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 […]

By Oregon U.S. Attorney, MEDFORD, Ore.– Nicole Randall, 37, of Cedar Park, Texas pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one year of probation for introducing an adulterated drug into interstate commerce. According to court documents, between February 2020 and May 2022, Randall used fake names to smuggle GS-441524, a drug […]

Oregon Division of Financial Regulation joins $106 million multistate settlement with Vanguard over big tax bills, remediation to investors By Oregon Division of Financial Regulation Salem – The Oregon Division of Financial Regulation (DFR) announced that it joined a taskforce of state securities regulators and the U.S. Securities and Exchange […]

By Oregon NFIB SALEM, Ore., Jan. 14, 2025—Is the five-year drought of good small business news finally over? Today’s release of the latest Small Business Optimism Index from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) would lead everyone to believe it is, with the net percent of owners expecting the […]