How to testify before the Oregon legislature

This page covers what's specific to Oregon. For the general steps of signing up and speaking, see the general guide.

How Oregon does it

Oregon lets you testify in person at the State Capitol in Salem or remotely by Microsoft Teams or phone. Either way, you register in advance through the Oregon Legislative Information System (OLIS) by selecting "Register to Testify" on the bill's or topic's page. Registering doesn't guarantee a turn to speak, since time constraints or technical issues can limit how many people get called.

Remote participants join with a Teams link or dial-in number sent by confirmation email, and are asked to keep cameras off and phones muted until the chair calls their name. There's no fixed statutory time limit. The committee chair sets it, commonly around 2 minutes per speaker. If you can't testify live or hit a technical problem, you can submit written testimony through OLIS for up to 48 hours after the hearing's scheduled start time.

Deadlines and numbers

• Registration: opens when the hearing is scheduled, closes 30 minutes before the meeting starts
• Speaker time limit: no fixed statute, chair's discretion, commonly around 2 minutes
• Written testimony: submit via OLIS up to 48 hours after the hearing's scheduled start
• Language interpretation requests: the legislature requests roughly 3 business days' notice before the hearing, per its accommodations guidance
• Accessibility accommodation requests: the legislature requests roughly 24 hours' notice before the hearing, per its accommodations guidance
• 2026 short session: February 2 to March 6, 2026 (33 days)

Where to go

• Register to testify and find hearings: olis.oregonlegislature.gov
• General instructions: oregonlegislature.gov/citizen_engagement
• Accommodation and interpretation requests: oregonlegislature.gov/citizen_engagement/Pages/accommodations.aspx
• Help: 1-800-332-2313 or [email protected]

Rules

Oregon's system is one of the more accessible ones: a single statewide portal (OLIS) handles registration, remote participation, and written testimony, with no in-person requirement. The 48-hour post-hearing window for written testimony is a genuine backstop if you miss your slot. There's no gap here worth flagging beyond the usual: a shorter session, like 2026's 33-day short session, compresses the whole cycle, so check OLIS for your bill's hearing date as soon as it's scheduled rather than waiting. Questions about a specific committee's practice go to /engage.