Good & bad business bills of 2014 Legislature

AOI is Oregon’s largest statewide comprehensive business association. Member driven, we aggressively and professionally advance and protect business interests in the halls of the state capitol, regulatory agencies, and the courts. AOI is the Oregon Chamber of Commerce. We are also the Oregon Manufacturers’ Association as well as the Oregon Retail Council.

In many cases AOI’s public policy objectives mirror those of the Oregon Business Plan. We support policies that will enable our state’s businesses to create 25,000 new net jobs per year, as well as grow Oregonians’ incomes up to the national average.

The AOI Legislative Agenda for 2014 includes the following:

• Building the I-5 Bridge;  
• Approving $200 million in construction funding for the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute;  
• HB 4069, which establishes the Oregon Task Force on Career and Technical Education Teaching;  
• SB 1578, which addresses rural economic needs;  
• $1 million in additional funding for the Oregon Manufacturing Extension Partnership (OMEP), which is a leader in making Oregon manufacturers more competitive;  
• Opposing SB 1543 which creates a new unlawful employment action for employers that must respond to the federal health care mandates to keep business operations intact;
• Opposing SB 1569 which requires manufacturers and retailers to report to the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) on substances used in products, phase out some substances, or face product bans and fines;  
• Opposing SB 1570, which repeals the sunset on the low carbon fuels mandate;  
• Opposing HB 4139, which prevents retailers from selling certain pesticides and adds them to Department of Agriculture’s restricted chemicals list.

AOI has also adopted positions on the following 2014 session bills:

SUPPORT

SB 1540: Business recourse for “Patent Trolling”

SB 1558: DCBS rescue of bankrupt group self-insurance members

HB 4005: Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit

HB 4010: Employment Appeals Board decisions must be posted online

HB 4016: OBDD Industry Competitiveness Fund

HB 4059: Joint Legislative Committee on Business Regulation

HB 4076: Pilot program on fixed cost Bachelors’ Degrees

HB 4080: Collection of 911 tax on prepaid wireless service, compensates retailer

HB 4091: Hiring preference option for veterans (w/AOI amendment)

HB 4144: Investment Modernization Act

HB 4153: Expedited siting of industrial facilities in rural areas

Appropriation for local government due diligence assessments on industrial sites.

OPPOSE

SB 1510: New Environmental Impact Study at agency discretion for projects requiring state permits

HB 4067: Limits small business tax cut to first $250,000 of business income

HB 4100: GMO food labeling mandate that allows private right of action to enjoin the sale of any GMO food not labeled as directed

HB 4101: Timber severance tax to fund county government

HB 4109: Independent study on cost of basic health program in Oregon

HB 4127: Majority of OEIB members must be public education professionals

HB 4140: Would prohibit waiver of certain consumer rights (trial by jury, class action, choice of law, etc.) unless underlying statute allowed for such a waiver. Most underlying statutes do not include such a waiver

HB 4141: Limits tax incentives for Strategic Investment Program

(Note:  Individual bills can be seen via the Oregon State Legislature website, and are subject to amendment which may change AOI’s position on the measure.)