HB 2474 Expands medical leave to employers with one employee

VOTE: NO
Signed into Law by Gov Brown on 06-08-21
Status (overview) of bill:https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2021R1/Measures/Overview/HB2474

This bill expands Oregon Family Medical Leave Act (OFLA) to include employers with 1 or more employees, which allows for up to 12 weeks of leave for certain situations such as the birth or adoption of a child.

Personal Choice and Responsibility
This bill doesn’t teach responsibility and respect for an employer – the hand that feeds them.

Fiscal Responsibility
The government does not have the means in Oregon to make up for the loss of tax revenue when small businesses are shut down and no longer paying taxes and lowering unemployment compensation.

Limited Government
Currently OFLA requires employers with 25 employees or more to provide up to 12 weeks of leave for certain situations such as the birth or adoption of a child. In order to qualify, employees must have been employed at least 180 days and worked an average of more than 25 hours per week during that time. The 25-hour requirement does not apply for leave to care for an infant or newly adopted or foster child. HB 2474 expands the applicability of OFLA and the Oregon Military Family Leave Act (OMFLA) generally and removes penalties for employees who fail to give required notice.

Local Control
Broad brush over all of Oregon’s small businesses without taking into consideration each local small business’ individual concerns in correlation to the community they serve. More importantly how this bill will impact the quality of service provided by- extremely small, small, and moderately small businesses. Local government should regulate not the State.

Free Markets
This will devastate small business that are struggling to recover from the economic pandemic. Small businesses operate on a shoestring and giving a single employee unscheduled leave any time a child doesn’t feel like going to school or child care provider goes on vacation can break a business. With one employee – if you lose that employee you have lost 100% of you help. with 25 employees as the current law is written- you lose one (1/25) employee and you have lost 4% of your help- other employees can cover 4%. 1/1= 100% loss- this is impossible odds.