[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6363521,"mediaKeyId","2166157-30a610a607af756ea57e2047f5b1d748","parentId",2166157,"title","Committee hears on HB 2350 to make Small Business Sustainability Fund permanent","audioSeconds",1972,"startMs",385000,"endMs",2357000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2166157-30a610a607af756ea57e2047f5b1d748&start=385&end=2357","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2166157-30a610a607af756ea57e2047f5b1d748/thumbnail_385000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6363521/Oregon/Committee-hears-on-HB-2350-to-make-Small-Business-Sustainability-Fund-permanent","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6363521-c831cb9e3aec8e848effd188afc4ad15/orig.mp4?Expires=1770987271&Signature=IjFL4WqEPNGh~Hfg26tTyrt0j~4ISPkPKC4V0FcI-wcmb1izl3tqfFxkl2VZTcBYZU0ZCli-1A6nspjvbFyAS00r58Tz92CZwM2jasUgfK6F9re4DyuKTc3FUmhKUr1rEJ4f3s-wmwIwm999Xfc0HyY9ZNdXkAtlT7J1xx4-WoCSnDuieu8ufcNTXJgHiFdT5yVFeL~tRi2W51kr1mXEvKAucQBrWPcol2apGMLnLavyyZdJ8i4EHoU6NwpJFNJ99Uh1ry7w1R-xoE-73ApPscAh1B5Jgjd~YoSM7L5DIB~G0kizwZf~4ZogXppgT2Ugc5hnUrAhnD5WbZrMw~eJ2g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Oregon State Legislature","date","2025-01-29T00:00:00Z","article","Chair Winn opened the public hearing on House Bill 2350 on Jan. 29. The bill would direct the Oregon Business Development Department (Business Oregon) to establish a permanent Small Business Sustainability Fund to support retention and expansion of small businesses with grants, forgivable loans and loans.

Michael Held, a Business Oregon regional official testifying at the agency’s request, said the bill “is really about 2 things, accountability and results.” Held said the fund grew from pandemic‑era programming and transfers from the Strategic Reserve Fund and that the bill would create a dedicated fund to continue flexible financing. “This fund is a way to addressing part of that gap,” he told the committee.

Held described key program features: awards may be grants, forgivable loans or loans; awards are intended for traded sector or regionally important businesses; the statutory employee cap is under 100 employees (agency practice has focused on firms with fewer than 30 employees); and the agency has required at least 30% matching financing from other sources. Eligible project costs listed in the draft statute exclude payroll and typically cover equipment, machinery, workforce training, marketing, inventory and accounts receivable.

Held offered program results from the agency’s five years of activity: 45 awards totaling roughly $2.9 million in public funds, leveraged with about $18.3 million in private investment; 75% of projects were in rural areas; 53% were in food and beverage manufacturing and roughly 20% in advanced manufacturing. The agency said no awardees to date had entered into repayment plans with the agency, though some projects remain active.

Small business witnesses described how the fund operated in practice. Ben Doimling of Xeno Forest Products said a $75,000 award from the program helped the company build a new manufacturing line to supply the Portland airport and “allowed us to scale the impact that we could have on the state.” He described the full project as about $1 million financed with an SBA EIDL loan, a bank loan, the company’s capital and the Business Oregon award.

Tim Cowan, a former banker who testified as a private citizen, raised questions about underwriting, forgivable loans, default triggers, personal guarantees and how the agency ensures projects are structured to succeed. Business Oregon’s Deputy Director Chris Cummings and regional staff described the agency’s project underwriting: applications undergo a financial review that includes profit and loss statements, balance sheets, tax returns and business plans; the agency conducts diligence similar to traditional lenders and uses forgivable loans and grants to mitigate and manage risk while holding companies accountable to deliverables.

Committee members asked about whether grants could be used for payroll (agency: typically not), whether the program targets underserved communities (agency: no statutory targets now but outreach and regional focus produced 75% rural project placement), average award size (agency: award cap $75,000), and how much is currently in the fund (agency: about $800,000 on hand, with projects in the pipeline reducing available awards).

