Paula Hicks-Hudson News

COLUMBUS— House Minority Leader Emilia Strong Sykes (D-Akron), House Minority Whip Paula Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo), and State Representatives Michele Lepore-Hagan (D-Youngstown), Bride Rose Sweeney (D-Cleveland) and Catherine D. Ingram (D-Cincinnati) released their proposal for holding a safe and accessible presidential election this November as the global pandemic continues.

COLUMBUS—State Rep. Paula Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo) announced the state Controlling Board yesterday approved more than $132 million in funding to bolster unemployment benefits, provide assistance for small businesses and manufacturers, and support state and local COVID-19 response efforts amid the worst global pandemic in more than a century.

COLUMBUS— State Representatives Paula Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo), Michele Lepore-Hagan (D-Youngstown), and Bride Rose Sweeney (D-Cleveland) today sent a letter to Secretary of State Frank LaRose challenging his order telling county boards of elections that they must throw out many of the provisional ballots cast in the primary election. Secretary LaRose in a Monday night social media post said he opposed House Bill 197, the COVID-19 relief bill passed in March that also contained primary election cleanup provisions, and he accused the three Democrats of not reading the bill.

COLUMBUS— State Representatives Paula Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo), Michele Lepore-Hagan (D-Youngstown), and Bride Rose Sweeney (D-Cleveland) released the below statements in response to Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s late night directive on Friday ordering counties to throw out many of the provisional ballots cast in the primary election.

State Representatives Paula Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo), Michele Lepore-Hagan (D-Youngstown), and Bride Rose Sweeney (D-Cleveland) sent a letter to Secretary of State Frank LaRose today demanding that provisional ballots cast on Tuesday, April 28 be counted. Mail delays and confusion around the primary changes left some Ohio voters without a vote-by-mail ballot and no choice but to vote a provisional ballot in person on Tuesday. The three members make up the House Democratic Caucus’ COVID-19 Elections Working Group.

COLUMBUS—State Reps. Paula Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo) and Erica C. Crawley (D-Columbus) today issued a statement on their recently introduced legislation to provide Medicaid reimbursement for doula services. The legislation allows the Medicaid program to cover services provided by a doula with a valid provider agreement who submits specific documentation to the Medicaid director meeting requirements including, but not limited to, proof that the doula has a current, valid certificate issued by a doula certification organization.

COLUMBUS— State Rep. Paula Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo) sent a letter to Secretary of State Frank LaRose today seeking assurances that voters will be permitted to vote if they show up on Tuesday, April 28 and that their ballots will be counted. Mail delays are reportedly leaving a lot of Ohio voters without a vote-by-mail ballot. The deadline to request a ballot is tomorrow, Saturday, April 25, at noon.

COLUMBUS— State Rep. Paula Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo) issued a statement on today’s Ballot Board meeting. Last week, the Ohio Supreme Court held that the Ballot Board violated the law when it split a voting rights ballot issue into four separate parts. The Board subsequently met today to certify it as a single issue.

COLUMBUS— State Representatives Paula Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo), Michele Lepore-Hagan (D-Youngstown), and Bride Rose Sweeney (D-Cleveland) responded to a letter from over 60 advocacy groups containing election policy recommendations for best practices, particularly in emergency situations like the country is now facing. The three representatives make up the House Democratic Caucus’ Elections Working Group which has been monitoring election challenges and crafting policy proposals to ensure elections remain safe and accessible. The coalition’s letter focused on expanding mail voting and providing adequate in-person voting opportunities, two top priorities of the House Democratic Caucus and its Elections Working Group. 

State Rep. Paula Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo) issued a statement on yesterday’s Ohio Supreme Court decision in which the court determined that the Ballot Board violated the law when it split a voting rights ballot issue into four separate parts.