Portland’s total employment remains more than 25,000 jobs shy of its pre-pandemic level, and Portland continues to lag behind comparable cities and the U.S. average in growth. Portland’s central city, the epicenter of employment activity in the state of Oregon, has been particularly impacted by the departure of high productivity employment in office sectors, resulting in high levels of real estate vacancies and weakened economic activity and vibrancy overall. In contrast to most other states, the State of Oregon does not currently have a job creation tax credit to generate high-wage job employment at scale. Currently, most of our largest private employers continue to downsize their workforces and the metro area is continuing to lose population, primarily to Clark County in SW Washington. We urge the legislature to support and approve these urgent opportunities to make strategic investments in Portland’s economy that will strengthen the region’s economic footing and ensure continued healthy returns to the state general fund.

• HB 2291: will provide one-time stabilization funding and ensure facility and festival management structure to ensure long term financial sustainability of Portland’s signature festivals, including the Waterfront Blues Festival, Rose Festival, and Portland Winter Light Festival. These festivals draw well over a million visitors to the central city each year and this bill would also create a fund that will facilitate diverse festival growth across the city.
• HB 2420: will help finance construction of new Major League Baseball stadium.
• SB 5505: will fund construction of a new, fully modernized, central city performing arts center at Portland State University.
• HB 3377: will use lottery bonds to support the James Beard Market.
• HB 5024: will provide $30m support for the Business Oregon innovation research fund.
• HB 5024: $10m support for the Business Oregon Expansion Program (BEP), which is a valuable tool to retain and attract traded sector employers and generate high-paying employment throughout the state. By appropriating $10M into this already authorized program, businesses across the state will be better equipped to incentivize high-paying job growth in their communities.
• SB 5531/HB 3050: $35m in lottery bonds to support Port of Portland Terminal 6 and channel maintenance.
• HB 2726/SB 714: $45m allocated for Columbia Levee Safety and conservation improvements.
• HB 3246: Will provide the first ever support for local industrial circularity pilot projects.
• Streamline and improve transparency for agency rulemaking and permitting, improve customer service, and align state and local policies to promote business growth.

Portland’s economy cannot thrive with public safety services that are funded and staffed at levels far below the national average for similar sized cities, especially our economic peers. The State of Oregon has contributed to the systemic struggles of Multnomah County public safety by repeatedly providing inadequate funding. For example, persistent underfunding of community corrections in Oregon, over time, has contributed to the current crisis condition in Multnomah County jails. A recent 2024 grand jury report concluded, “The Multnomah County jail system is in crisis and at risk of jeopardizing public health and safety”.

• Fully fund community corrections including the cost study to begin addressing the crisis condition of Multnomah County jails.
• Continue to invest in HB 4002 and the Oregon deflection system.
• Continue to invest in law enforcement, prosecutors and public defenders for both cities and counties.Modernize the safety and operations for Oregon’s Bottle Bill at redemption locations.
• HB 2068/SB 992: enact 2025 Convenience & Safety Reform Act for Oregon’s Bottle Bill that will bring new operational updates and safety reforms to improve convenience and safety, increase redemption rates, and reduce impacts of redemption sites This bill includes several Portland-specific solutions like providing convenient “green bag” alternatives for downtown.

Underproduction of housing is the root of both the state’s homelessness and cost of living crisis, and is the primary factor driving Portland’s deeply concerning economic outlook. In the last decade, the Portland region produced the fewest number of new homes since World War II, culminating into a shortage of more than 25,000 units just to meet current need. With less than 1,000 units currently in the permitting pipeline, the seriousness of this crisis cannot be overstated. It is imperative that the Oregon Legislature continue to make investments in Oregon housing production. Key strategic investments this year could be the final step to breaking ground on several game changing projects, and reignite Portland’s private housing production market. Without public investment, high-density middle-income housing in Portland’s Central City is not feasible in today’s economic climate.

• Continue to provide direct investment to the City of Portland to move the Broadway Corridor, New Albina, Rose Quarter, and future OMSI District developments to groundbreaking as soon as possible.
  • For example, $22 million in funding will close the final financial gap on the Broadway Corridor project, leveraging approximately $120 million in local and private investment.
• Invest in East Multnomah County housing land banking and readiness.
• HB 2138 / HB 2139 / SB814 / HB 3031 / SB48 / LC3983: support Governor Kotek’s housing production and investment package.

The Chamber and our partners call on the legislature to continue to be a partner in ending unsheltered homelessness as urgently as possible. These critical investments will continue to keep the Portland region, which has made the largest investment in homeless services, per capita in the nation, on track to meet this goal. Oregon should follow the lead of other west coast states by providing updated legal guidance to local governments for enforcement of unsanctioned camping limits.

• Continue to support expansion of emergency shelter to ensure system alignment and continued progress toward our shared goal of ending unsheltered homelessness including continued funding ($26m) for Temporary Alternative Shelter Sites and Safe Rest Villages.
• Support Central City Concern behavioral health, addiction, and system alignment agenda.
• Replace or update HB 3115 to provide cities and counties with updated guidance enforcing time, place, and manner laws in light of federal court decisions.

Oregon has long ranked near the bottom in spending on higher education nationally and this demands action the State Legislature. With the Portland region and the state lagging behind our peers in economic growth and workforce development, it is time to make historic investments in the institutions that are training our next generation of skilled workers and foster future develop toward the next generation of entrepreneurs and innovative businesses.

This matters deeply to Portland’s economic health.

One out of every 56 jobs in the Portland metro region is supported by the activities of Portland Community College (PCC), and the impact of PCC alumni in the workforce is an economic boost comparable to hosting the Super Bowl five times. One out of every 29 jobs in the East Metro region are supported by the activities of Mt Hood Community College (MHCC), and the impact of MHCC alumni in the workforce is an economic boost of approximately $353 million annually. Portland State University has a $1.8 Billion economic impact in the region. By offering career connected degrees, PSU fills workforce needs and drives social and economic mobility and housing affordability.

We call on the legislature to:

• Support community colleges and public universities that are key to regional workforce development, innovation, and addressing shortages in high-demand industries. Invest in a strong public higher education system, including the Community College Support Fund, the Public University Support Fund, and the Oregon Opportunity Grant which funds critical education partners in the Portland region.
• Support all Portland region higher education capital construction requests:
  • Clackamas Community College – Center for Excellence in Farming, Horticulture & Wildland Fire (Project total: $32M; Institutional match: $24M; XI-G match Request: $8M).
  • Mt. Hood Community College – Classroom & Lab Renovations (Project total: $40.56M; Institutional match: $32.56M; XI-G match request: $8M).
  • University of Oregon in Portland – Children’s Behavioral Health Building (Project total: $71M; Institutional match: $17.75M; XI-G match request: $53.25M).
• Support HB 2556 to designate Portland State University as Oregon’s Urban Research University.

Portland and the state’s transportation infrastructure is deteriorating, becoming unsafe and hindering mobility. The City of Portland alone has $4.7B in deferred maintenance just to shore up its current assets. Additionally, major projects in the Portland region critical to Oregon’s economy, such as the bottleneck at the Rose Quarter on I-5, have not been fully funded. Cities across the state are in similar positions and we encourage the legislature to make historic investments in shoring up our existing transportation infrastructure.

• Support East Portland safety investments and Move Oregon Forward
• 2025 Transportation Package: prioritize deferred maintenance and project completion