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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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., […]

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, […]

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. […]

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 […]

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 […]

By Steve Buckstein Cascade Policy Institute, Trying to sell voters on the largest tax increase in Oregon history, Measure 97 proponents claim that “Oregon ranks dead last in corporate taxes.” But the nation’s leading independent tax policy research organization, The Tax Foundation, says this claim is misleading. It looked at three ways to rate corporate […]