By Oregon Small Business Association, Governor Kate Brown ordered a 180 day ban on flavored vaping products. The order also bans other sources or additives as they are identified in cases of vaping-related lung injuries or deaths. At the same time Oregon largest County, Multnomah County, is also considering a […]

By Anthony K. Smith Oregon NFIB If you run a business and have employees earning a salary rather than an hourly wage, pay attention — things are about to change at the federal level, and could get even more complicated here in Oregon. There have been efforts in recent years […]

US Chamber of Commerce, The U.S. Chamber of Commerce issued a “No Rest Recess” call to action to members of the U.S. House of Representatives, inviting them to meet with local businesses and chambers of commerce during the two-week district work period to learn how enactment of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) […]

New construction activity in Oregon has grown in fits and starts in recent years. The absolute level of construction is up and our office expects growth of 10-15% in the coming years. However, while the total number of units being built is higher, we know that relative to population growth, […]

By Oregon Small Business Association, People with concealed weapons permits are being asked to leave them outside if they plan to stop by a Fred Meyer store. Kroger, the parent company of Fred Meyer and QFC, said customers carrying firearms—other than law enforcement—are no longer welcome in its stores, according […]

U.S. Department of Labor Raises Salary Threshold for Exempt Employees By Chris Morgan The United States Department of Labor has issued its long awaited renewal of an Obama administration proposal to raise the salary threshold for “exempt” employee qualification under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The final rule, which goes […]

By Taxpayer Foundation of Oregon The majority of American workers travel to their workplaces, and they spend more time doing so, according to a traffic study that compared commuter times in 2008 with those of 2017. Commuters in Portland spend an average of 54 minutes going back and forth to […]

By NFIB, Small businesses would face $5.7 billion in new regulatory costs and an additional 131.7 million hours of paperwork if H.R. 2513, the Corporate Transparency Act of 2019, is signed into law. The figures were released today as part of an NFIB study that provides annual and ten-year approximations […]

US Senator Ron Wyden, Oregon U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., called on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to discard its proposed cap on the Universal Service Fund (USF), which protects rural broadband funding and other programs key to moving the country toward the goal of universal connectivity. In May, the […]

By Oregon Small Business Association, SB248, doubled state licensing fees on those who make and sell beer, wine and liquor. The doubled fees include: Brewery-Public Houses, Wineries, and “grower sales privilege” licenses, all of which jump from the current $500 to a new fee of $1,000; distillers go from the […]