Oregon’s unemployment rate dropped to 5.1 percent in January from 5.5 percent in December 2015. The last time Oregon’s unemployment rate was this low was in June 2007. In January 2015, Oregon’s unemployment rate was 5.9 percent.

 By NFIB Business owners may have to close their doors should the proposal go through. If having one of the highest minimum wages in the country wasn’t enough, Oregon business owners might soon face the prospect of even higher wages. It’s expected that some sort of minimum wage increase will […]

By Oregon Prosperity Project, Still and Again – Oregon’s Minimum Wage Conversation Isn’t Over Yet The ink was barely dry on Oregon’s new minimum wage increase last week when a new effort began. Seeking to minimize the impact of a wage hike on their districts, a small bipartisan group of […]

. Congressman Kurt Schrader Congressman Kurt Schrader (OR-05) supported H.R. 3442, the Debt Management and Fiscal Responsibility Act, a bill that requires the Secretary of the Treasury to report to Congress on the Administration’s long-term debt reduction plan any time the country nears reaching the debt limit.

By Oregon Employment Department  Only 12 of Oregon’s 36 counties saw their home values rise between 2010 and 2014; all were rural with the exception of Benton County. Wheeler County’s median home value climbed the most since 2010, rising by $27,700 (21.8%) to $126,800. Wheeler County’s in-state ranking also improved, […]

By Josh Lehner Oregon Office of Economic Analysis Blog The border effect, or the border tax effect, is a very real. Our office has previously written about it regarding sin/vice taxes, retail sales in the Gorge, and a broader look at Oregon-Washington taxes, including an academic paper I, along with […]

House Votes to Raise Cap on Noneconomic Damages Associated Oregon Industries Oregon’s largest business advocate HB 4136, increasing the cap on noneconomic damages in wrongful death cases from $500,000 to $1.5 million, passed the House on Wednesday, February 10. The debate, which was quite contentious, resulted in a 33-27 vote. […]

Barran Liebman Oregon Law Firm Brace Yourselves for Oregon’s New and Unprecedented Minimum Wage System By Josephine Ko Beginning July 1, 2016, the State of Oregon will be pioneering a unique and complex multi-tiered minimum wage system with significant annual increases. No other state has a minimum wage system like […]

National Retail Federation The National Retail Federation said joint employer standards issued today by the Labor Department are too broad and that Obama administration attempts to hold more companies responsible for the action of subcontractors or franchisees should be overturned by Congress. “The Labor Department’s concept of a joint employer […]

Oregon Brewers Guild, Cascade Brewing has announced a partnership with James Clay to distribute its bottled Northwest sour ales throughout the United Kingdom. The agreement brings Cascade ales to the UK for the first time; the first batch of Strawberry, Blackcap Raspberry, Sang Noir and Cranberry starting hitting retailers at […]