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Friends and Neighbors,
I hope you and your family have had an enjoyable summer.
Now that session is over, my staff and I spend less of our time on policy and more on constituent casework. This means that we are helping residents navigate the state agencies, departments, and bureaucracies.
This work can take many forms, from assisting constituents navigate state websites to pay registration fees, receiving licenses or certifications, or connecting you to a state agency to ask a question.
Sometimes, we receive requests for help for issues outside my office's jurisdiction. This would be any federal issues – such as the VA, immigration, or passport assistance. In these circumstances, we ensure those requests get put in the hands of your Congressional office, which can best assist.
While recent rain showers have helped decrease wildfire risk, we still aware of the risk. I encourage you to visit wildfire.oregon.gov. You can view a map of Oregon's current fires, learn how to prevent wildfires and sign up for emergency evacuation notices.
As always, please don't hesitate to contact me with comments, questions, or concerns at 503-986-1432 or Rep.CyrusJavadi@oregonlegislature.gov.
Talk soon,
 Representative Cyrus Javadi
House District 32
 I have written a lot about the Oregon Department of Forestry and their draft Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) that could devastate the North Coast timber economy. On September 6th and 7th, the Board of Forestry (BOF) will meet in Salem about the HCP. They have indicated a willingness to modify the plan to improve harvest outcomes to protect jobs.
Specifically, the BOF will consider a resolution to direct their staff to modify the draft HCP to increase potential timber harvest outcomes. This is a move in the right direction, but we need to keep the pressure on. They need to be more specific about what outcomes they expect from a revised plan.
You can read that proposed resolution here.
There are 40 spots each day for public comment. Learn how to submit testimony, or sign up to testify live before the Board in-person or virtually at this link.
Earlier this month, I sent a letter to the United State's Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg, asking for federal support for the Butte Creek Bridge Replacement project along Highway 101 in southern Tillamook County near Neskowin.
This important project will improve travel safety and reliability for our rural, coastal communities. The current culvert is in critical condition. Its location is susceptible to sea-level flooding, tsunamis, and earthquakes due to its low elevation and sandy soil/high water table, making it susceptible to liquefaction. Turning this culvert into a bridge will help mitigate some of these risks.
Highway 101 is the Oregon coast's primary transportation corridor and lifeline route. If supported by federal dollars, this seemingly small project will significantly impact safety, avoid traffic disruptions, and keep our local economy moving.
As kids return to school, I have spoken with many parents who are losing faith in our public school system. In a recent study of 40 states, Oregon came out with the nation's fourth-worst student absenteeism rate. Over 36% of Oregon students miss 10% or more of their school year.
In the last few weeks, reports have shown that Oregon's test scores are not rebounding post-pandemic. Data shows that only 40% of the state's third graders were proficient in reading, writing, and math this spring. That's down from 47% proficiency in English and 46% in math in from before the pandemic. Among eighth graders, only 44% achieved proficiency in reading and 26% in math. Since 2019, that's down from 53% and 38% respectively.
I ask myself why this is… Students in other states are rebounding much better than Oregon students, including states like Mississippi, which historically has had poor achievement rates. However, in the past decade, Mississippi has put a lot of time and energy into laying the foundation of learning for students, specifically in reading. Now, post-pandemic, those efforts are paying off.
I was proud to support Governor Kotek's early childhood literacy package to begin to solidify our reading curriculum for young students. I believe the investment it makes in teachers to train them in the fundamentals of phonics and "the science of reading" is an excellent step in the right direction.
We can and must do better to prepare our students for future success. It's a shame we let our students get to this point, and it won't change overnight just because we passed one bill. Mississippi has been undergoing this process for a decade, but the results speak for themselves.
We must also unleash the power of choice in education. I believe that includes giving parents more power to choose an educational environment that best fits their child's needs. My primary concern is setting our kids up to be the best they can be, and we must do more as a Legislature to empower parents and students.
Parental Involvement
I believe it also requires parents to step up and give feedback to the people who are making decisions about what gets taught in our schools. To that end, the Oregon Department of Education is adopting new Health Education standards.
I would encourage parents read through these standards to familiarize yourselves with what state policymakers recommend teaching your children.
The opportunity to submit public comment closes September 1 at 11:59 PM, so act quickly if you can to submit public comment. Do that here.
These standards act as a framework for local school boards to implement. If you miss public comment period at the state level, you may have another chance when these standards get adopted at the local level. Write to your local school board and give them a heads up on your thoughts.
