Democratic News

House Democratic lawmakers today sent a letter* to Secretary of State Frank LaRose alerting him to new problems with the purge list and urging him to cancel the upcoming voter purge. Thousands of Ohio registered voters are being targeted for removal from the rolls at the beginning of September, many of whom are still eligible to vote. Last Thursday, community groups working to help find people on the purge list also raised problems with the process and the tools provided by the Secretary and asked for more time to help people stay registered.

State Reps. Sedrick Denson (D-Cincinnati), Catherine Ingram (D-Cincinnati), Brigid Kelly (D-Cincinnati) and Jessica E. Miranda (D-Forest Park) held a community town hall last Thursday as part of the Ohio Promise Town Hall Tour, a statewide legislative town hall series hosted by House Democratic members. The purpose of the tour is to hear from constituents in their districts about their most pressing concerns, answer questions, and discuss the state budget, bipartisan priorities and a number of recent Democratic-led, legislative wins for working people and families.

“I really appreciate People Working Cooperatively allowing us to use their beautiful space,” said Rep. Denson. “I enjoyed hearing the thoughts and concerns of those in attendance, and can’t wait to incorporate that into what I’m doing in Columbus at the Statehouse.”

State Reps. Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) and Bride Rose Sweeney (D-Cleveland) last week introduced new legislation, House Bill (HB) 316, that would allow family members, household members, or law enforcement officers to file for a court order temporarily preventing individuals considered to be an imminent danger to themselves or others from possessing firearms.

“In many instances of gun violence, there were clear warning signs the shooter posed a serious risk of injuring themselves or others with a firearm,” said Rep. Russo. “Extreme risk protection orders save lives by giving families and law enforcement time to quickly intervene before those warning signs escalate into tragedies, while also respecting Second amendment and due process rights.”

Ohio House Minority Leader Emilia Strong Sykes (D-Akron) and Dayton, Ohio Mayor Nan Whaley will host a town hall meeting on Thursday, August 15 from 4:30-6:00 p.m. at the Dayton Metro Library, located at 215 E. Third Street in Dayton. 

As Republicans in Washington try to dismantle healthcare and slash enrollment periods and public notice, state Rep. Emilia Sykes (D-Akron) is encouraging Ohio taxpayers without health insurance to sign up and get covered during the Affordable Care Act’s open enrollment period, which ends on Dec. 15, 2017.

“This about more than just finding healthcare insurance you can afford at a reasonable price,” said Sykes. “This is about you and your family’s economic security and stability. Though many of us don’t think we need healthcare, we are all just one accident or diagnosis away from a life-changing hospital stay or operation.”

Sykes notes that last year, eight out of ten taxpayers who signed up for healthcare during open enrollment took advantage of a significant financial discount. Sykes warns that if you miss this open enrollment period in 2017, you likely miss out on healthcare for all of 2018.

You can sign up through healthcare.gov or find more information at getamericacovered.org

State Reps. Janine Boyd (D-Cleveland Heights) and Stephanie Howse (D-Cleveland) and Sen. Sandra Williams (D-Cleveland) today announced a town hall meeting TOMORROW, August 14at 4:45 p.m. at Fairhill Partners in Cleveland to discuss the state budget, bipartisan priorities and a number of recent Democratic-led wins for working people and families in Cleveland.

State Rep. Thomas E. West (D-Canton) today responded to Attorney General Mike DeWine’s lawsuit against Rover Pipeline LLC, months after the Ohio EPA referred some $2.3 million in fines to the attorney general for illegal dumping of toxic chemicals in the Canton area during the construction of the Rover Pipeline.

“It seems that with the outside threat of an Ohio Elections Commission investigation looming, Attorney General DeWine finally decided to take action to protect taxpayers from an out-of-state corporation’s reckless disregard for our safety,” said West. “This is welcomed news, but the timing of the lawsuit makes people wonder if the state could have done more, sooner. This was referred to Attorney General DeWine at the beginning of July. Meanwhile, local taxpayers have been forced to bear the brunt of toxic spills in our community and close to our drinking water supply.”

DeWine’s action comes one day after complaints were filed with the Ohio Ethics Commission, asking them to investigate DeWine for his potential conflict of interest in owning stock in Rover’s parent company, Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners.

State Rep. Dan Ramos (D-Lorain) testified this week in the House Federalism and Interstate Commerce Committee in support of House Concurrent Resolution (HCR) 15, which would call President Trump to immediately restore the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Rep. Ramos introduced HCR 15 in response to the Trump administration’s September decision to end the program.