Oregon families are getting another cash boost this summer following the approval of the one-time $600 stimulus check payment for low-income workers.
Following a 42-16 vote in the House and 23-2 vote in the Senate last Friday, March 4, the proposal to help 250,000 low-wage workers, who also worked during the first wave of the pandemic, will now go to the office of Gov. Kate Brown for her signature.
Sen. Kathleen Taylor said that the stimulus check for Oregon workers would "make a huge difference" among families that need essentials like diapers for their babies and grocery supplies for their kids. Approval of House Bill 4157 also means that families will have the extra means "to manage the obstacles they face" for their day-to-day existence.
Rep. Andrea Valderrama, the chief sponsor of House Bill 4157, echoed Taylor's statements and said that struggling Oregonians would have fewer worries with this cash boost, given that the cost of basic necessities has increased.
How Can Oregon Families Get the Stimulus Check?
Eligible low-income workers do not have to apply or go through a process to be included in the stimulus check distribution. If they filed their April 2020 tax return or claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit for the same tax season, their records are still with the Department of Revenue (DOR).
The workers will receive the $600 stimulus payment in their direct deposit account or through the mail as a check payment. Disbursement is expected to start in June 2022. Valderrama ensured tha the process for receiving the payments would be less cumbersome and delivered in a timely manner.
Before the bill's approval, lawmakers met with some parents who said that the cost of living in Oregon has become too expensive for many families. While those who can afford the average child care cost also find their hands tied because many providers have shut down due to the pandemic.
Jessica Boyd, who works in a child care facility and has two children, said that she could still get by because they are a two-income household with her husband. But the reality is many women like her are not self-sufficient with their low incomes.
"Workers in Taco Bell are earning more than me," Boyd said.
Maine Also Considering "Inflation Stimulus Check"
Meanwhile, as the federal stimulus checks have stopped as of Dec. 31. 2021, other state governments are carefully studying if they should keep sending relief to American families. California, Florida, Indiana, and New York are set to disburse cash assistance for low-income workers with different criteria per state in their next budget plan.
In Maine, Gov. Janet Mills has laid out a proposal to distribute a one-time $750 inflation stimulus check as a buffer for the rising prices of goods. More than 800,000 residents could get their cash boost in July if her budget is approved.
Mills' budget proposal also includes financial assistance for hospitals and nursing homes, a free community college tuition fee for two years for students heavily affected by COVID-19, and an overhaul of the student loans program.
