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Dear Friends and Neighbors, Welcome to 2022!  I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season with friends and family.  I enjoyed time with my children, visiting with relatives at the beach, and having a few days off from Legislative work.  Our office was closed between Christmas and New Year so that staff could have time off to rest up for the Short Session coming up on February 1st.  Next week is Legislative Days, where House, Senate, and Joint committees conduct interim business and prepare for the upcoming Short Session.  I will be attending committee meetings for the Joint Committee on Transportation, the Joint Ways and Means Subcommittee on Education, the full Ways and Means Committee, and the House Committee on Agriculture and Land Use.  The links to view the hearings are not all posted yet, but when they are can be found here.  Below is the schedule for these meetings and hyperlinks to each committee homepage, where you will also be able to find viewing links once posted: Joint Ways and Means Subcommittee on Education - January 12th from 12:45-2:00 PM House Committee on Agriculture and Land Use - January 12th from 2:30-5:00 PM Joint Committee on Ways and Means - January 13th from 8:00-10:30 AM Joint Committee on Transportation - January 13th from 2:30-5:00 PM Today, I joined Congresswoman Bonamici and other elected officials to tour Centro Cultural's new food services building and self-service food pantry.  I was proud to help ensure this project's success by designating $680,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.  Read more about Centro Mercado in the "Around Washington County" section below.

Centro Cultural Director Maria Caballero-Rubio, Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, and Representative Susan McLain touring the new Centro Mercado building in Cornelius. 

SAVE THE DATE!  UPCOMING TOWN HALL

2021 IN REVIEW

The year 2021 will be remembered as a year when widespread COVID-19 vaccinations began helping to return some normalcy and stability to our lives, when schools reopened for full-time in-person learning, when the economy continued its robust—yet uneven—growth, and when the Oregon Legislature used a largely virtual legislative session to deliver historic, urgently needed help to struggling families.

In addition to the full six-month long legislative session, the Oregon Legislature also
convened a special session in December to prevent thousands of Oregonians from getting evicted, provide drought relief to rural communities, fund services for Afghan refugees, and help ease the growing humanitarian crisis occurring at illegal cannabis grow sites in Southern Oregon.

COVID-19 UPDATES 

COVID-19 By the Numbers

Cases and Deaths: Oregon reports a single-day record of 4,540 new confirmed and presumptive COVID-19 cases and 44 new deaths.

Flu is still circulating - you still have time to get protected against it

Oregon orders 12 million at-home COVID-19 tests

Oregon has made its largest order yet of COVID-19 tests that will be offered to people around the state for free so they can find out, at home, if they are carrying the virus, and take steps to prevent its spread.

Oregon Health Authority (OHA) placed an order Wednesday with iHealth Labs for 6 million of its COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test kits. Each kit contains two tests – amounting to a total of 12 million tests coming to the state – that can be performed at home, with results available in 15 minutes.

To learn more, read OHA’s press release.

VACCINE INFORMATION 

FDA authorizes new guidance on Pfizer vaccines and boosters for children and adults

Get your COVID-19 vaccines at a local walk-in or drive-through vaccination site

Are you finding it hard to get a COVID-19 vaccine? Whether it’s your first dose, second dose, third dose or booster dose, be sure to check out the high-volume vaccination sites now operating throughout Oregon. These walk-in and drive-through sites offer all three COVID-19 vaccines at no cost and are open to everyone eligible for a COVID-19 vaccination or booster.

Washington Co. Vaccine Information: 

Washington County's Mobile Vaccination Van: The van is traveling the county to make it easier for people to get the vaccine close to where they live or shop. Find the schedule here.

Tektronix (starting Thursday, November 11): This clinic will offer all three vaccines, including boost and pediatric doses. Located at 14200 SW Karl Braun Drive (inside Building 58) in Beaverton. Hours are Monday through Friday from 12-6 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m.- 4 p.m. Walk-in only, no appointments. 

Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Centers: All vaccination events are open to the community, do not require an appointment, and do not require you to be a Virginia Garcia patient. You do not have to have insurance in order to receive a vaccine. If you have insurance, please bring your card with you. Remember, vaccines are free!

Beaverton Resource Center: This clinic on Fridays takes place inside the Beaverton Resource Center, 13565 SW Walker Road. Visit Project Access Now's website to make an appointment. All three vaccines are available, including boosters and third doses. This site is currently not offering the pediatric Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5-11. NO CLINIC on December 24, December 31 or January 14.

