January 25 2021
Recent legislation helped, but many Oregonians - particularly Black and Hispanic families - face additional challenges
In December s one-day special session, Oregon lawmakers took action to ensure that Oregonians won t be evicted during the darkest days of winter as COVID-19 continues to disrupt our communities and economy.
Through the passage of House Bill 4401, the Oregon Legislature recognized the importance of having a safe and stable home.
Testimony in favor of the bill came from nearly 200 renters, landlords, faith leaders and service organizations, painting a powerful picture of the financial insecurity the virus has wrought on Oregon families in every part of the state.
January 25 2021
Legislature s BIPOC Caucus focuses on efforts to ensure everyone has the chance to thrive as we break down barriers
The members of Oregon s Legislature s BIPOC Caucus are state Sens. Lew Frederick, Kayse Jama and James I. Manning Jr., and state Reps. Diego Hernandez, Mark Meek, Wlnsvey Campos, Teresa Alonso León, Andrea Salinas, Khanh Pham, Janelle Bynum, Tawna Sanchez and Ricki Ruiz.
The members of the Oregon Legislature s Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Caucus envision a future for the state that is diverse, dynamic and equitable, where everyone has equal opportunity to thrive.
To work toward our caucus s mission of advancing equity and eliminating systemic oppression and racism in Oregon, we are focused on:
January 24 2021
State should offset the cost to Oregon families who have given up paychecks to accommodate forced home-based distance classes.
The Oregon Department of Education recently announced relaxed guidelines for school reopenings.
The new guidelines provide a roadmap for districts in the Portland area and much of the state to roll out in-person instruction for elementary school students.
Regardless of the new guidelines, it is looking more likely that many of Oregon s largest school districts will not return to full-time, in-person instruction for all students this year.
Earlier this month, the presidents of teachers unions representing Oregon s five largest school districts sent a letter to Gov. Kate Brown. The letter demanded all school staff be fully vaccinated before schools reopen for any in-person instruction. If all goes well, that means mid-February would be the soonest that schools can reopen.
Community members renew calls for Mark Shull s resignation January 21 2021
Path for healing exists, but not if commissioner remains a represenative of Clackamas County, say Muslim and LGBTQ residents
A coalition of community members representing metro-area Muslim residents and other marginalized groups held a press conference Thursday afternoon to renew calls for Clackamas County Commissioner Mark Shull to resign.
Shull who recently came under scrutiny for racist, transphobic, anti-immigrant and Islamophobic statements made on his personal Facebook page has doubled down on some of his comments in recent days. During a Board of County Commissioners meeting Thursday, Jan. 21, Shull incorrectly stated that Muslim people believe in Sharia Law over the U.S. Constitution. His comments followed nearly 45 minutes of public testimony in which community members unleashed scathing calls for his resignation.