Twenty-Three Counties Had Low Historic Unemployment Rates in April via Oregon Workforce and Economic Information Twenty-three counties were at or tied with their historic low unemployment rates. Benton County had Oregon’s lowest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in April at 2.8 percent. Grant County (6.9%) registered the highest rate for the […]

Stronger Privacy Protections Pass out of Oregon Legislature   Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum praised the Oregon legislature for passing legislation (HB 2090) that will update Oregon’s consumer law to hold companies accountable for their online privacy policies. Sen. Chuck Riley carried the bill in the Senate, and Reps. Jennifer […]

Overtaxed and Underbuilt Oregon Cascade Policy Institute by John Charles, Jr. An Oregon Legislative committee is proposing a massive series of tax increases to pay for various transportation projects. The proposal calls for higher taxes on vehicle registration, increased gas taxes, a new sales tax on motor vehicle purchases, a […]

National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) tells House Ways and Means Chairman the time is now for comprehensive tax reform by Jack Mozloom The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) told House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) today that small business owners expect comprehensive tax reform this […]

May Forecast Brings More Revenue, Little Clarity The Oregon Prosperity Project Since February, May 16 has been circled on Legislative calendars as the day budget talks would turn the corner and head down the stretch. The last forecast before the end of the 2017 Session would provide clarity, telling Legislators […]

By Oregon Small Business Association, There is an important bill, Senate Bill 596 sponsored by State Senator Tim Knopp, which is up for a hearing today in the Senate Finance and Revenue. Oregon’s small businesses – which provide a tremendous number of jobs for Oregon’s economy – are just now […]

A Lack of Applicants in a Growing Economy via Oregon Workforce and Economic Information Oregon businesses reported 50,800 jobs vacancies at any given time in 2016. They reported nearly two-thirds (64%) of those job vacancies as difficult to fill. Four primary challenges accounted for three-fourths of all difficult-to-fill job vacancies: […]

NFIB: Budget savings, hiring freezes, Spending control By Anthony K. Smith Also featured in Salem Business Journal The 2017 Oregon legislative session is now more than halfway there to reaching its constitutional adjournment deadline of July 10. The “first chamber deadline” for bills to move out of committee passed April […]

U.S. Chamber Survey Shows Support for Trade among Registered Voters According to a new U.S. Chamber of Commerce survey conducted by Morning Consult, a majority of voters say trade with other countries will strengthen the U.S. economy. The results of the survey underscore public support for international trade among registered […]

The Long, Winding Road to a Transportation Plan Building bipartisan support for a statewide transportation package has been a Legislative priority since at least 2015, when the last effort failed. With two months remaining in the 2017 Session, time is running short to develop a bill that can pass both […]