 Chairman’s Update
Good Evening, Last week, Joe Biden announced that he chose Kamala Harris as his running mate. It is more important now than ever that we continue moving full steam ahead to November. Joe Biden has tried to market himself to voters as a moderate Democrat, but we know that is not true, especially with Kamala Harris as his VP pick. This is a radical ticket that will only be disastrous for Americans. Although she is in the company of Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren in the Senate, Harris has been rated the most liberal Senator in the country. She has said she wants to abolish private health insurance, but has struggled to explain how she would pay for her government takeover of health care without raising taxes on the middle class. Kamala Harris is a left-wing, radical progressive who is using her platform as Biden’s running mate as a launch pad for the rest of her career. Americans care about having more money in their pockets to provide for their families, the ability to choose their own health care plan, and lower taxes. The Democrats’ radical agendas will make that impossible. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are out of touch with Americans. I am confident Donald Trump’s ability to achieve real results for the American people will result in another victory come November. President Trump’s brother, Robert, passed away last night. I hope you will join me in praying for the President and his family during this difficult time. Sincerely, Jane M. Timken
Portman Op-Ed in Cleveland Plan Dealer Highlights Bipartisan Bill to End China’s Theft of U.S. Taxpayer-Funded Research In an op-ed published in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Senator Portman discussed his bipartisan Safeguarding American Innovation Act to help stop foreign governments from stealing American taxpayer-funded research and intellectual property developed at U.S. colleges and universities. Recently, both FBI Director Wray and Attorney General Barr have spoken about the threat to American taxpayer-funded research and intellectual property from foreign governments, particularly China, which would be addressed by this legislation. In fact, FBI Director Wray announced that the FBI is opening a new China-related investigation every 10 hours with around 2,500 open counterintelligence investigations across the country. In addition, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has reported that 54 scientists have resigned or been fired as a result of a NIH investigation into American taxpayer-funded grant recipients’ failure to disclose financial ties to foreign governments, particularly China. In fact, according to the NIH investigation, more than 90 percent of the scientists had undisclosed ties to China. There are already troubling reports that China, and other global competitors, may be trying to steal COVID-19-related research. The Safeguarding American Innovation Act, which passed the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee last month, will help prevent this from happening. For that reason, it was recently announced that this legislation has been included in Senate Republicans’ HEALS coronavirus rescue package. Read the op-ed here: https://www.cleveland.com/opinion/2020/08/an-arrest-in-cleveland-shows-how-china-breaks-the-rules-on-research-rob-portman.html Governor DeWine Discusses Safer Back-to-School On Tuesday, Governor DeWine continued to stress the importance of masks, social distancing, and proper hygiene as Ohio’s school students approach the start of the upcoming school year.
“I have every confidence that Ohio’s schools will do everything they can to keep children safe, but any spread happening in the broader community will, without a doubt, be reflected in Ohio’s classrooms,” said Governor DeWine. “If we want our kids to go to school in person, to play sports, to be in extracurricular activities – it’s up to all of us to cut down the spread in our communities.” Currently, Ohio has left the decision to individual school districts on how to approach the new school year. According to information gathered by the Ohio Department of Education, 325 public school districts in Ohio are planning to return to school full-time which equates to approximately 590,000 students. A total of 55 districts representing approximately 398,000 public school students will begin the school year remotely. Approximately 380,000 students in 154 public school districts will start the school year with a hybrid of online and in-person learning. Information on 78 public school distracts was not readily available.
Dr. John Barnard from Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Dr. Patty Manning from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, and Dr. Adam Mezoff from Dayton Children’s Hospital also participated in Tuesday’s press conference. They discussed the prevalence of COVID-19 among children; how to prevent spread in schools by wearing masks, practicing social distancing, maintaining good hand hygiene, keeping surfaces clean, and ensuring good ventilation; and what schools can do if a student or staff member tests positive. Lt. Governor Husted Supports Minority & Women-Owned Businesses Lt. Governor Jon Husted last week delivered the virtual keynote address to the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) where he talked about the resources being offered through the state to support Ohio’s small businesses during the COVID-19 Global Pandemic. He also addressed resources for minority business owners during Thursday’s press conference with Governor DeWine. The Lt. Governor has made supporting Ohio’s workers and businesses one of his key focuses during the coronavirus crisis. AG Yost Announces Felony Arrests in Child Pornography Case Attorney General Dave Yost announced two Austintown Township men were arrested on felony charges involving child pornography last week. The arrests stem from an ongoing investigation by the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force, which is part of AG Yost’s Organized Crime Investigations Commission. “Child pornography never goes away in the internet age – it is easy to copy and multiplies in the darkness,” Yost said. “But child pornographers victimize no children in prison. [Mahoning County] Sheriff Greene and the task force are statewide leaders I’m proud to work with.” You can read more about the felony arrests here. While Democrats Play Politics, LaRose Assures a Safe and Secure Election, Guarantees All Ohioans Have Option to Vote in Person This week, Secretary LaRose addressed the state to assure Ohioans about the safeguards in place to ensure a safe and secure election this November. In his Wednesday press conference, LaRose reaffirmed Ohioans will have the same secure voting options Ohioans expect with early, absentee and Election Day voting options.
