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.
———
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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