Schrader, Renacci, Jenkins, and Costa Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Protect Small Businesses Congressman Kurt Schrader  Reps. Kurt Schrader (D-OR), Jim Renacci (R-OH), Lynn Jenkins (R-KS), and Jim Costa (D-CA) introduced the Simplifying Technical Aspects Regarding Seasonality (STARS) Act. This bipartisan legislation clarifies the employer mandate provision within the Affordable Care […]

Oregon’s Shifting Retail Landscap By Josh Lehner Oregon Office of Economic Analysis There’s no question that online sales have been, and will continue to change the retail landscape. However, it can be hard to show exactly how this is influencing and impacting standard economic data. Sure, Census reports e-commerce sales […]

U.S. Chamber Statement on House Passage of the 2018 Budget Resolution Important First Step, but the Work is Just Beginning U.S. Chamber of Commerce The House passed its 2018 budget resolution Thursday in a party-line vote that represents a step toward its goal of sending tax-reform legislation to President Trump. […]

A Tightening Oregon Job Market By Anthony K. Smith National Federation of Independent Business As Oregon’s economy continues to grow, the many measurable benefits of expansion are evident. State economists at the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis have recently reported a number of encouraging statistics: job creation continues to outpace […]

Second Look: Supreme Court to Revisit Constitutionality of Mandatory Public Sector Union Fees By Lindsey M. Tran Ballard Law On September 28th, the U.S. Supreme Court announced that it will once again consider the issue of whether unions can force non-member public employees to pay union “agency fees” or “fair […]

Paper Cuts: Oregon’s Declining Paper Industry Oregon Workforce and Economic Information  Paper manufacturing began in Oregon with the Pioneer Paper Manufacturing Company in 1866, but the mill closed in less than a year. The Clackamas Paper Manufacturing Company opened in 1868 and was followed by Willamette Pulp and Paper in […]

Too Late To Fix Pers By Fooling Oregonians By Scott Shepard Cascade Policy Institute Governor Kate Brown’s task force, assigned to find ways to cut Oregon’s yawning unfunded PERS pension liability, is approaching its November 1 reporting deadline. Governor Brown is relatively new at her job, so perhaps she can […]

P White House and Congressional Leaders Reveal Sweeping Tax Reform Plan National Federation of Independent Businesses The administration’s proposal would cut taxes and repeal the death tax, marking a good starting point on reform. The White House and Congressional leaders on Wednesday unveiled a new framework for tax reform, releasing […]

Oregon Metro GDP, 2016 By Josh Lehner Oregon Office of Economic Analysis Hot on the heels of metro level household income data, we now get the annual metro GDP figures as well. In stepping back and looking at the bigger picture, the metro GDP growth looks like one would expect. […]

By Mark Hester, Oregon Business and Industry The Senate Workforce Committee devoted more than two hours of its Legislative Days meeting to testimony on Paid Family Leave (PFL), which remains a priority for Democratic leadership. Though PFL legislation, as currently proposed, would require a tax and therefore a 60% supermajority […]