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Oregon’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program Must Establish Clear Exemption Guidelines for Employers

Washington, DC – The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC) provided comments to the Oregon Employment Department ahead of tonight’s virtual town hall on the state’s paid family and medical leave insurance program.

“It is imperative that new paid leave programs do not add to the already confusing and often contradictory patchwork of state rules and regulations that large multi-state employers, like ERIC members, are forced to navigate,” said Aliya Robinson, Senior Vice President of Retirement and Compensation Policy, ERIC. “Employers need to be able to offer the best benefits to their workforces, no matter where they live or work.”

ERIC applauded Oregon lawmakers for providing an exemption for employer-provided paid family and medical leave benefit plans in House Bill 2005. However, for employer exemptions to be successful and truly benefit Oregonians, the Employment Department must consider the challenges employers face in pursuing an exemption, the effect these challenges can have on the benefits, and the need to establish clear and cohesive standards and guidelines for the program.

Specifically, ERIC’s comments called for:

  • Equivalent plan minimum standards should be clearly and concisely summarized and provided to employers
  • Administrative and reporting requirements should avoid placing unnecessary or redundant burdens on employers
  • Model employee notices should be created by the Department and provided for employers’ use
  • The Department should establish clear guidelines for the employer exemption processes governing application, renewal, termination, and decision review

“State paid family and medical leave efforts must ensure employees can easily access benefits when they need them most as well as maximize the quality of benefits available, not control the administration of successful employer-provided benefit programs that already provide generous paid leave benefits to their workforce,” said Robinson.

Click here to read ERIC’s comments.

Click here to read ERIC’s white paper Paying the Way: Large Employers and the State Paid Leave Patchwork.

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All media inquiries to The ERISA Industry Committee should be directed to media@eric.org.

About The ERISA Industry Committee
ERIC is a national advocacy organization that exclusively represents large employers that provide health, retirement, paid leave, and other benefits to their nationwide workforces. With member companies that are leaders in every sector of the economy, ERIC advocates on the federal, state, and local levels for policies that promote flexibility and uniformity in the administration of their employee benefit plans.