A proposal to require higher overtime wages for Oregon farmworkers will remain in play for the rest of the 2022 legislative session. The House Business and Labor Committee has voted 7-4 to refer House Bill 4002 to the House Revenue Committee, which isn’t subject to legislative deadlines that cull proposed legislation. “I will continue to advocate for its passage because…
SB 832 VOTE: NO Died In Committee on 06/26/2021 Status (overview) of bill: https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2021R1/Measures/Overview/SB832 Committee assigned to bill: https://olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2021R1/Committees/SNRWR/Overview This bill mandates that mink farm owners not operate unless they have tested negative for COVID-19 within previous 10 days and directs the State Department of Agriculture to establish and implement contact tracing for mink farm workers. Personal Choice and Responsibility…
HB 2358 VOTE: NO Died In Committee on 06/26/21 Status (overview) of bill: https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2021R1/Measures/Overview/HB2358 Committee assigned to bill: https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2021R1/Committees/JWM/Overview This bill eliminates the agricultural exemption for payment of overtime to agricultural workers and requires overtime pay in excess of 40 hours per workweek. Personal Choice and Responsibility This bill will impact everyone raising food cost or cause a scarcity of…
Good News! The House’s radical rewrite of the timber tax (HB 2379) died in conference committee. The base timber tax, which funds programs in the Dept of Forestry and at the OSU forestry school has been repealed because of the House’s insistence. President Courtney explained the mess on the Senate floor. The timber tax was part of a plan to…
Oregon Democrats’ last-ditch effort to guarantee overtime pay for farmworkers could see the state pick up the tab for small farms. House Bill 2358 is the most recent piece of legislation that would mandate overtime pay for farmworkers after 40 hours in a workweek at one-and-a-half times regular wage. It would include farmworkers who work by piece-rate or hourly. In effect,…
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