Paisanos Plaza: This clinic operates every Sunday from 1-5 p.m. It is organized by Oregon Health Authority and Vive NW and offers all vaccines and boosters. It is located at 966 SE Oak Street in Hillsboro. No appointments, ID or health insurance required. Questions? Call the Vive NW hotline at 844-291-4970.

Centro Cultural Clinic: On Saturdays at 1110 N. Adair Street in Cornelius

Local pharmacies: As of April 27, 2021, pharmacies are required to offer second/boost doses to people who received their first dose somewhere else.

• Safeway and Albertsons
• Costco
• Walgreens (or 1-800-WALGREENS) 
• Walmart
• Bi-Mart
• Rite Aid
• CVS
• Fred Meyer

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.

Mix and Match Approved: The CDC approved a “mix-and-match” strategy that allows anyone qualifying for a booster to receive any of the FDA-authorized vaccines. People may receive either the same or a different COVID-19 vaccine, depending on advice from a health care provider, individual preference, availability or convenience.

BACK TO SCHOOL 

Welcome back to school parents and kids!  I hope you all had a great holiday break and enjoyed the snow.  With the spread of Omicron, it is important to keep up with health and safety issues in our schools so please take some time to read the letters from both the Forest Grove and Hillsboro School districts below.  Have a great rest of the school year! 

COVID Update From Superintendent Parker  Dear FGSD Families, At the beginning of this school year our goal was to do everything we could to safely keep our schools open allowing our students the opportunity to learn in person. Through the use of layered safety protocols and the dedication of our students, staff and parents we have done that. In the face of new pandemic challenges, we will continue to diligently work towards that goal.  As you have probably heard, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently issued updated guidance that shortens quarantine recommendations for individuals who test positive for COVID-19. It's important to note that this guidance is not specific to K-12 school settings and it has not yet been adopted by the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) or the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) at this time. The CDC is expected later this week to issue updated K-12 guidance, which OHA and ODE will review to determine whether to implement in Oregon. We expect that there will be changes but for now we will continue to follow our current protocols. When updates are made available we will promptly share them.  While early data indicates that the Omicron variant may result in less severe disease than previous variants, it is increasingly clear that Omicron spreads much more quickly and easily than all previous variants. To protect our students and staff we encourage families to review proper preventative measures with their children (i.e. staying home when sick, masking, washing hands, distancing, vaccinations, etc.).  We will continue to hold extracurricular activities as currently scheduled. However, as the weather dictates activities be held indoors, there is a greater risk of transmission. As additional guidance from our local health authorities becomes available, it may become necessary to limit the number of spectators permitted at certain activities. As we make these decisions, we will update you. As we approach the two year mark of this pandemic, we know that students, staff and families are tired, scared and frustrated. As we work together and remain vigilant in implementing preventative measures, we can continue to keep our schools open.  Respectfully, Dave Parker Superintendent

Hillsboro School District Health and Safety Update  Hello HSD Students and Families, As we embark on a new calendar year, we wanted to take a moment to reiterate the health and safety protocols we have in place in our schools and encourage all students and families to remain consistent in following these measures so we can keep schools operating in as normal a fashion as possible.  You may have seen that the Oregon Department of Education and Oregon Health Authority issued a School Health Advisory for Continuity of Instruction on Jan. 3, 2022. Highlights of that guidance and HSD’s response are below; please refer to the advisory for full details.  Our schools are currently employing layered mitigation strategies to slow the spread of COVID-19, which continues to circulate in our community. The Omicron variant has proven to be especially transmissible, so it is imperative that each of us remains vigilant in observing the following health and safety protocols: Stay home if you are sick (Too Sick for School flyer, COVID Flow Chart).  If you are exhibiting one of the primary symptoms of COVID-19 (fever of 100.4 degrees or higher, persistent cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, new loss of taste or smell, please get tested for COVID-19 (list of local testing sites).  Get vaccinated and/or boosted, if you are eligible.  Wear a well-fitting mask properly - covering your nose and mouth at all times.  Wash and/or sanitize your hands frequently. Avoid contact with people who are ill. Maintain appropriate physical distance between yourself and others.  Eat only at designated times and in designated locations - possessing/consuming food and drink outside of these times/locations is not an acceptable reason to go maskless for an extended period of time.  The CDC’s recent change to the recommended length of isolation for those who have tested positive for COVID-19 does not apply to the K-12 school setting. But keep in mind that there are two different tracks for how COVID-19 cases and exposures are handled in our schools: Student has primary symptoms of COVID-19 OR has tested positive for COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status Student has come in close contact with someone who has COVID-19 Student will need to isolate at home for at least 10 days from the onset of symptoms or date of a positive test. Student may return to school after 10 days, as long as they have been fever-free for at least 24 hours without the aid of medication and symptoms are improving. IF the student is vaccinated and asymptomatic, there is no need to quarantine; however, testing is recommended within 5-7 days of exposure. IF the student is unvaccinated and asymptomatic, they will need to quarantine for at least 7 days; if they receive a negative COVID-19 test within 5-7 days of exposure, they may return to school on day 8.

