On October 11, Governor Kotek announced that she had appointed Lisa Charpilloz Hanson, executive director of the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB), to lead ODA, pending confirmation by the Oregon State Senate.

Lisa Charpilloz Hanson (she/her) brings two decades of leadership, policy direction, and program administration, including 15 years as deputy director at ODA. Charpilloz Hanson has experience leading, developing, and directing the budget requests and legislative agendas of both ODA and OWEB. Charpilloz Hanson also serves on the Oregon State University College of Agricultural Sciences Leadership Academy Advisory Board.

Charpilloz Hanson’s start date is December 1. Bill Ryan will continue as acting director of ODA until then.

All American: The Power of Sports

This new exhibition at the National Archives Museum includes stories and artifacts related to sports at Indian boarding schools and a special display about legendary athlete Jim Thorpe featuring the Olympic gold medals restored to his family in 1982 and a handwritten letter Thorpe sent in 1935.

American Indian Records in the National Archives

The National Archives holds hundreds of thousands of U.S. Government records relating to Native Americans from 1774 through the mid-1990s. These include every treaty signed with Native Americans, records from the Indian Schools, Indian Census Rolls, and Bureau of Indian Affairs records.

What is Transgender Day of Remembrance?

Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is observed on November 20 in recognition of the 1998 murder of Rita Hester. Hester was a highly visible member of the transgender community in her native Boston, Massachusetts, where she worked locally on transgender issues.

On Saturday, November 28, 1998, Hester was stabbed 20 times in her apartment. A neighbor called the police, and Hester was rushed to the hospital. She passed away from cardiac arrest only moments after being admitted. Almost two decades later, police still have not found Hester's murderer (or murderers). One year after Hester's murder, advocate and writer Gwendolyn Ann Smith coordinated a vigil in Hester's honor. The vigil commemorated not only Hester but all who were tragically lost to anti-transgender violence.

More than 20 years later, the TDOR continues around the world, raising the visibility of transgender people and the issues facing the community. To learn more about how to be an ally for Transgender People, please visit Tips for Allies to Transgender People online.

On October 20, 2023, a change was implemented in M365 to enable the addition of pronouns to your M365 profile card. Correctly using someone’s pronoun is a way to show that we value being inclusive and respectful.

Currently, state staff can indicate a pronoun in Workday. With this new capability, staff will also be able to indicate a pronoun on their M365 profile card. Pronouns on the profile are visible to other state staff and external partners with guest accounts.

For more information, see:

• Overview: Pronouns on your profile in Microsoft 365
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Statewide policy:
• Acceptable Use 
• Maintaining a Professional Workplace 

For additional M365 resources, please visit the Microsoft 365 Hub.

Jason Eck works in ODA’s Smoke Management and Water Quality programs. Since 2019, the smoke program has transitioned from Natural Resources to Commodity Inspection. Jason has been instrumental in the success of this transition, ensuring that the important processes that make up the smoke program were communicated to the new managers.

For the last eight years, he has been the Registration and Permitting Coordinator for field burning - organizing registrations, communicating with growers, and issuing permits on burn days. Jason also works as a Water Quality analyst. At the end of the year, Jason will be transitioning to full-time work in Water Quality. 

Please send your CAUSE for APPLAUSE nomination today. The nomination form is on the ODA Wiki. Please fill it out and email it to oda-director@oda.oregon.gov.

Rebecca Howes is a new Certification and Licensing Specialist in the Pesticide Program.
Howes has a Master’s degree in Entomology and Insect Science from the University of Arizona and a Bachelor’s in Biology from Syracuse University in New York.
She previously worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agriculture Research Service and Cornell University labs, researching organic and biological controls of agricultural insect pests. She has also been a commercial pesticide technician in New York and has experience as a landscaper.

Erica Proffitt joined ODA as a Pesticide Licensing Support Specialist on October 2, 2023. 

Proffitt has an Associate Degree in Animal Science. She is also a small business owner who runs an embroidery and screen-printing company. 

