Tavia Galonski News

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.”

House Democratic lawmakers today voted in favor of the state budget, House Bill 166, which includes a number of key Democratic priorities, including a significant tax cut for working people and families.

State Rep. and Ohio House Democratic Women’s Caucus (OHDWC) Chair Tavia Galonski (D-Akron) today joined the Ohio House Democratic Women’s Caucus (OHDWC) in hosting the eight annual Women’s Lobby Day, a legislative advocacy day at the Statehouse pushing for women’s social and economic equality featuring a panel of women lawmakers.

State Rep. Tavia Galonski (D-Akron) today introduced the Overdose Immunity Law, a bill to expand Ohio’s 2016 Good Samaritan law to provide immunity from prosecution for certain drug offenses when a person obtains medical assistance for a drug overdose. 

House Democrats today voted against Senate Bill (SB) 23, a GOP-backed near-total abortion ban that would prohibit abortions in Ohio long before most women know they are pregnant. SB 23 would become the most extreme abortion ban in the country if signed into law.

State Rep. Tavia Galonski (D-Akron) today announced the Ohio State Historic Preservation Advisory Board’s nomination of the Kenmore Boulevard Historic District to the National Register of Historic Places. Once approved by the National Park Service, Kenmore Boulevard will be designated as a National Historic District.

House Democratic lawmakers today voted in favor of House Bill (HB) 62, the state’s bipartisan, two-year budget that largely funds road and bridge improvements and public transportation throughout the state. 

Today, state Senator Teresa Fedor (D-Toledo) and state Representative Tavia Galonski (D-Akron) hosted the 10th annual Human Trafficking Awareness Day at the Ohio Statehouse. This year, the event focused on how the opioid crisis has impacted and increased the risk of human trafficking.

“I am so incredibly honored to be part of Human Trafficking Awareness Day again this year. Celebrating 10 years of sharing information, honoring survivors, and connecting people with advocacy groups is an amazing accomplishment,” said Representative Galonski. “Still, there is so much work to be done. Senator Fedor and I will continue advocating for these survivors as we aim to eliminate this modern day slavery known as human trafficking. We cannot standby as women and children are being sold and exploited.”