6/18/2026: Dolly Parton Imagination Library Ceremonial Bill Signing Remarks

DPIL Ceremonial Bill Signing Remarks

June 18, 2026

First, I want to thank the New East County Library for hosting us today in this gorgeous new library.

About a year and a half ago, I announced an ambitious goal: expanding the Imagination Library statewide. In April of last year, we celebrated the launch of the 57th Local Program Partner, officially marking statewide coverage. And today, we're celebrating the bill that codifies the Imagination Library as an official state program!

I've made early literacy a priority because we know it's foundational to everything that follows - academic success, economic opportunity, and engaged citizenship. But beyond policy and outcomes, I believe that every Oregon child deserves the joy of stories, the comfort of a bedtime book, and to know that reading is a gift meant for them.

When we give a child a book, we're doing more than building vocabulary or teaching letters. We're showing them that they matter. And we're opening windows to people and experiences that are different than their own - building empathy and understanding.

As Dolly says, "You can never get enough books in the hands of enough children." To the Dolly Parton's Imagination Library of Oregon, the local program partners, and each legislator that made this possible: you are changing the lives of our youngest Oregonians. Thanks to your hard work, we're reaching every corner of Oregon, every zip code, every community. Thank you.