Oregon Secretary of State

Ready to start your business? Check out the new and improved Oregon Start a Business Guide and the Oregon Employer’s Guide. Learn about your obligations as a business owner and employer, where to find additional assistance, and more!

Both guides are available in English and Spanish here: https://sos.oregon.gov/business/Pages/business-publications.aspx

Throughout we are celebrating Oregon's Black business community and sharing resources to help you grow your business!

Follow along for more, and check out our small business resources: https://www.oregon.gov/smallbusiness/Pages/business-resources.aspx

It's once again time to reflect on your budgeting and revisit financial best practices for your business. This National , set your business up for success by planning for its financial future!

In celebration of the South Slough Reserve’s 50th Anniversary, Oregon's Secretary of State, LaVonne Griffin-Valade, delivered remarks at the opening of the South Slough Exhibit alongside Oregon Department of State Lands Director Vicki Walker, Treasurer Read, and Governor Kotek yesterday.

This , we're celebrating Oregon's Kid Governor (ORKG) and her cabinet members, who are paving the way for a brighter future for their generation and the ones to come.

The 2024 ORKG is raising awareness about mental health and ensuring her peers feel comfortable expressing their feelings. Learn more about her platform here: or.kidgovernor.org

Your business’s mailing address is the #1 way the Oregon Corporation Division can notify you of urgent information, like when it’s time to renew.

Keep it current by going to our website today: sos.oregon.gov/bizsearch

Small businesses: We're coming to a city near you! This August, we're here to support small businesses just like yours. If you have a dispute with Oregon state or local government, we can help you navigate the available options to resolve your specific situation.

Learn more here: https://www.oregon.gov/smallbusiness/Pages/training.aspx

August 8: Salem, Café Y Pan Dulce, Latino Business Alliance, 8 - 9:30am
August 9: Portland, OAME CAEPT Networking, 7:30 - 9am
August 15: Woodburn, Café Y Pan Dulce, Latino Business Alliance, 8 - 9:30am
August 22: Portland, ORPIB Mixer and Mini-Resource Fair, 6 - 8pm
August 27: Salem, Salem Capitol Connections, 7:30 - 9am
August 30: Portland, OAME Coffee and Issues, 7:30 - 9am

Today marks the beginning of ! Small businesses are the heart of Oregon. That's why we offer support for Black-owned businesses through Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) certifications.

Learn more here: https://www.oregon.gov/biz/programs/COBID/MBE-WBE/Pages/default.aspx

Registering to vote is unnecessarily complicated. Here’s 1 simple solution: Modernizing voter registration is crucial for election integrity. See how Automatic Voter Registration addresses current system flaws and improves accuracy.S...

It's never too late to start your small business! In Oregon, small business are vital to Oregon's economy.

Start your small business this Independent Retail Month: https://www.sba.gov/blog/2023/2023-06/independent-retailer-month-great-time-start-business

Today is the 34th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) becoming law on July 26th, 1990. The protects people with disabilities from discrimination, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all places that are open to the general public.

Disability rights are human rights. We must consider everyone when thinking about access to information and public spaces.

Learn more here: https://www.ada.gov/

5 months into her term, Oregon's 2024 Kid Governor is still hard at work! Recently, she met with Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum to discuss her platform and the amazing things she's been up to. Good work, Zoya!

In honor of we're sharing a 2021 audit: Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS): Developmental Disabilities Leadership is Proactively Addressing Program Challenges to Ensure Optimal Service Delivery.

Auditors took to heart a core concept of disability rights advocacy: “Nothing about us, without us.” Auditors worked carefully through the restrictions of the COVID pandemic to speak with those with disabilities served by ODHS, and the report features quotes from interviews with them to ensure their voices were included.

ODHS and its partners serve more than 30,000 adults and children in Oregon, providing services to cover a lifetime of support to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities

Auditors found:
1. Program leadership is proactively working to improve service delivery.
2. Opportunities to improve the complaint process and better utilize resources to reach out to the communities they serve

Read the audit here:

Content Manager WebDrawer - Oregon Department of Human Services: Developmental Disabilities Leadership is Proactively Addressing Program Challenges to Ensure Optimal Service Delivery

When was the last time you checked your business’s mailing address on file with the Oregon Corporation Division? It takes just five minutes.

Keep it current by going to our website today: sos.oregon.gov/bizsearch

In honor of the late John Lewis, we are celebrating his strong voting rights legacy by recognizing our 2024 National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) John Lewis Youth Leadership Award winners. These civic-minded young people have exemplified commitment to addressing civil rights issues like voting rights.

