February 2, 2022
Re: SB 1554 - Oregon Health Authority study of public health system response to COVID-19 pandemic
“Multnomah County agrees that it is imperative to outline potential system improvements that will help us to be better prepared to respond to the next emergency [...]The study will be a large undertaking for any stakeholder in the COVID-19 response given all the different participants and entities involved. In particular it will take time and effort to fully understand how to improve our emergency response through a racial equity lens.”
Jennifer Vines, MD, MPH, Multnomah County Health Officer
February 2, 2022
Re: Multnomah County Strongly Supports SB 1536
“As Oregon’s summers grow hotter and drier, stressors like heat and smoke will continue to disproportionately impact already vulnerable communities, exacerbating inequities created by systemic racism, intergenerational poverty, income inequality, and federal disinvestment in social services. SB 1536 includes important policy changes and funding to mitigate those impacts - and save lives.”
John Wasiutynski, Director
Multnomah County Office of Sustainability
Peggy Samolinski, Director
Youth and Family Services Division
Department of County Human Services
Andrea Hamberg, Interim Director
Multnomah County Environmental Health Services
February 2, 2022
Re: SB 1522
“JDEP schools must be funded to set students up for success. This means ensuring that every JDEP classrooms has a full-time certified teacher, and additionally academic supports for english language learners, increased access to special education services, educational assistants to provide personalized education to students who need extra supports, transition services to assist youth in successfully connecting to school once they leave detention, and adequate clerical and administrative supports to effectively operate the school program.”
Deena Corso, Director
Juvenile Services Division
Multnomah County Department of Community Justice
February 2, 2022
Re: SB 1510
“SB 1510 furthers the goal of fostering safety, trust and belonging in our community by reinforcing Multnomah County’s practice of including culturally specific services and training for those involved in the justice system and staff. The inclusion of people with lived experience in the rule making for community corrections will help expand the vision of programs and make the overall process better.”
Jeston Black, Director
Office of Government Relations
February 2, 2022
Re: Testimony Supporting HB 4117
“We at Multnomah County support HB 4117 and ask that you take this critical step to address this inequity in access to tax credits. The bill would have a significant financial impact for struggling Oregonians, including BIPOC communities who are disproportionately experiencing poverty and unemployment, and who will face additional challenges to recovering economically from the impacts of the pandemic.”
Mohammad Bader, MS, LPC, Director
Department of County Human Services
Peggy Samolinski, Director
Youth and Family Services Division
February 2, 2022
Re: HB4105 - Relating to traffic offenses
“Unintentional injuries, including those from traffic injuries, are the third leading cause of death in Multnomah County and the leading cause of death for people ages 1 to 45. [...] Local jurisdictions need fewer barriers to implementing the life-saving safety interventions of automated speed enforcement, which is an evidence-based practice.”
Jessica Guernsey, MPH, Public Health Director
Multnomah County Health Department
Jamie Waltz, Director
Department of Community Services
February 2, 2022
Re: HB4052 - Racism as a Public Health Crisis
“House Bill 4052 begins to address the tremendous work required to undo racism and the enduring impact racism, colonization, and genocide has had on our lives and institutions.”
Jessica Guernsey, MPH, Public Health Director
Multnomah County Health Department
February 2, 2022
Re: Multnomah County Strongly Supports HB 4058-2
“This urgent and critical bill includes life-saving measures that will help address some of the risks associated with heat events for Oregon’s most vulnerable communities.”
John Wasiutynski, Director
Multnomah County Office of Sustainability
Peggy Samolinski, Director
Youth and Family Services Division
Department of County Human Services
Andrea Hamberg, Interim Director
Multnomah County Environmental Health Services
February 3, 2022
Re: HB 1558
“Multnomah County supports the adoption of the -2 amendments to HB 1558, the Transportation Omnibus Bill for the 2022 session. Our concerns with the bill as written range from preemption to our own ability to finance and maintain our infrastructure assets, but most importantly the language in Section 8 of this bill would have immediate impact on Multnomah County’s financial commitments and partnerships around our region, many of which are decades old.”
Taylor Steenblock, State and Regional Affairs Coordinator
Multnomah County Government Relations
February 7, 2022
Re: Letter of Administrative Impact in Removing Oregon Personal Property Filing Requirement for Floating Homes (SB 1559)
“Administratively, this change would result in fewer personal property returns to process each year. Getting rid of the filing requirement does not affect the requirement to pay tax or the penalty for paying your taxes late, and this change would allow floating homes to be treated similarly to houses and mobile homes for tax filing purposes.”
Mike Vaughn, Multnomah County Assessor
February 7, 2022
Re: Multnomah County Support for SB 1567
“This bill will finally set in motion a process for protecting Multnomah County residents, the ecosystems of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers, and indeed the entire state, from a catastrophic oil spill at the Critical Energy Infrastructure (CEI) Hub in Northwest Portland that will occur when a major earthquake strikes.”
Deborah Kafoury
Multnomah County Chair
February 7, 2022
Re: SB 1537 - Relating to Housing Cost Impact Statements
“We urge you to delay any consideration of SB 1537 until there is a clear process for how impacted communities will be centered in the conversation, and that the substantial and burdensome impacts of the bill will improve housing affordability.”
