Says HB 99 will make our schools and communities less safe
COLUMBUS—State Rep. Tavia Galonski (D-Akron) issued a statement today following the House Criminal Justice committee passage of House Bill (HB) 99, Republican legislation that would allow teachers and staff to be armed in schools. All Democratic committee members voted against the extreme proposal.
State Rep. Beth Liston (D-Dublin) issued a statement following Wednesday’s initial meeting of the Joint Committee on Congressional Redistricting. The committee is required to hold two public hearings on proposed congressional maps before the legislature can pass a map.
GOP proposals deemed suspicious for unduly favoring Republican candidates 13-2
COLUMBUS — House Democrats today released a draft map of congressional districts they say is a more realistic vision for Ohio compared to the widely criticized House and Senate Republican maps, both of which unduly favor Republican candidates 13-2.
Democratic members of the Government Oversight Committee today reacted to public testimony on the House Republican congressional map proposal released Wednesday. The GOP proposal doubles down on historic Republican gerrymandering, favoring GOP candidates 13-2 across Ohio.
Calls for regular council meetings to fix Ohio's broken unemployment system
COLUMBUS—State Rep. Lisa Sobecki (D-Toledo) today issued a statement urging the Unemployment Compensation Modernization and Improvement Council (UCMIC) to continue to convene regularly in order to fix Ohio’s broken unemployment system. Currently, the UCMIC is not scheduled to meet again until Feb. 24, 2022, with additional meetings on May 19, 2022 and Sept. 15, 2022.
Ohio Legislative Black Caucus (OLBC) President Rep. Thomas West (D-Canton), State Rep. Tavia Galonski (D-Akron) and State Sen. Tina Maharath (D-Columbus) today issued the following statements after the Nov. 3 meetings of the Ohio House Government Oversight and Senate Local Government and Elections Committees, at which State Rep. Scott Oelslager (R-North Canton) and State Sen. Rob McColley (R-Napoleon) presented sponsor testimony on two separate congressional map proposals:
Say districts are more gerrymandered than previous map
State Rep. Richard D. Brown (D-Canal Winchester), Ranking Member on the House Government Oversight Committee, today issued a statement as Democratic committee members objected to a proposed 13-2 congressional map in favor of Republicans.
Say Republicans must do more than talk to improve community-police relations and keep us all safe
COLUMBUS—In response to a recent Republican press conference on community engagement with law enforcement, Ohio Legislative Black Caucus (OLBC) President Rep. Thomas West (D-Canton) and Rep. Dontavius Jarrells (D-Columbus) today urged action on comprehensive Democratic legislation to modernize policing in Ohio, improve community-police relations and ensure the safety and security of both officers and the public. Democrats unveiled their proposals in April 2021, which are a key pillar of their Opportunity Agenda for Ohio. Democrats say many of the reforms they introduced are already working to improve policing and public safety in communities and states across the country.
GOP anti-abortion legislation more extreme than Texas law
House Minority Leader Emilia Strong Sykes (D-Akron) issued a statement on House Bill 480, Republican legislation aimed at criminalizing abortion in Ohio. The bill is modeled after controversial legislation in Texas that threatens doctors, women and anyone who “aids or abets” an abortion.
State Reps. Lisa Sobecki (D-Toledo), Paula Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo), and Mike Sheehy (D-Oregon) yesterday sent a letter to Stericycle President and CEO Cindy J. Miller encouraging Stericycle to keep negotiating with employees of the Stericycle Toledo Facility who have been on strike since early October.
