Get Engaged

Getting Started: Oregon Legislative Information System (OLIS) 

The first place to go when you want to engage in the Legislature is the Oregon Legisla​tive Information System (OLIS). It is constantly updated with the latest on what's happening in the Capitol, and allows you to:  

• Search for bills in the current (or past Sessions) by: bill number, bill sponsor, or key words and phrases that appear in the bill. 
• Watch committee hearings and floor sessions (live or previously recorded). Because information is constantly being updated on OLIS during Session, you may want to use the "e-subscribe" feature.
  
• Get updates with “e-subscribe". You will notice the option to e-subscribe at the top right-hand side of any bill or committee pages you'd like to receive email notices with any changes or updates. 

Engaging in the Legislative Process 

• Where do bills come from?: To get a little better understanding of how bills come to exist, check out how an idea becomes a law.  
• Where to start: 
• Oregon is a “bicameral" Legislature, meaning policy has to pass both chambers before it can be signed by the Governor and enacted into law. 
  
• HB1234 – HB indicates this bill originated in the House of Representatives, meaning Senators will not be able to vote on/sponsor/hear the bill unless it first passes the House Chamber—so check with Representatives first. 
• SB123 – SB indicates this bill originated in the State Senate, meaning Representatives will not be able to vote on/sponsor/hear the bill unless it first passes the Senate Chamber—so check with Senators first. 
• Worth noting: your State Senators and State Representatives only deal with state (not federal) legislation. If you're wanting to weigh in on what is happening in our Nation's Capital, check in with Oregon's Federal Delegation (Find Your Members in the U.S. Congre​ss | Congress.gov | Library of Congress​) 
• Contact your Legislators: every Oregonian has a State Representative and a State Senator. If you're not sure who your Legislators are, use this map to find your legislators: 
• Let them know how you feel about a particular bill, and why. Knowing how proposed legislation impacts constituents and their communities is a critical part of representing a district in the Legislature. 
• Ask how best to engage on that bill—Legislators often have insight into what would be the most effective. 
• Reach out to the assigned Committee(s): OLIS will show you what Committee a bill has been assigned to, and which Legislators serve on that Committee. 
• Reach out to the Committee Chair: Committee Chairs set the agenda for all the bills in their Committee, and determine if bills receive hearings and work sessions, or not. Request that a bill you support receives a hearing and work session, or share your concerns why a bill would negatively impact Oregon. 
• Reach out to Committee Members: the vote of these Legislators will decide if a bill moves forward in the process or not, so letting them know your support/concerns is important to making sure any corrections are made before being brought to the House or Senate floor. 
• Testify: Once a public hearing is scheduled you can sign up to testify in front of the committee or submit written testimony. Testimony is documented in OLIS, allowing it to be used for reference by the Legislators and the public alike. 
• Track Important Deadlines: there are deadlines throughout session that determine if a bill can keep moving through the process. If a bill fails to meet one of those deadlines, it “dies" (but can still be reintroduced in a future Legislative Session). 
• Encourage others to engage also: Never underestimate that more voices can make a bigger impact on the Legislative Process than fewer voices. If you know likeminded individuals, encourage them to help make your collective voice heard. 
• Repeat the process: If a bill is successfully voted out of the first chamber, you can repeat this process for the other chamber. 

Other 

• Engage at Any Age: 
• Testify in a public hearing: There is no age limit for getting your voice heard in the Legislature 
• Serve as an Honorary Page: learn more about the Legislative process first-hand! The Office of the Chief Clerk has worked hard to run this educational program and develop other opportunities for students to experience the legislative process during Session. 
• Finding More Info: 
• More information and resources are always being added to the Oregon Legislature's website. 
  
• If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to my office by email at Rep.JamiCate@OregonLegislature.gov or by giving my office a call at 503-986-1411.