Rep. Elmer: House passes adoption bill

By Representative Lucetta Elmer
April 8, 2025

Representative Lucetta Elmer (R-McMinnville) applauded the unanimous House passage of House Bill 2019 which designates August 25 of each year as Oregon Adoption Day. This bipartisan legislation was also Chief Sponsored by Representative Rob Nosse (D-SE/NE Portland), Representative Virgle Osborne (R-Roseburg), and Representative Dwayne Yunker (R-Grants Pass) – each who share their own personal adoption stories.

Representative Elmer made the following remarks on the House floor:

“House Bill 2019 is more than a ceremonial bill. It is a moment of acknowledgment for the thousands of Oregonians— children, birth parents, adoptive families, and support systems— who walk through the transformative journey of adoption.

And for me, this is personal. The day this bill recognizes is not just a date on a calendar. It is my day— the day I was adopted. A day that forever changed my story, gave me a future, and placed me in the arms of a mother who chose me as her own.

Adoption is an act of courage. It requires sacrifice, selflessness, and a whole lot of faith—from all sides. It weaves together lives in ways that reflect the best of our humanity. And it is worthy of recognition. By passing this bill, we send a message to every adopted child in Oregon: You are seen. You are loved. You matter.

We honor the birth parents who made the hardest of choices. We celebrate the adoptive families who open their hearts and homes. And we support a system that helps children find belonging and hope.

Colleagues, this is not just a bi-partisan bill. It’s a human bill. A hopeful bill.”