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Friends and Neighbors,
End of Session Town Hall-Tonight!
Join me and Representatives McLain and Sosa for a Joint End of Session Town Hall. We will be in person at the Hillsboro Civic Center. I hope to see you there. For those that would rather watch from home, the event will be live-streamed here.
Legislative Updates
The past few years have been tough for working families and small businesses in Oregon. I'm proud of the many steps we took to address hardships in our state and work towards a promising future during the 2022 Legislative Session. We moved legislation that will address homelessness by helping Oregonians into safe and stable housing. We passed bills that will help kids and teachers do their best in Oregon’s public schools. We advanced policy and investments to keep Oregonians safe and help law enforcement do their jobs effectively, and we did much, much more. Please read below for highlights on what was accomplished.
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Strategic Statewide Investments – Oregon Legislature approved major investments in affordable housing, homelessness services, public schools, community safety, climate resilience, and rebuilding infrastructure that will spur economic activity across the state.
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Forest Environmental Protections – Senate Bill 1501 – updates provisions of the Oregon Forest Practices Act, which governs logging activity on private forestlands.
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Transforming Justice – Senate Bill 1510 – reduces unnecessary traffic stops, improves law enforcement best practices and will distribute funding to culturally-specific organizations and service providers.
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$400 million for Homelessness and Housing – House Bill 5202 – addresses immediate needs around homelessness, builds on investments to increase the supply of affordable housing, keeps people in affordable homes and prevents displacement.
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$200 million Future Ready Oregon – Senate Bill 1545 – provides funding for workforce development activities that aim to increase access for priority populations to training opportunities in technology, health care and manufacturing
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$100 million for child care – House Bill 4005 – helps to stabilize child care workforce and infrastructure in order to support working families across the state.
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Emergency Heat Relief – Senate Bill 1536 – eases barriers to renters accessing portable cooling devices and heat relief during severe weather events.
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Universal Representation – Senate Bill 1543 – creates a statewide universal representation program to provide certain immigration services, including legal services, access to community-based navigators and referral coordination.
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$600 Cash to Lower-Income Workers – House Bill 4157 – provides $600 one-time assistance payments to low-income households with members who worked during the first year of the COVID-19 public health emergency.
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Equity Investment Act – Senate Bill 1579 – directs Business Oregon to implement an Economic Equity Investment Program to award grants to qualified organizations that provide culturally responsive services to disadvantaged individuals, families, businesses and communities.
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Bottle Bill Modernization – Senate Bill 1520 – makes program improvements to increase redemption rates, include a new category of redeemable beverage packaging and enhances reporting requirements to the legislature.
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Farmworker Overtime Pay – House Bill 4002 – establishes overtime pay requirements for agricultural workers in Oregon after 40 hours per week, phased-in over a five-year period.
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Protecting Superintendents from No-Cause Firing – Senate Bill 1521 – establishes job protections for superintendents when they are acting in compliance with state or federal law.
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Protecting Bakery Workers from Unfair Forced Overtime – Senate Bill 1513 – prohibits an employer from penalizing bakery workers who refuse last-minute overtime shifts.
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Mattress Disposal and Recycling – Senate Bill 1576 – establishes a program to collect and manage discarded mattresses. This program will be operated by a stewardship organization with oversight from the Department of Environmental Quality
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Expanding Online Voter Registration – House Bill 4133 – allows Oregonians to register to vote online with the last four digits of their Social Security number and an image of their signature.
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Expanding Loans for Small Businesses – House Bill 4015 – permanently increases access to capital for Oregon small businesses and start-ups through the Entrepreneurial Development Loan Fund at the Oregon Business Development Department.
I’m honored to have had the chance to do this work during the 2022 Legislative Session, and I’m excited about the opportunity to continue representing our community throughout the year. We have many challenges ahead and I’m confident that we’ve set the groundwork to continue to lead towards a better future for all Oregonians.
Floor Testimonies
The last week of the 2022 Legislative Session was a busy one. I carried several bills in the last two days of session, including the ones below. Visit my legislative YouTube channel to see all my testimonies from this session.
Rental Assistance Updates
Statewide Oregon Emergency Rental Assistance Program to Stay Open for One Additional Week
$16 million allocation from U.S. Department of Treasury keeps portal open after consistent advocacy from Gov. Brown, Oregon’s federal delegation and OHCS.
Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) will keep the Oregon Emergency Rental Assistance Program (OERAP) portal open until 11:59 p.m. PDT on March 21, 2022. The state was notified late Monday by the U.S. Department of Treasury—after numerous requests—that it would be receiving $16 million in additional federal emergency rental assistance funding. The OERAP portal was scheduled to close and stop accepting new applications at 11:59 p.m., March 14, 2022.
Important information for tenants
The OERAP portal will remain open until March 21, 2022, thanks to the additional $16 million
in reallocated federal funding. Here is some important information for renters:
- Anyone who has not applied for OERAP in the past and has fallen behind on rent is
encouraged to apply for emergency rental assistance before 11:59 p.m. on March 21,
2022, at oregonrentalassistance.org.
- Applicants can continue to log on to the OERAP portal to complete their application or
check the status of their finished application. They will be alerted by email as their
application advances.
- If a tenant has an incomplete application in the portal, they now have until March 28,
2022, to complete it. This extension applies to applications that are incomplete at the time of closure. New applications will not be accepted after March 21, 2022.
