---
type: "Bill"
title: "Relating to the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Advancement; and declaring an emergency."
description: "Establishes Office of Immigrant and Refugee Advancement to <i>implement and oversee</i>] <b>operate</b> statewide immigrant and refugee integration strategy. <i>Directs Governor to appoint director of office.</i>] <b>Provides that director of office is chosen through open hiring process.</b> Appropriates funds to office."
jurisdiction: "us/states/or"
legislature: "Oregon Legislative Assembly"
session: "2021 Regular Session"
identifier: "SB 778"
citation: "Oregon SB 778 (2021 Regular Session)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Andrea Valderrama", "Kayse Jama", "Khanh Pham", "Mark Meek", "Michael Dembrow", "Ricki Ruiz", "Rob Wagner", "Wlnsvey Campos"]
version_count: 5
action_count: 25
vote_count: 4
first_action: "2021-02-18T17:42:43+00:00"
last_action: "2021-08-20T17:10:35+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/fca132ac-9cbe-49e9-b88b-2491c7ae8087"
source_url: "https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2021R1/Measures/Overview/SB778"
source_hash: "4dca2c283a7027f3eacf2f66e43d1aae845ca44afdb6b5c6d249a3c84036f061"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-or"]
---

# Oregon SB 778 (2021 Regular Session) — Relating to the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Advancement; and declaring an emergency.

Establishes Office of Immigrant and Refugee Advancement to <i>implement and oversee</i>] <b>operate</b> statewide immigrant and refugee integration strategy. <i>Directs Governor to appoint director of office.</i>] <b>Provides that director of office is chosen through open hiring process.</b> Appropriates funds to office.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2021R1/Downloads/MeasureDocument/SB778/Introduced)
2. **Senate Amendments to Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2021R1/Downloads/MeasureDocument/SB778/Senate%20Amendments%20to%20Introduced)
3. **A-Engrossed** (committee substitute) — [source](https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2021R1/Downloads/MeasureDocument/SB778/A-Engrossed)
4. **SJD110 Amendment -2** (committee substitute) — [source](https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2021R1/Downloads/ProposedAmendment/19948)
5. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2021R1/Downloads/MeasureDocument/SB778/Enrolled)

## Votes

- Third reading. Carried by Jama. Passed. — **28–1** (pass) · upper
- Heard and Reported Out — **46–0** (pass) · legislature
- Heard and Reported Out with Amendments — **4–2** (pass) · upper
- Third reading. Carried by Pham. Passed. — **50–6** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Andrea Valderrama — primary (person)
- Kayse Jama — primary (person)
- Khanh Pham — primary (person)
- Mark Meek — primary (person)
- Michael Dembrow — primary (person)
- Ricki Ruiz — primary (person)
- Rob Wagner — primary (person)
- Wlnsvey Campos — primary (person)
- Anna Williams — cosponsor (person)
- Chuck Riley — cosponsor (person)
- Courtney Neron — cosponsor (person)
- Dacia Grayber — cosponsor (person)
- Deb Patterson — cosponsor (person)
- James Manning Jr. — cosponsor (person)
- Janeen Sollman — cosponsor (person)
- Kate Lieber — cosponsor (person)
- Lew Frederick — cosponsor (person)
- Lisa Reynolds — cosponsor (person)
- Marty Wilde — cosponsor (person)
- Maxine Dexter — cosponsor (person)
- Pam Marsh — cosponsor (person)
- Paul Holvey — cosponsor (person)
- Sara Gelser Blouin — cosponsor (person)
- Teresa Alonso Leon — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2021-02-18T17:42:43+00:00** Introduction and first reading. Referred to President's desk. `introduction, reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2021-02-22T20:55:42+00:00** Referred to Judiciary and Ballot Measure 110 Implementation, then Ways and Means. `referral-committee`
- **2021-03-30T15:01:00+00:00** Public Hearing held.
- **2021-04-08T15:02:00+00:00** Work Session held.
- **2021-04-23T20:54:40+00:00** Recommendation: Do pass with amendments and be referred to Ways and Means by prior reference. (Printed A-Eng.) `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-04-23T20:54:41+00:00** Referred to Ways and Means by prior reference. `referral-committee`
- **2021-06-05T14:18:00+00:00** Assigned to Subcommittee On General Government. `referral-committee`
- **2021-06-07T20:03:00+00:00** Returned to Full Committee.
- **2021-06-07T20:02:00+00:00** Work Session held.
- **2021-06-11T15:02:00+00:00** Work Session held.
- **2021-06-15T15:37:17+00:00** Recommendation: Do pass the A-Eng. bill. `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-06-15T18:01:33+00:00** Second reading. `reading-2`
- **2021-06-16T19:39:24+00:00** Third reading. Carried by Jama. Passed. `passage, reading-3`
- **2021-06-16T19:40:24+00:00** Vote explanation(s) filed by Heard.
- **2021-06-17T16:58:59+00:00** First reading. Referred to Speaker's desk. `introduction, reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2021-06-17T23:00:37+00:00** Referred to Ways and Means. `referral-committee`
- **2021-06-21T00:59:46+00:00** Recommendation: Do pass. `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-06-21T17:43:38+00:00** Second reading. `reading-2`
- **2021-06-23T00:38:57+00:00** Rules suspended. Carried over to June 23, 2021 Calendar.
- **2021-06-23T18:15:44+00:00** Third reading. Carried by Pham. Passed. `passage, reading-3`
- **2021-06-26T17:19:39+00:00** President signed. `passage`
- **2021-06-26T21:22:31+00:00** Speaker signed. `passage`
- **2021-07-19T22:29:00+00:00** Governor signed. `executive-signature`
- **2021-08-20T17:05:08+00:00** Chapter 594, 2021 Laws.
- **2021-08-20T17:10:35+00:00** Effective date, July 19, 2021.

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/fca132ac-9cbe-49e9-b88b-2491c7ae8087`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Oregon legislature records).