On one of the last days of Black History Month, state lawmakers who make up the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus outlined their priorities for this two-year general assembly. Some are new initiatives, but many are proposals they have been trying to pass for years.
Rep. Terrence Upchurch (D-Cleveland) stood alongside other members of the group Wednesday to say Ohio needs to do more to improve the lives of Black Ohioans.
“I am joined here with my colleagues who all stand united in the effort to make Ohio a better place for African Americans to not only live but thrive,” Upchurch said.
“Black history is American History, said Sen. Hearcel Craig (D-Columbus), adding that he’s pushing an affordable housing bill because “the assault on human rights and civil rights continues.”
“The housing crisis affects all Ohioans but affects our communities of color the most. In fact, Black Ohioans are the most likely racial group to be housing insecure,” Craig said.
Members of the OLBC are sponsoring 26 bills, addressing health care disparities, criminal justice, housing and tax issues, safety and education. Some are new, such as the bill from Rep. Darnell Brewer (D-Cleveland) to repeal a law passed last year that allows police agencies to charge up to $750 for bodycam video.
Other bills have been considered before. Sen. Catherine Ingram (D-Cincinnati) and Rep Juanita Brent (D-Cleveland) are sponsoring the “C.R.O.W.N. Act” to prohibit discrimination against an individual based on hair texture and hair styles.
And there are also perennial ideas that have been pushed by Democrats for years. Reps. Dontavius Jarrells (D-Columbus) and Ismail Mohammed (D-Columbus) are sponsoring a bill to increase the minimum wage over time. It is now $10.70/hour, but the bill would raise it incrementally till 2030. When it reaches $15 an hour, it would shift to allow annual increases on an adjusted wage rate.
Jarrells is also sponsoring a bill to provide a state-paid college scholarship for young Ohioans who come out of the state’s foster care system.
“Thirty-five states, including Texas, Mississippi, Alabama already offer foster scholarships and pathways to education but Ohio does not. So I ask myself, my colleagues, as we are moving this bill across the finish line, how can we claim to be a state of opportunity when we are failing those who need the opportunity the most?,” Jarrells asked.
For Rep. Latyna Humphrey (D-Franklin), making changes to Ohio’s criminal justice system is top of mind.
“The disparities within our criminal justice system are undeniable. Black Ohioans are disproportionately impacted by sentencing policies, incarceration rates, and barriers to reentry. These issues are not just statistics; they are real challenges that affect families, communities, and generations,” Humphrey said.
Here’s a list of bills being sponsored by OLBC members:
HB 3, cosponsored by Rep. Cecil Thomas (D-Cincinnati) that would establish the School Bus Safety Act. Also cosponsored by Rep. Bernard Willis (R-Springfield)
HB 25, cosponsored by Rep. Dontavius Jarrells (D-Columbus) to establish the Foster-To-College Scholarship Program. Also cosponsored by Rep. Sharon Ray (R-Wadsworth)
HB 29, cosponsored by Rep. Latyna Humphrey (D-Columbus) to provide inmates' access to feminine hygiene products and showers by municipal and county correctional facilities and state correctional institutions. Also cosponsored by Rep. Marilyn John (R-Richland County)
HB 31, cosponsored by Humphrey to require electronic recordings of all parole board hearings. Also cosponsored by Rep. Brian Stewart (R-Asheville)
HB34, cosponsored Jarrells and Rep. Ismail Mohamed (D-Columbus) to raise the minimum wage over time
HB 45 cosponsored by Thomas to prohibit a federally licensed firearms dealer from transferring a firearm unless the transferee passes a background check. Also cosponsored by Rep. Rachel Baker (D-Cincinnati)
HB 46, cosponsored by Thomas to establish the Extreme Risk Protection Order Act. Also cosponsored by Rep Michele Grim (D-Toledo)
HB 97, a bill sponsored by OLBC members, Rep. Darnell Brewer (D-Cleveland) and Mohamed to require public schools to provide meals and related services to students.
HB 101, cosponsored by Mohamed to establish the Law Student Encouragement Scholarship Program. Also cosponsored by Rep. Josh Williams (R-Sylvania)
SB 42, cosponsored by OLBC Sen. Hearcel Craig (D-Columbus) to authorize residential stability zones with property tax exemption. Also cosponsored by Sen. Michele Reynolds (R-Canal Winchester).
SB 73, a bill cosponsored by Sen. Paula Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo) and Sen. Catherine Ingram (D-Cincinnati) that would create the C.R.O.W.N. Act, to prohibit discrimination against an individual based on hair texture and hair styles.
SB 74, a bill cosponsored by Hicks-Hudson to create the Fair Paycheck Workplace Certificate. Also cosponsored by Sen. Kent Smith (D-Euclid)
SB 75, cosponsored by Hicks-Hudson and Ingram that would increase penalties for failing to report a lost or stolen firearm.
SB 77, cosponsored by Hicks-Hudson to require a system to anonymously report wage discrimination. Also cosponsored by Smith
SB 78, cosponsored by Hicks-Hudson to establish and operate the Ohio Health Care Plan. Also cosponsored by Sen. Bill DeMora (D-Columbus)
SB 83, cosponsored by Craig to revise eviction, code enforcement, real property transfer law. Also cosponsored by Sen. Michele Reynolds (R-Canal Winchester).
SB 96, a bill cosponsored by Craig and Sen. Willis Blackshear (D-Dayton) to authorize tax credit for handgun training and firearm storage
Other bills in the works but not assigned a number yet
Bills are being sponsored or cosponsored by OLBC members that are not far enough along in the legislative process to be assigned a bill number. Those include a bill to
*establish a hate crime act
*prohibit housing payment discrimination
*deal with insulin prices
*repeal the fees structure for a police bodycam provision in HB 315 which was passed by the last general assembly
*increase penalties for rape
*provide universal pre-school and all day kindergarten
*increase local government funds for cities
*provide paid leave for teachers
There will also be a companion bill to SB 73 (C.R.O.W.N Act) in the Ohio House.
