Jobs and Economy

The Protect Older Job Applicants Act (H.R. 3992) would allow job seekers age 40 or older—the threshold under the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act—to allege an employer used a seemingly neutral hiring practice to discriminate against them. "It's an especially important step toward helping older workers re-enter the workforce as the nation recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic," Rep.

Plans for a business resource center run under the Columbia Economic Team are moving forward, as the project has secured commitments for $150,000 in local dollars to match federal and state funding sources. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici earmarked $175,000 for the resource center in an appropriations bill that passed the House and is now awaiting Senate action.

U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and Representatives Peter DeFazio and Suzanne Bonamici have called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to take all statutory eligibilities into account when distributing $10 billion in aid to agricultural producers hit hard by extreme heat, drought and wildfires this summer.