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Dear Neighbor,
Happy New Year and I hope you had a happy holiday season! I am grateful and honored to serve as the State Rep for House District 45.
Legislative Days are approaching and I will be back in Salem from January 8th to January 11th preparing for the 2024 Legislative Session. My office welcomes constituents to come visit my office and tell me about your issues and concerns. You can contact my office to schedule a visit at: Rep.ThuyTran@oregonlegislature.gov.
I will also be attending legislative committee meetings to prepare for the 2024 Short Session. The committees I proudly serve on are:
- Joint Committee On Conduct
- House Interim Committee On Behavioral Health and Health Care
- House Interim Committee On Judiciary
- House Interim Committee On Emergency Management, General Government, and Veterans - Vice-Chair
- House Interim Committee On Conduct
Every first Friday of the month I host our Pizza for the People event at my in-district office. I would love to see you on Friday, 1/5 @5:30pm at: 4526 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland, OR 97213. We will provide the pizza and invite you to share your concerns and policy ideas alongside friendly neighbors.
In 2023 I spent time meditating on the top of Sleeping Giant while I mentally prepared for the 2024 session.
I also spent time with colleagues, visited the Judges of the Multnomah County Circuit Court, and was honored to receive an award from Neighbors for Clean Air.
Marketplace Open Enrollment
Need health coverage? Check out OregonHealthCare.gov
Losing health coverage can be scary. Keep you and your family insured by visiting OregonHealthCare.gov or calling 833-699-6850 to learn more about low-cost, quality health plans through the Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace. Enrollment is open now until January 15, 2024.
The Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace is a state hub that connects individuals to health insurance and financial assistance to help pay for it. The Window Shopping tool, available at OregonHealthCare.gov/WindowShop allows you to preview programs, plans, and savings available to you; what plans will cover your current doctor; and how much your anticipated costs will be, including refilling prescriptions. Nearly 80 percent of Oregonians enrolled through the Marketplace in 2023 qualified for financial help – that could be you, too!
If you need assistance enrolling in a plan and finding financial help, visit OregonHealthCare.gov/GetHelp to find an agent, broker, or navigator in your area. Their help is entirely free, and they can make the process of signing up for health coverage and choosing a plan less stressful.
Winter Weather Travel Tips
Be prepared for winter weather before traveling
Winter is upon us. Be sure you and your family are prepared when traveling in winter weather. Check Tripcheck.com for road hazards and closures before departure, and keep an emergency kit in your vehicle, including:
- Phone charger, warm clothes, blankets
- First aid kit, bottled water, and nonperishable food
- Jumper cables, flashlights with batteries, road flares
- Ice scraper, shovel, tire chains
- Keep a A full tank of gas and have a spare tire on hand
Visit: ready.gov/car for more tips.
Oregon Food Bank Food Finder Tool
Find free food resources near you.
Is your family in need of food? The Oregon Food Bank Network supports 21 regional food banks with over 1400 sites that distribute food to families across Oregon. Visit the Oregon Food Bank Finder at foodfinder.oregonfoodbank.org to find resources near you.
Mental Health Resources
Don’t suffer in silence - resources are available to help.
The winter months can be hard to navigate. If you’re experiencing stress, grief, or loneliness, you are not alone. While it is normal to struggle this time of year, there are lots of resources out there that can help. Visit https://bit.ly/OHAMentalHealth for a comprehensive list of mental health resources, and keep reading for a highlight of resources available:
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Oregon’s Behavioral Health Support Line offers 24/7 behavioral health screening, counseling services and referrals to available mental health and substance use providers for ongoing care.
Callers do not need to be in a crisis to contact the line. Call 800-923-HELP (4357).
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The Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7 by calling or texting 988, or at 988Lifeline.org. Trained crisis counselors can help you or a loved one with any kind of mental health-related distress, thoughts of suicide or self-harm, or substance use crisis. Spanish speakers can call 988 and press 2, or call 888-628-9454 directly to reach la Red Nacional de Prevención del Suicidio, text the word “AYUDA” to 988 or chat online at 988lineadevida.org.
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Oregon YouthLine is a teen-to-teen crisis and help line. Call 877-968-8491 or text teen2teen to 839-863. Trained teens are available to help daily, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. (adults are also available 24/7).
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The Trevor Project offers 24/7 crisis intervention and suicide prevention for LGBTQIA2S+ youth. Call 866-488-7386 or text 678-678. You can also call 988 and press 3 for LGBTQIA2S+ youth and young adults support.
