East Portland Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs 2016

OSCC Advocacy Update: Cleaner Air Oregon - What you need to know

Mon, 11 Dec 2017 23:48:24 GMT

Dear OSCC Members and Colleagues:

On October 20th, the Oregon DEQ released it's long-awaited air toxics rules - also known as 'Cleaner Air Oregon' - for public comment. Click here to view the proposed rules.

The proposed rules are long, detailed, and very unfavorable to Oregon businesses.

The program imposes extremely stringent requirements on new sources that will make it difficult for many new types of industry to locate or do business in Oregon. The proposed rules also impose stringent requirements on existing sources that will make it very difficult for these companies to modify, expand, or in some cases, continue to operate at all.

The proposed regulations would make Oregon's air toxics regulations the most stringent in the nation.

The rules propose to single out 80 companies at the outset to be the first to go through the program. These companies will be chosen by DEQ based on emissions inventories already submitted. Although this list is intended to be confidential, we fully expect the list to be "leaked" as the DEQ prepares to ask the legislature for millions in new funding for this program in the 2018 legislature.

The DEQ also plans to designate an area as a 'Multi-Source Risk Area' - widely expected to encompass north and northwest Portland - which will be assessed for cumulative risk presented by all sources in the area. Any source inside the area will be subject to additional regulation that could include an inability to modify or expand operations.

DEQ is currently loading up on staff and requesting authority from the legislature to raise millions in added fees from air permit holders. Most of the fees will be generated by increasing the cost of ACDP and Title V permits.

We are recommending that all Chambers submit comments to DEQ about the impact these proposed rules will have on business. Please be advised that DEQ is accepting comment on the proposed regulations until 4pm on Friday, December 22nd.

Attached, are simple message points that can be used to put comments on the record. View here.

Comments can be sent via email to:

Joe Westersund
Cleaner Air Oregon Coordinator
Oregon Dept of Environmental Quality
700 NE Multnomah St, Suite 600
Portland, OR 97232
Westersund.joe@deq.state.or.us
cleanerair@deq.state.or.us

Best regards,

Alison Hart, Executive Director

alisonh@oregonchamber.org

OSCC Legislative Update: Major Changes in the Oregon Legislature

Mon, 13 Nov 2017 18:42:31 GMT

Dear OSCC Members and Colleagues:

Several familiar faces in the Oregon Legislature have announced career shifts in recent months. The turnover at this stage midway through a term is unprecedented. It will significantly impact the 2018 legislative session and subsequent elections.

Here is what we know.

House of Representatives:

Representative Ann Lininger (D-Lake Oswego) resigned in August to pursue a Clackamas County Circuit Court judgeship. The Multnomah County board of commissioners and Clackamas County board of commissioners chose Andrea Salinas, a labor union and environmental lobbyist, to fill the vacated seat.

Representative Mark Johnson (R-Hood River) resigned to accept the position of CEO at Oregon Business & Industry. Mark's departure will be strongly felt by those of us who relish working with the "sensible middle" of legislators who combine

pro-business attitudes with an even temperament. His departure presents a pickup opportunity for Democrats in 2018 as this district slightly leans democratic.

Representative John Huffman (R-The Dalles) resigned from his House seat on the 28th of October. We anticipated this development, since John has been seeking an appointment to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. His successor is being considered now. We anticipate Mike Shirtcliff (R), founder of Advantage Dental, will be a leading candidate here in this conservative-leaning district.

Representative Cliff Bentz (R-Ontario) is rumored to be a leading candidate to fill the vacant Senate seat left by Ted Ferrioli. Rep. Bentz is highly regarded in the Capitol building. OSCC will be happy to continue working with Rep. Bentz should he transition to the Oregon Senate. This is a solidly Republican seat in eastern Oregon.

Other legislators we know won't be returning include Sal Esquivel (R-Medford) and Gene Whisnant (R-Sunriver).

State Senate:

Senator Ted Ferrioli (R-John Day) will be leaving the Senate now that he has been appointed to the Northwest Power and Conservation Council. As both the Senate Republican Leader and one of the most tenured members of the Legislature, Senator Ferrioli's departure presents one of the two biggest impacts of the 2017 legislative shuffle. While Rep. Bentz is expected to fill Ferrioli's Senate seat, questions as to who may replace Ferrioli as the Republican Leader remain. Senate Republicans will hold an election this week for the leadership post.

Senator Richard Devlin (D-Tualatin) was also nominated by Governor Brown for a position on the Northwest Power and Conservation Council. Senator Devlin is the legislature's chief budget architect and is considered one of the smartest and most experienced legislators in Oregon. His departure will create the biggest void in the legislature as he leaves his post of Senate Co-Chair of the Ways & Means Committee.

As of today, we understand that Sen. Lee Beyer (D-Springfield) and Sen. Elizabeth Steiner Hayward (D-Beaverton) are leading contenders to fill this post.

Devlin's seat has attracted considerable interest from potential replacements including former legislator Greg MacPherson, who is clearly the best candidate. What is not known, however, is how far the public employee unions will go to block MacPherson's appointment.

Senator Jeff Kruse (R-Roseburg). We continue to field question about Senator Kruse's future in the legislature. What we know at this point is that he has been removed from all Senate committees following allegations of inappropriate conduct from his colleagues. And to date, he has indicated that he will not be resigning. Senator Kruse is a very influential voice in health care politics and would leave a void in that area. Kruse's district is a safe Republican district that would yield another Republican senator pending any changes here.

OSCC will continue to monitor legislative appointments and welcome incoming legislators to the Capitol. Stay tuned for further updates.

Alison Hart
Executive Director
alisonh@oregonchamber.org
503-231-5421

OSCC Advocacy Update: What You Need to Know about Measure 101, PERS, BOLI and 'Cap & Trade'

Mon, 06 Nov 2017 05:10:15 GMT

Dear OSCC Members and Colleagues:

OSCC is closely watching several issues as we prepare for the 2018 Legislative Session.

Measure 101 Debate Coming to Your Chamber

Measure 101 will be the subject of a special election on January 23rd. A "Yes" vote will preserve a 1.5% provider and health care insurance premium tax passed by the legislature during the 2017 session. A "No" vote will repeal the tax. At stake is between $222 and $333 million of state funding that is directed toward the state's Medicaid program - also known as the Oregon Health Plan - which funds health services for low income Oregonians.

Chambers need to understand the tension surrounding this issue as members will likely have strong feelings on both sides of the debate.

You can expect your local hospitals and physicians groups to be in strong support of Measure 101. Preserving the 1.5% tax on providers and health insurance premiums keeps funding intact for the Oregon Health Plan. Proponents claim that as many as 350,000 Oregonians risk losing their health insurance if the tax is not preserved. In addition, keeping the tax intact will reduce uncompensated care and therefore reduce the costs that are shifted onto commercial and private ratepayers. Finally, proponents argue that eliminating the 1.5% provider and premium taxes will simply force the legislature to find $300 million elsewhere - perhaps in the form of other, less acceptable taxes.

Opponents of Measure 101 will likely come from small business owners who don't appreciate a 1.5% tax ($145 million) on their already expensive insurance premiums. They observe the mismanagement of the Oregon Health Plan - including over 55,000 ineligible recipients being allowed to collect benefits and more recently, that the state overpaid $74 million for Medicaid services - and oppose higher taxes to fund a health care program that lacks integrity. Opponents argue that there is more than enough money in state government to account for the $222 - $333 million without requiring small employers to pay $145 million in additional taxes to keep the Medicaid program whole.

Oregon PERS UAL Task Force

The Oregon PERS UAL Task Force released its final recommendations on November 1st. The task force was instructed by Governor Brown to generate $5 billion to pay down a portion of Oregon's unfunded liability. The recommendations from the group will likely inform and shape legislation in the 2018 short session.

Recommendations include:

Reduce excess risk capital across state-controlled entities ($750 million - $1.5 billion): State Controlled entities hold cash and short-term investments to mitigate financial risk and maintain credit ratings. This money could be pooled at the state level and used in part to reduce UAL.

Create a new PERS investment fund for non-state employers (unknown revenue generation): Entities such as cities, counties and school districts hold excess cash in mostly short-term investment funds. This money could be pooled at the state level and invested in long-term, higher-yield accounts and revenues could be credited against those employers' UAL.

SAIF Corporation ($500 million or more):

Transfer SAIF surplus capital to PERS or require investment in state notes for PERS.
Require payments to PERS instead of payment of excise taxes or allocate future dividends to PERS.
Sell SAIF to policyholders or investors.

Dedicate unanticipated revenue to PERS ($1.2 billion or more): Harvest revenue in excess of projections to PERS. Potential revenues could include capital gains tax, estate tax, lawsuit settlements, increased debt collections, and foreclosed properties.

Unclaimed property revenue ($200 million or more): The state could take ownership of unclaimed property after 10 years which currently amounts to $200 million but will grow as other unclaimed properties reach the 10-year threshold.

Reduce agency reserve funds (unknown revenue generation): The state could establish fund balance targets for agencies and transfer excess reserves to PERS.

Increase state alcohol revenues ($453 million or more): Oregon could increase excise taxes on beer and wine, shift to a demand-based pricing structure or implement commercial best practices.

Privatize public universities ($250 million - $1.5 billion): Research universities or the health science university could seek private backing to buy the university out of the public sphere. No philanthropic donor with the necessary assets and interest to undertake privatization has been identified.

Maximize financial value of real property assets ($128 million or more): The state could sell high value property such as the Portland State Office Building ($120 million) or other state-owned property ($8 million).

Natural resources ($330 million - $530 million or more):

Undertake harvests on federal land and negotiate with the federal government to dedicate a portion of revenues to offsetting PERS costs.
Increase the amount that private landowners pay toward fire suppression costs to save General Fund money that could be redirected to PERS.
Increase the fee charged by the state when issuing future water rights.

Increase lottery revenue ($175 million or more): Expansion of offered lottery games will increase lottery revenue. Increased funds above a certain baseline could be assigned to PERS UAL. Lottery funds are constitutionally restricted in their use.

Rainy Day Fund ($200 million): Projected deposits into the Rainy Day Fund for the 2017-2019 biennium total $246 million. $200 million of those projections could be redirected to PERS instead.

Early sunsetting of Enterprise Zones and Urban Renewal districts.

The PERS UAL Task Force's recommendations total $4.2 to $6.4 billion dollars. The feasibility of each option varies significantly, but OSCC expects several of the above concepts to be introduced as legislation in the 2018 session under the pretense of lowering PERS costs.

Please see the full report linked below.

2017 PERS Task Force Final Report

PERS: Panel delivers ideas to cut pension deficit by $5 billion (Oregon Live article)

BOLI Rule Making on Work Week Caps

BOLI proposed rules regarding the new limitations on work hours in manufacturing facilities passed by the 2017 legislature (HB 3458).

House Bill 3458 limits the work week to 55 hours in exchange for fixing BOLI's interpretation that manufacturers must pay both daily and weekly overtime rates. HB 3458 clarified that manufacturers must pay the greater of either daily or weekly overtime, but not both.

Here, you will find BOLI's proposed rules in addition to BOLI's new consent form that will be required for any manufacturing worker to work more than 55 hours (but no more than 60 hours) per week.

'Cap & Trade' Debate Imminent for 2018

'Cap & Trade' will be the issue with the largest implications for Oregon's business community. A $700 million annual tax levied on just over 100 companies will have significant impacts on business operations for those companies as well as substantial impacts on energy and transportation costs for all companies doing business in Oregon.

We've prepared a short and comprehensive primer on the issue. The primer will be helpful in understanding the background, the process, and the implications for 'Cap & Trade' in Oregon.

Click here to download 'Cap & Trade' primer: Cap and Trade Memo & Cap and Trade Who's Impacted

Please feel free to reach out with thoughts or concerns regarding the items described in this email, as there are business implications for many of these proposals.

Best regards,

Alison Hart, Executive Director

alisonh@oregonchamber.org

Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) Strategic Plan

Scott Hendison — Wed, 18 Oct 2017 19:31:45 GMT

This came to the chamber from the City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services.

Dear Lents Project Team and Interested Parties,

BES has their draft 10-year strategic plan out for comment until the end of the month.

The Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) is in the final phase of completing a new Strategic Plan, which provides a framework to guide us as we make decisions and develop our programs and budgets during the next decade.

The final draft Strategic Plan is available for review here: www.portlandoregon.gov/bes/article/659395.

You can share feedback on the final draft online here: www.portlandoregon.gov/bes/75136.

As you review the plan, keep in mind that this document is the beginning of an ongoing conversation with employees and stakeholders about how BES can best protect public health and the environment as we work together to create a more sustainable future for the community we serve.

We intend for this plan to be a living document that will continue to improve as we improve over time.

The review period for the final draft will end on October 30 at 5 p.m.

Many thanks to everyone who contributed to the development of this plan.

Your time, efforts and partnership are much appreciated! Please reach out to dawn.uchiyama@portlandoregon.gov with any questions.

OSCC 2017 Legislative Recap and Report Card

Mon, 25 Sep 2017 19:01:36 GMT

Dear OSCC Members and Colleagues:

As summer is officially over and we have just completed the first Legislative Days preparing for the 2018 session, we are taking a moment to look back at the 2017 session.

OSCC was very engaged on our Legislative Priorities. We have compiled a recap of those issues most pertinent to our Priorities, as well as a report card on legislative votes. 2017 Legislative Recap and Report Card.

The 2017 session was unique. There were fewer votes in both legislative chambers on policy that impacted the business community than in past sessions. As described in the Legislative Recap, significant work, of which OSCC was a part, was done to stop many bills before they reached the floor for a vote in both legislative chambers.

Thank you for your active participation and grassroots engagement throughout the 2017 session. Your efforts made a difference.

Should you have questions or require further information, please reach out.

Best regards,

Alison Hart, Executive Director

alisonh@oregonchamber.org

503-231-5421

OSCC Initiative Petitions and Oregon PERS Task Force

Mon, 18 Sep 2017 17:37:52 GMT

Dear OSCC Members and Colleagues:

There are a variety items we want to bring to your attention. Initiative Petitions are in full swing as the deadline for gathering signatures is October 5th for the November 2018 Ballot. Additionally, the Governor's PERS Task Force is running and up to full speed.

Initiative Petitions

The Business Coalition has launched two proactive Initiatives, which will both be filed late Thursday or early Friday.

The first Initiative is to slow state spending growth and to pay off the state's PERS debt. See the press release from the Keeping Our Promises Coalition.

The second Initiative clarifies the state Constitution on tax and fee increases in order to address the three-fifths requirement on revenue raising legislation. See the press release from A Tax is a Tax Committee.

Oregon PERS Task Force

The Oregon PERS Task Force is now in full swing. Governor Brown has directed the panel to come up with $5 billion in funds to pay down part of Oregon's $24.5 billion in unfunded liability. The task force IS NOT charged with reducing the cost of PERS.

The Governor asked the PERS Task Force to generate ideas first, and determine their feasibility and political viability second. The group will meet again on October 13th before submitting a report to Gov. Brown on November 1st. The recommendations of the group will likely produce legislation for the 2018 session that could have widespread consequences.

