Democratic News

State Reps. Jack Cera (D-Bellaire) and Bride Rose Sweeney (D-Cleveland) announced today the introduction of House Bill (HB) 508, legislation to allow victims of domestic violence to access unemployment benefits when that individual leaves work as the result of past or ongoing abuse.

State Rep. Michele Lepore-Hagan (D-Youngstown) today urged the House Government Accountability and Oversight Committee to consider House Bill 73, which establishes the State Facilities Closure Review Commission to review proposed closures of state developmental centers, including those in Youngstown and Montgomery County already set for closure.

The governor vetoed Lepore-Hagan’s bipartisan provision in the recently passed state budget that would have stayed the closures upon the review of a 13-member commission.

In a letter addressed to the chair of the House Government Accountability and Oversight Committee, Rep. Lepore-Hagan wrote, “At minimum, there should be a robust and transparent review of all facts before the state decides to take action. House Bill 73 would ensure that such a review takes place, and it would provide the opportunity for residents, families, employees and the surrounding communities to have their voices heard.”

Text of the letter can be seen below:

House Democratic Leader Emilia Strong Sykes (D-Akron) today joined House Dem lawmakers to discuss their legislative framework to give Ohioans greater access to the tools they need to live the American Dream, including plans to strengthen public education, grow wages and expand opportunity for working people and families across Ohio. 

State Rep. Michele Lepore-Hagan (D-Youngstown) announced her support today for bipartisan legislation aimed at repealing and replacing House Bill (HB) 70, known as the “Youngstown Plan.” Lepore-Hagan added her support as a cosponsor to Rep. Joe Miller (D-Amherst) and Rep. Don Jones’ (R-Nottingham Township) legislation that would terminate Academic Distress Commissions, restore local control over public schools and move to a building-based, bottom-up reform model.

“This legislation offers a much-needed opportunity to end the failing system of Academic Distress Commissions and restore our district’s control to a democratically elected school board,” said Lepore-Hagan. “We also need an evidence-based turnaround model that allows children and teachers to truly have the opportunity they need to succeed.  My colleagues on both sides of the aisle have recognized the ineffectiveness of HB 70 in Youngstown, Lorain and East Cleveland and the need to refocus on public education in the wake of charter school scandals. The Youngstown City School District has suffered under our former governor’s disastrous plan for too long, and I look forward to finally passing a real solution.”

State Rep. Kathleen Clyde (D-Kent) released the following statement in response to the passage of House Bill 238, which will allow the state to sell the North Central Correctional Institution and Turtle Creek Center.

“I oppose the sale of the North Central Correctional Institution and the Turtle Creek Center because privatizing state prisons is the wrong direction for Ohio.

“The state recently sold the Lake Erie Correctional Institution, and the results have been disastrous. Since this sale 18 months ago, there have been 248 security complaints, compared to 157 such complaints in the eleven years prior.  Also, after the sale, the facility immediately added 300 more beds, and has suffered serious overcrowding problems and hazardous conditions for inmates and workers.   

“Private prison management companies have bad track records in Ohio. For example, Corrections Corporation of America was fined $500,000 by the state because of a 300 percent increase in prisoner-on-staff assaults and a 187.5 percent increase in prisoner-on-prisoner assaults. The financial records for these private companies are not transparent, and we still aren’t sure if money is being saved or how these many problems are being addressed.

“These last-minute additions to House Bill 238 have not been vetted.  The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections did not provide testimony to the legislative committees hearing this proposal.  A lot of questions and concerns remain, and the governor should veto this rush authorization of sale.”

House Democrats today supported the final passage of House Bill (HB) 62, the state’s bipartisan two-year transportation budget. The bill makes historic investments in public transit and local communities for road and bridge repairs.

“Democrats were able to come together to make historic investments to improve public transit and allow local communities to rebuild crumbling roads and bridges,” said House Minority Leader Emilia Strong Sykes (D-Akron). “I am encouraged that moving forward we can continue to work together to put people and communities first to restore the promise of our state.”

