An addition to previous OLR blog posts on babysitting:
1) “If a babysitter provides child care in a private home on a regular basis while the parent(s) work, is the payment of minimum wage and overtime required?”
2) “Is it necessary to pay minimum wage and overtime if a babysitter is hired on a “casual basis,” for example, when parents go out for the evening?”
See this BOLI FAQ for answers to these questions.
‘Tis the season to be giving, so give wisely:
1) Attorney General’s Tips for Charitable Giving
2) Oregon Attorney General Announces Oregon’s 20 Worst Charities
The Portland-metro area has quite a few paralegal programs and I recently heard about this Live Journal website (Cunninghamppc), set up by an instructor (Jerry Cunningham) at Pioneer Pacific College.
The website is filled with all the Q & A that a paralegal (and the rest of us, too) could think about asking, from jobs, to drafting, to legal terminology, and much more. You’ll find an awful lot of useful information here – and it’s fun, too. What more could you ask?!
Previous OLR blog post on paralegal jobs.
This story from the SF Chronicle was too good not to pass along:
Robots of future may need a good lawyer, John Wildermuth, Special to The (SF) Chronicle, December 7, 2009
“Crazed robots running amok used to be the stuff of late-night science fiction movies, but for some Stanford professors, that entertaining fiction is close to becoming reality and people need to start thinking about the legal implications now….” (read full article)
If you missed the news stories, e.g. this one:
Oregon launches statewide registry for end-of-life care wishes, by Don Colburn, The Oregonian
December 03, 2009:
“Oregon’s POLST program, a national model for ensuring that doctors and paramedics follow people’s medical wishes near the end of life, launched its computerized statewide registry Thursday.
A Dec 2nd, Oregonian story reports on policy and practice changes at the Oregon Department of Justice.
Read the Oregonian story for background and details: Kroger appoints public records czar but limits consumer information, by The Oregonian’s Jeff Mapes and Laura Gunderson, December 02, 2009.
Changes include:
Do you have Oregon employement of labor law questions about:
1) Final paychecks?
2) On the job meal times?
3) Domestic worker compensation?
4) Home health care workers?
5) What about interns, students, whistle blowing, volunteers, religious accommodation, personnel files, crime victim leave, hours worked, or independent contractors?
BOLI FAQs have so many informative fact sheets that you might want to make yourself comfortable, grab a coffee, and settle in for some interesting online reading.
The Street Roots newspaper has an excellent print insert of local resources. That directory is now online, at the Rose City Resource website. We know how much work is involved compiling such a a list and we thank them for it.
Other social service resources for people without shelter:
1) Local non-profit directories: IIn Washington County we have this terrific Community Action site. Call your own 211 service or your public library for your local referrals.
The Oregon Court of Appeals decided this case about a teacher who wants to carry a concealed handgun, while teaching, on school property. The decision is dated November 18, 2009:
Jane Doe V. Medford School District (A137804)
“Medford School District 549C adopted a policy that prohibits its employees from possessing firearms on school district property or at school-sponsored events. Plaintiff, a school district employee who wishes to carry a handgun while teaching, initiated this declaratory judgment action challenging the lawfulness of that policy. The scope of that challenge is a narrow one: Plaintiff contends that the school district’s policy violates a statute, ORS 166.170, which she contends legislatively preempts the school district from regulating firearms in any manner. She sought a declaration in the circuit court to that effect. ORS 28.010 – 28.160. The school district moved to dismiss plaintiff’s complaint for failure to state a claim. The trial court granted the motion, concluding that ORS 166.170 does not preempt the school district from adopting its policy. The court entered judgment dismissing plaintiff’s complaint.
Think about this interesting debate (and nicely written blog post) while you’re reading the new book on Interpreting Oregon Law:
“Judges Calabresi and Easterbrook Face Off on How to Interpret Statutes
When interpreting statutes, does the Constitution require federal judges to act as agents of the incarnation of Congress that enacted the legislation or the present day Congress? That was the question before Judge Guido Calabresi of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit and Judge Frank Easterbrook of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit at the Federalist Society’s annual debate luncheon this afternoon.
Oregon Legal Research Blog