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News Release
Contact: Robin Maxey May 2, 2011
(503) 986-1605
robin.maxey@state.or.us
Senate Approves Measure Giving Veterans
Day Off From Work On Veterans’ Day
(SALEM) – The Oregon Senate Monday gave unanimous approval to legislation which would allow more U.S. military veterans to get the day off on Veterans’ Day each November without creating an undue burden on their employers
“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,” said Senate President Peter Courtney, sponsor of the measure. “If we are going to honor our veterans, let’s honor them. Let’s give them the day off work.”
Senate Bill 2 would allow veterans to take Veterans Day off while giving their employers the option of determining whether it will be paid or unpaid.
“November 11 is a federal holiday. Government offices at all levels are closed. Macy’s even has an 18-hour sale to celebrate,” said Sen. Alan Olsen, who presented the bill on the Senate floor. “It’s ironic that those who have served their country in our armed forces don’t get the day off. Senate Bill 2 will correct that and recognize their service.”
Courtney sponsored Senate Bill 2 after constituent Lucy Van Ooort asked him why state workers got a day off on Veterans Day while many veterans have to work. Van Oort said she understood why she had to work on Veterans’ Day. What had always been hard for her to comprehend, she said, 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.
Her questions prompted Courtney to introduce the bill.
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 an undue hardship, threaten public safety, or create an operational hazard. In those cases, the employer can grant a different day off to honor the employee’s military service.
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.
Van Oort’s late husband, Steven Lippert was one of them. In his honor, Senate Bill 2 is known as “Steven’s Bill.”
Testifying before the Senate Veterans and Military Affairs Committee in February, Van Ooort said: “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.”