National Federation of Independent Business, U.S. shoppers spent a record high of an estimated $19.6 billion at independent retailers and restaurants this Small Business Saturday, compared with $14.6 billion spent online during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, according to recently released studies. According to the 2019 Small Business Saturday Consumer […]

By Oregon Employment Department, Oregon Construction Employment at Record Highs Oregon’s construction industry reached a record high number of jobs in recent months, employing an average of 108,000 during the 12 months ending with October 2019. The industry added jobs steadily and rapidly in recent years, following a prolonged slump […]

OSHA Distracted Driving: Best Practices for Employer Policies By Wilson Jarrell Barran Liebman LLP, NW Law firm Did you know that according to OSHA, more workers are killed every year in motor vehicle crashes than by any other cause? The holidays are approaching faster than you think, and more and […]

By Oregon Small Business Association, Nike shoes and other products won’t be available at Amazon.com after the sports apparel company severed its two-year relationship with the giant online retailer. Customers will be able to buy Nike products directly from the company’s website, app, and outlet stores or at brick-and-mortar retailers […]

By Taxpayer Association of Oregon Foundation, Oregon taxpayers may see an even larger “kicker,” a credit on their 2019 personal state income tax returns, than previously anticipated. Previously, taxpayers were expected to receive an average $370 million refund in 2020 — now that kicker tax refund may grow much larger. […]

US Chamber of Commerce, The U.S. Chamber’s Technology Engagement Center (C_TEC) released facial recognition policy principles today to guide policymakers as they consider legislative proposals pertaining to the development and use of facial recognition technology. The seven guiding principles were released after gathering information from companies representing the technology, transportation, […]

Oregon Court of Appeals: Employers are Strictly Liable for Employees Who Do Not Take Full Meal Breaks By Sarah Hale & Josh Goldberg Barran Liebman LLP, NW Law firm The obligations of an employer to provide meal and rest breaks for employees just became more onerous with the Oregon Court […]

By Cascade Policy Institute, Oregon is less than three months away from the next meeting of the Legislature and cap-and-trade is coming back. While California is setting the cap-and-trade example with sky-high power rates and rolling blackouts, Oregon’s State Senator Michael Dembrow is reworking the bill that failed to get […]

By Josh Lehner, Oregon office of Economic Analysis The longest running U.S. economic expansion marches on. Growth has slowed in 2019 and downside risks remain elevated. However, a recession is not yet seen in the data. Importantly, the two primary causes for concern are either improving – the yield curve […]

Congressman Greg Walden, Representative Greg Walden (R-Hood River) spoke at an Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health hearing on the safety and national security concerns over the U.S. reliance on drugs and pharmaceutical ingredients manufactured abroad. As Republican Leader of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Walden has been committed to […]