John Wasiutynski
Director, Multnomah County Office of Sustainability
February 7, 2022
Re: SB 1518 - Relating to Building Codes
“Through the creation of more protective indoor environments and the significant decrease in the use of energy in buildings and the associated air toxics and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, implementation of the REACH Code as a minimum standard will improve community health and help reduce four of the leading causes of death associated with fossil fuel combustion: cancer, chronic lower respiratory diseases, heart disease, and stroke.”
John Wasiutynski, Director
Multnomah County Office of Sustainability
Brendon Haggerty, Manager
Healthy Homes and Communities
Multnomah County Health Department
February 7, 2022
Subject: HB 4063 (2022 Regular Session)
“While Multnomah County believes HB 4063’s proposed pilot program to research, analyze and improve the process for approving and permitting residential construction projects could be valuable, the proposed changes to the definition of substantial completion, not requiring recordation of final subdivision plats, and vagueness regarding the necessity to assign temporary addresses create unacceptable risks for government agencies and the taxpayers to whom we are accountable.”
Carol Johnson, Land Use Planning Director
Land Use Planning Division
Department of Community Services
Jamie Waltz, Director
Department of Community Services
February 1, 2022
Re: Support for HB 4067 – Urban Flood Safety and Water Quality District
“Passing HB 4067 is the critical next step we must take to modernize this important infrastructure, improve flood safety for an area critical to the region’s future, and take a more holistic approach to the management of the historic floodplain along the Columbia.”
Deborah Kafoury
Multnomah County Chair
February 4, 2022
Re: HB 4101 - Extending smoke-free areas
“Although the majority of workplaces are now smoke free indoors, more than one in ten Oregonians are exposed to secondhand smoke (SHS) at work. Ten feet is not far from a door or window for smoke, therefore even outdoor patios and restaurant seats may still expose workers to SHS. Extending the buffer to 25 feet away may reduce exposure for employees both outside and inside workplaces.”
Jessica Guernsey, MPH, Public Health Director
Multnomah County Health Department
February 7, 2022
Re: Testimony in Support of SB 1543
“SB 1543 would provide critical support to Oregonians in accessing the legal system to ensure their rights. Assistance in understanding the immigration legal landscape and securing legal defense for those facing deportation proceedings remains an urgent need throughout Oregon.”
Mohammad Bader, Director
Department of County Human Services
Peggy Samolinski, Director
Youth and Family Services Division
February 7, 2022
Re: Multnomah County Support for HB 4077
“Multnomah County urges your support of House Bill 4077. This bill is arguably the most important effort in a generation to address environmental injustice in Oregon. In the face of a growing climate crisis and historic inequities that have remained unaddressed, the State has a moral duty and practical interest in strengthening environmental justice statutes.”
Deborah Kafoury
Multnomah County Chair
February 8, 2022
Re: Testimony in Support of SB 1579
“Every Oregonian should have the opportunity to build an economically secure and prosperous future for themselves and their family. We at Multnomah County support SB 1579 and ask that you take this opportunity to invest to address racial inequities and point us toward a more stable and equitable future for everyone.”
Peggy Samolinski, Director
Youth and Family Services Division
February 11, 2022
Re: HB 4118 (2022 Regular Session)
“Multnomah County applauds efforts to increase the supply of affordable workforce housing but we do not believe that HB 4118 and the -1 Amendment are the way to do so.”
Carol Johnson, Land Use Planning Director
Land Use Planning Division
Department of Community Services
February 7, 2022
The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners supports HB 4126
“Multnomah County has a compelling governmental, proprietary and economic interest in preventing interruptions or disruptions to critical services provided by the County through its contractors [...] As a contractor of critical behavioral health and addictions treatments and services, the State of Oregon also has these same interests. The state contracts directly with private service providers and needs to ensure that the services provided are not disrupted, causing otherwise avoidable costs.”
Deborah Kafoury
Multnomah County Chair
Sharon Meieran
Multnomah County Commissioner, District 1
Susheela Jayapal
Multnomah County Commissioner, District 2
Jessica Vega Pederson
Multnomah County Commissioner, District 3
Lori Stegmann
Multnomah County Commissioner, District 4
February 8, 2022
Re: HB 4002
“Unfortunately, for too long farmworkers have lacked access to basic workplace protections that we expect from almost every other workplace setting. By extending to farmworkers overtime protections, we can ensure that these critical workers are receiving the compensation they deserve for the work they perform.”
Jessica Vega Pederson
Multnomah County Commissioner, District 3
Re: HB 4115
“HB 4115 would direct the Oregon State Treasurer to disclose crucial information about the state’s financial investments, providing transparency to allow us to understand how Oregon’s financial resources are supporting the fossil fuel industry. Such transparency can influence the investment decisions of the fossil fuel industry, and the threat of divestment is a powerful tactic that influences the decisions and resources available to the industry.”
Deborah Kafoury
Multnomah County Chair
Sharon Meieran
Multnomah County Commissioner, District 1
Susheela Jayapal
Multnomah County Commissioner, District 2
Jessica Vega Pederson
Multnomah County Commissioner, District 3
Lori Stegmann
Multnomah County Commissioner, District 4