David Leland News

Thursday, dozens of individuals and interest groups will unite to testify in opposition to House Bill 99 during House Criminal Justice Committee. The bill would allow teachers and school staff to carry guns on school grounds with no training beyond what is required for a concealed carry license, just eight hours of total training – six hours of classroom study and only two hours of on-range training. 

Following the passage of House Bill 128 on the floor of the Ohio House of Representatives, Rep. David Leland (D-Columbus), who has been leading the fight against House Bill 6 for nearly two years, issued this statement:  

Thursday, Ranking Member David Leland (D-Columbus) and Rep. Brett Hillyer (R-Uhrichsville) will provide sponsor testimony on bipartisan legislation that would increase the number of public defenders in the most underserved areas in Ohio and make it easier to retain more experienced public defenders.

COLUMBUS—After a federal judge in Texas ruled the CDC eviction moratorium unconstitutional yesterday, the sponsors of House Bill 20, which would institute a statewide eviction and foreclosure moratorium for the duration of the COVID-19 crisis, issued statements in response to the ruling:

State Reps. David Leland (D-Columbus) and Jeffrey Crossman (D-Parma) introduced a bill Monday to postpone evictions and foreclosures in Ohio amid the ongoing pandemic. The bill adds additional protections and plugs many of the well-documented gaps in the existing Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) moratorium, which expires on January 31, 2021. The bill also extends the moratorium for the duration of the COVID-19 state of emergency at the state level since the extension of the CDC's moratorium beyond January is dependent on additional federal action. 

Following the 133rd General Assembly’s frustrating inability to take meaningful action to repeal House Bill 6, Select Committee on Energy Policy & Oversight Ranking Member David Leland (D-Columbus) is proposing legislation on day one of the 134th General Assembly aimed at breaking the logjam. This legislation combines House Bill 772 from the 133rd General Assembly with a groundbreaking, market-based, consumer-driven Energy Waste Reduction (EWR) program.

COLUMBUS— Today, Franklin County representatives Assistant Minority Leader Kristin Boggs (D-Columbus), Assistant Minority Whip Richard Brown (D-Canal Winchester) and State Reps. Adam Miller (D-Columbus), Mary Lightbody (D-Westerville), David Leland (D-Columbus), Dr. Beth Liston (D-Dublin), Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington), and Erica Crawley (D-Columbus) reacted to House passage of a bill (Senate Bill 311) to undermine the director of health’s authority at a time when the state has reached a dangerous peak, with Franklin County being the first county designated purple status. Announced by Gov. Mike DeWine Thursday, Franklin County is the first in the state to be elevated to purple status since the state began using this alert system.

COLUMBUS—Ahead of Thursday’s initial meeting of the Select Committee on Energy Policy & Oversight, Ranking Member David Leland (D-Columbus) issued the following statement:

COLUMBUS –State Rep. David Leland (D-Columbus) and State Rep. Juanita Brent (D-Cleveland) filed the Eviction Crisis Response Act on Monday, which allocates $270 million from Ohio’s rainy-day fund to create a program for immediate rental assistance. 

Democratic lawmakers, including Assistant Minority Leader Kristin Boggs (D-Columbus), Assistant Minority Whip Rep. Richard Brown (D-Canal Winchester), Reps. Erica C. Crawley (D-Columbus), David Leland (D-Columbus), Mary Lightbody (D-Westerville), Beth Liston (D-Dublin), and Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington), today urged support for international students attending Columbus-area colleges and universities. The move follows the Trump administration’s announcement last week that it would ban international students attending U.S. colleges in the fall if they take only online courses.