Democratic News

COLUMBUS—State Rep. Lisa Sobecki (D-Toledo), Chair of the Ohio Democratic Women’s Legislative Caucus, released the following statement after the Lebanon City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to ban abortion within the city limits of Lebanon.

State Rep. Casey Weinstein (D-Hudson) today announced his nomination to the Ohio Holocaust and Genocide Memorial Education Commission. The Commission, which was created at the end of the 133rd General Assembly, is tasked with gathering and disseminating information on the Holocaust and genocide and propose new initiatives to fill the gap in current education programs.

House Democratic lawmakers Reps. Michele Lepore-Hagan (D-Youngstown), Jeffrey A. Crossman (D-Parma) and Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) held a Statehouse press conference today to announce a resolution to remove Rep. Larry Householder (R-Glenford) from office and to discuss other Democratic legislation that would root out corruption and begin to restore integrity to the Ohio House. After Democrats announced the press conference Tuesday, House Republicans rushed to introduce an expulsion resolution of their own.

State Representatives Bride Rose Sweeney (D-Cleveland) and Paula Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo) responded to statements made by Secretary of State Frank LaRose today at a Columbus bar suggesting he could not pay return postage for voters’ ballots and ballot applications without a law change. The Democratic lawmakers earlier sent him a letter along with Representatives Michele Lepore-Hagan (D-Youngstown) and Catherine D. Ingram (D-Cincinnati)showing his authority to pay return postage and demanding he do so. 

House Democrats, led by Rep. Lisa Sobecki (D-Toledo), the Ranking Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee, voted in opposition Wednesday to House Bill (HB) 157, legislation that would prohibit the collection of income taxes from workers who aren’t physically in an office inside the city or village limits. 

State Rep. Stephanie Howse (D-Cleveland) yesterday joined legislators across the Midwest for the first meeting of the Forum on Social Justice’s Steering Committee. The purpose of the new nonpartisan forum is to provide legislators with opportunities to discuss and address a wide range of racial and social justice issues, including economic equity, systemic racism, discrimination, racial disparities in public health, education, corrections, police reform, voting rights, and more.

COLUMBUS – State Reps. Jeffrey Crossman (D-Parma) and Lisa Sobecki (D-Toledo) today reiterated their call for Ohio Governor DeWine and the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) State Superintendent Paolo DeMaria to seek a federal waiver to cancel state assessments for the 2020-21 school year.

Democratic lawmakers walked out of the House Government Oversight Committee Thursday after the Republican chairman threatened to cut off testimony on House Bill 294, anti-voter legislation that would roll back ballot access and intentionally make the process more confusing for voters. 

Democratic lawmakers, including Assistant Minority Leader Kristin Boggs (D-Columbus), Assistant Minority Whip Rep. Richard Brown (D-Canal Winchester), Reps. Erica C. Crawley (D-Columbus), David Leland (D-Columbus), Mary Lightbody (D-Westerville), Beth Liston (D-Dublin), and Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington), today urged support for international students attending Columbus-area colleges and universities. The move follows the Trump administration’s announcement last week that it would ban international students attending U.S. colleges in the fall if they take only online courses.

Tuesday morning, alongside Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, Ohio Legislative Black Caucus President State Rep. Thomas West (D-Canton), and a coalition of supporters, State Rep. David Leland (D-Columbus) announced the introduction of bipartisan bail reform legislation. 

Rep. Lisa Sobecki (D-Toledo), the Ranking Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee, released a statement Tuesday following the committee passage of House Bill (HB) 157, legislation that would prohibit the collection of income taxes from workers who aren’t physically in an office inside the city or village limits. The bill comes as many Ohio workers remain on work from home status amid the coronavirus pandemic.

COLUMBUS— State Representatives Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) and Jeffrey A. Crossman (D-Parma) announced plans on Tuesday to introduce a bill that would strike the provision in Ohio Revised Code that prohibits collective bargaining for currently exempted state employees, including legislative staff.  A co-sponsor request was sent to the entire House of Representatives on Monday. The deadline to sign on as a co-sponsor is Monday, July 20.

House Minority Leader Emilia Strong Sykes (D-Akron) issued a statement on the passing of Otto Beatty Jr, a Columbus native and long-time state representative who served 18 years in the Ohio House.

Rep. Lisa Sobecki (D-Toledo) criticized Republican lawmakers for limiting public testimony during Thursday’s meeting of the Unemployment Compensation Modernization and Improvement Council. Concerned Ohioans were barred from offering in-person testimony on their experiences with the state’s unemployment system during the coronavirus pandemic. The committee accepted only written testimony.

State Rep. Jessica E. Miranda (D-Forest Park) today sent a letter to Speaker Larry Householder (R-Glenford) calling for transparency and clarity on the House’s handling of coronavirus cases. Last week, House HR staff misidentified a Miranda staffer in its attempt to respond to potential coronavirus exposure among Republican staff. Democrats said that had the mistake not occurred, they would have been kept in the dark entirely.