Please find a list of concepts that we compiled below:

Maximize marketing, sale and distribution of liquor, excise taxes on beer and wine. The task force discussed a 50-cent bottle surcharge on liquor but were less specific with regard to beer and wine.
OHSU $1 Billion in unrestricted funds: The task force has suggested looking into using these reserve funds and acting as backstop for OHSU if needed.
Rolling back limitations on city taxing authority with the requirement that a portion of additional revenues go to the state for UAL (marijuana tax, cigarette tax, etc.)
Tax on foreclosed properties: Counties currently use foreclosure tax funds to reimburse themselves for the cost of sale and any additional funds are disbursed to all taxing entities. The task force is considering repurposing foreclosure surpluses.
Restructuring the way that SAIF is managed. Ideas have been thrown out about using a portion of the dividend investment portfolio and using future dividends for Oregon's UAL. The task force acknowledged the harm this would cause employers.
Selling or leasing state lands, unclaimed property and other property: $100 million-500 million.
Increasing estate taxes: $10 million-50 million.
Shifting more fire suppression costs to forest land owners: $10 million-50 million per year.
Assigning capital gains tax above projections to PERS fund: $100 million-500 million per year during economic growth periods.
Taking interest earned on state funds from each fund and putting it in common pool: $50 million-100 million.
Increase games and introduce mobile phone games to the state Lottery: $100 million-$1 billion over 10 years.

Below are several links if you would like to learn more about the task force and its members:

Task Force panel member bios

Recent article on the task force from the Bend Bulletin with partial list of concepts

Don Blair explaining where Governor Brown's PERS Task Force is currently in its process

Please let us know should you have any questions or need more information.

Best regards,

Alison Hart

Executive Director

alisonh@oregonchamber.org

503-231-5421

OSCC 2017 FINAL Legislative Report

Mon, 24 Jul 2017 05:28:40 GMT

Dear Members and Colleagues:

Unlike the 2015 and 2016 sessions which started at an explosive pace, the 2017 session returned to historical norms with a slow and cautious start.

The two critical issues of the 2017 legislature were the need to balance a state budget that started in a $1.8 billion deficit as well as the need to pass a major transportation funding package.

By the opening gavel, there was no "master plan" to deal with the state's $1.8 billion budget deficit. Although Democrats held substantial majorities in both the House and the Senate, they didn't have the votes to pass either the necessary cuts, spending reforms, or potential taxes without Republican support. Bipartisan deal-making was needed.

In OSCC's view, the commitment to bipartisanship, particularly in the Senate, was the defining theme of 2017. From the beginning, Senate President Peter Courtney (D-Salem) committed the Senate to bipartisanship in 2017 that had the effect of derailing many partisan issues that could have harmed sensitive negotiations around balancing the budget and passing a transportation funding plan.

Here's what happened:

State budget gets balanced with no business taxes; PERS left off the table

The $1.8 billion budget deficit rapidly improved over the course of the session. Due to positive revenue forecasts in February and again in May, the state realized an additional $400 million in tax revenue, lowering the effective budget deficit to $1.4 billion.

But it was the solving of Oregon's Medicaid budget shortfall ($900 million) that allowed the legislature to get out of session without any general tax increases on businesses or the public. HB 2391 levied a variety of taxes on hospitals, medical providers and health insurance premiums that would raise nearly $600 million in new revenue and leverage additional federal dollars to lower the overall budget gap to less than $500 million.

The bill represented a significant sacrifice by hospitals and other health care providers and consumers. It effectively paved the way for the legislature to balance the budget without additional revenue or the need for any special sessions.

In the wake of HB 2391, the legislature balanced the budget through modest program reductions, mostly by way of reducing the costs of 2016 voter-approved ballot measures on Career & Technical Education funding and Veterans' services funding.

Finally, the legislature passed a cost reduction measure - SB 1067 - which responded to demands from the business community to reduce long term costs. SB 1067 stopped the practice of including automatic inflation increases for services and supplies in state budgets, capped state government employment at 1% of the general population, and eliminated jobs left vacant more than six months. All told the savings were projected near $200 million.

What was conspicuously absent from the budget resolution was any additional reductions to the Public Employee Retirement System (PERS). Although the Senate deliberated on proposals to reduce PERS costs for over two months, the system remained untouched.

The closest that the legislature came to PERS reform was SB 1068, which would have redirected 2% of employee contributions from the Individual Account Program to shore up the unfunded liability of the pension program. The bill was scored as a $400 million biennial cost savings to the program.

But at the end of the day, Democrats would only agree to support SB 1068 if Republicans would agree to raise business taxes. No deal was made.

Business avoids a major tax increase

Very early in session, Senate Revenue Chair Mark Hass (D-Beaverton) signaled his desire to pass a major tax reform bill that would replace Oregon's corporate income tax with a gross receipts tax.

Business groups had just scored a decisive victory in November with the defeat of Measure 97 - a $6 billion gross receipts tax on large businesses. But Chair Hass was still intrigued by the prospect of a scaled down gross receipts tax measure that might avoid the economic pitfalls of Measure 97.

HB 2830 was the vehicle for Hass' tax reform effort. It would have created a gross receipts tax on all businesses with $3 million or more in Oregon sales and would have raised a little less than $1 billion in additional revenue for the upcoming 2017-19 budget. It took until early June for House Speaker Tina Kotek (D-Portland) to endorse the proposal. Up until that point, she had been holding out in the hopes for a tax plan that would raise closer to $4 billion.

But a comprehensive tax increase proposal needs a 3/5th supermajority approval from the legislature, meaning that at least one Republican was needed in each chamber to support the bill.

Chair Hass abandoned his effort to pass HB 2830 in late June when it became clear that there were no Republican legislators willing to vote for the bill.

The House Leadership quickly responded by passing a bill to increase taxes by $196 million on small business. HB 2060 eliminated the 'small business tax cut' passed by the 2013 legislature and passed by a bare majority in the House. But the Senate did not follow suit. By this time, the Senate had decided to balance the budget without additional revenue.

Transportation funding package passes against all odds

Rarely has there been an issue that combined such a universally acknowledged need (transportation infrastructure funding) with such massive political headwinds and pitfalls.

Although nearly everyone acknowledged the need for added investment in Oregon's transportation infrastructure, nearly every interest group was prepared to defeat legislation if it did not meet their needs.

Prior to the 2017 legislative session, the Legislative Assembly created the Joint Committee on Transportation Preservation and Modernization (JTPM) to develop a transportation policy and funding package for introduction during the 2017 session. The JTPM committee spent five months holding hearings across the state to take testimony from the public and local elected officials and to tour transportation facilities in preparation for assembling the legislation. Once the 2017 session began, the committee created five work groups to develop recommendations for highway preservation, traffic congestion, public transit, public safety, multimodal transportation, and accountability.

Their work product was embodied in HB 2017 which threaded the needle - a 7-year, $5.3 billion transportation funding plan which addressed major maintenance and seismic needs, multi-modal investment, traffic congestion relief and public transportation funding.

The bill passed both chambers in the last days of session with bipartisan majorities.

Going forward ... what we are watching for

Will the balanced budget hold? Any significant reversal of economic fortunes or fluctuation in revenues could wreak havoc on the 2017-19 budget. Remember, the 2017-19 budget was balanced on the strength of record high revenues.

The 2017-19 budget may still yet be in trouble. At least one lawmaker is preparing a referendum on the hospital taxes and health insurance premium taxes in HB 2391. A statewide special election would be called in January 2018 if enough signatures are gathered to force an election.

Will the legislature start planning now for the 2019-21 budget cycle? OSCC believes the 2017 legislature largely postponed the major budget calamity for another two years. The painful decisions will come in 2019.

What will the public employee unions do on taxes? They are already collecting signatures for a "Son of 97" gross receipts tax ballot measure. But will they double down on a losing 2016 effort and a failed attempt to raise taxes in 2017?

How will the Hospitals react to being treated so poorly in 2017? After voluntarily agreeing to tax themselves to help solve the budget gap, lawmakers doubled down and implemented price controls on services rendered to public employees. The shoe may be on the other foot in 2019 as Hospital cooperation is needed to extend the hospital tax for another tough budget cycle.

Will the bipartisan cooperation in the Oregon Senate continue to hold? While the bipartisan tone produced some meaningful outcomes for the 2017 legislature, it also risks causing some severe backlash among traditional democratic constituencies that want more action on progressive policies.

The organized business community is undergoing significant transformation. Associated Oregon Industries and the Oregon Business Association are now merged under the Oregon Business & Industry (OBI) name. It could result in significant business unification, or conversely, fracturing of the business community if OBI is perceived as too Portland-centric. The jury is out.

The 2018 legislative session will convene again February 5th

The 2018 session is Constitutionally limited to 35 days. Session will convene Monday, February 5th with a legal end date of 11:59 pm on Sunday, March 11th.

In the meantime, the legislature will convene for "legislative days" and committee meetings on September 18 - 20, November 13-15, and January 10-12.

To read OSCC's Legislative Session Recap on bills particular to the OSCC Legislative Priorities click here.

We will continue with our Advocacy calls, however they will be once a month out of session. A schedule will be sent out in the near future.

Thank you for all of your grassroots participation this session. It had a marked impact.

Best regards,

Alison Hart, Executive Director

alisonh@oregonchamber.org

503-231-5421

OSCC 2017 Legislative Report - Week 23

Tue, 11 Jul 2017 16:47:42 GMT

Dear OSCC Members and Colleagues -

The legislature is now done. The Senate adjourned at noon on Friday and the House followed suit at 3:30 Friday afternoon.

This is what happened in the final week of session that will impact local business communities.

Labor Bills:

BOLI Overtime Fix: House Bill 3458 was negotiated and passed with bipartisan majorities. It gives much needed relief to manufacturers and food processors from new BOLI regulations that required double overtime payments with employees who worked both 10+ hours per day and 40+ hours per week.

But it also capped the work week on all manufacturers and food producers at 60 hours per week.

Amendments were added that would allow up to 21 weeks of "undue hardship" that would allow food processing employees to work in excess of 60 hours per week. Seafood processors were exempted altogether.

While this was not a perfect bill for manufacturers and food producers, it achieved a hard fought policy victory of remedying a BOLI rule that would have imposed significant cost increases on manufacturers and food producers.

Predictive Scheduling: SB 828 passed with strong bipartisan support. The bill was watered down significantly to only apply to food service, retail and hospitality businesses with 500 or more employees. Business groups gain a statewide preemption on all local scheduling ordinances. It is OSCC's belief that the negotiated bill is a 'best case' scenario for Oregon businesses.

Environmental Regulation:

Cleaner Air Oregon: OSCC helped to totally defeat HB 2269, which would have increased Title V and ACDP fees to fund the new DEQ 'Cleaner Air Oregon' regulatory scheme. This was a total victory. DEQ's budget was also stripped of all money for the 'Cleaner Air Oregon' scheme.

Diesel engine regulations: SB 1008 was watered down totally to include no additional on-road or off-road diesel engine regulation. Instead, the bill just allowed the state to receive Volkswagen settlement monies and spend $20 million on upgrading local school bus fleets.

No additional environmental regulations passed. OSCC was cautious that the legislature might try to empower the Department of Energy to become the agency with direct responsibility for "Climate Change" policy and enforcement. Ultimately, that did not occur.

Liability:

Liability Costs / Damage Awards: All attempts to increase non-economic damage awards in civil lawsuits were defeated. The $500,000 limit on non-economic damages in civil lawsuits will stay in tact. HB 2807, which would have increased those limits to $10 million, was defeated in the final week of session. This issue, in particular, is testament to the power of staying vigilant. This issue was in play all 23 weeks of the legislative session, and we prevailed through persistence.

Business Taxes:

While the Oregon House narrowly approved HB 2060-A, which eliminated the 'small business tax cut' for employers with fewer than 10 full time employees, the Senate did not follow suit. The bill was effectively a $200 million tax increase on small business, but the Senate did not give the proposal any consideration in the final week.

Chamber grassroots activism made all the difference here. The feedback from Chambers all over the state made HB 2060 unpalatable in the Senate.

All attempts to raise business taxes in 2017 failed.

State Government Cost Reductions:

PERS Reform: All attempts to reform PERS were abandoned as legislative leadership threw in the towel on plans to pass a comprehensive tax increase. PERS reform and tax hikes were linked.

Cost Containment: Senate Bill 1067 had some good provisions - eliminating automatic inflation increases for services and supplies in state budgets, slowing down the process for filling vacant state government jobs, and eliminating jobs that have been left vacant more than six months. The savings were about $100 million for the biennium.

But the part of the bill that drew strong opposition from the business community was a limitation on health care reimbursements to hospitals for services rendered to public employees. This represents a $200 million cost shift onto the commercial market in addition to the $145 million health insurance premium tax that passed in HB 2391.

Transportation Package:
House Bill 2017 - a 7-year, $5.3 billion transportation funding package - passed the legislature with strong bipartisan support in the final days. There are several new taxes in the bill - gas taxes, registration fee increases, new vehicle surtaxes, and payroll taxes. You can see a summary of the bill here.

OSCC will be holding a legislative wrap up call on Friday 7/14. Additionally, a Legislative report card will come out around the end of the month.

Best regards,

Alison Hart
Executive Director
alisonh@oregonchamber.org
503-231-5421

Notice to Employers about OregonSaves' Statewide Launch

Tue, 11 Jul 2017 16:44:38 GMT

Dear East Portland Chamber of Commerce,

Later this month, the Oregon State Treasury will begin sending out notices to employers across the state about its new retirement savings program, OregonSaves. We wanted to make sure you knew that these notices would be going out, and we are hoping you might be able to help us raise awareness about the program’s rollout.

If possible, it would be great if you were able to include the message below in any upcoming newsletters you may be sending out or forward it to any mailing lists you might maintain for employers, employees, and others who might benefit from knowing about OregonSaves, such as CPAs, financial professionals, and payroll providers.

If you have any questions about OregonSaves, please contact our Client Services Team at 844-661-1256 (employer assistance) or 844-661-6777 (employee assistance). You can also email clientservices@oregonsaves.com.

Materials about OregonSaves can be found online at http://www.oregon.gov/retire/Pages/Newsroom.aspx, including an animated video that explains what the program is and how it works, a PowerPoint presentation and recorded webinar, and informational flyers in English, Spanish, and Russian.

--- NOTICE ---

The Oregon State Treasury is launching a new program called OregonSaves that may impact your business, clients, and members. OregonSaves is a simple and convenient way for workers to save for retirement. It allows them to save a part of each paycheck through payroll deductions facilitated by their employer and invest their savings in professionally-managed investment options in a Roth individual retirement account. The account is also portable, allowing them to take it with them from job to job.

Any business with employees that does not sponsor a qualified retirement plan* will need to register to facilitate OregonSaves for its employees. The registration process is designed to be simple in order to limit any burden on employers. Employers can choose to offer their own retirement plans to some or all of their employees instead of participating in the program.

The program is scheduled to roll out in phases, and the State will let employers know when their phase will begin. The deadlines for employers to register to facilitate are as follows:

An employer employing 100 or more employees: November 15, 2017
An employer employing 50 to 99 employees: May 15, 2018
An employer employing 20 to 49 employees: December 15, 2018
An employer employing 10 to 19 employees: May 15, 2019
An employer employing 5 to 9 employees: November 15, 2019
An employer employing 4 or fewer employees: May 15, 2020

The State will send a notice about the program to employers approximately six months before their registration deadline. The State will send another notice to employers one month before the deadline with instructions about how to register. Employers will have until the applicable deadline above to complete the registration process.

For more information, including answers to frequently asked questions, visit www.oregonsaves.com or call (844) 661-1256.

*A qualified retirement plan includes a plan qualified under Internal Revenue Code sections 401(a) (including a 401(k) plan), qualified annuity plan under section 403(a), tax-sheltered annuity plan under section 403(b), Simplified Employee Pension plan under section 408(k), a SIMPLE IRA plan under section 408(p) or governmental deferred compensation plan under section 457(b). It does not include payroll deduction IRAs.

