Jobs and Economy

"The full 'three martini lunch deduction' is not the most effective use of taxpayer dollars, and it's time we repurpose these funds," said Representative Peter Meijer, a Republican from Michigan who co-sponsored the bill with Representative Suzanne Bonamici, a Democrat from Oregon, in a statement. The full business meal deduction will result in $5 billion in foregone tax revenue in 2022 and 2023, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation.

U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici says she is not convinced that payment of extra unemployment benefits has led to shortages of workers in service and caregiving businesses. The Democrat from Beaverton responded to a comment from someone who complained about a shortage of caregivers at assisted-living centers during a telephone town hall on May 15. She acknowledged there are positions going unfilled in a range of occupations, including child care and elder care, as the economy recovers from lockdowns during the coronavirus pandemic.

In a March 2021 letter to the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service, the WCSPA, Midwater Trawlers Cooperative, Oregon Trawl Commission and Fishermen's Marketing Association asked the AMS to specify Pacific pink shrimp, Pacific rockfish and Pacific hake (whiting) as USDA Section 32 "bonus buys." Ten West Coast lawmakers, including Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, D-Ore.; Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.; Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif.; Reps. Kurt Schrader, Peter DeFazio, Suzanne Bonamici, and Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore.; Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif.; and Rep.

Bonamici also said some laid-off workers are considering or undergoing more training to enable them to take higher-paying jobs in other fields. "We need to make sure that people have the skills to get these good jobs," Bonamici, who sits on the House Education and Labor Committee, said.

U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici has released a detailed list of how much each public and private institution will get starting May 11. The plan specifies that half the amount is reserved for emergency grants to students. "I advocated for significant federal relief to help students meet basic needs and stay on track with their education, and to help these institutions keep their doors open," she said in a statement. "This funding will allow schools to serve students who have been most affected by the pandemic, and help our communities build back better. "

Bonamici proposed nearly $10 million in projects in the 1st Congressional District. She sought funds for landslide mitigation in Astoria, money for Hillsboro's water system project, funds to renovate the Japan Institute Building in Portland, money for a nonprofit incubator development project in Beaverton, funds to buy a defibrillator for the Banks Fire District and money to set up a small-business center in St. Helens.

"It is unacceptable that in 2021 pregnant workers can still be forced to choose between a healthy pregnancy and a paycheck," Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.) said in a speech on the bill Friday.