The Oregon state senator and the two Oregon state representatives who collectively represent most of Eastern Oregon held their fourth virtual town hall meeting Thursday, May 28. This was the fourth such evening meeting set by District 59 Rep. Dan Bonham, District 60 Rep. Mark Owens and District 30 Sen. Lynn Findley,
Much of the meeting centered around the pandemic and its effects. Rep. Owens said part of the problem was that the $1.63 billion that Oregon received from the federal government was not evenly distributed. He said counties and cities with populations over 500,000 received direct funds.
“The other counties were basically left out of the conversation, until we pushed back,” he said.
Though some funding has been allocated to other counties, he noted the funds arrived with the restriction that they could only be used in direct COVID-19-related activities. “We don’t believe that’s acceptable,” said Owens. “The other counties can use them for small business economic development, they can use them for mental health, they can use them for whatever they want. We need the flexibility the big counties get. We need to all help out our small businesses and restart this economy.”
Sen. Findley echoed that sentiment. “No county should be left behind,” he said. Problems with the Employment Department also received comment.
“We have people that are 10 to 11 weeks without getting any feedback from the Department of Employment,” said Rep. Bonham, “and their unemployment insurance claims have gone unanswered. People deserve to know where they stand. People deserve to know if a check is coming. If they’ve been rejected and they’ve appealed, they deserve a response. This is a funded program. This is insurance. The money’s there; the process needs to be fixed.”
Bonham said the Business and Labor Committee on which he serves will hold a public hearing this Saturday morning from 9 a.m. to noon, and he intends to ask the Department of Employment some sharp questions.
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