Newsletters

Every day, Americans take more than 1.5 million motorcoach trips, and parents sending their children on field trips or on the road to away games shouldn’t have to worry the bus they’re riding isn’t safe. That’s why I’m continuing to press the Department of Transportation to improve motorcoach safety following the... Read More

In January we mark National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month – a reminder that modern-day slavery is all too real, and it’s happening in our own backyards. And tragically, the addiction crisis is also giving human traffickers another tool to use to exploit victims. Traffickers often exploit drug addiction, or expose... Read More

If you only watched national cable news, you’d probably think not much was accomplished over the past year, and that Democrats and Republicans were mostly at each other’s throats. But beyond the national noise, look across Ohio, and it’s clear – we were able to make progress for the people we serve, often by working... Read More

In 2017, the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System estimated that 1,720 children died from abuse and neglect. Even one child’s death is one too many, and we know those numbers probably don’t even tell the full story. Right now, the lack of a clear definition for “child maltreatment fatality” lets too many kids slip... Read More

A safe, stable home is the foundation for opportunity – without it, it can be hard to hold down a job, pursue a degree, and to build a life. But every year, just as they’re about to start their lives as adults, 20,000 young people around the country lose their homes as they “age out” of foster care. All of a sudden these... Read More

Black history is American history, yet in Ohio and all over the country, too many African American burial grounds have fallen into disrepair. We have not invested the resources we should to preserve these historic places. Earlier this week, I visited Cincinnati to see all the work that is needed to restore the Union Baptist Cemetery. The burial... Read More

In Ohio, there are more than 650 payday or car title loan stores. Their loans saddle borrowers with interest rates that regularly top 600 percent, and often trap borrowers in a downward spiral of debt. More than 75 percent of loans go to borrowers who take out 11 or more loans each year. And we know these companies often target military families... Read More

We need to stop penalizing Ohioans who rely on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) for saving for emergencies.  The SSI program provides financial assistance for elderly, disabled, and blind Americans with very low-incomes and limited resources. Today, it supports more than 8 million people, including more than a million... Read More

This month, a new report revealed that two million Ohioans could lose health care if President Trump gets his way and the entire Affordable Care Act is overturned. That’s what President Trump and his administration are pushing in a case a federal court heard this summer. If the court rules the way the president wants, the entire health care... Read More

Far too many Americans face out-of-control surprise medical bills, often for emergency care, despite the fact that they spend their hard-earned money on health insurance to protect them. Patients wake up from surgery, expecting to pay their standard co-pay, only to find out the anesthesiologist was out-of-network. A doctor sends a sample out for... Read More

As technology evolves, we need to make sure our workers are growing with it. Over the past month, I have traveled around Ohio meeting with workers, and talking to them about how we can empower workers and make sure they have a seat at the table, as technology changes the way many companies do business. No matter how technology changes, companies... Read More

Last week, Connie and I traveled to El Paso, Texas, on our southern border, to bear witness to this humanitarian crisis. We met with children and families who are coming to our country to flee violence and persecution, seeking a better life.                             ... Read More

When I first came to the Senate, I met with a number of higher education leaders around Ohio. In these conversations we realized how little opportunity the presidents of our colleges and universities in the area had to interact. That’s where the idea for the College President’s Conference came from – like so many of the best... Read More

Nearly three years ago, I stood in Columbus to announce that the Obama administration was going to finally raise the salary threshold to earn overtime pay, and make millions more workers eligible.  That would have meant more than 4 million Americans – including more than 130,000 Ohioans – were getting a raise.  But those... Read More

Fentanyl is responsible for too many deaths in our state and too much of it continues to be trafficked into our neighborhoods from China and Mexico. Ohio is experiencing a spike in overdose deaths, with at least 49 people in Ohio dying of suspected overdose in the last three weeks. Law enforcement officials believe, and coroner reports show, that a... Read More

This summer, for the seventh year in a row, my office is partnering with local Ohio companies and organizations to host manufacturing camps for elementary and middle schoolers across the state.  Manufacturing is one of our state’s most vital industries but too often, our students aren’t aware of the opportunities available to them... Read More

Each year during National Police Week, we honor our law enforcement officers, and the families who support them and sacrifice alongside them. They all give so much in service to their communities, and too many lay down their lives to keep us safe.  While we can’t repay the debt we owe these heroes and their families, we can work together... Read More

Every day, nurses in Ohio communities work long hours doing vital work in our health care system, keeping patients safe and providing the highest quality of care. Yet too often, nurses are forced to do the impossible, caring for more patients than they have the time or capacity to manage. That’s why I’m reintroducing the Nurse Staffing... Read More

As a society, we are leaving too many children behind.  Our child welfare agencies are overwhelmed by the number of kids entering the system, and the addiction crisis is only making it worse. For one third of all the children entering the system in Ohio, parents’ substance abuse is listed as one of the causes. We have to do better. Last... Read More

As Ohioans filed their taxes this spring, more and more people saw President Trump’s and Congressional Republicans’ tax scam for what it really is – a handout to millionaires and billionaires at the expense of working families.  Ohioans are working harder than ever before to make ends meet. But the cost of everything –... Read More