Kathryn Hickok Cascade Policy Institute Cascade Policy Institute has released a new report showing that Oregon public employers have more than $2.6 billion in unfunded actuarially accrued liabilities associated with non-pension benefits promised to current and future retirees. Referred to as “Other Post-Employment Benefits,” or OPEB, these liabilities include various […]

By Oregon Small Business Association On February 16, 2015, OSBA spokesman, Tom Maginnis, testified before the Joint Senate & House Business & Labor committee on HB 2005 which mandates nearly 50 hours of paid sick leave. Maginnis gave an incredible True-Life Testimony on his own small business as listed below. […]

By Michael Hendrix, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation The Internet is perhaps the greatest modern ally of everyday people. Shoppers in particular have more options available to them than ever before. Yet are shoppers’ data being used against them when they’re not looking? That is a question the President’s Council […]

By Josh Lehner Oregon Office of Economic Analysis Blog As our office has discussed over the past year (HERE and HERE, e.g.), the expected pattern for the economy would be first more jobs, then higher wages due to a tighter labor market and then more individuals in the labor force […]

By Associated Oregon Industries, As you may recall, in November the EPA proposed to lower the regulatory ozone standard, from 75 ppb to a range between 65 and 70 ppb. While the EPA’s intention of lowering the U.S.’s ozone pollution is admirable, it neglects to account for the overseas particulate […]

By Oregon Small Business Association, The local hype over Portland Airport’s changing of the decades-old carpet has been aptly picked up by NBC News, as well as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and CNN. With it comes a lot of jocularity at Oregonians expense with the NBC anchor […]

By Bruce Mehlman Internet Innovation Alliance FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai had some strong words about the Commission and President Obama’s apparent plans to apply Title II regulations to the Internet. He started off with a bang, stating: I believe the public has a right to know what its government is […]

By U.S. Chamber of Commerce The West Coast ports labor dispute has gone from bad to worse, and it’s time for the president to make clear to the parties the need to find a deal. The Los Angeles Times reports on the situation on the West Coast: West Coast ports […]

Oregon Senator Ron Wyden Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden said that the state’s economy is well-positioned to benefit from two bipartisan bills passed in the Senate Finance Committee. Wyden, the Finance Committee’s top Democrat, said one of those two bills would help Oregon’s growing cider industry by updating antiquated excise taxes. […]

By Oregon Prosperity Project, The 2015 Oregon Legislative Session has just begun, and the Senate (SB 454) and the House (HB 2005) have already introduced bills for mandatory employer-provided paid sick leave. Both of these bills are comparable in their details; every employer, no matter the size, would be required […]