Republican News

Columbus—With National Recovery Month in full swing, State Representatives Robert Sprague (R-Findlay) and Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood) held a news conference this morning to urge quick action on H.B. 248, their bill to compel health insurance companies to cover the cost of opioid pain medications formulated with abuse deterrent properties. The bill is currently before the House Health and Aging Committee.

The Ohio House Community and Family Advancement Committee held a hearing on the Kent State University East Liverpool campus yesterday, listening to testimony on how to help lift Ohioans up and out of poverty.

State Representative Robert Sprague (R-Findlay) has announced that area business owners can apply for a voucher that will assist in training their workers. The Ohio Development Services Agency released application dates for the Ohio Incumbent Workforce Training Voucher Program, which trains employees in areas such as operational skills, certification processes and equipment training in a wide variety of high-demand fields.

COLUMBUS—Speaker of the Ohio House Clifford A. Rosenberger (R-Clarksville) issued a letter to US Office of Management and Budget Director Shaun Donovan and US Department of Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz regarding the recent announcement of the potential layoff of up to 500 employees at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Piketon, Ohio.

"Today, make sure your loved ones know you love them, thank our first responders, keep our nation and military in our prayers and NEVER FORGET." -Speaker Cliff Rosenberger

COLUMBUS—State Representative Dorothy Pelanda (R-Marysville) today joined Ohio Senate President Keith Faber (R-Celina) and other state leaders at a press conference to officially announce the implementation of the Criminal Justice Recodification Committee, which is tasked with modernizing and improving the Ohio Revised Code.

The Ohio House Healthcare Efficiencies Study Committee today held its second of four hearings at Shawnee State University in Portsmouth yesterday. The committee, chaired by State Representative Dr. Steve Huffman (R-Tipp City), held a graduate medical education panel to discuss healthcare models in Northwest Ohio that the Ohio House can help support and promote. 

During a press conference at the Statehouse this afternoon, State Representative Marlene Anielski (R-Walton Hills) joined other public leaders in highlighting the state’s efforts in recent years to increase awareness and access to suicide prevention programs. She also discussed newly introduced legislation designed to help school districts and private schools across Ohio provide counseling to students in need of emotional support.

As our students and families begin the school year, I hope to make everyone aware of some changes to Ohio’s health curriculum. Since 2007, the leading cause of accidental death in Ohio has been drug overdose. According to the most recent finalized statistics, during 2013, 2,110 individuals died from an accidental drug overdose. More than 70% of these individuals were using either prescription opioids or heroin, and the rate of overdose deaths closely correlates with the amount of dispensed prescription opioid doses. From 2003 to 2013, within the State of Ohio, the amount of prescription opioids being dispensed increased more than ten-fold. Specifically, in 2013, there were over 828 million dispensed doses. 

The Ohio House Healthcare Efficiencies Study Committee today held its first hearing at the ProMedica Flower Hospital in Sylvania. The committee, chaired by State Representative Dr. Steve Huffman (R-Tipp City), held a graduate medical education panel to discuss healthcare models in Northwest Ohio that the Ohio House can help support and promote.