Democratic News

COLUMBUS – The Ohio Democratic Women’s Legislative Caucus yesterday during their first meeting of the 134th General Assembly elected their leadership team for this session:

Ohio House Minority Leader Emilia Strong Sykes (D-Akron) issued a statement as the U.S. House of Representatives voted to impeach President Trump. 

State Reps. David Leland (D-Columbus) and Jeffrey Crossman (D-Parma) introduced a bill Monday to postpone evictions and foreclosures in Ohio amid the ongoing pandemic. The bill adds additional protections and plugs many of the well-documented gaps in the existing Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) moratorium, which expires on January 31, 2021. The bill also extends the moratorium for the duration of the COVID-19 state of emergency at the state level since the extension of the CDC's moratorium beyond January is dependent on additional federal action. 

State Rep. Brigid Kelly (D-Cincinnati) today announced that House Bill (HB) 308, legislation to allow first responders diagnosed with work-related PTSD in the absence of any physical injury to qualify for BWC compensation and benefits, was signed into law Jan. 9 by the governor. This is something Democrats have prioritized in recent General Assemblies. 

State Rep. Brigid Kelly (D-Cincinnati) today announced that House Bill (HB) 67, her bill to create the Veterinarian Student Debt Assistance Program, was signed into law Saturday by the governor. 

State Rep. Thomas West (D-Canton) today recognized the recent release of the State of Ohio’s first annual survey on workforce diversity within each state agency by the Ohio Department of Administrative Services (DAS). DAS is required to release the survey annually under current law because of an amendment West secured to House Bill (HB) 166, which established the 2020-2021 state budget. The survey results indicate the State needs to take close look at gender and racial pay inequity, the racial breakdown of applicants advancing in the next step of hiring process, and inequities in gender participation. West renewed longstanding calls from House Democrats for the State to take meaningful action to address inequities in pay, gender, and race in the workforce. 

State Rep. Michael O’Brien (D-Warren) today announced that Gov. DeWine signed House Bill (HB) 264, a bipartisan bill that provides for the refinancing of loans for certain public water and wastewater infrastructure projects, into law on Jan. 9. The bill passed both the House and the Senate unanimously in the 133rd General Assembly.

State Rep. Paula Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo) today announced that House Bill (HB) 1, her criminal justice reform legislation to modify the requirements for intervention in lieu of conviction and for sealing criminal records, was signed into law yesterday night. 

State Representative Kent Smith (D-Euclid) today sent a letter to Gov. Mike DeWine asking his office to remove Susan Block from the board of the Ohio Arts Council. This move follows a controversial post made by Block on social media claiming the presidential election was stolen from President Trump and calling the Vice President-Elect a derogatory term.

“As a public official and citizen of the United States and Ohio, I am absolutely outraged by this week’s attempted coup at our nation’s capital. Watching the attack unfold live on our TV during what should have been a traditional exercise and ceremony in counting the votes of all the states must be called what it is: domestic terrorism.