Multiple lawmakers asked Business Oregon for outcome information; the agency said it conducts closeouts collecting quantitative and qualitative impacts including jobs retained or created and private capital leveraged and offered to provide one‑pagers, closeout reports and application memos to the committee.

No committee votes or final actions on HB 2350 were recorded in the transcript.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Committee On Economic Development, Small Business, and Trade 01/29/2025","oneSentenceSummary","Chair Winn opened the public hearing on House Bill 2350 on Jan. 29; the bill would create a permanent Small Business Sustainability Fund at Business Oregon to provide grants, forgivable loans and loans to traded‑sector and regionally important small businesses.","taxTitle","Economic Development and Small Business, House of Representatives, Committees, Legislative, Oregon","taxId",17512,"location","Oregon","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6363527,"House Committee reviews housekeeping amendments to Business Oregon programs in HB 2348",377,7000,384000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2166157-30a610a607af756ea57e2047f5b1d748&start=7&end=384","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2166157-30a610a607af756ea57e2047f5b1d748/thumbnail_7000.jpg","/articles/6363527/Oregon/House-Committee-reviews-housekeeping-amendments-to-Business-Oregon-programs-in-HB-2348","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6363527-4d81ada5c85ed8c7aae35a86a42f02ce/orig.mp4?Expires=1770987271&Signature=kMGHOdeG1eE4m8QzYKCV6GbNc1bVFUxhDpS2j7kp4VUAG-Ca6dWCltpXaR9krnH6O77stizhuTF43~XK~TsSnyr1GMec1dLYl-4w20eZpTbuFOQPfPUn-BS-~8yzzg6vUXXRHv5AAZx8XVweqfdGkiD2m39JfB8e~2GIRHpez7N8KlWqwN5BxNWIQLpWmHFai8rbdm-bfWcTp61JKsB4lKSrDhi87eldzUcHDz2vN5OECWvFI6DwJHkwDhATPuTCbighEBmndlfCKyJYEoAC-CoQEfaZt2A5BysiraOv7VxtLYdFEx0f7tgIRINhZNoSNi2iaOrfKLMvh~4thS8zGg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Chair Winn opened a public hearing on House Bill 2348 on Jan. 29, which would make administrative changes to multiple economic development statutes administered by the Oregon Business Development Department (Business Oregon).

Business Oregon Deputy Director Chris Cummings told the committee the measure contains a series of “housekeeping” updates intended to remove barriers to program access and simplify administration. “The changes in this bill either make it administratively easier for us to administer or for, our recipients to to utilize the program,” Cummings said.

The bill would, among other changes, simplify how members are assigned to the Oregon Growth Board so appointments align with other state commissions, remove duplicative deed‑restriction monitoring language from the Brownfields Property Revitalization Fund, allow transfers to the Oregon ports’ planning and marketing program from broader loan‑fund receipts (not just interest and repayments), and change a dredging definition so projects are not limited by the phrase “maintenance dredging.” Cummings said the wastewater fund language related to asset management would be removed to let more municipalities access dollars for pressing needs that are not part of long‑term asset management plans.

On child care infrastructure funding, Cummings said tribal communities were previously eligible only if they participated in Preschool Promise; HB 2348 would remove that limitation. “We had three tribal communities apply in our last round, but the fact is is we want to make tribal communities eligible just like every other municipality or community in the state,” he said.

Committee members asked clarifying questions about whether any stakeholders opposed the changes and whether other communities had been unintentionally excluded by previous statutory language. Cummings said Business Oregon had spoken with stakeholders and had not heard opposition, and that the agency learns about unintended exclusions through application rounds; the department has completed one round so far for the child care infrastructure funding and will continue to refine eligibility and scoring through rulemaking and future rounds.

Chair Winn closed the public hearing on HB 2348 after questions and then opened a hearing on another bill.