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Veterans Crisis Line provides free and confidential 24/7 support for veterans and their loved ones, regardless of VA benefits enrollment. Call 988 and press 1, or text 838-255.
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The Racial Equity Support Line is staffed by people with lived experience of racism and provides emotional support and resource referrals to those experiencing the impacts of racist violence, microaggressions, racial discrimination and cross-cultural issues. Call 503-575-3764, Mon. to Fri., 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
For a comprehensive list of mental health resources, please visit
https://www.211info.org/get-help/mental-behavioral-health/.
A message from the Oregon Employment Department about Unemployment Insurance benefits
Some of you may have recently filed for unemployment insurance benefits. Unfortunately, call-wait times for the Unemployment Insurance program have been increasing over the last several weeks. Due to a lack of federal funding, the Oregon Employment Department doesn’t have enough staff to keep up with the volume of calls it’s receiving. The agency is encouraging Oregonians to explore other options prior to calling to save time and get the answers you need. This will help free up the phone lines for people who have more complex problems or interpretation needs and allow staff to spend more time working on claims.
Here are options to get the help you need from the Oregon Employment Department:
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Online Claim System – This is the fastest, easiest way to check on the status of your claim. You don’t need to wait on hold when you can get quick answers with the Online Claim System, the department’s safe and secure website. You can use it to apply for benefits, file a weekly claim for benefits, restart your claim, and more.
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Read your letters from the Employment Department – The department will send you letters with questions about your eligibility, instructions on how to maintain your eligibility, and what to do about any issues on your claim.
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) – Visit the Oregon Employment Department’s Frequently Asked Questions page for answers to common questions.
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Contact Us Form – There is an easy online method to quickly send the department a question or information. Use the Contact Us Form to send a message quickly and securely without waiting on hold. It’s also available in Spanish, Russian, and Vietnamese. There is no need to send more than one Contact Us form, or “ticket,” or to call after you’ve submitted a ticket.
You can learn more about the Unemployment Insurance Program at unemployment.oregon.gov, by reading the Unemployment Insurance Claimant Handbook, or by listening to the handbook.
Report Unemployment Insurance Fraud
If you have information about unemployment insurance fraud, please complete the Oregon Employment Department’s Fraud Referral Form or call 503-947-1995 or 1-877-668-3204. The department reviews all tips they receive, regardless of how much information you provide. The more details you can give when reporting unemployment insurance fraud, the more it will help them investigate.
Paid Leave Oregon - Apply for benefits and report fraud
Oregonians who need to take time off to care for important personal life events can apply for up to 12 weeks of paid time off from work for family, medical, or safety needs. Learn more about Paid Leave Oregon at paidleave.oregon.gov, and apply for benefits online at: tinyurl.com/PaidLeaveOregon.
To help speed up your claim, be sure to supply accurate information, apply 30 days in advance of your leave if it’s planned, notify your employer as soon as possible, and follow the Paid Leave Oregon checklist.
Scammers unfortunately have been targeting the Paid Leave Oregon program. If you believe you have been subject to fraud, please visit paidleave.oregon.gov/resources/fraud to learn more about reporting options.
If you think someone has stolen your identity, please report identity theft to your local police department and the Federal Trade Commission at IdentityTheft.gov.
Agriculture Employer Overtime Tax Credit Deadline
The Oregon Department of Revenue reminds taxpayers who plan to apply for the new Agriculture Employer Overtime Tax Credit that they need to set up a Revenue Online account soon. Taxpayers who want to apply for the tax credit need to have a Revenue Online account prior to
filling out an application. Applications must be filed electronically and will be available by January 1, 2024. No paper applications will be accepted. The application window closes January 31, 2024.
The Oregon Legislature approved House Bill (HB) 4002 in 2022. The measure requires agricultural employers to pay certain workers for overtime hours worked and creates a refundable personal or corporate income tax credit for employers for a percentage of wages paid as overtime pay, starting with the 2023 tax year.
The department provides a YouTube video about how to set up and log in to your Revenue Online account. Details about the tax credit program are available the DOR Agricultural Employer Overtime Tax Credit webpage. For general questions about the employer tax credit for agricultural worker overtime, email: Ag.Overtime@dor.oregon.gov.
Yours truly,
Representative Thuy Tran
House District 45
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1445
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-285, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.ThuyTran@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/tran
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