OregonSaves is overseen by the Oregon Retirement Savings Board. Ascensus College Savings Recordkeeping Services, LLC (“ACRS”) is the program administrator. ACRS and its affiliates are responsible for day-to-day program operations. Participants saving through OregonSaves beneficially own and have control over their Roth IRAs, as provided in the program offering set out at saver.oregonsaves.com.

OregonSaves' Portfolios offer investment options selected by the Oregon Retirement Savings Board. For more information on OregonSaves' Portfolios go to saver.oregonsaves.com. Account balances in OregonSaves will vary with market conditions and are not guaranteed or insured by the Oregon Retirement Savings Board, the State of Oregon, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) or any other organization.

OregonSaves is a completely voluntary retirement program and investing in a Roth IRA will not be appropriate for all individuals. Employer facilitation of OregonSaves should not be considered an endorsement or recommendation by your employer of OregonSaves or Roth IRA investments. Roth IRAs are not exclusive to OregonSaves and can be obtained outside of the program and contributed to outside of payroll deduction. Contributing to an OregonSaves Roth IRA through payroll deduction offers some tax benefits and consequences. You should consult your tax or financial advisor if you have any tax or financial related questions.

--- END OF NOTICE --

All the Best,

Joel Metlen, Public Engagement Manager, OregonSaves

Oregon State Treasury

503.559.4154

Joel.metlen@ost.state.or.us | www.oregonsaves.com

OSCC Daily Legislative Update July 6, 2017

Fri, 07 Jul 2017 18:54:37 GMT

Dear OSCC Members & Colleagues:

Here's a legislative update for today. We expect that the legislature will adjourn tonight.

What's happening:

We have defeated HB 2060-A which repealed the small business tax cut passed by the 2013 legislature. It would have been a direct $200 million tax increase on small business, but the Senate did not move forward with the legislation.
The transportation funding package - HB 2017 - passed the House last night and will likely pass the Senate today. This is a 7-year, $5.3 billion funding package that levies several new taxes and puts billions in new investments into the state transportation system. You can read the summary here.
Predictive scheduling - SB 828 - passed with strong bipartisan support. The bill requires 7-day advance notice of scheduling with additional wages due for scheduling changes. It applies to retailers, hospitality establishments and food service establishments with 500 or more employees. In return, business gets a preemption on all local workplace scheduling ordinances.
The 'Overtime Fix' legislation - HB 3458 - will gain final passage today. The bill fixes an adverse BOLI ruling that levies double overtime payments when a manufacturing employee reaches both daily and weekly overtime thresholds. The final legislation takes into account many industry concerns that were raised during the course of the debate. The bill passed the Senate 30-0 yesterday. Final approval in the House is expected to be strongly bipartisan.
We have defeated all attempts to increase Oregon's $500,000 non-economic damage limits. SB 487, SB 737, and HB 2807 were all defeated. Business and health care groups, including key local Chambers, were very effective at blocking this legislation all session.
The major rent control legislation - HB 2004 - was defeated in the final days.
Our belief that there was an expedited pathway to balancing the state budget and adjourning with (1) no additional tax revenue needed, and (2) without the need for a "special session" to balance the budget, has proven to be true. But all of this will be totally contingent on the state's economy providing record amounts of revenue. The state budget is balancing on the head of a pin. If there's a hiccup in the state's economy, we'll likely be in some trouble.

Sine Die:

Legislators are working aggressively to adjourn this evening. The work may bleed over until tomorrow, but at any rate, the die is cast and all bills are simply waiting for floor votes. There are no bills left in committee.

OSCC Activity:

THANK YOU for the overwhelming response to the OSCC ACTION ALERT on HB 2060-A. Local chambers were a HUGE factor in the Senate not moving forward with HB 2060-A.

Best regards,

Alison Hart
Executive Director
alisonh@oregonchamber.org
503-231-5421

OSCC Daily Legislative Update June 23, 2017

Mon, 26 Jun 2017 16:15:38 GMT

Dear OSCC Members & Colleagues:

Here is your daily update.

What's happening:

The House is convening today in a special Friday session to vote on HB 2060-A which repeals the small business tax cut passed by the 2013 legislature. OSCC has issued a floor letter on this bill.
As highlighted in The Oregonian yesterday, we do not believe we will see additional efforts to pass either comprehensive tax legislation or PERS reform.
Predictive scheduling - SB 828 - passed the Senate yesterday with a strong 23-5 bipartisan vote. We expect quick passage in the House as well. The bill requires 7-day advance notice of scheduling with additional wages due for scheduling changes. It applies to retailers, hospitality establishments and food service establishments with 500 or more employees. In return, business gets a preemption on all local workplace scheduling ordinances.
We continue to believe that a major agreement is holding on a transportation package (HB 2017) and expect to see amendments by Monday.

What to watch for today:

We'll be watching the House floor vote on HB 2060-A today. It is an extraordinary development to see that House leadership is moving toward a direct $200 million tax on small business.

OSCC Activity:

OSCC has issued an ACTION ALERT on HB 2060-A. If the House passes HB 2060-A (which we expect it will with the narrowest majority possible), we will issue the Action Alert again for the Senate.

Best regards,

Alison Hart
Executive Director
alisonh@oregonchamber.org
503-231-5421

OSCC 2017 Legislative Report - Week 19

Tue, 13 Jun 2017 18:42:59 GMT

Dear OSCC Members and Colleagues -

What a difference a week makes.

If the legislature solves the state's Medicaid budget shortfall of $900 million - which it is poised to do with a variety of taxes on hospitals, medical providers and insurance premiums embedded in HB 2391 - then the legislature needs to find only $500 million (out of a nearly $21 billion budget) to solve the budget shortfall.

There are many ways this can happen, including finding efficiencies and cost reductions (pay attention to SB 1067) as well as the use of one-time funds that are found in various accounts sprinkled throughout state government.

Suddenly, it appears that the legislature can actually balance its budget with no additional business taxes and adjourn by the July 10th constitutional deadline.

Interestingly, Governor Kate Brown's final "to do" list, which she unveiled last week, does not contain tax increases. Her final three priorities are (1) a transportation funding package, (2) solving the state Medicaid shortfall, and (3) passing a state government cost reduction bill (SB 1067).

Here's a look at the major issues still in play with 30 days left.

Labor Bills:
BOLI Overtime Fix: No new developments on HB 3458. OSCC very much supports the underlying bill which fixes a negative BOLI interpretation requiring manufacturers to pay both daily and weekly overtime, which results in double overtime payments. But with HB 3458, the price is too high because it caps workweeks at 60 hours per week, which will have significant workforce implications for manufacturers, particularly those in areas with labor shortages. OSCC will oppose the bill so long as the 60 hour work week cap is contained in the bill.

Predictive Scheduling: SB 828 is the subject of 11th hour negotiations. The bill has been watered down to only apply to food service, retail and hospitality businesses with 500 or more employees. Business groups gain a statewide preemption on all local scheduling ordinances. As a backdrop to the discussion, the unions have even filed two prospective ballot measures on the issue, presumably to pressure lawmakers into passing something now. The ballot measures filed by the unions are much more intrusive and harmful to business. As the bill gets continually watered down, it appears that the unions are becoming less interested in it and more interested in the prospective ballot measures.

Paid Family Leave: The conversation around this bill - HB 3087 - is resurrecting, but the fact remains that because the new paid leave program requires a new payroll tax on employers and a new income tax on employees, it requires a 3/5 vote of the legislature, which it won't get. However, we need to pay attention to it because it is getting a fair amount of 11th hour attention from advocates and Democratic leadership.

Environmental Regulation:
Cleaner Air Oregon: HB 2269 would increase Title V and ACDP fees to fund the new DEQ 'Cleaner Air Oregon' regulatory scheme. We do have the votes to defeat this legislation at present as the current regulations being proposed by DEQ will kill off many local employers who won't be able to comply with the new emissions standards. We are supporting amendments to the bill which will force DEQ to work cooperatively with the business community instead of just running us over. The fundamental question here is whether we can leverage short term political strength on this issue to force a long term regulatory process that's workable for us.

Diesel engine regulations: SB 1008 is the diesel engine regulatory bill that looks poised to move in some form this year. There are new amendments that are being hailed as a compromise between industry and environmental advocates. We'll let you know as we receive and analyze amendments.

Liability:
Liability Costs / Damage Awards: The trial lawyers' third attempt at trying to increase damage awards for negligence and personal injury lawsuits is faltering. Having been defeated with SB 487, then SB 737, the trial lawyers stuffed their amendments into HB 2807 and passed the bill out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on a partisan vote. HB 2807 increases non-economic damage limits from $500,000 to $10 million. We believe that we have the votes to defeat this bill for a third time.

Business Taxes:
Gross Receipts Taxes (GRT): Pay attention to HB 2830. This is the bill that will be used to push an end-of-session tax plan that implements a 0.48% baseline gross receipts tax on all businesses with $3 million or more in Oregon sales. The most recent development is that House Speaker Tina Kotek has now joined forces with Senate Revenue Chair Mark Hass to support this baseline GRT proposal. The reason this is significant is because previously, Kotek and her progressive allies made very clear they did not support Hass' GRT plan because it did not raise enough new revenue. She has now endorsed Hass' plan. OSCC is opposed to this bill and will continue to work in concert with the business coalition to keep it from moving forward.

Temporary Tax Plan: We are also watching for a temporary tax plan that's been introduced that would increase the corporate income tax from 7.6% to 9.0%, eliminate the pass-through tax cuts passed by the 2013 legislature, and double the corporate minimum tax on all companies. This plan is being referred to as the "Bridge Plan."

Use of TRT funds: HB 2064 is the bill that expands the allowable use of TRT monies to include 'beautification' and maintenance on tourist facilities. We anticipate that the House Revenue Committee will finally take up this issue this week over the objections of local Chambers of Commerce and the Oregon Restaurant and Lodging Association. Stay tuned for updates on this issue as it may potentially move forward.

Other tax legislation of concern to OSCC members includes HB 2067, which blacklists certain countries as 'tax havens' and increases the tax burden on Oregon companies with affiliates located in these tax havens. HB 2067 blacklists some countries such as the Netherlands and Switzerland that have significant investment in Oregon. We believe we can stop this legislation.

HB 2019, which requires the public disclosure of Oregon taxes of any company that avails itself of at least $5,000 in Oregon tax credits, is also a bill that OSCC is actively engaged in. OSCC joins its business association partners in opposition to this intrusive bill. It is clearly meant to harass companies for whom the unions don't believe pay their "fair share." We believe this legislation is an active threat.

State Government Cost Reductions:
The bill that's being pushed here is SB 1067, which would stop including automatic inflation increases for services and supplies in state budgets, saving a projected $211 million in the next biennium, slow down the process for filling vacant state government jobs, saving as much as $145.3 million in the next biennium, and eliminate jobs that were left vacant more than six months, saving an estimated $67.8 million in the next biennium.

But the part of the bill that's drawing opposition from OSCC and the business community is a limitation on health care reimbursements to hospitals for public employees. This represents a major cost shift onto the commercial market. Click here to see the testimony that OSCC submitted in opposition to1067.

PERS Reform: The bill to watch is SB 1068. The bill is being panned as largely symbolic, but it does re-direct 2% of employee contributions from the Individual Account Program to shore up the unfunded liability of the pension program. Democratic leadership is offering this bill as a "carrot" to help incent Republicans to support revenue increases. But to date, Republicans have concluded that the bill doesn't save enough money to warrant tax increases.

Transportation Funding:
We do not yet have a political bead on HB 2017, the 300-page comprehensive transportation funding bill. The bill is weighted down with several tax increases - enough to produce over $8 billion over ten years - such as an increase in the gas tax, weight mile tax, a payroll tax, a bicycle sales tax and a tax on auto dealers.

The bill is opposed by several business groups including the Trucking Association and the Fuels Association. The bill was even opposed by the government employee unions, who insisted that the legislature must pass corporate tax increases as a precursor to a transportation bill. The unions threatened to refer HB 2017 to the ballot if the legislature failed to pass business tax increases.

Further complicating the bill politically is that it does not contain any cost control provisions for the low carbon fuel standard, which Republicans have insisted upon.

But the overall sheer desire to see a transportation funding package pass by both parties is what is keeping the bill alive. A "normal" bill would not otherwise survive these political headwinds.

Alison Hart, Executive Director
alisonh@oregonchamber.org
503-231-5421

JL Wilson, Legislative Counsel
jlwilson@pacounsel.org
503-363-2182

OSCC 2017 Legislative Report - Week 18

Tue, 13 Jun 2017 18:41:01 GMT

Dear OSCC Members and Colleagues -

We continue to believe that the legislature has no real political pathway to balance the budget and finish its business in time for the July 10th constitutional deadline.

There are not the votes to pass major "cuts" budgets. There are not the votes to pass meaningful cost savings legislation. There are not the votes to pass increased taxes.

We have heard that the Democratic leadership has a major PERS reform bill they are willing to pass, but only if Republicans supply votes for tax increases. Republicans aren't interested.

Everything just feels stuck.

But in the meantime, OSCC recognizes and applauds the effort of Senate President Peter Courtney, who has made a determined effort to keep partisan bills off the Senate floor in the waning days - which generally has benefited business.

Two major things happened in the past week:

First, the business community - organized under the banner of the "Brighter Oregon" coalition - testified for the first time in the Joint Tax Reform Committee on its views on taxes and revenue. Tillamook Creamery CEO Patrick Criteser represented the business community and testified to the business community's willingness to come to the table with increased revenues if the legislature did the hard work of balancing the current budget with available revenues.

Second, the union-backed Our Oregon coalition, which sponsored the failed Measure 97, unveiled three more potential ballot measures for the November 2017 ballot. One measure would implement another major gross receipts tax - a "Son of 97." Another measure would require public disclosure of corporate tax information. A third measure would eliminate the 3/5th supermajority vote of the legislature needed to raise taxes.

Fortunately, business groups have the Measure 97 infrastructure intact to respond quickly to these ballot initiatives should the unions decide to pursue them.

Key Labor Bills:

BOLI Overtime Fix: OSCC continues to exert its influence on HB 3458, which fixes a new BOLI interpretation that requires food processors to pay both daily and weekly overtime when applicable. But the house bill requires too high of a price to fix this BOLI interpretation by placing a hard limit of a 60 hours workweek cap for all manufacturers. We have heard clearly from businesses across the state that a 60 hour workweek cap will irreparably harm operations of many chamber members.

The bill is effectively blocked right now due to concerns about the 60 hour workweek limit, but we do hope that legislative leaders will pass the underlying bill without the cap. The underlying bill which strictly fixes BOLI's interpretation (SB 984) has already passed the Senate unanimously. But it appears House leadership won't support the bill unless it contains some provisions favored by the unions.

Predictive Scheduling: OSCC believes that SB 828, which implements predictive scheduling for food service, retail and hospitality businesses, will start to gain traction again before the end of session. Business groups are hoping to leverage the bill to get a permanent statewide ban on local scheduling mandates. Unions are coalescing to try and pass this bill as it is their last major opportunity to pass 'pro-worker' legislation. The bill is undergoing several changes to gain the necessary business and union support. The latest version of the bill applies only to companies with 500 or more employees.

As a backdrop to the discussion, the unions have even filed two prospective ballot measures on the issue, presumably to pressure lawmakers into passing something now. The ballot measures filed by the unions are much more intrusive and harmful to business.

Environmental Regulation:

Cleaner Air Oregon: HB 2269 would increase Title V and ACDP fees to fund the new DEQ 'Cleaner Air Oregon' regulatory scheme. OSCC testified in opposition to HB 2269. We do have the votes to defeat this legislation at present as the current regulations being proposed by DEQ will kill off many local employers who won't be able to comply with the new emissions standards. We believe there will be amendments to the bill which will force DEQ to work cooperatively with the business community instead of just running us over. OSCC is cautiously optimistic we could get a workable outcome here.

