Summit County legislators introduce bills, secure funding, and weigh in on Senate Bill 1

February 13, 2025

The Ohio Statehouse. Photo by Joe Deptowicz

By Isabella Schreck

The Summiteer

Nearly all of the state and federal representatives serving Summit County have brought forth legislation since the start of the new congressional session Jan. 3, and some have begun to discuss the state’s controversial higher education-focused Senate Bill 1.

U.S. Rep. Democrat Emilia Sykes, who serves the county’s 13th district, has introduced two acts as of Jan. 25.

Summit County’s Ohio State Rep. Bill Roemer (R-Richfield), Sen. Kristina Roegner (R-Hudson) and Rep. Jack Daniels (R-New Franklin) have each sponsored at least one bill in that time.

Reps. Veronica Sims (D-Akron) and newly elected Derrick Hall (D), along with Ohio State Sen. Casey Weinstein (D-Hudson), had yet to introduce any bills.

Bills brought forth

All bills not made law by the end of last year became dead and had to be reintroduced.

Daniels, who took office in April 2024, reintroduced House Bill 10, which would require a local authority to create a policy that would prevent the purchase of meat, egg or plant-based products that are misbranded. A product would be misbranded if lab-created or fake meat and egg products contain prominent terms that could mislead the public, such as the word “wing” appearing on imitation chicken packaging.

According to a press release, Sykes, now in her second term, reintroduced the Lower Your Taxes Act to “crack down on corporate greed and grow the middle class.” The act would bring the corporate income tax rate back up to 28% from its current 21% and increase the tax credit given to parents with qualifying children, among other efforts.

Along with Republican Dave Joyce, who serves all of Portage County, Sykes also helped bring back the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act, which would raise and direct funding in testing and monitoring efforts related to contamination in the Great Lakes and other bodies of water.

This year, Roegner has cosponsored legislation that hopes to phase down Ohio’s income tax to a flat 2.75% rate and Senate Bill 1, a reintroduction of Senate Bill 83 that aims to eliminate DEI in higher education, among other goals.

The state senator also saw some success at the start of the year, when Gov. Mike DeWine signed her Senate Bill 208, which allows students with parents in active military duty to join a public school in the middle of the school year, and Senate Bill 211, which entered Ohio into the Dietitian Licensure Compact, allowing dieticians in the state to practice in other states that are also members of the compact.

Funding announcements

The city of Akron, Summit County and the University of Akron are set to receive upwards of several million dollars in federal funding, as announced at the start of this new congressional session.

As shared in January by Sykes, $10 million of federal funds was intended to go toward the Akron Innerbelt Project in an effort for the city to “strategically rectify its missteps.” According to Sykes’ press release, innerbelt construction started in 1970 with the goal to build a four-mile, six-lane highway through central Akron.

“Prior to the construction, the area was a vibrant community that was home to many families of color,” the release states. “The project resulted in the displacement of many of these families, in addition to businesses. Currently, just over 11 of the 40 acres of highway are in use. The City of Akron is now working with community members to redevelop the decommissioned areas.”

Sykes also announced $1.64 million will go toward manufacturing products and procedure improvements at the University of Akron, and $3 million will go to the Greater Akron Chamber to further training in the city’s polymer industry.

Sims also made several announcements in January about the state providing funds to Summit County. Here is what the county is expected to receive:

$8.3 million will go to the University of Akron for main campus renovation
$4.5 million will go toward hardware replacements at the University of Akron
$1.05 million is for Developmental Disabilities Housing Projects to help create and maintain living spaces for people needing specified care
$500,000 will be used for campus security at the University of Akron
$500,000 will go toward phase two of forming the Rubber City Heritage Trail, which will connect Akron, East Akron, Middlebury and Firestone Park
$1.2 million will help phase two of the Mill Pond Mud Brook trail in Cuyahoga Falls, which will support the construction of boardwalks, a bridge and the trail
$322,501 will go toward phase three of the Spartan Trail in Springfield Township, which will extend the trail on Canfield Road

Senate Bill 1

Senate Bill 1, reintroduced to the Ohio legislature with a new number Jan. 22, would prohibit schools from sharing positions on “controversial” topics and instructors from telling students what they should think about such topics. It would also remove faculty’s ability to strike and ban diversity, equity and inclusion training, offices and scholarships in Ohio higher education, in addition to other goals.

