The Oregon Legislature is made up of two Chambers – the Senate and the House of Representatives. Legislators from both Chambers come together to vote for new laws that impact our state. This Legislative Body convenes annually in February at the State Capitol in Salem. In odd-numbered years, the Legislative Assembly convenes on the second Monday in January, to swear-in newly elected officials, elect legislative leaders, adopt rules, organize and appoint committees, and begin introducing bills. Please go here for more information.
Within the Senate and the House of Representatives are Committees that meet to discuss different areas, such as health care, early childhood, housing and development, and veterans and emergency management. To see a full list of Committees as well as who serves on them, please go here.
Here are additional resources on the Oregon State Legislature Website (OLIS) that you may find helpful:
- How Ideas Become Law
- How an Idea Becomes Law Graphic
- How to Read a Legislative Measure / Bill
- How to Find a Bill or Vote Information
- How to Subscribe to Receive Email Updates on Bills
- How to Submit Testimony on a Bill
- How to Testify Remotely
Legislative Session
The 2021 Legislative Session is in progress. To find out what bills have been put forward, go to the Oregon State Legislature Website (OLIS) here. Both House Bills (HB) and Senate Bills (SB) are listed in numerical order starting with Senate Bills.
If you see a bill you are interested in learning more about, you can click on the bill number, such as HB 2315.
This will take you to the bill’s page where you can learn more about that particular bill and sign-up to receive regular email updates on the bill’s progress through the legislative process. A schedule of committee meetings is available at the bottom of the page if you would like to see when the bill is scheduled to be reviewed by different committees. You can also watch past hearings and meetings that are listed here.
Your Voice Matters
If you see a bill that you would like to speak in opposition of (against) or in favor of (support), you can submit written testimony or sign-up to provide verbal testimony by going to the bill’s page as shown above to find the committee the bill was assigned to. 
The link to submit public testimony is located on the Committee’s page.
Any testimony submitted will be available for viewing on the OLIS website on the bill’s specific page. For more detailed information on submitting testimony, please go to the OLIS website here.