Tavia Galonski News

State Rep. Tavia Galonski (D-Akron) today issued a statement on the state legislature’s duty to work together to address senseless gun violence and keep all Ohioans safe and secure in the wake of a mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio this past weekend:

“I am saddened by the horrific event and the loss of life,” said Galonski. “Ohio can fulfill its promise to families by considering a repeal of some of our gun bills that don’t make Ohioans feel more safe.”

State Rep. Tavia Galonski (D-Akron) today announced the back-to-school Ohio sales tax holiday will take place starting today, 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.

“Last year, I was proud to support making the sales tax holiday a recurring event.  Having the right tools to educate yourself is just as important as the education itself. The sales tax holiday alleviates some of the financial burden that comes with starting another school year,” said Galonski.

State Rep. Tavia Galonski (D-Akron) today issued a statement in favor of House Bill (HB) 6, a bill to subsidize Ohio’s nuclear power plants and a number of other high-production energy plants that service the Buckeye State. Proponents of the bill say it will protect thousands of good paying union jobs and save consumers money on their monthly utility bills.

“I believe that the value of keeping nuclear energy jobs outweighed anything negative in the bill. Nuclear energy is cleaner than the alternatives offered by the oil and gas industry, which seemed to have spent a vast amount of resources lobbying on this issue. I’m also thankful for Ohio families that this bill saved 4,000 jobs without a net rate increase on Ohio consumers,” Galonski said.

Ohio House Democratic Leader Emilia Strong Sykes (D-Akron) and other Democratic lawmakers today issued a statement following Amazon’s announcement of more than 1500 jobs coming to Akron.  

Ohio State Rep. Tavia Galonski (D-Akron) today issued a statement in support of 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.

“The Ohio Promise is that all Ohioans will prosper if they work hard. I voted for the budget because I believe in many of the opportunities the bill creates for Ohio families. I sincerely wish that the bill would have gone further to protect public school education and maintain oversight over charter schools. I will continue to work hard to address these deficits,” Galonski said.

State Rep. Tavia Galonski (D-Akron) today met with Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, a number of regional mayors, and directors from various state agencies to discuss solutions and aid regarding the recent flooding that has impacted Barberton, Ohio and surrounding areas.  

State Reps. Tavia Galonski (D-Akron) and Susan Manchester (R-Lakeview) today announced the unanimous passage of House Bill (HB) 8, their bipartisan bill to simplify Ohio’s foster caregiver training laws. With the number of displaced children increasing—in part because of opioid related deaths and offenses—Ohio’s foster care system is struggling with the volume and cost of placing children in foster care.

Ohio House Democratic lawmakers today applauded the passage of House Bill (HB) 80, the two-year state Bureau of Workers Compensation (BWC) budget, which contained a number of Democratic priorities, including benefits for first responders with PTSD and reforms to the state’s employee misclassification laws.

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. Lisa Sobecki (D-Toledo) and state Rep. Tavia Galonski (D-Akron) today criticized a new Republican bill that fails to outlaw all instances of rape and assault in Ohio, regardless of when they occurred.

Instead, new legislation from Statehouse Republicans, House Bill 249, narrowly ends the statute of limitations for civil claims relating to sexual misconduct by physicians of land grant universities between the years of 1978-2000, a carve-out specially tailored to the more than 150 men who claim they were sexually assaulted by Dr. Richard Strauss while attending The Ohio State University 19 or more years ago.

“Rape and sexual assault destroy lives and take a part of victims’ freedom and individual liberty that they can never get back,” said Sobecki and Galonski in a joint statement. “We’re proud to continue leading the fight to ensure all victims of rape and sexual assault receive justice. We’re disappointed, but not surprised, that this bill misses that mark so terribly by failing to protect the many other Ohioans around our state who are equally deserving of justice.”