When working on an important issue, how do we know the most effective time to reach out to decision makers or community members? When should we make public comment or try to publish an Op-ed? Since different stages of the legislative process can require different levels and types of public involvement, it is essential to understand how to track bills and ordinances.
Scroll to the bottom for the full recording of the live training session, or read below for key points.
General Tips for Tracking Local Legislation:
- Beware that tracking legislation varies greatly depending on where you live! For example, if you live in an unincorporated area, you do not have a city council to interact with but you do have a county commission.
- Every city and county website is different, but they are easily searchable on the internet.
- Scan the website to find out where meetings are posted, if you can subscribe to email alerts, how to find agendas, etc.
- Following elected officials on social media can also be a great way to stay up to date on local issues.
- Scanning your local city council or county commission’s agendas is the best way to track the progress of an ordinance--but it does take time.
- You can reach out to officials directly and ask pointed questions such as, “Have you discussed X issue yet? When are you planning to?”
City Government:
- Councils typically hold work sessions to talk about upcoming decisions, which is different than a public hearing.
- Sometimes experts are invited to consult on topics.
- If a council or commission is going to make a decision that might create a law, they are required to hold a public hearing.
- It is worthwhile to check any testimony that has been submitted prior to the hearing. You can find this posted on the government website (sometimes prepared together in a single document) and it will give you information to either build upon or refute.
- Sometimes local government will wait on taking action until after a state decision is made.
- Follow up with your local officials to see how they determine their plans in the wake of state decisions.
- Check out the City Manager’s Report. This document often has recommendations for what a council should do.
- Note that it is not only up to city councilors to propose actions—outside organizations and individuals can propose actions as well.
- Requests for action can happen inside or outside of a hearing, but decisions can only be made during a public hearing.
- Note that is you live in an unincorporated area, you may still be able to give compelling testimony if you can make it relevant. For example, you may live in the countryside but shop at stores in town. Make the case for why a city ordinance affects you.
State Government:
Sign up for alerts through the Oregon Legislature website to track specific bills and committee agendas. There are a few ways to navigate the site, including:
- Log onto the Oregon Legislature website and search for specific bills. In the top right corner of the screen, click to e-Subscribe to the bill.
- Or go directly to the email subscription page to create customized alerts for bills, agendas, etc.
Notes on timelines:
- City and County government can make decisions year-round as long as there is public notice.
- State government must make their decisions during designated legislative sessions.
- The State Legislature meets for a maximum of 160 days in odd numbered years and 35 days in even numbered years. The period of time in between sessions is called the interim.
- Scan the Legislative Calendar to keep track of the session.
- State law for local ordinances requirement: before an ordinance is adopted it shall be read during regular meetings of the district board on two different days at least six days apart. An ordinance to meet an emergency may be introduced, read once and put on its final passage at a regular or special board meeting, without being described in a published agenda, if the reasons requiring immediate action are described in the ordinance.
- Generally, the more controversial a law, the longer it will take to make a decision as there is greater need for input and testimony.
- In general, if there is a particular issue you are concerned about, find a group that is also tracking that issue to get alerts, talking points, and so forth. There are groups working on almost every issue out there and you can find a way to plug in.
A helpful graphic to visualize the path of a bill:
