Oregon House Passes Bipartisan Bill to Invest $10 Million in New Healthy Homes Repair Fund

Jun 25, 2021 | News, Press Releases

For Immediate Release
June 24, 2012

House Bill 2842 creates a home repair grant program at the Oregon Health Authority aimed at low-income renters and homeowners to receive energy efficiency upgrades, smoke filtration and home hardening, and other critical housing fixes and upgrades.

SALEM, OR – Today the Oregon House voted to advance a bipartisan bill aimed at supporting low-income Oregonians across the state in receiving home repairs that will drive down energy costs, improve wildfire resilience, and protect the health of residents from mold, smoke, and polluted air.

House Bill 2842, known as the Healthy Homes bill, will seed a new Healthy Homes Repair Fund at the Oregon Health Authority with $10 million that will be granted out to housing authorities, local governments, Tribal Nations, coordinated care organizations, and nonprofit organizations to support home repairs that improve the health, safety, and energy efficiency of housing stock for low-income Oregonians.

“House Bill 2842 is focused on the intersection of housing and health care,” said Rep. Pam Marsh (D-Southern Jackson County), a chief sponsor of the bill. “Housing is a social determinant of health, as fire-displaced families seeking refuge in motels, cars, or substandard housing demonstrate. This bill will ensure that as we incentivize construction of new housing that our current housing stock is maintained and upgraded to provide safe, healthy and affordable housing for decades to come.”

“Everyone deserves a home that is healthy and safe, but too many Oregonians live in housing that is aging and energy inefficient, has structural problems, and contributes to health disparities,” said Rep. Mark Owens (R-Crane). “This is particularly problematic in our rural communities, and housing quality is one of the contributing factors to high energy burden in Eastern Oregon districts like mine. By passing this legislation, we are taking important steps to improve the quality of life for Oregonians.”

“Weatherizing our homes not only protects us from the elements, but also reduces our energy bills and creates jobs in home retrofitting,” said bill supporter Lisa Muñoz in Hood River, Program Director for Comunidades and a life-long resident of the Columbia River Gorge. “Our community members who have suffered due to contracting COVID-19 and those who are permanently affected by lung and breathing issues such as asthma should not have to worry about wildfire smoke in their homes. These home upgrades will help provide a refuge as wildfire smoke becomes a seasonal companion.”

House Bill 2842 establishes a grant program to provide funding for repair and rehabilitation of homes owned by low income households or to landlords seeking to repair rental units occupied by low income households. Repairs can include energy efficiency improvements, health and safety upgrades including radon, lead or mold abatement, installation of smoke filtration or air purification systems, structural improvements, seismic upgrades or other repairs.

The program will be administered by the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) via grants issued to eligible entities such as local governments, housing authorities, nonprofit organizations, Tribes, and coordinated care organizations. The bill encourages OHA to gather data and refine the program over time, and establishes an Interagency Task Force on Healthy Homes to collect and review data on the program in coordination with other relevant state agencies.

HB 2842 passed 56-2, and now moves to the Senate for further consideration.

###

Rep Owens introduces bill to protect Oregonians’ right to privacy, ban implementation of discriminatory vaccine passports

Jun 8, 2021 | News, Press Releases

For Immediate Release
Date: June 8, 2021
Contact: Stacy Cayce
Email: stacy.cayce@oregonlegislature.gov

Rep Owens introduces bill to protect Oregonians’ right to privacy,
ban implementation of discriminatory vaccine passports

SALEM, Ore. – On Monday, Representative Mark Owens (R-Crane) introduced House Bill 3407 to ban the implementation of vaccine passports in Oregon and protect the privacy and rights of Oregonians.

“Requiring proof of vaccinations via a vaccine passport program is wrong and it opens the door to myriad problems,” said Rep. Owens. “It’s a violation of our privacy and our freedoms, it’s discriminatory, and it shows the Governor doesn’t believe Oregonians can be trusted.”

The legislation would prevent any public body – state, local or special government body – from issuing a requirement for proof of vaccination through a vaccine passport from COVID-19 or variants of COVID-19.

“Let me be clear—this is not an argument over COVID-19 or the COVID-19 vaccine. It’s about Oregonians’ rights. I believe the choice to get a vaccine is a personal, private medical decision that should be made between an individual and their medical provider, and that Oregonians should be free to make that choice for themselves,” said Owens.

In addition, in order to prevent discriminatory actions and repercussions, it would prohibit a person or public body from being able to legally require an individual to state or document vaccine status against COVID-19 to access credit, insurance, education, facilities, medical services, housing or accommodations, travel, entry into this state, employment or purchase goods or services.

It would also prohibit these entities from being legally able to require an individual to wear a face covering if the individual does not wish to disclose vaccine status. The bill applies only to the COVID-19 vaccinations and would not change any current laws with regards to immunizations for other restrictable diseases for schools and children’s facilities.

House Bill 3407 is requested in partnership with Eastern Oregon Counties Association and would go into effect immediately upon passage. At the time of press, the legislation has 12 Chief Co-Sponsors including House and Senate members and bipartisan support in the House.

# # #