By U.S. Chamber of Commerce The West Coast ports labor dispute has gone from bad to worse, and it’s time for the president to make clear to the parties the need to find a deal. The Los Angeles Times reports on the situation on the West Coast: West Coast ports […]

Oregon Senator Ron Wyden Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden said that the state’s economy is well-positioned to benefit from two bipartisan bills passed in the Senate Finance Committee. Wyden, the Finance Committee’s top Democrat, said one of those two bills would help Oregon’s growing cider industry by updating antiquated excise taxes. […]

By Oregon Prosperity Project, The 2015 Oregon Legislative Session has just begun, and the Senate (SB 454) and the House (HB 2005) have already introduced bills for mandatory employer-provided paid sick leave. Both of these bills are comparable in their details; every employer, no matter the size, would be required […]

By Oregonians for a Sound Fuel Policy A new poll conducted Jan. 29 by DHM Research again shows Oregonians overwhelmingly oppose implementation of the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) if the program will increase the cost of fuel. A similar poll conducted in December 2014 used the Oregon Department of […]

By Jan Meekcoms Oregon NFIB Oregon adds 45,000 jobs.  But more work remains to be done. About 45,000 jobs were created in Oregon during 2014, a 2.67 percent increase. But more work remains to be done in a state where small business owners struggle with proposals for higher minimum wage, […]

Zombie Foreclosures Up, About to Hit Oregon’s Housing Market By Oregon Tax News A new wave of foreclosed homes may soon be available in Oregon’s housing market. According to a November RealtyTrac report, Oregon had the highest number of vacated homes currently going through the foreclosure process. Analysts expect many […]

Associated Oregon Industries Oregon’s largest business advocate The first batch of nearly 1,500 pieces of legislation introduced during the “organizational days” of the 2015 Oregon Legislature produced over 100 tax-related bills that AOI will track for Oregon employers. Consistent with what AOI has seen the past few Legislative Sessions, the […]

By Oregon Attorney General Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum testified before the joint Senate and House Judiciary Committee [December 2014] in support of legislation to better protect the data of Oregonians. She called on the Oregon legislature to update Oregon’s Data Breach Law, and extend data breach enforcement and notification […]

By Josh Lehner Oregon Office of Economic Analysis Blog Many headline economic numbers have reached pre-Great Recession peak levels, including jobs, income, state GDP, exports and the General Fund. However you can’t eat GDP and we know all is not well with the economy, even if it truly is getting […]

Patrick Emerson PhD , OSU Economist Oregon Economics Blog Excited about the return of the Portland Timbers?  Well, temper that enthusiasm because it appears more and more likely that the MLS is headed toward a work stoppage with the key sticking point free agency for players. Under the current system, […]