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Oregon Trade Summit Pivoting to Virtual Platform

Given this month’s dramatic and fast-moving tariff developments, OBI has decided to present the April 28 Oregon Trade Summit as a webinar rather than as an in-person event. Though making the summit an online event will preclude the originally scheduled networking reception, it will allow access regardless of location and allows for no-cost registration. To register, follow the link below.

The Oregon Trade Summit presentations will include:

The webinar will take place from 2-4:30 p.m. and allow time for questions from the audience.

Go here to register.

State Announces New Minimum Wage Rates

On April 11, the Bureau of Labor and Industries announced increases in Oregon’s three minimum wage rates, which will become effective July 1.

For the Portland metro area, the minimum wage, now $15.95 per hour, will increase to $16.30 per hour. The “standard” rate will increase from $14.70 per hour to $15.05 per hour. And the rate that applies to non-urban counties will increase from $13.70 per hour to $14.05 per hour. The changes will boost rates in these three areas by 2.2%, 2.4% and 2.6%, respectively.

Employers will want to update their employment posters to reflect these changes. Posters can be downloaded from the BOLI site for free after June 15.

Go here to learn more about Oregon’s minimum wage rates, including what constitutes each region and the underlying law giving BOLI authority to adjust rates annually.

Recording: Mid-Session Webinar with OBI Policy Team

During an April 15 webinar, the OBI policy and political affairs team discussed the 2025 legislative session, which had reached its halfway point. The webinar covered some of the session’s highest profile legislation, OBI’s Oregon Competitiveness Agenda and what Oregon business could expect during the session’s second half.

Topics include:

  • An overview of the session’s direction and challenges.
  • Legislation related to labor and employment issues, including SB 916, which would make unemployment benefits available to striking workers.
  • The potential for limited tax increases.
  • The Legislature’s response to federal tax policy.
  • The revenue and budget outlook.
  • Transportation funding.
  • Environmental policies.
  • Economic development and Oregon’s business climate.
  • Potential electoral policy changes.

Go here to watch a recording of the webinar.

Five from Eugene Civics Bee Advance to Oregon Civics Bee

Five middle-schoolers advanced April 17 to the second annual Oregon Civics Bee from the Eugene Civics Bee, one of two preliminary competitions. They will join the top five finishers in the Tigard Civics Bee, which took place March 8.

In all, 36 students from across the state participated in the two regional bees, having qualified from a pool of students statewide who submitted essays in an initial round.

The Oregon Civics Bee will be held later this spring at Willamette University in Salem.

The 2025 Oregon Civics Bee is organized by Oregon Business and Industry in partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. Beginning in late 2024, 6th, 7th and 8th graders from across the state entered the competition by submitting essays explaining how they would use civics principles to address problems they identified in their communities. The writers of the best essays, as determined by a panel of judges, were invited to participate in the two regional bees.

OBI would like to thank Summit Bank, the event sponsor, and the University of Oregon, the venue sponsor, for the Eugene Civics Bee.

Go here to learn more about the Oregon Civics Bee, which is presented thanks to a generous sponsorship by U.S. Bank.

Legislative and Rulemaking Updates

Tariff, Trade Survey: Business Oregon, the state economic development agency, has issued a survey to collect Oregon business’ reactions to the current tariff and trade environment. You can take the survey here. The agency announced the survey shortly after Gov. Kotek met with business leaders on April 16. It isn’t clear how the governor can influence federal trade policy, but OBI supports efforts to help her team understand business operations — in this case, supply chains, logistics, customer relations, inventory management, capital planning and other trade-related matters. An OPB story about the meeting is here.

DEQ Cyber-Attack: The agency suffered a cyber-attack recently, and staff haven’t been able to access emails or files since it occurred. The online data management system “Your DEQ Online” was unaffected by the attack. If your business has emailed DEQ or submitted documents since April 9, it is unlikely that the agency received these. DEQ is proposing a delay for accepting public comments on several rulemakings and is also proposing a new deadline of May 30 for reporting greenhouse gas emissions and the Clean Fuels Program. While DEQ can administratively extend the deadline for the gas-reporting program, the Environmental Quality Commission is holding an emergency meeting to vote on the proposal to extend the reporting deadline for the Clean Fuels Program. Make sure you are signed up for DEQ’s notices to receive updates on the cyber-attack and changes in upcoming submission deadlines.

Bill Movement: Because so many bills were passed out of committees during the week of April 7, both legislative chambers have been busy holding floor votes to move them to the other chamber. OBI expects lengthy floor sessions to continue this week. Committee agendas have been light but will fill up when more bills arrive from the other chamber.

