Editor | Oregon Secretary of State |
---|---|
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Subject | Oregon history, government |
Genre | Reference |
Published | Biennially, 1911–present |
Media type | Print, online |
Text | Oregon Blue Book online |
The Oregon Blue Book is the official directory and fact book for the U.S. state of Oregon prepared by the Oregon Secretary of State [1] and published by the Office of the Secretary's Archives Division.
The Blue Book comes in both print and online editions. The Oregon Revised Statutes require the Secretary of State to publish the print edition "biennially on or about February 15 of the same year as the regular sessions of the Legislative Assembly," [1] which are during odd-numbered years; it has been so published since 1911. The online edition is updated regularly. [2]
The book contains information on the state, city, county, and federal governments in Oregon, educational institutions, finances, the economy, resources, population figures and demographics. [3]
The 1919 edition contained a "statement of registered motor vehicles, chauffeurs, and dealers from 1905 to 1919", and "a general summary of in the taxable property in Oregon from 1858 to 1918". [4]
Secretary of State Ben Olcott published the first edition in 1911 in response to an "increased demand for information of a general character concerning Oregon". [5]
Early editions of the book were available free from the State. [4] By 1937, copies cost 25 cents; in 1981 the book cost $4. [6] [7]
In 1953, a legislative ways and means subcommittee, headed by Representative Francis Ziegler, was going to confer with Secretary of State Earl T. Newbry about how to improve the Blue Book. [8] This was following complaints by Representative Monroe Sweetland that the book was "obsolete, carelessly edited, and only of limited use." [8] Calling the book "an inferior job", Sweetland criticized the timing of book's publication long after elections, as well as the map in the back. [8] As a result, the 1953 Legislative Assembly passed a law requiring the book be published soon after the legislature convenes. [9]
The 1993–94 edition of the book contained a four-page erratum. [5] When Norma Paulus was Secretary of State, she would send a free copy of the book to the first person to find a mistake in each new edition. [5] The 1995–96 edition was reduced in size from its predecessors. [5]
A 1995 Register-Guard editorial called the book "indispensable". [5]
Measure 16 of 1994 established the U.S. state of Oregon's Death with Dignity Act, which legalizes medical aid in dying with certain restrictions. Passage of this initiative made Oregon the first U.S. state and one of the first jurisdictions in the world to permit some terminally ill patients to determine the time of their own death.
Willamette Week (WW) is an alternative weekly newspaper and a website published in Portland, Oregon, United States, since 1974. It features reports on local news, politics, sports, business, and culture.
The Register-Guard is a daily newspaper in the northwestern United States, published in Eugene, Oregon. It was formed in a 1930 merger of two Eugene papers, the Eugene Daily Guard and the Morning Register. The paper serves the Eugene-Springfield area, as well as the Oregon Coast, Umpqua River valley, and surrounding areas. As of 2016, it has a circulation of around 43,000 Monday through Friday, around 47,000 on Saturday, and a little under 50,000 on Sunday.
The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower house: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the House of Representatives, with 60 members elected to two-year terms. There are no term limits for either house in the Legislative Assembly.
Grattan Kerans was an American politician from Oregon, who served in the Oregon House of Representatives from 1974 through 1984, and in the Oregon State Senate from 1986 to 1993. He held the position of Speaker of the House during the 1983 legislative session.
Norma Jean Paulus was an American lawyer and politician in the state of Oregon. A native of Nebraska, she was raised in Eastern Oregon before becoming a lawyer. A Republican, she first held political office as a representative in the Oregon House of Representatives, and then became the first woman elected to statewide public office in Oregon when she became Oregon Secretary of State in 1977. Paulus later served as Oregon Superintendent of Public Instruction for nine years. She made unsuccessful bids to become Governor of Oregon and United States Senator. Prior to her death on February 28, 2019, Paulus lived in Portland, where she was involved with several non-profit groups and sponsored a ballot measure to create open primaries in Oregon's statewide elections.
The secretary of state of Oregon, an elected constitutional officer within the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon, is first in the line of succession to the governor. The duties of the office are auditor of public accounts, chief elections officer, and administrator of public records. Additionally, the secretary of state serves on the Oregon State Land Board and chairs the Oregon Sustainability Board. Following every United States Census, if the Oregon Legislative Assembly cannot come to an agreement over changes to legislative redistricting, the duty falls to the secretary of state.
The Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) is the codified body of statutory law governing the U.S. state of Oregon, as enacted by the Oregon Legislative Assembly, and occasionally by citizen initiative. The statutes are subordinate to the Oregon Constitution.
The Archives Division of the Office of the Secretary of State of Oregon, or the Oregon State Archives, is an agency of the Oregon Secretary of State charged with preserving and providing access to government records. The Oregon State Archives is open for research by appointment. It also publishes the Oregon Blue Book and Oregon Administrative Rules. The position of State Archivist was authorized by the state legislature in 1945, though not filled until 1947, and was originally a staff position within the Oregon State Library. The duties and functions of the archivist were placed under the purview of the Secretary of State in 1973, when that office was deemed the chief records officer of the state government by the legislature. As of 2019 it comprises the state archivist, a reference unit, a publications unit, an information and records management unit, and the State Records Center.
Peter Michael Coleman Courtney is an American politician, lawyer, and professor who was a Democratic member of the Oregon State Senate, representing the 11th District since 1999. He served as President of the Senate from 2003 to 2023. He was a member of the Oregon House of Representatives in 1981, 1983, and from 1989 through 1998. Courtney previously taught at Western Oregon University.
Elections in Oregon are all held using a Vote by Mail (VBM) system. This means that all registered voters receive their ballots via postal delivery and can vote from their homes. A state Voters’ Pamphlet is mailed to every household in Oregon about three weeks before each statewide election. It includes information about each measure and candidate in the upcoming election.
The following table indicates the party of elected officials in the U.S. state of Oregon:
Earl T. Newbry was an American businessman and politician from the state of Oregon. A native of Colorado, he served as the twenty-fifth Secretary of State of Oregon after appointment by Oregon Governor John Hubert Hall. A Republican, he previously served two terms in the Oregon House of Representatives and three terms in the Oregon State Senate.
Monroe Mark Sweetland was an American politician in the state of Oregon. A native of the state, he served in both houses of the Oregon Legislative Assembly starting in 1953 for a total of ten years. A Democrat, he also twice ran and lost bids to serve as the Oregon Secretary of State and was a Democratic National Committeeman. Sweetland later served on the staff of the National Education Association, supporting passage of the Bilingual Education Act of 1968.
This article refers to crime in the U.S. state of Oregon.
George James Sweetland was an American physician as well as a coach of many sports including basketball, track and field and football at several universities.
The Oregon Naval Militia is the unorganized naval militia of the state of Oregon. As a naval militia, the Oregon Naval Militia was a reserve unit organized as a naval parallel to the Oregon National Guard.
The 82nd Oregon Legislative Assembly is the current session of the Oregon Legislature. It began January 9, 2023.