|
Replies to this message are sent to an unmonitored mailbox.
To contact me, please click here: Rep.DarceyEdwards@oregonlegislature.gov
Dear Friends,
I hope you and your families are well as we step into September here in House District 31. Whether the new school year is already underway in your household or you are still easing out of summer, I hope this season has given you time with family, neighbors, and the communities that make our district home.
I want to begin with an important notice about our office communications. Starting September 4 and running through November 4, we enter the pre-election blackout period. During that window, legislative offices cannot send official newsletters or other mass communications using state resources. Individual constituent services will continue without interruption—please still email us anytime—but this will be our last official district newsletter until after Election Day. I wanted you to hear that from me now so the pause does not come as a surprise.
Public participation does not stop during that period. State agencies will continue proposing and refining rules that affect daily life in Oregon, and Oregonians retain every right to review those proposals, attend hearings, and submit written comments. Because we will not be able to send another official newsletter during the blackout, this edition includes details on how to track agency rulemaking and how to participate while those communications are paused. If a proposed rule could affect your family, your business, or services you rely on, I encourage you to use those tools and make your voice heard.
On August 25, Oregon marked Oregon Adoption Day. That day was established to honor the courage of birth parents, the love of adoptive families, and the belonging every adopted child deserves. Adoption weaves lives together in a way that reflects the best of our communities, and I am glad our state now sets aside a day to recognize it.
Below you’ll find information on how to follow and participate in agency rulemaking during the blackout period, a note on Oregon Adoption Day, and a few community updates from around House District 31. As always, if my office can be of assistance—or if you have questions, concerns, or ideas—please reach out. The best way to contact us during the interim is by email:
rep.darceyedwards@oregonlegislature.gov
Thank you for the continued privilege of serving House District 31. I look forward to staying connected with you in the weeks ahead.
Warm regards,
Darcey Edwards
State Representative, House District 31
State agencies write the administrative rules that implement Oregon law. The official place to watch that work is the Secretary of State’s Oregon Administrative Rules Database: sos.oregon.gov/archives/Pages/oregon_administrative_rules.aspx. There you can search current rules, search recent filings, and open the monthly Oregon Bulletin, which is published on the first business day of each month and lists new notices of proposed rulemaking, hearings, comment deadlines, and rules that have been adopted.
Most agencies also keep their own rulemaking page with a planning calendar and instructions for submitting comments. A directory of those pages is on the Oregon Transparency website: oregon.gov/transparency/Pages/Administrative-Rules.aspx. To participate, read the notice for the rule you care about, send written comments by the listed deadline, and request a hearing if you want one (ten people, or an association with at least ten members, can trigger a hearing). You can also email the agency’s rules coordinator and ask to be added to that agency’s notice list under ORS 183.335 so future proposals come to you directly.
Our office will not be sending regular rulemaking roundups during the upcoming blackout period, so these pages are the best way to stay current. If you need help finding the right agency or filing, contact the district office and we will point you to the correct coordinator.
Oregon observed its statewide Adoption Day on August 25, a date now set aside each year to recognize adoptees, birth parents, and the families formed through adoption.
This one is close to home for me. I am the mother of two adopted children, and the vote to establish Oregon Adoption Day was never abstract. Adoption has defined our family in a lasting way, and I remain grateful for the strength it requires of everyone involved.
House Republican Leader Lucetta Elmer carried HB 2019 and spoke openly about her own experience as an adoptee. That leadership is why Oregon now has an official day devoted to this part of so many family stories.
Congratulations as well to Beth Williams, also an adoptee, whose design was selected as the official logo. Her use of the bleeding heart, rose, and Douglas fir captures sacrifice, new beginnings, and resilience — ideas that will feel familiar to many families in our district and across the state.
If adoption is part of your story, I hope you felt seen last week. Those stories matter, and they deserve to be honored.
Labor Day Closures — Monday, September 7
Monday, September 7, is Labor Day. Oregon state agencies will be closed, including DMV offices. City of Banks offices are closed that day as well, and most other city and county offices in House District 31 typically observe the holiday. Courts are generally closed; emergency services remain staffed. If you have business with a local government or state agency, plan around the holiday and confirm hours with the office you need.
End of Summer Celebration in Banks
The City of Banks is hosting an End of Summer Celebration on Sunday, September 13, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Greenville City Park. Bootleg Ridge will play country rock from noon to 2:00 p.m. Food vendors include Comfort Cart, Pacific Sips, and La Lotería Taco Shop. Bring your dancing shoes. For more information, contact the City of Banks at 503-324-5112.
Scappoose Farmers Market
The Scappoose Farmers Market continues on Saturdays through September: September 5, 12, 19, and 26, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on SE 2nd Street by Scappoose City Hall.
Scappoose Farmer's Martket - Home
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1431
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-374, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.DarceyEdwards@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/edwards
| 
