CEO Corner: ORLA Advocacy Initiatives Address Key Industry Challenges By Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association, The hospitality industry is navigating a tough landscape, with restaurant and lodging operators grappling with rising costs, workforce shortages, and evolving consumer expectations. To support businesses in overcoming these challenges, the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging […]

By U.S. Chamber of Commerce WASHINGTON, D.C. – John Murphy, Senior Vice President and Head of International at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, issued the following statement regarding President Trump’s decision not to impose tariffs on Canada and Mexico under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) today: “It is […]

By Oregon Business and Industry, What happened: On Feb. 6, representatives of several business groups testified before the Senate Labor and Business Committee in opposition to SB 916, which would extend unemployment insurance benefits to striking workers (see video here). The hearing on the bill will continue on Tuesday, Feb. […]

By NFIB, Despite a long-awaited improvement in small business optimism across the nation, the release of NFIB’s latest monthly Jobs Report shows unfilled job openings continuing to plague Main Street enterprises. “If Oregon lawmakers want to help small business owners fill their open positions, the last thing they should do […]

2/3/25 Guidance for Employers Navigating Recent Executive Orders on Immigration By Lex Shvartsmann, Abby Fitts, and Chris Morgan Barran Leibman LLP, February 3, 2025 Since his inauguration on January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump has issued a number of Executive Orders that have potential impacts on employers. One subset of […]

Diamond Alternative Energy v. EPA concerns the standard for proving redressability By NFIB, WASHINGTON, D.C. (Feb. 4, 2025) – NFIB filed an amicus brief in the case Diamond Alternative Energy, LLC, et al. v. Environmental Protection Agency at the United States Supreme Court. The case concerns the Environmental Protection Agency’s […]

By Oregon Restaurant and Lodging Association, County Proposes 50% TLT Increase: The Tillamook County Commissioners are rushing to propose a 50% increase in the transient lodging tax (TLT) be added to the May ballot. The hike increases the TLT from 10% to 15% and could raise costs for your guests, […]

By Amy Angel & Becky Zuschlag Barran Liebman LLP Law, 1/29/25 — On January 21, 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order titled “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.” The presidential website (whitehouse.gov) makes executive orders available to the public so the full text is available. This new EO […]

By Oregon Business and Industry,   What happened: On Jan. 29, OBI’s government affairs team described some of Oregon’s most pressing competitive challenges to the House Committee on Economic Development, Small Business and Trade. Senior Policy Director Duke Shepard shared key findings of a 2024 report on the condition of […]

By National Retail Federation, WASHINGTON – Data released by the U.S. Census Bureau shows that core retail sales during the 2024 holiday season grew an unexpectedly high 4% over 2023 to a record $994.1 billion, coming in ahead of the National Retail Federation’s forecast, NRF said. Sales for the full […]