Vlad Yurlov Policy Analyst at Cascade Policy Institute When businesses fail, they shut down. But when the government shuts down businesses, it simply increases taxes. More than 85% of Oregon businesses will pay higher unemployment insurance rates in 2021. This is after lockdowns and restrictions forced their workers to use […]

Federal Stimulus Update Part 1: What Employers Need to Know About the PPP By Julie Preciado & Chris Morgan Barran Liebman, Oregon law firm On December 27, 2020, President Trump signed the $900 billion COVID-19 relief bill into law. The new law helps businesses, nonprofits, and venues that continue to […]

By NFIB, The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the nation’s leading small business association, issued the following statement on behalf of Karen Harned, Executive Director of NFIB’s Small Business Legal Center, following the U.S. Department of Labor’s new rule on independent contractors: “NFIB has long advocated for a straightforward […]

Josh Lehner, Oregon Office of Economic Analysis Recently, I was on OPB’s Think Out Loud. Among other things we discussed how many households are doing decent to well this year, even as our lower-income neighbors are struggling with dim job prospects until the pandemic is over. I made a statement […]

By Oregon Small Business Association, Multifamily Northwest, a group of landlords contending that renters are between $800 million and $900 million behind in payments, filed a lawsuit in federal court against Oregon State, Multnomah County, and the city of Portland. The suit was filed after the Oregon State Legislature approved […]

Main Street Mayors Coalition Press Release, Sandy Mayor Stan Pulliam hosted a virtual meeting of Main Street Mayors across Oregon who represent communities whose business owners are ready to open safely in a way that strikes a balance between slowing the spread of COVID and preventing irreversible economic destruction of […]

National Federation of Independent Business, The NFIB Research Center released its latest survey focusing on the impact the COVID-19 pandemic and imposed shutdowns have had on small businesses. This is the 14th survey since early March. One-in-four small business owners reported that they will have to close their doors in […]

By Oregon Attorney General, Bipartisan Coalition of 38 Attorneys General Allege Google Illegally Stifles Competition Attorney General Rosenblum today joined a bipartisan coalition of 38 attorneys general in suing Google LLC for anticompetitive conduct in violation of Section 2 of the Sherman Act. The states allege that Google illegally maintains […]

By Josh Lehner, Oregon Office of Economic Analysis The Bureau of Economic Analysis released state income data for 2020q3. Income data is available monthly at the national level, but only quarterly at the state level, and annually at the county level. Now that we have a few quarters, we can […]

By Oregon Small Business Association, Citing a University of Oregon study, the owners of Planet Fitness have urged Gov. Kate Brown to reopen gyms because they pose fewer risks of spreading coronavirus than bars or restaurants. While accepting the need for some restrictions, the owners say Oregon is one of […]