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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (May 18, 2017)
NORTHWEST East Oregonian Page 2A Thursday, May 18, 2017 Marijuana lounges could be next for Oregon Oregon official sounds alarm over Medicaid eligibility By PARIS ACHEN Capital Bureau SALEM — Smoking lounges could still be the next trend for Oregon’s recreational marijuana market, under a controversial Senate bill in the Legis- lature’s Joint Committee on Marijuana Regulation. Proponents say cannabis smoking lounges would stimulate tourism and give renters a place to legally smoke. The recreational marijuana law, passed by voters in 2014, has created a conundrum for renters and tourists, proponents say. The law prohibits public consump- tion of marijuana but allows it in a private residence. If a landlord prohibits marijuana use at a rental unit, or if someone is visiting the state, some renters and tourists may have no legal place to consume the drug. “In reality, this restriction has made the legal consumption of cannabis impossible for many Oregonians who do not own their primary residence, live with small children or those who live in government housing. As a result, many otherwise responsible adults are left no other choice but to smoke or vaporize cannabis in public, on sidewalks, in parks, in cars,” said Sam Chapman, founder of Portland-based New Economy Consulting, which advises cannabis entrepreneurs and investors. Sen. Elizabeth Steiner Hayward, D-Beaverton, testified that even with marijuana legalization, minorities have been prosecuted disproportionately for using marijuana illegally in public. Allowing smoking lounges also would help address that social injustice, she said. Opposition to the bill led to the formation of a committee workgroup that tried to address concerns by public health officials that the lounges could normalize marijuana smoking for young said all recipients have been deemed eligible at some point in time. In a statement, SALEM — Some 86,000 the health authority said it people who are receiving is finishing by May 31 an Medicaid benefits in Oregon analysis to determine how may be ineligible, costing many Oregonians still need $37 million per month, the to go through the redeter- mination process secretary of state to ensure they said Wednesday. remain eligible for In an “audit Medicaid benefits. alert,” Dennis “It is important Richardson said to understand that Wednesday they just because a have not under- redetermination is gone federally not complete, does required annual not indicate that benefit eligibility they are ineligible determinations, for Medicaid,” the and represent 8 Richardson health authority percent of the state’s entire Medicaid said. Richardson said his population. Rep. Dan Rayfield, a auditors recently discovered Democrat from Corvallis, that for the past three years, said Medicaid enrollment the Oregon Health Authority data should be cleaned up has spent what may total and eligibility issues fixed. hundreds of millions of state But Rayfield also said and federal dollars providing “political ploys aimed at benefits for ineligible recipi- grabbing headlines before ents. At an average monthly full information is available” cost of $430 per person, coverage for the 86,000 are unhelpful. Richardson said his people costs about $37 audit alerts highlight million per month. The Senate Republican urgent concerns. Before the Republican was elected Office in the Democrat-dom- in November to the state’s inated Legislature called second-highest office, he the situation a “Medicaid said in an interview with The fiasco.” Senate Republican Associated Press that being Leader Ted Ferrioli, of John chief auditor of the state Day, called for a bipartisan would be his most important inquiry. Medicaid is a program task. He said some other misspending by the state in created by the federal big-ticket items had not been government, and adminis- tered by the state, to provide audited. “To make good on my payment for medical services promise to increase trans- for low-income citizens. The secretary of state’s parency and accountability, I am instituting Audit office recommend the Alerts,” Richardson said Oregon Health Authority in a statement Wednesday. work with the federal regu- “These alerts will highlight latory authorities to ensure concerns that are too urgent federal Medicaid funding is to be delayed until an audit’s not jeopardized while OHA resolves these issues, and completion.” The Oregon Health that the Legislature require Authority, which adminis- the health authority to report ters Medicaid in the state, on progress by Sept. 30. By ANDREW SELSKY Associated Press Pamplin Media Group A Senate bill would allow smoking lounges to provide a legal venue for renters and tourists to consume marijuana. people and pollute indoor air. The workgroup