This enews covers a couple of months of work while the legislature has been in session, working sometimes in Salem and sometimes from home. The constitution requires voting in person, so the House and Senate have met on reduced schedules for "floor sessions" on some (but not all) weekdays. We work from our individual Capitol offices or from home attending virtual meetings and committee hearings. I often bring something from my garden at home to have in my office.

Everything is taking longer to accomplish. Legislators, advocates, lobbyists who've worked through previous legislative sessions recognize that some of the work is not just different, it's harder to "get it right." Still, the work gets done, and we're passing legislation to help people impacted by the pandemic economy and wildfires, address racial justice, and some of the more ordinary legislative work to keep up with a changing world and constituent needs.

Since I don't send daily or weekly updates, I won't repeat some of the high profile topics that are covered by major news media, and instead provide some background and detail not usually in those sources. Of special interest: more ARPA money coming to Oregon, and to our community. ARPA, or the American Rescue Plan Act, is the $1.9 trillion economic stimulus. In Oregon, each state legislator has a specific allotment to be used on local projects. ARPA funding will help us invest in programs and projects that are urgently needed to help our communities recover from the economic impact of the COVID pandemic. I've been working with other legislators in our area to develop a list of projects that we will fund together, and selected a few more to fund with my individual allocation. Our projects will address hunger, housing, homelessness, and several other health and human service needs. Once my projects are approved by the fiscal office I'll send an update to let you know about them!

I put a lot of energy this session into emergency response and preparing for disasters. Other legislative priorities of mine are privacy, child welfare, and getting rid of onerous regulation on small businesses. Here's the status of a few:

Passed by the House! Now in Senate Committee. I wrote about this bill in the Jan.-Feb. enews. When you have a face to face conversation with someone, your privacy is protected: that conversation can’t be recorded without your permission. But did you know that all those business and personal videoconference conversations you have are not protected? It’s time to modernize our laws, written decades ago. HB 2459 will clarify that the recording of private conversations that take place via video transmission will be treated the same way as recordings of private face-to-face conversations are under current law.

Nine reform bills have passed the House with bipartisan support, and are now in the Senate awaiting committee hearings. Here's what the bills do:

Ban doxing. HB 3047 protects people’s safety, privacy, and dignity. Doxing is when someone deliberately releases a person’s private information online, such as work address or personal email, with the intent to incite harassment. Rep. Janelle Bynum said: “Some of that doxing came as a product of mugshots, other forms of it came from people who were trying to silence other voices. Doxing became a tool of oppression that forced people into shells of their former selves and even forced families to take monumental steps to protect themselves.”

During the floor debate, speaking in support of the bill, I said, “What has happened to civil discourse? What has happened to respectful debate? What has happened to appropriate methods for expressing disagreement? The stories we've heard from our colleagues today are just a small sample. While honoring freedom of expression, we still must not tolerate these extreme and dangerous actions that discourage participation in democracy.”

Prevent unjustifiable arrests. HB 3164 places limits on when someone can be charged with the crime of interfering with a Peace Officer. These limits require that to be charged with this crime, the suspect must be knowingly interfering with the lawful duties of an officer with regards to another person or a criminal investigation. “Knowingly” means a person is acting with “an awareness” that their behavior is of the kind that would prevent an officer from performing their duties. This does not include anyone simply failing to comply with an officer’s direction. The bill is especially important for BIPOC communities and people experiencing homelessness who are disproportionately impacted, and will also protect reporters who are simply trying to do their job.

Stop the release of mugshots. HB 3273 bans the release of mugshots in most circumstances, requires agencies to destroy mugshots upon request within a certain time period, and prohibits the charging of fees for destroying these images. Rep. Janelle Bynum said, “The day someone gets arrested can quite frankly be one of the worst days of their lives. Those mugshots are sometimes of people in a mental health crisis. Those photos that are published can ruin a person’s life who has not yet been found guilty of any crime. They can linger on and impact people’s lives for years to come.” The Pew publication Stateline provides an overview in the article Online, Mugshots are Forever. Some states want to change that.

Train police to investigate, identify and report crimes motivated by prejudice based on gender. HB 2986 requires the Board on Public Safety Standards and Training to ensure that police officers and certified reserve officers are trained to investigate, identify and report crimes motivated by prejudice based on perceived gender of the victim.

Train officers to save lives. HB 2513 requires police officers to be trained in airway and circulatory anatomy and physiology and certified in cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Manage protests. HB 3059 provides clarity for when an officer can arrest an individual engaged in an unlawful assembly. It also allows flexibility for officers approaching a group of individuals to assess whether the group needs to be dispersed or arrested “for any unlawful activity constituting an offense.”

Include identification on police uniforms. HB 3355 requires a law enforcement officer's uniform and gear to have visible identification during crowd management situations, such as protests (required in a city with a population over 150,000).

