FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: BOLI Welcomes Secretary of State Audit, Emphasizes Commitment to Rebuilding and Modernization

“From the moment we walked in the door, it was clear we needed to take a hard look at the state of the bureau,” said Commissioner Christina Stephenson. “We asked for this audit because Oregonians deserve a labor agency that works, and this report helps us continue rebuilding BOLI with transparency, purpose, and integrity.” 

Audit Findings Align with BOLI’s Own Assessment 

Since assuming office in 2023, the Stephenson Administration has consistently sounded the alarm about the conditions inside BOLI: record levels of filings, outdated systems, missing procedures, and decades of disinvestment that left core functions strained. Early conversations with the Secretary of State’s Office about the agency’s outdated policies and inconsistent management practices soon evolved into a formal request for a comprehensive audit. 

The Secretary of State’s review confirms what BOLI has publicly detailed in its State of the Worker reports: without adequate staffing, modern infrastructure, and basic administrative capacity, the bureau could not sustainably meet its statutory responsibilities. The audit’s findings mirror the very issues the agency identified and began working to correct as soon as Commissioner Stephenson took office. 

"For years, employers have watched BOLI struggle without the staff or systems needed to enforce the law,” said Maurice Rahming, co-owner and operator of O’Neill Construction Group. “That kind of instability emboldens bad employers to exploit their workers, which makes it impossible for business like mine, who follow the law, to compete on a level playing field. This audit puts in black and white what many of us have experienced on the ground and the Commissioner has been saying. A strong, well-funded BOLI is essential for a fair economy, and I’m confident this administration is taking the right steps to restore that foundation.” 

Progress Already Underway 

Even before the audit was finalized, BOLI was already in the process of implementing what would become the recommendations included in the report. Over the past two and a half years, the agency has taken system-level actions to stabilize operations, modernize processes, and rebuild critical workforce capacity, including: 

• Rebuilding foundational policies and procedures that were outdated or missing entirely. 

• Launching the State of the Worker (SOTW) reports, publicly documenting the agency’s internal challenges and establishing a new era of transparency. 

• Engaging the Legislature since early 2023, sounding the alarm about the severity of backlogs, workforce shortages, and operational gaps in order to secure legislative investment.  

• Reclassifying key positions, modernizing apprenticeship compliance functions, and expanding human resources capacity. 

• Preparing to onboard 46 new permanent positions funded by the 2025 Legislature to address backlogs and rebuild core business operations. 

“Today’s audit reflects a bureau already in motion, and one that acknowledged its shortcomings early, sought outside input, and took action while advocating for the resources required to rebuild,” said Commissioner Stephenson.  

The 2025 Legislature approved the largest staffing investment in the agency’s history, allocating 46 new positions to address capacity constraints. This temporary funding is an essential step, but one BOLI emphasizes must be paired with long-term, sustainable resources to avoid repeating past cycles of underinvestment. 

Transparency and Continuous Improvement 

From the outset, Commissioner Stephenson made clear that her focus was on running the agency. That meant confronting the bureau’s challenges directly. BOLI invited this audit precisely because the public deserves a clear, unfiltered view of the problems the agency inherited and the progress underway to fix them. The findings are not surprising; they confirm the very issues BOLI has been raising publicly since early 2023.  

“BOLI has looked under every rock—no shortcuts, no excuses,” said Graham Trainor, President of the Oregon AFL-CIO. “This administration is doing what workers need: fully confronting the agency’s internal problems and committing to rebuilding a labor agency that workers can believe in.” 

BOLI appreciates the Audits Division’s thorough work and looks forward to using the findings to guide ongoing modernization, workforce development, and service improvements.