We have been tackling difficult bills this week, but time is running out to hear them and vote on them. To stay up to date, please check out Oregon Legislative Information System (OLIS) and research bills that interest you.

This week we discuss HB 4002A and HB 4026. Listen in on SoundCloud or watch this week’s episode of From the District here

Winter came back with a vengeance this week. As you can see all roads leading to the coast were hit hard and made travel difficult for citizens of Senate District 16. While we can’t control mother nature, we can work towards improving safety on our arterial highways into and out of the coastal communities.

That’s why my bill for Hwy 30, SB 1556, is so important.

I frequently get calls and emails asking for help with Unemployment Insurance and Paid Leave Oregon. Often, by the time someone reaches out to my office, they are very frustrated with the systems that Oregon has in place to service claims. I can’t always fix every issue, but have been successful in most of the cases that make it to our office.

I received an update today that Frances Online is now active for Unemployment Benefits. I am hopeful that this upgrade is indeed beneficial to citizens of Oregon.

The new UI system is Frances Online, the same system already used for employer contributions and Paid Leave Oregon benefits.

They have updated the partner toolkit with talking points, a “What’s Changing for Claimants” flier, sample newsletter article, and sample social media posts to help get the word out and support claimants in using the new system.

Action Required for Current Claimants

They are asking partners to help spread the word about what current claimants need to do to use the new system:

Create a Frances Online account at frances.oregon.gov. If you have an active claim or applied but your claim is still being reviewed, information about your claim will appear in their new Frances Online account. If you have an account in Frances Online because you claimed benefits from Paid Leave Oregon, you do not need to set up a new account.
File your weekly claim at frances.oregon.gov/claimant. Claimants can now file for the week of February 25–March 2. If you did not file a weekly claim for the week of February 18-24 and you are seeking benefits for that week, you can still claim that week using Frances Online. You can file all future weekly claims using Frances Online.

Customer Service Tips

OED expects the Unemployment Insurance Program will receive high call volumes for at least the first couple of weeks after going live in the new system. We are encouraging customers to use self-serve features available through Frances Online such as checking the status of a claim, uploading documents online, or making a payment online. Go to unemployment.oregon.gov/frances for more customer service tips.

We value your partnership; thank you for helping us serve the people of Oregon. We are excited about the enhancements with this new system. We are pleased we can follow through on our commitment to modernizing to better serve Oregonians. Visit unemployment.oregon.gov/frances to learn more.

Clatsop County puts out a great weekly update. Check it out, and subscribe if you would like to get these weekly updates. Click here for the full update

Youngs Bay Boat Ramp Temporarily Closes to Public

Public access to the Youngs Bay Boat Ramp will temporarily close for the launching or retrieving of water craft from 7 a.m. Monday, March 4 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 6, 2024.

Clatsop County Fisheries will temporarily block the boat ramp with a fish transfer pipeline for the receiving of salmon smolts to the net pens located at that site.

The boat ramp is located at the City of Astoria site, 1555 West Marine Drive in Astoria.

Emergency Management Director Appointed to Council

Clatsop County Emergency Management Director Justin Gibbs has been appointed to the Oregon Emergency Preparedness Advisory Council.

The council is housed in Governor Tina Kotek’s office and facilitates policy recommendations for catastrophic disaster preparedness, mitigation and response, recovery planning, procedures, and protocols with special emphasis on outreach to representatives of designated state and federal emergency support functions.

Clatsop Podcast – A Conversation on the Upcoming Primary Election

This year’s primary election scheduled for May 21, 2024 will be closed.

Clatsop County Clerk Tracie Krevanko talks about what makes a primary election closed, common voter misconceptions and more in our new podcast

Events Around The District

If you have events in your area that you would like me to know about, please send details to sen.suzanneweber@oregonlegislature.gov

Coast Guard Week festivities are underway in Garibaldi. This week Garibaldi will be honored with the official designation as a Coast Guard City.

Capitol Phone: 503-986-1716 District Phone: 503-300-4493
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, S-405, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Sen.SuzanneWeber@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/weber/