UI for Strikers: SB 916 has been referred to the House Committee on Labor and Workplace Standards. OBI expects the bill to be scheduled for an informational hearing on April 28 and a public hearing on April 30. OBI and the coalition opposing the bill have been meeting with representatives. On April 12, the Washington House passed a version of this policy, SB 5041, but the bill needs to be readopted by the Washington Senate due to amendments in the House. That reconciliation must happen before adjournment on April 27, but no action has yet been taken. Because public employees are barred from striking in Washington, the state’s bill – unlike Oregon’s – would not cover unemployment benefits for public-sector workers.

Age Discrimination: As expected, the House passed HB 3187, which would amend Oregon’s prohibition on age discrimination. OBI opposed the original bill, which made experience, pay and retirement status proxies for age discrimination (and thus out of bounds for certain personnel decisions). OBI is neutral on the version of the bill approved by the House, which contained an OBI-proposed amendment. The bill now ensures that employers aren’t screening out applicants at early stages by age, date of birth or graduation date unless that information is required for the position. Employers can ask about such information at the interview or job-offer stage. The bill now heads to the Senate.

Retail Theft Grants: On April 16, the Senate unanimously passed SB 275, which, together with SB 960, forms the organized retail crime package supported by OBI and other stakeholders. SB 275 expands the allowable uses of anti-crime grants, and SB 960 increases funding for the program to $10 million. Both bills have been assigned to the House Committee on Judiciary, where OBI will continue to support their passage.

Severance Tax: On April 24, the House Committee on Revenue will hold a public hearing on HB 3489, which would replace Oregon’s timber harvest tax with a severance tax. The harvest tax has broad stakeholder support. The severance tax would increase according to the amount of acreage the taxpayer owns in Oregon. This new tax scheme would target an industry that generally cannot raise prices as it competes to sell products. The severance tax proposed by HB 3489 would consume much of the capital timber companies need to invest in workers and facilities. OBI is part of a coalition opposing this bill.

DEQ Budget Hearing: A public hearing was held April 16 on DEQ’s budget, SB 5520. OBI raised concerns about DEQ’s failure to reduce its permitting backlog substantially. Meanwhile, the agency proposes to increase fees for air contaminant discharge permits and the Cleaner Air Oregon asbestos programs. Additionally, the agency’s “Your DEQ Online” data management system adds a 4% fee for invoices. These fees add up, as most businesses regulated by DEQ pay multiple invoices annually. OBI met with Rep. Mark Owens, R-Crane, before the hearing. During the hearing, Owens questioned the agency’s performance in addressing expired permits, which caught the attention of members of the Joint Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Natural Resources.

EV Parking Bill: HB 2961 requires new residential and mixed-use housing developments of 10 units or more to wire 20% of parking spaces for future electric vehicle charging. It also requires chargers to be installed in at least 5% of spots, a mandate that applies as well to commercial developments. A floor vote on the bill is scheduled for April 21. OBI will continue to work with Multifamily NW to try to persuade a majority of House members that raising the cost of building new apartments is a bad idea.

Bridge Replacement: On April 21, the Joint Committee on Transportation will hold a work session on HB 2184, which would issue general obligation bonds to replace the Hood River-White Salmon Bridge. The bridge is obsolete, lacks access for bikes and pedestrians and is extremely narrow. The state has received substantial federal grant money for the project. OBI testified in support of the bill.

April 22 Webinar: Recycling Modernization Act Overview

Join experts from Circular Action Alliance on April 22 for a webinar on Oregon’s Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act. The law uses an extended producer responsibility model that requires packaging producers to help fund related recycling efforts. Producers were required to join a producer responsibility organization (PRO) and complete reporting by March 31 in preparation for the program’s launch on July 1. For companies that missed the reporting deadline, it’s important to know that it’s not too late. The initial deadline has passed, but CAA is providing a grace period for late reporters, which will end on April 30.

More about Oregon’s program: The Legislature passed the Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act (SB 582) in 2021. Producers of covered products (packaging, paper and food servicewear) must register with an approved producer responsibility organization, report data on their supply of covered products and pay membership fees. The PRO helps fund recycling conducted by local governments as well as system improvements.

Oregon’s PRO: Circular Action Alliance is the only PRO with an approved program plan in Oregon. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality approved CAA’s plan on Feb. 21, 2025.

