Samantha Bayer
Advocating for Yourself in the Oregon Legislature: Tips and Tricks
Advocating for yourself in the Oregon Legislature can seem daunting, especially when emotions are high, and it doesn’t seem like legislators are willing to listen. However, with a bit of preparation, technique, and understanding of the process, you can make your voice heard and influence decision-making.
Here are some tips and tricks to help you navigate the system, submit testimony, and effectively contact your state legislators.
1. Understand the Legislative Process & Research Your Legislators:
Before diving into advocacy, it’s essential to understand how the Oregon Legislature works. The legislative process involves several stages, including bill introduction, policy committee hearings, floor votes, and final approval by the Governor. Familiarize yourself with these stages and track the progress of bills that interest you by visiting these websites:
To note, the Oregon Legislature is different than Congress. Remember, there are layers of government – federal, state, and local – and three branches of government – executive, legislative, and judicial. The Oregon Legislature (which meets in Salem) is the legislative branch for the State of Oregon and creates/amends/repeals state laws. Congress (which meets in Washington D.C.) is the legislative branch for federal laws. If you are contacting your federal congressional delegation in D.C., that should be about issues of federal law, federal agencies, or federal lands.
If you have issues with state law (for example SB 762 or SB 79) you need to contact your State Representatives and Senators in Salem. Those individuals are elected to represent your interests in the Oregon State Legislature on issues of state law, state agencies, and state lands.
Building a relationship with your legislators can make your advocacy efforts more effective. Know who represents you in the Oregon House of Representatives and the Senate. Visit the Oregon Legislative website to find your legislators and learn about their positions, committee assignments, and contact information: Find Your Legislator.
2. Contact Legislators Effectively and Persuasively:
Understand that during a long legislative session, which lasts six months and is held in the first half of every odd-numbered year in Oregon, there are thousands of pieces of legislation being discussed. If you want a legislator to hear and more importantly understand your concerns or problems, you need to be effective.
Here are a few ways you can stand out with your communication:
Remember the Three C’s – Clear, Concise, and Compelling: Legislators often have limited time to review testimony or emails, so make sure your points clear and succinct. Personal experiences can be powerful. Explain how the bill will affect you, your community, or your property. Back up your statements with data, statistics, and credible sources.
Be Respectful and Professional: Address your legislators respectfully and maintain a professional tone. If you name call, blame, use profanity, disrespect, or go down the rabbit hole on conspiracy theories or things entirely outside of the state legislature’s control, you probably will not get very far. For example, criticizing or praising a federal official to your state legislator is not effective – they don’t serve together. You can also severely hurt your cause and other people’s efforts.
Be Specific: Clearly state the issue you’re addressing and what action you want your legislator to take.
If you are writing about a specific bill, make sure to identify it with the proper prefix, SB or HB. “SB” stands for Senate Bill and indicates a bill is starting in the Senate chamber by a Senator. “HB” stands for House Bill and indicates a bill is starting in the House chamber by a Representative.
If you are writing about a past piece of legislation, make sure to indicate the year it was adopted. For example, if you are emailing about SB 762, make sure to write it like this at least once in the email – “SB 762 (2021)”. That way, Legislators and their staff won’t confuse it with SB 762 from the 2025 Session, which is a completely different bill and concept.
Use Multiple Channels: Reach out via email, phone calls, and social media. Personalize each message to show that you’ve done your research. If you want to talk to your legislator in person, you can make an appointment at their office in Salem, in district, or attend one of their Town Halls in your legislative district.
Town hall meetings are a great opportunity to meet your legislators in person and discuss issues that matter to you. Prepare your questions in advance and be ready to engage in constructive and respectful dialogue.
Follow Up: Don’t be discouraged if you don’t get an immediate response. Follow up politely to keep the conversation going.
3. Make Your Voice Heard Through Testimony:
Testifying at the Oregon Legislature is an excellent way to make your voice heard and influence legislation.
Verbal Testimony – You can register to speak to a committee on a bill, topic, or executive appointment scheduled for a public hearing. Testimony may be given in person at the State Capitol or remotely on Microsoft (MS) Teams or by phone.
Be aware – advanced registration is required to testify! The online registration system opens when the public hearing is scheduled and closes 30 minutes before the meeting begins. Also, committees run on a tight schedule and cannot run over schedule. If a hearing runs out of time, you may not be called up to testify.
Written Testimony – If you do not want to speak in person, you can submit written testimony. The online system becomes available when a public hearing is scheduled. Testimony must be submitted within 48 hours after the committee meeting start time. If you are not able to submit your testimony during this open window, you may email your testimony directly to your legislator or committee members.
To learn how to submit testimony, go here: How to Register to Testify and Submit Written Testimony
4. Above All – Stay Persistent and Positive!
Advocacy is a marathon, not a sprint. Stay persistent, positive, and patient. Change takes time, and your efforts are valuable, even if results aren’t immediate.
Advocating for yourself in the Oregon Legislature is an empowering experience. By staying informed, preparing effectively, and building relationships with your legislators, you can make a meaningful impact on the issues that matter to you.
Happy advocating!
The opinions expressed in this post are those of the author and do not represent the opinions or positions of any party represented by the OPOA Legal Center on any particular matter.