by emailing business.sos@oregon.gov, using the “Need Help?” button found on most state agency websites or visiting www.oregon.gov/smallbusiness.
Education Links
Local Government
Utilities Assistance
Food and Housing Assistance
Beautiful drive home on Thursday night - this is outside of Gaston!
Yours truly,
 Representative Susan McLain
House District 29
email: Rep.SusanMcLain@oregonlegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1429
address: 900 Court St NE, H-376, Salem, OR 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/mclain
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