proposed a rule Tuesday that would require the lounges to be located on outdoor patios screened from public view and would eliminate a provision to allow members of the cannabis industry to obtain licenses to hold temporary events where attendees could consume cannabis. Cities and counties also would have to opt in to allow the licenses for the lounges. Despite the concessions, public health officials continued to express their opposition to the bill during a hearing at the Capitol Tuesday, May 16. “The harms of secondhand tobacco smoke are well-known, and secondhand marijuana smoke is also harmful,” said Katrina Hedberg, state health officer and state epidemiologist at the Oregon Health Authority. Like tobacco, marijuana smoke contains cancer-causing chemicals and poses a risk to those exposed to it, she said. “By allowing for the social consump- tion of cannabis, Oregon risks the rollback of years of progress related to social norms around smoking,” she said. Even if smoking areas are screened, minors will still be able to smell mari- juana smoke wafting from lounges. She said studies show that communities that have hooka lounges have a higher prevalence of smoking among youth. “Social normalization does affect youth so we are very concerned about that,” she said. Equal pay bill lets some workers recover back wages By PARIS ACHEN Capital Bureau SALEM — The Oregon Senate has unanimously passed an equal pay bill that allows workers to recover up to two years’ of back pay by filing a complaint with the Bureau of Labor and Industries. Senators amended the House bill to win support from the business community, which had previously opposed stiff penal- ties in the original bill. “It is currently illegal in Oregon to pay someone differ- ently for the same work,” said Sen. Kath- leen Taylor, D-Portland. “Our current legal system is not working. We know far too many people are being paid less for the same work.” The safeguard applies to women and all other protected classes, including minorities, older people and people with disabilities. The bill also prohibits employers from asking a job candidate for wage or salary history. Sens. Taylor, a Democrat, and Tim Knopp, R-Bend, championed the House bill in the Senate and convened business and advocates groups to make several changes in the legislation. The amendment provides a phased-in effective date and removes punitive damages when employers can show they have conducted a pay equity analysis in the past three years and made progress toward equal pay. Another concession allows unequal pay when the inequity results from an employer paying a worker more to match another employer’s offer, said Sen. Betsy Johnson, D-Scappoose. Knopp called the bipartisan bill a “historic agreement” and a step toward closing the wage gap, which so far has remained elusive since women joined the workforce. The House passed the original bill March 28 by a 36-24 vote, but must now consider the Senate’s changes. ——— The Capital Bureau is a collaboration between EO Media Group and Pamplin Media Group. Didn’t receive your paper? Call 1-800-522-0255 before noon Tuesday through Friday or before 10 a.m. Saturday for same-day redelivery 211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton 541-276-2211 333 E. 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Single copy price: $1 Tuesday through Friday, $1.50 Saturday NEWS • To submit news tips and press releases: • call 541-966-0818 • fax 541-276-8314 • email news@eastoregonian.com • To submit community events, calendar items and Your EO News: email community@eastoregonian.com or call Tammy Malgesini at 541-564-4539 or Renee Struthers in at 541-966-0818. • To submit engagements, weddings and anniversaries: email rstruthers@eastoregonian.com or visit www.eastoregonian. com/community/announcements • To submit a Letter to the Editor: mail to Managing Editor Daniel Wattenburger, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801 or email editor@eastoregonian.com. • To submit sports or outdoors information or tips: 541-966-0838 • sports@eastoregonian.com COMMERCIAL PRINTING Production Manager: Mike Jensen 541-215-0824 • mjensen@eastoregonian.com Copyright © 2017, EO Media Group REGIONAL CITIES Forecast TODAY FRIDAY Partly sunny Mostly sunny and nice 66° 45° 73° 50° SATURDAY SUNDAY Pleasant with sunshine MONDAY Pleasant with sunshine Mostly sunny PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 73° 50° 75° 50° 81° 53° HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 79° 51° 73° 45° PENDLETON through 3 p.m. yesterday TEMPERATURE HIGH LOW 58° 71° 97° (2008) 39° 47° 33° (1917) PRECIPITATION 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date Trace 0.92" 0.66" 9.13" 5.29" 5.77" HERMISTON through 3 p.m. yesterday TEMPERATURE HIGH Yesterday Normals Records LOW 68° 73° 95° (2008) 42° 47° 34° (1943) PRECIPITATION 