Senate hearing features split testimony on bill to change employer liability for shortened meal breaks

Salem, Ore. — Lawmakers heard competing testimony March 20 on Senate Bill 10‑44, a bill that would change how Oregon treats shortened meal periods for employees by clarifying that work time excludes meal periods, giving the Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) rulemaking authority to set the amount owed for violations and specifying that that amount would be a penalty rather than wages.

Senator Bonham, the bill’s sponsor, said the measure would reduce strict liability on employers in cases where shortened meal periods resulted from employee choice rather than employer direction. Paloma Sparks, executive vice president and general counsel at Oregon Business and Industry, told the committee that Oregon courts have imposed strict…