Scott Swanson
Now that 2013 has arrived, Oregonians need to be aware of a number of new laws – 14 to be exact. Here are the ones that may impact the general population the greatest:
n Minimum wage rises again. The change that will likely impact the most people is a 15-cent increase in Oregon’s minimum wage to $8.95 an hour.
That rate makes Oregon the state with the second-highest minimum wage in the the nation after Washington’s was also raised – to $9.19 an hour. The minimum wage has risen in each of the last three years, a 30-cent jump in 2012 from $8.50 to $8.80, after a 10-cent hike in 2011.
Oregon’s minimum wage is close to $2 higher than the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour, which is followed by many states because they’ve used that threshold to establish their minimums or because their state-enacted wage is even lower.
Some individual communities have higher minimums. San Francisco has the highest local minimum wage in the nations. Its workers will be paid at least $10.55 an hour in 2013.
n No tobacco use on state property – As of Jan. 1, smokers will have to put out their cigarettes on any state-owned properties. Gov. John Kitzhaber issued an executive order last summer banning the use of tobacco products anywhere on state property starting Jan. 1. The tobacco-free state properties policy will prohibit use of all tobacco products at all times on state of Oregon property.
Smoking was already banned last summer, via administrative rules, on the Oregon State University and the University of Oregon campuses, as well as their various satellite campuses and institutions around the state. Smoking in other state public buildings was already prohibited throughout Oregon. The latest tobacco ban took that to the areas outside state buildings. Smoking is already banned within 10 feet of any workplace door or window in Oregon.
The ban does not extend to state beaches, parks, college and university campuses and roadside rest areas, though the governor is encouraging the Oregon Parks and Recreation Commission to adopt their own tobacco-free rules by the end of next year.
n Higher education and child-services provider workers are now required to report suspected child abuse.
The measure’s chief proponent, Democratic Rep. Sara Gelser of Corvallis, who has been a prominent proponent of legislation to protect children from abuse, including authoring the 2007 Karly’s Law, which requires teachers, clergy, lawyers, health care workers and people working in a variety of other professions to tell police or the Department of Human Services when they suspect a child has been abused.
The new law extends that requirement to anyone who works for a community college, university or child-services provider will have the same requirement, whether they’re the president, groundskeeper or a paid student worker.
Those covered by the mandate are required to report any suspicions of child abuse, regardless of whether it’s related to their job. They do not have to have proof before making a report.
n Motorcycle drivers under 51 years will now have to complete a safety course and have a state endorsement to drive their bikes.
The law is part of a progression of increasing training requirements for riders, starting in 2011 when riders under the age of 31 were mandated to undergo a 15-hour training course. In 2012 the law was extended to all new motorcycle operators under 41, in 2013 under 51, in 2014 under 61, and in 2015 the law will apply to new motorcycle endorsements for riders of any age.
Since 1997, Oregon law has required all riders under 21 to complete a TEAM OREGON Basic Rider Training course as part of the endorsement process.
The law was put into effect after motorcycle accidents in the state increased by almost 51 percent between 2002 and 2008.
n Anti-bullying policy required – This law, passed last spring by the Legislature, requires school districts to adopt a policy prohibiting “harassment, intimidation or bullying,” including cyberbullying via electronic devices. It covers any activities, such as verbal abuse or physical altercations, that create a hostile environment or negatively impact students’ educational efforts or performance and that occur on school property, vehicles or bus stops. It also requires school employees to report such actions and provides for penalties if they don’t. It encourages, but does not mandate, that students or school volunteers do so, and allows for anonymity for sources of such reports.
n Unemployment discrimination – A new law prohibits Oregon employers from posting job openings if they are unwilling to hire unemployed applicants.
The requirement makes Oregon the second state in the nation – the other is New Jersey – to prohibit overt unemployment discrimination in job advertisements.
Billed as a means to protect out-of-work Oregonians from discrimination, the Oregon legislature passed a new law that prohibits overt unemployment discrimination in job advertisements.
Specifically, the law prohibits employers from publishing job advertisements that include language indicating that unemployed individuals should not apply or will not be considered for an advertised position. The law does not bar employers from considering an applicant’s employment status during the course of the hiring process.
n Out-of-state firewood regulations – Firewood imported from outside the Pacific Northwest will be required to have heat treatment and a label. The law is intended to reduce the possibility of dangerous insects hitching a ride to Oregon on firewood.
The law gives Oregonians a choice to buy local or buy firewood that has been heat treated and labeled as pest free.
The new rules prohibit firewood from outside the Pacific Northwest unless it has been treated at a temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit for one hour to kill all the pests inside it. The rationale behind it is that invasive pests and diseases outside of the region could travel to Oregon on firewood.
According to the Oregon Department of Agriculture, states with invasive-species problems such as emerald ash borer, Asian longhorned beetle, or sudden oak death have plenty of dying trees that are cut for firewood and then moved.