Joint Special Committee on Coronavirus Response

Rep. Greg Barreto's Newsletter

March 27, 2020

Dear Friends,

A s we wind down another week amid the uncertainty of the Corona virus outbreak, we now see support in the works coming from both the State and Federal government. Two weeks ago I was appointed to the Joint Coronavirus Response Committee. We have had several meetings since then and discussed how to support affected sectors in communities as well as address multiple concerns across the state from employers to the homeless and all those affected in between.

There are few who are not adversely affected by this virus and we all are contemplating the best way to forge ahead through this issue. I am including in this newsletter, results from the Coronavirus Response Committee, recent Coronavirus numbers and projected modeling from the Oregon Health Authority and the Federal stimulus package that was just approved by the US Senate and House and will soon be signed by the President. Please be prudent in taking all the precautions that have been encouraged by health professionals by staying home if possible, social distancing and good hygiene, washing hand often, not touching your mouth and see if we can’t get on the path to recovery sooner rather than later .

Thank you,

Greg

JOINT SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE

The President's Coronavirus Guidelines For America

Co-Chairs letter of recommendations

COVID-19 Cases in Oregon

As of 3/27/2020, 9:30am

Positive 414

Negative 8510

Total Completed Tests 8924

Total Deaths 12

OHA Covid-19 Updates

Projected COVID-19 epidemic trends and health system needs for Oregon

Federal Stimulus Package Update

Highlights of the stimulus package include:

Provides $150 billion to states, territories, local and tribal governments to use for expenditures incurred due to the public health emergency with respect to COVID-19 in the face of revenue declines, allocated by population proportions.
Distribution is based on population. Every state will receive a minimum of $1.25 billion.
45% of a state’s funds are set aside for local governments, with populations that exceed 500,000, with certified requests to the U.S. Secretary of Treasury. Certification requires a signature by the chief executive of the local government that the uses are consistent with certain requirements.
$8 billion for tribal governments.

Funds can be used for costs that:
Are necessary expenditures incurred due to COVID-19.
Were not accounted for in the budget most recently approved as of the date of enactment of this section.
Were incurred during the period that begins March 1, 2020, and ends Dec. 30, 2020.

· Establishes a $500 billion lending fund for medium and large businesses, cities and states.

· Establishes a $350 billion lending fund for small businesses.

One-time tax rebate check:
$1,200 for an individual, $2,400 for a couple, $500 per child.
Not reduced for lower income Americans.
Reduced for higher income Americans, starting at $75,000 or $150,000 per couple.
Phases out completely for individuals with adjusted gross income of $99,000 or $198,000 for couples.
Provides $30 billion for an Education Stabilization Fund for states, school districts and institutions of higher education for costs related to the coronavirus.
Provides $45 billion for the Disaster Relief Fund for the immediate needs of state, local, tribal and territorial governments to protect citizens and help them respond and recover from the overwhelming effects of COVID-19.
Provides $1.4 billion for deployments of the National Guard. This level of funding will sustain up to 20,000 members of the National Guard, under the direction of the governors of each state, for the next six months in order to support state and local response efforts.
Provides an additional $4.3 billion, thorough the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to support federal, state and local public health agencies to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus.
Extends Real ID deadline for full implementation by states from Oct. 1, 2020, to Sept. 30, 2021.
Expands unemployment insurance from three to four months, and provides temporary unemployment compensation of $600 per week, which is in addition to and the same time as regular state and federal UI benefits.