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 […]

By Cascade Policy Institute “Good in theory, bad in practice.” Sure, it’s a cliché, but it’s a cliché because so often it’s true. It looks to be especially true regarding congestion pricing in the Pacific Northwest. The Oregon Department of Transportation is pursuing plans to impose tolls on parts of […]

Oregon’s Multiple Jobholders in 2018 By Oregon Employment Department, In 2018, 110,000 Oregonians held more than one job in addition to their primary job and were considered to be multiple jobholders. The multiple-jobholding rate – the proportion of multiple jobholders among all employed workers 16 years and older – was […]

US Chamber of Commerce, The third quarter RSM US Middle Market Business Index (MMBI), presented by RSM US LLP (“RSM”) in partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, found that 40% of middle market leaders reported that tariffs on imported goods are posing challenges for their businesses and 26% cited […]