Authorizes Oregon CHIPS Fund grants and loans to businesses that are eligible for federal semiconductor financial assistance under the CHIPS Act but have not applied for it.
HB 4104 revises Oregon’s semiconductor/economic development incentive program centered on the Oregon CHIPS Fund, which the bill renames the Oregon Fostering Innovation Strength at Home and CHIPS Fund. The measure expands eligibility so the Oregon Business Development Department and the Governor may award grants and loans not only to businesses applying for federal semiconductor financial assistance, but also to businesses that are eligible for that federal assistance and have not applied. It also broadens the kinds of projects and businesses that may receive support by extending the program beyond semiconductors to other “targeted industries” identified by the department.
The bill updates application, review, reporting, and repayment rules for the program. It revises the application requirements, preference criteria, and reporting obligations to reflect the broader targeted-industry framework, while keeping core conditions tied to labor, environmental compliance, job creation, revenue generation, and workforce partnerships. It also extends certain confidentiality protections for trade secrets, changes repayment triggers and deadlines, and updates the sunset dates for the program’s statutory provisions to 2036. In addition, it makes conforming changes to the CHIPS Child Care Fund and related statutes, and includes new appropriations to the fund from the General Fund and the Administrative Services Economic Development Fund.
HB 4104 would amend ORS 329A.743 and multiple sections of chapter 25, Oregon Laws 2023, to expand and extend Oregon’s CHIPS-related economic development framework. It authorizes grants and loans to a wider set of businesses, including those eligible for federal semiconductor assistance even if they have not applied, and broadens the program from a semiconductor-only focus to include other targeted industries. The bill also renames the fund, extends reporting and repayment timelines, and delays repeal dates for the program statutes to January 2, 2036. It further makes conforming changes to the CHIPS Child Care Fund and provides $10 million in new funding for deposit into the renamed fund.
The available vote history suggests strong committee support: the House committee voted 9-0 to do pass with amendments and refer the bill to Ways and Means by prior reference. No committee transcript excerpts were provided, so the broader discussion record is limited, but the bill’s progression indicates general agreement with expanding Oregon’s semiconductor and targeted-industry incentive tools. The emergency clause and immediate effective date also suggest the measure was treated as time-sensitive economic development legislation.
The main policy questions appear to be how broadly Oregon should use CHIPS-related funds and how much discretion should be given to state officials in selecting recipients. The bill expands eligibility to businesses that have not applied for federal semiconductor assistance and widens the program to other targeted industries, which may raise concerns about diluting the original semiconductor focus or stretching state resources beyond the most direct CHIPS-related projects. The bill also preserves significant administrative discretion for the department and Governor, while maintaining performance requirements tied to revenue, jobs, labor standards, and environmental compliance; those conditions may be points of interest for stakeholders focused on accountability, workforce outcomes, and public return on investment. No recorded opposition is included in the provided materials.