Says Ohio House Blatantly Ignores Health of Legislators, Staff, and the Public
COLUMBUS- State Rep. Brigid Kelly (D-Cincinnati) introduced two House Resolutions to allow House committees and/or session to be conducted virtually amid worsening conditions of the coronavirus pandemic as “Lame Duck” session occurs in the Legislature.
Ohio Democratic lawmakers Reps. Paula Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo) and Catherine D. Ingram (D-Cincinnati) todaysent a letter to 42 Republican House members who last week, without evidence, urged the Ohio Attorney General to join the Texas Attorney General’s attack on the democratic presidential election result.
Says SB 27 places undue burden on women, those seeking surgical abortions
COLUMBUS – Ohio House Minority Leader Emilia Strong-Sykes (D-Akron) sent a letter Friday to Gov. Mike DeWine urging him to veto Senate Bill 27, saying the extreme legislation would add an undue burden on Ohio women and those seeking surgical abortions in the state.
Rep. Paula Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo) today issued a statement in response to the Ohio Attorney General's comments indicating he is considering joining on behalf of Ohio a lawsuit by Texas officials to subvert democracy and overturn the will of this nation's voters.
Today, Democratic legislators from both the House and Senate announced the introduction of legislation aimed to protect Ohio’s call center jobs. The Consumer Protection Call Center Act of 2016 would ban state grant or loan opportunities for companies that transfer or relocate call centers from Ohio to overseas for five years.
“Now more than ever, it is imperative to protect Ohio jobs that pay above the minimum wage,” said Representative Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood). “If passed by the Ohio General Assembly, this legislation would help pave a path to economic stability for working families by keeping call center jobs from being shipped overseas. The end goal of the Consumer Protection Call Center Act is to keep Ohio jobs in Ohio, with a workforce of Ohioans.”
Says pattern of selective enforcement makes Yost part of the problem in Ohio
The highest ranking Democratic member of the House Education Committee, Rep. Teresa Fedor (D-Toledo), today responded to news reports that the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT) fails to maintain critical documentation related to students’ offline work and that Auditor of State Dave Yost failed to conduct a comprehensive audit after receiving allegations of attendance fraud at the online charter school.
The Toledo lawmaker has called on Yost in the recent past to investigate Ohio Virtual Academy, the state’s second largest online charter school, for the same attendance scrubbing allegations taking place at ECOT. Fedor again called on Yost to reopen the investigation into the data scrubbing scandal that led to the resignation of David Hansen.
Panelists will lead discussion on funding, public vs. charter oversight, and testing standards
State Rep. Heather Bishoff (D-Blacklick) will join former First Lady Dr. Frances Strickland and President of the Reynoldsburg City School Board Joe Begeny for a public forum to discuss the state of education in Ohio Wednesday, Aug. 10 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Messiah Lutheran Church in Reynoldsburg.
“In light of recent changes and controversies surrounding Ohio’s education system, including new testing and charter school oversight standards, I wanted to engage citizens in a meaningful way on the state of Ohio education before the start of the new school year,” said Bishoff, a former Gahanna-Jefferson Board of Education member.
State Reps. Emilia Sykes (D-Akron) and Greta Johnson (D-Akron) today offered their condolences following the passing of Summit County Executive Russ Pry. Pry’s death comes just two days after announcing that he would not seek re-election due to ongoing health issues.
Recent report shows the virus is being transmitted by mosquitos in US
State Rep. John Boccieri (D-Poland) sent a letter to Governor Kasich urging him to take action and set aside $50 million from the Budget Stabilization Fund—which currently holds over $2 billion—to create a Disaster Preparedness Contingency Fund. The new disaster relief fund would be available to local counties and communities to exclusively plan, prevent and respond to mosquito-borne diseases.
HB 1 prioritizes rehabilitation by expanding access to drug treatments, allowing more opportunities for a fresh start
COLUMBUS– State Rep. Paula Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo) announced today that House Bill (HB) 1, her bipartisan criminal justice reform bill, was passed unanimously out of the Senate Judiciary Committee. HB 1 prioritizes rehabilitation by expanding access to drug treatments, and it allows record-sealing of convictions for low-level, non-violent, non-sex offense felonies.
August 5-7 back-to-school sales tax holiday temporarily halts impact of state sales tax increases
State Rep. Jack Cera (D-Bellaire) today announced Ohio’s second-ever sales tax-free holiday scheduled for next weekend, August 5-7. The tax-free holiday runs Friday through Sunday and covers many back-to-school items, including clothing, school supplies and instructional materials.
“The recent tax shifts under Gov. Kasich may drive shoppers in border areas to purchase back-to-school items in a neighboring state,” said Cera, who co-sponsored the bill to create this year’s sale tax holiday. “The sales-tax holiday is an opportunity for Ohio parents and teachers to shop at local businesses and save money on important purchases before the start of the new school year.”
Ohio House Minority Leader Emilia Strong-Sykes (D-Akron) and Minority Whip Rep. Paula Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo) today issued statements after House Republicans rejected their floor amendments to repeal House Bill (HB) 6 and to require facemasks at the Statehouse.
Lawmaker says recent surplus deposit could shore up locals in facing financial emergencies
State Rep. Kent Smith (D-Euclid) today criticized the state’s recent decision to stockpile Ohio’s Rainy Day budget surplus fund with an extra $30 million instead of sending the money back to 31 local communities listed in fiscal distress by the state. Reps. Kristin Boggs (D-Columbus) and Smith this year introduced House Bill (HB) 508 to lift 31 communities listed in fiscal distress by the state, a measure that would require just under $30 million.
“This latest addition to the state’s massive surplus highlights the Kasich administration’s arrogance by showing they simply doesn’t understand or care what it’s like on the ground in local communities throughout our state like Clarksville, East Cleveland and Galion,” said Smith. “The fact is the administration continues to withhold critical tax revenue generated in these local communities by stockpiling some bank account in Columbus. Meanwhile, locals are forced to raise taxes, cut essential services or let infrastructure crumble. It is hypocritical that the Rainy Day fund was built on the backs of our communities, but even more so now that The Administration continues to withhold needed revenues from the cities, towns and villages that make up our state.”
Funding for two local, individualized educational programs will help students prepare for future success
State Reps. John Boccieri (D-Poland) and Michele Lepore-Hagan (D-Youngstown) today announced the release of $990,048 in “Straight A” grant funding for the Mahoning County Educational Service Center. The funding will help participating school districts ensure that students are college and career ready with the implementation of the Mahoning Valley Prepared for Success project. In addition, Mahoning County schools will also receive $915,603 for the Northeast Ohio Literacy Consortium, a program created by The Ohio State University to enhance student’s literacy skills.
