1. Idea Presentation: An idea for a new law is proposed by a concerned citizen or group to a Representative. 2. Bill Sponsorship: The Representative decides to sponsor the bill and has it drafted in legal language by the Legislative Counsel. 3. Bill Introduction: The bill is presented to the Chief Clerk of the House, assigned a number, and sent for legal verification. 4. First Reading: The bill is printed and returned to the House for its first reading. 5. Committee Referral: After the first reading, the Speaker refers the bill to a committee for review. 6. Committee Review: The committee holds public hearings, evaluates fiscal and revenue impacts, and drafts a report back to the Chief Clerk. 7. Second Reading: The bill returns to the House for its second reading after the committee report. 8. Third Reading: The bill has a third reading, where it is debated and must receive a majority of votes to pass. 9. Senate Process: If passed by the House, it is sent to the Senate, where it undergoes a similar process (first, second, and third readings). 10. Amendments: If amended in the Senate, the bill returns to the House for concurrence. Differences may be resolved by a conference committee. 11. Final Approval: Once identical versions are passed by both houses, the bill is signed by key officers. 12. Governor's Decision: The enrolled bill is sent to the Governor, who has five weekdays to sign or veto it (30 weekdays if the legislature is adjourned). 13. Becoming Law: If signed, the bill becomes law on a date specified, typically January 1 of the following year, or may become law without a signature. A veto can be overridden by a two-thirds vote from both houses. 14. Filing and Implementation: The signed bill is filed with the Secretary of State and incorporated into Oregon law by the Legislative Counsel.

Members of the public can get involved in the legislative process in Oregon in several ways: 1. Engaging with Legislators: Constituents can communicate their opinions, support, or opposition regarding specific bills to their elected representatives. This contact can influence the committee chairman's decision on whether to consider a bill. 2. Attending Committee Hearings: The public can attend hearings held by standing committees. Witnesses are often invited to provide testimony on legislation, and members of the public can share their views, whether in support of or in opposition to the bill. 3. Providing Testimony: Individuals can request to provide testimony during committee hearings, where they can explain their perspectives and the impact of the legislation. This is a direct way to influence the legislative process. 4. Advocating for Specific Legislation: Organizations or groups can mobilize to advocate for particular bills by rallying support from the community and encouraging constituents to reach out to their legislators. 5. Writing Letters or Emails: Public members can express their views by writing letters or sending emails to both state representatives and senators, urging them to support or oppose certain legislation. 6. Participating in Public Forums and Events: Various civic and local organizations may hold forums where community members can discuss upcoming legislation and share their insights or concerns. 7. Leveraging Social Media: Individuals can also utilize social media platforms to raise awareness and advocate for specific legislative issues among their peers.

Tracking bills is hard, especially if you rely on state legislature websites, which are often hard to navigate. Thousands of bills get filed in Oregon every year (and about 180,000 bills nationwide). If you want to be an effective advocate, you need to know where legislation of interest stands, and act quickly.

FastDemocracy's free version allows you to track an unlimited number of bills - no strings attached. We'll send you a daily or weekly email on your priority bills and give you tools to research bills and legislators.

FastDemocracy Professional is for anyone who tracks bills in a professional capacity. It features

• real-time bill, amendment and hearing alerts
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1. Sign up here for a free FastDemocracy account.

2. Head to Tracked Topics to select issue areas you care about.

3. Use the search bar on top if you're looking for something specific.

4. Click "Track Bill" for any legislation you'd like to monitor a bit closer. That's how you add it to your Tracked Bills. You can also click on a bill to learn more, see the bill summary, most recent actions, votes, news and tweets. You can also contact legislators or share your bills on social media.

5. You can track an unlimited number of bills for free and we'll send you a daily or weekly email if your tracked legislation moves.

6. Do you need real-time alerts, outreach tools, bill lists, and professional functions? Then FastDemocracy Professional is the right fit for you.

7. Track bills on your smartphone using our free mobile app.

You can use the Find Your Legislators tool to find them, see their voting records, and contact them.