Willis E. Blackshear, Jr. News

Ohio Legislative Black Caucus (OLBC) President Rep. Thomas West (D-Canton) and State Rep. Willis Blackshear (D-Dayton) today issued statements following a recent interaction where Dayton Police dragged a paraplegic Black man from his car and threw him on the road during a routine traffic stop in Dayton. The Dayton Police Department has opened an investigation into the incident. 

COLUMBUS– State Rep. Blackshear (D- Dayton) today announced the introduction of the Neighborhood Protection Act, which would require vacant property owners to file contact information with the County Auditor’s office. Vacant property owners in counties with a population larger than 200,000 would be required to provide contact information to the County Auditor’s office or be penalized with a tax lien. This bill would make it easier to contact vacant property owners for property maintenance issues and sales opportunities. 

State Rep. Willis Blackshear (D-Dayton) issued a statement Wednesday on the second anniversary of the shooting in Dayton’s Oregon District, which killed 9 and injured 17 others the night of August 4, 2019. Ohioans rallied together in the wake of the shooting, urging the governor and state lawmakers to “do something” to address gun violence in Ohio communities. 

COLUMBUS– State Reps. Upchurch (D-Cleveland) and Willis Blackshear (D- Dayton) today announced the Ohio House passage of House Bill (HB) 137, which would designate March 29 as “Ohio Tuskegee Airmen Day” to honor the legacy and history of the service members that served as Tuskegee Airmen during World War II. 

COLUMBUS – State Rep. Willis Blackshear (D-Dayton) today announced that House Bill (HB) 167, COVID-19 relief legislation that will deliver $465 million in direct aid for rent and utility assistance, was signed into law. House Democrats have called for rent and utility relief since the onset of the pandemic, introducing bills that would have created a program for immediate rental assistance, postponed evictions and foreclosures during the COVID-19 pandemic, and prevented utility shutoffs during an emergency.

State Rep. Willis Blackshear (D-Dayton) issued a statement applauding the passage of House Bill (HB) 2, a long-held Democratic priority that would create the Ohio Residential Broadband Expansion Program, specifically designed to bring broadband access to unserved residential households in both rural and urban areas of the state. The bill funds $20 million in grants for this year. 

State Rep. Willis Blackshear Jr. (D-Dayton) will host three socially-distanced, in-person district office hours in the month of April. The appointment-only, one-on-one meetings will be held on the following dates and locations in April.

Today, State Rep. Willis Blackshear (D-Dayton) signed on as a co-sponsor to House Democratic priority legislation to declare racism a public health crisis. Previously introduced in the 133rd General Assembly as HCR 31, the resolution provides meaningful action steps to address racial health disparities and begin to dismantle systemic racism in Ohio. 

State Rep. Blackshear (D-Dayton) issued a statement on Wednesday’s inauguration of Joe Biden as President and Kamala Harris as Vice President of the United States, cementing Democratic control of the White House and both chambers of Congress.