Additional instructions may be given to students and families by the Contact Tracing team, according to individual situations and circumstances. 

Schools, like other businesses and organizations, are facing challenges to their ability to function safely and as normal due to COVID-19. Our intent and goal is to continue operating schools and extracurricular programs as long as we can do so safely. In the event we do not have enough staff to run certain bus routes or hold school, we may need to make changes that will impact some students and families. We are not planning to implement any preemptive closures or changes to our normal programming, but remain poised to respond quickly to situations as they arise. Please be aware of this possibility and know that we will communicate as quickly and thoroughly as possible if changes become necessary. 

We have received several questions about extracurricular activities as a result of yesterday’s advisory message. At this time, our plan is to continue holding extracurricular activities as scheduled; however we do ask that families voluntarily limit the number of spectators attending sporting events and activities. We will continue employing our layered mitigation strategies. We will also continue to contact trace any positive cases and assess individual situations to see if cancellations are warranted based on the number of illnesses/quarantines impacting a particular sport or activity. In addition, we anticipate receiving updated guidance from the OSAA in the coming weeks. Please be aware of the possibility that participating in extracurricular activities may increase a student’s risk of exposure to COVID-19. 

You can assist us in ensuring things continue as normal by following the health and safety measures listed above and reinforcing the expectation that your students do the same - doing so will keep students in classrooms, keep extracurricular programs going, continue to allow spectators at high school sporting events, etc. Please consider getting vaccinated and/or boosted as soon as possible. A list of upcoming vaccination clinics/sites is available at www.hsd.k12.or.us/vaccine. 

Thank you all for your patience, understanding, and assistance as we continue navigating this pandemic and work collectively toward a return to a bit more normalcy in our daily lives.

Hillsboro School District

AROUND WASHINGTON COUNTY 

Centro Breaks Ground on Free Food Mercado I am thrilled that Centro Cultural has broken ground on their new, exciting development for food security in Washington County. Next Spring, they'll be opening the Centro Mercado at 1216 Baseline Street in Cornelius, just a block away from Centro Cultural—a grocery-style food pantry that allows people to select their food with dignity and respect.  I was pleased to be able to award Centro Cultural $680,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to complete construction for this important new service.  I also want to thank Senator Chuck Riley and Representative Janeen Sollman for their support and contributions as well.

Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici and Representative Susan McLain at the new Centro Mercado site.

Y2K New Year's Run for Ralph Brown - NOW ON SATURDAY, JANUARY 8th! Ralph Brown is an avid runner and race organizer who started the annual Oregon Road Runners Club “Y2K Run” in 1986.  The race has been going strong every New Years Day since and this year’s run is dedicated to Ralph, with proceeds going to assist in the search for him.  This year's race was postponed due to inclement weather, and will now be held on January 8th.  I encourage everyone to come out to run, walk, or show support for runners, honor Ralph, and raise awareness about his missing person’s case and the benefits of a strong Silver Alert program. Ralph and I have crossed paths in many ways over the years.  We were both educators, and when I was a Metro Councilor, Ralph was Mayor of Cornelius, and we often worked together on issues important to the community.  I also got the chance to know Ralph and his lovely wife, Carol, through many community events and activities, and I always loved having the opportunity to visit with them.  Ralph is quite simply a  wonderful man.  He is a role model, was a great educator and mayor, and above all else, I am proud to call him my friend. There are many of us, including people like Representative Janeen Sollman, who have been advocating for improvements to Oregon's Silver Alert program for Seniors, which assists in cases where Seniors like Ralph go missing.  I am very excited that the Oregon State Police, in conjunction with the Oregon Department of Transportation, has begun working this year to update their rules to the law so that alerts can be more widespread and synchronized across the state.  Efforts like these will assist in searching for Ralph and for all Seniors who go missing. The race was postponed this year and now will be held on January 8th!  Let's spend this Saturday honoring Ralph, raising awareness about his case, and getting the word out about the benefits of the Silver Alert program!  See you on January 8th at 9:00 AM at Tom McCall Upper Elementary School and the Pancake Feed at the  Forest Grove Senior and Community Center between 8:00-1:00 PM.  REGISTER HERE

Fires in Downtown Hillsboro

Community Safety Reminder
Hillsboro Fire & Rescue reminds all community members that the area where the fire occurred is still an active fire scene. We ask everyone to avoid the area for safety, unless necessary, and we ask that everyone who needs to be in the area stay behind the fencing and tape that has been placed around the building. East Main Street between 2nd and 4th avenues remains closed. Third Avenue from Lincoln Street to East Main Street remains closed.

