Rep. Peter DeFazio on Trump Administration Objectives for NAFTA Renegotiation Via Congressman Peter DeFazio Congressman Peter DeFazio (OR-04)  released the following statement on the Trump Administration’s objectives for the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA):

Oregons New Minimum Wage Law Will Hurt The People It Aims To Help Cascade Policy Institute  By Lydia White Just prior to Oregon’s July 1 minimum wage* increase from $9.75 to $11.25 (Portland Metro Area), a team of researchers from the University of Washington produced a study, published by the […]

Oregon Household Debt: Mostly Tame Oregon Office of Economic Analysis by Josh Lehner In early 2017, total household debt in the U.S. reached an all-time high according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Household Debt and Credit Report. There has been some handwringing over this given huge debt […]

BACK-TO-SCHOOL AND BACK-TO-COLLEGE SPENDING TO REACH $83.6 BILLION With consumer confidence rising and more young people in school, back-to-college spending is expected to hit an all-time high this year while back-to-school spending is expected to see its second-highest spending level on record, according to the National Retail Federation’s annual survey […]

Small Business Tax Cut was on the Chopping Block By Anthony K. Smith, Oregon National Federation of Independent Business By a vote of 31-28, the Oregon House of Representatives passed House Bill 2060 on June 23. The bill would have raised $196 million for the 2017-2019 state budget by effectively […]

Drug Free Workplace, Is That a Reality? (OR: Drug Testing, Can I, Should I?) Cascade Employers Blog   It’s summer time which means people are out having fun. And not all of it is safe and responsible. Did you know that an average of 9.5 percent of all workers from […]

Job Flows Into Oregon Oregon Workforce and Economic Information Each quarter between summer 2014 and spring 2015, Oregon added an average of 17,300 workers from other states, while 14,200 workers left Oregon for jobs elsewhere. That means on net each quarter an average of 3,100 workers from other states left […]

What Oregon’s expanded version of the Equal Pay Act of 2017 means for employers Ater-Wynne: NW Business Litigation by Stacey Mark The Oregon legislature recently enacted an expanded Equal Pay Act designed to eliminate discriminatory pay practices based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation (as defined in ORS 174.100), […]

American Business Presses Congress on Tax Reform: “A Once-in-a-Generation Opportunity” US Chamber of Commerce By Heather McPherson The U.S. Chamber, along with the Business Roundtable, the National Federation of Independent Business, and the National Association of Manufacturers, sent a message to Congress urging them to reform tax policy. The four business […]

Oregon’s Debt Buyer Bill Passes Out of Oregon Senate; Moves to Governor’s Desk Via Oregon Attorney General ​ The Oregon Senate passed House Bill 2356, clearing the way for this landmark consumer legislation to go to the Governor for her signature. Unfair debt collection practices have scored near the top […]