Diesel engine regulations: SB 1008 is the diesel engine regulatory bill that keeps resurrecting as environmental groups desperately seek some sort of victory in 2017. The bill is the subject of new negotiations. As it stands now, the bill requires the state to do an inventory of all off-road diesel engines in Oregon and requires that the data be aggregated. But this clearly isn't enough to satisfy environmental groups. OSCC is actively monitoring the issue. We believe that several moderate Democrats will not allow the bill to become any more intrusive than it already is.

Liability:

Liability Costs / Damage Awards: The trial lawyers' third attempt at trying to increase damage awards for negligence and personal injury lawsuits is going about as well as the previous two attempts. Having been defeated with SB 487, then SB 737 , the trial lawyers stuffed their amendments into HB 2807 and passed the bill out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on a partisan vote. HB 2807 increases non-economic damage limits from $500,000 to $10 million. OSCC believes we have the votes to defeat this bill for yet a third time.

Taxes:

Tax legislation of concern to OSCC members includes HB 2067, which blacklists certain countries as 'tax havens' and increases the tax burden on Oregon companies with affiliates located in these tax havens. HB 2067 blacklists some countries such as the Netherlands and Switzerland that have significant investment in Oregon. HB 2067 was sent back to committee this past week when it was clear it did not have the votes to pass the House. Amendments could be forthcoming.

HB 2019, which requires the public disclosure of Oregon taxes of any company that avails itself of at least $5,000 in Oregon tax credits, is also a bill that OSCC is actively engaged in. OSCC joins its business association partners in opposition to this intrusive bill. It is clearly meant to harass companies for whom the unions don't believe pay their "fair share."

HB 2064 could be used to allow diversions of TRT revenues to local "tourism related" projects in lieu of tourism promotion. Local governments, especially cities, have been seeking this change for several years, but have been successfully rebuffed by the tourism industry, particularly the state restaurant and lodging association. OSCC will be watching for amendments to HB 2064. We expect that House Revenue Committee chair Phil Barnhart will continue to make some noise on the issue, but we don't expect it has the momentum to make it through the legislative process.

HB 2391: Hospital taxes. This is the bill to watch for the taxes that will be needed to fund the state Medicaid shortfalls. The current tax scheme proposed by HB 2391 includes some provisions that business will generally support - increasing the Hospital Tax from 5.3% to 6.0% and adding rural hospitals into the tax scheme at a 4% rate. But there are also some elements not supported by business, including a 1.5% premium tax on health insurance plans. The total package raises about $575 million in new revenue.

Alison Hart, Executive Director
alisonh@oregonchamber.org
503-231-5421

JL Wilson, Legislative Counsel
jlwilson@pacounsel.org
503-363-2182

OSCC 2017 Legislative Report - Week 17

Mon, 05 Jun 2017 18:16:47 GMT

Dear OSCC Members and Colleagues -

Here's a Week 17 recap of key issues in the Oregon legislature.

It's getting hard to see how the legislature is going to be able to bring this session in for a landing by the Constitutional end date of July 10th. The gulfs between Democrats and Republicans, and between the House and the Senate, seem almost insurmountable.

There is a $1.4 billion difference between available revenue and the budgets that legislative leadership want to pass.

There are not enough votes to pass any of the big budgets. There are not enough votes to pass any increases in revenue. Legislative leadership has been slow to unveil any meaningful reductions in state government costs. There also does not appear to be the necessary votes to pass a meaningful investment into the state's transportation system, either.

In short, it's a mess.

This article from the Oregonian over the weekend is the most accurate assessment of the 2017 legislature as it stands today.

Also of note...this is another important week in the legislature as June 2nd is the next hard deadline of the session. By Thursday, all bills must pass their final policy committee or else they are considered dead. After Thursday, the only committees that will be open are House & Senate Rules, House & Senate Revenue, and any Joint Committee. All policy committees will be closed by the end of the week.

Key Labor Bills:

BOLI Overtime Fix: SB 984 fixes BOLI's bad interpretation on daily/weekly overtime pay and passed the Senate unanimously. But the House is prepared to kill this bill and replace it with House Bill 3458, which includes all the elements of SB 984 that manufacturing employers need but also includes some seriously harmful provisions including a hard cap on hours that an employee may work at 60/hrs per week. OSCC is working hard to strip this provision out of the bill. OSCC can only support the bill if this provision is taken out. OSCC can't support knowingly hurting businesses, especially those in rural areas with workforce shortages, by supporting a bill with a 60 hour workweek limit.

Predictive Scheduling: OSCC is still concerned that SB 828, which implements predictive scheduling for food service, retail and hospitality businesses, will gain traction before the end of session. As part of the bill, business groups including AOI and the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association are seeking a total, permanent statewide ban on local scheduling mandates. Unions are coalescing to try and pass this bill as it is their last major opportunity to pass 'pro-worker' legislation. The unions have even filed a ballot measure on the issue, presumably to pressure lawmakers into passing some version of SB 828 and to force business groups to the table.

Union Organizing & Sick Leave Penalties: OSCC believes it has now killed a nasty bill - HB 2856 - which creates a Community Outreach and Labor Education Program within BOLI to promote awareness of employee rights. The bill takes $2 million of employer-paid money (Wage Security Fund) to fund union organizing campaigns. In addition, the bill also adds punitive damages to Oregon's paid sick leave mandate. OSCC is actively working to oppose this bill in the Ways & Means Committee.

Environmental Regulation:

Cleaner Air Oregon: The big bill here is HB 2269, which would increase Title V and ACDP fees to fund the new DEQ 'Cleaner Air Oregon' regulatory scheme. OSCC testified in opposition to HB 2269. We anticipate this will be the major environmental fight of the session. OSCC and business groups are not seeking to kill the bill so much as get the DEQ to work with business in a cooperative way around these regulations. The current proposed regulations will put many manufacturers out of compliance and prove very costly for local business communities and cause a loss of local jobs.

Diesel engine regulations: SB 1008 is the diesel engine regulatory bill that won't die. It is the subject of new negotiations. As it stands now, the bill simply requires the state to do an inventory of all off-road diesel engines in Oregon. OSCC believes it is premature to engage in diesel engine regulation without taking inventory of off-road engines in use throughout the state. But environmental proponents are hoping to score some kind of win with diesel engines, so the bill is undergoing 11th hour discussion and negotiation that would implement California-style regulations on off-road engines. OSCC is actively engaged in this issue.

Liability:

Liability Costs/Damage Awards: Last week the trial lawyer association took yet another stab - their third - at trying to increase damage awards for negligence and personal injury lawsuits. Having been defeated with SB 487, then SB 737, the trial lawyers stuffed their amendments into HB 2807 and passed the bill out of the Senate Judiciary Committee. HB 2807 increases non-economic damage limits from $500,000 to $10 million for all lawsuits with the exception of wrongful death suits. This is a perfect case-in-point on why organizations need to stay vigilant until the final gavel drops. The bill is designed to pierce policy limits and force health care providers to settle out of court even on marginal claims. OSCC believes we have a good opportunity to defeat this bill for yet a third time.

Business Taxes:

Tax legislation of concern to OSCC members includes HB 2067, which blacklists certain countries as 'tax havens' and increases the tax burden on Oregon companies with affiliates located in these 'tax havens.' HB 2067 blacklists some countries such as the Netherlands and Switzerland that have significant investment and companies in Oregon. HB 2019, which requires the public disclosure of Oregon sales and Oregon taxes of any company that avails itself of at least $5,000 in Oregon tax credits, is also a bill that OSCC is actively engaged in. OSCC joins its business association partners in opposition to these bills.

Also of note, the Gross Receipts Tax (GRT) proposal being developed by Senator Mark Hass is inching forward, but as of today does not appear to have the votes to advance. There is pressure coming from both the business community and progressive Democrats in opposition to the proposal. The business community is not generally supportive of the GRT due to the significant bottom line impacts to low margin and unprofitable companies, and progressive Democrats believe that Hass' proposal raises far too little (less than $1 billion) in new revenue. The progressives are seeking more than $3 billion in new revenue from a GRT.

We do not see a resolution to this in the offing, other than the legislature continuing to fund state government by use of temporary 'Continuing Resolutions' and coming back into special session after some cooling off has occurred. We do not see a clear pathway to bridging the $1.4 billion budget gap with six weeks left in the legislative session.

Alison Hart, Executive Director
alisonh@oregonchamber.org
503-231-5421

JL Wilson, Legislative Counsel
jlwilson@pacounsel.org
503-363-2182

OSCC 2017 Legislative Report - Week 16

Thu, 25 May 2017 20:08:58 GMT

Dear OSCC Members and Colleagues -

Here's a Week 16 recap of key issues in the Oregon legislature.

The biggest issue of Week 16 was the release of the May revenue forecast, which historically has signaled the 'home stretch' of the legislative session. The reason the May forecast is so important is because it informs the legislature of the amount of money it will have to budget for the upcoming 2-year budget cycle.

The May 2017 forecast was sensational. In all, it produced $600 million in added revenues, BUT it also produced a $400 million personal "kicker" rebate due to revenues coming in too high. So on balance, the legislature will net an additional $187 million for the upcoming 2017-19 budget cycle.

To remind members of the budget context of this session - when the legislature convened in February, it assumed it had a $1.8 billion budget deficit. Then the February forecast produced an extra $200 million, meaning that the budget deficit had shrunk to $1.6 billion. Now the budget deficit is reduced further to just over $1.4 billion.

This has created an interesting dynamic in which Democrats argue that they need new revenue in order to justify passing reduced budgets or passing cost-savings proposals. Democrats don't have the votes to pass budgets that cut programs and Republicans certainly won't help them. In addition, Republicans will not help Democrats pass tax increases, either. They argue that there is no need to pass revenue enhancements when the state is bringing in record amounts of revenue.

It is getting increasingly difficult to see how the legislature passes a balanced budget and adjourns. People are starting to talk about special sessions as if it's a foregone conclusion.

Key Labor Bills

BOLI Overtime Fix: SB 984 fixes BOLI's bad interpretation on daily/weekly overtime pay and passed the Senate unanimously. But as of now, it appears that the House is prepared to kill this bill and replace it with HB 3458, which includes all the elements of SB 984 that manufacturing employers need but also includes some seriously harmful provisions, including a hard cap on hours that an employee may work at 60/hrs per week. As of now, OSCC believes this could have a severely damaging effect on food producers and will oppose the bill. However, if OSCC is successful in deleting the 60/hr week workweek cap, we will support the bill.

Predictive Scheduling: SB 828 implements predictive scheduling for food service, retail and hospitality businesses. As part of the bill, business is seeking a total, permanent statewide ban on local scheduling mandates. Unions are coalescing to try and pass this bill as it is their last major opportunity to pass 'pro-worker' legislation. The bill is dormant - for now. OSCC expects that this will become a major issue in the waning days of session. Some business groups are now seeking to pass the bill if it contains a total statewide preemption on local government scheduling ordinances.

Union Organizing & Sick Leave Penalties: OSCC is working to kill a bad bill - HB 2856 - which creates a Community Outreach and Labor Education Program within BOLI to promote awareness of employee rights. The bill takes $2 million of employer-paid money (Wage Security Fund) to fund union organizing efforts. In addition, the bill also adds punitive damages to Oregon's paid sick leave mandate. OSCC is actively working to oppose this bill in the Ways & Means Committee. We do believe we'll be successful in defeating this bill.

Environmental Regulation

Cleaner Air Oregon: The big bill here is HB 2269, which would increase Title V and ACDP fees to fund the new DEQ 'Cleaner Air Oregon' regulatory scheme. OSCC testified in opposition to HB 2269 last week in the Ways & Means Natural Resources subcommittee. It will receive another public hearing this week. We do anticipate this will be the major environmental fight of the session.

OSCC can have an impact on this issue. Special thanks to the Springfield Chamber for working with the City of Springfield to testify and to the Klamath County Chamber who submitted a letter in opposition, which you can view here. OSCC encourages Chambers to send letters testifying against this bill to the Joint Ways and Means Subcommittee on Natural Resources jwmnr.exhibits@oregonlegislature.gov with customized information on how this bill will effect your members. Testimony must be submitted by Wednesday May 24th at 12pm. Talking points on HB 2269 are provided here.

Diesel engine regulations: SB 1008 popped up again and is the subject of new negotiations. As it stands now, the bill simply requires the state to do an inventory of all off-road diesel engines in Oregon. OSCC believes it is premature to engage in diesel engine regulation without taking inventory of off-road engines in use throughout the state. But environmental proponents are hoping to score some kind of win with diesel engines, so the bill is undergoing 11th hour discussion and negotiation. OSCC is actively engaged in this issue.

Liability

Liability Costs / Damage Awards: We received notice late Friday that the trial lawyers would take yet another stab - their third - at trying to increase damage awards for negligence and personal injury lawsuits. It appears that having been defeated with SB 487, then SB 737, the trial lawyers will try and stuff their amendments into HB 2807 this week. This is a perfect case-in-point on why organizations need to stay vigilant until the final gavel drops. The bill is designed to pierce policy limits and force companies to settle out of court even on marginal claims.

Tourism

The battle over the use of TRT funds is picking up steam in the House Revenue Committee. As anticipated, HB 2064 was unveiled last week with several amendments that would change current parameters around use of TRT funds. The
-1 amendments would allow TRT dollars to be spent on an expanded list of tourism-related expenditures not related to tourism promotion. The -2 amendments would increase local government share of future TRT revenues to 50 percent (currently it's locked in at 30 percent). But at the end of the hearing, the committee did not adopt any amendments or take action on the bill.

OSCC will keep close watch on this issue as it develops.

Business Taxes

OSCC is actively engaged in the business tax reform discussion with Senator Mark Hass. There are several competing proposals to reform business taxes, all of which contemplate a new Gross Receipts Tax (GRT). The GRT discussion is inching along. Despite assertions in the Oregonian that a compromise deal is in the works, it still remains a faraway possibility.

The progressive Democrats oppose Hass' plan because it raises far too little in revenue. The Republicans have no intention of voting for tax increases when revenue is streaming into the state (see revenue forecast discussion above).

OSCC wants to emphasize that these discussions are extremely fluid and there is nothing set in stone. Any GRT proposal at this stage would be predicated on budget cuts/government efficiencies that are not materializing at this point.

Other tax legislation of concern includes HB 2067, which blacklists certain countries as 'tax havens' and increases tax burden on companies with Oregon affiliates located in these tax havens, and HB 2019, which requires the public disclosure of Oregon sales and Oregon taxes of any company that avails itself of at least $1,000 in Oregon tax credits. OSCC joins its business association partners in opposition to these bills.

Government Cost Savings

OSCC sees no progress to-date on PERS reform, health care cost savings, state hiring freezes, etc. Proposals and ideas are being tossed around loosely but there has been absolutely no concrete policy development or leadership around any of these ideas.

Alison Hart, Executive Director
alisonh@oregonchamber.org
503-231-5421

JL Wilson, Legislative Counsel
jlwilson@pacounsel.org
503-363-2182

Christian Kaylor May 2017 Presentation to the East Portland Chamber

Tue, 16 May 2017 23:59:19 GMT

Christian Kaylor is a Workforce Economist for the Oregon Employment Department, specializing in the Portland are. He provides data analysis and advice relating to the Portland economy to local businesses, business associations and government agencies to facilitate intelligent decision making. His monthly newsletter on the Portland economy has 750 subscribers.

