U.S. Chamber of Commerce, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Executive Vice President and Chief Policy Officer Neil Bradley issued the following statement on the pandemic relief legislation negotiations. “The Chamber applauds Senators Portman and Manchin for producing a truly bipartisan compromise that would provide temporary and targeted liability protections for businesses, […]

Tim Duy University of Oregon State of Oregon Economic Indicators Oregon’s economy regained momentum in October revealing its underlying strength but still faces a challenging winter. Highlights of the report include: • The Oregon Measure of Economic Activity rose to 1.2 in October from an upwardly revised -0.06 in September. […]

By Oregon NFIB, Oregon Response to Poll of Small-Business Owners The Legislature needs to embrace and supplement congressional initiatives SALEM, Ore., Dec. 15, 2020—From Anthony Smith, Oregon state director for NFIB, which released the latest poll of its small-business-owning membership today. “Unfortunately, our worries have become reality as COVID-19 case […]

By Cascade Policy Institute, Do you want to enjoy a drink but don’t feel safe sitting in a bar? If you live in one of the many states that have allowed “cocktails to-go” since the beginning of the pandemic (including our neighbors in California, Washington, and Idaho), you’re in luck! […]

Oregon Restaurant and Lodging Association, ORLA is anticipating the announcement of a third special session of the Oregon Legislature very soon and the session will most likely take place this coming week before the holidays are upon us. Your state association is keenly aware your ability to stay in business […]

By U.S. Chamber of Commerce, More contractors are facing a shortage of building materials as the pandemic continues, according to new fourth quarter data from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Commercial Construction Index (Index). This quarter, 41% of contractors say less availability of building products and materials is a severe consequence of […]

By Oregon Employment Department, During the spring implementation of health and safety measures related to COVID-19, Oregon lost one out of every seven nonfarm payroll jobs. The loss of 285,000 jobs (-14.5%) in March and April was both stunning and unparalleled. By October, Oregon had regained nearly half (132,000 or […]

Oregon State Chamber of Commerce, The OSCC Board of Directors has issued the following statement. It is motivated by the desperation we have seen from our small business community. We feel it is time to be real and plain spoken about what it’s going to take to get our businesses […]

December 7: Exposure Risk Assessments & Infection Control Plans Must Be Completed By Andrew Schpak & Daniel Walker Barran Liebman Oregon law firm As a reminder, Oregon OSHA recently published extensive temporary rules regarding COVID-19 workplace exposure that implicate all workplaces in Oregon. Employers should have the following forms and […]

By Vlad Yurlov Cascade Policy Institute While many people in the Portland region value efficient governments, prevailing wage laws are rarely questioned. Prevailing wage laws drain tax-payer funded resources by increasing the labor costs of public construction projects such as affordable housing. These laws were originally enacted to shut out […]