The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries is lifting its income threshold on wage claims a year after it first implemented the limit amid a growing backlog of cases.

The agency limited investigations to workers earning below $25.34 per hour or $52,710 per year in October 2024.

BOLI Commissioner Christina Stephenson blamed underfunding for the agency and a historic backlog in her explanation for the threshold during a 2024 Senate committee meeting.

Josh Nasbe, BOLI legislative director, said during a Senate Interim Committee on Labor and Business hearing on Sept. 30, the mismatch between demand and resources resulted in growing backlogs and an actual pause on some investigations.

"The net result being that working Oregonians who believe their rights have been violated must, at best,

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