Please click here to download his May 2017 presentation to the East Portland Chamber of Commerce.

OSCC 2017 Legislative Report - Week 15

Tue, 16 May 2017 23:49:16 GMT

Dear OSCC Members and Colleagues -

Here's a week 15 recap of key issues in the Oregon legislature.

Key Labor Bills:

Predictive Scheduling: SB 828 implements predictive scheduling for food service, retail and hospitality businesses. As part of the bill, business is seeking a total, permanent statewide ban on local scheduling mandates. Unions are coalescing to try and pass this bill as it is their last major opportunity to pass 'pro-worker' legislation. The bill is dormant - for now, however OSCC expects that this will resurface and become a major issue in the waning days of session.

Wage Equity: HB 2005 would mandate wage equity among all protected classes for similar jobs. The problem with the bill for business is that it is broadly applied to all Oregon protected classes, it adds a new protected class (armed services veterans), it includes punitive damages, and that each paycheck for which a discrimination is claimed represents its own claim for damages. The bill was amended this past week in the Senate to be slightly more employer-friendly (more affirmative defenses) and to include more bona fide business reasons for wage disparities. Some business groups are now even supporting the legislation. At the very least, it's a more palatable bill than the one that passed the House.

BOLI Overtime Fix: SB 984 fixes BOLI's bad interpretation on daily/weekly overtime pay and passed the Senate unanimously. It's a good bill, but the unions may negotiate a heavy price for this bill in the House including a hard cap on hours that an employee may work at 60/hours per week. OSCC believes this could have a severely damaging effect on food producers. OSCC is expecting a new bill to be introduced in the House this week to encompass all the elements. OSCC will be seeking member feedback.

Union Organizing & Sick Leave Penalties: HB 2856 OSCC is working to kill a nasty little bill, which creates a Community Outreach and Labor Education Program within BOLI to promote awareness of employee rights. The bill takes $2 million of employer-paid money (Wage Security Fund) to establish the program. If that weren't bad enough, the bill also adds punitive damages to Oregon's mandatory paid sick leave law. OSCC is actively working to oppose this bill in the Ways & Means Committee.

Environmental Regulation:
Cleaner Air Oregon: HB 2269 This big bill would increase Title V and ACDP fees to fund the new DEQ 'Cleaner Air Oregon' regulatory scheme. This will likely be the big environmental fight of the session. If the 'Cleaner Air Oregon' regulations are allowed to go forward, it will put many manufacturers out of compliance and may prove very costly for local business communities. OSCC will keep members apprised. OSCC testified in opposition to HB 2269 last week in the Ways & Means Natural Resources subcommittee.

Liability:
Liability Costs / Damage Awards: SB 737, which would eliminate the $500k cap on non-economic damages in civil lawsuits (product liability, negligence, personal injury, etc.), is the trial lawyer's top priority for 2017. We defeated it on the Senate floor earlier this month, but the bill was sent back to the Senate Rules committee, where we expect it will continue to get attention until the final gavel drops. This is a key business bill and OSCC will be paying close attention to it until the end.

Business Taxes:
OSCC is actively engaged in the business tax reform discussion with Senator Mark Hass. There are several competing proposals to reform business taxes, all of which contemplate a new Gross Receipts Tax (GRT).

Senator Hass is contemplating a GRT at about 0.48% for all businesses with more than $1 million in Oregon sales. He has explicitly stated he will not entertain Speaker Kotek's and House Democratic Leadership's proposal of 0.95%.

Small Business Tax Cut: OSCC is particularly concerned about SB 164, which limits the 2013 small business tax cut to just a few traded sector industries. Even worse, the amendments we've seen says that a business must have at least 10 employees to receive the tax cut. OSCC testified in opposition to the changes in SB 164 that are aimed at reducing the ability for small business to claim the reduced tax rates. OSCC believes the small business tax cut should be expanded to include sole proprietors and not limited to larger-sized small businesses.

Tax Disclosure: HB 2019 is very troubling for OSCC. It would require any business that claims $1,000 or more in state tax credits to disclose certain tax information such as Oregon sales, Oregon taxable income, and Oregon tax liability. OSCC is very concerned about a state policy that publicizes confidential tax information and gives activists a platform to politicize corporate tax returns.

Government Cost Savings:
PERS reform, health care cost savings, state hiring freezes, etc. Proposals and ideas are being tossed around loosely but there has been absolutely no concrete policy development or leadership around any of these ideas. This is important because business has made a point of saying that there will be no entertainment of revenue increases unless there are concrete proposals to reduce the state government cost structure. Stay tuned here. The substance behind any of these 'cost containment' proposals will ultimately be the key to how the budget gets balanced.

Transportation:
A 10-year, $10 billion transportation package was unveiled for the first time last week. The proposal relies on gas taxes, registration fees, and payroll taxes to add more capacity to I-5 and I-205 and other major projects. Now that a straw man proposal has been released, the discussions start in earnest. OSCC will keep members apprised, but the $1 billion per year in added taxes will be a very heavy lift.

Alison Hart, Executive Director
alisonh@oregonchamber.org
503-231-5421

JL Wilson, Legislative Counsel
jlwilson@pacounsel.org
503-363-2182

OSCC 2017 Legislative Report - Week 14

Fri, 12 May 2017 21:12:13 GMT

Dear OSCC Members and Colleagues -

Week 14 of the 2017 Oregon legislature was perhaps the quietest of the session to date. Policy bills are largely lying dormant. The biggest issue of the week was undoubtedly the House Democratic Leadership's announcement of their 2017 'Tax and Fiscal' Plan.

The plan outline?

$400 million in undefined state government cost containment strategies (PERS, state employee health care, etc)
$250 million in one-time undefined cuts to the state budget
$3 BILLION IN CLEARLY DEFINED NEW TAXES ON BUSINESS

In exchange for $650 million in undefined cost reductions, Speaker Kotek and House Leadership are asking businesses to pay a 0.95% gross receipts tax on all Oregon sales above $5 million - a $3 billion new tax on Oregon businesses.

OSCC is going to pay close attention as this develops. There are now several competing tax and spending plans - none of which has real support. But we expect that the plan unveiled by House Leadership will be a major factor in end-of-session negotiations.

Here are the bills we are most paying attention to for OSCC members:

Key Labor Bills:

SB 301: would effectively preclude employers from enforcing zero tolerance drug policies. As of late last week, this bill is now officially dead!

SB 828: implements predictive scheduling for food service, retail and hospitality businesses. OSCC is seeking legal guidance on how the bill would apply to OSCC businesses that have ancillary retail or food service positions. SB 828 will be the focus of a lot of pressure from union groups. They are coalescing to try and pass the bill as it is their last major opportunity to pass 'pro-worker' legislation.

HB 2005: wage equity - would mandate wage equity among all protected classes for similar jobs. The problem with the bill for business is that it is broadly applied to all Oregon protected classes, it includes punitive damages, and each paycheck for which a discrimination is claimed represents its own claim for damages. We believe this bill will spur considerable class action claims. But we also believe we have an opportunity to amend some of the worst aspects of the bill to make it more workable.

HB 3087: paid family leave - would implement a .5% payroll tax on employers to fund the $800 million/yr program that grants 12 weeks of paid leave. OSCC believes this bill is dead although it will likely continue to receive hearings during the session.

SB 984: which fixes BOLI's bad interpretation on daily/weekly overtime pay passed the Senate unanimously. Good bill, but the unions may negotiate a heavy price for this bill in the House including a hard cap on hours that an employee may work at 60/hrs per week. OSCC believes this could have a severely damaging effect on some manufacturers. We will work to eliminate this provision if possible.

Environmental Regulation:

The big bill here is HB 2269, which would increase Title V and ACDP fees to fund the new DEQ 'Cleaner Air Oregon' regulatory scheme, was voted out of committee on a 5-4 party-line vote and sent to the Ways & Means Committee. This will likely be the big environmental fight of the session. If the 'Cleaner Air Oregon' regulations are allowed to go forward, it will put nearly all manufacturers out of compliance. OSCC will keep members apprised. OSCC is actively opposing this bill and is lobbying legislators.

Tourism:

HB 2064: This bill could potentially be amended in the House Revenue Committee to allow local governments to spend more TRT funds on 'tourism-related' projects not directly tied to tourism promotion. The Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association sent out an alert on this issue last week, but we have not seen it appear on any committee agenda. OSCC will be watching this.

Liability:

SB 737: which would eliminate the $500k cap on non-economic damages in civil lawsuits (product liability, negligence, personal injury, etc.), is the trial lawyer's top priority for 2017. We defeated it on the Senate floor, but the bill was sent back to committee, where we expect it will continue to get attention until the final gavel drops. This is a key business bill.

Taxes & Budget:

Senate Revenue Chair Mark Hass (D-Beaverton) did, in fact, unveil his new corporate tax proposal this past week, but it was overshadowed by the announcement from House Democratic leadership of their plan to increase business taxes by nearly $3 billion.

Senator Hass has not abandoned his push for a gross receipts tax, and by comparison to the House leadership plan, it looks downright modest. Hass is proposing a 'Commercial Activities Tax' somewhere in the neighborhood of 0.25% to 0.75% with a corresponding elimination of corporate income taxes and a lowering of personal income taxes.

But Senator Hass' plan was not nearly as detailed as the House Leadership plan. There are many details left to be worked out. But the effect of the House Democratic leadership plan is that they clearly do not believe that Hass' plan raises enough money. The two competing plans are clearly at odds with each other.

One final note...OSCC wants to caution that the odds of passage for any such tax proposal are very long. Yes, the proposals are startling and it's easy to assume given recent history that OSCC members will see these taxes foisted upon them by an unsympathetic legislature.

But in reality, there is not enough support for any of these taxes. With respect to taxes, Republican legislators have enough leverage to defeat tax increases. Republicans are already adamant that the state should not by levying more taxes when revenue is increasing 10% per biennium without any new tax revenue.

There also hasn't been a serious effort yet to curb state spending that business groups would require for any new revenue.

Alison Hart, Executive Director
alisonh@oregonchamber.org
503-231-5421

JL Wilson, Legislative Counsel
jlwilson@pacounsel.org
503-363-2182

OSCC 2017 Legislative Report - Week 13

Mon, 08 May 2017 17:09:27 GMT

Dear OSCC Members and Colleagues -

There are very few real bills of consequence to OSCC members that are still under consideration.

The biggest issues still outstanding are (1) business taxes, (2) transportation funding, (3) predictive scheduling legislation, and (4) increased DEQ fees that would help implement a new regulatory scheme - 'Cleaner Air Oregon' - that OSCC is opposing.

In addition, there are a handful of opportunities to do a few good things for business ... the chance to overturn a recent BOLI interpretation that forces double overtime payments, the opportunity to execute a rational approach the regulation of diesel engines, and opportunity to solve the state's $1.8 billion budget hole with meaningful cost reductions that would put state government on a path to affordability and sustainability.

Here's what we know from the past week:

Governor Brown unveiled her own cost containment proposal. This was the biggest story of the past week. She proposed selling off or borrowing against state assets to buy down the PERS unfunded liability. She also proposed ramping up debt collection from taxpayers and vendors as well as taking a harder line in contract negotiations with government employee unions.

Governor Brown has already announced a 2-month hiring freeze as the state closes out its 2-year budget cycle on June 30th.

In addition to her recommendations, Governor Brown also proposed leading an expert panel on state financial matters that would study, among other things, various PERS reform proposals. It is unknown how much, if anything, the Governor's proposals would save.

The Governor's announcement was widely viewed as underwhelming, and another exercise in trying to pare back state spending without having to make a tough decision.

The Governor's announcement came on the heels of the first presentation by the legislative "Cost Containment" workgroup, which was also underwhelming. Very few specifics emerged. A lot of academic discussion on PERS reform and curtailing state hiring, but most of those ideas seemed to be met with great resistance.

It will be interesting to see if anything of substance emerges as a way to curb the escalating costs of state government. Time is starting to slip away and the proposals to date have lacked specificity or substance.

Here are the bills we are most paying attention to for OSCC members:

Labor:
SB 301: would effectively preclude employers from enforcing zero tolerance drug policies. Although the bill passed out of Senate Judiciary on a 3-2 party-line vote, OSCC immediately went to work to defeat the bill. Although we have been assured the bill will be sent back to committee to die, we haven't seen confirmation.

HB 2005: wage equity - would mandate wage equity among all protected classes for similar jobs. The problem with the bill for business is that it is broadly applied to all Oregon protected classes, that it includes punitive damages, and that each paycheck for which a discrimination is claimed represents its own claim for damages. We believe this bill will spur considerable class action claims.

HB 3087: paid family leave - is still alive in the House Revenue Committee. The bill implements a .5% payroll tax on employers to fund the $800 million/year program that grants 12 weeks of paid leave. We don't believe this bill will advance any further.

SB 1040: would implement local union security agreements and prevent local right to work measures. The bill passed the Senate and is now in the House.

SB 984: fixes BOLI's bad interpretation on daily/weekly overtime pay passed the Senate unanimously. Good bill, but the unions may negotiate a heavy price for this bill in the House.

Environmental Regulation:
One key 'cap and trade' bill is now dead - SB 557. The other, HB 2135, was kept alive, barely. OSCC will continue to keep watch on HB 2135 although we have every reason to believe the bill will die this session.

SB 1008: the costly mandate for diesel engine retrofits and replacements, was stripped down to require the state to take inventory of diesel engines operating in Oregon with no additional regulation. This is a reasonable approach that OSCC can support. But we are skeptical that SB 1008 will move forward in this form.

The big bill here - HB 2269 - which would increase Title V and ACDP fees to fund the new DEQ 'Cleaner Air Oregon' regulatory scheme, was voted out of committee on a 5-4 party-line vote and sent to the Ways & Means Committee. This will likely be the big environmental fight of the session. OSCC will keep members apprised.

HB 2236 requires the DEQ to conduct a study and develop recommendations relating to emissions of air contaminants from industrial sources. We are keeping a watch on this dormant bill because it could be used to do some bad things.

Liability:
SB 737: would eliminate the $500k cap on non-economic damages in civil lawsuits (product liability, negligence, personal injury, etc.), is the trial lawyers top priority for 2017. We defeated it on the Senate floor early last week. The bill was sent back to committee, where we expect it will continue to get attention until the final gavel drops.

Taxes & Budget:
Senate Revenue Chair Mark Hass (D-Beaverton) has said that he will unveil his new corporate tax proposal this week. Despite all the pushback from business, Hass has not abandoned his push for a gross receipts tax. OSCC anticipates that Hass will propose a 'Commercial Activities Tax' somewhere in the neighborhood of 0.5% with a corresponding elimination of corporate income taxes.

We will inform OSCC members of the specifics of Hass' plan when it is unveiled this week.

But we also want to caution that the odds of passage for any such tax proposal are very long. For starters, there hasn't been a serious effort yet to curb state spending that business and Republicans would require for any new revenue.

Alison Hart, Executive Director
alisonh@oregonchamber.org
503-231-5421

JL Wilson, Legislative Counsel
jlwilson@pacounsel.org
503-363-2182

OSCC 2017 Legislative Report - Week 12

Mon, 01 May 2017 17:06:25 GMT

Dear OSCC Members and Colleagues -

The April 18th committee deadline is now behind us. We know everything that's in play. All in all, OSCC members are in far better shape than in previous sessions.

Yes, there are a handful of threats to the general business community - predictive scheduling, taxes, and a 'Cleaner Air Oregon' regulatory scheme that could threaten business operations, but those threats are relatively limited compared to what we've seen in the past.