- Tenants who submit new applications can access protections from eviction for
nonpayment of rent while their application is being reviewed and processed. Tenants
must show proof to their landlord that they applied for the program to receive the
protections.
- OHCS will begin processing and paying out applications submitted in 2022 as early as
this week.
Read the full press release here.
Education Updates
Oregon Department of Education Announces Resiliency Framework Revisions and Face Covering/Quarantine Guidance Changes for Early Learning
From the Oregon Department of Education
Resiliency Framework Revisions Effective March 12
On February 28, Governor Kate Brown announced Oregon will lift mask requirements for indoor public spaces and schools, including child care, on March 11, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. OHA estimates that upwards of 82% of individuals are currently immune. The duration of this immunity is unknown, but is believed to provide protection from reinfection for at least 90 days. This is good news for Oregon. And, the shift in decision making for masking to local levels will bring additional questions about school operations this spring.
With several changes in health and safety guidance occurring in conjunction with the lifting of the masking requirement on March 11, ODE has updated the RSSL Resiliency Framework to reflect recommendations beginning on March 12. This version of the framework is effective March 12 and beyond.
Face Covering and Quarantine Guidance Changes for Early Learning
Beginning March 12, 2022, the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) will pause the quarantine requirement for individuals exposed to COVID-19 in child care and K-12 settings. Staff and children who are ill with COVID-like symptoms or test positive must be excluded from child care and isolate at home for 5 days. They may then return when symptoms are improving and they have been fever-free for 24 hours. When returning to care, staff and children 2 years and older should wear a well-fitting mask in child care and public settings for an additional 5 days after their isolation is completed.
The OHA and Early Learning Division (ELD) recommend that early education and child care programs notify families of an exposure so they can watch for symptoms or test, but children/staff exposed do not need to be excluded unless they are symptomatic or test positive. Early education and child care programs may choose to impose stricter isolation, quarantine or masking requirements.
More information can be found on the ELD website.
Out and About in Senate District 15
Washington County Women's Conference - Breaking Barriers
I was honored to be asked to join the amazing panel of speakers at the Washington County Chamber of Commerce, 2022 Women's Conference - Breaking Barriers. It was an especially uplifting event in celebration of Women's History Month and alongside awe-inspiring fellow panelists Steffany Caballero, Executive Director of Virginia Garcia, and Cobi Lewis, Executive Director of Micro Enterprise Services of Oregon. I was excited to be there with them and all the amazing women in attendance.
Community Outreach
Hillsboro Police Department Seeks Student Leaders for Safety Town Summer Camp
From the City of Hillsboro
 Safety Town is a week-long, half-day safety camp for five and six year-olds. It has been a long-standing program for decades in the United States, and the program made its debut in Hillsboro in July 2009 as a partnership between the Hillsboro Police and Parks & Recreation departments.
Kids at the camp are assigned to student leaders who spend the week mentoring and caring for the children, as well as reinforcing the safety concepts that are taught.
The Hillsboro Police Department is seeking responsible, motivated, and enthusiastic youth. The ideal candidates will be between 11 and 15 years of age. They must be able to interact well with young children - balancing silliness and seriousness. The camp runs from June 27 - July 1. Student leaders must commit to being at the camp for all five half-days.
This is a non-paid position. For more information, or to receive an application, contact julie.carrasco@hillsboro-oregon.gov.
Safety Town registration for five and six year-olds opens April 26 through the Hillsboro Parks & Recreation Department.
Visit here for more information.
Washington County Hiring Expo
Friday, May 6th, 10:00am - 4:00pm at the Wingspan Event and Conference Center at the Washington County Fairgrounds. Opportunities for job seekers in high school and adults 18 and over.
- Find more information for businesses here.
- To sign up as a Job Seeker, visit here.
Register NOW! Oregon Spring Cleanup with Solve - Saturday, April 23rd, 2022
From Solve: Oregon Spring Cleanup
Registration is live now for the Oregon Spring Cleanup! SOLVE is excited to invite you to our statewide Earth Day event this April, the Oregon Spring Cleanup, presented by Portland General Electric. As we have for over fifty years, we'll be supporting the efforts of community leaders around the state who are motivated to take care of their special place in Oregon.
This event has its roots in the Spring Oregon Beach Cleanup (created in 1986) and SOLVE IT for Earth Day (started in 1990). We hope the Oregon Spring Cleanup will become a new family tradition for your loved ones to join with other Oregonians in making the state a better place for both humans and wildlife, from Eastern Oregon to the Pacific, we’re supporting volunteer projects throughout the state.
There are dozens of great opportunities for celebrating Earth Day with SOLVE this year! Projects occur on various dates between April 10th and April 24th.
Visit here for more information.
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Save the Date! Upcoming Community Conversations
Additional Resources
Senate District 15 Links
Federal Delegation Links
Education Links
Food and Housing Assistance
Be good to yourself and each other. ❤
Onward & Upward,
 Senate District 15 lies on Kalapuya land. The Atfalati were the northernmost band of the Kalapuya that lived along the Tualatin River in present day Washington County. Many of the Atfalati descendants are members of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon today. The Indigenous Peoples of this land experienced a painful history of colonial violence, sickness and removal from their land. The Atfalati are the foundation of Oregon’s past and we must honor them well into our future.
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1715
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, S-207, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Sen.JaneenSollman@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/sollman
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