Welcome to August! I’m hoping for a better month than last when it comes to our pandemic numbers. While COVID-19 first hit more urban areas, it’s now spread to less densely populated areas. Willamette Week writes about Idaho’s Positivity Rate for COVID-19, which is the fifth-worst in the nation at 13.2% and presents further risks for Oregonians living along the Idaho border.

As for the state’s testing capacity, the OHA is still projecting testing supply issues in the coming weeks and has noted the state is experiencing longer turnaround times for test results from commercial labs, sometimes as long as two weeks.

August will be a critical month to take charge of the infection spread. We know what works to stop the spread, so let’s keep doing our best. The recent decision to take Umatilla County back to baseline is a cautionary reminder of the important connection between the pandemic and our economic recovery. What happens this month is up to us!

Special session

Last week, Governor Kate Brown announced the second special session of the year will convene on Monday, August 10th to focus on the state budget. Unlike the federal government, Oregon cannot run a deficit, which makes it necessary to balance our budget. With a nearly $1 billion budget deficit in the current biennium, there are difficult cuts ahead.

A few weeks ago the Ways and Means Subcommittees heard passionate testimony from Oregonians about the very real impact proposed cuts will have on their lives. While there is no such thing as an easy budget cut, I am grateful to the tri-chairs of the Joint Interim Committee on Ways and Means for working hard to develop a budget that preserves critical investments, including investments in education, child welfare, and health care. You can read their budget plan here.

I will continue to provide updates on the special session. If you have any thoughts on the proposed budget reductions or thoughts on policy, please do not hesitate to send me an email. I always appreciate hearing from our community.

I-205 Tolling Project Update

For the past few years, the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has been developing plans to address the I-205 bottleneck and the Abernethy bridge seismic updates. I have been vocal about my thoughts on tolling, and I continue to oppose ODOTs current plans where the cost of these projects unfairly impact residents of House District 37. We must look for regional solutions that won’t negatively impact our communities or lead to traffic diversion onto our neighborhood streets putting our communities at risk. 

ODOT has set up a virtual open house full of information about their plans for I-205, including eight stations: Raise funds and improve travel, The I-205 Toll Project, Leading with equity, Environmental review, Compare the alternatives, Share your ideas, Stay involved, and a contact page. You can access ODOTs virtual open house for I-205 here. Under the “Share your ideas” station there is a survey that will be open through September 16, 2020. You can also access that survey here. ODOT has heard from me but they MUST hear from you too!  Your comments about how tolls affect you and your community are critical. 

Additional resources:

• DRAFT Executive Summary
• Purpose and Need Statement
• Draft Toll Projects’ Equity Framework

It is crucial members of our community continue to participate in this conversation and make their voices heard. ODOT will be hosting three community webinars in August to give the community the opportunity to learn about the project, ask questions, and give comments directly to their team. All three of the webinars will cover the same topics so find the time that works best for you:

Webinar 1
Wednesday, August 12, Noon - 1:00 p.m.
(join via Zoom or YouTube Live)

Webinar 2
Tuesday, August 18, 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. 
(join via Zoom or YouTube Live)

Webinar 3
Thursday, August 20, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. 
(join via Zoom or YouTube Live)

Two additional committee meetings you can follow are the Equity and Mobility Committee created to ensure both the I-205 and 1-5 development process continues to be equitable. Region 1 Area Commission on Transportation also known as R1ACT, an advisory body established to provide a forum for stakeholders to collaborate on transportation affecting ODOT Region 1.

The Joint Committee on Transparent Policing and Use of Force 

The Joint Committee on Transparent Policing and Use of Force is meeting again this week on Wednesday August 5th, Thursday August 6th, and Friday August 7th from 10 AM - 12 PM. Meeting agendas, links to watch the meetings, and meeting materials can be found here.

Note that the agenda is not up yet for Friday's meeting, but it is possible there may be more opportunities for public testimony at that meeting. Check back on OLIS.

Topics discussed at this week's meetings will include: changes to the tools law enforcement can use during crowd control situations (LC 742); demilitarizing law enforcement (LC 743); banning chokeholds (LC 745); standardizing discipline statewide (LC 746); and furthering transparency of police misconduct records (LC 751).

For the most updated list of concepts being considered at Wednesday's meeting and to see other people's written testimony submissions, check here. 

Options for submitting testimony:

• Oral Testimony (Live Remotely) Over the Phone: Registration is required. To sign up, either use the online form linked here OR call 833-588-4500 for assistance. Registration closes Tuesday, August 4th, at 5:00 p.m.

• Written Email Testimony:
  Email your testimony to [email protected]. 

• Submit email testimony by Friday August 7th at 5PM. Submissions received by this Friday at 5PM will be posted online to the Oregon Legislative Information System (OLIS) as part of the legislative record and made publicly available here. 

Unemployment Updates

Last Friday the employment department announced a ‘benefits while you wait’ program intended to help people who are waiting for adjudication and meet the following criteria: 

1. Applied for regular unemployment benefits;
2. Had their claim flagged for adjudication because the Employment Department has to determine if they meet the legal requirements to get regular unemployment benefits;
3. They are out of work due to a COVID-19 qualifying reason (see full list below); AND
4. Are likely eligible for PUA if they cannot receive regular unemployment benefits.

COVID-19 reasons you may be eligible for PUA:

• You have been diagnosed with COVID-19 or, you have symptoms of COVID-19 and are seeking a medical diagnosis.
• A member of your household has been diagnosed with COVID-19.
• You are caring for a family member or a member of your household who has been diagnosed with COVID-19.
• Your child can’t go to school because their school is closed as a direct result of the COVID-19 public health emergency, and you need your child to be in school for you to work.
• A person in your household for whom you have primary caregiving responsibility can’t go to a facility for care because the facility is closed as a direct result of the COVID-19 public health emergency, and you need them to be in facility care for you to work.
• You can’t get to your workplace because of a quarantine imposed as a direct result of the COVID-19 public health emergency.
• You can’t get to your workplace because a health care provider has advised you to self-quarantine due to concerns related to COVID-19.
• You were scheduled to start a job but you can’t start it or can’t get to it as a direct result of the COVID-19 public health emergency.
• You have become the main income earner for your household because the head of your household died as a direct result of COVID-19.
• You had to quit your job as a direct result of COVID-19.
• Your workplace is closed as a direct result of the COVID-19 public health emergency.

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

You can subscribe or read past newsletters here. 

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 you 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.       

Sincerely,

Rachel Prusak