Richard D. Brown News
As Ohio’s opioid addiction crisis deepens and shows little sign of letting up, state Rep. Richard Brown (D-Canal Winchester) and local officials from Central Ohio and Dayton today announced new legislation to create a unified cabinet-level Office of Drug Policy to serve as a coordinated, comprehensive entity for community officials, law enforcement officers, social workers and local communities to seek out best practices, available grants, state rules, new education programs, and more anti-drug abuse resources.
“We read it in the news. We see it in our neighborhoods. We hear about it at work and at home. And, sadly too many Ohio families are forced to face the grim reality every day that Ohio is the face of the nation’s opioid epidemic,” said Rep. Richard Brown (D-Canal Winchester). “It is clear more can be done to take on this crisis in a strategic and unified way. That’s why I’m proud to introduce this legislation today and look forward to working with members of both political parties who want to ensure addiction no longer holds our state back from living up to our full promise and potential.”
A historic number of Ohioans – 5,232 a year or 14 every day—are dying of unintentional overdose, a 39% spike in the last year. Ohio’s rates are three times the national average. According to a congressional study, Ohio’s current efforts won’t be enough to slow the historic number of deaths from opioids.
“We need more than a piecemeal, ad-hoc approach. What works in Dayton may or may not work in Columbus or Canal Winchester, but we frankly just don’t know without a strategic partnership from the state,” said Nan Whaley, Mayor of Dayton. “A coordi
Read Full StoryState Rep. Richard Brown (D-Canal Winchester) today condemned the United States Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision in its ruling on the AFSCME v. Janus case.
Read Full StoryState Rep. Richard Brown (D-Canal Winchester) today applauded the Ohio House’s passage of House Bill 535, legislation to increase reports of opioid overdoses and the effectiveness of naloxone treatments to the Ohio Department of Health and Ohio Department of Public Safety.
Brown was an original co-sponsor of the legislation, the Opioid Data and Communication Expansion Act, before it unanimously passed the House floor Thursday.
“Better communication and information sharing about the Opioid Crisis will only help to paint a more complete picture of what’s going on in Ohio,” said Brown. “Compiling more information about what’s working and what isn’t across the state will only help us better respond to the ongoing crisis. I am proud to have been a co-sponsor on this important piece of legislation”
House Bill 535 now heads to the Ohio Senate for further consideration. Brown supports the Ohio Senate’s swift passage of the legislation.
Read Full StoryState Rep. Richard D. Brown (D-Canal Winchester) today questioned the majority caucus leadership for again cancelling session and allowing their internal strife to close the Ohio House for business.
“I am deeply concerned that internal Statehouse politics has been allowed to get in the way of the legislative process,” said Brown.
Read Full StoryState Rep. Richard D. Brown (D-Canal Winchester) today introduced bipartisan legislation with Rep. Gary Scherer (R-Circleville) to deter drivers from recklessly passing school buses while they load and unload students. Each year, 17,000 students are involved in school bus-related injuries and of those, 24 percent happen while students are getting on or off the bus. In Ohio, Reynoldsburg schools have seen an uptick of incidents involving reckless drivers and stopped school busses.
Read Full StoryState Rep. Richard D. Brown (D-Canal Winchester) today introduced bipartisan legislation with state Rep. Scott Lipps (R-Franklin) to create the “ZERO-The End to Prostate Cancer” license plate. ZERO, a non-profit established in 1996, works to raise awareness about the disease and has screened over 130,000 men for the prostate cancer.
Read Full StoryAccompanied by family at the Ohio Statehouse today, Richard Brown, a lawyer from Canal Winchester, Ohio, was today sworn in as state representative of the 20th House District, which encompasses the southeastern portion of Franklin County. The House Democratic Caucus voted on seating Brown today during session after a House panel recommended Brown to replace former State Rep. Heather Bishoff (D-Blacklick).
“We are excited to welcome Richard Brown into the Ohio House Democratic Caucus,” said Democratic Leader Fred Strahorn (D-Dayton). “With his extensive legal background and long record of community service, we look forward to working with Rep. Brown as we continue to fight for improved schools, higher wages and stronger communities.”
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