House interim committee votes to introduce three economic-development legislative concepts
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Summary
The House Interim Committee on Economic Development voted Jan. 13 to introduce three committee LCs—LC 189 (trade, procurement roadmap, retention task force), LC 197 (program review at Business Oregon) and LC 127 (industrial symbiosis pilots and site-readiness changes)—moving them into the legislative process.
The House Interim Committee on Economic Development, Small Business and Trade voted during a Jan. 13 work session to introduce three committee legislative concepts for the 2026 session.
An unidentified committee member moved to introduce LC 189, LC 197 and LC 127 as committee bills, referencing the committee memorandum dated Jan. 12, 2026 and the materials posted on OLIS. The committee conducted a roll call and the chair announced the motion carries.
The three measures include: - LC 189: Directs Business Oregon, the Port of Portland, Travel Oregon and the Oregon Department of Agriculture to update Oregon’s unified international trade strategy; allocates $300,000 from the Administrative Services Economic Development Fund for the update; directs the Department of Administrative Services to develop a procurement reform roadmap (draft by Sept. 15, 2026; final by Dec. 15, 2026); and establishes a business retention task force with reports due Sept. 15, 2026 and Dec. 15, 2026. - LC 197: Directs Business Oregon to evaluate its more-than-90 programs and recommend consolidation, streamlining, elimination or separation of programs for the 2027–29 biennial budget process. - LC 127: Directs Business Oregon to support four industrial symbiosis pilot projects, appropriates $900,000 for pilots and $640,000 to the Oregon Coast Visitors Association for related research, modifies rules for the regionally significant industrial site program and amends ORS 451.490 to allow county service districts to fund certain service facilities by designated charges.
Committee members were given time to review the full draft language in OLIS and were invited to propose amendments as the bills move through the public hearing and work session process. The chair encouraged members to continue engagement with the governor’s legislative team and agency staff as the measures advance.
The committee closed the work session and proceeded to scheduled informational panels on the governor’s Prosperity Roadmap, Business Oregon’s statewide strategy and cannabis regulation.
Meeting next steps include formal referral of the introduced bills into the legislative process and further committee work sessions and public hearings where draft language may be revised.