Past Policy Implementation
HB 4157 Cost of Living Support
June 23, 2022 - The Department of Revenue has announced that payments will be distributed via direct deposit or by mail by July 2022. Visit the Department of Revenue webpage to check if you qualify and for more information.
This bill supports Oregon’s economic recovery and lift up communities across the state by providing one-time stimulus $600 payments to 236,000+ low income and working Oregonians who received the earned income tax credit (EITC). This will efficiently get stimulus payments to help Oregonians pay for essential needs, like housing, perscriptions, utilites, and groceries.
To qualify households must have received the Earned Income Tax Credit on their 2020 tax filing and lived in Oregon the last six months of 2020. This policy allows for people who file an amended 2020 tax return by April 15, 2022 and claim the EITC to receive this payment.
Reproductive Health Equity Fund
To close existing gaps in reproductive health care access and in preparation for a increased number of people seeking abortion care in Oregon, in March we established the Reproductive Health Equity Fund, a $15 million dollar investment to expand provider network capacity and support people who need abortion.
This investment will close gaps in access for Black, Brown, low income, LGBTQIA2S+, and rural communities in addition to addressing longstanding health disparities and ensure resources are available to those who may be impacted by the loss of federal abortion protections.
Seeding Justice will distribute the $15 million to address immediate and urgent patient needs for abortion funds and practical support, like travel and lodging, and to expand provider network capacity.
HB 4002 Farmworker Overtime
Every day Oregon’s grocery store shelves and produce aisles are stocked because of the labor of thousands of farmworkers who work in back-breaking conditions to ensure our state’s food security. Our communities have food on our tables as a direct result of their labor. Farmworkers work long hours without rest, particularly during peak harvest times, and many still struggle to afford basic necessities.
This policy remedies the discrimination farmworkers face by mandating that farmworkers - like most other workers in the US - recieve overtime pay in Oregon after 40 hours per week, with the requirements phased in over a five-year period, starting with 55-hours per week for 2023-24, 48 hours per week in 2025-26, and then 40 hours per week beginning in 2027.
SB 1536 Access to Cooling
Landlord cooling spaces - The bill allocated $2 million dollars to help landlords with the costs of developing cooling spaces in their rental buildings. The grant program is being administered by Energy Trust and grants are available now.
Department of Human Services Cooling Space Program - The bill allocated $2 million dollars in grants to educational institutions, local governments, and tribes for the development of public cooling spaces. Grants are available now!
Air Conditioner Deployment - The bill allocated $5 million dollars to Oregon Health Authority (OHA) for deployment of air conditioners to vulnerable populations. OHA has 700 units coming by July 15th, 2022 with more orders pending.