There are also a few opportunities... the chance to overturn a recent BOLI interpretation that forces double overtime payments, the chance to execute a rational approach the regulation of diesel engines, and a chance to solve a $1.8 billion budget hole with no general business taxes.

Here's what we know from the past week:

The tax/revenue environment is very fluid. As we said last week, OSCC has reason to believe that the emerging strategy of the legislative leadership is to pass an "all cuts" budget and then refer a tax increase measure to the ballot in order to add back programs that will be cut in the newly-adopted budget.

But it looks like this strategy simply has too many holes to work. For one, the Democratic majority likely won't have the votes to pass the necessary cuts without Republicans. Also, any attempt to refer a tax measure to the ballot would also likely require a 3/5 supermajority. Quite simply, this won't happen.

Business opposition is growing against a gross receipts tax... so much so that we no longer believe it is a viable option.

The legislative "Cost Containment" workgroup made their first presentation on Friday. In a word, it was underwhelming. Very few specifics emerged. There was a lot of academic discussion on PERS reform and curtailing state hiring, but most of those ideas seemed to be shot down immediately by members of the Ways & Means panel. It gave the distinct impression that there was not a single thing the state could do to slow down escalating costs.

PERS Reform was kept alive, but barely, and certainly not in a manner that would suggest that there will be a serious effort to implement any cost saving reforms to the state pension program. After 10 weeks of discussion, both PERS reform bills, SB 559 and SB 560, were sent to Ways & Means unamended and with no recommendation - hardly a prescription for success.

Here is the fate of the bills of concern to OSCC members:

Labor:
SB 301 would effectively preclude employers from enforcing zero tolerance drug policies. Although the bill passed out of Senate Judiciary on a 3-2 party-line vote, OSCC immediately went to work to defeat the bill. It is being sent back to committee where it will die.

SB 828 / HB 2193 would implement predictive scheduling for food service, retail and hospitality businesses. Both bills are alive. SB 828 will be the focus of a lot of pressure from union groups. They are coalescing to try and pass the bill.

HB 3087: paid family leave - is still alive in the House Revenue Committee. The bill implements a .5% payroll tax on employers to fund the $800 million per year program that grants 12 weeks of paid leave.

SB 292: unlawful employment action for "workplace bullying," is now dead.

SB 1040 and HB 3420 would implement local union security agreements and prevent local right to work measures. Both bills are still alive.

SB 997 would levy fines on all employers with 50 or more employees whose employees opt to enroll on the Oregon Health Plan. This bill is now dead.

SB 984, which fixes BOLI's bad interpretation on daily/weekly overtime pay was sent to the Senate floor for a vote.

SB 329, which preempts local employment law mandates, was also kept alive.

Energy & Environment:
One key 'cap and trade' bill is now dead - SB 557. The other, HB 2135, was kept alive, barely. OSCC will continue to keep watch on HB 2135.

SB 1008, the costly mandate for diesel engine retrofits and replacements, was stripped down to require the state to take inventory of diesel engines operating in Oregon with no additional regulation. This is a reasonable approach that OSCC can support. SB 1008 was kept alive.

HB 2669: 'Community Right to Know' - was killed. This bill would have allowed local jurisdictions to implement their own 'Right to Know' chemical inventory programs and would have allowed local governments to levy annual fees up to $10,000 on regulated businesses.

Air Quality:
The big bill here - HB 2269 - which would increase Title V and ACDP fees to fund the new DEQ 'Cleaner Air Oregon' regulatory scheme, was voted out of committee on a 5-4 party-line vote and sent to the Ways & Means Committee. This will likely be the big environmental fight of the session.

HB 2236 was also kept alive, which requires the DEQ to conduct a study and develop recommendations relating to emissions of air contaminants from industrial sources.

SB 197 - a disaster for the dairy industry - allowed the DEQ to adopt a program for regulating air contaminant emissions from dairy confined animal feeding operations. This bill is now dead.

Tourism and TRT Funding:
Both HB 2744 and HB 2768 were killed in the House Economic Development and Trade Committee. These bills would have allowed local government much more latitude to spend state TRT money on 'tourism-related' projects not related directly to tourism promotion. The bills pitted local governments against the Restaurant, Lodging and Hospitality industry. In the end, they fought to a stalemate and the bills did not advance.

HB 3260 authorizes coastal counties to impose local transient lodging taxes on residential short-term vacation rental properties by submitting the issue to county voters. This bill is still very much alive.

Liability:
SB 737 (formerly 487), which would eliminate the $500k cap on non-economic damages in civil lawsuits, passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on a party-line vote. As of right now, we expect this to be the first major bill of the session to be defeated and sent back to committee. We are expecting a vote this week.

HB 2169 would have disallowed attorney fees for employers who prevail in wage disputes with employees. Current law allows the prevailing party to collect attorney fees. HB 2169 is now dead.

Taxes & Budget:
As we suggested last week, the House Revenue Committee is taking up the issue of corporate tax disclosure for any company that avails itself to a business tax incentive. The bill is House Bill 2019. We now believe that this bill is a legitimate threat. Any company that receives $500 or more in business tax incentives will be subject to disclosure on Oregon sales, Oregon taxable income and Oregon tax liability.

We also reiterate our belief that there will be a real attempt to scale back the small business tax cut passed by the legislature in 2013. This is one issue that we expect that Republicans may assist Democrats in raising revenue. Republicans have shown a willingness to consider eliminating the lower tax rates for LLP's. The bills to watch here are SB 164 and SB 165.

Also of note, all tax and budget issues are still alive. Any tax bill residing in the Revenue Committees, or budget bill residing in Ways & Means, is not subject to deadlines. OSCC will monitor these bills until the very end of session.

As we noted last week, OSCC expects that the Ways & Means Committee will be engaged in an inordinate amount of policy work this session as committee chairs have now punted critical policy bills to Ways & Means to keep them alive.

Alison Hart, Executive Director
alisonh@oregonchamber.org
503-231-5421

JL Wilson, Legislative Counsel
jlwilson@pacounsel.org
503-363-2182

OSCC 2017 Legislative Report - Week 11

Mon, 24 Apr 2017 17:22:41 GMT

Dear OSCC Members and Colleagues -

We are going to take a pause this week and let things settle.

Monday and Tuesday are going to be the single busiest set of days for committees as they rush to pass bills to beat the Tuesday deadline (all bills must pass out of their original committee by Tuesday at 11:59 pm). At this point we are all mostly spectators.

We have never seen anything like we're witnessing now. The unprecedented logjam of bills waiting for passage on the final day will undoubtedly be a spectacle - and there will be casualties. There's just too many bills and too little time. In some cases, committees are scheduling 40-50 bills for a committee vote in their final 2-hour committee.

Next week's report will be more definitive, but let's recap what we do know.

Here's what we know from the past week:

It was another interesting week on the tax/revenue front. OSCC has reason to believe that the emerging strategy of the legislative leadership is to pass an "all cuts" budget and then refer a tax increase measure to the ballot in order to add back programs that will be cut in the newly-adopted budget.

This strategy has many holes, not the least of which is that there are probably not enough Democratic votes to pass the kind of cuts that this strategy will require (we can guarantee that no Republican will assist in this strategy).

But nonetheless, it was a significant departure from the bipartisan, cooperative tone that had defined the first two months of the session, most notably in the Senate.

Here are the bills that are still alive as we approach the Tuesday, April 18th deadline:

Labor:
SB 301: would effectively preclude employers from enforcing zero tolerance drug policies. We are deeply disappointed this bill has been kept alive in Senate Judiciary. Scheduled for a vote on Tuesday.

SB 828 / HB 2193: would implement predictive scheduling with amendments mainly targeting hotels, restaurants and retail establishments. We were disappointed to see both the House and the Senate bill kept alive. SB 828 is scheduled for a vote on Monday, as is HB 2193.

HB 3087: Paid family leave, which would require 12 weeks of leave for qualifying events and is slated to be funded by .5% tax on employees and .5% payroll tax, is scheduled for a committee vote on Tuesday.

SB 292: unlawful employment action for "workplace bullying," was mysteriously kept alive in Senate Judiciary. Scheduled for a vote on Tuesday.

SB 1040: would implement local union security agreements and prevent local right to work measures. Scheduled for a vote on Monday.

SB 997: was kept alive. The bill would levy fines on all employers with 50 or more employees who do not provide private health insurance for employees. Scheduled for a vote on Tuesday.

On the good side, both SB 984 (fixes BOLI's bad interpretation on daily/weekly overtime pay) and SB 329 (preempt local employment law mandates) were kept alive. Both are scheduled for votes on Monday.

Energy & Environment:
One key 'cap and trade' bill is now dead, SB 557. The other, HB 2135, is still alive and scheduled for a vote on Monday.

SB 1008: the costly mandate for diesel engine retrofits and replacements - is still alive and scheduled for a vote on Monday.

On the good side, HB 2669, 'Community Right to Know' was killed.

Air Quality:
The big bill here, HB 2269: which would increase Title V and ACDP fees to fund the new DEQ 'Cleaner Air Oregon' regulatory scheme was voted out of committee on a 5-4 party-line vote and sent to the Ways & Means Committee.

HB 2236: was also kept alive which requires the DEQ to conduct a study and develop recommendations relating to emissions of air contaminants from industrial sources.

SB 197: a disaster for the dairy industry - is scheduled for a vote on Monday. It allows for the DEQ to adopt a program for regulating air contaminant emissions from dairy confined animal feeding operations. We believe this bill will die, but will confirm next week.

Liability:
SB 737 (formerly SB 487): which would eliminate the $500k cap on non-economic damages in civil lawsuits, passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on a party-line vote. As of right now, we expect this to be the first major bill of the session to be defeated and sent back to committee. Stay tuned on this one.

Taxes & Budget:
OSCC has reason to believe now that the House Revenue Committee will take up the issue of corporate tax disclosure, HB 2019. We have not seen the amendments, but we believe now that this will be a legitimate threat.

We also believe there will be a real attempt to scale back the small business tax cut passed by the legislature in 2013. This is one issue that we expect that Republicans may assist Democrats in raising revenue. Republicans have shown a willingness to consider eliminating the lower tax rates for LLP's. The bills to watch here are SB 164 and SB 165.

Tourism and TRT Funding:
HB 3260: authorizes coastal counties to impose local transient lodging taxes on residential short-term vacation rental properties by submitting the issue to county voters. The bill has received some attention in the House Revenue Committee and is still alive.

Breaking new on Tourism and TRT Funding (as of 10am today):
The House Committee on Economic Development & Trade did not move forward with either HB 2744 and HB 2768. These bills are now dead.

HB 2744: amended the definition of "tourism-related facility" to include improvements to real property that have the substantial purpose of supporting, promoting or accommodating tourism or tourist activities.

HB 2768: expanded the definition of "tourism promotion" for purposes of local transient lodging tax revenue expenditures.

Also of note, all tax and budget issues are still alive. Any tax bill residing in the Revenue Committees, or budget bill residing in Ways & Means, is not subject to deadlines. OSCC will monitor these bills until the very end of session.

OSCC expects that the Ways & Means Committee will be engaged in an inordinate amount of policy work this session as committee chairs punt critical bills to Ways & Means to keep them alive.

Again, OSCC will give you a precise accounting for all the bills that will remain in play after the Tuesday deadline. It will easily be the most active two days of the session this week, but after April 18th, OSCC will have a very solid understanding of all the bills in play for 2017 and will be able to focus efforts appropriately.

Alison Hart, Executive Director
alisonh@oregonchamber.org
503-231-5421

JL Wilson, Legislative Counsel
jlwilson@pacounsel.org
503-363-2182

OSCC 2017 Legislative Report - Week 10

Wed, 12 Apr 2017 02:39:15 GMT

Dear OSCC Members and Colleagues -

So much for big deadlines. The first major deadline produced almost no changes to OSCC's outlook for the week.

All bills needed to be scheduled for a vote in their original committee by Friday, April 7th. Nearly every single bad bill was scheduled. Almost nothing fell off of our radar. Committee chairs just couldn't bring themselves to tell anyone "NO," and consequently, nearly every bill was kept alive until April 18th.

We will be working feverishly until the 18th, when all bills must pass their original committee. Our hope is to neutralize many of the bad bills (and hopefully pass a few good ones) between now and the 18th. See the links below for bills and amendments, hearing schedules, and recorded testimony.

Here's what we know from the past week:

It was an interesting week on the tax/revenue front. The week started with a press conference from the government employee unions imploring the legislature to pass a "game changing" tax increase on Oregon businesses. By Wednesday, TV ads were running in opposition to the legislature's consideration of a new gross receipts tax. And by this weekend, Senator Mark Hass, Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, was blasting those TV ads as 'amateur' and 'lazy.' The OSCC assessment is still the same. We are skeptical that the legislature will embark on a corporate tax increase. We believe that increased tax revenues from a growing economy will take enough pressure out of this budget cycle to allow legislators to cobble together a budget without a general tax hike.

Here are the bills that are still alive as of the Friday, April 7th deadline:

Labor:
SB 301 would effectively preclude employers from enforcing zero tolerance drug policies. We are deeply disappointed this bill has been kept alive in Senate Judiciary.

SB 828 / HB 2193 would implement predictive scheduling. We were disappointed to see both the House and the Senate bill kept alive. SB 828 has been modified with amendments that are still unacceptable to OSCC and we will continue to strongly oppose.

HB 3087 - paid family leave - was kept alive.

SB 292 - unlawful employment action for "workplace bullying," was mysteriously kept alive in Senate Judiciary.

SB 1040 would implement local union security agreements and prevent local right to work measures.

SB 997 was kept alive. The bill would levy fines on all employers with 50 or more employees if any employees working 20 hours or more are not privately covered with employer-sponsored health insurance.

On the good side, both SB 984 (fixes BOLI's bad interpretation on daily/weekly overtime pay) and SB 329 (preempt local employment law mandates) were kept alive.

Energy & Environment:
The key 'cap and trade' bills were all kept alive - SB 557 and HB 2135.

SB 1008 - a costly mandate for both on-road and off-road diesel engine retrofits and replacements - was kept alive.

On the good side, 'Community Right to Know' that would have increased regulatory programs on chemical storage reporting - HB 2669 was killed.

Air Quality:
The big bill here - HB 2269 - which would increase Title V and ACDP fees to fund the new DEQ 'Cleaner Air Oregon' regulatory scheme was kept alive.

HB 2236 - requiring the DEQ to conduct a study and develop recommendations relating to emissions of air contaminants from industrial sources was also kept alive.

SB 197 - allowing for the DEQ to adopt a program for regulating air contaminant emissions from dairy confined animal feeding operations - a disaster for the dairy industry - was kept alive.

Tourism and TRT Funding: Both HB 2744 and HB 2768 were kept alive in the House Economic Development and Trade Committee. These bills would allow local government much more latitude to spend state TRT money on 'tourism-related' projects not related directly to tourism promotion.

Liability: SB 737 (replacing SB 487), which would eliminate the $500k cap on non-economic damages in civil lawsuits, passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on a party-line vote. It is expected to be the first real showdown of the session in the Senate in which a close vote is expected.

Transportation: The much anticipated transportations funding package is not affected by session deadlines.

SB 115 - the bill that would prohibit leaded aviation fuel - died.

Taxes & Budget: All tax and budget issues are still alive. Any tax bill residing in the Revenue Committees, or budget bill residing in Ways & Means, is not subject to deadlines. OSCC will monitor these bills until the very end of session.

OSCC will keep you informed on how these bills unfold over the next ten days. It will easily be the most active ten days of the session. However, after April 18th, OSCC will have a very solid understanding of all the bills in play for 2017 and will be able to focus efforts appropriately.

