Hearing on Portland's paid sick leave proposal draws overflow crowd

Dozens of people on both sides of Portland’s proposed paid sick leave ordinance testified Tuesday night before the City Council’s Health and Human Services Committee, the crowd filling both the downstairs and upstairs seating areas of the council chambers.

The public hearing went on for more than three hours, but a final recommendation to the full council won’t be made anytime soon.

Councilor Belinda Ray, who chairs the three-member committee, said she anticipates having an ordinance and fiscal note ready for council consideration before the end of the first quarter of 2019. A fiscal note would detail how much it would cost the city to implement and enforce the new law.

Ray said her committee will meet again on Feb. 12 to consider more changes to the proposed ordinance before sending it to the council for consideration. Councilors Pious Ali and Brian Batson also serve on the committee.

Read more: https://www.pressherald.com/2019/01/08/portlands-paid-sick-leave-proposal-draws-big-crowd/