State Rep. Beth Liston (D-Dublin) today announced the unanimous House passage of House Bill (HB) 61, her bipartisan bill alongside joint sponsor Laura Lanese (R-Grove City) to make sensitive personal information of certain mental health workers and their families exempt from disclosure under Ohio’s public records law.

State Reps. H. Gilson Blair (D-Weathersfield) and Brigid Kelly (D-Cincinnati) celebrated the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of the PRO Act, H.R. 2474 today, which would protect workers’ right to organize. The bill would give millions of workers additional protections to organize and negotiate for better pay, better benefits and safer working conditions. 

House Democratic Leader Emilia Strong Sykes (D-Akron) today responded to the federal approval of an Ohio Republican-led Medicaid waiver that is likely to result in some 36,000 Ohioans losing access to healthcare.

“With these new restrictions, tens of thousands of Ohioans stand to lose their healthcare, some when they need it the most,” said Ohio House Democratic Leader Emilia Strong Sykes (D-Akron). “We all want better lives and brighter futures for ourselves and our families, but restricting access to healthcare makes it harder for our state to live up to its full promise.”

State Rep. Tavia Galonski (D-Akron) today announced the Ohio House will tonight pass Senate changes to House Bill 491, which extend alternative pathways to graduation for 2019 and 2020 Ohio high school seniors.

“Though I share the frustration of students and families who have been looking for a graduation solution from the Statehouse for almost a year, I am happy we will ultimately extend alternative graduation pathways through 2020,” said Galonski. “We have a lot of work left to do to ensure stability and consistency in Ohio’s ever-changing graduation requirements, so students can plan for their future and have an equal opportunity to succeed.”

The Akron lawmaker, who serves on the House Education Committee, introduced her own legislation, House Bill 630, to extend alternative pathways. The bill gained the attention of concerned students and parents, but was only given one hearing by majority Republicans. Galonski’s bill would have given career and college-ready Ohio high school seniors the opportunity to graduate in 2019 and 2020, similar to the language ultimately included in HB 491.

“I am committed to working toward fair requirements that recognize individual student success and performance instead of putting too much weight on standardized testing alone to determine graduation,” added Galonski. “We can’t afford to hold career and college-ready students back just because education standards in Columbus are broken.”

According to the Ohio Department of Education, some 50,000 students were at risk of not graduating in 2019 due to an overreliance on standardized testing – an approach that has been roundly criticized by lawmakers of both political parties.

State Rep. Erica C. Crawley (D-Columbus) today announced the unanimous passage of House Bill (HB) 18, the Ohio Veterans’ Exemption Payment Act, her bipartisan bill alongside Rep. A. Nino Vitale (R-Urbana) to exemptveterans’ disability severance payments from the state income tax.

A group of Columbus-area House Democratic lawmakers today sent a letter to Secretary of State Frank LaRose calling on him to break the tie vote at the Franklin County Board of Elections over whether to continue a longstanding public information campaign to provide accurate voting information to Franklin County residents. Republican Board of Elections members oppose providing this information to voters. The Secretary refused to break the tie despite state law requiring it. See the letter below.

Ohio House Democratic Leader Emilia Strong Sykes (D-Akron) and state Rep. Jack Cera (D-Bellaire), the House Democratic budget panel leader, today issued the following statements in response to Gov. Mike DeWine’s news conference outlining almost $1 billion in new spending in the upcoming biennial state budget:

“While we are encouraged by the governor’s commitment to supporting Democratic policies of investing in children and families, maintaining access to quality, affordable healthcare and cleaning up Lake Erie, the devil will be in the details.

House Democrats raised concerns today as Republican-sponsored House Bill (HB) 393 passed the House. The bill would allow one Ohio company to sell brine from certain oil and gas production to Ohio consumers for personal use. Democrats questioned the impact the sale and use of radioactive brine would have on health and the environment.

