Legislative News February 2022
Legislative Town Hall
Wednesday, February 16, 7 pm via Zoom
State Senator Elizabeth Steiner Hayward and State Representatives Maxine Dexter and Ken Helm will meet with constituents for a virtual Town Hall to discuss the happenings of the short session thus far and what we are still hoping to accomplish.
Registration is required for this event.
OLIS: Tracking Legislation & Viewing Committee Meetings
Have you heard about legislation being considered for the “short session” now underway? Or just want to find out what our legislators are working on? Representative Maxine Dexter shared this useful guide for those who want to track and testify on legislation. Visit her website to sign up for her informative newsletter.
The Oregon Legislature Information System (OLIS) contains updated information on all legislation introduced during each session. You can look up bills, testimony, committee schedules, and more. You can also watch the committee meetings live or view recordings in OLIS.
To search for daily schedules, choose the day you would like to view by selecting the small calendar in the center of the screen. Then click the down arrow next to ‘Meetings Today’ to see what time the committees that meet that day will begin. If you do not find the committee you are looking for, it may be on another day.
To search for bills, you will need to click the ‘Bills’ button on the top right of your screen. You can then search for bills by Number, Text, or Sponsor. You will be able to hover over a bill number after searching to read the summary. Click a bill, and it will bring you to the summary screen where you can access the bill text, testimony for the bill, and any analysis done by the Legislative Fiscal Office or the Legislative Revenue Office.
To search for committees, select the ‘Committees’ button on the top right of your screen. This will bring up a drop-down menu with committees organized by House, Senate, and Joint. Select a meeting date by using the menu on the right hand side. To view the agenda, click the day you wish to browse. To watch the meeting, select the circle with a triangle inside or the video camera icon if the meeting is live. It will bring you to another page with either the recorded content or the live meeting.
Testify in Committee Hearings
There are two ways to provide public comment in committee meetings. For live public comment you must register ahead of time to speak on a particular bill or concept. You can also submit written testimony for the record. Both are done through the committee page on OLIS. When you are in the committee page on OLIS, navigate to the agenda on the day the bill is having its public hearing. Scroll to the bottom of the agenda and follow the instructions to submit written testimony or to sign up to testify live.
