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To contact me, please click here: Rep.EmersonLevy@oregonlegislature.gov
Friends,
Happy Friday! Today marks day 5 of the 35 days we are in Salem for the 2026 Legislative Session. Things are moving incredibly fast, and we hope to help ensure you can stay up to date on what’s happening at the Capitol. To this effect, you will receive a newsletter from my office every Friday this session with updates from the week, and what to expect in the following week. I am proud to be here serving central Oregonians.
Best,
Emerson
How to Follow and Get Involved in Oregon’s 2026 Legislative Session
Oregon’s legislative session is where ideas become laws, and your voice truly matters. Whether you want to stay informed, share your perspective, or testify on an issue you care about, here are easy ways to follow along and get involved during the 2026 session.
Stay Informed
You don’t have to be an expert to keep up with what’s happening in Salem.
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Track bills online: The Oregon Legislature’s website lets you search for bills by topic, keyword, or bill number. You can read summaries, see amendments, and follow a bill’s progress step by step.
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Sign up for alerts: Many bills allow you to subscribe to email updates so you’ll know when a hearing is scheduled or when a vote is coming up.
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Watch hearings live or later: Committee meetings and floor sessions are streamed online and archived, so you can tune in live or catch up on your own schedule.
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Follow along locally: My office will continue sharing updates through newsletters and social media to highlight key issues and decisions that affect central Oregon. Follow along @Emerson4OR on all social media.
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Share Your Voice
We rely on hearing directly from the people we represent.
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Email or call: Written and phone testimony are powerful ways to share your thoughts. Even a few sentences about how an issue affects you or your family can make a real impact. Call my office anytime at 503-986-1453 or email us at Rep.EmersonLevy@OregonLegislature.gov
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Testifying on a Bill: Oregonians can testify on legislation in person or remotely. To testify:
- Find the bill or committee agenda on OLIS
- Click “Register to Testify”
- Choose in-person, remote, or written testimony
Registration typically closes 30 minutes before a hearing begins.
You can also submit written testimony, which is accepted during the hearing and for a short time afterward.
Click here to find more information on public participation
This Week at the Capitol
Supporting School Meals for All
This week, I testified in support of SB 1581, the School Meals for All bill. Every student deserves access to nutritious meals at school, and no child should have to worry about being hungry during the school day.
About 13% of children in Deschutes County experience food insecurity, meaning they do not always have reliable access to enough nutritious food. Many of these families do not qualify for traditional assistance programs. These are working families, parents employed in tourism, construction, education, and service industries, who are doing their best, yet still struggling as housing and grocery costs continue to rise.
Universal school meals help students focus and learn, support working families, and reduce stigma for kids whose families may be struggling. This bill represents stability, fairness, and common sense, and I’m proud to be a Chief Sponsor. It supports working parents, strengthens schools, and ensures that students are ready to learn when they walk into the classroom. You can watch the hearing here.
Preventing Fires in our Landfills
One of my priority bills, HB 4144, had a Public Hearing yesterday in the House Committee on Climate, Energy, and Environment. You can watch the hearing here. This bill addresses a growing public safety issue caused by lithium batteries entering our waste stream. These batteries are ending up in garbage trucks, transfer stations, and landfills, and they’re causing fires.
In Deschutes County alone, we saw 54 fires last year linked to battery disposal. These fires put workers at risk, damage equipment, disrupt services, and drive up costs for local governments. This bill will make recycling batteries easier by creating convenient, free battery collection sites across the state, so people have a safe and accessible way to dispose of batteries instead of tossing them in the trash.
Head Start Visits the Capitol
This week, families and staff from NeighborImpact’s Head Start program visited our State Capitol to share the impact of early childhood education in Central Oregon. Head Start supports children and families by providing high-quality early learning, health and developmental screenings, and family support services that help set kids up for lifelong success.
During their visit, participants met with legislators to advocate for continued investment in Head Start and early learning programs, highlighting how these services strengthen families, support working parents, and build healthier communities. Their message was clear: when we invest early, we all benefit.
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On the Horizon
Codifying the Federal McKinny-Vento Act
First thing Monday morning, we will be testifying in front of the House Committee on Education, about the importance of protecting some of our most vulnerable students: those experiencing homelessness. I am proud to have introduced HB 4149 as one of my priority bills this session, to codify the federal McKinney-Vento program into Oregon law.
This program allows students who are experiencing homelessness to remain in their school of origin, if that’s what they and their families choose. When a child’s housing situation is unstable, school can be one of the few sources of consistency and support in their life. This program helps preserve that stability during an incredibly difficult time.
Last year, during federal budget discussions, including conversations around HR 1, the legislature became aware that the McKinney-Vento program could be vulnerable to federal cuts. While the program was ultimately preserved, that uncertainty highlighted the importance of ensuring these protections remain in place at the state level.
Oregon has long followed McKinney-Vento protections in practice, but HB 4149 would formally establish them in state statute. Doing so provides clarity and consistency for students, families, and school districts, and helps ensure these rights don’t depend on shifting federal priorities. Here is a guide on how to submit testimony, if you would like to show your support on this bill.
What Happens After a Public Hearing?
After a bill receives a public hearing in the Oregon Legislature, the committee takes time to review testimony and consider possible changes. The bill may then be scheduled for a work session, where legislators debate the proposal, adopt amendments, and decide whether to move it forward.
If a bill passes out of committee, it is sent either to the House or Senate floor for a vote, or to the Joint Ways and Means Committee if it has a fiscal impact. From there, legislators determine whether the bill advances further in the legislative process. Both of my priority bills this session have work sessions scheduled for next week.
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1453
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-486, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.EmersonLevy@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/levye
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