Working collaboratively with Ohio educators and finance officers for the past 15 months, Ohio Reps. Bob Cupp (R, Lima) and John Patterson (D, Jefferson) are co-sponsoring a comprehensive and transparent school funding proposal.

“As Ohio legislators, we are committed and determined to find an education funding system for our state’s pre-kindergarten through grade 12 students; one that is fair, rational and justifiable in contrast to our current system that is often unfair and nearly always incomprehensible,” the two lawmakers wrote of the plan.

House Democratic Leader Emilia Strong Sykes (D-Akron) today joined Democratic lawmakers to unveil the Ohio Promise, a blueprint to renew the Buckeye State’s promise of better jobs and brighter futures.

State Rep. Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) and fellow House Democrats today sent a letter* to the Ohio Department of Medicaid asking them to investigate the declining number of children insured by Medicaid.

State Reps. Allison Russo (D- Upper Arlington) and Mary Lightbody (D-Westerville) today announced the introduction of The Safe Drinking Water Act to guarantee safe drinking water in Ohio.  The bill provides for state-level standards for drinking water to limit known toxics and protect residents from harm. 

Ohio House Democratic Leader Emilia Strong Sykes (D-Akron) today issued the following statement in support of state Reps. John Patterson (D-Jefferson) and Bob Cupp’s (R-Lima) comprehensive school funding reform efforts, which were outlined today and will be detailed throughout the week in House committee:

“Today’s announcement is the result of over a year’s worth of bipartisan work to fix the broken, unconstitutional school formula that has held back too many Ohio children for over a generation.

“Through this ongoing bipartisan effort, I believe we have a real opportunity to ensure every child in every school across the state can live up to their individual, God-given promise and the promise of our state.

State Rep. Catherine D. Ingram (D-Cincinnati) today announced the passage of House Bill (HB) 705, which provides relief to school district treasures from strict personal financial liability.

“It is important to recognize and continue to be transparent on how our school districts function in the State of Ohio,” said Ingram. “HB 705 brings to light the issue of the treasure’s personal assets being linked to the expenditure of public funds on behalf of the school district.”

State Reps. Adam Miller (D-Columbus) and Kyle Koehler (R-Springfield) today announced bipartisan legislation that would strengthen penalties for soliciting prostitution and increase funding for Ohio’s Victims of Human Trafficking Fund. 

State Rep. Joe Miller (D-Amherst) today announced $34,000 in Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) grant funding to support marine patrol units for the Lorain Port Authority. 

“This assistance is essential to the Lorain Port Authority carrying out their mission of maintaining waterway safety,” said Rep. Miller. “It is heartening to see the state demonstrate their commitment to making sure our community has the tools necessary to keep our lakes safe and open for everyone.”

House Minority Leader Emilia Strong Sykes (D- Akron) and Rep. Phil Robinson (D-Solon), who serves as the Ranking Member on the House Primary and Secondary Education Committee, issued statements today following the House floor vote of sub-bill Senate Bill (SB) 89. 

Ohio House Democratic Leader Emilia Strong Sykes (D-Akron) today issued a statement following the passage of House Bill (HB) 6:

“This was not an easy vote for some of our Democratic members, including myself,” said Rep. Sykes. “Democrats will always stand with hard-working Ohioans over corporations. HB 6 was never a Democratic bill; it was never even a bipartisan, compromise bill. It was yet another example of the Majority Party playing games, forcing impossible choices between protecting the environment and keeping food on the table for 1,400 workers and their families. I hope that the companies who receive the taxpayer dollars from HB 6 will honor their promise to protect the jobs at both nuclear plants and support these workers’ continued employment.”   

State Rep. John Rogers (D-Mentor-on-the-Lake) today announced that the Lake County Sheriff's Office has received an Ohio Department Marine Patrol Assistances Grant provided by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Parks and Watercraft.

These funds are made available to law enforcement agencies through the State’s continuing effort to keep our waterways safe while enhancing recreational boating experiences.

