Mary Lightbody News

COLUMBUS – Today, Rep. Mary Lightbody (D-Westerville) announced that she was appointed to the Study Committee on Ohio’s Publicly Funded Child Care and Step Up to Quality Program. This committee was created in the 2022-23 state budget and will be focused on quality early learning initiatives and long-term sustainability for publicly funded child care in Ohio. The committee met for the first time today, and will meet monthly through 2022.

Rep. Mary Lightbody (D-Westerville) spoke yesterday during the 2021 Ohio Public Interest Environmental Law Conference regarding the water impacts of the oil and gas industry. She was joined by Dr. Julie Weatherington-Rice for a discussion of the Impacts of the oil and gas industry on the waters of Ohio. 

Rep. Mary Lightbody (D-Westerville) issued a statement after Republicans passed a partisan, four-year congressional district map that unduly favors GOP candidates 13-2. 

Rep. Mary Lightbody (D-Westerville) today gave sponsor testimony on House Concurrent Resolution (HCR) 32, a resolution that would rename the Battlefield Acoustics Lab at Wright Patterson Air Force Base after Col. William J. Cavanaugh, who was one of the leaders in designing the lab in 1955. 

Rep. Mary Lightbody (D-Westerville) today voted in opposition to two bills opponents say would make schools and communities less safe and fail to address gun violence in Ohio. House Bill (HB) 99 would allow school districts to arm teachers in the classroom without adequate training or safe storage requirements, while HB 227 would eliminate concealed weapon training, safety standards, and penalties for failing to notify police of a concealed weapon during a stop.

Rep. Mary Lightbody (D-Westerville) announced that the state Controlling Board approved several items of note this week, including the allocation of $35.6 million to purchase rapid COVID-19 testing kits and $8 million from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) to support local health departments and mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

State Rep. Mary Lightbody (D-Westerville) today announced the start of the open enrollment period for healthcare coverage through the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The open enrollment period will run from Nov. 1 to Jan. 15, 2022, with coverage beginning Jan. 1, 2022. 

Rep. Mary Lightbody (D-Westerville) today applauded the House passage of Aisha’s Law, Democratic priority legislation sponsored by Rep. Janine Boyd (D-Cleveland Heights) that would better protect the safety and security for those in high-risk situations for domestic violence. Aisha’s Law would improve how law enforcement agencies respond to domestic violence cases and provide added protections for those in high-risk situations. 

Rep. Mary Lightbody (D-Westerville) announced today that the state Controlling Board approved several items of note this week, including the allocation of $202 million from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) for the Home Energy Assistance Weatherization Program, which helps Ohioans pay their energy bills if they are at or below 175% of the federal poverty line.

Rep. Mary Lightbody (D-Westerville) announced today that the state Controlling Board approved several items of note this week, including the allocation of $161.5 million to enhance early childhood education. The funds will help support child care providers navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, recruit employees, and increase access for education. Additionally, $100 million from the federal government were allocated for schools and local districts seeking to maintain vital educational services during the COVID-19 pandemic.