Committee hears bill to let Business Oregon set cap on port planning grants

House Committee on Economic Development, Small Business, and Trade members heard public testimony April 2 on House Bill 2,415, a committee bill that would remove the $50,000 statutory cap on Port Planning and Marketing Fund grants and allow the Oregon Business Development Department (Business Oregon) to set a maximum grant amount by administrative rule.

The bill’s dash‑1 amendment “replaces the measure and removes the requirement that grants ... not exceed $50,000,” according to staff summary presented to the panel. Mark Landauer, testifying for the Oregon Public Ports Association, said the current $50,000 cap, last adjusted in 2007, has lost purchasing power and is now worth “less than 50% of the purchasing power it did when it was placed in statute.” He described the funds as a conduit for “strategic business planning” that helps ports remain eligible for other Business Oregon programs.

The measure would change the Port Planning and Marketing Fund rules in statute and direct Business Oregon to establish a maximum grant amount by rule rather than keeping that dollar limit in statute. Landauer said the change would allow the department to periodically update the cap — for example, he cited a CPI adjustment that would have placed the 2007 $50,000 figure at about $76,600 today — and preserve the existing 75% cost‑share requirement so ports retain “skin in the game.”

Members asked clarifying questions about how the 75% cost‑share interacts with a maximum grant amount. Representative Osborne and others pressed on whether statute limits both a dollar cap and a percent cap; witnesses and committee staff read the current language aloud to explain that the department cannot provide more than 75% of an individual project’s cost and that removing the dollar cap would not eliminate the 75% limit.

No formal action or vote on HB 2,415 was taken during the hearing; the committee opened and closed the public hearing and moved on to the next agenda item. The testimony noted that ports must keep current strategic business plans to be eligible for other Business Oregon program funds and that the Port Planning and Marketing Fund gives priority to development and updating of those plans.

Supporters emphasized that more funding flexibility would let ports hire quality consultants to produce 10‑year strategic plans that guide infrastructure and program investments. Questions from committee members focused on statutory language and whether a rule‑making approach could create the transparency and periodic adjustment sponsors seek.

The public hearing record for HB 2,415 remains open and the committee did not take a recorded vote on the bill during this session.