Senate committee adopts amendments to clarify Paid Leave Oregon oversight, sends SB 69 to Senate floor

The Oregon Senate Committee on Labor and Business on Jan. 30 adopted an amendment to Senate Bill 69 that makes administrative changes to Paid Leave Oregon and the Oregon Family Leave Act and advanced the bill to the Senate floor with a due-pass recommendation.

The dash-2 amendment replaces the bill's placeholder language and adds administrative modifications to Paid Leave Oregon and the Oregon Family Leave Act. It creates an exemption to Oregon Family Leave Act eligibility for airline flight crew employees who meet federal hours-of-service rules and sets staggered operative dates: section 2 becomes operative Jan. 1, 2026, and other provisions take effect on the 91st day after adjournment sine die. The amendment also authorizes the Bureau of Labor and Industry to oversee administrative and regulatory enforcement of specified job-protection, retaliation and discrimination provisions within Paid Leave Oregon and directs the bureau to adopt any necessary rules. Committee staff said the bill would have minimal fiscal and revenue impact.

Committee members had previously held an informational meeting on the bill on Jan. 21 and a public hearing on Jan. 28. During the Jan. 30 work session the committee moved to adopt the dash-2 amendment and then voted to refer SB 69, as amended, to the Senate floor with a due-pass recommendation. Senator Bonham volunteered to carry SB 69.

The measure drew no subsequent referrals, according to committee staff, and committee discussion was limited during the work session. The committee chair noted there had been a prior public hearing on the bill.

The bill text clarifies oversight responsibilities and eligibility rules but does not change the fundamental structure of Paid Leave Oregon. The committee recorded no substantial new fiscal impacts during the session. The bureau and staff will be authorized to write rules to implement the specified job-protection and anti-retaliation provisions once the measure becomes law.

Committee action

- Adopted dash-2 amendment to SB 69 (dated 01/23/2025). - Moved SB 69 as amended to the Oregon Senate floor with a due-pass recommendation.

What happens next

The bill is scheduled to be carried to the Senate floor by Senator Bonham for further consideration. If enacted as written, section 2 will be operative on Jan. 1, 2026; the remainder of the bill becomes effective on the 91st day following adjournment sine die.

Sources: Committee work session and staff summary on Jan. 30, 2025; committee votes recorded in session transcript.