Unlike some other states, Ohio has safeguards in place to ensure absentee voting is secure with voter ID requirements, ballot tracking and a ban on ballot harvesting. Additionally, the early in person and election day voting are not only safe but secured by layers of safeguards to ensure every vote is counted accurately on Election Day.
Meanwhile, Democrats have been on the attack, attempting to bring significant changes to Ohio’s election with less than two months before early voting begins. Thanks to Secretary LaRose‘s leadership, Ohioans can be sure that the results will reflect the voice of each and every Ohio voter.
Watch his full press conference here and tweet @FrankLaRose to voice your support for Secretary LaRose‘s efforts to ensure a fair election this fall.
Auditor Faber Launches Online Portal for Potential Inaccurate COVID-19 Test Results and Data Auditor of State Keith Faber this week announced the launch of an online portal for personal experiences with inconsistent or erroneous COVID-19 test results.
The office is seeking first-hand information from individuals who have received notices from the State or County Department of Health or a medical provider with experiences of inconsistencies in testing procedures including, but not limited to, receiving test results that were later reversed or receiving results for a test the individual did not take. “It is important that Ohioans have confidence in the data used for making COVID-19 policies,” said Auditor Faber. “There are widespread concerns and reports regarding false data. I saw a need for us to verify the data being used to either identify data errors or debunk what may, in some cases, be urban legends. I want to stress that this portal is only for first-hand experiences to establish facts or disprove rumors. With this audit and portal we can provide valuable feedback to key policy makers and increase confidence for all Ohioans.” The submissions to the portal will add data to the ongoing multi-state COVID-19 reporting audit that the office is conducting. In addition to the portal, the audit’s intent is for states to be able to assess their own data gathering processes and use of applied data analytics to mitigate virus spread, as well as to gain understanding from approaches taken by other states. The questions were designed so that comparisons among states can be made after all reviews are completed. The framework was conceived through collaboration from five states: Delaware, Florida, Mississippi, Ohio, and Pennsylvania with assistance from the National State Auditor’s Association. The portal is available on the Auditor of State’s website. Sprague Featured in NAST’s “Thought Leadership Thursday” Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague was recently featured in the National Association of State Treasurer’s “Thought Leadership Thursday” series. The weekly series features state treasurers across the country sharing their ideas and information about various initiatives in their respective states. Treasurer Sprague‘s column highlighted the importance of government transparency and detailed the recent collaboration between his office and the DeWine-Husted Administration to create the new OhioCheckbook.gov.
NAST Column: Building a More Transparent Future, Together
Kennedy Interviews with Hello Lima
Justice Sharon L. Kennedy rounds out another great week on the campaign trail, touching 8 counties. In between events in Ottawa, Allen, Trumbull, Licking, Medina, and Ashtabula, Sharon met with local business leaders in Morrow, knocked on doors in Cuyahoga, and enjoyed Sunday services at Greater Love Baptist Church and Cathedral Church of God in Christ both in Cleveland.
Before her event in Allen County, Sharon sat down with Jerome O’Neal, host of local program “Hello Lima”, to discuss the importance of the Supreme Court of Ohio and her work beyond the bench – the Lean Forward initiative that advances the treatment of veterans in the justice system.
“Ohio has the sixth largest veterans population in the United States. More than 1.9 million servicemembers have served in the sands of Iraq and Afghanistan. Many returning home are suffering from the invisible injuries of war such as traumatic brain injury, post traumatic stress, depression, and are self-medicating. The Lean Forward initiative engages education and training across systems so that criminal justice partners know what services are available to help us identify and treat veterans and the invisible wounds of war.”
Justice French: Campaign Trail
This is one of the best photos of the year from the campaign trail, capturing one of Judi’s favorite moments: a little girl named Mallory asking how to become a judge. You go, Mallory!
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