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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (July 15, 2015)
Wednesday, July 15, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Lawmakers’ vote helps gay veterans Jonathan J. Cooper/Sheila V Kumar Associated Press SALEM (AP) — Oregon is on track to be the first state to hire a coordinator to help lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender veterans upgrade a less-than-honorable dis- charge received because of their sexual orientation. The bill was among a flurry of legislation approved as Oregon law- makers wrapped up the five- month legislative session on Monday. Other last-minute bills would help strippers report workplace violations and young people expunge mari- juana convictions from their records. In a surprise move that frustrated marijuana farmers, lawmakers opted not to put a two-year delay on the cultivation of hemp, a non-intoxicating form of the cannabis plant. If Gov. Kate Brown signs off, a new LGBT coordina- tor at the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs would help gay veterans apply for a change in their discharge sta- tus. Advocates say some gay and lesbian service members received less than honorable discharges because of their sexual orientation, barring them from receiving certain federal and state benefits, including those of the G.I. Bill. Supporters said LGBT veterans have a dispropor- tionate number of discharge appeals pending. “I have personally served with folks who were dis- charged because of their orientation,” said Rep. Paul Evans, a Democrat from Monmouth and retired Air Force major. “Only two things really matter: Are they serving as well as they possi- bly can? And are they doing everything they can while they’re there to make a bet- ter and stronger society?” he added. Basic Rights Oregon, a nonprofit gay and Agenda Sisters City Council City Hall, 520 E. Cascade Ave. July 16, 8 a.m. workshop: 1. Water/sewer infrastruc- ture and rates. 2. City Council applica- tion review. 3. Preview July 23, work- shop and regular meeting agenda. 4. Other business — Business Owner Opinion Survey update. transgender advocacy group based in Portland, said in sub- mitted testimony that veter- ans were dismissed under the 1993 federal law Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, which allowed gays to serve as long as they kept their sexual orientation a secret. But veterans have also been discharged because of the sexual preferences dat- ing back to World War II, they said, and all often need help navigating the red tape to get their discharge status changed. Those critical of the mea- sure said it shouldn’t serve just a portion of the veteran population when all service members are in need of sup- port. Rep. Mike McLane an Oregon Air National Guard officer and staff judge advo- cate, said veterans can be discharged for a whole range of reasons, stretching from smoking marijuana to adul- tery. There have been veter- ans discharged for behavior permissible in the civilian populace but not in the mili- tary, he added. “Let’s do it for all the veterans who have been dis- charged based upon a code of justice that we now look back and say it’s wrong,” said McLane, a Powell Butte Republican. “By opening the door and choosing one group, we are in essence using pub- lic funding to favor one class of veterans over another class of veterans.” Brown, a Democrat who is the nation’s first bisexual governor, does not weigh in on legislation before she signs it. The Legislature also sent Brown a bill creating a hot- line for strippers to report problems in clubs and seek work. The bill was requested by a group of dancers who worked with the National Association of Social Workers. The dancers told lawmakers they like the work they do, but they sometimes feel like there’s nowhere to turn for non-judgmental advice when their rights are violated. “I have a lot of faith in individuals in this indus- try,” said Elle Stanger, a dancer from Portland who was active in lobbying for the bill. “Most of us are very good people that work very hard to create a good work- ing environment. It’s a case of a few bad apples are the reason that we have to be so publicly proactive.” Another bill approved Monday would reduce the amount of time young people have to wait before T Y S E E N B E SWE ALLS THE INST ! LY D N E FRI cements. & T a FAS pairs. Rep l Remodels. Re 541-549-4349 260 N. Pine St., Sisters Licensed Bonded / Insured CCB#87587 Now Open 7 Days A Week 3 Meals A Day! Breakfast: 8 to 11:30 a.m., Sunday 8 a.m. to Noon Lunch: Noon to 2 p.m. Dinner: 6 p.m. Dinner by reservation only. Daily reservation cut-off is 1 p.m. Pre-set menu available online. Call 541-516-3030 to make reservations. Space is limited. www.lakecreeklodge.com expunging marijuana crimes from their criminal record. The bill allows people under 21 to wait one year instead of three before petitioning to remove a conviction for pos- sessing or delivering mari- juana from their record. The move comes as Oregon moves to begin sell- ing marijuana through a regulated market, eliminat- ing state sanctions for pos- session of the drug in limited quantities. But one hot-button mar- ijuana-related bill did not pass. Lawmakers chose not to delay the development of a hemp industry, a measure that was seen as prioritizing marijuana ahead of hemp. Outdoor pot farmers said they fear hemp will pollinate their plants, diminishing the intoxicating effects and its value. “Obviously the laws and regulations still need work around the coexistence of hemp and sensimilla,” said Cedar Grey, president of the Oregon SunGrown Growers’ Guild, representing out- door marijuana growers in southwestern Oregon, a top outdoor marijuana growing area. Sensimilla is unfer- tilized, and highly potent, marijuana. 21 right-to-die advocates call Ca. loss a brief setback By renit Nirappil Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Ca. (AP) — California dealt the national right-to-die move- ment a huge blow when leg- islation allowing doctors to prescribe life-ending drugs stalled, but advocates aren’t conceding defeat. The movement was rein- vigorated by the nationally publicized story of Brittany Maynard, a 29-year-old Cali- fornia woman who moved to Oregon last fall to die on her own terms after a brain can- cer diagnosis. She argued in widely viewed online videos that she should have been able to access life-ending drugs in her home state. That wasn’t enough to sway lawmakers on Cali- fornia’s Assembly Health Committee ahead of a bill deadline, so the legislation’s authors ended their efforts until next year. Lawmakers and aid-in- dying advocates vowed they would continue to fight. Dr. Thomas R. Rheuben General, Cosmetic, Implant and Family Dentistry ~ Over 22 years Serving Sisters ~ We are preferred providers for Delta Dental PPO and Premier, MODA, Advantage, Pacifi c Source, Cigna and the V.A. 541-549-0109 | 304 W. Adams Ave. | Sisters