Oregon lawmakers pass paid sick leave bill

[June 13, 2015]  By Courtney Sherwood
 
 PORTLAND (Reuters) - Oregon will become the fourth U.S. state to mandate paid sick leave for nearly all workers, under legislation passed on Friday and widely expected to be signed by Democrat Governor Kate Brown.

The measure, which was championed by Democratic leaders and opposed by Republicans, passed the Oregon House on a 33-to-24 vote, just two days after winning approval in the Senate.

It requires employers with 10 or more workers to pay for time off due to illness, mandating up to five days off for full-time workers, and allows the use of paid sick leave to care for ill family members.

According to Oregon Senate Democrats, 47 percent of the state's private sector employees do not currently have paid sick leave, with low-wage workers especially unlikely to have access to paid time off.

"It's an important step forward in creating a healthier, stronger workforce for low-income workers who are still struggling to get by," Representative Paul Holvey, a Democrat, said in a statement.

House Republicans, who voted against the bill, said they worried about its impact on small businesses and employment prospects.

"If this sick leave policy goes into effect without an exemption for farmers and other seasonal and agricultural employers, it will hurt these industries that provide countless high-wage jobs," Republican Representative Gail Whitsett said on Friday.

California, Connecticut and Massachusetts began mandating paid sick time for most workers in recent years. A growing number of local governments have also passed paid sick-leave mandates, with San Francisco in 2006 becoming the first U.S. city to do so.

(Reporting by Curtis Skinner; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

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