Legislation requiring paid sick time, “banning the box” and the creation of the Oregon Retirement Savings Board signed into law.
BY JACOB PALMER | DIGITAL NEWS EDITOR
Legislation requiring paid sick time, “banning the box” and the creation of the Oregon Retirement Savings Board were signed into law Monday.
The package of bills were pushed by a group of nonprofits and advocacy organizations and dubbed the “Fair Shot” bills.
Republicans panned the measures aimed at legislating business practices.
Kara Walker, spokeswoman for the House Republican Caucus, said in a statement: “What kind of a ‘fair shot’ are we giving to local employers who won’t be able to afford these expensive government mandates? If Gov. Brown and Oregon Democrats were truly interested in giving Oregonians a ‘fair shot,’ then they would partner with our businesses and communities, not legislate against them.
“Oregonians are underemployed and earning less than our neighbors. If we continue to side with unions and other special interest groups, we will further alienate industries that provide good, stable jobs for our communities.”
The trio of laws that affect business:
SB 454: Requires businesses and companies with at least 10 employees to implement 40 hours of paid sick time per year per employee and prohibits discrimination against an employee for inquiring about or using sick time. Effective Jan. 1, 2016.
HB 2960: Establishes the Oregon Retirement Savings Board in the Office of State Treasurer. The board will develop a payroll reduction retirement plan that employees can begin contributing to by July 1, 2017. Effective upon Gov. Kate Brown’s signature on June 25.
HB 3025: Makes it illegal for an employer to inquire into or consider an applicant’s criminal history on an application form or before an interview or prior to conditional offer of employment. Effective Jan. 1, 2016.
(SOURCE: Statesman Journal)
The last bill that was a part of the package requires law enforcement to eschew profiling.
Rep. Lew Frederick, D-Portland, a victim of profiling himself and one of the only two African Americans in the state Senate, co-sponsored the bill. He shared his own history of being stopped by police almost every year in Oregon since he moved in 1974.
“I have had a number of situations that have taken place in Oregon that have not been pleasant,” Frederick said. “I have been stopped in front of my house three times by a police officer asking if I was lost.”
(SOURCE: OPB)