This is where the rubber hits the road. We will most likely be reaching out for testimony from Chambers and their members during this time. Please be prepared to act quickly.

Alison Hart, Executive Director
alisonh@oregonchamber.org
503-231-5421

JL Wilson, Legislative Counsel
jlwilson@pacounsel.org
503-363-2182

OSCC 2017 Legislative Report - Week 9

Mon, 10 Apr 2017 02:46:47 GMT

Dear OSCC Members and Colleagues -

The next 2 ½ weeks are traditionally among the most important of the legislative session. This is where we start to see bills formally die, which means OSCC can focus on areas of most importance during the second half of the session.

All bills must be scheduled for a vote in their original committee by this coming Friday, April 7th. Furthermore, all bills must pass their original committee by April 18th.

Historically, this has been the most meaningful set of deadlines as most legislation will fall by the wayside. But as we've warned, gamesmanship will also keep many bad bills alive until the very end. OSCC will keep you fully apprised, but we also look forward to seeing some potential threats go away.

Here's what we know from the past week:

OSCC continues to believe that there are not enough votes to pass any sort of tax increases - with the exception of a gas tax (for a transportation package) and a health care provider tax (to fund state Medicaid). No matter what you read in the Oregonian (this article actually goes into great depth on the issue), we are very hard pressed to believe that there are enough votes for any tax increases beyond these two taxes.

And while we believe that the legislative leadership will give serious consideration to referring a gross receipts tax to the ballot, perhaps as soon as November of this year, we are still very skeptical that the stars would line up to actually follow through with this. Business would likely oppose, and the magnitude of the tax likely wouldn't be enough to get the unions interested in funding another pro-tax measure.

OSCC opposes HB 2269, which would increase fees by up to 20% on Title V and ACDP holders in order to provide start-up funding for the DEQ's and OHA's 'Cleaner Air Oregon' regulatory program. OSCC testified in opposition to this bill as the 'Cleaner Air Oregon' regulatory framework issued by DEQ would likely result in many Oregon manufacturers being unable to meet the standards. OSCC is also concerned that the program will require ever increasing financial commitments from regulated companies. The opposition to these start up fees for the DEQ is becoming a central focus of OSCC and the business community. We will keep you apprised.

OSCC testified in favor of SB 984, which would legally overturn BOLI's recent interpretation that manufacturing employers are subject to both the state's 10-hour daily overtime rate and the federal 40-hour weekly overtime rate. BOLI's new interpretation means that daily and weekly overtime hours are double counted. While OSCC hopes that SB 984 gains traction, it will be difficult. The unions are strongly opposed. OSCC is lobbying.

After almost 60 days, the Oregon House finally passed a bill that was strongly opposed by the business community. HB 2005 would mandate 'pay equity' for all protected classes, would switch the burden of proof from plaintiff to employer, and would implement new punitive damages and make each paycheck in which a disparity is claimed as a cause for remedy. Although business offered a generous compromise based on a California version of the law, it was rebuffed by House democratic leadership. The 'pay equity' legislation passed by the House is the most punitive in the nation. It will now go to the Senate for consideration.

Although we mentioned it last week in our report, business groups were caught flat-footed at the Senate Bill 997 hearing. Only the unions testified. This bill would penalize employers with 50 or more employees if any employees working 20 or more hours per week are not privately covered with employer-sponsored health insurance. And while we said that we did not expect this bill to advance, it looks, in fact, that business will have to make up ground and rally to push back on this bill.

Here's what's coming up this week:

Paid Family Leave proposal is scheduled for a work session in committee this week. House Bill 3087 implements a 0.5% income tax on employees and 0.5% payroll tax on employers to fund a 12-week paid family leave program on business of all sizes. Because the program is funded with a tax, the legislation requires a 3/5th supermajority of legislators to approve it. This gives business considerable leverage in defeating the proposal. We do, however, believe that the proposal will be kept alive. However, because HB 3087 requires a supermajority of the legislature to approve, we have good reason to believe that the unions are now turning their attention to predictive scheduling (SB 828) as their primary target for 2017.

Speaking of SB 828, the bill will receive another full public hearing in the Senate Workforce Committee this week. There will be new amendments introduced at the hearing. Here's what we know about them:

The amendments will focus exclusively on hotels, restaurants and retail establishments. The provisions from the original bill (Section 3) that implemented wage requirements on all employers who changed or shortened shifts are deleted.
The bill focuses exclusively on retail, food service, restaurants and hotel employees of businesses with 25 or more employees. OSCC believes that this will encompass many of our local chamber members and OSCC will strongly oppose the new amendments.

Several OSCC members have inquired, with concern, about SB 115, which would ban the use of leaded aviation fuel. This bill is being considered again this week - with amendments - that would allow the state Department of Agriculture to set a date to prohibit leaded aviation fuel no sooner than 5 years after the FAA approves an alternative aviation fuel that does not contain lead. Please let us know if you have a concern with this approach.

Of particular interest to OSCC members:

The public record is being held open on Senate Bill 828 - predictive scheduling - until COB Tuesday, April 4th. OSCC members are strongly urged to submit testimony in opposition to the legislation at this email address: swf.exhibits@oregonlegislature.gov

SB 828 would be devastating for some OSCC members. For OSCC members with retail, hospitality or food service establishments, it would require an interactive schedule-setting process by which employers must accommodate schedule demands of employees. Any changes to those schedules within 14 days of a shift would result in additional compensation.

As mentioned, amendments for SB 828 have been submitted. Even with the amendments, OSCC strongly opposes this bill. Click here to see our submitted testimony.

Alison Hart, Executive Director
alisonh@oregonchamber.org
503-231-5421

JL Wilson, Legislative Counsel
jlwilson@pacounsel.org
503-363-2182

OSCC 2017 Legislative Report - Week 8

Fri, 31 Mar 2017 20:14:37 GMT

Dear OSCC Members and Colleagues -

To date, the 2017 legislative session has been one of the slowest moving sessions in recent history. Discussions on solving the state's budget deficit and funding a comprehensive transportation plan have seemingly utilized nearly all of the legislature's bandwidth. Very little else is moving.

We have long felt that in light of the aggressive anti-business push in 2015 and 2016, this is a good outcome for OSCC members.

A couple of key things for OSCC members to know. First, probably 99% of all legislation has now been introduced. The playing field is set. There will be very few additional bills introduced from this point forward. Second, we are approaching our first major deadlines that will eliminate many bills from future consideration.

All bills must be scheduled for a vote in their original committee by April 7th, and all bills must pass their original committee by April 18th. Historically, this has been the most meaningful set of deadlines as most legislation will fall by the wayside. But gamesmanship will also keep many bad bills alive until the very end. OSCC will keep you fully apprised.

Here's what we know from the past week:

OSCC continues to believe that there are not enough votes to pass any sort of tax increases - with the exception of a gas tax (for a transportation package) and a health care provider tax (to fund state Medicaid). We are very hard pressed to believe that Republicans will provide votes for any tax increases beyond these two taxes.

Where will the new revenue come from? The budget deficit is over $1.5 billion, and we see no compelling evidence that there will be either significant revenue or significant cost savings coming out of the 2017 session. At this stage, OSCC is recommending that members pay attention to SJR 41 or any other proposal that aims to establish a gross receipts tax. We believe that legislators don't think they can raise enough money without turning to a completely different source of revenue - most likely something based on gross receipts. We believe that the legislative leadership will give serious consideration to putting a gross receipts tax on the ballot, perhaps as soon as November of this year.

Business was given its opportunity to rebut a 'Cap and Trade' proposal. Prior to last week, the House and Senate Environment Committees had only given time to the DEQ and environmental activists seeking to implement a 'Cap and Trade' scheme to tax carbon emissions. But the business community unified and commissioned its own modeling and economic impact study of a 'Cap and Trade' proposal that looks significantly different than those of the proponents and the DEQ. Unlike the modeling performed by the state, the business community modeling - performed by FTI - performed actual economic modeling that shows reduced economic activity, higher costs and job losses - primarily in the manufacturing sector - as a result of 'Cap and Trade.' You can see the FTI report here.

Paid Family Leave proposal was heard in committee last week. House Bill 3087 implements a 0.5% income tax on employees and 0.5% payroll tax on employers to fund a 12-week paid family leave program on business of all sizes. Because the program is funded with a tax, the legislation requires a 3/5th supermajority of legislators to approve it. This gives business considerable leverage in defeating the proposal. OSCC anticipates that this legislation will be kept alive for the duration of the session, but at this point, the likelihood of passage is slim.

The House Business & Labor Committee finally passed a 'pay equity' bill that has garnered serious business opposition. HB 2005 would mandate 'pay equity' for all protected classes, would switch the burden of proof from plaintiff to employer, and would make each paycheck in which a disparity is claimed as a cause for remedy. Although business offered a generous compromise, it was rebuffed by House democratic leadership. It sets up a floor fight on this legislation in the House as early as this week.

Here's what's coming up this week:

Senate Bill 984 would overturn BOLI's recent interpretation that manufacturing employers are subject to both the state's 10-hour daily overtime rate and the federal 40-hour weekly overtime rate. BOLI's new interpretation means that daily and weekly overtime hours are double counted. SB 984 will get its first hearing in the Senate Workforce Committee this week. OSCC hopes that SB 984 gains traction, but it will be difficult. Just two weeks ago, the Multnomah County Circuit Court ruled in favor of employers on this matter.

Senate Bill 997 would penalize employers with 50 or more employees if any employees working 20 or more hours per week are not privately covered with employer-sponsored health insurance. We do not expect this bill to advance, but it will receive a hearing in the Senate Health Care committee.

Senate Bill 487 is scheduled for a work session this week. This bill increases non-economic damage awards in personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits. It will have major repercussions on health care providers as well as the commercial liability market. OSCC is unclear why the work session is scheduled as there does not appear to be sufficient votes to pass the bill.

The House Environment & Energy Committee will hear a slew of bills this week with major impacts on food producers. House Bill 2020 abolishes the Department of Energy and replaces it with Oregon Department of Energy and Climate. HB 2236 requires the Oregon DEQ to study and develop recommendations for updating the regulation of emissions of air contaminants from industrial sources. Finally, HB 2269 levies additional Title V air permit fees on manufacturers, giving DEQ more money to create an emissions regulatory program that would devastate Oregon's manufacturers and rural communities. OSCC will oppose.

Of particular interest to OSCC members:

The public record is being held open on Senate Bill 828 - predictive scheduling - until April 4th. OSCC members are strongly urged to submit testimony in opposition to the legislation. Talking points for you and your members are included here. OSCC has submitted the included testimony.

SB 828 would be devastating for OSCC members by mandating compensation when employee shifts are changed or shortened through no fault of the employer. For OSCC members with retail, hospitality or food service establishments, it would require an interactive schedule-setting process by which employers must accommodate schedule demands of employees. Any changes to those schedules within 14 days of a shift would result in additional compensation.

Your voice has an impact. Please take the time to send testimony from your Chamber and ask your members to do the same by April 4th.

Submit your comments on SB 828 to: swf.exhibits@oregonlegislature.gov

Alison Hart, Executive Director
alisonh@oregonchamber.org
503-231-5421

JL Wilson, Legislative Counsel
jlwilson@pacounsel.org
503-363-2182

OSCC 2017 Legislative Report - Week 7

Mon, 20 Mar 2017 21:02:54 GMT

Dear OSCC Members and Colleagues -

The 2017 legislative session is very slowly gaining focus and momentum. The big, defining political discussions of 2017 around the budget (how to solve the state's $1.8 billion budget gap) and transportation (how to pass a comprehensive transportation funding package) are really just now starting to take shape.

But outside of those two major discussions, the legislature has yet to really pursue any other major themes - no aggressive push for any additional labor, environmental, energy, education or economic development goals are evident.

On balance, given our recent experiences with the legislature, this is a good development. It represents a sort of "Back to Basics" approach to state government.

Here's what we know from the past week:

Chief budget writer calls for $500 million in cuts and $500 million in added taxes. The legislature's chief budget writer, Senator Richard Devlin (D-Tualatin), was the first ranking legislator to publicly announce a framework to balance the budget. Over the weekend, he announced his support for a budget proposal that would cut $500 million in costs and add $500 million in new tax revenue.

This is a critical opening salvo for a couple of reasons. First, Devlin is a respected legislator who has more influence over the state budget than any other legislator. Second, the framework is plausible even though it will cause discomfort to all sides of the debate. Democrats will argue that they can't find $500 million in budget reductions. Unions will argue that $500 million in new taxes is nowhere near enough. Republicans will argue that there is no need for additional tax revenue when state revenue is already growing over 8 percent per budget cycle.

Where will the new tax revenue come from? At this stage, OSCC is recommending that members pay attention to SJR 41 or any other proposal that aims to establish a gross receipts tax. We have reason to believe that legislators don't think they can raise enough money without turning to a completely different source of revenue - either a Commercial Activities Tax (CAT) or a straight Gross Receipts Tax (GRT) similar to the Washington B&O. OSCC believes this is the direction that legislative leadership is going. We believe that the legislature will attempt to put a gross receipts tax on the ballot, perhaps as soon as November of this year.

Senate's continued focus on PERS reform is surprising, but unlikely to yield much. The Senate Workforce Committee has devoted considerable time and effort in analyzing various PERS reform proposals...far more than would have been expected in a Democrat-controlled legislature. This past week, the committee took inventory of dozens of proposals from the general public on how to save money in the PERS system. But OSCC's analysis is still that significant PERS reform is unlikely and that the legislature may very well turn its attention to other cost drivers (state employee compensation and health benefits) in order to capture cost savings.

Corporate tax disclosure hearings yielded no new information. The House Revenue Committee heard HB 2019 and HB 2940, both designed to require C corporations to publicly disclose more of their tax information. OSCC opposes this legislation for several reasons. Going into the legislative session, the government employee unions claimed this legislation was among their top priorities, but the hearings on the bill did not yield any new participants or any new information from previous attempts to pass this type of legislation. OSCC anticipates that we may have a real fight on this issue in the House, but it is unlikely the Senate would consider it.

Here's what's coming up this week:

The business community response to 'Cap and Trade' will be heard this week in a joint meeting of the House and Senate Environment committees. To date, the committees have only given time to the environmental activists seeking to place emissions mandates and costs on employers. But the business community commissioned its own modeling and economic impact study of a 'Cap and Trade' proposal that looks significantly different than those of the proponents and the DEQ.

The business modeling, conducted by FTI, shows reduced economic activity, higher costs and job losses - primarily in the manufacturing sector - as a result of 'Cap and Trade.' You can view the FTI report here.

The House Business & Labor Committee will try - AGAIN - to pass its first bill with serious business opposition. HB 2005 would mandate 'pay equity' for all protected classes, would switch the burden of proof from plaintiff to employer, and would make each paycheck in which a disparity is claimed as a cause for remedy.

Business groups stalled the bill last week with a major effort to support a compromise 'pay equity' bill that encompasses pay discrimination based on gender, race and ethnicity (so long as burden of proof remains with the plaintiff) and curtailing the bill's many rights of action against employers. See our correspondence here.

Several key House Democrats have been supportive of the business position and want a compromise bill now instead of being forced to vote on a bill that business does not support.

However, it appears that Democratic leadership in the House intends to continue its time-honored tradition of steamrolling over the business community this week and passing the original bill.

Community 'Right to Know' legislation to be heard in the House Environment & Energy Committee. HB 2669 is being closely watched and strongly opposed by manufacturers and the business community at large. It proposes to amend a long standing agreement struck in 1999. That agreement - existing law - authorizes local governments to establish community 'right to know' regulatory programs of the kind found in the City of Eugene.

