Today Governor Kate Brown will hold a press briefing to discuss Oregon's efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19. She will be joined by representatives from the Oregon Health Authority.

The press briefing will start at 11:00 a.m. The Governor’s team will share a Livestream link closer to the event. You will find the link on the Governor’s Youtube, Facebook, or Twitter. 

Budget Subcommittee Hearings Start Today

Starting today through the rest of this week, the six different Ways and Means Subcommittees will meet remotely to take testimony on the proposed budget. See the schedule below, and the agendas are linked to each subcommittee name. Each agenda has more detailed information on how to submit written testimony and sign up for live remote testimony, as well as how to livestream each meeting.

Wednesday, July 22:

Natural Resources: 9 am - 12 pm

General Government: 1 pm - 4 pm

Thursday, July 23:

Education: 9 am - 12 pm

Human Services: 1 pm - 4 pm

Friday, July 24:

Public Safety: 9 am -12 pm

New Online PUA Application

The Oregon Employment Department launched a new online form for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program claims and weekly certifications. The new online form offers the following improvements:

• Speeding up weekly benefit processing. Reducing application errors and automating the application process will help get claims processed faster and PUA benefits out to more Oregonians faster.
• Preventing blank PDFs. Many of the PDF forms came in as blank forms. The chance that someone would accidentally upload a blank PDF form is also gone when using the online form.
• Preventing incomplete claims. Important information, like the COVID-19 reason that makes an applicant eligible for PUA, is required, but has often been missing or left blank on the PDF forms. The online PUA application or weekly certification will give a warning notifying people that the information is required. This change will help process claims faster and reduce delays in receiving benefits due to missing information.

If you have filed weekly PUA claims via PDF and have not yet received payment, the department encourages you to re-file your weekly certifications through this new online claim form. People can continue submitting their initial application and weekly certifications by PDF upload, mail, fax, or phone if they want, but these will take longer to process than the online claim form.

As of this morning, the department has received more than 20,000 weekly PUA certifications and 1,700 initial PUA claims since the form came online last Friday.

In addition to the new form, the department’s new website, has answers to frequently asked PUA questions.

Please let my office know about your user experience with this new online form. It’s important that any issues with the application be relayed to the department as quickly as possible.

A WIN for My Patients and Constituents; Limited Outdoor Visitation

School Reopening Event

School reopenings are top of everyone's minds, with broad implications for families, businesses, public health and the economy and society at large. This Thursday there is a virtual event that will cover the most up to date state guidance. Register today to hear from top state leaders -- including Oregon Health Authority Director Pat Allen and Oregon Department of Education Director Colt Gill-- in addition to policymakers, school district officials, and community advocates.

Thursday, July 23, 10:30 am - 12 pm via Zoom Livestream

Moderator:

State Rep. Barbara Smith Warner, (D - NE Portland, Maywood Park, Parkrose) House Majority Leader

Panelists:

Pat Allen, Director, Oregon Health Authority

Colt Gill, Director, Oregon Department of Education

State Rep. Tawna Sanchez, (D - N Portland) Chair, House Human Services Committee

Nathan Roedel, Executive Director, Nutrition Services, Hillsboro School District

Janet Hamada, Executive Director, The Next Door, Inc.

Jordan Ely, Chief Financial Officer, Gresham-Barlow School District

Richard Donovan, Legislative Services Specialist, Oregon School Boards

Safe + Strong

Businesses And Face Coverings

Oregon OSHA is sharing the facts about businesses and the face covering mandate. Face coverings are required in outdoor public spaces when physical distancing is not possible and in indoor public spaces. People with a disability or medical condition may request accommodations from a business if they cannot wear a mask, face shield or face covering. The business should provide such accommodation without putting other individuals at risk – typically, that will involve accommodations other than entry into the space without the required face covering or face shield.

AARP Online Events:  Fraud, Economy & Age Friendly Housing).   

1. WATCH DOG WEDNESDAYS: Join AARP  at 10:00 a.m. every other Wednesday.This bi-weekly series connects you with experts that can help you learn how to take steps to avoid scams.
   
   July 29,  We’ll be talking with Tori Garcia, analyst with the Oregon Construction Contractors Board. Home Improvement scams hit Oregonians during the warm summer months. Scammers are banking that homeowners won’t catch on until it’s too late.
   
   Aug. 12, Our guest is OR Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, who will be talking about government imposter scams. These scammers hit communities at every opportunity from tax day to disasters. Learn how you can fight back.
   
   No registration is required. Join the livestream via your phone, tablet or computer on the AARP Oregon Facebook page,  If you can’t join us at 10 a.m., the video still will be available after the event.  

2. OREGON'S ECONOMY IN A COVID-19 WORLD: Listen to key economic Oregon thought leaders John Tapogna with ECONorthwest and Rukaiyah Adams with Meyer Memorial Trust as they share their understanding and forecasts for Oregon’s economic future August 11 at 10:30 a.m. Oregon and the nation are in the deepest economic downturn since the Great Depression. Forecasters anticipate a long, uneven recovery that will begin in earnest only after the virus is eliminated. The year has brought unprecedented change and so many questions. Get key insights during this important free webinar.

August 11, 2020. 10:30-11:45 A.M

Register for the event here.

3. TOWARDS MORE AGE-FRIENDLY HOUSING: Nearly 80% of Americans age forty-five and older want to live in their own home and community as they age. Age-friendly communities have affordable, accessible and appropriate housing and supportive community features to help us thrive at every age. Join us for the next Age-Friendly Oregon Webinar on July 30th to learn about current trends and housing demand, policy solutions, and promising practices for more age-friendly housing in our communities.

Thurs., July 30, 2020.  10:00 am - 11:15 am

Register for the event here.

Please email me if you have specific concerns. Our office will do all we can to help and protect all Oregonians.

For up-to-date Covid 19 information from the Oregon Health Authority, please check this link 

Governor Brown’s COVID-19 Resource page. 

And if want to follow Up-to-date Statistics from the Oregon Health Authority for case counts, testing counts, breakdowns by geography, demographic, and hospitalization information go here. 

Thank you for reading! We will get through this together.       

Rachel Prusak