HB 4022
Establishes the Oregon Imagination Library Program to provide a free book each month to eligible children, encourage children to develop a love of reading and learning and improve school readiness, third-grade reading proficiency and high school graduation rates.
Jurisdiction
Oregon
Session
2026 Regular Session
At the request of
(at the request of House Interim Committee on Rules for Representative Ben Bowman)
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Sign in to take actionPublic sentiment
Support
95%
Oppose
5%
- Introduced
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Bill overview
House Bill 4022 establishes the Oregon Imagination Library Program, which will provide free, age-appropriate books to children from birth to five years old residing in Oregon. The goal of this program is to foster a love of reading, improve school readiness, boost third-grade reading skills, and ultimately increase high school graduation rates. The Department of Early Learning and Care will oversee the program's implementation, working with a nonprofit organization to manage operations and secure funding.
Sponsors
Official sponsors from legislative records.
Primary sponsor
Cosponsor
House Interim Committee on Rules
Arguments in favor
Reasons to support this legislation.
Supporters of the legislation emphasize the importance of early childhood development and literacy skills in predicting future academic success and overall well-being. They highlight the crucial role of programs like Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, which provide free books to every child under 5, regardless of income level, promoting a love of reading and literacy from an early age. The program has been found to have a significant impact on early literacy skills, home literacy environments, and reading habits in children across multiple countries, with over 73,000 children enrolled in Oregon alone. Supporters also express enthusiasm for codifying the program into an Oregon statute, citing its proven effectiveness in improving parent-child bonds and literacy skills among Oregon children, as well as its alignment with local community needs and importance of coordination, accountability, and long-term sustainability.
Source: Testimony Summaries
Arguments opposed
Reasons to oppose this legislation.
Many concerns that the proposed Imagination Library program is fiscally unsustainable for the state of Oregon. They argue that existing free resources like public libraries already provide access to books and literacy programs, making it unnecessary for the state to fund a separate initiative. Additionally, some testifiers suggest that implementing the program would increase the state's indebtedness, citing a lack of available funds. Furthermore, they propose that public libraries can effectively fill the gap in providing similar services, thereby reducing the need for a state-funded program.
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