Last Sunday it wasn’t just calendars that were switching over. With the start of the new year, 20 pending laws that had been passed in 2022 went into place
These new laws will impact various areas including health care, education and labor.
- House Bill 4086: Expands worker’s compensation beneficiaries by redefining how a non-married cohabitant of an injured worker is eligible to receive benefits. Also expands who can be considered a dependent to include spouse or domestic partner, grandparents of individual or spouse, grandchildren of individual or spouse, step-siblings, sibling or step-sibling’s spouse or domestic partner, and “any individual related by blood or affinity whose close association with a worker is the equivalent of a family relationship.”
- House Bill 4138: Insurers and self-insured employers must provide written notice and explanation to worker and worker’s attorney prior to ending temporary woker’s comp benefits.
- Senate Bill 1513: Employers can not punish workers for not accepting overtime shifts with less than five days notice.
- Senate Bill 1586: Amends the Workplace Fairness Act to include former employees in protection from employers requiring non-disclosure agreements for conduct or harassment.
- House Bill 4113: Bladder and several gynecologic cancers added to list of occupational diseases for firefighters. Occupational diseases must be covered by death and disability coverage for all non-volunteer firefighters with at least five years on the job.
- Senate Bill 1515: Family medical leave benefits “benefit year” defined as 52 consecutive weeks beginning the Sunday preceding the start of leave.
- Senate Bill 1538: The new Compact of Free Associations Dental Program offers dental coverage to Compact of Free Association citizens who do not qualify for the Oregon Health Plan.
- Senate Bill 1555: Health plans in Oregon must fully reimburse the cost of newborn nurse home visits.
- House Bill 4031: Percentage of diverse employees at the Department of Education should reflect the percentage of diverse students in public schools.
- House Bill 4114: Oregon school board members must provide a verified statement of economic interest to the Oregon Government Ethics Commission that includes names of businesses owned, income source, property owned, debts, business with lobbyists and business investments of more than $1,000.
- House Bill 4121: Judges may assign trained “child support referees” who will hear cases, issue orders and transmit the child support orders to the court.
- House Bill 4124: Oregon Department of Education must conduct a survey of standardized tests to determine which tests work and which don’t.
- House Bill 4075: Small businesses will have an easier path toward reimbursements for break-ins. The bill ensures victims get their money from prosecuted criminals before court fines are paid.
- House Bill 4103: Raises the fine for unlicensed real estate businesses. First time offenses from $1,000 to $2,500, up from $100 to $500. Second offenses range from $2,500 to $5,000.
- House Bill 4027: Limits regulations local government can place on non-residential alarm systems.
- House Bill 4105: Duly authorized traffic enforcement agents can issue citations from red-light camera photographs.
Senate Bill 1574: A copy of the medical examination form must be included in all sexual assault forensic evidence kits, with the permission of the victim. - House Bill 4072: Price for one-day angling and shellfish licenses drops to $23 from $32.50.
- House Bill 4133: Social Security numbers can be used to register
to vote. - Senate Bill 1560: Oregon statutory references for someone that is not a U.S. citizen will now be “noncitizen” and no longer “alien.”