AGC enjoyed a successful 2014 Oregon Legislative Session highlighted by the approval of several bills and appropriations that will help the construction sector grow. These include: additional investments in career and technical education, multiple capital projects, and ensuring that current public contracting laws remain in place. AGC lobbyists also defeated or shaped several bills that, in their original form, ran counter to the industry’s best interests.
Oregon’s second constitutionally-mandated 35-day short session began on February 3rd and ended 33 days later on March 7th. Originally, some policymakers promoted the need for short, even-year sessions for the limited purposes of reconciling state agency budgets and introducing only modest and necessary bills. In reality, the 2014 session turned into another intense session where major policy initiatives were considered and debated.
The commercial construction sector is different from other industries due to the broad range of issues impacting our members. AGC’s public affairs team dealt with issues ranging from advancing the industry’s workforce needs to defending the small business tax cut passed during last fall’s special session.
AGC reviewed over 240 introduced bills for potential industry impacts and closely monitored more than 25 of those. Read the full 2014 Legislative Wrap-Up here. This report is intended to provide the highlights on those bills most crucial to the industry.
If you have questions on these or any other bills considered during this session, please contact John Rakowitz, 503-317-1781.