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date Trace 0.43" 0.62" 6.31" 4.20" 4.61" SUN AND MOON Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today Last New May 18 May 25 5:21 a.m. 8:23 p.m. 1:38 a.m. 12:04 p.m. First Full June 1 84° 52° 88° 57° Seattle 65/51 ALMANAC Yesterday Normals Records 79° 51° June 9 Today Spokane Wenatchee 64/45 70/48 Tacoma Moses 66/45 Lake Pullman Aberdeen Olympia Yakima 72/46 59/42 61/46 66/44 75/45 Longview Kennewick Walla Walla 67/47 68/49 Lewiston 74/44 Astoria 64/45 62/47 Portland Enterprise Hermiston 69/50 Pendleton 56/35 The Dalles 73/45 66/45 75/48 La Grande Salem 60/38 71/46 Albany Corvallis 69/44 73/46 John Day 63/40 Ontario Eugene Bend 69/45 71/43 65/37 Caldwell Burns 66/42 62/33 Astoria Baker City Bend Brookings Burns Enterprise Eugene Heppner Hermiston John Day Klamath Falls La Grande Meacham Medford Newport North Bend Ontario Pasco Pendleton Portland Redmond Salem Spokane Ukiah Vancouver Walla Walla Yakima Hi 62 61 65 61 62 56 71 65 73 63 68 60 58 77 58 62 69 74 66 69 69 71 64 60 67 68 75 Lo 47 33 37 48 33 35 43 40 45 40 35 38 35 47 45 47 45 45 45 50 34 46 45 34 48 49 45 W pc pc pc pc pc c pc pc pc pc s pc pc s pc pc c pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY Fri. Hi 63 68 72 65 70 65 77 71 79 71 75 69 66 84 59 63 75 79 73 76 75 77 69 67 75 75 79 Lo 50 35 42 51 36 38 46 45 51 42 40 41 39 51 48 50 47 49 50 52 39 49 49 38 50 54 49 Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. W s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s WORLD CITIES Today Beijing Hong Kong Jerusalem London Mexico City Moscow Paris Rome Seoul Sydney Tokyo Hi 99 83 85 64 84 64 65 79 78 70 73 Lo 67 76 66 51 59 45 48 59 55 62 61 W s c s pc pc pc r pc s pc pc Fri. Hi 101 82 79 61 86 67 60 76 77 70 75 Lo 68 78 58 48 58 48 47 56 55 61 65 W pc r s t pc pc t t s r pc WINDS Medford 77/47 (in mph) Klamath Falls 68/35 Boardman Pendleton REGIONAL FORECAST Eastern Washington: Periods of sun today; a passing shower in the north. Partly cloudy tonight. Cascades: Partly sunny and milder today. Partly cloudy tonight. Mostly sunny tomor- row. Northern California: Mostly sunny today. Not as cold in the interior mountains; pleas- ant in central parts. Friday SSW 3-6 NNW 4-8 UV INDEX TODAY Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows. Coastal Oregon: Partly sunny today. Partly cloudy tonight. Sunny to partly cloudy tomorrow. Eastern and Central Oregon: Warmer today with periods of clouds and sunshine; a shower in spots in the south. Western Washington: A blend of sun and clouds today. Patchy clouds tonight. Today WSW 4-8 WNW 4-8 1 4 7 6 4 1 8 a.m. 10 a.m. Noon 2 p.m. 4 p.m. 6 p.m. 0-2, Low 3-5, Moderate 6-7, High; 8-10, Very High; 11+, Extreme The higher the AccuWeather.com UV Index™ num- ber, the greater the need for eye and skin protection. Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2017 -10s -0s showers t-storms 0s 10s rain 20s flurries 30s 40s snow ice 50s 60s cold front 70s 80s 90s 100s warm front stationary front 110s high low National Summary: Sunshine and heat will hold in the East, while snow falls on the Rockies today. Storms will stretch from the Great Lakes to Texas with tornadoes over the southern Plains. The West Coast will be dry. Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states) High 99° in Tampa, Fla. Low 18° in Crater Lake, Ore. NATIONAL CITIES Today Albuquerque Atlanta Atlantic City Baltimore Billings Birmingham Boise Boston Charleston, SC Charleston, WV Chicago Cleveland Dallas Denver Detroit El Paso Fairbanks Fargo Honolulu Houston Indianapolis Jacksonville Kansas City Las Vegas Little Rock Los Angeles Hi 67 87 79 92 53 87 64 92 86 87 80 87 90 44 87 83 61 65 85 89 84 87 78 80 81 75 Lo 41 68 67 69 37 69 43 67 66 67 43 55 71 31 48 59 42 36 71 75 59 64 58 60 69 57 W pc t s s r pc c s pc s c t t r t s pc pc sh pc pc pc t s pc s Fri. Hi 64 89 80 88 59 90 70 80 86 82 57 61 87 43 65 83 62 65 86 89 76 88 74 83 84 82 Lo 44 68 57 55 39 70 47 51 66 63 50 49 71 28 47 55 44 41 71 75 61 68 58 64 70 60 Today W s pc pc t pc pc s pc pc t c pc t sn pc s pc pc sh pc t pc t s t s Louisville Memphis Miami Milwaukee Minneapolis Nashville New Orleans New York City Oklahoma City Omaha Philadelphia Phoenix Portland, ME Providence Raleigh Rapid City Reno Sacramento St. Louis Salt Lake City San Diego San Francisco Seattle Tucson Washington, DC Wichita Hi 86 87 88 70 57 89 86 92 86 67 93 88 85 88 91 50 69 86 89 53 70 70 65 85 94 83 Lo 70 72 79 42 42 69 73 70 64 49 71 64 63 66 68 35 45 55 68 43 58 51 51 56 72 63 W pc pc sh r sh pc sh s t c s s s s s c s s pc sh pc s pc s s t Fri. Hi 83 87 89 52 59 88 87 86 78 60 90 90 76 84 91 45 76 90 82 62 73 76 71 85 90 76 Lo 69 72 80 46 45 69 73 54 57 47 54 67 44 51 68 32 47 57 71 46 61 52 52 56 60 55 Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice. W t t sh c sh t sh pc t t pc s pc pc pc r s s t sh s s s s t t
