By Oregonians for Food and Shelter,
Legislative Update
The Legislature is in a bit of a lull as we await the next quarterly state revenue forecast, coming Wednesday May 19th. This will frame up the remaining budget decisions and determine the fate of bills residing in Ways & Means. Senate and House policy committees continue to work their last round of bills, with the deadline to post for a work session coming TODAY, and the final deadline to vote bills out of committee on May 28th.
OFS is working hard to get support for our bill to fund research for alternatives to Chlorpyrifos (HB 3249), and is working with members and other stakeholders voicing concerns over the massive overhaul of our state’s recycling system, paid for by manufacturers, retailers, and ultimately… consumers (SB 582).
Regulatory Update
Guidance is changing quickly in the facial covering arena! Last week, OFS joined other business groups in asking the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) to align facial covering guidance for outdoor workers with the CDC guidance. This week, the OHA did just that. The agency released updated mask guidance Tuesday, aligning with CDC guidance to clarify that workers who work outside and maintain 6-ft of distancing are not required to wear a mask, nor are those who are fully vaccinated and outdoors required to wear a mask (unless they are in a crowded area).
Then on Thursday, CDC announced that vaccinated individuals are not required to wear masks in most outdoor and indoor settings. This new guidance does not apply to travel. Governor Brown has stated her plan to align Oregon’s regulations with the latest CDC guidelines for vaccinated individuals in the coming days. We expect a lot of changes to come regarding mask guidance.
Disclaimer: Articles featured on Oregon Report are the creation, responsibility and opinion of the authoring individual or organization which is featured at the top of every article.