[5]State Representative Bill Post on HB 2969: Ending anti-lunch law for smoke-shop employees
By Taxpayer Association of Oregon Foundation
Bill Post has a bill (HB 2969 [6]) that would give certain employees the right to eat lunch at their own job. The “right to lunch” legislation stems from a problem arising out of the implementation of the Indoor Clean Air Act. The Act prohibited the service of food or drink in a place that sells tobacco. Some businesses were grandfathered in, but others were not. The inflexibility of the law created absurd circumstances where smoke shop workers were committing a crime if they ate their own lunch in their workplace. Eating a tuna sandwich technically became breaking the law. One interpretation had that even drinking coffee or water was an unlawful activity. Representative Bill Post submitted House Bill 2969 to allow such legal breathing room in smoke shops regarding employee lunches. The bill reminds lawmakers that sometimes regulations carry far-reaching impacts or problems not foreseen by those who create the laws. House Bill 2969 has broad support with 42 co-sponsors including both Democrat and Republican lawmakers.
You can read the full text of House Bill here (House Bill 2969 [6]).