Congressman Kurt Schrader Congressman Kurt Schrader (OR-05) stated his disapproval of the House’s passage of the $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill. The bill will fund the government until the end of September 2016. It passed the House today by a vote of 316-113. “While this bill contained some positive policy […]

By Josh Lehner Oregon Office of Economic Analysis Blog Oregon’s high-technology sector is being disrupted. Industry growth in the past decade is entirely concentrated in software, while Oregon’s historical strength in hardware is no longer the driver of job growth. Hardware remains the state’s comparative advantage, pays a large number […]

U.S. Chamber of Commerce U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Thomas J. Donohue issued the following comments regarding the compromise FY2016 omnibus spending bill and the policy priorities that were included: “Congress continues to defy expectations that nothing would get done this year. It already passed the first meaningful […]

By Oregon NFIB, At 2009 pages, the political world has a lot to say today on the federal budget deal posted online in the wee hours of the morning, and one provision in particular has Oregon small-business owners hoping Congress seals the deal on Friday and President Obama signs it. […]

U.S. Senator Ron Wyden Press Release, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., asked FBI Director James Comey how the FBI is tackling the increasing problem of “ransomware” attacks in a letter. Ransomware attacks refer to the growing criminal practice of hacking Americans’ devices, encrypting personal information and holding it for ransom […]

By Bullard Law, Portland law firm Benjamin P. O’Glasser Portland to Implement Ban the Box The City of Portland has jumped to the forefront of the national “ban the box” trend and has adopted a new ordinance that restricts many employers from screening applicants based on their criminal history before […]

University of Oregon Regional Economic Indexes By Tim Duy Oregon Economic Forum University of  Oregon Oregon Economic Indicators: The Oregon Measure of Economic Activity rebounded from an upwardly revised September number. As expected, the steep job losses reported in September were almost entirely revised away with the October employment report. […]

By NFIB, Advertisers are cutting the cord on TV spending. And small businesses could gain a lot as TV’s relevance continues to fizzle in an increasingly digital world. Global revenue from digital advertising is poised to surpass that of traditional TV by 2017, according to a recent Magna Global study. […]

By Steve Buckstein, Cascade Policy Institute The Portland City Council has voted 3-2 to let ridesharing companies Uber and Lyft operate permanently in the city. The normally “progressive” council members’ split decision revealed a conflict of visions that does not fall along ideological lines as much as it falls along […]

By Oregon Small Business Association, Though 2015 has witnessed key Oregon companies being acquired by out-of-state enterprises, relocating elsewhere or reducing jobs, a number of other companies have expanded operations. Breweries, sports apparel, and a range of technology-related businesses have made significant investments in Oregon to strengthen their presence in […]