State Reps. Kent Smith (D-Euclid) and Steve Hambley (R-Brunswick) today introduced legislation, House Bill 127, to stop the state from taking over additional local school districts and privatizing local school boards. The legislation follows the controversial state takeovers of Youngstown City Schools, Lorain City Schools, and, most recently, East Cleveland City Schools. Ohio Department of Education reviews of these districts post-takeover show the districts are still failing to meet key state education standards.

“House Bill 70, which created state takeovers, was poorly designed, rushed into law, and done with zero public input,” said Rep. Smith. “School districts that were headed in the right direction have had their voices silenced, their students harmed, and their communities upended by a ‘Columbus’knows-best’ approach that has made the situation worse, not better.”

State Rep. Brigid Kelly (D-Cincinnati) today applauded the House for including language that exempts feminine hygiene products from state sales tax under House Bill (HB) 545, a larger tax-related bill which passed the Ohio House this afternoon. The provision came out of HB 61, introduced by Kelly and former state Rep. Greta Johnson (D-Akron) in February 2017.

“Eliminating the tampon tax will put more money into the pockets of women, in-turn strengthening the families they support and nurture,” said Kelly. “I am thankful we were able to come together to even the playing field for women, girls and families on medically necessary products. No one should face extra economic challenges simply because of their gender.”

House Democratic Leader Emilia Strong Sykes (D-Akron) joined Speaker Larry Householder (R-Glenford) today to announce that the first of eight remaining House committee rooms has been wired to broadcast committee hearings through the Ohio Channel. 

“Taxpayers deserve more access to what’s going on at their Statehouse, the People’s House,” said Sykes. “Increasing transparency and making government more accessible lets taxpayers know we’re working for them—together—to restore Ohio’s promise as a place where you can live, work and have the opportunity to get ahead.”

State Reps. H. Gilson Blair (D-Weathersfield) and Brigid Kelly (D-Cincinnati) joined House Democratic lawmakers today to urge Ohio’s congressional delegation to support the PRO Act, H.R. 2474, which would protect workers’ right to organize. The vote is pending before the U.S. House.

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.  

The Ohio Controlling Board on Monday approved the release of 9.9 million dollars from the Healthy Lake Erie Fund to Lucas, Lorain, and Ashtabula Counties for projects related to the management of dredge material. The funding comes in support of state officials’ goal to end all open-lake dumping of dredge materials by 2020 to mitigate the devastating environmental impact of the practice.

“The prohibition of open lake dumping of dredged material weighs heavily upon our local communities,” said Rep. John Patterson (D-Jefferson). “These funds will allow us to replace the lower coal docks with a new Conneaut Creek Dredge Facility. The ability to process and strategically use dredged materials is a critical step toward the future; not only for the harbor, but for the health of our great lake and the culture we have built around it.”

State Rep. Joe Miller (D-Amherst) today announced he will soon introduce bipartisan legislation with Rep. Don Jones (R-Freeport) to repeal portions of House bill 70, the 2015 bill that brought on state takeovers of local schools in Lorain and throughout the state.

“Placing these districts under state control has been a disaster,” said Miller. “In each case, the Academic Distress Commission has been unable to work effectively alongside the district’s teachers, school leaders and community at large. After three years, we haven’t seen any evidence that state takeovers improve academic achievement. It’s time for us to restore local control and give struggling schools the support they need to succeed.”

State Reps. Joe Miller (D-Amherst) and Don Jones (R-Freeport) today introduced bipartisan legislation to end state takeovers of local schools. Three districts, including Rep. Miller’s own Lorain City Schools, are currently under state control, while ten districts across the state could potentially join them over the next two years.

Ohio House Democratic Leader Fred Strahorn (D-Dayton) today appointed state Rep. Adam Miller (D-Columbus) Caucus Chair for the Ohio House Democrats, a position charged with building and strengthening legislative relationships both in Columbus and throughout the state.

