Senate panel reopens hearings on Oregon Jobs Act bill that would expand R&D credits and reclassify North Hillsboro land

Chair Broadman reopened the public hearing on Senate Bill 15 86 on Feb. 16, bringing panels and more than a dozen public commenters to discuss an Oregon Jobs Act package that would expand a research-and-development (R&D) tax credit to advanced manufacturing and change land‑use designations for acreage north of Hillsboro.

State Senator Janine Salmon, who introduced the package, said the JOBS Act combines incentives, permitting reforms and industrial‑land planning to “create middle class jobs” and build on the semiconductor package enacted in 2023. Salmon told the committee that the proposal has statewide and bipartisan support and listed cities, universities and business groups as partners backing the measure.

Michael Held, regional services manager at Business Oregon, told the committee Business Oregon has no formal position on the bill but is prepared to administer a parallel advanced‑manufacturing R&D credit, separate from the semiconductor credit. Held said the bill’s certification mechanics largely mirror the existing semiconductor program and that modest…