April 5th is National Gold Star Spouses Day. The loss of a service member can extend far beyond the battlefield, leaving a grieving spouse behind. Though there is little that can ease the pain of a loss so overwhelming, as a nation, we should offer our collective gratitude, respect and condolence to those that carry such a heavy burden.

For more information about how to honor and support a Gold Star Spouse, I recommend you visit https://www.goldstarwives.org. The Gold Star Wives of America, Inc. is a Congressionally Chartered non-profit service organization “that provides assistance and friendship to those who lost their spouse to a military-related cause of death.”

This Legislative Session, Senator Sarah Gelser and I are, jointly, chief sponsoring Senate Bill 560. If passed, the legislation would require “insurer and health care service contractor to count payments made on behalf of enrollee for costs of care toward enrollee's out-of-pocket maximum or cost-sharing.” This bill will make prescription medication much more affordable and, as such, markedly reduce the cost of healthcare in the state of Oregon. This is a necessary bill with bipartisan support, and I look forward to its passage.

Last week, the Oregon State Senate passed several Bills of which I am the Chief Sponsor. SCR 15 acknowledged the life and service of Jack-Ryan Ostrovsky, a Lance Corporal in the United States Marine Corps who passed away last July when his landing craft sank during a training exercise off the southern California coast. Senate Bill 441 modified “criteria for erecting roadside memorial signs for deceased veterans who were formerly prisoners of war or unaccounted for”, and Senate Bill 790 “provides that portion of U.S. Highway 30 in Oregon shall also be known as Oregon Veterans Memorial Highway.” Our veterans are the best of us, and, as a grateful American, I am proud to have worked to pass legislation that honors those that have made the ultimate sacrifice to defend liberty. I'd like to thank the Ostrovsky family and Dick Tobiason of the Bend Heroes Foundation for their help with these bills and the resolution. 

OSHA is considering permanent rules regarding a mask mandate and other issues. I have made my position clear to the leadership of OSHA that I strongly support science based solutions. They have yet to demonstrate that their permanent rules are based in science.  I am opposed to the adoption of policies that violate HIPAA privacy laws and that compound the increasing costs that small businesses have had to shoulder during the COVID-19 pandemic. These businesses have worked hard to ensure the safety of their staff and guests, and need to be shown that their hard work and dedication is recognized. Additionally, with vaccination rates rising and the population continuing to maintain a healthy stance, any extension of the Governor's Executive Order should require legislative approval.