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Sponsor seeks to rename Business Oregon to Oregon Department of Commerce and Trade; committee hears mixed public comment
Summary
Representative Daniel Wynne testified in support of a bill (with a -2 amendment) that would rename the Oregon Business Development Department and its commission to remove the Business Oregon DBA and adopt Oregon Department of Commerce and Trade as the official name. Public commenters urged caution about costs and clarity of the change.
Representative Daniel Wynne testified in support of House Bill 2,274 with the -2 amendment, which would rename the Oregon Business Development Department to the Oregon Department of Commerce and Trade and rename the Oregon Business Development Commission to the Oregon Commerce and Trade Commission. Wynne said the intent is to remove confusing DBAs and establish a single clear agency name used consistently across business cards, websites and communications.
Wynne said the change is intended to improve clarity for investors and partners on trade missions, citing examples of neighboring states whose agency names make their roles clearer. He noted the bill’s length is large because drafting required identifying every statutory reference to the current agency name and replacing it.
Public testimony included Jody Weiser (recorded representing an organization identified in the transcript as “Tax Furnace Oregon”), who urged the committee to prioritize oversight of the department rather than a name change and raised concerns about the administrative costs of changing statutory references and other materials. Wynne acknowledged there will be costs to change statutory references and said he believes the clarity benefit is worth the investment and that staff will work with legislative counsel (LC) and the Secretary of State on an amendment to manage the edits.
The committee held the public hearing and heard questions about whether the bill would eliminate the DBA “Business Oregon” and whether the change would be implemented consistently. Wynne said the intent is to eliminate the DBA and use a single official name.
No committee vote occurred on the bill at this hearing.
