Democratic News

State Rep. John Rogers* (D-Mentor-on-the-Lake) today announced that the newly created Marsh Restoration Fund will receive $250,000 in state funds for the engineering, design and planning services for remediation of the Mentor Marsh, Ohio’s first natural landmark and one of the largest natural marshes along Lake Erie’s shoreline.  Yesterday, the state’s Controlling Board released these funds, previously approved in in the FY 2019-2020 biennial Capital Budget.  

“The Mentor Marsh is an important natural and historic landmark in Lake County and these dollars are the start of what will be a tremendous investment by Ohio in this project,” said Rep. Rogers. “This is just the beginning of the efforts toward restoring this area of the Marsh and ensuring this beautiful community asset lives on for future generations.”

State Rep. Emilia Sykes (D-Akron) and State Rep. and President of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus (OLBC) Alicia Reece (D-Cincinnati) responded today to Secretary of State Jon Husted’s announcement that his office is looking into the nearly 900 absentee ballots in Summit County that went uncounted this past election due to lack of postmarks. The Democratic lawmakers had previously called on the secretary of state to launch an investigation into the troubling postmark discrepancies that voided hundreds of votes. 

State Reps. Kevin Boyce (D-Columbus) and Cheryl Grossman (R-Grove City) recently introduced new legislation to create consistent standards which must be included in a law enforcement agency’s body camera policy. 

House Democratic Leader Emilia Strong Sykes (D-Akron) today issued a statement following the finalization of committee assignments for the 133^rd General Assembly:

“I’m proud of the tremendous leadership and experience our caucus brings to the table on the issues that matter most to Ohioans. I’m confident we were able to put the right people in the right places to begin addressing the challenges facing our state. Taxpayers deserve a cooperative approach to commonsense policies that let all of our children, families and residents experience the full opportunity and promise of Ohio.”

House Democratic Leader Fred Strahorn (D-Dayton) today spoke out against anti-worker restrictions the Republican-controlled Ohio legislature continues to push this year. The latest attack on working families, Republican Tom Brinkman’s right to work” legislation – House Bill 377, would effectively weaken collective bargaining rights in the state by outlawing what are known as fair share fees, or costs stemming from the collective bargaining process that typically brings higher wages and better benefits for all employees, union and non-union alike. A Republican-led panel will consider Brinkman’s bill later this afternoon.

“So-called right to work restrictions do not create jobs – instead, they start a race to the bottom, lowering the quality of life for families by making people and communities poorer and workers less safe,” said Leader Strahorn. “Workers in right to work for less states take home less pay, face higher poverty and infant mortality rates, and are more likely to die on the job. There is a reason workers in Ohio are not lining up in support of right to work: because they know right to work is wrong. It is wrong for working families and it is wrong for our state.”

National studies show that workers in states with right to work for less restrictions have a 36 percent higher chance of dying on the job and are stuck in more low-wage occupations than workers in free-bargaining states like Ohio. The Economic Policy Institute calculates that workers in states with right to work restrictions earn $1,540 less a year, while U.S. Census Bureau data shows that median family income is at least $6,000 less compared to other states.

A study by The National Education Association also reveals that these same right to work for less states invest some $3,000 less per-pupil for public education than their free-bargaining counterparts. Children and families in right to work for less states are a

State Rep. and President of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus (OLBC) Alicia Reece (D-Cincinnati) joined Rep. Emilia Sykes (D-Akron) today in calling for a statewide investigation following troubling reports that hundreds of Akron voters had their absentee ballots voided because they lacked a postmark. 

State Rep. and President of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus Alicia Reece (D-Cincinnati) and State Rep. Jonathan Dever (R-Cincinnati) recently held a news conference to discuss House Bill 380, newly introduced legislation to create a more transparent investigative process with deaths that result from a law enforcement officer’s use of a firearm.

Ohio House Democratic lawmakers today wrote a letter* to the Wright State University Board of Trustees urging them to come back to the negotiating table and work with teachers to put an end to the almost three-week faculty strike.

“As lawmakers, we want to attract talented workers to our state and provide them with the opportunities they need to build a life for their families here. Access to health care, fair compensation, safe working conditions and ensuring hardworking people have a seat at the bargaining table not only strengthens our workforce, but our entire state’s economy,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter.

State Reps. Michael P. Sheehy (D-Oregon) and Michele Lepore-Hagan (D-Youngstown) provided sponsor testimony this week before the House Commerce and Labor Committee for House Bill 371 (HB 371), legislation to require freight train operating crews to consist of at least two people. 

State Reps. Denise Driehaus (D-Cincinnati) and Debbie Phillips (D-Albany) were joined by Dr. Jim Boyles, a licensed psychologist, and Jody Davis, a conversion therapy survivor, to observe Transgender Day of Remembrance and call for movement on a bill that would ban the practice of conversion therapy on minors.

State Reps. Michael Stinziano (D-Columbus) and Greta Johnson (D-Akron) offered sponsor testimony this morning on House Bill 262, legislation to allow  a municipal corporation to request assistance from the Ohio Civil Rights Commission (OCRC) in enforcing local discrimination ordinances.

In a speech to the Ohio House of Representatives Wednesday, newly elected Minority Leader Emilia Strong Sykes (D-Akron) inspired her colleagues to look past themselves, politics and the walls of the Statehouse to work together for the people of Ohio. Sykes commended the Republican majority for meeting Democratic calls for bipartisan cooperation and reaffirmed her caucus’ commitment to working people and families in Ohio.