OFB Comments on Burdensome State Laws
- Austin McClister
- Oct 31
- 1 min read
On August 15, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) published a Request for Information (RFI) in the Federal Register seeking comments on state laws that unduly burden interstate commerce, raise costs, or harm markets.
Oregon Farm Bureau participated in an SBA roundtable on September 9 in response to this request where we provided both verbal and subsequent written feedback on several regulatory burdens that impose a significant impact on farming and ranching families. Our comments included the Climate Protection Program, which increases the cost of production for Oregon’s farmers and ranchers and undermines the economic competitiveness of rural enterprises; OR-OSHA’s Farmworker Housing Rules, which we estimate will produce a 20–50% reduction in farm labor housing capacity by 2028, severely limiting the availability of beds for both H-2A and domestic agricultural workers; and Oregon’s Recycling Modernization Act, a measure that taxes essential packaging used for perishable goods at punitive rates, eroding already narrow profit margins. The latter two examples were included in SBAs response to the DOJ’s RFI.
Read our full comments below.
