You don't want to miss this. August 2022 News & Updates Message from Rep. Kristin Boggs Dear Neighbor, While the House does not resume session or committees until after the November elections, I hope to hear from you this summer and fall and see you around our community. I am here to be a voice for you. Some ways that my office can help include: Disputes with government agencies; Connecting you or your business to state programs or services; Propose bill ideas and law changes; Ohio House commendations, condolences, and congratulatory letters. Additionally, I will be hosting a Town Hall, organized by the South Bexley Neighborhood Association, on September 1st from 7-8pm at the Bexley Public Library. I encourage you to come and bring your questions and comments about the issues in our state government and community. Please register here if you plan to attend. Please do not hesitate to contact my office with any questions, comments, or concerns. You can reach us at [email protected] or 614-466-1896. Yours in service, Kristin In the community Earlier this month, Rep. Boggs attended the ribbon cutting for Kitchen of Life, a Bexley organization that aims to use food to teach students how to work through problems. Rep. Boggs visited Neighborhood Services Inc. Food Pantry, an local organization that provides food and material assistance to people located in all Franklin County zip codes. Celebrations this month Aug 26: Women's Equality Day On August 26, we celebrate Women's Equality Day! This day commemorates the 1920 adoption of the 19th Amendment, which prohibits the state and federal government from denying the right to vote to U.S. citizens on the basis of sex. This gave women across America the right to vote. While we celebrate that the 19th Amendment was a critical step towards gaining equal voting rights, we must also acknowledge that equality on paper is not the same as equality in practice. Black women would continue to struggle and fight to receive the same equalities at the voting polls as white women for another 40 years until the 1965 Voting Rights Act was passed. Today, there are still issues such as economic adversity and gerrymandering that prevent minority communities from voting and being properly represented in their states. At the Ohio House, Democrats will continue to fight against these barriers until we ensure everyone has the same opportunities to make their voice heard. National Black Business Month August is National Black Business Month, a time to bring attention to the needs of Black-owned businesses across the country. Did you know that Ohio is ranked the 7th best state for Black entrepreneurship? We have more than 4,200 Black-owned businesses that employed nearly 70,000 people and pay about $1.5 billion in annual payroll! I encourage you to support your local Black-owned businesses - not just this month, but all year round, by doing the following: Creating visibility by sharing them on social media, having them on a podcast or blog, or featuring them in the media. Providing equal access to funding. Sharing a seat at the table and developing relationships with Black-owned business owners Making a purchase, referring others, and engaging with businesses on social media. Click here to find a list of Black-owned businesses located in Columbus. In the media Representative Boggs was featured in the Ohio Capital Journal, where she discussed planned legislation that would eliminate the statute of limitations in cases involving wrongful convictions. She hopes that this bill will start the conversation regarding the elimination of other existing statutes of limitation. Discussing Ohio's current statute of limitations laws, Rep. Boggs stated "The person who is wrongfully incarcerated does the time for somebody else's crime, and even if we know who the person is that committed the original crime - it doesn't matter. They don't ever have to face justice." Read the full article here. Democrats introduce executive plan to reduce gun violence Ohio House Democrats have tirelessly been working to reduce gun violence here in our own state. This comprehensive strategy is bolstered by the recent passage of the federal Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which includes several measures to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, reduce community violence, and assist local law enforcement. In the Ohio House, we are fighting for basic, commonsense gun safety bills, including:  HB 38 (West, Miller, A.) Repeal "Stand Your Ground;" HB 259 (Robinson, Miller, A.) Universal background checks;" HB 274 (Upchurch, Jarrells) Restore local control to regulate firearms-related conduct; HB 257 (Russo, Smith, M.) Enact Extreme Risk Protection Order Act ("Red Flag" law); HB 262 (Miranda, Kelly) Prohibit negligent firearm storage; HB 360 (Miranda, Smith) Designate Gun Violence Awareness Month; HB 661 (Crossman, Hicks-Hudson) Require gun trigger locks with firearm sales. HB 700 (Sobecki, Smith, M.) Revise allocation of firearms related tax revenue to survivors of gun violence, mental health services, and police-community relations Meanwhile, Ohio Republicans continue to push legislation such as permit-less concealed carry, repealing duty to notify law enforcement, and kill at will. These extreme bills put our law enforcement and communities in danger. Everyone deserves to feel safe in their homes and in their communities. Boggs for Ohio | 222 W. Town St., 2W, Columbus, OH 43215 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected] powered by Try email marketing for free today!