By Oregon Small Business Association Foundation, Will Portland’s proposal to outlaw straws be an environmental milestone like Oregon’s historic bottle bill or will it be a public fiasco like the California coffee cancer label which became a national mockery and scientifically rebuffed by the state’s own Environmental Health Office? Critics […]

By Chris Morgan & Johnny Hong Barran Liebman Oregon Employer Law Firm Starting on July 1, a number of key legislative updates take effect. Below are a few key reminders for employers. Transit Tax Starting with the first paycheck given to employees that accounts for wages earned in the month […]

US Chamber Press Release, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Executive Vice President of the Center for Capital Markets Competitiveness (CCMC) Tom Quaadman issued the following statement upon House passage of the “JOBS and Investor Confidence Act of 2018,” commonly known as the JOBS Act 3.0: “The House took an important step […]

By Oregon Employment Department, Each year we summarize the key findings from our job vacancy survey into a report, with specific emphasis on the challenges businesses face filling their job vacancies. In 2017, Oregon businesses reported 60,700 job vacancies at any given time in 2017. Of these vacancies, 38,700 job […]

US Attorney, Oregon District Press Release Monte Robin Kaija, Jr., 47, of Portland, was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison for detonating a small explosive device at a Fred Meyer store in Southeast Portland, and later possessing a homemade metal pipe bomb. According to court documents, on May 21, […]

By Josh Lehner Oregon Office of Economic Analysis Tariff proposals and enactments continue to build in recent months. The situation has not risen all the way to a full-blown trade war, or at least not yet.  But we need to call it something. Trade fisticuffs doesn’t quite sound right, so […]

By John A. Charles, Jr. Cascade Policy Institute Metro recently decided to refer a $652.8 million bond measure to the November ballot. If approved by voters, it would authorize Metro to borrow money either to purchase existing housing units or to subsidize the construction of new ones. The loans would […]

By Oregon Employment Department Continued job growth and record low unemployment are making it difficult for Oregon businesses to fill current vacancies, and Oregon’s economy is expected to create 263,000 total job openings each year through 2027. These are the findings of two new reports released by the Oregon Employment […]

By Oregon Employment Department, In Oregon, about 124,000 workers speak English less than “very well” according to the American Community Survey responses collected from 2012 to 2016. This represents 7 percent of all Oregon workers. This group includes workers who don’t speak English, speak English “not well,” and speak English […]

By Oregon US Attorney Office, Oregon Woman Pleads Guilty for Role in Forced Labor and Visa Fraud Scheme Involving Thai Restaurant Workers Defendant financially benefited from co-defendant’s use of debts, fraud, threats of financial and reputational harm, and other means to compel victims to work at restaurants Tanya Jumroon, also […]