What happened?

On May 14, 2025, Gov. Kotek signed SB 69 into law, updates Oregon’s Paid Leave Oregon (PLO), Oregon Family Leave Act (OFLA), and paid sick time laws to improve enforcement, clarify eligibility, and align with federal standards.

Overview:

Oregon’s SB 69 updates the Oregon Family Leave Act (OFLA) to clarify when employees can take protected leave to care for their child.

• This includes situations where the child is ill, injured, or requires home care, as well as when a school or childcare closure occurs due to a declared public health emergency.

SB 69 Summary Highlights:

• Return-to-Work Certification (Section 7 – ORS 657B.060(4)): Employers may require a fitness-for-duty certification from employees returning from PLO medical leave, if applied uniformly.

• Disclosure of PLO Benefit Amounts (Section 6 – ORS 657B.400(2)(c)): The Employment Department may disclose PLO benefit amounts to employers to help coordinate supplemental PTO and avoid overpayments.

• Expanded Sick Leave Usage (Section 8 – ORS 653.616(5)): Employees may use paid sick time for any reason covered under PLO, including serious health conditions, bonding, and domestic violence-related leave.

• Clarification of Child Eligibility (Section 4 – ORS 659A.159(2)(a)): Leave to care for a child is limited to children under 18 or those substantially limited by a physical or mental impairment.

• Public Health Emergency Notice Exception (Section 5 – ORS 659A.165(2)(d)): Employees may take family leave without prior notice due to school or childcare closure—unless the Governor declared the emergency at least 30 days before the leave begins, in which case standard notice applies.

• Flight Crew Eligibility Exception (Section 10 – ORS 659A.156(1)(b)): Flight crew employees based in Oregon are eligible for OFLA leave if they meet federal hours-of-service requirements under 29 C.F.R. 825.801.

• BOLI Enforcement Authority (Sections 1–2 – ORS Chapter 657B): Starting January 1, 2026, BOLI will oversee enforcement of PLO’s job protection and anti-retaliation provisions.

Source References

• Oregon Paid Leave
• Oregon SB 69 – Relating to laws concerning job-protected leave from work; and prescribing an effective date

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