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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 3, 2018)
10 Wednesday, January 3, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Enforcement begins on tobacco law Higp stakes vote on January ballot PORTLAND — Oregon will soon start enforcing a new law that raised the required minimum age to legally buy or obtain tobacco products from 18 to 21. SB 754, known as Tobacco 21, has been in effect since Gov. Kate Brown signed it into law August 9, 2017, with enforcement and fines beginning January 1, 2018. Oregon is the fifth state to increase the age to purchase tobacco, after California, Hawaii, Maine and New Jersey. Under the new law, retail- ers can no longer sell tobacco products or inhalant delivery systems, such as a pipe or vaporizing device, to people younger than 21. Violations of the law are punishable by a fine of $50 for employ- ees, $250 for store managers and $500 for store owners; for managers and owners, the fines double by the third offense. OHA’s Public Health Division is authorized to enforce the minimum age of tobacco sales law and coordinates with the Oregon State Police to conduct state-sponsored compliance inspections. Katrina Hedberg, MD, Oregon’s state health officer and epidemiologist based at the Oregon Health Authority Public Health Division, said raising the minimum age for buying tobacco products and inhalant delivery systems is proven to reduce youth ini- tiation of tobacco use. She noted nine of 10 adults report they started smoking before they were 19, and nearly 100 percent start before age 26. “The earlier kids start using tobacco, the more at risk they are for becom- ing addicted to tobacco and developing chronic diseases such as heart disease, asthma and cancer,” Hedberg said. “Raising the legal sale age for tobacco products to 21 can reduce smoking rates and reduce tobacco-related deaths.” For help quitting tobacco, call Oregon’s toll-free Quit Line at 800-QUIT-NOW (800-784-8669) or, for Spanish, 855-DEJELO-YA (855-335356-92), or visit https://www.quitnow.net/ oregon or in Spanish, https:// www.quitnow.net/oregonsp. People who see a retailer selling tobacco products or inhalant delivery systems to someone younger than 21 can report the violation with the business name, address and other information to Tobacco. Inspections@state.or.us. SALEM (AP) — A tax on insurance companies and some hospitals to provide healthcare for low-income Oregonians goes to voters next month, even after it was approved by the Legislature and signed by the governor during the 2017 legislative session. Three Republican law- makers, arguing that the costs would be shifted to consum- ers, gathered enough sig- natures for a referendum to allow voters to say yes or no to the assessments — as the Democrats tend to call them — or taxes, the Republicans’ favored wording. There is a lot at stake in the January 23 special election. If voters say no to Mea- sure 101, thereby eliminating or delaying the taxes, it will cause a drop of $210 million to $320 million in state rev- enue, resulting in a possible reduction of $630 million to $960 million or more in fed- eral Medicaid matching funds, according to the Secretary of State’s web site. A “yes” vote would keep the 0.7 percent assessment on certain hospitals and a 1.5 per- cent tax on insurers and coor- dinated-care organizations that facilitate the state’s Med- icaid program. A “no” result would force the Legislature, which runs from February 5 to Beautiful things for your Home! Quality Truck-mounted Pillows • Kitchen • Candles Towels • Wall Art • Home Decor & More! 21 delectable fl avors of homemade Fudge! Open Daily By Andrew Selsky Associated Press CARPET CLEANING Quality Cleaning 16 years in Reasonable Prices Sisters! — Credit Cards Accepted — ENVIROTECH 541-771-5048 Licensed • Bonded • Insured • CCB#181062 541-549-8591 | 150 W. Cascade Ave. RESIDENTIAL • COMMERCIAL March 9, to search for money to replace the funds the state would then be deprived of. The bill voters are being asked to endorse also provides funding for people with dis- abilities, and stabilizes pre- miums charged by insurance companies, which may not increase rates on health insur- ance premiums by more than 1.5 percent as a result of the new assessments. Senate President Peter Courtney, a Democrat, and Ted Ferrioli, who was the Senate Republican Leader until November, put out a joint statement in support of the healthcare tax. “We don’t always agree. But on Measure 101, there’s no question: Oregonians should vote YES,” Ferrioli and Courtney said. “Measure 101 protects healthcare coverage for the hundreds of thousands of kids, families, seniors and people with disabilities on the Ore- gon Health Plan. Measure 101 stabilizes insurance markets, saving working families an average of $300 per year on their insurance premiums,” they said. Also in favor are dozens of organizations, including the Oregon PTA, the Oregon Nurses Association, AARP Oregon, the Coalition of Com- munity Health Clinics and the Oregon Medical Association. The Baker City Herald said in an editorial that an estimated 11 percent of Baker County’s population could be affected by cuts to health insurance programs for low- income residents. But the newspaper said tapping other revenue sources would ensure insurance coverage without imposing taxes for the next two years on some hospitals and an estimated 15,500 small businesses that provide health insurance to employees. Rep. Julie Parrish, chief petitioner of the ballot mea- sure, dismissed concerns that people would lose healthcare coverage in a “no” result in the January 23 special election. “Nobody loses their health- care on January 24, and we’re committed to that,” Parrish, R-West Linn, said at a Portland debate this month, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported. The Medicaid program “needs fixing,” said Parrish. “You know, sometimes the way to heal that broken bone that didn’t heal right is to break it and reset it, and that’s kind of what Measure 101 is about,” Parrish said at the debate sponsored by the Oregon Health Forum. T h e O r e g o n P TA responded on Twitter, writing that Parrish was saying “‘let’s take away healthcare for vul- nerable families and see what happens.’ #ThanksNoThanks that’s not a plan that Oregon PTA is going to get behind.” Watercolor Class for Adults “Paint Your Pet” NO DRAWING EXPERIENCE NEEDED Learn a t to p paint a t from y your p pet t p photo! t Jodi Schneider teaches you to easily transfer your photo to watercolor paper. 4-week class begins January 11 Thursdays • 10:30am to noon Only $50 | Call SPRD at 541-549-2091 This ad sponsored by The Nugget Newspaper
