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:

State Rep. Emilia Strong Sykes (D-Akron) today announced the Ohio Senate’s unanimous passage of House Bill 94, marking its last legislative stop before Gov. John Kasich’s anticipated signature into law. Jointly sponsored by Rep. Rick Perales (R-Beavercreek), the bipartisan legislation establishes February as Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month in Ohio in an effort to raise awareness around teen dating violence in hopes of preventing abuse and helping victims find safety.

“By designating February Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month, we are giving light to something that is tragically effecting our youth at high rates,” said Sykes. “Increasing public awareness and raising the profile of this problem in schools, communities and throughout our state will help more people get the help they need to stop the cycle of violence.”

The Office of Criminal Justice Services Family Violence Prevention Center defines dating abuse as a pattern of controlling behavior that someone uses against his or her girlfriend or boyfriend. Abuse can cause injury or even death, but does not have to be physical. One in five children between the ages of 11-14 say their friends are victims of dating violence. Teens who are victims of dating violence are more likely to be depressed and do poorly in school. 

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 Rep. Tavia Galonski (D-Akron) released a statement today responding to the Barberton shooting that took place Tuesday, Oct. 3 near Barber Road:

“In the wake of the unthinkable horror in Las Vegas, it is absolutely devastating to be faced with an active shooter here at home, in our community. I am immensely grateful to the Barberton, Norton, and Copley first responders who ran toward danger to keep us safe. Because of their swift and brave response, the suspect was taken into custody and another potential tragedy has been avoided.”

Galonski represents Ohio’s 35^th district, which is comprised of parts of Akron and Barberton.  

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. 

Today marks the 50^th anniversary of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty initiative. The day serves as a stark reminder that there’s still plenty of fighting to do, especially in Ohio.

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. 

The state jobs report for Nov. was released today, showing Ohio well-above the national unemployment rate with 427,000 Ohioans still looking for work. The U.S. economy is growing at the fastest pace since late 2011, but Ohio lost 12,000 jobs last month and the state’s unemployment rate continues to trend much higher than last year. State Rep. John Patrick Carney (D-Columbus) released the following statement in response to the news:

The state jobs report  for Nov. was released today, showing Ohio well-above the national unemployment rate with 427,000 Ohioans still looking for work. The U.S. economy is growing at the fastest pace since late 2011, but Ohio lost 12,000 jobs last month and the state’s unemployment rate continues to trend much higher than last year. State Rep. Debbie Phillips (D-Albany) released the following statement in response to the news:

“As the U.S. economy expands at the fastest pace since 2011, the number of unemployed Ohioans remains at an abysmal 427,000. Gov. Kasich’s top-down economic policies are in full-effect, and it’s no coincidence that Ohio was number 1 in the  nation for job loss in November. Ohio is moving in the wrong direction. Instead of catering to special interests, we should be prioritizing our middle class families, investing in our schools and communities and restoring accountability to the failing so-called economic development agency JobsOhio.”