HOUSE REPUBLICANS ANNOUNCE
JOBS AND ECONOMY AGENDA
SALEM – House Republicans today announced a jobs and
economy agenda to stimulate the state’s economy and encourage job growth.
The agenda includes bills to streamline the permitting process, proposals
that will reform the state’s tax system and policies that will revamp the
state’s land use system.
“Oregonians understand that the only way to get our
state back on track is to implement policies that will jump start our
economy and create jobs,” said House Majority Leader Wayne Scott
(R-Canby). “These proposals will help ensure our economy continues to
grow and that growth will help fund the essential services Oregonians
depend on.”
Rep. Alan Brown (R-Newport), Chair of the House
Business and Labor Committee discussed two proposals to modify the state’s
permitting system to encourage businesses to expand and locate in Oregon.
“By allowing local governments to act as a clearinghouse for state
permits, we can create a ‘one stop shopping’ system that will make it
easier for businesses to locate their operations here,” said Rep. Brown.
“Additionally, the idea of instituting an ambassador program at the Oregon
Economic and Community Development Department will help our state recruit
businesses and will make it easier for them to navigate through the maze
of rules and regulations.”
Rep. Tom Butler (R-Ontario), Chair of the House
Revenue Committee gave an overview of the various reforms to the tax
system that will help encourage investment including, decreasing the
capital gains tax, increasing the Oregon exemption for death taxes,
reconnecting Oregon to the federal tax code, investing in research and
development and increasing the number of enterprise zones eligible for
e-commerce tax incentives. “Oregon can do a better job of encouraging
jobs and investment,” said Rep. Butler. “These improvements will help
Oregon businesses invest in property and family wage jobs. Increased
investment means increased revenue and the impact of the additional
investment will far outweigh any initial loss.”
“Our land use system is one of the biggest barriers
for job growth,” said Rep. Bill Garrard (R-Klamath Falls), Chair of the
House Land Use Committee. “We must open up more industrial land, and we
must protect the will of the voters concerning Ballot Measure 37 so that
businesses have access to the land they need to grow. Our state’s economy
relies on our natural resource base and by increasing harvest in our state
forests, we will create desperately needed jobs in rural Oregon. A
commonsense approach that protects our land use system and promotes
economic development is the best way for our state to move forward.”
House Speaker Karen Minnis (R-Wood Village) said,
“The House plans to move forward on this jobs and economic development
agenda as soon as possible because it’s what’s best for our state. These
proposals will be a positive step towards getting Oregonians back to work
and our state’s economy moving again.”
