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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 31, 2019)
NORTHWEST East Oregonian A2 Thursday, January 31, 2019 Power pushes for laws to help pregnant, nursing women By CLAIRE WITHYCOMBE Oregon Capital Bureau Most people who testify at the Capitol bring slide presentations, graphs or official letterhead to make their point. State Rep. Karin Power, D-Mil- waukie, brought a breast pump as she spoke in support of her propos- als to give women more latitude to be working mothers. Nursing mothers use the device, which resembles a handheld fan but with a suction cup where the blades would be, to pump and store breast milk when they can’t directly feed their babies. Power wanted to show her col- leagues why nursing moms should get dedicated breaks during the work day to pump. The machine takes time to set up and requires thorough clean- ing to prevent infections, Power explained to the House Committee on Business and Labor on Monday. “I just wanted to quickly illus- trate, this is not a fun device to use,” she told lawmakers. “Most of my friends are thoroughly excited to be done with it.” Power, an attorney at the Fresh- water Trust, was updating the orga- nization’s employment handbook last year when she discovered gaps between state and federal laws covering the rights of workers who are pregnant or nursing. Now Power wants to shore up state employment protections for pregnant women and new moms. Power, whose son is 2 years old, Portland Tribune Photo/Jaime Valdez Rep. Karin Power, D-Milwaukie, is sponsoring bills that would support nursing and pregnant women in the workplace. brings firsthand experience to her cause. She pumped during her first legislative session in 2017 — that’s why her office at the Capitol has curtains. Under current law, Oregon workers at firms with 25 or more employees are allowed one half- hour break every four hours. Power’s bill — HB 2593 — would match the state with federal law, which doesn’t limit pump- ing breaks. It would also require all employers, regardless of size, to provide breaks for pumping milk. Employers wouldn’t have to pay workers during those breaks beyond the time an employer is required to provide paid rest periods. Waiting too long between pumping sessions or feedings can be painful and lead to serious infections, Power said. And she said many women can work while pumping — whether it’s working on a legal brief or driving a truck. Through a separate bill, HB 2341, Power also wants the state to require more employers to pro- vide “reasonable accommodation” to pregnant workers. That could mean a chair for a cashier who usually must stand, or light duty for a worker who can’t lift heavy items, or more frequent breaks to use the bathroom. Right now, Oregon salaried workers at firms with fewer than 25 employees don’t have a legal right to such accommodations. “I can go ahead ask my employer for that without things going horribly south and be wor- Forecast for Pendleton Area TODAY FRIDAY SATURDAY Mostly cloudy A little afternoon rain 46° 34° 48° 39° SUNDAY Mostly cloudy with a little rain MONDAY Mostly cloudy with a little rain Mostly cloudy, a shower; chilly PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 49° 36° 37° 21° 45° 30° HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 44° 32° 46° 39° 48° 40° 41° 24° 49° 34° OREGON FORECAST ALMANAC Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows. through 3 p.m. yest. HIGH LOW Olympia 52/46 45/35 42/29 Longview Kennewick Walla Walla 44/35 Lewiston 43/31 53/45 Astoria 53/47 Pullman Yakima 40/30 52/43 48/34 Portland Hermiston 53/44 The Dalles 44/32 Salem Corvallis 52/42 Yesterday Normals Records La Grande 45/34 PRECIPITATION John Day Eugene Bend 53/43 56/38 52/36 Ontario 45/26 Caldwell Burns 35° 33° 44° 29° 64° (1967) -19° (1950) 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date Albany 54/43 Measles outbreak grows to 40 VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) — Authorities say there are now 40 confirmed cases of measles in a Pacific Northwest outbreak. Public health offi- cials said Wednesday that 38 cases are in southwest Washington state, one is outside Portland, and one is in Seattle. Two of the confirmed patients from southwest Washington traveled to Hawaii and were quaran- tined there and a third per- son was contagious while on a trip to Bend. Authorities believe no one was exposed to the mea- sles in Hawaii. Clark County Public Health says there are now 13 additional suspected cases. Of the confirmed cases, most patients are under age 10. All but a handful were not immunized against the disease. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee last week declared a state of emergency due to the outbreak. 