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 […]

By Sen. Dick Anderson and Jim Fitzhenry In nearly every corner of Oregon, manufacturers provide living-wage jobs while innovating constantly to increase sustainability. They make wine and cheese, paper and wood products. They turn recycled plastic into broadband conduit and garbage into paper products. They make semiconductors, too. The success […]

By National Federation of Independent Business, The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the nation’s leading small business advocacy organization, issued the following statement on behalf of Beth Milito, Executive Director of NFIB’s Small Business Legal Center, regarding the Department of Labor’s proposed rule on independent contractors: “Small business owners […]

Full Restitution Payment Obtained from Three Former Portland-Area Strip Club Operators Convicted of Fraud By Oregon US Attorney Press Release, PORTLAND, Ore.—The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon announced today that full restitution of over $600,000 was obtained from the former operators of two Portland-area strip clubs who […]

By Josh Lehner Oregon Economic Analysis Office We know Oregon has underbuilt housing by about 5 years’ worth of new construction in recent decades. The household formation boom during the pandemic likely pushes that to more like 6 years’ worth of new construction that we are behind. Our office’s housing […]