Webinar details: The webinar, which will run from 10 – 11 a.m., will include an overview of Oregon’s program, an implementation update and, of course, plenty of time for questions.

Learn more: OBI has added a Recycling Modernization Act Resources page to its website here. The page contains basic information about the program and links to helpful sites. It also will be updated as important developments occur.

Go here to register.

Register for Unemployment Insurance System Webinar

Join experts from the Oregon Employment Department April 23 to learn about the state’s unemployment insurance system. The webinar will cover the following topics and include plenty of time for questions:

  • Overview of Oregon’s unemployment insurance system
  • How rates are set
  • How to respond to an unemployment claim using the Oregon Employment Department’s Frances system.

The webinar will run from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Go here to register.

Notable News

Transportation Study Errors: The state recently discovered significant errors in a key study that determines whether cars and trucks are paying their fair share for Oregon’s transportation needs (The Oregonian).

Unemployment Rate: Oregon’s unemployment rate in March was the highest for the state since 2021 and outpaced the national rate. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rose to 4.6% from 4.5% in February, according to the Oregon Employment Department on April 16 (Portland Business Journal).

Intel Campus: Intel has opted not to sell its 50-acre Hawthorn Farm campus in Hillsboro, choosing to retain the property for critical engineering work after a five-month review of the site’s future (The Oregonian).

Bend Transportation Fee: On April 16, the Bend City Council finalized rates for phase 2 of the city’s year-old transportation fee, which on homes would nearly double, from $5.60 to $10.50 a month (KTVZ).

Portland Power Line: The Portland City Council moved April 17 to reject a Portland General Electric transmission upgrade project in Forest Park that would require the utility to clearcut more than 370 trees on about 5 acres in the park (The Oregonian).

Bend Power Line: A southeast Bend neighborhood is pushing back against PacifiCorp’s proposed plan to build a transmission line from Prineville to Chiloquin that would parallel their neighborhood (KTVZ).

Food Industry: Vendors and attendees at the Northwest Food Show, a trade show for restaurant owners, caterers and other food service providers, responded to questions about how President Donald Trump’s various tariffs on foreign goods would affect them mostly the same way April 14: They have no idea (The Oregonian).

David Evans: A Canadian engineering and nuclear company has completed a deal for 70% of Portland’s David Evans and Associates (Portland Business Journal).

VC Activity: Venture capital investment in the Portland metro area ticked up significantly in the first quarter compared to the first quarter of 2024. But the impact of the macroeconomic uncertainty of recent weeks has put a damper on what had been positive expectations headed into this year (Portland Business Journal).

Wildfire Funding: There’s one thing about wildfires that Oregon lawmakers seem to agree on: The state needs to find new ways to cover its increasingly expensive wildfire costs. Yet halfway through this year’s legislative session, lawmakers’ momentum toward a funding solution seems to be petering out, and the proposals they’ve put forward so far are barely breathing (Oregon Public Broadcasting).

Homeless Population: New data released April 16 by Multnomah County officials show a stunning local reality: 14,824 people living in the county were homeless as of February. Of those, 6,796 people were living outside, in a vehicle or in some other place considered unfit for human habitation. That’s more than double the homeless population recorded in the federally mandated point-in-time count conducted in January 2023 (The Oregonian).

Consumer Confidence: Consumer confidence is plummeting in Portland. That’s according to the inaugural Metropolitan Consumer Sentiment Index, a new quarterly data set that will offer exclusive visibility into consumer confidence in Portland and 45 other major U.S. metro areas. The inaugural MCSI data found Portland last among the 46 markets in its data with a score of 83.9 (Portland Business Journal).

Education Funding: By pushing back on a Trump administration attempt to curtail diversity, equity and inclusion in K-12 programming, Oregon risks losing about 7%—or $735.7 million—of its dollars that go toward public schools (Willamette Week).

Check Out OBI’s Member Benefits

OBI offers members a range of programs that can save money or help small businesses offer benefits normally available only to much larger companies. Benefit programs include:

  • HealthChoice: Helps businesses with fewer than 100 employees offer comprehensive health-care benefits through our partnership with Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon.
  • CompSAFE: Helps eligible companies enjoy workers’ compensation discounts through SAIF Corporation.
  • Fuel Program: Helps members save fuel costs through our partnership with Ed Staub & Sons.
  • ODP Business Solutions: Helps OBI members save money on office furniture, supplies and other services.
  • LegalPLUS: OBI members receive 15 minutes of free legal consulting per month from Innova Legal Advisors.

Go here to learn about all of OBI’s member benefits.