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Friends and Neighbors,
This year has been challenging in ways we could not have imagined a year ago. In typical Oregon fashion we’ve buckled down and made some heartbreaking sacrifices to protect our loved ones and our communities. On Monday, legislators came together for a third special session to provide hope and help to Oregonians who need it the most. The legislation passed will keep people in their homes, support independent restaurants that are barely hanging on, protect schools from liability so they can begin the process of safely reopening, and dedicate ongoing funding for critical pandemic-related and wildfire relief programs.
I’m still processing the violence around the building on Monday. While we were working inside the building, a group of protesters attacked journalists and law enforcement officers, vandalized your state capitol, and tried to intimidate legislators from doing critically important work. Some were armed with pistols and rifles, punching and kicking, and breaking doors and windows. While it was happening, I tried to just focus on our work and let the state troopers handle it, but today I’m still trying to understand how I feel about the experience.
That behavior is disheartening and dangerous, and the violence will continue into our long session if we don’t address it now. The capital must remain a safe place for all.
Despite the chaos outside the Capitol, I am proud of the bipartisan work the Legislature was able to accomplish to support COVID-19 and wildfire relief. While there is a lot more work to be done, this will hopefully be a small measure of relief for Oregonians who are struggling right now.
Special Session Bills
House Bill 4401 - Eviction Moratorium and Landlord Compensation Fund: Extends the eviction moratorium, giving small landlords an important lifeline, and providing more funding to stabilize the rental market during the worst public health crisis of our lifetime. Renters across the state cannot be evicted through June 30, 2021 if they can’t pay their rent due to impacts of COVID-19. It also establishes a $150 million fund to cover overdue rent payments, which will help eligible renters avoid falling further behind, while also ensuring landlords have a voluntary way to recover their missing payments. Recent data from the National Council of State Housing Agencies estimates that anywhere from 27,700 to 56,100 Oregon households would have been at risk of eviction on January 1st without the extension of the eviction moratorium statewide.
House Bill 4402 - School Limited Liability Protections: Provides temporary liability protections to schools that are complying with COVID-19 emergency rules. Schools are not protected if they are not following Oregon Occupational Safety & Health and Oregon Health Authority rules. This bill provides additional incentive for schools, administrators, and teachers to follow health directives and best practices, and provides whistleblower protections to third party contractors, such as janitorial service providers, bus drivers, and food service providers.
Senate Bill 1801 - Restaurant Relief: Allows restaurants and bars to temporarily sell and deliver mixed drinks to-go if the mixed drink is sold in a sealed container. The bill caps the fees that third-party delivery providers can issue at 15%. Local governments with already-existing third-party fee caps can maintain their own lower limits. Many independent restaurants are currently hanging on by a thread, and this support for small businesses comes at a critical time as restaurants have had to sacrifice much of their in-person dining business.
Senate Bill 5731 - Emergency COVID-19 and Wildfire Recovery Funding: A large portion of the federal funding that Congress passed through the CARES Act came with an expiration date at the end of 2020, so this bill includes $600 million to allow the state to continue to fund critical pandemic-related programs that will support Oregonians in the first few months of 2021, as well as provide more support for Oregonians impacted by the Labor Day wildfires. It also includes $150 million for the Landlord Compensation Fund and $50 million for rental assistance.
For more information read, “Oregon lawmakers offer relief for renters, restaurants as protesters vandalize Capitol” here.
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