May

2022 News & Updates

Message from Rep. Kristin Boggs

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. After a tumultuous past few years where we have all struggled to cope with the pandemic, mental health care is more important than ever. House Democrats are focused on enacting legislation that ensures that every Ohioan, no matter their background, is able to access quality mental health care.

Some of our bills focused on mental health include:

· HB 602—To ensure mental health access for all those who voluntarily seek help;

· HB 363—To provide mental health services in the event of a pandemic, natural disaster, or other emergency;

· HB 41—To create additional safety and security measures for mental health professionals;

· HB 453—To create the “Recovery is Beautiful” license plate, to support individuals recovering from mental health or substance abuse issues;

· HB 591—To designate the last week in February as “Eating Disorders Awareness Week.”

Democrats are working for you, and working for Ohio. During this Mental Health Awareness Month, be sure to take care of yourself and your loved ones.

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to reach out to my office at [email protected] or 614-466-1896

Yours in service,

Kristin

What Rep. Boggs has been up to this month

On Thursday May 19, 2022, Representative Boggs provided sponsor testimony on House Bill 456, which she introduced to expand access to lifesaving drug testing strips that detect the presence of fentanyl or a fentanyl-related compound. This bill would allow these lifesaving drug testing strips to become exempt from the definition of "drug paraphernalia" and become more readily available in order to prevent overdose deaths and provide an opportunity for an addict's recovery to begin.

According to the Ohio Department of Health, fentanyl was involved in 76% of overdose deaths in 2019. With the recent, tragic loss of two students at The Ohio State University due to drugs laced with fentanyl, passing this legislation is extremely important to ensure that more Ohioans do not die from fentanyl overdoses.

Creating widespread access to fentanyl drug testing strips is a critical step forward in addressing the ongoing opioid crisis in Ohio.

Representative Boggs celebrates the opening of Sanctuary Night's new facility on Sullivant Avenue. With the help of capital budget funding, Sanctuary Night hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday, May 17th to formally announce their new facility.

Sanctuary Night is a space in Columbus that serves vulnerable women by providing them with a safe environment that includes warm meals, clothing, personal hygiene items, and a holy place. Their recently unveiled facility allows them to host more frequent drop-in hours to provide 24/7 support to the people that they serve.

Learn more about Sanctuary night and how they serve Columbus communities here.

Medicaid Update

As we begin seeing Medicaid changes with the winding down of the federal Public Health Emergency later this year, it is important to ensure member contact information is current.

Democrats commit to investing in students, educators

This May, Democrats are recognizing and celebrating our educators in honor of Teacher Appreciation Week and Bus Drivers Appreciation Day.

House Democrats thank all our educators and school staff who work hard each and every day to ensure our children and students are receiving the best education and care possible.

Democrats know that better lives and brighter futures starts in the classroom. That’s why we support legislation to guarantee every Ohioan, no matter where they live, has a quality education. Democrats delivered a major win for education by passing the Fair School Funding Plan in the 2022-2023 state budget. The Fair School Funding Plan invests in students and ensures that schools get the funds they need to succeed.

Democrats also supported bipartisan legislation to reform the state report card system. The reformed system makes improvements in accurately and equitably rating our schools, and will better reflect the hard work of our educators and children.

We have also introduced several other bills to better support our students and educators, including:

· HB 333—To create a specialized school counselor job description;

· HB 353—The Testing Your Faith Act, to guarantee students of higher education have absences for religious obligations;

· HB 619—To allow school districts to permit student mental health days.

Thank you, teachers, administrators, and staff, for all you do!

Celebrations this Month

This Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, House Democrats are celebrating the vibrant and diverse traditions and contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

As hate crimes against Asian Americans are on the rise, we also reaffirm our commitment to stopping Asian hate and ensuring all Ohioans can live with safety and security in their communities.

Democrats have introduced legislation to create the Ohio Asian-American and Pacific Islander Affairs Commission and the Office of Asian-American and Pacific Islander Affairs to address the injustices of the past and understand the unique difficulties in addressing the needs of the Asian American and Pacific Islander population in Ohio.

All Ohioans should have their voices heard on the issues that impact them the most.

May is Jewish American Heritage Month, a time to pay tribute to the generations of Jewish Americans who helped form the fabric of American history, culture and society.

According to the Anti-Defamation League, anti-Semitic incidents in Ohio rose to a 40-year high in 2020, with a 72 percent increase in events from the year before.

HB 341 would create the Bureau of Hate Crimes to conduct independent investigations for hate crimes when sufficient cause exists.

This bill would send a strong message of solidarity to at-risk communities by focusing resources not only on deterrence, but prosecution of hate crimes. All Ohioans deserve to be able to live safely and securely in our state.

Democrats condemn introduction of ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill

Democrats condemned the recent introduction of House Bill (HB) 616, the Ohio Republican version of Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law. Under HB 616, schools could not "teach, use, or provide any curriculum or instructional materials on sexual orientation or gender identity" in kindergarten through third grade. Additionally, older students could not be taught "any curriculum or instructional materials on sexual orientation or gender identity in any manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”

HB 616 is simply the latest draconian censorship bill introduced this General Assembly by House Republicans. Republicans also sponsored HB 327, which would make “failing to fairly present both sides of a political or ideological belief or position” conduct unbecoming of an Ohio educator, prompting widespread alarm from teachers and concerned parents. HB 327 has received five hearings in the House State and Local Government committee, and was nearing a committee vote until the Republican bill sponsor made inaccurate and anti-Semitic comments about the Holocaust during an interview.

While Republicans continue their attacks on LGBTQ+ Ohioans, Democrats are calling for action on the Ohio Fairness Act, bipartisan legislation that would protect LGBTQ+ Ohioans from discrimination in employment, housing and accommodations. The Ohio Fairness Act was introduced in March 2021, but has yet to receive a single hearing.

The majority of Ohio business owners support adding LGBTQ+ non-discrimination to Ohio law, with more than 50 percent saying nondiscrimination laws improve businesses’ bottom lines. More than 800 leading Ohio businesses and organizations have backed the Ohio Fairness Act, which they say will attract workers, increase investment and grow the state’s economy. Conversely, business-minded organizations have expressed concerns behind closed doors about the legal uncertainty these Republican censorship bills would impose.

These censorship bills are bad for students, bad for business, and bad for our state.