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November 3, 2016 - Measure 97 would drive up prices

Oregon NFIB Press Release, Oregonians have to act fast on Measure 97, which would add a 2.5 percent gross tax on sales in Oregon over $25 million, including companies in Oregon and branches of national firms, according to Herald and News. It also would produce an estimated $3 billion a […]


November 2, 2016 - BOLI revives surprise inspection rule

Bullard Law, Portland law firm By Daniel R. Barnhart “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’” Ronald Reagan In July 2016 BOLI started a new program that allows for surprise, warrantless searches of employers’ premises and books to […]


November 1, 2016 - Great Recession Didn’t Kill the Business Cycle

By Josh Lehner Oregon Office of Economic Analysis Blog There is a clear distinction between the underlying trend and the cycle around the trend. Just take the 2000s as an example. The cycle component was, unfortunately, very evident given the two recessions, even as the underlying economic trends were flat […]


October 31, 2016 - OHSA delays track-your-injuries rule

Barran Liebman Oregon Law Firm OSHA Delays Enforcement of Rule Tracking Workplace Injuries and Illnesses By Amy Angel and Nicole Elgin The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has announced that it is delaying enforcement of the anti-retaliation provisions of its final rule to Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and […]


October 28, 2016 - What would U.S. be like if we had Europe’s energy prices

US Chamber of Commerce, With some politicians and interest groups heralding Europe’s energy policies as a model to follow, the U.S. Chamber’s Institute for 21st Century Energy examined what would happen if the U.S. was forced to pay EU energy prices. The report is the third in the Energy Institute’s […]


October 27, 2016 - Schrader advances EpiPen solution bill

Congressman Kurt Schrader A bill to encourage faster development of generic drugs has picked up 13 co-sponsors since the pricing controversy over anti-allergy EpiPen auto-injectors erupted, prompting its sponsor to hope it passes this year. “The more we wait, the more they’ll rip off the consumer,” Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., […]


October 26, 2016 - Ore. Health Care: Price spikes, Providers vanish

Steep price hikes under Obamacare By Taxpayer Foundation of Oregon Health insurance prices on the Obamacare exchanges have been published on HealthCare.gov, and it’s not good news. Higher premiums, higher deductibles, and fewer choices. Fewer plans: Last year, residents in Portland, Oregon had a choice of 87 plans. This year, […]


October 25, 2016 - Merger mania and Microsoft

by Deidra Krys-Rusoff Senior Vice President Ferguson Wellman, A leading Oregon financial firm Disappointing corporate earnings forecasts outweighed a Microsoft surge and increased deal activity to end the week basically flat for the S&P 500, Dow Jones, and NASDAQ. Worldwide stock markets also turned in lackluster performances for the week. […]


October 24, 2016 - Wyden touts $2M cable fine case

Oregon Senator Ron Wyden Press Release, Following pressure from Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and his colleagues, the Federal Communication Commission’s Enforcement Bureau today announced that Comcast will pay a $2.3 million fine to resolve an investigation into whether the company wrongfully charged cable TV customers for services and equipment that […]


October 21, 2016 - Chamber comments on Cuba sanction changes

US Chamber, Carlos Gutierrez, chairman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s U.S.-Cuba Business Council,  issued the following statement regarding the Obama administration’s further amendments to Cuba sanctions regulations: “The administration’s announcement is a welcomed step forward in the pursuit of greater opportunity for the U.S. private sector to collaborate with […]