Tax increases on oil companies, soda pop, income and parcels failed in June. By Oregon Tax News, Oil tax loses in Congress At the federal level, Senator Bernie Sanders, an Independent Senator from Vermont, led the unsuccessful Congressional effort to pass legislation to repeal oil tax breaks. Senator Sanders argued […]

From the Portland Business Alliance: Portland Business Alliance pedestrian counts show increased traffic Biannual pedestrian counts conducted in mid-June reveal a bustling downtown, despite the delayed summer sunshine. The year-over-year increase in pedestrians downtown is encouraging for summer sales as well as the commercial real estate industry, which uses the […]

From the Portland Business Alliance: At the Portland Business Alliance’s breakfast Forum on June 16, three top Oregon economists gave their view on the state of the region’s economy. Tim Duy, head of the University of Oregon’s Economic Forum, Tom Potiowsky, State of Oregon Economist, and John Topogna, President of […]

From CareerBuilder.com: Job market will “stay the course” in second half of 2010, according to CareerBuilder and USA Today Hiring in the second half of 2010 is likely to mirror the first half, according to CareerBuilder and USA TODAY’s latest nationwide survey of employers. Forty-one percent of hiring managers plan […]

A Supreme Court Patent Hedge                                                                         by James Stewart, Ater-Wynne, Oregon Law Firm The U.S. […]

by Jessica Nelson Oregon Labor Market Information System The temporary help services industry is on the upswing, adding 31,000 jobs nationally in May 2010, for a total gain of 362,000 jobs since September 2009.

Oregon Supreme Court takes away $100 million in punitive damages due to flawed jury instruction Ater Wynne Oregon Law Firm When the US Supreme Court decided Williams v. Philip Morris in 2007, it created a challenge for judges instructing juries on punitive damages.  The Due Process Clause prevents a jury […]

Business opposition appears to have derailed measure Article by: J.L. Wilson Associated Oregon Industries Oregon’s largest business advocate AOI sent a letter to the Oregon Congressional Delegation in opposition to HR 5175, the so-called DISCLOSE Act, which aims to limit the ability of business groups to spend on federal elections. […]

Governor Ted Kulongoski Speech before City Club of Portland This is my eighth – and final – address as Governor to the City Club of Portland.  In April I gave what was billed as my last state of the state speech.  If that speech had been a television drama, it […]

by Glenn Spencer U.S. Chamber of Commerce Tomorrow marks three years since the Card Check bill was defeated in the U.S. Senate, falling nine votes short of the 60 needed to overcome a filibuster. Though the bill has yet to come up for debate during this Congress, employers would be […]