Oregon’s short legislative session is in full swing and includes several employment-related bills that we are currently monitoring.
Here is a brief overview of what we are watching:
- Oregon HB 4089 – This bill expands the crime of “theft of services” to specifically include nonpayment of compensation of employees and independent contractors. This includes but is not limited to failure to pay overtime, failure to pay minimum wage, failure to pay for all hours worked and making certain deductions without written consent or lawful authorization.
- Oregon HB 4093 – This bill requires employers to allow employees to have an authorized representative participate in meetings about reasonable accommodations. It also prohibits employers from using minimum physical requirements to screen out individuals with disabilities without connecting the physical requirements to the essential functions of the job.
- Oregon HB 4094 – This bill would require employers who provide paid vacation time to pay out all earned and unused vacation time upon termination.
- Oregon SB 1505 – This bill would establish a Workforce Standards Board for employees in home and community-based services. The purpose of this Board is to strengthen and maintain a sufficient supply of skilled home and community-based service workers and to revise or adopt minimum workforce standards to improve working conditions for this group of workers.
Cascade is actively monitoring these bills and will continue to provide updates, particularly if any of these move towards passing.