Democratic News

Following months of negotiation, the Ohio House today passed Senate Joint Resolution 5, bipartisan legislation that puts a constitutional amendment before voters in May to restrict congressional gerrymandering in the state. 

“After months of negotiation, thousands of Ohioans speaking out, and several false starts, we’re closer to stopping congressional gerrymandering today than we have ever been before. Though imperfect, this latest plan represents one of the most fundamental tenets of our American democracy – compromise,” said House Democratic Leader Fred Strahorn (D-Dayton). “We support this plan today, with the hope and expectation that it will help impart that same spirit and guiding principle of cooperation on Washington in the near future.”

Democratic House expressed concerns over several parts of the proposed plan that they see as loopholes that, in extreme cases, could still allow partisan congressional district rigging. Ultimately, most Democrats still supported the final language in the resolution.

Each February, Black History Month raises awareness about the significant portion of the American story that African Americans have authored. From science and business to literature, the arts and public service, Black History Month highlights the struggles and triumphs of our nation.

State Reps. Janine Boyd (D-Cleveland Heights) and Kristin Boggs (D-Columbus) today announced legislation to establish the Ohio Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program, which would provide economic stability to working families in times of a medical emergency, when caring for a sick loved one, or welcoming a newborn into the family. While federal law provides some workers the ability to take leave, it does not provide those workers with any guarantees that they will have compensation while on leave.

State Reps. Teresa Fedor (D-Toledo) and Bernadine Kennedy Kent (D-Columbus) today provided sponsor testimony for House Bill (HB) 440, known as the Ohio Health Security Act, to establish a single-payer health care plan in Ohio. Medical, dental, mental health and vision services will be covered under the bill and payments to health care providers for all eligible services will be made from a single fund called the Ohio Health Care Fund.

“It is time to focus on patients, not profits,” Fedor said. “Health is a human right. The Ohio Health Security Act provides security, freedom, choice, stability, and certainty. No more guessing games, no more living one slip and fall away from bankruptcy.”

House Democratic lawmakers today announced their Ohio Clean Energy Jobs Plan to protect and grow good jobs across the state, improve the health of Ohioans and avoid rate hikes on consumer utility bills.

“For generations, Ohio led the nation in manufacturing, building the strongest middle class the world had ever seen,” said Democratic Leader Emilia Strong Sykes (D-Akron). “The Ohio Clean Energy Jobs plan restores that promise of better jobs and brighter futures, and gives the next generation of Ohio workers the opportunity to lead again—in advanced, clean energy jobs that will power our state into the future.”

The Clean Energy Jobs plan strengthens Ohio’s renewable and energy efficiency benchmarks and re-envisions the state’s Advanced Energy Standards (AES) to save consumers money and grow emerging sectors of Ohio’s clean energy economy. According to the latest report, Ohioans could realize some $3.5 billion in additional economic value under updated efficiency standards.

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.

House Democrats today expressed optimism that the latest state budget draft is moving in the right direction, after updates included key Democratic tax priorities that they say make the bill a “more realistic blueprint” for the state’s fiscal future.

State Reps. Adam C. Miller (D-Columbus) and Terrence Upchurch (D-Cleveland) this week announced House Bill (HB) 229, legislation that would prohibit landlords from discriminating against tenants who utilize the federal government’s Housing Choice Voucher program.

House Democrats today announced the House passage of House Bill (HB) 154, a bipartisan effort to end state takeovers of local schools and restore control to local education officials. The bill comes amid questions of accountability, transparency and lackluster results from district takeovers in Youngstown, Lorain and East Cleveland.

Amid widespread criticism of House Bill 6, legislation that ends renewable energy standards and increases consumer and business taxes by some $300 million per year, House Democrats this week will hold their own caucus-wide review of the fast-tracked proposal.

State Reps. Kristin Boggs (D-Columbus) and Rick Carfagna (R-Genoa Township)  today announced the introduction of the Reagan Tokes Act, which will implement new standards to improve the monitoring of violent offenders.  This bill follows the passage of House Bill 365, also known as the Reagan Tokes Act, last year which created indefinite prison sentencing standards for violent offenders. The bill is named for Reagan Tokes, a student at The Ohio State University who was brutally kidnapped, raped and killed after leaving work at a Columbus restaurant in 2017. 

State Rep. Bride Rose Sweeney (D-Cleveland) today issued a statement following a press conference announcing the creation of a bipartisan working group to study the potential for automated voter registration in Ohio. 

State Reps. Joe Miller (D-Amherst) and Bill Roemer (R-Richfield) today announced the introduction of House Bill (HB) 208, bipartisan legislation to secure protections for sports officials. The bill would bring the penalty for assaulting a referee on the job or in retaliation for a prior incident in line with current legislation protecting teachers, school administrators and bus drivers.

“As a referee for 20 years and as a coach, participant and parent, I understand the power of athletic competition to bring people together and teach important life skills,” said Rep. Miller. “However, sometimes emotions run high and tempers flare during competition. It’s important that we support our officials and send a message that physical confrontations are never an acceptable recourse.”

State Reps. Kent Smith (D-Euclid) and Casey Weinstein (D-Hudson) today announced the introduction of House Bill 202, legislation to create an Electric Vehicle (EV) Infrastructure Study tasked with setting statewide EV infrastructure standards to encourage investment and economic growth. The lawmakers’ announcement follows the state’s approval of EV registration fee increases and a new report lauding Ohio’s potential as a national leader in clean jobs growth.

“If we don’t plan for our future now, we risk being left out of the economic growth and opportunity that comes with clean energy investment,” said Smith. “We need a blueprint that recognizes our potential as a clean jobs leader and builds on that foundation to keep us economically competitive nationally and globally.”

As Black Maternal Health Week 2019 comes to a close, House Democratic Leader Emilia Strong Sykes (D-Akron) and state Rep. Janine Boyd (D-Cleveland Heights) today announced the initial meeting of the Ohio Black Maternal Health Caucus, the state’s first-ever group of state lawmakers dedicated to improving black maternal health across the state. Members will meet in Columbus early next month to discuss the group’s mission and shared vision to strengthen Ohio women, children, families and communities.