Democrat News

House Democrats announced the conclusion of their Ohio Promise Town Hall Tour this week, which saw more than two dozen stops in cities across the state over the past two months. In the wake of the mass shooting in Dayton in August, Ohioans all across the state came out to urge action on commonsense gun safety, an issue Democrats say is a top concern heading into the fall session.

Minority Leader Emilia Strong Sykes (D-Akron) today released the following statement regarding the Ohio Supreme Court’s controversial split ruling that the state did not overstep its constitutional authority when it sought to block local hiring laws around the state: 

House Democratic Leader Emilia Strong Sykes (D-Akron) today joined Speaker Larry Householder (R-Glenford) at a press conference in the Statehouse to announce the installation of cameras in four additional House hearing rooms, signaling the completion of a major project to offer live coverage of all House committee meetings for the first time, fulfilling a long-time Democratic priority of a more open and transparent committee process.

State Reps. H. Gilson Blair (D-Weathersfield) and Michael O’Brien (D-Warren) today announced a recent conference call with Trump administration officials in response to their repeated attempts to urge the Trump administration to assist them in bringing General Motors back to Lordstown, Ohio.

Ohio Democratic Women’s Caucus Chair and Rep. Tavia Galonski (D-Akron) today sent a letter on behalf of the Ohio Democratic Women’s Caucus to UAW President Gary Jones expressing support for the UAW members as they continue to strike. The UAW has been striking since Monday, September 16, after contract negotiations with General Motors failed to reach a compromise.

State Rep. Bride Rose Sweeney (D-Cleveland) today revealed that a faulty list compiled by the Secretary of State’s office has caused thousands of voters to be purged from the voter rolls. The problem was discovered through public records requests.

State Reps. Michele Lepore-Hagan (D-Youngstown) and Janine Boyd (D-Cleveland Heights) today introduced House Bill (HB) 335 that would protect victims of domestic abuse and first responders by requiring anyone subject to a temporary civil or criminal protection order to surrender their firearms to a law enforcement agency or sell them to a federally licensed gun dealer.

State Reps. Kent Smith (D-Euclid), John Rogers (D-Mentor-on-the-Lake), Paula Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo) and Mike Sheehy (D-Oregon) toured the critical Brandon Road Lock and Dam complex in Joliet, Illinois, on Friday with 25 other members of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Legislative Caucus. Brandon Road Lock and Dam is a critical choke point to keep Asian Carp out of the Great Lakes ecosystem.

State Reps. Lisa Sobecki (D-Toledo) and Phil Robinson (D-Solon) filed a bill today to reinstate the Joint Education Oversight Committee (JEOC), a state legislative committee comprised of members from both parties in the State House and State Senate which provided non-partisan, fact based and in-depth analysis of K-12 education in Ohio at a great value to taxpayers.

Minority Leader Emilia Strong Sykes (D-Akron) today responded to the Ohio Department of Education’s release of school report cards.