Archives

April 24, 2015 - Illinois Gov. floats local “Right-to-Work” zones

By NFIB Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner is distributing a plan for increased local government control to municipalities around the state with the hope that they will pass resolutions of support. His plan, which he calls the “Turnaround Agenda,” calls for legislators in Springfield to pass legislation authorizing “home rule” communities […]


April 23, 2015 - Congress eyes killing 1031 capital gain exchanges

By Oregon Tax News, There is much debate about tax reform in Congress and one idea is to eliminate 1031 capital gain exchanges. This idea would have terrible consequences. Any American business owner will tell you that overhauling the tax code is long overdue. If you ask these same business […]


April 22, 2015 - Lessons from the solar scandals

By Economist Dr. Eric Fruits, Econinternational President Obama announced a new initiative to train military veterans for careers in the solar industry. The new Solar Ready Vets Program, would help military veterans learn new skills needed to work in the solar industry after they leave the armed forces. The solar […]


April 21, 2015 - 20% of beer sold in Oregon were made in Oregon

By Oregon Brewers Guild The Oregon Brewers Guild announced that Oregonians bought 585,000 barrels of beer produced in Oregon in 2014, a 14.3 percent increase over 2013. Oregon continues to lead the U.S. in the percentage of dollars spent on craft beer. Oregon’s breweries crafted 1,641,000 barrels of beer during […]


April 20, 2015 - Sen. Wyden explains trade bill

Oregon Senator Ron Wyden Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden  introduced a bipartisan bill to send the message that our country should only accept trade deals that will boost middle-class U.S. families and advance Oregon values. The bicameral bill includes unprecedented new provisions to improve transparency, boost Congressional oversight and require stronger […]


April 17, 2015 - Employers, unions warn over Cadillac Tax

By U.S. Chamber of Commerce By 2022, over half of all employers will be at risk of paying the 40% excise tax on high-value health plans (“Cadillac Tax”). One notable category of employers is colleges, John Rosenberg writes at The Fiscal Times: Now, as the scheduled 2018 implementation of the […]


April 16, 2015 - Oregon transportation infrastructure has rocky future

By Oregon Prosperity Project, Bumpy Roads Ahead: Why Oregon’s Transportation Infrastructure has a Rocky Future Did you know that there are over 71,500 miles of roads in Oregon? That’s a lot of miles; in fact, if they were stretched out into a straight line, they would go around the equator […]


April 15, 2015 - We may have avoided a new gas tax for now.

By Jan Meekcoms Oregon NFIB With the passage of Oregon’s low-carbon fuel standard, which is expected to raise the cost of gas by up to 19 cents a gallon, legislators don’t seem eager to proceed with a gas tax to pay for road and bridge work across the state. Other […]


April 14, 2015 - Job polarization & wages

By Josh Lehner Oregon Office of Economic Analysis Blog This is an update on job polarization in the U.S. and across states, based on the new occupational data BLS just released. It is important to point out that the process of job polarization is best seen through the occupational lens, […]


April 13, 2015 - 2015 Oregon Angel Investment Report

By Technology Association of Oregon. The recently released Oregon Angel Investment report provides an overview of investment in Oregon’s entrepreneurial enterprises, in order to provide context for discussions regarding the economic impact of these early stage investments. The report discusses several categories of investment, including seed, angel, and venture capital. […]