Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Senate committee hears plan to fund BOLI from Worker Benefit Fund
Summary
An informational hearing on Senate Bill 946 examined a proposal to allow the Bureau of Labor and Industries to draw recurring support from the Worker Benefit Fund; labor and business representatives said they will continue negotiating details while DCBS outlined fund rules and current uses.
An informational hearing on Senate Bill 946 opened March 6 before the Senate Committee on Labor and Business to consider authorizing payments from the Worker Benefit Fund to the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI).
The bill, carried to the committee by Senator Mark Meek, would create a mechanism by which BOLI could receive a stable, ongoing “other fund” allocation from the Worker Benefit Fund to support enforcement, investigations and employer outreach. Senator Mark Meek said the goal is a "sustainable, fair, and desperately needed other fund resource for BOLI."
Why it matters: Committee members were told BOLI’s workload has grown much faster than its budget — dozens of employment laws have been added in recent years, often without accompanying enforcement funding — and agency leaders said that has created an ongoing backlog of investigations and employer assistance needs.
BOLI deputy labor commissioner Justin Atino told the committee the bureau enforces Oregon’s…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