0.00" 1.53" 1.24" 1.53" 1.10" 1.24" Today Medford SALEM (AP) — A Salem man has been sen- tenced to 15 months in prison after pleading guilty to his role in scamming more than $175,000 from the Oregon Department of Human Services by pre- tending to be disabled. The Statesman Journal reports that Eddie Wag- Fri. NE 3-6 NNE 4-8 Boardman Pendleton 58/42 Man pretending to be severely disabled goes to prison in DHS scam WINDS (in mph) 46/28 42/23 0.00" 2.07" 1.35" 2.07" 1.59" 1.35" through 3 p.m. yest. HIGH LOW TEMP. Pendleton 45/30 55/44 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date HERMISTON Enterprise 46/34 47/38 32° 29° 43° 28° 65° (1971) -15° (1950) PRECIPITATION Moses Lake 53/41 Aberdeen 37/29 35/30 Tacoma Yesterday Normals Records Spokane Wenatchee 54/45 Davis, R-Albany, who said Pow- er’s testimony on Monday brought back memories of her pregnancy in 2007. “And I think sometimes an accommodation to one person looks different than an accom- modation to another person. So I’ll definitely work through that with you and would love to be able to come to an understanding together.” Amanda Dalton, a lobbyist with the Northwest Grocery Associa- tion, testified that her organiza- tion was concerned that the pro- posals could conflict with recent state laws that require employers to notify employees of their sched- ules in advance. “We do have some concerns with our employers being required to provide scheduling accommo- dations and kind of putting us in a position where we’re complying with both laws, or being forced to violate one law, or being forced to pay penalty pay as we move sched- ules around,” Dalton said. Power said a clearer set of accommodations for pregnant workers could have long-term implications, enabling more women to work through their child-rearing years and helping kids reap the benefits of healthy pregnancies and breastfeeding. “We don’t get there if women don’t feel supported in the work place as equally as men,” Power said. “The default in society, for a lot of people, that this is a burden on employers rather than a benefit to society as a whole.” PENDLETON TEMP. Seattle ried about losing my job,” Power said of her proposal. Under Power’s bill, employers who would face “undue hardship” to accommodate pregnant workers wouldn’t have to comply. Courts have defined what it means for an employer to face an undue hardship and what accom- modations are considered reason- able under law, Power said. State lawmakers are increas- ingly trying to address obstacles that pregnant women and new par- ents face in the workplace. The Legislature is also considering a statewide paid leave policy for caregivers. Last June, The New York Times brought national attention to the issue when it published a sweeping investigation finding that discrim- ination against pregnant women was widespread in the nation’s largest companies. Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia have laws that go beyond the protections of the federal Pregnancy Discrimina- tion Act of 1978. Several members of the House Business and Labor Commit- tee, where Power testified Mon- day, said they wanted to support working mothers, but expressed concerns about the impact on employers. “I’m in this in-between of understanding the hardships of being very pregnant, and also understanding the hardships of what that accommodation looks like,” said Rep. Shelly Boshart NE 3-6 S 6-12 ner, 53, admitted to work- ing with Dustin Hensley, 23, of Salem, on a scheme to defraud the Medicaid program, which is meant to serve Oregon’s most vul- nerable residents. According to court records, Wagner pretended to be severely disabled and claimed to DHS that he needed round-the-clock care paid for by Medicaid. Hensley, who claimed to provide that care, had pleaded guilty to several counts of making a false claim and several counts of first-degree aggravated theft in October, and was sentenced to one year and one day in prison. CORRECTIONS: The East Oregonian works hard to be accurate and sincerely regrets any errors. If you notice a mistake in the paper, please call 541-966-0818. SUN AND MOON Klamath Falls 52/35 Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2019 Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today New 7:18 a.m. 4:59 p.m. 4:17 a.m. 1:32 p.m. First Full NATIONAL EXTREMES Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states) High 78° in Thermal, Calif. Low -44° in Bottineau, N.D. Feb 4 Feb 12 Diabetes Education Series Last Feb 19 Feb 26 NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY Diabetes Self Management Series February 7 th , 14 th , 21 st & 28 th 9:30am to 11:30am Advance Registration Required Most Major Insurances, Medicare, Medicaid For more information or to register 541-278-3249 Melissa Naff , RD, LD, CDE Diabetes Educator • 541-278-3249 2801 St. Anthony Way Pendleton, OR 97801 www.sahpendleton.org Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. -10s -0s 0s showers t-storms 10s rain 20s flurries 30s snow 40s 50s ice 60s cold front E AST O REGONIAN — Founded Oct. 16, 1875 — 211 S.E. 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