Statewide paid sick leave may soon be a reality in Oregon. This Monday, February 16, at 6 p.m., the legislature will hold a public hearing on the pending statewide sick leave bills (House Bill 2005 and Senate Bill 454).

This is an opportunity for businesses to send in comments or appear in person to voice their feedback, including how mandatory paid leave will affect their business, whether they support the bills, and any proposed changes.

Don’t have time to read the bills? Below is a cheat sheet of ten important points that every business should be aware of.

1. The draft bills will require all employers to provide at least 56 hours of paid leave to each employee per year.

2. “Employees” include home care workers, temporary workers, and seasonal workers.

3. Employers must give employees at least 1 hour of protected paid sick leave for every 30 hours of work.

4. After 89 days of employment, employees can use their accrued sick leave in increments as small as 1 hour.

5. Employees can use their paid leave for everything from feeling sick to taking care of a family member dealing with mental health issues or needing a ride to the dentist and more.

6. The definition of who qualifies as a “family member” is broader than other Oregon laws and includes someone who is “related by blood or affinity” to the employee.

7. The statewide bills do not preempt, limit, or otherwise affect any other law, policy, or standard that provides for greater use of paid or unpaid sick time. This means that the City of Portland’s current Protected Sick Time Ordinance, as well as the City of Eugene’s Sick Leave Ordinance, which will be effective on July 1, 2015, will still apply. Employers with employees in or around these cities will need to be aware of what specific sections of each law provide a greater benefit to these employees and then meet the higher requirements.

8. Not all employers are required to comply with these statewide sick leave bills. For example, employees in the building and construction industry, longshoremen, or stage hands whose terms and conditions of employment are covered by a collective bargaining agreement do not have to comply.

9. Employers can require notice for an employee’s need for leave. However, the draft bills permit an employer to require only up to 10 days’ advanced notice “or as soon as otherwise practicable” if an employee’s need for paid leave is foreseeable. If the employee’s need for leave is not foreseeable (injured in a car accident, domestic violence situation, sudden sickness, etc.), then the employer can only require notice as soon as is practicable for the employee.

10. If an employee takes more than 24 consecutive hours of paid sick time, the employer may require medical verification or certification of the employee’s need for leave.

The draft bills are lengthy and complex, but the above ten points should help you assess what a statewide paid sick leave law will mean for your business.

Then, head to the Oregon State Capitol (900 Court Street NE, Hearing Room F) in Salem on Monday, February 16th at 6 p.m. for the public hearing to voice your thoughts.

If you are unable to attend but want the ‎legislature to hear your thoughts on the statewide mandatory sick leave bills, email me, Leora Coleman-Fire, at lcoleman-fire@schwabe.com, and I will ‎make sure your comments are heard.

Leora Coleman-Fire is an Employment Law Attorney at Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt.

As published Portland Business Journal, February 13, 2015