The Oregon Legislature is in session from February 2 to March 8, 2026. During this time, To ensure Oregon families have what they need to thrive, we’ll be in Salem throughout the session, including on February 16th for a day of action with the Child Care for Oregon (CCFO) coalition!
Why are we taking action and asking our elected officials to center care and Oregon families? The situation we find ourselves in is not great. Our families are struggling to stay afloat. Federal and state budget cuts and freezes threaten a precarious balancing act that a majority of families are simply unable to maintain without support systems in place. More than a financial impossibility as a result of insufficient wages and ever-rising costs, the Trump administration’s attacks diminish and chip away at our rights and our ability to make decisions for our families.
During Oregon’s 2025 legislative session, the Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC) saw the largest of the agencies’ cuts, resulting in thousands of families, providers, and child care workers being negatively impacted. The need has not diminished, however, and the $45 million cut last session just exacerbates the $73 million+ budget shortfall as a result of the growing caseload to the Employment Related Day Care Program (ERDC).
For Oregon’s future, care must be prioritized and invested in like the vital infrastructure it is.
Below are our priorities for the 2026 session. These are the things we’ll be working with legislators on during the 35 days of session. Find links to one-pager informational documents where available, and find PDF versions of our agenda one-pager here.
OUR 2026 PRIORITIES
Close the ERDC Budget Shortfall
Oregon’s Employment Related Day Care (ERDC) program—a lifeline for over 12,000 working families —faces an estimated $73-to-$88-million shortfall and is projected to run out of money by January 2027, threatening program collapse. This crisis looms as the Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC) might experience deeper budget cuts on top of the 3.5% reduction from last session. Without ERDC, thousands of Oregon families — disproportionately low-income, BIPOC, and rural communities — will lose essential childcare access.
Tax Disconnect: Regain Control of Our Tax Code
(Senate Bill 1507 – PASSED!, House Bill 4015) Mirroring federal tax codes, Oregon is losing over $1 billion in the current budget due to H.R. 1’s regressive tax changes.This threatens health care for up to 363,000 residents and SNAP benefits for 34,000 more, all while shielding the ultra-wealthy and corporations. To ensure Oregon families are safeguarded from the negative ramifications of these cuts, we must selectively disconnect from harmful federal tax provisions to reclaim ~$700M and responsibly use part of the state’s $3.3 billion reserve. (Download one pager.)
Campaign Finance Technical Changes
(House Bill 4018) Stakeholders and agency staff have engaged to develop a list of technical changes that will make the new campaign finance limits and transparency statutes easier to implement for regulators and more clear to comply with for candidates and practitioners. These changes have support across the political spectrum, from labor unions to business groups.
Streamlining Oregon’s Early Learning Systems
(HB 4057) This bill requires a study to streamline duplicative background checks between DELC and ODE, eliminating wasted time and money while boosting workforce mobility and hiring for early learning programs. It also directs ODHS to provide families with early learning program information before 211 referrals, improving cross-agency coordination and helping parents access child care.
Protecting Reproductive Healthcare Access
(HB 4127) In September 2025, H.R. 1 defunded Planned Parenthood and slashed $11M in Medicaid reimbursements, endangering care for over 70,000 patients yearly. For families, Planned Parenthood remains a critical, affordable provider of gender-affirming care, prenatal services, and sex education, filling essential gaps in the healthcare system.
Revenue Forecast Modernization Act
(HB 4125) To remedy Oregon’s disproportionate “kicker” law, two revenue forecasts would be required: “optimistic” for refunds and “pessimistic” for funding schools, hospitals, and social services. This will make refunds rarer, protect essential services, and create a “flex fund” from the difference to reinvest in communities. (Download one pager.)
Strengthening Shield Laws
(HB 4088) There are no normal families. We must honor the various familial types that exist and expand local anti-discrimination laws to explicitly protect people based on their family or relationship structure, including polyamorous, chosen-family, and other non-traditional households to ensure equal access to housing, services, and opportunities.
Immigrant Justice Package
- Package Overview English | Spanish
- Anti-Hunger Package (Food For All Oregonians) One Pager: English
- Safeguarding Students and Families (HB 4079) One Pager: English | Spanish
- Law Enforcement Visibility and Accountability Act (LEVAA) (HB 4138) One Pager: English
- Stop Data Brokers from Sharing Our Info (SB 1587) One Pager: English | Spanish
- Public Contracts Prohibition (HB 4150) One Pager: English | Spanish
- Anti-Discrimination Protections (HB 4111) One Pager: English | Spanish
- Protect Your Door Act (HB 4114) One Pager: English | Spanish
- Universal Representation & Children’s Stability Fund (HB 4117) One Pager: English | Spanish
TAKE ACTION
Share Your Story
Will you share how the Big, Ugly Bill (H.R. 1) — or the state’s broken revenue system — is hurting your family?
No fancy words needed. Just tell us what’s happening in your home. What you’re worried about. What you’re fighting for.
Share your story below.
Contact Your Representatives
Our elected representatives, the folks who make the laws in our state, cannot let ERDC run out of money in Jan 2027! With the passage of S.B. 1507, the funding to invest in ERDC is available.
They must invest in the workforce behind the workforce. They’ve done the opposite thus far. Email them today to ensure our priorities are heard!
ABOUT FAFO
For All Families Oregon (FAFO), formerly Family Forward Oregon, is building an intersectional movement centered on care to fight for economic and reproductive justice for all parents and caregivers in Oregon. Join the movement!
If you have any questions, please reach out to FAFO’s Legislative Coordinator, Andrea Metheney! She can be contacted at andrea@forallfamilies.org.
For more information on the Oregon legislature and an up-to-date calendar of events, visit the Oregon State Legislature website here.