“Rep. Miller knows how to work hard and bring people together. That’s what he’s done throughout his time in the military and in public service,” said Strahorn. “He exemplifies the kind of leadership we need to chair our caucus over the next two years as we fight for the issues that matter most to working families—issues like healthcare access, good schools and better-paying jobs.”

State Reps. Juanita Brent (D-Cleveland) and Phil Robinson (D-Solon) today issued a joint statement applauding Gov. Mike DeWine’s veto of a provision within the state budget, House Bill 166, that would have limited the ability of certain school districts to raise operating funds through local property taxes. 

State Rep. David Leland (D-Columbus) released the following statement today in response to new, fast-tracked legislation, House Joint Resolution 19, that would limit citizens’ access to Democracy in Ohio by placing new, arbitrary restrictions on the constitutional ballot initiative process in Ohio: 

“Ohio Republican leadership want to rig our Ohio democracy against voters. The citizen initiative has been the only backstop to rigged, gerrymandered districts and the extreme political agenda at the Ohio Statehouse. In the last several years, the General Assembly has only acted on major issues like redistricting reform and medical marijuana when faced with the threat of a citizen-led ballot initiative.

“It’s strange, but the whole concept of popular democracy seems foreign to them. Leadership only holds their positions of power because gerrymandering subverts the will of the people. Now they want to severely restrict one of the only avenues left for the majority of people to be heard.”

State Rep. Mary Lightbody (D-Westerville) today released a statement following the House passage of House Bill 62, the two-year state transportation budget:

“Though there were significant Democratic improvements to the state transportation budget, I don’t believe supporting a tax increase today can make up for the Statehouse failures of the past. We owe it to our fellow citizens to work together to find permanent solutions to permanent problems that have held back communities like ours for too long. I will continue to push for long term solutions that bring home steady and sustainable funding for our community.”

Ohio House Democratic Leader Emilia Strong Sykes (D-Akron) today issued a statement following more than two-dozen budget bill vetoes by Gov. Mike DeWine.

“While he didn’t address all of our concerns, the governor did veto some problematic tax language Democrats opposed that would have made it harder for Ohio communities to deliver essential services and adequately fund their local school districts to give teachers and students the tools they need to succeed.

Ohio House Democratic Leader Emilia Strong Sykes (D-Akron) today issued a statement following the passage of the state budget, House Bill 166. The 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. Sykes also sent a letter* to Governor DeWine on behalf of House Democrats urging him to veto several provisions in the bill they believe are not in the best interest of everyday Ohioans.

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.

“I am proud of our Democratic wins that secure historic investments in public transportation and local community funding,” said Minority Leader Emilia Sykes (D-Akron). “Good government rarely means one party gets everything they want, but by working together we shaped a stronger blueprint to improve lives, grow our economy and help restore our state’s promise to taxpayers.”

State Rep. Bride Rose Sweeney (D-Cleveland) released the following statement today in response to new, fast-tracked legislation, House Joint Resolution 19, that would limit citizens’ access to Democracy in Ohio by placing new, arbitrary restrictions on the constitutional ballot initiative process in Ohio: 

“This dangerous new restriction on democracy would silence citizens’ voices and further tilt the balance of power to corporate, out of state special interests who have the power and money to change our constitution under this misguided plan."

“When politicians in Columbus fail to act or do their jobs, citizens should have the right to hold them accountable through reasonable access to the ballot. Instead, these new restrictions would take that power out of the hands of concerned citizens and sell it to the highest out-of-state bidders.”

House Minority Leader Emilia Strong Sykes (D-Akron) today announced the launch of the Ohio Promise Tour, a statewide legislative town hall series hosted by House Democratic members to discuss the state budget, bipartisan priorities and a number of recent Democratic-led wins for working people and families.

