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Gov. Tina Kotek signs law to make Dolly Parton Imagination Library statewide in Oregon
Summary
Gov. Tina Kotek on Tuesday signed legislation establishing the Dolly Parton Imagination Library as a statewide, state-supported program, with the First Lady, program leaders and the Dollywood Foundation praising the expansion and reporting program metrics and goals.
Gov. Tina Kotek signed legislation at the East County Library formalizing statewide support for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, a program that delivers free books monthly to children from birth through age 5.
The signing ceremony featured First Lady Amy Kotek Wilson, who opened the event by celebrating reading and the program’s role in connecting families. Lauren McNichols, state director for the Imagination Library of Oregon, said the program has mailed millions of books and projected continued growth: “In February of this year, we reached 4,000,004 books mailed. We're at something like 4.3 now, and we're gonna hit 5,000,000 in 2027,” she said.
Scott Herrick, representing the Dollywood Foundation, thanked Gov. Kotek, legislative leaders and local partners and praised House Bill 4022, saying the law will “keep the magic flowing to children all across the state of Oregon.” Representative Walters told attendees the new law guarantees a book delivered monthly to every baby and child in Oregon until their fifth birthday.
Kotek framed the bill as the result of a sustained effort to expand the program statewide and said the law will sustain the initiative as a state-supported program into the future. “Every Oregon child deserves the joy of stories,” she told the audience, thanking the First Lady and local partners for their work to connect families and communities around early literacy.
After remarks and a reading of Dolly Parton’s A Coat of Many Colors by the First Lady, event staff invited participants to gather for a celebratory photograph and the governor prepared to sign the measure.
The transcript documents attendees’ remarks, program metrics cited by the state director, and the signing ceremony; the record does not include a roll-call vote or legislative vote tally in the event transcript.
