Establishes the Imagination Library of Oregon Program to provide a free book each month to eligible children, encourage children to develop a love of reading and learning and improve third-grade reading proficiency and high school graduation rates.

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83rd OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2025 Regular Session
House Bill 2811
Introduced and printed pursuant to House Rule 12.00. Presession filed (at the request of Governor Tina Kotek for
Department of Early Learning and Care)
SUMMARY
The following summary is not prepared by the sponsors of the measure and is not a part of the body thereof subject
to consideration by the Legislative Assembly. It is an editor’s brief statement of the essential features of the
measure as introduced. The statement includes a measure digest written in compliance with applicable readability
standards.
Digest: The Act establishes a program to provide a free book each month to certain children.
(Flesch Readability Score: 67.5).
Establishes the Imagination Library of Oregon Program to provide a free book each month to
eligible children, encourage children to develop a love of reading and learning and improve third-
grade reading proficiency and high school graduation rates. Directs the Department of Early
Learning and Care to implement the program.
Establishes the Oregon Imagination Library Account within the Department of Early Learning
and Care Fund for purposes of funding the program.
Declares an emergency, effective July 1, 2025.
A BILL FOR AN ACT
Relating to encouragement of reading in young children; and declaring an emergency.
Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:
SECTION 1.
(1) As used in this section:
(a) “Eligible children” means children from birth to five years of age who reside in this
state.
(b) “National nonprofit foundation” means a national nonprofit foundation that exists for
the purpose of working with local entities to identify eligible children and mail age-
appropriate, high-quality books each month to those children at no cost to families.
(2) The Imagination Library of Oregon Program is established. The purposes of the
program are to:
(a) Provide a free book each month to eligible children;
(b) Encourage children from birth to five years of age to develop a love of reading and
learning; and
(c) Improve third-grade reading proficiency and high school graduation rates.
(3) The Department of Early Learning and Care shall implement the program established
under this section, including by providing financial support to a nonprofit entity that is:
(a) Exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code; and
(b) Organized under the laws of this state to:
(A) Manage the program established under this section; and
(B) Promote and encourage reading by children by developing, implementing, promoting
and fostering a statewide initiative to encourage children from birth to five years of age to
develop a love of reading and learning.
(4) The nonprofit entity described in subsection (3) of this section shall:
(a) Pay an amount of at least 50 percent of the funds received from the department to
a national nonprofit foundation to provide age-appropriate, high-quality books each month
NOTE: Matter in boldfaced type in an amended section is new; matter [ italic and bracketed] is existing law to be omitted.
New sections are in boldfaced type.
LC 406
HB 2811
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to eligible children at no cost to families;
(b) Promote the statewide development of local book-gifting programs;
(c) Provide outreach to local communities about developing local book-gifting programs
in those communities;
(d) Recruit community partners to assist in the implementation and administration of
local book-gifting programs;
(e) Advance and strengthen local book-gifting programs with the goal of increasing en-
rollment;
(f) Develop community engagement related to local book-gifting programs;
(g) Develop, promote and coordinate a public awareness campaign to:
(A) Make donors aware of the opportunity to donate to the program established under
this section; and
(B) Make the public aware of the opportunity to register eligible children to receive books
through a local book-gifting program;
(h) Develop a statewide marketing and communication plan related to the program es-
tablished under this section and local book-gifting programs; and
(i) Solicit donations, gifts and other funding to support the program established under
this section and local book-gifting programs.
(5) The Early Learning Council, in consultation with the department, may adopt rules to
implement the provisions of this section.
SECTION 2.
(1) The Oregon Imagination Library Account is established within the De-
partment of Early Learning and Care Fund. Separate records shall be maintained for mon-
eys in the account. Interest earned by the account shall be credited to the account.
(2) Moneys in the account are continuously appropriated to the Department of Early
Learning and Care for the Imagination Library of Oregon Program established in section 1
of this 2025 Act.
SECTION 3. This 2025 Act being necessary for the immediate preservation of the public
peace, health and safety, an emergency is declared to exist, and this 2025 Act takes effect
July 1, 2025.
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