2021 Legislative Session Halfway Point: Advocacy Tools to Raise Your Voice
Here at the mid-point of the 2021 Oregon Legislative Session, we take the chance to reflect on this unusual year of virtual hearings and Zoom meetings, and the progress we have made thus far. Many of the nearly 2,500 bills introduced this session have died, meaning that they will not move forward this session to become law. The work of creating and approving the state budget for the next two years, a major item on the session to-do list, is moving into high gear. There is still a lot of advocacy left to do to share your perspective and priorities with legislators as they make decisions about how to spend money over the coming biennium. Let's talk about what is left to do, and how you can make an impact.
Testing, Vaccines, and Risk Levels: The Latest on COVID-19 In Oregon
Winter is fast approaching, and we find ourselves in the middle of a very nasty spike in COVID-19 infection, statewide. This poses a deadly risk to every Oregonian--but not all risk is equal. Since the beginning of the pandemic, our state leadership and public health officials have been working to adapt our guidance to incorporate new information and understanding of how this disease spreads. With this spike, the Governor and Oregon Health Authority (OHA) have created new guidance that takes into consideration the risk levels present in each county in the state, and what they mean for the people living there. We'll walk through some of the major headlines from Oregon from recent weeks, and break down what they mean for you.
COVID-19: Staying Apart, Getting Together
You’re being good. You’re following the Governor’s Executive Order to stay home and save lives. You have checked out some amazing virtual tours and resources, and now all that is missing is . . . someone with whom to talk it over.
Good news: video chatting is easier than ever before. Thanks in large part to the improvements in phone cameras, and a couple of new video chat applications, you can be face-to-face with a friend in no time.
Resource Round-Up! Staying Apart, Getting Away
We in the Brokerage community will be sharing more information and ideas for how to support one another as the COVID-19 epidemic continues to change our shared landscape. It feels lonely right now, and frighteningly different. But the truth is, our future is shared, and we are all experiencing this together. We are making decisions that affect each other, and we are caring for one another by staying home, and taking care of ourselves. Thank you for joining the effort of the Oregon DD community to make it through this crisis stronger, and with our connections intact.