Relating to paid time off for employees to donate blood.
Summary
Senate Bill 1108 amends Oregon’s paid sick time law, ORS 653.616, to add blood donation as an allowable use of earned sick time. Under the bill, an employee may use accrued sick time to donate blood when the donation is made through a voluntary program approved or accredited by the American Association of Blood Banks or the American Red Cross. The bill leaves the existing categories of permitted sick time use intact, including an employee’s own illness or preventive care, care for family members, certain other statutory purposes, coworker sick-time donation under employer policy, and public health emergency-related absences.
The measure is narrowly focused on expanding the list of qualifying reasons for using sick leave, rather than creating a new leave bank or mandating a separate paid blood-donation benefit. It ties eligibility to recognized blood-donation programs, which limits the new leave use to established, voluntary donation settings. The bill therefore affects Oregon employers subject to the state sick time law and employees who wish to use accrued sick time for blood donation.
Impact
SB 1108 changes ORS 653.616 by expressly adding blood donation to the list of purposes for which earned sick time may be used. This expands employee leave rights under Oregon’s sick time statute and requires covered employers to permit use of accrued sick time for qualifying blood donation appointments. The bill does not alter accrual rules, wage replacement levels, or employer coverage thresholds; it only broadens the permissible uses of existing sick time.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been broadly supported and noncontroversial. It passed the Senate unanimously in committee and on third reading, and it advanced through the House committee unanimously as well. On final House passage, it received strong support with only four no votes, suggesting general bipartisan approval for the public-health-oriented leave expansion.
Contention
There is little evidence of major controversy in the available record. The main policy question is whether sick time should be available for blood donation, but the votes suggest that most legislators accepted that rationale. Any remaining concerns likely centered on the scope of employer obligations and whether using sick time for donation could affect attendance or administrative burden, though no specific objections are reflected in the provided transcripts or vote summaries.