EIZER times
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Volume 42 • No. 29
MAY 7, 2021
POST GOES ALL-IN
with long battle for allergy relief
F
or much of his time in the
state Legislature, Rep. Bill Post
(R-Keizer) has waged a war
for allergy relief.
After three attempts to
make the allergy relief med-
ication pseudoephedrine
available to state residents
without a prescription, vic-
tory may fi nally be in sight.
“I feel good about it’s
chances this time around,”
Post said. “The bill passed out
of the House with a vote of
33-22 and the senators on the
other side of the Legislature
usually look at those votes as
a scorecard when they are fi g-
uring out whether to support it."
House Bill (HB) would make
the drug available to customers
over the age of 18, with proper
identifi cation, and after record-
ing some patient information.
The medicine would still be kept
behind the counter. However,
Oregon residents wouldn’t have to
travel to another state for allergy
relief in more than 15 years.
Post tried to get a similar bill
passed in 2017, but the eff ort never
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SUBSCRIBER ADDRESS :
By ERIC A. HOWALD Of the Keizertimes
made it past the committee level,
In 2019, another bill progressed to
a Senate vote, but altered so much
in the process that Post himself
turned against it.
“It was what we call a
‘gut-and-stuff ,’” Post said.
“Patients would still have
had to get a prescription for
the drug from a pharmacist,
which would have meant a pri-
vate consultation in a separate
room of the pharmacy.”
The drug’s status as a con-
trolled substance would have
made the extra step necessary
and would likely have led to
additional charges for service,
Post said. He testifi ed against the
passage of the bill when the fl oor
vote arrived.
This time around, the bill that
Post envisioned from the start
appears to be moving ahead. In no
small part because he got buy-in
before the matter reached the House
Committee on Health Care. Post
enlisted three other chief sponsors
and 31 additional regular sponsors.
See ALLERGY, page A8
Mask protest prompts
walkout at city council
By ERIC A. HOWALD
Of the Keizertimes
A Keizer resident protesting retight-
ening COVID restrictions prompted a
walkout in the chambers of the Keizer
City Council Monday, May 3.
Alexis Smith warned of
her intent to
remove her
mask inside
the Keizer
Civic Center,
where masks
are required, but
city councilors did
not make comments on
her action before or during
the incident. Some members
of the audience at the council meet-
ing when the woman made her intent
known, several more followed after she
removed her face mask.
It was left to City Recorder Tracy
Davis to clean a microphone stand
before others took their turn to speak
in public testimony.
“For the past year, I’ve worn a mask
for the purpose of making the commu-
nity feel safe. The reality is we need to
be a little uncomfortable,” said Smith.
She said her children
were
suf-
fering as
a
result
of
mask
mandates
and retreat-
ing from social
interactions as well.
She took aim at Gov.
Kate Brown and recently
re-enacted guidelines to stop
a recent surge on COVID-19 cases.
“With the last closure the stove has
been turned up. We need to look now
how to escape the pot before we are too
See WALKOUT, page A5
UNITED
at the shores
A look at model
for modern
independent
baseball
PAGE 14