Panelists tell committee Oregon JOBS Act aims to unlock build‑ready industrial land and modernize incentives
Loading...
Summary
Supporters told the committee LC 237 would designate a North Hillsboro industrial site as build-ready, update incentives (R&D tax credits, enterprise-zone changes) and set clearer permitting timelines to keep Oregon competitive for advanced manufacturing.
Panel testimony on LC 237, the Oregon JOBS Act, emphasized the bill’s three-part approach: identify a vetted industrial site, modernize incentive tools and add permitting certainty. Senator Janine Salmon told the Senate Commerce and General Government Committee the bill focuses on workers and families and aims to move Oregon from planning to implementation.
"No stand alone data centers will be permitted on this land," Salmon said, describing the bill as targeted to advanced manufacturing and build-ready industrial parcels. Beach Pace, mayor of Hillsboro, told members the city has invested more than $120 million in infrastructure for the North Hillsboro area and cited an economic-impact study with large but wide-ranging figures for potential long-term state GDP and job creation.
Keith Levitt of Confluence Strategies urged the committee to view the proposal in the context of a 2023 statewide industrial land inventory and argued that Oregon lacks contiguous large sites needed for semiconductor and advanced-manufacturing investment. "This is 1,700 acres. It is absolutely prime to be brought into the urban growth boundary," Levitt said.
Industry witnesses—from Oregon Business & Industry to Oregon Life Sciences and the Oregon Economic Development Association—supported provisions on permitting transparency, an optional local tool to exempt new capital equipment from property tax for a limited period, and a competitive R&D tax credit. Duke Shepherd (Oregon Business & Industry) described a draft permitting catalog requirement and discussed whether a 60-day or 120-day deadline for agencies to post catalog information would be appropriate.
Committee members pressed for detail on owners and parcelization of the Hillsboro site (Salmon estimated about 80 family owners) and raised concerns about farmland protection, the larger land-use system, and ensuring benefits statewide. Senator Janine Salmon and other backers said the bill’s tools would be available statewide and that the North Hillsboro land was selected because it is already relatively development-ready.
The hearing was informational; committee members requested further vetting and public engagement during follow-up work before any committee vote.
The Chair closed the LC 237 hearing and moved to the next item on the agenda.