The hearing record contains only testimony and committee questions; no committee votes or final actions on HB 2348 were recorded in the transcript.","During a public hearing, Business Oregon outlined administrative changes in House Bill 2348 intended to simplify board appointments, clarify brownfields language, broaden port fund transfers, loosen wastewater asset-management language, and remove a preschool‑promise requirement for tribal access to a child care infrastructure fund.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6363517,"Panel warns Oregon faces competitiveness and permitting challenges; manufacturing and downtown Portland cited as priorities",3218,2378000,5596000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2166157-30a610a607af756ea57e2047f5b1d748&start=2378&end=5596","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2166157-30a610a607af756ea57e2047f5b1d748/thumbnail_2378000.jpg","/articles/6363517/Oregon/Panel-warns-Oregon-faces-competitiveness-and-permitting-challenges-manufacturing-and-downtown-Portland-cited-as-priorities","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6363517-450db7fda90a2bf9126a0d298a56e407/orig.mp4?Expires=1770987271&Signature=m2~iPqVZaosAbza3~gvWjsXdlLDQ0S3S57tV64pV0HSiLAtkvTbu~SdYGc3oXv77YBtgDhRwBO5SaP4JZp7MpVvZ2dMtQDhpvHdLawT4Wb-bwN9fWWiGlLhzrcumfjWy7QrNtIXqqqegeClZoq6Az~jzBHsex0F~YmiKrht9X4x3WIbuajCi9r9uVdCqYhNCKxN39CvePF5JSWOTfDMDNay1mVvbBaRoTzKTXJeC2XSta8udKzgjZYI8u5cRVBaVhvJ5UxQW56eOmG1HViSoWEDAlDSJrLzJIyxLPCWGE6qeTEzINJym8YdSaOhpjuufp3W7S-6~4ISXMuRelRveXw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","After committee hearings on two bills, the House Committee on Economic Development, Small Business and Trade held an informational meeting with business groups and local business owners.

Representatives of Oregon Business and Industry (OBI) told the committee that Oregon’s manufacturing sector has lagged recovery and that the state must act to improve competitiveness and permitting. “The number 1 complaint that we hear is the regulatory environment,” Duke Shepherd of OBI said, and Paloma Sparks said Oregon’s competitiveness ranking slipped in recent national lists, with notable declines in the cost of doing business and business friendliness.

OBI urged legislation and administrative reforms to reduce uncertainty, clear permitting backlogs, and improve incentives for traded‑sector employers. Sparks said the organization had submitted a “Competitiveness Agenda” with recommendations and asked legislators to review it.

Vanessa Sturgeon, a Portland developer and Oregon Business Council representative, described a downtown office crisis and urged state action to protect revenue streams that rely on property and income taxes. She cited high office vacancy rates and steep valuation declines for some properties, saying dramatic drops in assessed values could affect budgets for schools, public safety and other services. Sturgeon recommended incentives and programs to convert vacant offices to other uses and urged work on public safety, mental‑health capacity and streamlining certification for new treatment facilities.

Marsha Walker, director of Oregon State University’s Food Innovation Center, described supply‑chain and co‑manufacturing gaps that push some food and beverage start‑ups out of state after product development, and asked for state attention to manufacturing infrastructure and workforce training for small food producers.

Speakers from Josephine County and small business owners emphasized the costs of doing business for rural firms, the impact of the corporate activity tax on local operators, access to capital, fair contracting and payment terms, and the importance of tourism and lodging tax allocations to regional economies.

Committee members asked detailed questions about regulatory churn, permitting backlogs and the possibility of executive‑level action; OBI said it had sent a letter to the governor asking for prioritization of permitting improvements and that agency hiring alone had not solved the permitting delays. The panelists urged coordinated legislative and administrative work to improve permitting, workforce training, housing and crime and behavioral‑health responses to stabilize downtowns and support employers.

The meeting closed with the committee agreeing to continue parts of the conversation on future agendas; no votes were taken in the informational segment.","An informational panel at the House Committee on Economic Development, Small Business and Trade highlighted a manufacturing downturn, permitting slowdowns, workforce and housing constraints, an office‑vacancy crisis in downtown Portland, and sector‑specific needs for food and beverage manufacturers and rural small businesses.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee hears on HB 2350 to make Small Business Sustainability Fund permanent

House Committee reviews housekeeping amendments to Business Oregon programs in HB 2348

Panel warns Oregon faces competitiveness and permitting challenges; manufacturing and downtown Portland cited as priorities