Josh Lehner Oregon Economic Analysis Office The beer industry’s slowdown and rising number of closures continues to draw attention. Both Andre Meunier in The Oregonian and Jason Notte in Portland Monthly have really good, local articles in recent weeks. In talking with them and getting updated OLCC data, I have […]

By Oregon Small Business Association, The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde plans to purchase about 40 acres of riverfront property near Willamette Falls at Oregon City. The Grand Ronde, which operate Oregon’s largest casino, Spirit Mountain, says it has no plans to build a casino on the Oregon City property, […]

By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Cascade Policy Institute “Let ’em leave. Someone else’ll come in.” That was Oregon state senator James Manning’s response when told that new business taxes will cause some firms to leave the state. Unfortunately, the senator is not alone with the let-them-leave attitude. That seems to be […]

By Oregon Employment Department, Oregon’s truck transportation industry leveled off in 2016, averaging 18,800 jobs, ending a six-year, post-Great Recession growth spurt. The industry’s employment held steady in both 2017 and 2018. At its 2006 pre-Great Recession peak, truck transportation averaged 19,700 jobs. Truck transportation hit bottom in 2010 with […]

By Oregon Small Business Association After former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick complained, Nike Inc. pulled a sneaker bearing a Betsy Ross flag on the heel that it had created to help the nation celebrate the Fourth of July.  One on hand the controversy has made the show a hot item […]

By Lindsay Hill, Director of Compensation Cascade Employers Association As part of the 2016 Oregon Legislature, Senate Bill 1532, Oregon’s minimum wage will be increasing again on July 1, 2019. The actual amount of the increase and overall minimum hourly wage varies largely by county. According to the Bureau of […]

By Oregon Small Business Association The Oregon House and Senate has passed House Bill 2005 which mandates a new paid family and medical leave tax that establishes a new state-run insurance program. This applies to businesses with 25 or more employees and to employees who earned more than $1000 in […]

Oregon Congressman Rep. Peter DeFazio Rep. Peter DeFazio, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, announced that his legislation to ensure members of the United States Coast Guard—our nation’s fifth military service—receive paychecks in the event of a federal government shutdown was approved during a Committee markup. The […]

Family leave tax still may become law in the final hours. By Oregon Small Business Association One of the final bills to be debated and voted on in the final few days of the 2019 Legislative Session is the fate of the paid family leave bill HB 2005-B. This bill […]

U.S. Chamber of Commerce U.S. Chamber of Commerce Executive Vice President and Chief Policy Officer Neil Bradley released the following statement after the Senate passed the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Humanitarian Assistance and Security at the Southern Border Act of 2019. “The U.S. Chamber applauds the Senate for moving this […]