Glass City Jungle

I received several releases today from the Ohio House of Representatives, some of them were not related directly to our area as far as the representative, but they may be of interest to you with the topics covered. Hence, the releases from Sears & Szollosi first, then the others, Rep. Celeste and Garland on the Autism bill; Rep. Carney being named vice chair of finance; Rep. Patten’s Fire Fighters Equality Bill passing House previous blog discussion and Rep. Skindell on call for action on Asian Carp will be a post of it’s own a bit later today, that also came in today though. Headings are in bold for ease of skimming…

Representative Sears Honors Local Athlete and High School Quiz Bowl Team

COLUMBUS— State Representative Barbara Sears (R- Sylvania) today honored several students from Ottawa Hills High School on the floor of the Ohio House of Representatives.

Sears honored members of the high school’s quiz bowl team—Spencer Trumm, Alex Cioc, Matthew Cason, John Nissen and Nirbhay Jain—who won the National Quiz Bowl Championship.

Sears also recognized Katherine Jamieson, who was the state champion for the 300 meter hurdles and also broke the state record for this event.

Sears represents the 46th Ohio House District, which includes the western portion of Lucas County.

Rep. Szollosi, Ohio House Pass Bills to Improve Ohioans Health Coverage

Legislation Helps People with Autism, Diabetes

COLUMBUS – Speaker Pro Tempore Matthew A. Szollosi and the Ohio House of Representatives today passed two pieces of legislation to help Ohioans with autism and diabetes. House Bill 8 expands insurance coverage for autism, while HB 81 expands coverage for those with diabetes. The House also approved HB 167, which protect victims of domestic violence from being discriminated against in the areas of employment and public housing.

“The legislation we approved today reaffirms our commitment to helping Ohioans in these difficult economic times,” said Rep. Szollosi. “People should not have to choose between paying for food and paying for medicines.”

House Bill 8 requires insurance companies cover the diagnosis and treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Currently, under Ohio law, insurance companies are allowed to explicitly exclude coverage for children and adults with the disorder.

“27 other states have implemented similar criteria and have seen an overall increase in premiums of less than one percent,” said Rep. Szollosi. “This bill will help thousands of families across the state that have autistic children. It is the right thing to do.”

Some health insurance companies in the state also explicitly exclude coverage for diabetes. House Bill 81 would require coverage in certain situations for equipment, supplies, and medication for the diagnosis, treatment, and management of diabetes and for diabetes self-management education.

The Ohio House today also moved to protect victims of domestic violence both at home and at work. HB 167 requires that an employer provide a reasonable accommodation to a victim of domestic violence upon an expressed written request by the victim. Examples could include a different telephone number or parking space, temporarily moving someone off of the front desk, or notifying existing security personnel about the possible presence of the abuser.

The bill also allows tenant and landlord to work together to remove an abuser from a joint lease, change the locks and keep a person from having their lease cancelled because they are a victim of domestic violence or stalking.

“Those who have suffered from domestic violence have been victimized once. It is unfair for them to be victimized a second time either at the workplace or at home,” said Rep. Szollosi.

The bills now go to the Ohio Senate for consideration.

Reps. Celeste and Garland’s Autism Bill Passes House

Legislation Expands Insurance Coverage to Help Families Dealing with Autism

COLUMBUS – The Ohio House of Representatives today approved legislation to expand insurance coverage for autism sponsored by State Representatives Ted Celeste (D-Grandview Heights) and Nancy Garland (D-New Albany). The legislation passed the House with a vote of 57-39.

“Today’s vote has been a long time coming,” Rep. Celeste said. “The House’s action will help thousands of families across Ohio avoid choosing between forsaking crucial services and going into debt for health care costs.”

“This is an important first step to enable individuals to get the healthcare services and treatment they need,” Rep. Garland said. “We now turn our attention to the Senate, where we hope they will take swift action to pass House Bill 8,” Rep. Garland added. “We look forward to working with the Senators to help these families.”

House Bill 8 requires insurance companies cover the diagnosis and treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Currently, under Ohio law, insurance companies are allowed to explicitly exclude coverage for children and adults with the disorder.

ASD is a complex, lifelong, neurobiological disorder, involving impairments in communication, social, and behavior domains. It can be devastating to a family, but it is treatable. According to the United States Centers for Disease Control, one in 91 children (one in 58 boys) born today will be diagnosed with ASD, making it more common than all types of pediatric cancer, diabetes, and AIDS combined.

State Rep. John Patrick Carney Named Vice Chair of Finance Committee

First-Term Legislator to Focus on Job-Creating Investments

COLUMBUS- State Representative John Patrick Carney (D-Clintonville) was named Vice Chair of the Ohio House Finance and Appropriations Committee today by Speaker of the House Armond Budish.

“The work done by the Finance Committee represents one of the legislature’s best opportunities to create jobs and develop Ohio’s economy,” Rep. Carney said. “I am honored by Speaker Budish’s appointment, and I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to guide the state’s finances. It is imperative in these tough times that we get results. Placing people over party is the surest way to get that done.”

“I am pleased to have Rep. Carney as Vice Chair of the Finance Committee,” said Speaker Budish. “He has been an extremely valuable member of the committee and shows a keen insight into the challenges of the economy and Ohio’s budget. His knowledge, judgment and ability to get things done will make him an excellent Vice Chair.”

Representative Carney is also Vice Chair of the Health Committee and sits on the Insurance and Transportation Committees.

State Rep. Patten’s Fire Fighters Equality Bill Passes Ohio House

House Bill 271 Promotes Public Safety

COLUMBUS – The Ohio House of Representatives today approved House Bill 271, sponsored by State Representatives Matt Patten (D-Strongsville) and Dan Stewart (D-Columbus). The bill expands public employee rights to professional township fire departments.

“Allowing Professional Township Firefighters the same rights as their municipality counterparts is vital to the public safety of Ohio,” Rep. Patten said. “By extending public employee status to these brave men and women, we are providing stability to fire services across our state.”

By granting Professional Township Firefighters public employee rights, a loophole in the Ohio Revised Code will be closed that would allow firefighters to stop working. “The statute in the current form…does not prohibit those same firefighters from engaging in work stoppages,” said Ohio Association of Professional Firefighters Representative Jim Carney.

A broad coalition including the Ohio Association of Professional Firefighters, Ohio Fire Chiefs Association, and various township officials came together in support of the bill.

Professional firefighters who serve 5,000 or more people would have public employee rights under this legislation. Currently, professional township firefighters can serve 5,000 or more people but be denied these rights if the population of the unincorporated township does not meet 5,000. Professional firefighters for municipalities must meet the same population threshold.

“The safety of Ohioans is of the utmost importance,” said Rep. Patten. “This piece of legislation will close loopholes that were detrimental to public wellbeing.”

After passage in the Ohio House by a vote of 54-42 this afternoon, HB 271 goes to the Ohio Senate.