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Committee hears bill to codify Imagination Library of Oregon after statewide expansion
Summary
Lawmakers held a public hearing on HB 2811 to place the Dolly Parton Imagination Library into statute and continue state support; witnesses described statewide rollout, enrollment figures and partners, and urged codification to sustain and expand book‑gifting to children 0–5.
The House Committee on Early Childhood and Human Services held a public hearing on House Bill 2811, which would codify the Imagination Library of Oregon in statute and authorize the Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC) to contract with a nonprofit to administer the program and manage state matching funds.
State Representative Ben Bowman, who carried related measures in past sessions, told the committee the program helps address Oregon’s literacy gap by delivering one high‑quality, age‑appropriate book per month to enrolled children from birth through their fifth birthday. Bowman said about 61 percent of low‑income families lack any books in the home and highlighted the…
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