By Josh Rultenberg Columbus
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COLUMBUS, Ohio The 134th General Assembly features a number of newly-elected members in the House of Representatives and Senate.
In the House, there are 22 lawmakers serving at the state level for the first time.
What You Need To Know
Monique Smith (D-Fairview Park) was sworn in to the Ohio House of Representatives for her first term last month
Smith represents the state s 16th House District in northeast Ohio which includes portions of western Cuyahoga County
Smith worked as a Lakewood city council member from 2010-2014
One freshman hopes her listening and collaborative skills lead to a better working environment at the Statehouse.
Black Leaders Raise Concerns Over Medicaid Changes PUBLISHED 11:42 AM ET Feb. 16, 2021 PUBLISHED 11:42 AM EST Feb. 16, 2021
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Prominent leaders in the Black community urged state officials in a letter on Tuesday to not move forward with a change in the Medicaid program that could lead to higher costs for prescription drugs.
A state panel recommending cost savings for the Medicaid program proposed a carve out that is meant to save $87 million. But the concern for advocates is this will lead to higher purchasing prices for drugs that provide treatments to people with illness like HIV/AIDs and Hepatitis C.
The changes are set to take effect April 1.
How a Data Firm Can Track COVID Cases After Events PUBLISHED 5:46 AM ET Feb. 16, 2021 PUBLISHED 5:46 AM EST Feb. 16, 2021
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Whether public gatherings big and small can return this year will largely depend on whether officials can track COVID-19 cases and one firm says it can provide the analysis to do so.
A pair of Buffalo Bills playoff games, which included a limited number of fans in attendance at the open-air stadium last month, is being seen as a model for how these events can go forward. Here was a perfect use case in how we really thought this data could be leveraged for the public good, said Ian Allen, the co-founder of Camber Systems, a data firm.
Gov. Abbott Issues Disaster Declaration for Texas Winter Storm By D. Okoro Texas
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TEXAS Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday issued a disaster declaration in all 254 Texas counties due to the severe winter weather that is impacting the state.
Abbott says he is continuing to deploy state resources to assist local officials and has ordered the Texas State Operations Center to expand its daily operations to 24-hours a day through the end of next week. Texas should heed the guidance of their local leaders and stay alert to changing weather conditions in their area, said Gov. Abbott. These resources will help us respond to this severe winter weather and keep our communities safe. The State of Texas remains in close contact with officials on the ground and will provide any additional resources and support that are needed.
PUBLISHED 12:55 PM ET Feb. 15, 2021 PUBLISHED 12:55 PM EST Feb. 15, 2021
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Two state lawmakers on Monday announced a bill that would criminalize violations of the state s open government and records access laws.
The bill, backed by Capital Region Republican Sens. Jim Tedisco and Daphne Jordan, would add a criminal penalty for failing to adhere to Freedom of Information Law requests, which have been known to languish without legal action.
Currently, one of the few consequences for government when losing a Freedom of Information Law case is paying a plaintiff s legal fees.
The proposal also comes after the Empire Center, a right-leaning think tank based in Albany, and Tedisco won a court challenge to have the state release more granular detail on the deaths of nursing home and long-term care facility residetns during the pandemic.