Business groups clash over METRO’s homeless tax measure By Oregon Small Business Association The Portland Business Alliance has come out in favor of the new METRO ballot measure tax to fund homeless. The ballot measure tax includes a 1% business profits tax ($5M+ sales) and a 1% marginal tax rate […]

By Oregon Small Business Association, California, Washington, Ohio, Illinois and Massachusetts take measures to close (or encourage closing of) restaurants and bars. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said in his statement that “hours count and very strong measures are necessary to slow the spread of the disease.” California Governor Gavin Newsom […]

Business News Note: NIKE is closing all of their stores worldwide. Within the US other retailers like REI, Apple, Warby Parker, Urban Outfitters, Glossier, Patagonia, and Allbirds are closing while Walmart and Luluemon are limiting hours of operation. From NIKE press release: The well-being of our teammates and consumers is […]

National Federation of Independent Business, NFIB Senior Counsel, Elizabeth Milito, Esq., testified before the Committee on Education and Labor’s Subcommittee on Workforce Protections on the effects the Healthy Families Act (H.R. 1784) would have on America’s small businesses. NFIB argues a one-size-fits-all approach to mandatory paid leave would not be […]

State Representative E. Werner Reschke There is a fierce battle of ideas and political willpower being waged at Oregon’s Capitol. On one side are the Democrats, who claim they have a mandate to implement Cap & Trade in order to meet CO2 emission goals set by the 2007 legislature. By […]

By Josh Lehner Oregon office of Economic Analysis Our office continues to get asked about the potential impacts of the coronavirus (COVID-19) on the economy. Long story short is that it is still too early to tell how much economic fallout will occur given the ongoing public health developments as […]

By Kathryn M. Hindman & Liani J. Reeves By Liani J. Reeves and Kathryn M. Hindman Bullard Law, As people flock to grocery stores to stock up on toilet paper and hand soap, employers should brace themselves for the unknowns ahead associated with the coronavirus. Background According to the Center […]

Oregon U.S. District Attorney release, Susan Tranberg, 61, of Eugene, Oregon, pleaded guilty in federal court to mail fraud, aggravated identity theft and tax evasion after defrauding her former employer, the Weyerhaeuser Company, out of more than $4.5 million. “Susan Tranberg used her intimate knowledge of the Weyerhaeuser Company to […]

Wall Street Editorial, The Supreme Court hears what may be its most important case of the year on Tuesday (3/3), and don’t stop reading because it concerns the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. This one goes to the heart of the separation of powers and whether the administrative state is accountable […]

By Oregon Employment Department, Oregon’s unemployment rate declined to 3.3 percent in January, the lowest on comparable records dating back to 1976. The December unemployment rate was revised downward to 3.4 percent. The U.S. unemployment rate was 3.6 percent in January. Annual revisions to the labor force data show that […]