By Cascade Policy Institute, Last week, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and his council colleagues introduced five resolutions to deal with the city’s housing and homelessness crises. As in a natural disaster, thousands are shelterless, lawlessness is rife, and public health is in danger. But, this is a human-caused disaster caused […]

By Oregon Small Business Association Foundation, Competition for qualified workers and big bonuses designed to entice them to jobs put Portland at the top of the average weekly earnings for 30 metro areas, according to the Portland Business Journal’s Playbook.   Although average salary growth slowed between August 2021 and […]

By National Retail Federation, The National Retail Federation issued the following statement from Senior Vice President of Government Relations David French regarding the House introduction of the Combatting Organized Retail Crime Act. “Organized retail crime (ORC) is a serious, multibillion-dollar threat to the retail industry. It not only disrupts store […]

By Oregon Small Business Association Foundation, Stores in Japan and Canada soon will sell high-quality Steelport Knife Co. blades manufactured in Portland, according to the Portland Business Journal. The company launched last year by cofounders Eytan Zias and Ron Khormaei sells four-inch paring knives, six-inch chef knives, eight-inch knives, and […]

By Oregon Restaurant and Lodging Association, ORLA’s biggest win during Covid at the state level was in House Bill 3389 where unemployment insurance (UI) tax reform passed. House Bill 3389 was collaborative legislation passed in 2021 to provide short- and long-term pandemic tax relief to Oregon employers while protecting the Unemployment Insurance […]

By Cascade Policy Institute, The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality is accepting public comments on proposed regulations that would ban the sale of new gasoline or diesel-powered cars and light trucks after 2034. The only new cars available would be electric vehicles (EVs). These regulations were first adopted by the […]

National Retail Federation, Retail sales remained strong on a monthly basis and saw another year-over-year gain in September despite an interest rate hike from the Federal Reserve and continuing inflation, the National Retail Federation said today. “September retail sales confirm that even with rising interest rates, persistent inflation, political uncertainty […]

By Oregon US Attorney, Press release PORTLAND, Ore.—A Gresham, Oregon man pleaded guilty for stealing more than $77,000 in funds intended to help small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Justin Allen Cunningham, 40, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. According to court documents, in the late summer or […]

By Oregon Office of Economic Analysis If inflation is the key macroeconomic issue to watch, population growth is the key Oregon issue. The state’s ability to attract and retain working-age households is the primary reason why Oregon’s economy grows faster than the nation over the entire business cycle. The inflows […]

October 14, 2022 By Heather J. Van Meter Bullard Law In a rare joint issuance, the state agencies in charge of paid Family Medical Leave (FML) programs in Oregon and Washington have issued clarification on which state’s paid leave program applies for employees crossing the states’ joint border. Read it […]