OBI Blog

The Joint Semiconductor Committee’s policy framework is a good start. But Oregon must offer more if it is to compete with states like Arizona for private sector and federal investment.

Over the past year, state and local policymakers have been warned in report after report that Oregon is rapidly becoming a less desirable place for businesses to invest, innovate and create jobs.

SB 38 and SB 42 address Oregon’s eroding regulatory environment by, respectively, giving permittees regulatory certainty and requiring the production of thorough fiscal-impact statement before rules are adopted. The reforms are part of OBI’s Growth and Innovation Roadmap.

SB 159, in effect, would use escalating taxes generated by state businesses to pay extra for work from which those very businesses effectively might be barred.

Thirty-eight states sensibly don’t have estate taxes at all, and these include Oregon neighbors California, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and Montana. While Washington does have an estate tax, the threshold at which it kicks in is more than twice Oregon’s.

The current credit is not sufficient to entice the start of a new rural practice or compel an existing one to stay. With the explosion of student debt and other inflationary pressures, the current credit is simply too small.

Enterprise zones allow local governments to abate property taxes temporarily, encouraging businesses to invest and helping them to grow. They are among the few tools local governments have to offset the state’s skyrocketing business tax burden.

HB 2800 would redefine “because of age” in employment discrimination law, including in the definition such “proxy” characteristics as salary and length of service with an employer.

Businesses inside and outside of Oregon are keenly aware of this trend, and investment will plummet unless legislators and other elected officials act to reverse it.

All businesses, not just those with 100 or fewer employees, deserve clear information, prompt service and the sort of advocacy the Office of Small Business Assistance provides.

The bills, which are part of OBI’s Growth and Innovation Roadmap, would make it easier for businesses and others to comply with local taxes by ensuring consistency and directing questions to the Oregon Tax Court.

HB 3028 would require employers to grant unpaid leave to employees for time spent in service on committees and other panels created by statute. The bill’s requirements are open-ended and unworkable.

It is difficult for employers, especially small businesses, to navigate Oregon’s increasingly complex regulatory landscape. These five bills would make Oregon an easier state in which to operate.

While OBI recognizes that colleges and universities must make fiscally responsible decisions, withholding diplomas from those who still owe fees can create barriers to employment and further education.

Senate Bill 498 would ease Oregon’s estate tax burden for families that inherit natural resource-based businesses such as farms and forestry operations. Thirty eight states don’t’ have an estate tax at all, and of those that do Oregon has the lowest exemption threshold.

House Bill 3042 would broaden the scope of products covered under the law to a potentially unknowable degree, increase reporting obligations and redefine “mouthable” in a way that would make compliance in Oregon extremely difficult.

Senate Bill 44 would create an office of business ombuds, which would help employers navigate Oregon’s complex and rapidly evolving regulatory landscape. Employers operating in good faith often don’t know where to go for answers to key compliance questions

A weekly rundown of recent legislative developments of interest to employers and a look at upcoming activity on significant issues.

OBI VP for Government Affairs Scott Bruun urged legislators to address barriers to opportunity by supporting existing economic development tools like enterprise zones, creating new tools like an R&D tax credit and a capital investment tax credit.