Sam Treviño is a new Pesticide Product Registration Specialist. Sam worked with several Texas state agencies, most recently for the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) in the Legal Department’s Enforcement Division as a Case Preparation Officer enforcing Pesticide and Nursery Floral laws. During his time at TDA, he also included working with Weights and Measures enforcement cases. Treviño also worked with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, drafting municipal and industrial wastewater permits.
Sam also served the Texas Department of Transportation as an Outdoor Advertising Compliance Agent, enforcing the Highway Beautification Act and regulating billboards along highways and rural roads. Sam graduated from Texas State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Geography Resource and Environmental Studies and a Minor in Anthropology along with a Certificate in Water Resources Policy. He replaced Grant Jackson, who accepted a position in the ODA Noxious Weed Program.

Jeannette Krampien joined the Pesticide Program as a Registration Specialist as a limited-duration employee in January 2021 and was promoted to a permanent employee in June 2023. Krampien’s background is in agriculture and nursery production, and she has a Master’s Degree in Forest Ecosystems and Society from Oregon State University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology from Marquette University. She has served in the Peace Corps in Niger and AmeriCorps in La Grande. Krampien replaced David Priebe, who retired after more than three decades of service at ODA.

After 18 years with the ODA Food Safety Program, Kent Widdicombe, Food Safety’s Manufacturing Specialist, he was retired on September 30. His expertise in food manufacturing and processing has been an amazing sounding board and “brain trust” in countless situations, and his contribution has helped fellow staff seeking assistance and the Food Safety Program as a whole move into the Food Safety and Modernization Act (FSMA) era. Kent says his ODA food safety journey has been very rewarding, and he has enjoyed his time over the years. Furthermore, Kent said that he will miss the daily challenges and conversations.
Congratulations Kent! Your co-workers will miss your knowledge, years of experience, and expertise! We wish you all the happiness and the joy retirement brings with it!

Paid Leave Oregon ensures individuals, employers, and families — of every kind — have the time and support they need to care for themselves and their loved ones. It provides employees easy access to paid leave benefits for events that impact our families, health, and safety.

Enacted by the Oregon Legislature in 2019 (HB 2005), Paid Leave Oregon was created to allow employees in Oregon to take paid time off for qualifying events. This is a statewide program and applies to all employees, not just state employees.

Paid Leave Oregon benefits began on Sept. 3. Paid Leave Oregon, the Department of Administrative Services, and the Public Employees Benefits Board will be hosting a series of webinars for all state employees to explain Paid Leave benefits, state policies and procedures related to receiving Paid Leave benefits and how Standard Disability and Paid Leave interact. 

• Wednesday, Nov. 1, 11 a.m. - noon 
• Click to register: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_gjdi9YmQSim-CMIVaTUgzg

These sessions are open to all state employees interested in learning more about the program's benefits. 

If you have questions about Paid Leave Oregon, you may visit their website at PaidLeave.Oregon.gov, use their Contact Us form: https://paidleavecontact.oregon.gov/hc/en-us/requests/new, email PaidLeave@Oregon.gov or call 833-854-0166 (toll-free).

In August, 25 Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) employees answered the call for help from the Hawai'i Department of Human Services after the devastating Maui wildfires. During their time on the island, ODHS staff helped the state apply for FEMA support, mentored staff and volunteers, and trained community partners to assess survivor's needs. In assisting HI to DHS, the team learned the meaning of 'Maui Strong,' 'aloha spirit', and the importance of 'Ohana' (family).

In addition, ODHS assisted in opening and operating a shelter for people in the burn area who were experiencing homelessness before the fires. ODHS's Office of Resilience and Emergency Management (OREM) ordered supplies, set up the shelter, and arranged for the tent manufacturer to provide training and support.

These valuable experiences helped staff gain a better understanding of the coordination necessary for a response to a natural disaster when it occurs in Oregon.

ODA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have announced this year’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) funds recipients. The 2023 funded projects involve a diversity of crops and span a wide geographic area of Oregon agricultural production. A list and summary of all funded projects is available online on the ODA SCBGP web page. 

With this grant, ODA will fund 12 projects that help enhance the competitiveness of specialty crop products and create new market opportunities for the state’s specialty crop producers. Oregon ranks sixth in the nation in production of specialty crops.

