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News Release

Contact:    Robin Maxey                                                                  March 2, 2010

                   (503) 986-1605   

                   robin.maxey@state.or.us  

Salem Woman Asks Committee to Honor Veterans

By Allowing Them To Be Off Work on Veterans’ Day

(SALEM) – Lucy Van Oort understood why she had to work on Veterans’ Day. What had always been hard for her to comprehend was why her late husband Steven Lippert, a Vietnam era veteran who put his life on the line for his country, always had to work when so many government employees who weren’t veterans got the day off.

When she asked her State Senator about the disparity last November, the North Salem gas station cashier spawned the idea for legislation.

Senate Bill 2, sponsored by Senate President Peter Courtney (D-Salem/Gervais/Woodburn), would allow veterans to take Veterans Day off while giving their employers the option of determining whether it will be paid or unpaid.

“We have set aside Veterans’ Day to honor veterans, but thousands of veterans in our state don’t get the day off to take part in special ceremonies and parades,” Senate President Peter Courtney told the Senate Military Affairs Committee at a public hearing on the measure Wednesday morning.  “If we are going to honor our veterans, let’s honor them. Let’s give them the day off work.”

Under the Senate Bill 2, veterans who would like the day off would be required to make the request in advance and provide documentation proving their veteran status. Employers can deny the request if the employee being absent will cause a “significant economic or operational disruption” on the business.

Senate Bill 2 is modeled after an Iowa law adopted last spring which was in place for Veterans Day 2010. Officials there said the exception that allows employers to deny requests when it would create an undue hardship helped businesses comply with the law without any notable problems in the first year.

Van Oort, whose present husband Daniel Van Oort is also a veteran who has to work on Veterans’ Day, said she is not an activist, but believes Oregon should stand up for its veterans.

According to the Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs, Oregon is home to more than 340,000 veterans. Most of those men and women do not work for government agencies and, thus, don’t get Veterans Day off, Courtney said.

Steven Lippert was one of them. Van Oort asked the committee Tuesday to support Senate Bill 2 and name it “Steven’s Bill” after her late husband.

“Let’s show our respect for the brave men and women for their service. They would have one day off in a year. That would be a tiny payment for the days, months and years they gave up for the rest of us,” Van Oort told the committee.