Businesses already publicly report hundreds of chemicals that are stored and released from facilities through state air and water permits, State Fire Marshal reports, federal toxics release inventories, and others. In addition, businesses are constantly improving processes to reduce chemical use and to reduce input and regulatory costs (as required under Oregon's landmark Toxics Use and Hazardous Waste Reduction Act).

HB 2669 is an overreach because:

It removes the requirement that local governments demonstrate the need for the program;
It removes protections for sensitive business information, including trade secrets;
It removes the requirement that DEQ, OHA, and the State Fire Marshall have an opportunity to provide comment;
It requires reporting of chemicals down to the .02 pounds, and
It increases maximum annual fees five-fold from $2,000 to $10,000.

First Hearings on Paid Family Leave. The House will commence hearings on a new paid family leave bill - House Bill 3087 - which grants up to 12 weeks of paid leave for employees who take time off under the Oregon Family Leave Act. The program is funded by a new 0.5% tax on employees and 0.5% payroll tax on employers.

The bill extends full benefits to anyone employed for 90 days, and in one of the more curious aspects of the bill, only extends benefits if funds are available. HB 3087 allows for paid family leave to be taken in as little as 8-hour increments.

The fact that HB 3087 requires a tax means that the bill must pass with a 3/5 supermajority vote, which is unlikely. We also anticipate that proponents will try and find a way to raise the necessary funding in the bill so that the 3/5 supermajority vote requirement does not apply. OSCC will oppose the legislation.

Alison Hart, Executive Director
alisonh@oregonchamber.org
503-231-5421

JL Wilson, Legislative Counsel
jlwilson@pacounsel.org
503-363-2182

OSCC 2017 Legislative Report - Week 6

Mon, 13 Mar 2017 20:19:19 GMT

Dear OSCC Members and Colleagues -

We'll start with some great news this week ... In a highly anticipated court decision, the Multnomah County Circuit Court ruled against the new BOLI interpretation of Oregon's daily overtime statute for manufacturers in the Portland Specialty Baking case.

As you'll recall, BOLI's new interpretation of Oregon's daily overtime statute was that manufacturing employers were liable for both daily and weekly overtime payments, which allowed for double-counting of some overtime hours. For example, in instances in which an employee might work four 12-hour shifts in a week, an employer would be liable for 16 total hours of overtime (8 hours of daily overtime plus 8 hours of weekly overtime).

Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Kathleen Dailey ruled that employers do not have to pay for both daily and weekly overtime. She reasoned that adherence to the daily overtime law (for all daily hours worked in excess of 10 hours per day) would ensure compliance with the federal weekly overtime law and that there was no provision in law that called for double-counting of overtime hours. The decision provides a firm footing for employers to continue to follow BOLI's prior guidance on this critical issue.

Here's what we know from the past week:

There was little movement on significant 'anti-business' legislation. Environmental legislation to regulate air emissions, diesel engines, or tax carbon appears to be relegated to after-hours workgroups. There also appears to be little momentum for labor initiatives such as paid family leave. This is consistent with previous OSCC observations that the legislature would be focusing primarily on budget and transportation - leaving major labor and environment legislation on the sidelines for now.

Minimum wage 'fix' bills introduced by Rep. Clem (D-Salem) to help agriculture and food processors. Clem's legislation - HB 3317 - redraws the minimum wage map so that the higher minimum wage rates apply to certain MSA's and not counties at large. His other bill - HB 3383 - gives agriculture and food processors a tax credit for the higher minimum wages. Clem found over 30 co-sponsors for both bills, including many democrats who voted for the higher minimum wages in 2016, and believes that Speaker Kotek will agree to some version of his proposals. But it will be a very tough slog to get some sort of minimum wage relief passed.

Look for taxes that can be passed with simple majority votes. OSCC has cautioned its members that the legislature would look to 'kick the tires' on a new Legislative Counsel legal opinion that gives the legislature authority to raise some taxes without invoking the constitutional 3/5th supermajority voting requirement to raise in the legislature. The Legislative Counsel gave legislators the green light to take away tax deductions and tax credits with simple majority votes. Given the Democratic dominance in the legislature, this provides a tempting path of least resistance to raise revenue.

The House Revenue Committee is signaling its interest in raising revenue using this method and is eyeing such things as removing or limiting itemized deductions, property tax deductions (HB 2771) and mortgage interest deductions (HB 2006). This will be an issue to keep a very close eye on over the next several months.

Here's what's coming up this week:

The House Revenue Committee will continue its focus on corporate tax disclosure. HB 2019 and HB 2940 would add new tax disclosure requirements for Oregon companies. Both proposals would involve public filings of tax information. This is a significant priority for Oregon's government employee unions who have made this a centerpiece of their 2017 legislative agenda. We expect a friendly audience for this legislation in the House, but a much less receptive audience in the Senate. Business groups, including OSCC, will wage opposition here.

The House Business & Labor Committee will try and pass its first bill with serious business opposition. HB 2005 would mandate 'pay equity' for all protected classes, would switch the burden of proof from plaintiff to employer, and would make each paycheck in which a disparity is claimed as a cause for remedy. Employer groups have signaled a willingness to agree to a 'pay equity' bill that encompasses pay discrimination based on gender (so long as burden of proof remains with the plaintiff) and banning the practice of requiring job applicants to disclose previous salary history. Several key Democrats are supportive of the business position and want a compromise bill now instead of being forced to vote on a bill that business does not support. OSCC will keep members apprised.

Major PERS hearings resume in the Senate. The Senate Workforce Committee will continue to take testimony on SB 560 and SB 913, which to date are the major PERS Reform bills of the 2017 session. Among other things, the bills raise the retirement age, lower the assumed earnings rate, re-direct the 6% employee contribution into the pension plan, and spread out 'final average salary' over five years instead of three years. The concepts in both bills are heavily supported by school boards, local government and the business community. The bills are strongly opposed by the unions.

Of particular interest to OSCC members:

Chambers need to make their voice heard on SB 828 or HB 2193 - predictive scheduling. As we mentioned last week, OSCC has reason to believe that this is now the top labor priority for 2017.

After reviewing the legislative record, only two Chambers (North Clackamas, Albany and a member from Tigard Chamber) have submitted testimony in opposition to the bill. OSCC needs regional Chamber support by way of submitting testimony from your Chamber and your members.

What you need to know on SB 828 and HB 2193: (1) It requires a minimum of four hours of pay for any food processor that calls an employee into work but the employee does not work the shift in its entirety, or (2) when an employee is told with less than 24 hours' notice that their upcoming shift is not needed or that the hours in the shift have been reduced.

SB 828 and HB 2193 will hurt local restaurants, hospitality establishments and retailers. It requires an interactive scheduling process in which an employer must accommodate employee scheduling requests. It also requires that schedules be set 14 days in advance. For any changes made to an employee's schedule with fewer than 14 days' notice, it requires one hour of additional pay per any change that does not result in a loss of hours worked, and it requires one-half rate of pay for any scheduling change that results in a loss of hours.

Here are some resources to assist you in drafting your testimony. OSCC submitted testimony at the end of February (click here to view). Go to the included links to view business testimony on SB 828 or HB 2193. View the legislation here.

Action is needed now. Please submit your Chamber's testimony this week. Additionally, send an action alert to your members to submit a letter in opposition. It is important for your member businesses to tell their customized story. OSCC has created business talking points to assist.

OSCC members should submit testimony on SB 828 to: swf.exhibits@oregonlegislature.gov and on HB 2193 to: hbl.exhibits@oregonlegislature.gov

OSCC member testimony is absolutely critical in opposing these bills. Take action now and make your voice heard.

Alison Hart, Executive Director
alisonh@oregonchamber.org
503-231-5421

JL Wilson, Legislative Counsel
jlwilson@pacounsel.org
503-363-2182

OSCC 2017 Legislative Report - Week 5

Fri, 10 Mar 2017 17:36:26 GMT

Dear OSCC Members and Colleagues -

The 2017 Oregon legislature forged into familiar territory last week with orchestrated hearings on legislation that is opposed and hotly contested by the business community - predictive scheduling (SB 828), removal of non-economic damage limits in lawsuits (SB 487), and a slew of bills regulating carbon emissions.

But unlike previous sessions, none of this legislation is a fait accompli. The future of all of these issues is tenuous at best.

OSCC's observations about the framework for the 2017 session is holding steady: (1) Leadership appears to be growing more serious about reducing the cost of state government, particularly in the area of labor costs, (2) there is continuing momentum for a comprehensive transportation funding package, (3) additional revenue generation is now a point of discussion between key bipartisan house and senate negotiators, and (4) there is a growing acknowledgement that PERS is not sustainable under the weight of $22 billion in unfunded liabilities.

Here's what we know from the past week:

The commitment to a bipartisan effort on the budget and transportation funding continues to forestall major anti-business legislation. Republicans have made it clear that their engagement in key budget and transportation efforts is contingent on not getting defeated on issues of primary concern to them - primarily business issues. Senate President Peter Courtney has also emphasized his desire for bipartisanship and the avoidance of partisan fights. This is perhaps the defining theme of 2017. The first casualty of this drive for bipartisanship appears to be environmental legislation - carbon pricing and emissions regulations. Once thought a foregone conclusion for 2017, these issues are clinging to life.

OSCC members did, indeed, catch a break on paid family leave legislation. We anticipated that legislators would find a way to raise the necessary revenue from business and employees to pay for a new paid family leave program without invoking the necessary 3/5th 'supermajority' voting requirement for raising taxes. Thankfully, we were wrong. Legislative Counsel has determined that the revenue needed to fund paid family leave constitutes a tax, and therefore, needs a 3/5th majority of the legislature to approve the legislation. This gives OSCC much greater leverage in defending against this expensive business mandate.

Predictive scheduling will likely be the primary 2017 labor issue now, but if it survives, it will be greatly watered down. The bill to pay attention to is SB 828. This bill specifically targets restaurants, hospitality establishments and retail stores. But Section 3 of the bill applies to all employers and would set onerous new wage requirements for any shift changes that result from lack of business demand or lack of customers on any given day. OSCC expects that Section 3 will be deleted in an effort to gain support as the bill is currently faltering. OSCC testified in opposition.

The House Revenue Committee began hearings on increased business taxes. The House committee heard bills that increase the corporate income tax to 8% (HB 2830) and increase the corporate minimum tax for large S corps (HB 2831). Although we don't believe there is an intention to move these bills independently of a pre-negotiated revenue package, OSCC will oppose these bills.

OSCC continues to urge members to pay attention to the discussion around SJR 41, which would switch Oregon to a gross receipts tax model.

Here's what's coming up this week:

New environmental regulations and taxes will be heard by a special joint House and Senate committee and will now involve informal evening hearings starting this week. This is a classic good news/bad news scenario.

The good news is that this new evening process essentially signals a 'white flag' of surrender on these anti-business measures for 2017. The bad news is that it represents an ongoing process to tee up these proposals once proponents sense the coast is clear. OSCC will closely monitor.

As of today, OSCC believes that while there is plenty of appetite (and votes) to move some sort of 'cap and trade' or carbon pricing proposal in the House, there is not enough support in the Senate. But again, as with most of the major non-budget and non-transportation issues that are looming, that could change if bipartisan negotiations on the budget or transportation break down. OSCC will oppose.

The "other" predictive scheduling bill - HB 2193 - will be heard in House Business & Labor Committee on Monday. Unlike the Senate hearing on SB 828, this bill will share the stage with several other bills, meaning it won't get the full attention of the committee ... an additional signal that SB 828 is the bill to pay attention to. But OSCC will continue to monitor HB 2193 in the event that it becomes the bill that proponents want to focus on.

The House Revenue Committee will continue its hearings on legislation that would impact business taxes. HB 2771 would discontinue the allowance of being able to deduct property taxes paid.

The Senate Environment & Natural Resources Committee will vote to approve SB 805, which appropriates $9.4 million for the agricultural experiment station and branch stations, Oregon State University Extension Service and Forest Research Laboratory programs of Oregon State University. This is very welcome news for our more rural members, but the legislation faces a tough road in a resource-constrained environment. OSCC will support.

Of particular interest to OSCC members:

We are continuing to sound the alarm on SB 828 - predictive scheduling. As we mentioned last week, OSCC has reason to believe that this is now the top labor priority for 2017.

What you need to know on SB 828: (1) It requires a minimum of four hours of pay for any food processor that calls an employee into work but the employee does not work the shift in its entirety, or (2) when an employee is told with less than 24 hours' notice that their upcoming shift is not needed or that the hours in the shift have been reduced.

SB 828 has much more stringent provisions for restaurants, hospitality establishments and retailers. It requires an interactive scheduling process in which an employer must accommodate employee scheduling requests. It also requires that schedules be set 14 days in advance. For any changes made to an employee's schedule with fewer than 14 days' notice, it requires one hour of additional pay per any change that does not result in a loss of hours worked, and it requires one-half rate of pay for any scheduling change that results in a loss of hours.

You can see SB 828 here.

OSCC members can submit testimony on SB 828 to: swf.exhibits@oregonlegislature.gov

OSCC member testimony is encouraged NOW. Please make the request to your members to send customized testimony. Click here for talking points.

Alison Hart, Executive Director
alisonh@oregonchamber.org
503-231-5421

JL Wilson, Legislative Counsel
jlwilson@pacounsel.org
503-363-2182

Oregon State Chamber of Commerce Announces 2017 Legislative Priorities

Mon, 23 Jan 2017 21:08:34 GMT

Oregon State Chamber of Commerce announces 2017 Legislative priorities Salem, OR – The Oregon State Chamber of Commerce (OSCC) announced today its list of Legislative priorities for 2017. OSCC represents 84 local Chambers of Commerce across the state.

“The 2017 OSCC Legislative Agenda is a reflection of our collective desire to see that every Oregon community is able to grow and develop a vibrant local economy that can support each community’s needs. We are good corporate citizens and will come to the table with our colleagues to help develop a revenue platform that business can support. However that cannot take place without meaningful spending reforms that get the most out of every hard-earned taxpayer dollar,” said Colene Martin, OSCC Vice and Legislative Committee Chair.

For 2017, OSCC requests that the Oregon Legislature take immediate action to address Oregon’s transportation needs. The OSCC also asks that the Oregon Legislature “pause” on any additional measures that would impose new costs or regulatory challenges for local businesses. Local business communities across Oregon need time to deal with the new 2015 and 2016 laws without additional costs, challenges and uncertainty.

OSCC supports:

Comprehensive transportation funding package (with real low carbon fuel standard cost containment).
Pre-emption of local employment regulations.
Expanding eligibility for the 2013 ‘small business tax cut’.
Increased availability and affordability of workforce housing.
Increased resources for mental health programs and homelessness prevention.
Land use/UGB expansion for industrial development and housing.

OSCC opposes:

Predictive Scheduling mandate.
Employer-funded ‘paid family leave’ program.
‘Cap and Trade,’ carbon tax, or Cleaner Air Oregon regulations that imposes burdensome costs on local manufacturers.
Increasing damage awards for liability, medical lawsuits.
Elimination of the small business tax cut.
Taxes not supported by the business community.

OSCC is organized to give a voice to the local business communities throughout Oregon in support of policies that enable business success, job growth and income growth in each of Oregon’s local communities. OSCC believes that a healthy business climate, and the jobs that such a business climate creates, is the key to building up local communities, adequately funding social services and making Oregon prosperous.

Contact: Alison Hart, Executive Director
Oregon State Chamber of Commerce
503-231-5421
alisonh@oregonchamber.org