Hello Friends,
I hope you've all been relaxing with your loved ones during the holiday season, and gearing up for the New Year!
Happy New Year! May the new year bring the world peace, healing, healthy people and families.
2023 COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS
In exciting news, House Speaker Rayfield announced the House Standing Committees for 2023. Committees are important because they bring legislators from both sides of the political aisle together to focus on on a specific issue and vote on measures throughout the Legislative Session.
Here are my Committee roles for the 2023 Long Session:
House Standing Committees
- Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water Committee: Member
Joint Committees (House and Senate)
- Ways and Means Committee: Member
- Ways and Means-Education Subcommittee: Co-Chair
- Transportation Committee: Co-Chair
- Interstate 5 Bridge Committee: Co-Chair
In addition to my committee responsibilities, I am also working with the following groups:
- Education Advancement Council
- Oregon Department of Education
- Recycling Council with the Department of Environmental Quality (working on a new modernized recycling bill from last Session)
Looking forward to getting back to an In-Person Session in 2023!
SAVE THE DATE: UPCOMING TOWN HALL
Click the graphic below to register:
AROUND WASHINGTON COUNTY
The Rotary Club of Forest Grove continued a holiday tradition of making the season a little brighter for those in need in our community, but this year with a new approach.The club conducted its annual Hope for the Holidays service project on Monday in conjunction with the Forest Grove High School Food Pantry.In past years, Hope for the Holidays has provided families the opportunity for a holiday shopping spree at a local retailer, assisted by Rotarians. This year, the club changed the program’s focus to providing holiday food boxes along with other household items normally not provided by the FGHS Food Pantry.The food distribution event served 100 families, more than doubling the impact of the project on the community.
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2022 marked the end of an era for Cornelius, as city manager Rob Drake retired after more than a decade at City Hall.
Drake took on a police department plagued by allegations of corruption and mismanagement. Ultimately, Cornelius dissolving its police department, replacing it with a force contracted through the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
Drake also worked with the Cornelius Public Library to develop and build a new, larger library. He and library director Karen Hill pivoted, after a bond measure failed, to raising the money from public and private grants and other donations. The capital campaign took years but was ultimately a success, and the new library opened in 2019.
Drake leaves Cornelius in the hands of new city manager Peter Brandom, whom the City Council hired away from nearby Hillsboro. Brandom officially took over this fall.
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SCHOOL DISTRICT UPDATES
School Resumes: Tuesday- January 3, 2023
Last week at Joseph Gale, kindergartners got an amazing surprise! A fleet of brand new strider bikes was donated by HDR Foundation/All Kids Bike.
After the winter break, students will learn how to ride a bike in their PE classes. Such a cool opportunity!
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Check Construction Information before you visit the Capitol. Some parts of the Capitol will be under renovation. Click this LINK to learn more about Capitol Accessibility, Maintenance and Safety (CAMS).
STUDENT LOAN DEBT RELIEF UPDATE
Courts have issued orders blocking the Office of Federal Student Aid through the U.S. Department of Education from providing the student debt relief program. As a result, at this time, they are not accepting applications. They are seeking to overturn those orders.
If you've already applied, they will hold your application. Subscribe and check back here for updates. They will post information as soon as further updates are available.
The student loan payment pause is extended until the U.S. Department of Education is permitted to implement the debt relief program or the litigation is resolved. Payments will restart 60 days later. If the debt relief program has not been implemented and the litigation has not been resolved by June 30, 2023 — payments will resume 60 days after that. They will notify borrowers before payments restart.
To learn more, please visit https://studentaid.gov/
BUSINESS SUPPORT
Business Oregon manages a variety of funding tools to help small businesses grow and Oregon communities prosper. Below are some programs that may work for you.
It's always a good idea to reach out to one of their Regional Development Officers to talk through your needs and how they could help.
Their program page has a full list of all of Business Oregon's programs. Their Business Finance Programs brochure is also a quick way to find what you need.
Business Oregon has opened a Request for Grant Applications for the Economic Equity Investment Program—a new program created to promote durable economic advancement among historically marginalized communities.
More information about this program and the grant requirements can be found on Business Oregon’s website. Applications are due by 11:59 pm on Tuesday, February 21, 2023.
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BENEFITS
PUBLIC HEALTH
Search for "newly authorized bivalent" options for children or adults to find a location near you. If you do not find a convenient location, check back later or contact your health care provider or local health department. Learn more about COVID-19 booster recommendations.
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Cases of respiratory viruses – particularly influenza – continue to put strain on hospitals, so Oregon Health Authority (OHA) is reminding people to take steps that protect themselves and loved ones from infection as holiday weekends loom.
While the percentage of positive RSV tests and resulting hospitalizations declined since peaking in early December, percent positivity and hospitalizations for influenza rapidly increased in the last several weeks. That, along with a rise in COVID-19 cases, pushed hospitalizations – including patients waiting in emergency departments because no bed is available – well above 300 per day and kept bed capacity at or near 100%.
Like RSV, influenza is particularly dangerous for children who have not gotten a flu shot this year, or who can’t yet receive the vaccine because they are younger than 6 months old.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), flu causes only mild illness in most people, and medical care and antiviral medications are not needed. They should stay home if they are sick and avoid contact with others except to get medical care. However, those with flu symptoms and in a high-risk group, or very sick and worried about their illness, should seek care right away.
For children, warning signs needing medical attention include:
- Fast breathing or trouble breathing – flaring nostrils, wheezing or grunting.
- Bluish lips or face.
- Ribs pulling in with each breath.
- Chest pain.
- Severe muscle pain (child refuses to walk).
- Dehydration (no urine for eight hours, dry mouth, no tears when crying).
- Not alert or interacting when awake.
- Seizures.
- Fever above 104°F.
- Any fever in children younger than 12 weeks old.
- Fever or cough that improve but then return or worsen.
- Worsening of chronic medical conditions.
- In infants and toddlers, very ill or drowsy, poor feeding or high-pitched cry.
For adults, warning signs needing medical attention include:
- Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath.
- Persistent pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen.
- Persistent dizziness, confusion, inability to arouse.
- Seizures.
- Not urinating.
- Severe muscle pain.
- Severe weakness or unsteadiness.
- Fever or cough that improve but then return or worsen.
- Worsening of chronic medical conditions.
WILDFIRE-RELATED 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.
RESOURCES FOR OUR VETERANS
Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs:
Washington County Veterans Resources:
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 INFORMATION
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
Looking forward to seeing my peers. (Rep Fahey, Senator Gelser-Blouin and Rep Marsh)
Yours truly,
Representative Susan McLain House District 29
email: Rep.SusanMcLain@oregonlegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1429 address: 900 Court St NE, H-489, Salem, OR 97301 website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/mclain
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