By Isabella Schreck
Many Summit County politicians have plenty to say about the controversial House GOP’s proposed budget, which would limit school districts’ carryover funds and help fund a new Cleveland Browns stadium, among other initiatives. 

The county’s own Jack K. Daniels (R-New Franklin), an Ohio State Representative, co-sponsored the bill. U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes and Ohio State Reps. Derrick Hall and Veronica Sims have all shared their opposition for the proposed budget, with Sykes calling the budget a “direct attack” on the middle class.  

In early February, the Ohio House of Representatives proposed House Bill 96, its version of a two-year state operating budget. 

If passed as is, this bill would:

Daniels and Portage County’s Steve Demetriou co-sponsored the budget, and Ohio State Rep. Bill Roemer (R-Richfield) voted in favor of the proposal.  

Ohio State Reps. Hall (D-Akron) and Sims (D-Akron) each voted against it. 

“I cannot support a budget that doesn’t support Ohioans,” Hall said in a press release. “I cannot support a budget that doesn’t support public education, libraries, access to healthcare and a budget that fails to provide direct property tax relief. We must fight to do better than this.”

In her own press release, Sims said that with the budget, the government is “now waging war on the poor.”

The bill passed through the House April 9 and, as of April 28, awaits a decision in the Senate.

In April, Roemer introduced House Bill 210, his first piece of legislation in nearly two months. The bill would create consequences for a person or business selling a stolen catalytic converter, specifically making the sale for a stolen converter a fifth-degree felony.

Roegner brought forth two bills since March 28 that have since been moved to committee. 

Her Senate Bill 172 would prohibit public officials or offices from interfering if law enforcement arrests, detains or questions the immigration status of an illegal immigrant. Senate Bill 170 would allow a manufacturer that operates within an eligible facility and follows all federal regulations to offer investigational treatments (meaning treatments not yet approved by the FDA) to eligible patients that request it.

Sykes brought forth H.R.2898 April 10. This bill would add a permanent lookback provision to the Earned Income Credit, which provides a refundable tax credit to workers, specifically those with children, who earn low-to-moderate income. 

None of these bills have been passed as of April 28.

Sykes voted in support of several bills in April, including the Prioritizing Veterans' Survivors Act, which would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to work with a federally funded center to quickly address applicants for VA benefits. This passed the House and remains in the Senate. She also backed the Filing Relief for Natural Disasters Act that would allow the IRS to postpone federal tax deadlines, upon request of their state governor, for people affected by a natural state-declared disaster that causes severe harm. This passed the House 388-0 and currently is in the Senate as of April 28.

Sykes voted against the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require people to provide proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote. The bill passed the House 220-208 and now sits in the Senate. 

She also voted against the No Rogue Rulings Act (NORRA), which aims to limit the power the federal district courts have to issue injunctions. This passed the House 219-213 and sits in the Senate.

On April 2, Daniels announced he created and will chair the Ohio Trucking Caucus. 

“The trucking industry affects most lives in the state of Ohio, and I am honored to be able to create and chair the state’s first Trucking Caucus,” Daniels wrote in a press release. “I am excited to see what this coalition will be able to accomplish not only during this General Assembly, but for many more to come!” 

Many of Summit County’s public servants completed some form of community work in April.  

Roegner met with school superintendents and treasurers April 23 and attended an April 17 meeting at the City Club of Cleveland where people discussed higher education after the passing of Senate Bill 1, a recent law the congresswoman supports that eliminates diversity, equity and inclusion programs in colleges, among other initiatives.

Sykes was active in her hometown of Akron in April. During the month, she hosted an art show and award ceremony for high school students who competed in the U.S. House of Representatives’ nationwide art competition, talked with students and alumni at her alma mater Our Lady of the Elms high school and attended the groundbreaking of the Akron Zoo’s new veterinarian hospital and opening day for the Akron RubberDucks. (Roemer also attended the Akron Zoo groundbreaking.)

The congresswoman also spoke to the Akron Rotary Club about federal legislation and met with the Akron NAACP to discuss Project 2025, a right-wing initiative that would reorganize the government toward more Republican-forward ideals.

In Washington D.C., Sykes spoke on the congressional floor, supporting the addition of a Women’s History Museum on Washington’s National Mall. 

In early April, Joyce met with representatives from University Hospitals to address the country's nursing shortage. This follows a bill Joyce proposed in February called the ​​Improving Care and Access to Nurses (I CAN) Act, which aimed to increase nurses’ abilities to practice medicine in certain settings. This currently sits as introduced.   

Sykes, who has been vocal about her opposition to various initiatives within the current Trump administration like the president’s executive orders to dismantle the Department of Education and eliminate DEI in higher education, also wrote against Trump’s tariffs on X.   

“Americans are counting on public officials to lower costs, not raise them,” she wrote. “The Trump administration’s tariffs will raise costs on everything from groceries to housing to apparel. Tariffs can help spur American manufacturing, but blanket tariffs across the board will hurt the hard working people of #OH13.”

Roegner continued her support of governor-hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy, a former Republican candidate who ran for president during the 2024 primary elections. She also tweeted her congratulations for John Groce, head coach of the University of Akron Zips men’s basketball team, for winning the Hugh Durham Coach of the Year Award, an award handed to the top head head coach of a mid-major men’s basketball team. 

Groce, who also won the Mid-American Conference’s Coach of the Year award, led the Akron Zips to a second-consecutive MAC championship and a run in the March Madness Tournament.