Police misconduct reporting. HB 2929 establishes the reporting requirements for the “duty to report misconduct” and “duty to intervene” standard for police officers codified by the passage of HB 4205, passed during the First Special Session of 2020. The passage of HB 4205 in 2020 meant it is required that police officers intervene to prevent or stop the misconduct of other officers. This bill builds off of this accountability standard to establish the requirements for reporting this behavior.

Racism has no place in public safety. An officer’s membership or participation in hate groups, racial supremacist organizations, militant groups, or display of hate symbols erodes public trust in law enforcement. HB 2936 would require the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST) to create a statewide uniform background check for law enforcement units to implement during hiring processes. Law enforcement officers hold a unique position in our community and must demonstrate principles of equity, transparency, honesty and trust with all members of society. Also requires law enforcement agencies to develop policies setting standards for speech and conduct by officers. Finally, this measure sets parameters on sharing non-law enforcement employment information as part of the background check process.

A few bills have passed the House and moved to the Senate or “down to Ways and Means” … meaning moved into the budget committee process to pass muster for funding before advancing to the other chamber.

One bill, HB 2531, requires Oregon State University and several state agencies to meet annually to discuss pollinator health outreach and education. Many agricultural crops worldwide depend on western honey bees for pollination; bee colony collapse disorder threatens food supply. Crops pollinated by honey bees include melon, coffee, squash, blueberry, apple, cherry, almond, and more. (I think we should go a lot further: follow the science, and ban the use of neonicotinoids, not just study and talk about it. Neonicotinoids is a class of pesticides that is a leading cause of bee hive loss. Retail consumer sale too often leads to over-application and unnecessary use.) US Environmental Protection Agency info on pollinator health. (Photo: bee on oregano in my garden)

Another bill, HB 2842, provides grants to make clean energy in homes more affordable. The Healthy Homes Repair Fund would improve health, reduce energy bills, and create jobs. Activities could include radon and lead abatement, smoke filtration and air purification systems, and the removal of asthma triggers. Environment Oregon explains the bill "helps Oregonians use less energy, reduce their energy bills, and be safer and healthier in their own homes."

Several bills are considered “dead” since they remain in a policy committee past the deadline for initial action: prohibiting polystyrene (“styrofoam”) containers for prepared food; prohibiting single use plastic food ware; prohibiting products that are misleading about being recyclable.

Nevertheless, some major legislation is still being developed including the 100% Clean bill, HB 2021. Major components include:

This photo was taken on a "small business crawl" in downtown Eugene before the pandemic.

Oregon businesses have faced unprecedented levels of layoffs this past year due to the impact of necessary public health responses to the pandemic. Oregon was in the minority of states not having to borrow money for their Unemployment Insurance (UI) Trust Fund during the Great Recession. The UI Trust Fund is funded by a multi-tier system of rate charges to employers based on their business type, employment history, and state UI tax schedule. Normally, a jump in unemployment claims would trigger increases in UI tax rates, to keep the fund balanced. This year, however, that otherwise standard response – a rate increase – comes at a time when small businesses are struggling to get back on their feet. HB 3389 will remedy that by adjusting how UI rates are calculated and excluding 2020 and 2021 from businesses’ “experience ratings.” The bill provides nearly $100 million in relief this year and has the long-term goal of reducing taxes collected while maintaining the solvency of the unemployment insurance trust. The bill is now in the Senate.

See Business Oregon’s Small Business Navigator program for grants and resources available to small businesses.

Authorized in the federal American Rescue Plan, this program through the federal Small Business Administration will provide restaurants with funding equal to their pandemic-related revenue loss up to $10 million per business and no more than $5 million per physical location. Recipients are not required to repay the funding as long as funds are used for eligible purposes.

The first three weeks of the program are set aside to process priority groups such as woman and veteran owned businesses. The program opened for priority applications on May 3. Starting May 25 until all the money is spent, all restaurant businesses will be eligible to apply.

Full details, eligibility, and tips for gathering needed documentation are available on the SBA Restaurant Revitalization Fund website. You can prepare your application by reviewing the sample application, program guide and cross-program eligibility chart.

Live venue operators and promoters, theatrical producers, museums, movie theaters, and more are the target for a federal grant program. Full program information and a link to the application is available on the Small Business Administration website.

Every Oregonian 16 years of age & older is now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. Everyone – whether you have health insurance or not – can get a vaccine at no cost. It’s 100% free!

Getting vaccinated is an important tool to help end the pandemic, and it’s your best protection from getting COVID-19. (I signed up and got mine as soon as my age group was called up, and I've answered the weekly CDC "after vaccination health checker" via their quick text message and link to Vsafe.cdc.gov.) Lane County residents can schedule a vaccine appointment directly by visiting the Lane County COVID-19 Vaccine Clinics webpage or at the website vaccinefinder.org.

