Understanding New Oregon Paid Leave Laws

Governor Tina Kotek signed SB 1515, which changed how leave works in Oregon.  These changes to Paid Leave Oregon (PLO), starting July 1, 2024, aim to help both employees and employers navigate the complex world of leave laws more easily.

SB 1515  was needed because Oregon had several overlapping leave laws between the Oregon Family Leave Act (OFLA) and PLO, making it hard for employers to determine which law applied when.  The new law simplifies things by distinguishing different types of leave and preventing them from being taken concurrently.  While this makes compliance more straightforward, it also means employees can take more leave in more situations.

Breakdown

Here’s a breakdown of what SB 1515 does:

• It limits OFLA leave to pregnancy, child illness, and bereavement.
• It removes the cap on PLO leave, so employees can take as much as needed.
• In some cases, it increases the maximum amount of leave employees can take to 38 weeks (12 weeks of unpaid leave for a sick child, 12 weeks of unpaid leave for pregnancy disability, 12 weeks for serious health complications or parental bonding, and 2 weeks pregnancy disability under PLO).
• It expands sick child leave under OFLA to include more situations.
• It changes how wage replacement and bereavement leave work, capping it at 100%.
• It removes the need for notice before taking pregnancy disability leave.
• It provides transition leave for fostering or adoption.

How this related to Paid Leave Oregon

PLO started in 2023 and gives employees paid leave for family, medical, and safe reasons.  It also allows extra leave for pregnancy-related issues.

Here’s what’s changing with Paid Leave Oregon:

• Starting July 1, 2024, Paid Leave Oregon will cover more types of leave, while OFLA will cover less.
• Leave taken under OFLA and Paid Leave Oregon cannot happen concurrently anymore.
• Bereavement leave under OFLA is now limited to four weeks.
• Sick child leave under OFLA will include more situations.
• There’s a new provision for leave related to fostering or adoption.

Five-Step Plan to Adjust to Changes

To help employers adjust to these changes, here is a simple five-step plan:

1. Act fast because these changes are happening now.
2. Check your company policies to make sure they match the new laws.
3. Train your HR team on the changes.
4. Update your leave tracking systems.
5. If you’re unsure, talk to a legal expert for advice.

With these changes, Oregon hopes to make leave laws more transparent and fair for everyone involved.

How can we help?

*This document simplifies complex Acts as Time Equipment Company understands them.  It is not to be taken as legal advice.  The regulations for this program are changing. For further information about Paid Leave Oregon, please visit paidleave.oregon.gov.