Chairman’s Update 1-12-2020
Good Evening,
Last Thursday, we welcomed President Trump and Vice President Pence back to Ohio for their Keep America Great rally in Toledo. This was a great way to set the tone and pace for all that is to come throughout the rest of the year. The excitement was palpable and Ohioans are ready for four more years of our brave and bold president. November may seem far away, but the 10 months that stand between now and the election will undoubtedly fly by. We are ready to take our fight for conservative values to the next level to ensure another resounding Trump victory.
On Friday, the Republican State Central & Executive Committee met to consider endorsements for President of the United States, U.S. Congress, Ohio General Assembly, and Republican State Central Committee. You can find the list of endorsements here.
Sincerely,
Jane M. Timken
Chairman, Ohio Republican Party
Senator Rob Portman Praises President Trump’s Leadership in Addressing Iranian Aggression
Last week on the Senate floor, U.S. Senator Rob Portman delivered remarks praising President Trump for his leadership in protecting American forces in the Middle East.
In addition, Portman stated that Iranian aggression must not go unchecked. President Trump authorized the killing of Quds force and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps leader Qasem Soleimani earlier this month. Both of these groups have been designated as terrorist organizations. Soleimani was responsible for the killing of more than 600 American soldiers and the wounding of several thousand more.
A video of his remarks can be found here.
Governor DeWine, Lt. Governor Husted Join Fuyao as Company Announces Expansion, 100 New Jobs
On Monday, Governor Mike DeWine, Lt. Governor Jon Husted, and JobsOhio President and Chief Investment Officer J.P Nauseef joined Fuyao Chairman Cho Tak Wong and Chinese Consul General Huang Ping to announce 100 new jobs and a $46 million investment for the Fuyao glass facility in Moraine, Ohio. The project includes investment for research and development as well as purchasing equipment to help produce more after-market auto glass for companies such as Safelite, which is headquartered in nearby Columbus, Ohio. The company also will acquire an additional 161,000 square-feet at the Moraine facility.
Husted Traveled to Toledo for Trump Rally
Last week, Lt. Governor Jon Husted traveled to N.W. Ohio ahead of the Trump/Pence 2020 Rally in Toledo. He greeted Vice President Mike Pence on the tarmac and accompanied him to a community leaders roundtable. The two also stopped in to Schmucker’s Restaurant and met with diners before proceeding to President Donald J. Trump’s re-election rally.
AG Dave Yost Launches Human Trafficking Summit
Attorney General Dave Yost last week convened his inaugural human trafficking summit in Columbus called Hope in Action. Hundreds attended the summit, which focused on fostering communication and collaboration among groups that battle human trafficking, and finding solutions in the fight against trafficking.
“Our job together is to build roads—a highway of hope, a right-of-way to redemption…a freeway to freedom,” Yost said while opening the summit. “Our promise is that we will build that road and make sure they need never walk it alone.”
Earlier this year, Yost created a Human Trafficking Initiative within his office to assist with prosecuting human trafficking cases and educate the public on signs of trafficking. He is also working with state lawmakers to toughen Ohio’s trafficking laws, enforce harsher penalties for those that purchase sex in Ohio, and create a state registry of traffickers.
LaRose Takes Action in Response to Iranian Cyber Treats
In response to heightened tensions related to Iran, Secretary of State Frank LaRose issued a special notice to Ohio’s 88 county boards of elections with instructions for managing potential threats.
Earlier this week, state networks across the U.S. experienced an increase in suspicious cyber activity from active internet protocol (IP) addresses originating from several countries, including Iran. In response, Secretary LaRose required county boards of elections to block an identified set of Iranian IP addresses on county firewalls. Due to proactive efforts by Secretary LaRose, there have been no successful intrusions into Ohio’s elections network, including county boards of elections.
“The bad guys only have to be right once. We have to be right every day,” said LaRose. “Enemies foreign and domestic have made it known that they are going on the offensive, and I want to assure Ohioans that I will be as transparent as I can be to share all available unclassified information with them about what we are doing to protect Ohio’s elections.”
County Boards of Elections are currently completing the final steps of the 34-point security directive issued by Secretary LaRose in June 2019. Additionally, LaRose is working with the Ohio National Guard to stand up the first-of-its-kind civilian Cyber-Reserve force that will provide the additional support necessary should an attack occur.
Auditor Faber Finds Over $21 Million in Savings for Ohio Taxpayers
This week, Auditor of State Keith Faber released Phase 1 of a performance audit of the Ohio’s Department of Transportation. The audit identified over $21 million in savings for the state agency that can be passed on to Ohio’s taxpayers. Faber’s office found that the agency could save between $10 and $21 million each if construction inspection is done in house and they could save another $450,000 by reducing its use of consultants for IT work.
“For every dollar we spent, we found $77 in savings,” Faber said, “those are results that Ohioans can be proud of.”
Phase 2 of the performance audit is currently underway and Faber expects to find more ways to make your tax dollars go farther. To read more about the recent performance audit click here.
Sprague Welcomes New Entities to OhioCheckbook.com to Start 2020
Last week, Treasurer Sprague welcomed the City of Huron and the Loveland City School District to OhioCheckbook.com. The pair of entities are the first two to come aboard the online transparency platform in the new year. Launched in 2014, the Ohio Checkbook now features spending data from nearly 1,160 participating government entities from across the Buckeye State. In 2019, more than 50 new entities joined the ranks of OhioCheckbook.com.
For more information:
Justice Kennedy Speaks At The American Legion Tenth District Conference
Invited to speak at the American Legion Tenth District Conference, Justice Sharon Kennedy spoke about the “Lean Forward: Advancing Veterans Treatment Courts Across Ohio” initiative. Since 2018, The American Legion Department of Ohio has partnered with Justice Kennedy to educate criminal justice partners about the availability of the Veterans Re-entry Service System (VRSS) and the treatment regimes available to help heal the invisible wounds of war.
“The VRSS program permits law enforcement, court personnel, and other criminal justice partners to quickly identify those veterans in the criminal justice system who have not self identified,” said Kennedy. “Once veterans are identified,” stated Kennedy “criminal justice partners can then contact the Veterans Justice Outreach Coordinator at their local Veterans Administration Medical Center (VA) to help facilitate an assessment and identify treatment services available to the veterans.”
Kennedy added that, “This allows local communities to utilize federal dollars for treatment services because the veteran has earned the right to access that treatment through their service to our country.”
Justice French Has Candidacy Certified, Meets Vice President Pence
Justice French had her candidacy certified for the ballot last week by Secretary of State Frank Larose.
She also had the opportunity to greet Vice president Pence when he arrived in Toledo and attended the rally later that evening.