For questions about the standards, you can email the Department of Education here: ODE.HealthEd@ode.oregon.gov. To keep up with what the Oregon Department of Education is up to and never miss an opportunity to give them feedback, subscribe to their emails here.
 The Clatsop County Commission recently sent Governor Tina Kotek a letter highlighting a serious issue: the disproportionate funding allocations to rural counties to address the homeless crisis.
Their letter pointed out that while having over 5% of the state's homeless population, the County is receiving less than 1% of the newly appropriated funds from House Bill 5019. Clatsop County has the highest rate of homelessness in the state per 1,000 residents.
The County is set to receive just over $1.5 million from the state, while their homelessness plan costs $8 million. That's $6.5 million short of funding homelessness plans that include 100 new shelter beds and rapid rehousing programs to house 200 individuals in the next year.
The current allocation methodology is hardwired by previous legislation to underfund rural counties with urban levels of homelessness. I stand with Clatsop County in working with the Governor to come to a solution that prioritizes funding based on need.
In response to the revelations that one of the prisoners that former Governor Kate Brown released from prison early was a suspect in a series of murders in the Portland area, the House Republican Caucus wrote a letter to Governor Tina Kotek asking her to review all previous commutations issued by Brown. That led to her reversing 5 commutations.
Wildfire can move fast. Sign up for emergency alerts about fires and other potential natural disaster risks in our community: www.ORAlert.gov
Earlier this year, the DMV had a massive data breach. At the beginning of August, the Oregon Health Authority announced another data breach affected Oregon Health Plan members. The State is urging OHP members following the announcement to take steps to protect their personal information.
The data breach, first identified by PH TECH announced did not involve or compromise state systems. PH TECH is a private vendor that provides services to many Coordinated Care Organizations (CCOs) to help manage OHP member data. The company said a security vulnerability from Progress MOVEit software resulted in a data breach because attackers were able to access the personal information of an estimated 1.7 million members.
PH TECH told state officials they conducted extensive forensic analysis through July 25. This analysis identified individuals who were affected so OHP members could be notified. PH TECH began mailing notification letters on July 31 to impacted individuals. The letters will include an offer of free credit monitoring.
OHP members are encouraged to:
- Watch for additional information from PH in the mail and follow instructions to activate 12 months of free identity theft protection. OHP members will be contacted by regular first-class mail, not by phone or email.
- Request a free credit report. OHP members have the right to request one free copy of their credit report from each of the three major consumer reporting companies (Equifax, TransUnion and Experian) every year. OHP members may be able to request reports from one company every few months throughout the year. Credit reports and monitoring can help people identify signs of identity theft and stop thieves from using information for fraudulent purposes.
- Contact PH TECH for assistance at 888-498-1602 or by going to https://response.idx.us/PHTECH for more information.
OHP members will also be able to receive ID theft recovery services via PH TECH at no cost, if needed.
Employees who need to take time off for important life events can apply for benefits for Paid Leave Oregon starting Aug. 14, 2023. Paid Leave Oregon covers paid family, medical, and safe leave for working Oregonians. Employees can apply for the following reasons:
- To care for themselves or members of their family during the birth of a child, or to bond with a child after birth, adoption, or placement of a child in their home through foster care
- To care for themselves during a serious health condition
- To care for a family member when they have a serious health condition
- If they or their child experience sexual assault, domestic violence, harassment, or stalking
To apply for leave, employees will use the Oregon Employment Department’s (OED) new online system called Frances Online.
The Legislature created Paid Leave Oregon in 2019 (House Bill 2005), making Oregon one of 11 states (plus Washington D.C.) to offer paid family and medical leave. Oregon’s law also covers safe leave in addition to family and medical leave. Safe leave supports survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, harassment, or stalking so they can take time to seek safety.
In January 2023, employers and employees started contributing to a trust fund that will pay for employee-paid leave benefits. During the 2023 legislative session, the Legislature passed Senate Bill 31, which requires OED to make sure the Paid Leave Oregon trust fund is solvent before launching benefits.
Based on current trust fund data and projections, Employment Department leaders have decided the trust fund is ready to launch benefits the week of Sept. 3, as planned. This will be the first-week employees can take paid leave, with payments going out within two weeks.
Detailed information for employees, including eligibility requirements, tutorial videos, a benefits calculator, and much more, will be available on the Paid Leave website on Aug. 14. Employees can now go to the employee overview page and find many resources, including a guidebook.
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1432
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-373, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.CyrusJavadi@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/javadi
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