Oregon Representative Fined Over Workers’ Comp Insurance

Oregon has fined U.S. Rep. David Wu’s campaign $1,000 last fall for not having workers’ compensation insurance for much of the past three years. The Oregonian says the fine was reduced to $500 after the campaign purchased the coverage last October, but the campaign has yet to pay that amount.

Oregon employers must carry workers’ comp insurance or be self-insured. State Workers’ Compensation Division administrator John Shilts says the state became involved after a then-deputy campaign manager, Dan Flanagan, was injured at a work function and filed a claim in October. His health care provider looked to bill the Wu campaign’s workers’ compensation carrier and found there wasn’t one.

Case documents show Wu’s then-chief of staff Julie Tippens told the state she was unaware the campaign lacked coverage. She resigned in January. She did not immediately return messages for comment. Former campaign treasurer Lesley Bennett said that deciding which bills to pay was not her responsibility.