Rep. Edwards: SB 426B is scapegoating, not accountability

By State Representative Darcey Edwards
May 28th, 2025

Today, the Oregon House passed Senate Bill 426B, making Oregon the first state in the nation to hold general contractors and property owners liable for wage theft they neither committed nor knew about. Rep. Darcey Edwards (R-Banks) voted no and delivered a floor speech condemning the bill as “unworkable, unfair, and deeply flawed.”

“There’s a lot wrong with this bill,” Edwards said on the House floor, “but the most glaring issue is what it leaves out: actual knowledge or intent. SB 426B holds people liable for wage violations they didn’t commit—and in many cases didn’t even know were happening. That’s not accountability. That’s scapegoating.”

Under SB 426B, general contractors and property owners can be held strictly liable for unpaid wages owed by subcontractors, regardless of their knowledge or involvement. House Republicans proposed several amendments aimed at targeting bad actors while protecting honest business owners. Every one of those proposals was rejected along party lines.

Edwards shared concerns from contractors in House District 31 who fear the bill will discourage working with independently owned subcontractors because of the legal risk.

“These aren’t lobbyists or big corporations,” she said. “They’re family-owned businesses and local contractors who are already stretched thin—and now being asked to take on someone else’s liability.”

One of the rejected amendments would have added a simple safeguard: liability would only apply if the owner or contractor knew—or reasonably should have known—that workers weren’t being paid. Edwards called that a “reasonable fix,” but said it was dismissed by proponents of the bill.

“If we’re serious about ending wage theft, we should go after those actually committing it,” Edwards said. “This bill doesn’t solve the problem—it just shifts the burden.”

Despite over 1,300 public comments in opposition and confusion around who will ultimately be liable under the law, the bill passed the House on a party-line vote and now heads to the Governor’s desk. House Republicans have filed a minority report.