Dontavius L. Jarrells News

COLUMBUS — State Rep. Dontavius L. Jarrells (D-Columbus) today released the following statement after Governor Mike DeWine signed an executive order directing the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) giving $7M though the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds to various Ohio food banks and up to $18M in funds to Ohioans who are at or below 50% of the federal poverty level who already qualify for Ohio Works First (OWF) cash assistance. While 63,000 of the 1.4 million Ohioans on SNAP may be provided some relief due to this effort, excluding 529,000 children who are currently on SNAP, the $18M in emergency funds does not go far enough to support those living just at the federal poverty level. For example, a family of four making roughly $17,000/year or more will not be eligible for this benefit. While a small step in the right direction, this insufficient allocation of funds is hardly enough to address the urgency of this crisis in the state. 

COLUMBUS – State Rep. Dontavius L. Jarrells (D-Columbus) and Majority Whip Josh Williams (R-Sylvania Twp.) today held a press conference introducing the Break the Silence Act, bipartisan legislation that would establish a consistent, statewide approach to identify and support domestic violence survivors in hospitals and urgent care settings.

COLUMBUS — State Rep. Dontavius L. Jarrells (D-Columbus) today called out Ohio Republicans in the state legislature for failing to act on measures that could have preserved Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for 1.4 million Ohioans. In two days, more than half a million children, more than 250,000 seniors, and an estimated 45,000 veterans are at risk of going hungry when the federal government defaults on its November deposit to fund SNAP benefit cards due to President Trump and Congressional Republicans’ refusal to end the federal government shutdown.

COLUMBUS – State Reps. Dontavius L. Jarrells (D-Columbus) and Mike Odioso (R-Cincinnati) introduced the Grand Jury Privacy and Protection Act, bipartisan legislation designed to safeguard the identities of Ohioans serving on grand juries and uphold the integrity of the judicial process. 

COLUMBUS — State Rep. Dontavius L. Jarrells (D-Columbus) today announced that the Ohio Controlling Board has approved more than $3.5M in state funding to support critical infrastructure improvements and expand access to youth sports and recreational opportunities in the community.

COLUMBUS – State Rep. Dontavius L. Jarrells (D-Columbus) and Majority Whip Josh Williams (R-Sylvania Twp.) today celebrated the enactment of bipartisan House Bill (HB) 57, which increases access to overdose-reversal drugs in Ohio schools.

COLUMBUS – State Rep. Dontavius L. Jarrells (D-Columbus) today held a press conference to announce that he and State Rep. Jean Schmit (R-Loveland) will be introducing the So Every BODY Can Move (SEBCM) Act in the Ohio House of Representatives. The SEBCM Act will provide insurance coverage to individuals with prosthetics and orthotics so they are able to obtain the devices that are waterproof and can assist them in their everyday lives.

COLUMBUS – State Reps. Dontavius L. Jarrells (D-Columbus) and Justin Pizzulli (R-Scioto County) today announced that they have introduced House Bill (HB) 511, a bipartisan bill that would provide more funding to make college campuses across Ohio safer. 

COLUMBUS – State Rep. Dontavius L. Jarrells (D-Columbus) and Majority Whip Josh Williams (R-Sylvania Twp.) last month held a press conference introducing House Bill (HB) 444, the Tithing Protection Act, which would allow a personal income tax deduction for Ohioans who make certain donations to churches.

COLUMBUS — State Rep. Dontavius L. Jarrells (D-Columbus) Tuesday slammed the Republican-controlled Joint Committee on Congressional Redistricting’s failure to advance any fair, constitutional maps, calling it another broken promise to the people of Ohio.