For community awareness, important messages from the City of Hillsboro Water Department:

• Customers in Downtown Hillsboro may experience water discoloration/low water pressure due to the large volume of water flowing to fight the four-alarm commercial fire at E Main Street and NE 2nd Avenue.
• With the fire extinguished, please run cold water taps for 10 minutes to clear.
• If discolored water persists, call the Hillsboro Water Department's after-hours pager at 503-615-6775 and leave a contact number, or email WaterQuality@Hillsboro-Oregon.gov.

Statement from Mayor Steve Callaway
“Our community has been impacted by two fires this weekend: one that displaced 17 people within three apartments on Saturday, and another on Sunday that has visibly impacted our beloved Main Street. Our hearts go out to the families and all of the Main Street businesses affected by the fires. We and the community are here to support them in their recovery.”

In both fires, our firefighters did remarkable work. They stopped the apartment fire from spreading to other units. Their efforts to keep the Main Street fire from spreading was flat-out amazing. And it was a team effort with not only Hillsboro Fire & Rescue firefighters, but also our partners from neighboring agencies: Banks, Cornelius, Forest Grove, Gaston, Portland Fire, and Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue.

We are also grateful for our partnerships with NW Natural, PGE, the Red Cross, TriMet, and others whose help allowed us to respond to both of these emergencies and support those affected.”

For updates and video, visit the Hillsboro Fire & Rescue Department Twitter feed

Flooding closes Fern Hill Road south of Forest Grove From the Forest Grove News Times by Dillon Mullan  Flooding closed Fern Hill Road to all traffic from Taylor Way to Geiger Road south of Forest Grove Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 4. The Washington County Department of Land Use & Transportation said in a news release that flood gates are locked and the road is impassable. "The flood gates on Fern Hill Road are locked across the road. Do not bike or walk around the gates. Avoid travel on roads covered by water. Evena few inches of flowing water can sweep vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians off the road," spokesperson Melissa De Lyser said in the release. "Turn around, don't drown." In Washington County, motorists, pedestrians or bicyclists caught moving or traveling around road closure barricades receive $260 fines. Fern Hill Road is one of the most frequently flooded roadways in Washington County. When the Tualatin River rises high enough, the floodplain it crosses is inundated and the road is covered over by water. As rainy weather continues to soak northwest Oregon, a National Weather Service hydrograph of the Tualatin River near Dilley suggests the river has not yet crested. It is expected to reach its highest level less than 3 inches below its minor flood stage sometime late Friday, Jan. 7, or early Saturday, Jan. 8.

RENTAL ASSISTANCE INFORMATION

The Oregon Emergency Rental Assistance Program is paused to new applicants as of December 1, 2021 at 11:59pm.  Please note that Washington County still has rental assistance available.

While the state has made the difficult decision to pause accepting new applications at midnight on December 1 for the Oregon Emergency Rental Assistance Program (OERAP), Washington County’s local Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) program continues to accept applications through existing local pathways. Community Action, the agency administering the local funds for Washington County, maintains a phone line, an online portal and has established partnerships with other agencies, community-based organizations as well as public health contact tracing staff to get the funds out as quickly as possible. These local funds will continue to be available for income-eligible renters over the foreseeable future. Oregon has safe harbor rules in place that mean renters cannot be evicted for 60 days, or 90 days in some parts of Washington County, if they show their landlords proof of having applied for any emergency rental assistance program. These maps show the protections for the different jurisdictions within Washington County (Information in English mapping tool) bit.ly/3aTeFbc or (Information in Spanish mapping tool Protección contra desalojos (arcgis.com). All renters needing assistance and residing in Washington County are encouraged to apply for the Emergency Rental Assistance program. To learn more on how to apply for emergency rental assistance, visit the Community Action webpage at https://caowash.org/programs/housing-stability/renter-support.html. For immediate resources including shelter and food access contact 2-1-1 online at www.211info.org or by calling 2-1-1.