Last congressional session, this legislation was called Senate Bill 83, and as reported by multiple media outlets, it faced pushback from students and faculty across the state.

Roegner is one of the bill’s cosponsors and stated her support of the legislation in a release Jan. 22.

“I am committed to ensuring that our universities are offering the highest caliber education, where students are able to reach their full intellectual potential, where research and critical thinking are promoted, free speech is encouraged, where innovation is nurtured, and performance is rewarded,” she said. “To be the best, we must be a meritocracy. We want Ohio’s students to be educated … not indoctrinated.”

Weinstein, who had previously served as an Ohio State Representative since 2018 before being elected to as a state senator in November 2024, condemned the introduction of this bill, according in a Jan. 22 press release, stating the legislation is a “distraction” that would halt academic freedom in higher education and diminish Ohio’s economic competitiveness.

“Senate Bill 1 is a misguided attempt to micromanage higher education in Ohio, imposing unnecessary restrictions on our universities, faculty, and students,” said Weinstein. “This bill is not about promoting free speech, it’s about silencing diverse perspectives and allowing harmful misinformation, like Holocaust denial, to be presented as legitimate discourse. This bill undermines the integrity of Ohio’s educational system and jeopardizes critical thinking in our classrooms.”

How they’ve voted

The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025, one of the first bills introduced this year, would ban transgender women and girls from participating in school athletic programs that “are for women and girls.”

The House passed it on Jan. 14, and it now sits in the Senate. Sykes voted against the bill.

In response to the murder of Laken Riley, a Georgia college student killed in February 2024 by an immigrant who had a criminal record, the Laken Riley Act was reintroduced this congressional session and has already been signed by President Donald Trump. According to the bill’s language, it would require the Department of Homeland Security to “detain certain non-U.S. nationals (aliens under federal law) who have been arrested for burglary, theft, larceny or shoplifting.” Sykes voted in favor of the bill.

Sykes also voted in favor of the Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act, which, among other items, would ban immigrants who have committed acts “constituting the essential elements of” stalking, child abuse, sex offenses and domestic violence from being admitted into the country. This bill passed through the House Jan. 16 and now sits in the Senate.

Community work

Sykes launched her Valentines for Vets Program Jan. 14, encouraging K-12 students in her district to make cards for local veterans. The congresswoman has also started a Veterans History Project with the Library of Congress, where she will help make first-hand artifacts from U.S. veterans accessible.

On Jan. 17, Sims posted a statement following the release of Jazmir Tucker’s autopsy report, which showed he was killed by a bullet to the heart. Tucker was a 15-year-old shot and killed by Akron police on Thanksgiving in 2024 during an incident in the city. Sims said the findings and bodycam footage are “deeply disturbing.”

“We cannot afford to allow more families and communities like Jazmir’s to suffer through the indescribable trauma these incidents inflict,” she said.

Taking stances on social media

Out of all the state and federal politicians serving Summit County, Sykes, by far, has had the greatest presence on social media so far this year.

Along with celebrating the 100th anniversary of the inaugural flight of the Goodyear blimp, thanking local veterans for their support in her Valentines for Vets program and praising Medicare for lowering drug costs for seniors, the congresswoman has also shared her stances on several partisan issues.

In Washington D.C., as electors cast their votes for president on Jan. 6, Sykes commented on Trump’s electoral win, with a reminder about the insurrection incited in 2020. “The peaceful transition of power is an American tradition that was nearly uprooted four years ago. This election certification will symbolize the first step of upholding democratic norms and working for all Americans,” she tweeted.

On Jan. 22, Sykes tweeted, “Today marks what should be the 52nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade. But, 2.5 years ago, Republicans stripped away women's right to reproductive healthcare. Women are now being denied care, putting their lives at risk. We must keep fighting to restore Roe. #abortionishealthcare.”

On the other side of the aisle, Roegner posted a copy of Trump’s new presidential headshot with the caption “01/20/2025 = Liberation Day. Welcome back Mr. President.” This marked her first post of the new year.