The California State Bar Act imposes a duty on attorneys to "support the Constitution and laws of the United States and of this state". Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 6068(a). Many California legislators are members of the...more
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza cases are surging across the United States while COVID-19 continues to spread. Faced with hospital beds filling up and experts warning that this could be one of the most severe...more
Beginning January 1, 2023, bakeries and tortilla manufacturers face new requirements for scheduling mandatory overtime shifts for employees. In March 2022, Governor Brown signed Senate Bill 1513, which amends ORS 652.020 and...more
In April 2020, just weeks after Oregon Gov. Kate Brown formally ordered Oregonians to “Stay Home, Save Lives,” I asked whether construction projects could or should continue during the shutdown. While the order did not on its...more
Governor Brown recently signed Senate Bill 1586, which imposes additional restrictions on settlements of discrimination and harassment claims. It will become effective on January 1, 2023. ...more
Governor Brown recently signed into law three key employment-related bills, affecting the Workplace Fairness Act, mandatory overtime, and the Equal Pay Act. Workplace Fairness Act Amendments The version signed into law of...more
Recently the Oregon legislature passed, and Governor Kate Brown signed, Senate Bill (SB) 1513, revising the Beaver State’s overtime rules for bakers. In addition, the legislature passed House Bill (HB) 4002, revamping the...more
Oregon employers may want to be aware that on March 7, 2022, Governor Kate Brown signed into law amendments to the state’s Equal Pay Act detailed in Senate Bill (SB) 1514. As a result, Oregon employers may offer vaccine...more
The primary employment-related bills passed in Oregon’s 2022 legislative session relate to pay equity and the Workplace Fairness Act. Oregon employers in particular sectors may also want to be aware of recently passed and...more
The Oregon Legislative Assembly recently passed Senate Bill (SB) 1514, extending the expiration date of temporary amendments to Oregon’s Equal Pay Act. The act prohibits employers from “discriminat[ing] between employees on...more
In 2019, Oregon Governor Kate Brown signed the Workplace Fairness Act (OWFA), which took full effect as of October 1, 2020. Among other things, the law prohibits employers from requiring employees to enter into agreements...more
We recently reported on a number of employment-related bills working their way through the Oregon Legislature. As an update to that report, here are the five employment-related bills that appear likely to head to Governor...more
With revisions to Oregon mask-mandates beginning as early as March 11 and Governor Kate Brown expected to lift the state of emergency on April 1, one has to wonder if and when Portland’s remote employees will be required to...more
The Oregon legislature is currently considering, as part of its February 2022 session, three bills that form a comprehensive set of changes to the Oregon Forest Practices Act (Senate Bill 1501), create a small forestland...more
Changes to Oregon employment laws taking effect next year will be keeping human resources professionals very busy this holiday season and into the new year in the Pacific Northwest. Extended State of Public Health...more
Limited water supply, restrictions on use, and higher costs may be in store for next year if the state’s drought conditions persist. This year has been critically dry and hot for California, resulting in déjà vu as the...more
The plaintiffs were not likely to succeed in showing their individual interests in remaining unvaccinated outweighed Oregon’s interest in public health and welfare to slow the spread of COVID-19, U.S. District Court Judge...more
An amendment to the Oregon Safe Employment Act signed by Governor Kate Brown creates a “rebuttable presumption” of discrimination or retaliation if an employer takes an adverse action against any employee or prospective...more
Although Oregon’s 2021 legislative session turned out to be relatively quiet from a tax perspective, we did experience some changes to Oregon’s Corporate Activity Tax (“CAT”). Those changes were primarily in the form of SB...more
Under Oregon Governor Kate Brown’s Executive Order 21-15, the state of public health emergency due to COVID-19 will continue in Oregon until December 31, 2021, unless the governor extends the deadline or terminates the state...more
As a potential harbinger of the future, Oregon has become the first state in the nation to ban real estate “love letters.” The new law goes into effect January 1, 2022. The State of Oregon passed a law (HB 2550), and it...more
On July 19, 2021, Governor Kate Brown signed HB 3000, a comprehensive bill that gives the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission (OLCC) significantly more authority and oversight over the hemp industry – including the...more
In recent weeks, Oregon has seen a sharp rise in the number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations due to the more contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus, which threatens to overwhelm local hospitals. On August 5, 2021,...more
On July 19, 2021, Governor Kate Brown signed a bill that is intended to combat discrimination in health care. SB 567 prohibits health care providers in Oregon from denying medical treatment, or limiting the amount of medical...more
The latest COVID-19 surge driven by the Delta variant has caused many employers — not the least of which are health care employers — to revisit mandatory vaccine requirements for employees. While many health care systems...more