Michael Sheehy News

On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-Toledo) announced a $2 million dollar federal grant to help mitigate harmful algal blooms by reducing fertilizer runoff into the Western Lake Erie basin. State Rep. Mike Sheehy (D-Oregon) released the following statement in support of the grant:

Today, Ohio House Democrats from along the Lake Erie shoreline discussed a series of policy proposals to stop the region’s toxic algal blooms and to prevent future public health emergencies, like last weekend’s Toledo water crisis. 

State Rep. Mike Sheehy (D-Oregon) will again propose legislation to help reduce toxic algal bloom growths in Lake Erie, following this weekend’s water crisis affecting over 400,000 in Northwest Ohio. 

A state of emergency has been declared in Lucas and Wood Counties after samples of water from an East Toledo facility containing microcystin – a harmful liver toxin released by the algal blooms plaguing the Western Lake Erie Basin - were found to exceed the level allowable for human consumption. The algal blooms are thought to be a result of high levels of phosphorus found in run-off from cities and farms nears the Maumee River watershed.

State Representative Mike Sheehy (D-Oregon), who is a member of the House Agriculture Committee and an outspoken critic of Senate Bill 150, has been calling for tougher regulations on phosphorus polluters since he took office more than a year ago.

“I have been asking my colleagues to support my efforts to reduce run-off and prevent these severe algal blooms,” said Rep. Sheehy. He went on to say, “I even drafted an amendment to Senate Bill 150 which would ban spreading manure on frozen ground, limiting the manure run-off into the Maumee River, but it never made it to the floor of the House. I hope my colleagues and the administration will work with me to seriously re-examine the issue of phosphorus loading in Lake Erie.”

The Ohio Health Department (ODH) on Wednesday refused to renew the health care facility license of Toledo’s last abortion clinic, Capital Care Network. The decision effectively closes the facility and cuts off medical care to thousands of Northwest Ohio women who will now have to travel out of state or over two hours to another major Ohio city for services.

State Rep. Michael Sheehy (D-Oregon) on Wednesday condemned the Ohio GOP’s partisan elections agenda, including Secretary of State Husted’s directive to limit in-person early voting hours and the passage of Senate Bill 216, which makes counting provisional ballots more difficult.

On Wednesday, Rep. Mike Sheehy (D-Oregon) announced the passage of House Bill 399, legislation which designates the first Friday in May as Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness & Education Day. The bill was inspired by a constituent in the district who testified before the Toledo opioid sub-committee hearing over the summer.

State Rep. Michael Sheehy (D-Oregon) on Monday announced the release of a Roadwork Development Grant for $200,000 to Owens Corning in Toledo. The company has committed to creating 50 new full-time jobs and retaining 925 full-time positions in conjunction with road improvements to Ottawa Street and other state-funded projects around the Owens Corning campus.