Dontavius L. Jarrells News

COLUMBUS – The Columbus Board of Education has announced a realignment of its committees to increase community engagement in advancing the district’s goals and strategic plan. This restructuring reflects the Board’s commitment to transparency and accountability with the community, while continuing to prioritize student needs within the dynamic educational system. 

COLUMBUS – State Rep. Dontavius Jarrells (D-Columbus) today celebrates an important development for housing justice in Columbus with a landmark settlement for the displaced residents of the Latitude 525 apartment complex. This achievement comes after more than a year of advocacy and negotiation, following the evacuation of nearly 150 families from their homes due to unsafe living conditions. 

COLUMBUS – State Rep. Dontavius Jarrells (D-Columbus) today announced that the Controlling Board allocated $625K for architecture and engineering improvements to the Rhodes and Riffe Towers located in downtown Columbus. Both projects will contract services from the local architecture firm, Meacham & Apel, to bring space floor improvement to the Rhodes Tower and relocate the Auditor of State’s office to Riffe Tower.

COLUMBUS - State Rep. Dontavius Jarrells (D-Columbus) today announced, in a move to combat the economic barriers hindering Ohioans' transition from public assistance to the workforce, his reintroduction of The Actionable Help and New Dignity for Upward Progression (A HAND UP) Act. This innovative legislation aims to establish a pilot program through the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) to effectively address the challenges associated with the benefits cliff.

COLUMBUS – State Reps. Dontavius L. Jarrells (D-Columbus) and Monica Robb-Blasdel (R-Columbiana) today announced that their House Bill (HB) 226, overwhelmingly passed out of the House on February 7th and was sent over to the Senate for consideration.

COLUMBUS - State Rep. Dontavius L. Jarrells (D-Columbus) today expressed his deepest sorrow upon the discovery of 5-year-old Darnell Taylor's body, marking a tragic end to the extensive search initiated by a statewide Amber Alert last week.

COLUMBUS – State Rep. Dontavius Jarrells (D-Columbus) today is urging Ohio families to act swiftly to utilize unspent pandemic food benefits. A staggering $16M in benefits, provided to assist Ohio students during the pandemic, remains unclaimed and is in jeopardy of expiring starting March. These benefits, part of a federal initiative to combat childhood hunger during school closures, were distributed last summer but have not been utilized by an estimated 131K recipients.

COLUMBUS – State Reps. Dontavius L. Jarrells (D-Columbus) and Scott Lipps (R-Franklin) today announced that they have formally introduced legislation to phase out the payment of subminimum wages to individuals with disabilities in Ohio over the next five years.

COLUMBUS - State Rep. Dontavius Jarrells (D-Columbus) last week announced the successful passage of House Bill (HB) 2 in the Ohio House of Representatives. This landmark legislation will allocate $2B in state funds towards initiatives aimed at driving economic growth and expanding opportunities throughout the state. Importantly, it earmarks more than $52M for projects and organizations within House District 1, promising substantial local impact.