State Reps. Michele Lepore-Hagan (D-Youngstown), Kent Smith (D-Euclid), and Teresa Fedor (D-Toledo) today joined Community Leadership Coalition on Education (CLCE) members during their legislative advocacy day urging the passage of House Bill (HB) 626, legislation to halt state takeover of public schools. CLCE is a group of advocates from Youngstown, Lorain, East Cleveland, and other communities around Ohio whose local school districts are or may soon be subject to state takeover as implemented under HB 70.

“HB 70 neutered the duly-elected school board members and gave an autocratic, unaccountable, appointed CEO total control over every facet of the system,” said Lepore-Hagan. “The Youngstown Plan has been a failure and a disaster, but it seems Gov. Kasich and the anti-public school zealots who created this debacle don’t use objective criteria to evaluate what has happened.”

The Ohio House Budget committee’s lead Democrat, state Rep. Jack Cera (D-Bellaire), tonight voted in favor of House Bill (HB) 62 during the panel’s final hearing on the bill before its anticipated full-House floor vote tomorrow.

“The transportation budget we helped shape today is more of a blueprint for our future than anything we’ve seen yet,” said Cera. “Through our work, Ohioans will see a real return on investment in their local communities while our economy will be better positioned to grow and expand.”

State Rep. Randi Clites (D-Ravenna) and students at Kent State University today responded to a notification the university released Thursday informing students of a delay in issuing tuition bills due to the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the passage of the Ohio state budget.

“As legislators, it is our constitutional duty to pass a long-term budget by June 30. Interim budgets bring uncertainty and break the promise we made to taxpayers to do so. The delay in billing at Kent State shows the detrimental effects of missing the budget deadline has had on all Ohioans, including students who rely on financial aid and student loans,” said Rep. Clites. “In a state with one-party rule, we should not be putting Ohio students and families in such an uncertain position. I am committed to working together to get this done and I call on Statehouse Republicans to do the same.”

The Ohio House Democratic Caucus today announced its leadership team for the 133^rd General Assembly. In an all-caucus vote, Democrats re-elected state Rep. Fred Strahorn (D-Dayton) as Minority Leader.

“The dedication to improving the lives of everyday Ohioans our leadership team, members and staff have shown over the past two years is remarkable, and our state is better for it,” said Strahorn. “Over the next two years, it is critical that we continue working together to grow opportunity from the middle out so that every Ohioan has a fighting chance to get ahead.”

House Leader Emilia Strong Sykes (D-Akron) today called on state lawmakers to recover funds lost by Ohio libraries during the ongoing 17-day temporary budget extension. Ohio’s public library systems have lost thousands of dollars under the bill, and stand to lose more if Republican lawmakers cannot reach a long-term deal by July 17.

Ohio House Democratic lawmakers today responded to Gov. DeWine’s first State of the State Address. Democrats reaffirmed their commitment to working with the governor to deliver real results, but noted that the state has more to do to turn around years of below average quality-of-life standards that have kept too many people from getting ahead.

Mahoning Valley state Reps. Michele Lepore-Hagan (D-Youngstown), John Boccieri (D-Poland), Mike O’Brien (D-Warren) and Glenn Holmes (D-McDonald) today responded to General Motors’ (GM) announced 14,700 layoffs nationwide in the coming months, with plans to end production of the GM Cruze at their Lordstown, Ohio plant March 1, 2019:

“I am angered and dismayed by GM’s decision to abandon its commitment to Mahoning Valley workers after more than 50 years,” said state Rep. Michele Lepore-Hagan (D-Youngstown). “This closure will have far-reaching effects, both in the Valley and across Ohio, as thousands of working families deal with the real consequences of corporate giants who put profits before people. I remain committed to working with local, state and federal officials, as well the UAW and the local business community to ensure every worker affected by this closure has the resources and services they need.”

The Lordstown Complex, which has produced vehicles since 1966, is likely the latest victim in GM’s corporate restructuring which will end production at five plants and eliminate 15 percent of the company’s total workforce.

Leader Emilia Strong Sykes (D-Akron) today announced the selection of Amber Epling as Communications Director for the House Democratic Caucus.