74th OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2007 Regular Session
NOTE: Matter within { + braces and plus signs + } in an
amended section is new. Matter within { - braces and minus
signs - } is existing law to be omitted. New sections are within
{ + braces and plus signs + } .
LC 3563
House Bill 3509
Sponsored by Representative C EDWARDS; Representatives D EDWARDS,
GALIZIO, ROBLAN, WITT
SUMMARY
The following summary is not prepared by the sponsors of the
measure and is not a part of the body thereof subject to
consideration by the Legislative Assembly. It is an editor's
brief statement of the essential features of the measure as
introduced.
Requires persons obtaining economic development assistance from
Economic and Community Development Department to verify that
employees may lawfully work in United States.
A BILL FOR AN ACT
Relating to Economic and Community Development Department;
creating new provisions; and amending ORS 285A.090.
Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:
SECTION 1. ORS 285A.090 is amended to read:
285A.090. The Economic and Community Development Department
shall:
(1) Implement programs consistent with policies of the Oregon
Economic and Community Development Commission.
(2) Provide field representatives in the various geographical
regions of the state. The field representatives shall be in the
unclassified service and shall receive such salary as may be set
by the Director of the Economic and Community Development
Department, unless otherwise provided by law. The field
representatives shall:
(a) Serve as internal advocates and centralized contacts within
state government for businesses seeking to locate or expand in
the region and shall guide the businesses through all required
processes with state regulatory agencies and local units of
government to facilitate and expedite siting or expansion of the
businesses within the businesses' budgets and in an economically
viable manner;
(b) Seek assistance and direction from the Governor or a
designee of the Governor for resolving issues that have delayed a
project in order to ensure that governmental decisions and
actions on projects are made in a timely and reasonable manner;
(c) Work with local units of government and the private sector
as they establish and carry out economic and community
development plans and programs under ORS 280.500;
(d) Establish links with and act as liaisons between businesses
seeking to locate or expand in the region and resources within
the public and private institutions of higher education in Oregon
familiar with technological advancements and grant opportunities;
(e) Serve as liaisons between businesses seeking to locate or
expand in the region and appropriate governmental, university,
community college and industry representatives to assist and
partner with the businesses in their developmental efforts;
(f) Assemble regional rapid response teams that include
regional departmental staff and representatives of local
governments in the region to work with businesses seeking to
locate or expand in the region by facilitating developmental
procedures and eliminating obstacles to completion of projects;
(g) Assign specific responsibilities for and monitor progress
of rapid response team members toward completion of tasks
essential to the achievement of a successful outcome of a project
for all parties involved;
(h) Coordinate meetings between businesses seeking to locate or
expand in the region and the members of rapid response teams to
establish and monitor the adherence to developmental timelines
and to ensure satisfaction with services provided;
(i) Deliver to local units of government and the private sector
the assistance and services available from the department,
including publications, research and technical and financial
assistance programs; and
(j) Promote local awareness of department policy and department
programs and services and of assistance and economic incentives
available from government at all levels.
(3) Process requests received by state agencies and interested
parties for information pertaining to industrial and commercial
locations and relocations throughout the state.
(4) Consult and advise with, coordinate activities of, and give
technical assistance and encouragement to, state and local
organizations, including local development corporations, county,
city, and metropolitan-area committees, chambers of commerce,
labor organizations and similar agencies interested in obtaining
new industrial plants or commercial enterprises.
(5) Act as the state's official liaison agency between persons
interested in locating industrial or business firms in the state,
and state and local groups seeking new industry or business,
maintaining the confidential nature of the negotiations it
conducts as requested by persons contemplating location in the
state.
(6) Coordinate state and federal economic and community
development programs.
(7) Consult and advise with, coordinate activities of, and give
technical assistance and encouragement to all parties including,
but not limited to, port districts within the state working in
the field of international trade or interested in promoting their
own trading activity.
(8) Provide advice and technical assistance to Oregon business
and labor.
(9) Collect and disseminate information regarding the
advantages of developing new business and expanding existing
business in the state.
(10) Aid local communities in planning for and obtaining new
business to locate therein and provide assistance in local
applications for federal development grants.
(11) Work actively to recruit domestic and international
business firms to those communities that desire such recruitment.
(12) In carrying out its duties under ORS chapters 285A, 285B
and 285C and ORS 329.905 to 329.975, give priority to assisting
small businesses in this state by encouraging the creation of new
businesses, the expansion of existing businesses and the
retention of economically distressed businesses which are
economically viable.
(13) Establish and operate foreign trade offices in those
foreign countries in which the department considers a foreign
trade office necessary using department employees, contracts with
public or private persons or a combination of department
employees and contractors. Department employees, including
managers, who are assigned to work in a foreign trade office
shall be in the unclassified service, and the director shall set
the salaries of those persons. Foreign trade offices shall
provide one or more of the following services:
(a) Work with the private sector to assist them in finding
international markets for their goods and services;
(b) Work with local units of government to assist them in
locating foreign businesses within their jurisdiction;
(c) Promote awareness in foreign countries of department
policy, programs and services and of assistance and economic
incentives available from government at all levels; or
(d) Provide other assistance considered necessary by the
director.
{ + (14)(a) In carrying out its duties under ORS chapters
285A, 285B and 285C and ORS 329.905 to 329.975, require
recipients of economic development assistance from state funds to
verify that each person under the recipient's employ is lawfully
authorized to work in the United States.
(b) Require a recipient of economic development assistance to
repay the value of the assistance received if the recipient
employs a person who is not lawfully authorized to work in the
United States while the recipient receives assistance. A
recipient that employs a person who is not lawfully authorized to
work in the United States may not receive economic assistance
from the department for a period of five years from the date the
person's unlawful employment is discovered.
(c) Adopt rules to carry out the provisions of this
subsection. + }
SECTION 2. { + The amendments to ORS 285A.090 by section 1 of
this 2007 Act apply to economic assistance provided on or after
the effective date of this 2007 Act. + }
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