Employers in Oregon – you have cause to celebrate, or at least breathe a sigh of relief. The Oregon state legislature recently wrapped up its 2011 session without passing any major pieces of legislation that could be considered harmful to employers. Although there are a few new statutes that will soon go into effect that may slightly alter the way you do business, the impact of these new laws are minimal. In fact, a few new laws were passed that are actually beneficial to employers.

Heading into this session, many employers felt as if they were at the mercy of the legislature. The last few sessions had produced an onslaught of new and confusing statutes that resulted in additional burdens on employers trying to do the right thing. Coupled with the lingering effects of the economic meltdown, employers were just hoping to escape the 2011 session unharmed and without further problems. The message from employer advocacy groups to lawmakers was simple: “Please just leave us alone.” The legislature – fairly evenly-split down party lines – heard this message and largely ignored employers during this session.