Oregon Mask Mandate Hearing On How 'Permanent' Isn't 'Forever'

PORTLAND, OR — There's an old line about how there are a couple of things people never really want to see get made – sausage and legislation. Neither is pretty and both can leave you shaking your head.

This is especially true of legislation and similar activities such as rulemaking for government. It's a process that can be confusing on a good day. People toss around everyday words that you think mean one thing only to find out you're absolutely wrong.

Take the word "permanent."

For most people, the word means just that – permanent. Forever.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines it as "continuing or enduring without fundamental or marked change. Stable."

That's been the definition since the 15th Century. Eight-hundred years.

So, when you start telling people that permanent does not mean forever, you should be able to understand why that might leave them confused.

Welcome to the ongoing efforts by the Oregon Health Authority to enact a new rule that would create a "permanent" mandate that people wear masks indoors.

The state currently has a rule that requires mask-wearing indoors. So, why change things?

The current rule is a temporary one that went into effect in August. State law says that temporary rules expire after 180 days. Temporary rules cannot be extended or replaced with another rule that is similarly worded.

So, the Oregon Health Authority wants to replace the temporary rule with a permanent one.

In this case, "permanent" is a legal phrase.

State law says that permanent rules can be suspended at any time.

Officials want to keep the rule in place so to make that happen, they have to make it "permanent." Once it's in place, they would rescind the rule after COVID-19 starts to dissipate.

The OHA had a hearing last week that drew dozens of protesters. On Monday, they will have two more hearings. The first at 9 a.m. on vaccination requirements for teachers and school staff and the second, at 2 p.m., they will discuss masking and vaccination requirements to control COVID-19 in health care settings.

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