Retailers Call Senate Budget Resolution ‘Important First Step’ Toward Tax Reform By J Craig Shearman National Retail Federation The National Retail Federation urged the Senate to move forward on tax reform by approving the fiscal year 2018 budget resolution scheduled for a vote today. “Tax reform is the top priority […]

  Jobs in Renewable Energy Oregon Workforce and Economic Information In the U.S., renewables provided 15 percent of the energy generated in 2016 according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Hydropower accounted for 6.5 percent of the U.S. electricity generation; wind power provided 5.6 percent; biomass provided 1.5 percent; and […]

Higher Share of Males in Oregon’s High-Tech Industry By Anna Johnson Oregon Workforce and Economic Information  The Census Bureau’s Quarterly Workforce Indicators show that at the beginning of the second quarter of 2016, Oregon’s high-tech industry was 69 percent male and 31 percent female. Looking back in time, there has […]

ACA’s Nondiscrimination Taglines and Notices Require Updating Your Notice of Privacy Practices Davis, Wright, Tremaine By Adam H. Greene, Rebecca L. Williams, and Sean R. Baird There has been confusion as to whether the Affordable Care Act’s nondiscrimination provision (“ACA”) affects a covered entity’s notice of privacy practices (“NPP”) or […]

Poverty and Age in Oregon Oregon Workforce And Economic Information Oregon’s poverty rate dropped more than 2 percentage points in 2016, to 13.3 percent. Among the states and Washington, D.C., Oregon’s 2016 poverty rate ranked right in the middle at 25th lowest. Poverty rates in 2016 ranged from 7.3 percent […]

Retailers Join Trump At White House For Signing Of Association Health Plan Order J. Craig Shearman National Retail Federation The owner of a Massachusetts pet-supply store represented the National Retail Federation at the White House today as President Trump signed an executive order that would allow more small businesses to […]

OBI Selects Mark Johnson as President & CEO Oregon Prosperity Project Oregon Business & Industry (OBI) has selected Representative Mark Johnson (R-Hood River) to serve as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Oregon’s statewide business association. Johnson has served in the Legislature since 2011 and is known for his […]

The Cost of PERS Inaction Continues to Grow Oregon Prosperity Project The Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) funding crises will continue to drain state resources and prevent Oregon from improving our schools and providing needed services unless leaders step forward with a solution. The past few months have brought news […]

Schrader, Renacci, Jenkins, and Costa Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Protect Small Businesses Congressman Kurt Schrader  Reps. Kurt Schrader (D-OR), Jim Renacci (R-OH), Lynn Jenkins (R-KS), and Jim Costa (D-CA) introduced the Simplifying Technical Aspects Regarding Seasonality (STARS) Act. This bipartisan legislation clarifies the employer mandate provision within the Affordable Care […]

Oregon’s Shifting Retail Landscap By Josh Lehner Oregon Office of Economic Analysis There’s no question that online sales have been, and will continue to change the retail landscape. However, it can be hard to show exactly how this is influencing and impacting standard economic data. Sure, Census reports e-commerce sales […]