Preregistration is no longer required, and there is no longer a need to wait for an email invitation from Lane County Public Health to schedule an appointment. You can also schedule an appointment at one of many local pharmacy providers. OHA advises to take the first appointment available to you whether from Lane County, your primary care provider or your pharmacy.

Lane County call center: Monday-Friday, 8 AM-4:45 PM. 541-682-1380

Fully Vaccinated: What does it mean to be "fully vaccinated?"

Guidance for Fully Vaccinated People: from the CDC and Lane County Public Health Post-Vaccine Guidance

Don’t Share Your COVID-19 Vaccination Card on Social Media. Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum is warning Oregonians to avoid posting a photo of their COVID-19 vaccine cards on social media. Your vaccination card has information on it including your full name, date of birth, where you got your vaccine, and the dates you got it. If you post it to Facebook, Instagram, or to some other social media platform, you may be handing valuable information over to someone who could use it for identity theft. For more information on how to avoid becoming a victim of a COVID-19 scam, visit http://www.oregonconsumer.gov/COVID19.

Risk Level and Activities: Oregon Health Authority’s Guidance for activities by County risk level

Earned Income Tax Credit. You could receive up to $6,600 back (if you earned less than $56,844 in 2020). With only a few days before the tax filing deadline on May 17, now is a great time to spread awareness of the EITC to our communities. The EITC is a federal and state tax credit that working Oregonians who earned less than $56,884 last year may have access to. The average amount credited for 2020 was $2,461.

Around 25% of Oregonians who are eligible for the EITC do not claim it because they’re not aware they are eligible for this money, and they do not even file a tax return because they do not owe taxes. Eligible Oregonians must file a tax return to receive the EITC. This tax credit for workers either directly lowers taxes owed or adds to a refund. The good news is that everyone who qualifies for the EITC also qualifies for free tax preparation through AARP, CASH Oregon, and others.

More information on the EITC: Oregon Department of Revenue and Internal Revenue Service. Or share my post on Facebook or Instagram.

The next application period of the Landlord Compensation Fund is open now through May 17. The program covers 80% of past-due rent (since April 2020) for tenants with a signed declaration of financial hardship if a landlord agrees to forgive the other 20%. Please note this program is not first-come, first serve, and applications will be open until May 17th. If you are interested in applying in the second round, please visit the Landlord Compensation Fund website for more information.

The Landlord Compensation Fund is not the only rental assistance program currently open. Renters can access assistance through regional community action agencies. Use this link to contact Lane County’s community action agency. Additionally, OHCS will open the new federal Emergency Rental Assistance program next month.

Many Oregonians will now be able to renew their driver license and ID card online. For a complete list of what can be renewed online, as well as eligibility criteria, visit the DMV website. If you want to change from a regular driver license or ID card to a Real ID-compliant credential, you will need to make an appointment and go to an office. The same is true if you need to add a motorcycle or farm endorsement, add a veteran designation, renew a limited-term credential, or renew in other less common situations.

When you renew online, you will be able to print a receipt to carry with you until the new card arrives in the mail. You can track the status of your card by scrolling down to “Status Check Tools” and clicking “Where’s my new card?” Law enforcement can verify your driving privileges electronically in the event of a traffic stop. Oregon residents with a vehicle registration, permit or driver license that expired between Nov. 1, 2020, and April 30, 2021, have up to three months after their expiration date to renew. There is also no penalty or extra fee for renewing your driver license, permit or ID card up to 12 months after your expiration date.

The federal Real ID deadline has been delayed by the Department of Homeland Security from October 2021 to May 2023. This means you will have a longer period of time to get a Real ID before you need it to board a commercial flight or enter a federal building.

Beltine/Delta Hwy: Expect lane closures at night on Beltline Highway in both directions throughout May. Crews are working on the new bridge and paving to prepare for the new northbound Delta Highway ramp and traffic signal. By the end of the month, everyone exiting from eastbound Beltline Highway to Delta Highway will take the same exit. The eastbound Beltline Highway to Delta Highway ramp closes at night, 8 PM – 6 AM, May 16 to 20. Single lane closures can also be expected 8 AM – 5 PM, Monday through Friday. For more information, see the ODOT Beltline/Delta project page.

Willamette River Bridge on McKenzie Hwy (OR 126): Work has resumed on the westbound OR 126 Willamette River Bridge in Springfield. Expect single lane closures at night, Sunday to Thursday, 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. At times the entire bridge will close to move materials, but delays should be no longer than 20 minutes. For more information, see the ODOT project page.

Lane Arts Council will be offering two funding opportunities this year. The first, the Community Arts Program Grant, will provide general support for small and mid-sized Eugene arts organizations and arts programs. The second, the Artist Grant, will support individual artists for 2021-2022. Community Arts Program Grants and Artist Grants are funded by City of Eugene Cultural Services and administered by Lane Arts Council. Guidelines and applications will be posted mid-May, with submissions due in summer.