SEVERE WEATHER WARNINGS FOR OREGON

WILDFIRE RECOVERY RESOURCES

OEM has put together this list of contacts to help speed up the process of replacing these documents:

• Green cards: Phone (800)-375-5283; Website: www.uscis.gov
• Medicare cards: Phone: (800)-772-1213; (TTY) (800)-325-0778 Website: www.medicare.gov
• Military records Phone: 866-272-6272 Website: www.archives.gov/contact/
• Passport Phone: 877-487-2778; (TTY) 888-874-7793 Website: travel.state.gov
• Social Security card Phone: 800-772-1213; (TTY) 800-325-0778 Website: www.ssa.gov
• U.S. Savings Bonds Phone: 844-284-2676 Website: www.treasurydirect.gov
• U.S. tax returns Phone: 800-829-1040 Website: www.irs.gov
• Birth, death, marriage, domestic partnership, divorce certificates Phone: 888-896-4988 Website: www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/Birthdeathcertificates
• Driver’s license, auto titles and registration, ID cards Phone: 503-945-5000 Website: www.oregon.gov/odot
• SNAP (Oregon Trail Card) Website: www.oregon.gov/DHS/Assistance/Food-Benefits
• 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
• Real estate and property - Contact your county government.
• Credit cards - Contact your credit card company directly.
• Credit reports from Equifax, Experian, TransUnion Phone: 877-322-8228 Website: www.annualcreditreport.com
• Insurance documents - Check with your insurance agent.
• 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.

• How to Appeal a FEMA Disaster Assistance Decision
• Oregonians Affected by Wildfires: Flood Risk and Insurance; Fraud Awareness
• FEMA Rental Assistance May Be A Valuable Housing Solution for Oregon Wildfire Survivors
• Citizenship and Immigration Status Requirements for FEMA Disaster Assistance
• What to Expect When Applying with FEMA
• Disaster Unemployment Assistance Available for Oregon Wildfire Survivors
• Look Out for Disaster Fraud, Scams
• Understanding a FEMA Determination Letter, How to Appeal
• FEMA Approves Direct Housing Mission
• Apply with FEMA Even if You Have Insurance

VETERANS RESOURCES 

Washington County Veterans Resources 

American Legion Post 104: (503) 642-4907

American Legion Post 006: (503) 648-7191

Washington County Disability, Aging, and Veteran Services: (503) 846- 3060

Hillsboro VA Clinic: (503) 906-5000

Paws Assisting Veterans: info@paveusa.org

Veterans of Foreign Wars: (503) 895- 1342

Hillsboro Elks Lodge: (503) 648- 1862

Rock Creek Veteran Resources | Veteran Resources at PCC : (971) 722-7743 or 7744

Veterans Support | Pacific University

Mental Health Services: 

• Washington County Crisis Line | 503-291-9111
• Crisis Text Line | Text “Connect” to 741741
• Suicide Prevention Lifeline | 1-800-273-8255
• Trevor Lifeline | 1-866-488-7386

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES 

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.

• Unemployment options at https://unemployment.oregon.gov/
• Work Share program at oregonworkshare.com
• The Oregon Labor and Industries Technical Assistance for Employers page at https://www.oregon.gov/BOLI/TA/pages/index.aspx  has information about employer obligations and responsibilities.
• Business Oregon has a robust list of financial resources including non-bank lenders at https://www.oregon4biz.com/Coronavirus-Information/ 
• The US Small Business Administration offers disaster assistance in the form of SBA loans to designated states. Information about these loans is available at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/Information/Index 
• The latest COVID-19/Coronavirus information on resources for workers and business owners is available at https://www.oregon.gov/gov/Pages/coronavirus2020.aspx 
• Oregon Secretary of State’s business resources can be found at www.oregon.gov/smallbusiness or you can email questions to business.sos@oregon.gov. 

Education Links

• Hillsboro School District (en inglés y español)
• Forest Grove School District (en inglés y español) 
• Oregon Department of Education
• COVID-19 Resources for Oregon Higher Education Partners

Local Government

• City of Hillsboro (en inglés, español y más idiomas) 
• City of Cornelius (en inglés, español y más idiomas)
• City of Forest Grove
• Washington County

Utilities Assistance

• Portland General Electric (en inglés y español) 
• NW Natural
• City of Hillsboro Utility Billing 
• Comcast 
• CenturyLink
• AT&T 

Food and Housing Assistance

• Community Action.org
• Oregon Food Bank
• Meals on Wheels

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