FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Anthony Smith, NFIB Oregon State Director, anthony.smith@nfib.org
or Tony Malandra, Senior Media Manager, anthony.malandra@nfib.org

SALEM, Ore., Feb. 2, 2026—Oregon’s leading small business association today announced five legislative measures it will lobby for or against during the 2026 session of the Oregon State Legislature.

“These five issues are just the start of our work this year to promote and protect the right of our members to own, operate, and grow their small businesses,” said Anthony Smith, state director for the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) in Oregon. “With more than 250 bills introduced today, there are numerous threats and opportunities before us. With affordability top of mind for Oregon households and small businesses, it’s disappointing to see so many legislative measures that would increase costs and further weaken Oregon’s already fragile economy.”

The top five agenda items for NFIB Oregon are:

• Support For Federal Tax Conformity: Maintaining conformity with the federal tax code could potentially provide Oregon small businesses with hundreds of millions of dollars in badly needed additional tax relief at the state level. House Bill 4015
• Opposition to Expanded Wage Claim Liability: This legislation expands criminal penalties for wage claims and creates a new felony for hiring an unlicensed labor contractor, punishable by five years in prison, a $125,000 fine, or both. House Bill 4089
• Opposition to Raising Taxes on Employers & Employees: This legislation would increase the Workers’ Benefit Fund tax to raise revenue for a separate state agency unrelated to injured workers. Senate Bill 1506

• Opposition to Increased Insurance Costs: A new private right of action under Oregon’s Unlawful Trade Practices Act will lead to more lawsuits and would mean insurance policyholders will have to pay more for the same coverage. House Bill 4098
• Opposition to Labor Standards Boards: This would create industry-specific labor standards boards of unelected appointees with no accountability to the people of Oregon. Senate Bill 1505

Keep up with the latest Oregon small business news at www.nfib.com or on X at @NFIB_OR

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For over 80 years, NFIB has been advocating on behalf of America’s small and independent business owners, both in Washington, D.C., and in all 50 state capitals. NFIB is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, and member-driven association. Since its founding in 1943, NFIB has been exclusively dedicated to small and independent businesses and remains so today. For more information, please visit nfib.com.

National Federation of Independent Business
1149 Court Street NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-364-4450
NFIB.com
X: NFIB_OR