Congratulations to the winners, Angelo Arredondo Baca and Renee Liu!
https://apps.oregon.gov/oregon-newsroom/OR/SOS/Posts/Post/secretary-of-state-lavonne-griffin-valade-recognizes-the-people-who-make-democracy-work-with-national-awards-80136

Secretary Griffin-Valade welcomes the new National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) President Minnesota Secretary of State Simon and the new Executive Board members. We look forward to working together!

We'd also like to thank Puerto Rico Secretary of State Morrero for hosting NASS 2024 and the staff at NASS for putting on an informative and productive event.

https://www.nass.org/node/2598

Congratulations to the newly sworn-in National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) President, Hon. Steve Simon, Minnesota Secretary of State!

“I am honored and deeply grateful to my peers across the country for giving me the opportunity to spearhead this outstanding association, particularly at such a critical time for our democracy,” said Simon.

Full press release: https://www.nass.org/node/2598

In the days following the assassination attempt, false information designed to divide us is rapidly circulating online.

Always think before you share ANY information you see online. Our checklist will help you decide if it's legit.

Thank you Minnesota Secretary of State and Mississippi Secretary of State's Office for this strong message.

“As guardians of democracy and champions of civility, Secretaries of State stand against political violence in all forms."

https://www.nass.org/node/2599

The National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) has issued the following statement:

Independent retailers are the foundation of Oregon's local economy! You create jobs and are the cornerstone of our communities.

Ready to grow your own small business: https://www.sba.gov/blog/start-or-grow-your-small-business-independent-retailer-month?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

Today, we're celebrating Disability Awareness Day with this important fact: we offer accommodations for people who need additional help voting. In Oregon, we offer support so everyone's voices can be heard.

Learn more at http://Oregonvotes.gov/Access

Statement from Secretary Griffin-Valade on yesterday’s violence.

, in 2021 we audited Oregon Department of Education on their web accessibility? At that time, they had implemented procedures and policies to ensure online content accessibility for people with disabilities. We identified opportunities to enhance their web security and accessibility tracking.

Learn more here: https://records.sos.state.or.us/ORSOSWebDrawer/Recordhtml/8394487

Content Manager WebDrawer - DOE Education Opportunities Exist to Improve Web Application Security and Tracking of Website Accessibility Remediation Efforts

This July, we're meeting with small businesses just like yours. Come say hi! Our team provides a unique service by offering objectivity to small businesses and nonprofits that feel they have been treated unfairly by state or local government.

Learn more here: https://www.oregon.gov/smallbusiness/Pages/training.aspx

July 11: Salem, Café Y Pan Dulce, Latino Business Alliance, 8 - 9:30am
July 12: Portland, OAME CAEPT Networking, 7:30 - 9am
July 18: Woodburn, Café Y Pan Dulce, Latino Business Alliance, 8 - 9:30am
July 26: Portland, OAME Coffee and Issues, 7:30 - 9am
July 27: Portland, Community Pulse Event, 10am - 4pm

PSA: If you don’t renew your business license registration on time, you could lose your business name to someone else!

Make sure you know when it’s time to renew by updating your business’s mailing address in the Oregon Business Registry: http://sos.oregon.gov/bizsearch

Our offices are closed today in observance of July 4th and will reopen Friday, July 5th, with regular business hours. Happy Independence Day!

Contact us at 503-986-1523 or by email at [email protected].

We’ve expanded our multilingual support in Russian and Spanish to make it easier for you to connect with us when calling the Contact Center. What does this mean for you?

✅ Direct communication: Select the bilingual queue when calling the Contact Center and speak directly with a representative in Russian or Spanish, when available.

✅ 24-Hour Callbacks: If a Russian or Spanish representative is unavailable, we'll return your call within 24 hours.

✅ Reduced wait times: By offering multilingual support, we're aiming to decrease the number of callers in the English queue, making it faster for everyone to reach a representative.

Our team is committed to offering even more language options in the future, making it even easier for everyone to get the help they need quickly.

To learn more, visit our website: https://sos.oregon.gov/business/Pages/corporation-division-help.aspx

Earlier this month, the Oregon Audits Division released "Keeping Oregon Accountable," a report that summarizes the results of the division’s two most significant financial audits.

Read the report here:https://sos.oregon.gov/audits/Documents/2024-18.pdf