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We will be posting important information about legislation that you should be aware of and you may want to contact your legislators about. We will provide you with actions to take by calling or e-mailing your State Legislators or Congressmembers – along with Best Practices and scripts. You must let them hear your opinion on issues important to you! This is easy to do! Let’s get started!
You can send e-mails or make phone calls at any time – day or night! You can leave a message on their office answering machine when you call. Staff members will document your opinions and let your legislator know your point of view.
- Best Practice: A short, concise message; no venting.
- Best Practice: No matter how or when you contact your legislator, always let them know you are a voting constituent, your name and what your zip code is. If you would like for them to respond back to you with their position on issues, tell them you would like a response and give them your full name, address, city and zip code.
Even if Senator Brown and Congresswoman Kaptur have already signed onto a bill, please contact them to THANK them for supporting bills you also support! They always appreciate hearing from constituents!
U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown:
By E-mail:
- Click here for link
By Phone:
- Cincinnati: (513) 684-1021
- Cleveland: (216) 522-7272
- Columbus: (614) 469-2083
- Lorain: (440) 242-4100
- Washington DC: (202) 224-2315
- Toll Free Ohio only: 1-888-896-6446 (OHIO)
U.S. Senator J.D. Vance:
By E-mail:
- Visit here to share your opinion.
By Phone:
- Washington DC: (202) 224-3353
U.S. Representative Marcy Kaptur (D-9):
By E-mail:
- Click here for link.
By Phone:
- Cleveland: (216) 767-5933
- Lorain: (440) 288-1500
- Toledo: (419) 259-7500
- Washington DC: (202) 225-4146
- Toll Free Ohio Only: 1-800-964-4699
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine-R
By U.S. Postal Service:
- Governor’s Office
- Riffe Center
- 77 South Street, 30th Floor
- Columbus 43215-6117
By E-Mail:
- Click here for link.
By Phone:
- Governor’s Office
- (614) 644-4357
- Senior Legislative Liaison
- (614) 466-2828
- (614) 995-1850
- Policy Director
- (614) 466-5585
State Senator Theresa Gavarone-R (SD-2):
- All Erie County precincts are now in the district of the 2nd Senate:
By U.S. Postal Service:
- Senate Building
- 1 Capitol Square
- 2nd Floor, Room 138
- Columbus, OH 43215
By E-mail:
- Click here for link.
By Phone:
- (614) 466-8060
State Representative DJ Swearingen-R (HD-89):
- All of Erie County precincts are now in the district of the 89th House
By U.S. Postal Service:
- 77 South High Street, 13th Floor
- Columbus, OH 43215
By E-mail:
- Click here for link.
By Phone:
- (614) 644-6011
ISSUES
U.S. Senate:
- Message: My name is _____, my zip code is _____.
- I am calling about (the name of the issue or number of the bill)
- Issues will be posted once 2023 session begins.
U.S. Representative:
- Message: My name is _____, my zip code is _____.
- I am calling about (the name of the issue or number of the bill)
- Issues will be posted once 2023 session begins.
Governor Mike DeWine:
- DeWine signed HB458 into law on Friday, January 8, 2023.
- Implements new restrictions and requirements on voting.
- Visit here for more information.
Ohio Senate:
- Senate Bill 38 | Requires retail merchants to offer customers the option to pay in cash
- Call Theresa Gavarone to tell her:
- Message: My name is _____, my zip code is _____.
- I’m calling about SB 38.
- Cash payment should be an option for consumers to pay for retail items.
- Cash should be able to be used to purchase pre-paid cards with no fees.
- There should be no expiration date or limit on using pre-paid cards.
- Consumers should not be forced to use and/or apply for credit cards to purchase retail items.
- Such transactions would make purchasing items easier for consumers who do not have credit cards.
- Vote YES in favor of this legislation.
- Thank you for listening to my concerns regarding this issue.
