The 2016 OSCC Legislative Priorities represents the legislative priorities of Oregon’s local business communities as represented by the 70 local Chambers of Commerce of the Oregon State Chamber of Commerce.  The OSCC is organized to give a voice to the local business communities throughout Oregon in support of policies that enable business growth, job growth and income growth in each of our local communities.  We believe a healthy business climate, and the jobs that such a business climate creates, is the key to building up our local communities and making them prosperous.  The 2016 OSCC Legislative Agenda is a reflection of the major cost and regulatory challenges that local business will have to grapple with as a consequence of the 2015 legislative session.  Those new challenges include a new sick leave mandate, a “ban the box” mandate that will change hiring processes, new costs imposed by a low carbon fuel mandate, a mandatory retirement program that all local businesses will be mandated to administer, and new regulations surrounding employer/employee discussions of wages.

For 2016, the OSCC requests that the Oregon legislature take immediate action to address Oregon’s transportation infrastructure needs.  Legislation is also needed to address small business compliance concerns with the newly-passed mandatory paid sick leave law.  The OSCC also asks that the Oregon Legislature “pause” on any additional measures that would impose new cost or regulatory challenges for local businesses.  Local business communities across Oregon need time to deal with the new 2015 laws without additional costs, challenges and uncertainty from 2016 legislation.

The OSCC respectfully requests the 2016 Legislature to pass:

  1. Comprehensive transportation funding that addresses Oregon’s transportation infrastructure needs
  2. Legislation that would ease compliance with the new paid sick leave law 

The OSCC respectfully requests the 2016 Legislature to refrain from:

  1. Passing legislation to increase the state’s minimum wage
  2. Passing legislation to remove the statewide minimum wage local preemption
  3. Passing legislation that would increase environmental regulatory costs for utilities and manufacturers
  4. Passing legislation that would increase insurance costs for businesses and health care providers