Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer Press Release Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05) joined Reps. Darren Soto (FL-09), Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE-At Large), and Andrew Garbarino (NY-02) to introduce the bipartisan Jobs of the Future Act. The proposal authorizes the Department of Labor and the National Science Foundation to work with private and public […]

By Christine M. Zinter Bullard Law, Summer in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. We can’t wait for it to quit raining, and then we all complain about the heat! With the mercury rising, OSHA just put out an FAQ (linked here) to remind employers about their heat illness prevention rules that […]

By Marley Masser Barran Liebman LLC, June 28, 2023 Effective June 27, 2023, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) now requires employers with 15 or more employees to provide reasonable accommodations for qualified employees affected by pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, unless the employer can demonstrate that providing an […]

By Oregon Small Business Association Foundation, Small businesses need to be alerted on the latest Minimum Wage changes. – Standard Minimum Wage: $14.20 per hour – Portland Metro Minimum Wage: $15.45 per hour – Non-Urban Minimum Wage: $13.20 per hour The minimum wage is to be calculated no later than […]

By Oregon Governor Tina Kotek Office Press Release Griffin-Valade brings over 16 years of experience as an auditor in county and city government Salem, OR—Today, Governor Tina Kotek announced that she is appointing LaVonne Griffin-Valade to serve as Oregon’s Secretary of State. Griffin-Valade worked as a government performance auditor for […]

U.S. Senator Ron Wyden Press Release, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, Jeff Merkley and Senate colleagues announced today they introduced bipartisan legislation that would require the Department of Defense to pass a full, independent audit in fiscal year 2024. Last year, the Department of Defense failed its fifth audit and was […]

By Oregon NFIB, Following yesterday’s adjournment of the Oregon State Legislature of its tumultuous 2023 session, the state director for Oregon’s leading small-business association today praised a couple of accomplishments to emerge from it that came as a comfort to the state’s struggling Main Street enterprises. “Given the recent history […]

Oregon Senate Passes Critical Next Step to Solidify Oregon’s Lead in Semiconductor Manufacturing By Oregon Senate Republican Office The Oregon Senate passed House Bill 2009 A, a measure that creates a new research and development (R&D) income tax credit and extends enterprise zones and Gains Share programs. Oregon leads the […]

By Oregon Business & Industry Insurance Bills Promise to Raise Rates Substantially HB 3242 would allow lawsuits against insurance companies for “bad faith” actions under the Unfair Settlement Practices Act. It is scheduled for a full Senate vote this week. While the bill was amended to clarify it would not apply […]

By Christine M. Zinter Bullard Law, Following on the heels of the Federal Trade Commission’s (“FTC”) January 5, 2023 proposed rule to bar nearly all noncompete agreements (see our May 8 b-Alert), National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) General Counsel, Jennifer Abruzzo, has opined in her May 30 Memorandum GC 23-08 […]