- Call Theresa Gavarone to tell her:
Ohio House:
- Ohio Republicans propose ending income tax by 2030 that could cause an economic meltdown
- Read article here.
- Call DJ Swearingen to tell him:
- Message: My name is _____, my zip code is _____.
- I am calling about the proposed ending of Ohio’s income tax by 2030.
- Eliminating the income tax will leave a $13 billion deficit.
- Eliminating this $10 billion income source of income to the state — about a quarter of Ohio’s general revenue would also eliminate the state’s Commercial Activity Tax – a boon for businesses.
- Massive hikes in property and sales taxes or deep cuts to our public schools, infrastructure, health care, and first responders are not acceptable to average working Ohioans.
- Increasing the sales tax by shifting that tax burden to the lowest-earning Ohioans is not fair.
- Letting the economy allegedly “fix itself” is not a plan on how to make up the loss of revenue.
- Do not vote in favor of this proposal.
- Thank you for listening to my concerns regarding this issue.
- HB 68 | Bans trans youth from accessing gender-affirming care like hormone blockers, and also some mental health services for conditions like gender dysphoria; bars trans middle and high schoolers from participating in athletics with cisgender peers.
- Sponsored by state Rep. Gary Click, Sandusky County Republican and pastor.
- This bill was passed by both the House and Senate – both have supermajority of Republicans.
- It was then vetoed by Governor Mike DeWine (R).
- The Governor’s veto was overrode by both the House and Senate; the law went into effect after 90 days.
- HB 339 | Increases funding and eligibility of state-funded scholarships to students in private schools
- Sponsored by state Rep. Gary Click, Sandusky County Republican and pastor; Click’s church has a non-chartered private school that falls under the category of schools targeted by his bill to receive state funds.
- Call DJ Swearingen to tell him:
- Message: My name is _____, my zip code is _____.
- I am calling about HB339.
- There isn’t unlimited funding to keep both private and public school systems going over the long term.
- “Educational Savings Accounts”/ESAs would be funded, which would actually be higher than the maximum scholarship available to pre-high school kids in the voucher program the legislature expanded in the state budget last year.
- ESAs are actually vouchers which unchartered private schools are ineligible.
- Non-chartered private schools would receive state funds that don’t have the same accountability standards as public schools, when it comes to both academic and fiscal oversight and accountability.
- Do not vote in favor of this proposal.
- Thank you for listening to my concerns regarding this issue.
- HB 371 | Would give the Ohio legislature “exclusive authority” over implementing Issue 1 and withdraw jurisdiction from all courts of the state of Ohio on the matter
- Call DJ Swearingen to tell him:
- Message: My name is _____, my zip code is _____.
- I am calling about HB371.
- Ohioans – including Erie County – overwhelmingly supported and passed Issue 1 to ensure Ohio women and their families with their doctors have safe reproductive options.
- State courts should not be prohibited from hearing challenges to Ohio’s new reproductive rights amendment; legislators should not be involved in determining such challenges.
- This is nothing more than political theater violating numerous long standing principles.
- There is no historical, legal, doctrinal or other basis for giving the power to interpret Ohio law, including the Ohio Constitution, to the general assembly.
- Do not vote in favor of this proposal.
- Thank you for listening to my concerns regarding this issue.
- HB 437 | Require advance political party registration to vote in primary
- This bill would change Ohio’s primary voting to a “closed primary” in an attempt to stop Democratic and Republican voters from casting ballots in the other party’s primary elections; it would also prohibit Ohioans affiliated with one party from running for office on another party’s ticket.
- Call DJ Swearingen to tell him:
- Message: My name is _____, my zip code is _____.
- I am calling about HB437.
- Our primaries as they are today do not need to be changed.
- There is no need for new voter registrants to register a specific party affiliation; once they vote a partisan ballot, then they are party affiliated.
- Requiring new registrations with a specific party affiliation may discourage new voters from actually voting.
- Do not vote in favor of this proposal.
- Thank you for listening to my concerns regarding this issue.