C. Allison Russo News

State Reps. Thomas West (D-Canton) and Sara Carruthers (R-Hamilton) today held a press conference with state Rep. Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington), OPERS Corporate Governance Officer Patti Brammer and Coming Together Stark County President Connie Rubin to discuss a House Concurrent Resolution (HCR) encouraging Ohio companies to include more women in leadership roles and on public boards in an effort to establish equitable gender representation in the workplace. The resolution, introduced by Reps. West and Carruthers this week, is modeled after HCR 23 of the 132^nd General Assembly.

“We’ve already seen that a gender diverse workforce brings significant business benefits, including greater innovation, higher employee retention and satisfaction, more business opportunities, and improved team decision-making,” said Rep. Russo. “It is important that we see those same benefits of diversity reflected in board rooms and executive management.  Besides the tremendous economic benefit, the role-model effect of female leadership is critical for Ohio’s young girls and women and for closing pervasive gender gaps in pay, executive leadership, and elected office.”

State Reps. David Leland (D-Columbus), Mary Lightbody (D-Westerville) and Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) today announced town hall meetings TOMORROW, August 28 at 6:30 p.m. at the Norwich Township Safety Services Building in Hilliard and Thursday, August 29 at 6:00 p.m. at the Whetstone Library to discuss the state budget, bipartisan priorities and a number of recent Democratic-led wins for working people and families in Central Ohio.

State Reps. Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) and Bride Rose Sweeney (D-Cleveland) last week introduced new legislation, House Bill (HB) 316, that would allow family members, household members, or law enforcement officers to file for a court order temporarily preventing individuals considered to be an imminent danger to themselves or others from possessing firearms.

“In many instances of gun violence, there were clear warning signs the shooter posed a serious risk of injuring themselves or others with a firearm,” said Rep. Russo. “Extreme risk protection orders save lives by giving families and law enforcement time to quickly intervene before those warning signs escalate into tragedies, while also respecting Second amendment and due process rights.”

State Rep. Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) today announced the upcoming back-to-school Ohio sales tax holiday that will take place starting on Friday, August 2 through Sunday, August 4. In 2018, state lawmakers passed legislation making this three-day, back-to-school sales tax holiday a recurring holiday each year.

“In Ohio, families come first,” said Rep. Russo. “When parents and teachers are able to equip students with the essential supplies they need to learn, we are able to provide our children with the foundation they need for academic success. I hope you and your family can take advantage of this tax-free holiday that seeks to alleviate some of the financial burden of back-to-school shopping.”

State Rep. Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) and fellow House Democrats today sent a letter* to the Ohio Department of Medicaid asking them to investigate the declining number of children insured by Medicaid.

Ohio State Rep. Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) today voted in opposition to the finalized version of the state budget, House Bill (HB) 166. Today’s vote follows more than two weeks of Republican dysfunction and gridlock, which forced lawmakers to pass a short-term funding extension before finally compromising on a long-term deal late Tuesday.

“This budget falls short of restoring the Ohio Promise to working people and their families,” Russo said. “While this budget contains a number of our priorities, it does not provide a responsible framework for the future. Many of the provisions that purport to lower healthcare costs and improve the education of our children were added without testimony and public hearings, and this is not a responsible way to govern.”

House Democratic lawmakers from across Ohio today sent a letter to Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose seeking information from his office about the impact of moving the 2020 presidential primary from March 10 to March 17, St. Patrick’s Day. See the letter below.

State Reps. Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) and Casey Weinstein (D-Hudson) today joined audiologist and educational advocate Dr. Carrie Spangler, a constituent of Rep. Weinstein’s whose child is hard-of-hearing and members of Let Ohio Hear to discuss House Bill (HB) 243, which supports early stage intervention for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals by making hearing aids for children more affordable for Ohio families.

Ohio House Democratic lawmakers today announced a number of proposals, including safe storage, red-flag and background check laws, commonsense measures they say will better keep kids and communities safe. The package comes amid debate on House Bill (HB) 178, controversial legislation Democrats say is a solution in search of a problem.

  State Reps. Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) and Casey Weinstein (D-Hudson) recently introduced House Bill (HB) 243 titled “Madeline’s Law”, new legislation with bipartisan support that requires Ohio insurance companies to cover a portion of the cost of hearing aids for children.

“For young children with hearing loss, early intervention is crucial for speech and language development,” said Rep. Russo. “This legislation supports early intervention by ensuring families have the insurance coverage necessary to afford hearing aids for their children.”