Eligible crops include fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, Christmas trees, turf-type grasses, and nursery crops. The USDA provides a complete list of eligible and ineligible crops online on the USDA SCBGP website.

1. When they file their taxes next year, Oregonians will again be able to claim their portion of a state revenue surplus. The Oregon Office of Economic Analysis (OEA) has confirmed a surplus for the 2021-2023 biennium, triggering a record $5.61 billion “kicker” for the 2023 tax year.

2. The $5.61 million kicker is the largest in Oregon history. It’s nearly three times larger than the previous record kicker of $1.9 billion two years ago. The 2021-23 biennium is the fifth straight with a kicker, and the current kicker is larger than the total of the kickers in the four previous biennia.

3. The kicker will be returned to taxpayers as a credit on their 2023 tax returns filed in 2024. For most taxpayers, this will increase the amount of their refund or decrease the amount of Oregon personal income tax they owe.

4. Personal income taxpayers can determine the amount of their kicker using a What’s My Kicker? Calculator available on Revenue Online. To use the calculator, taxpayers must enter their name, Social Security Number, and filing status for 2022 and 2023. Taxpayers can also simply taxpayers can multiply their 2022 tax liability before any credits—line 22 on the 2022 Form OR-40—by 44.28 percent.

5. To claim their kicker, Oregonians must file a 2023 Oregon Personal Income Tax return. Taxpayers can claim the kicker if they filed a 2022 tax return and had tax due before credits. Even taxpayers who don’t have a filing obligation for 2023 still must file a 2023 tax return to claim their credit.

6. The Oregon Legislature created the “kicker” in 1979. Essentially, when the total revenue collected in a biennium exceeds the official revenue projection by more than 2 percent, the surplus income is returned to taxpayers. Voters enshrined the “kicker” into the Oregon Constitution in 2000.

7. The state may use all or part of a taxpayer’s kicker to pay any state debt they owe, such as tax due for other years, child support, court fines, or school loans.

8. Taxpayers can donate their kicker with a checkbox on their tax return to the Oregon State School Fund for K-12 public education, but they must present the entire amount. The donation is permanent and cannot be taken back.

9. Free tax preparation services are available for federal and Oregon tax returns. Some software companies offer free software use and e-filing for eligible taxpayers. Visit the Department of Revenue website to take advantage of the software and free offers and get more information about free tax preparation services.

10. For more information, go to the Oregon surplus “kicker” credit page of the Department of Revenue website.

Starting October 4, customers can take their DMV knowledge test anywhere with reliable internet. Online knowledge testing is now part of DMV’s expanding menu of online services at DMV2U. By going online, customers can take their test at a time that works best for them—no waiting in line at the office or for appointments to become available.

The online test closely mirrors the testing screens shown in a DMV field office so that customers can expect a similar experience. There is no cost difference in using online testing.

Teens under 18, DMV’s largest group of testing customers, need an adult 21 years or older to supervise their test as they take it.

The Class C (regular driver) knowledge test and motorcycle endorsement test are available online in English and Spanish. DMV plans to add additional languages to serve even more customers.

After customers pass their test online, they must enter the office with their identity documents and pass a vision screening. Then, they will be issued a permit or be eligible to schedule a driving test, depending on their age.

DMV partnered with an expert in the online testing industry, Intellectual Technologies Inc., to develop the new service. Their online testing platform is already used in other states. Proven identity verification and anti-cheating features protect the safety purpose of the knowledge test. 

Learn more about online testing at DMV2U.oregon.gov.

People can now order more free at-home COVID-19 tests from the federal government. Each household can order four tests at COVIDtests.gov, which will arrive via the U.S. Postal Service. These tests are in addition to any free tests previously collected from the federal government. If you still have unused at-home COVID-19 tests, whether you bought them at a store or ordered them from the government, check the expiration dates. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) extended the expiration dates on many COVID-19 tests beyond what is printed on the box. Check this FDA webpage and search for your test’s brand and lot number to see if the FDA extended the expiration date. If your tests have expired, throw them away with the regular trash.

The birds are migrating again—a reminder to backyard flock owners to keep up with biosecurity measures. Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) was recently found in a small flock in Union County. For more information about how to protect your flock, please visit ODA online.