Welcome to The Portager’s legislative round-up, which will regularly track what Portage County lawmakers are doing in Washington and in Columbus.
As tensions have begun to rise across the country following the inauguration of President Donald Trump, several Portage County senators and representatives have started to double down on partisan values, with the county’s sole Democrat against some of Trump’s initiatives and many of the Republican majority in support of the new president.
No representative (publicly) has been a stronger supporter of the country’s new Republican majority than Ohio State Sen. Kristina Roegner (R-Hudson), who serves all of Portage County and parts of western and northern Summit County. She announced her formal endorsement of Vivek Ramaswamy for Ohio governor in February – along with her candidacy for state treasurer.
Every Portage County representative introduced at least one piece of legislation in February, with U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce, a Republican serving all of Portage County in the 14th district, leading the pack.
Roegner in the state treasurer’s race
Roegner has become a loud supporter of Ohio gubernatorial candidate Ramaswamy, a 2024 Republican primary presidential candidate and former co-lead of Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency that is now headed by Elon Musk.
Current Gov. Mike DeWine is finishing his second term and cannot run again due to term limits. The election will be held Nov. 3, 2026. Ohio’s Attorney General Dave Yost and former president of the Morgan County School Board (southeast of Columbus) Heather Hill are the only other declared Republican candidates in the race so far. Amy Acton, who served as the state’s health director in the first three months of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 before abruptly resigning, has announced her plans to run on the Democrat side.
Ramaswamy, a Cincinnati native who was the youngest Republican presidential candidate, ran his presidential campaign with the promises to end birthright citizenship and have those under 24 and under pass a civics test to vote, among other ideas. He has also said he is against Roe v. Wade and is in favor abortion being left up to the states.
Roegner spoke about her faith in Ramaswamy at a rally Feb. 24.
“In order for Ohio to be No. 1, we need a leader that is bold, is innovative, has vision, is charismatic, is an unapologetic patriot – and that is who he is through and through,” Roegner said. “I met Vivek a little over two years ago … and when I listened to him speak, he spoke the truth boldly. He was so bold and brave, and he was right on. I’ve been watching him carefully since then, and he has not wavered, he has not faltered – if anything he is even stronger. We need him.”
Roegner announced her bid for state treasurer in mid-February. The state senator earned her MBA in finance and strategy from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business and currently serves as chair of the Higher Education Committee, vice chair of the Ways and Means Committee and chair of the General Government Committee.
She served as a state representative before becoming a state senator.
“I’m very proud of what we have accomplished, from lowering our state income taxes to common-sense regulatory reform. Together we’ve put Ohio on the right track …” Roegner said in a video on her campaign page. “The mission of the Ohio treasurer is to be the trust steward of Ohio’s treasury, a wise investor in Ohio’s future and bold innovator committed to improving people’s lives. That’s who I am at my core, and that is what I’ll do.”
Bills brought forth (from Jan. 23 to Feb. 24)
On Jan. 23, Ohio State Rep. Heidi Workman (R-Rootstown) was the primary sponsor of the first bill of her first congressional term, which began in January.
That was House Bill 14, which ensures Ohio tax law matches the protections made in the Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2023. She sponsored this bill along with Rep. Bill Roemer from Summit County.
The 2023 act provides tax relief for taxpayers harmed by federally declared disasters, such as wildfires or the East Palestine train derailment. Under this bill, those who received a settlement because of the East Palestine train derailment will not have to pay taxes on it. This bill was signed by the governor in early March.
Ohio State Rep. Steve Demetriou (R-Bainbridge Twp.), also working with Roemer, has reintroduced the E-Check Ease Act, which is included in the state’s transportation budget bill for fiscal years 2026 and 2027. This legislation, which sits in the House, would allow vehicle owners to comply with the state’s E-Check program, which requires those living in seven countries (Portage and Summit included) to complete an at-cost vehicle emissions test every two years, through a self-report form rather than the in-person test.
He also brought forth the Enact the Ohio Strategic Cryptocurrency Reserve Act, which would allow the state treasurer to invest up to 10% of certain state funds in cryptocurrency assets. It currently is in the House.
The state Senate passed Roegner’s first bill of the year Feb. 21.
Senate Bill 6, now in the House, would create “expedited appeals when contractors disagree with changes recommended by building inspectors,” according to a press release from the senator’s office. Under the bill, appeals would need to begin within one day of a request and a hearing must be held in five days. Boards deciding on appeals would then be able to meet virtually to further speed up the process.
Roegner also introduced Senate Bill 128, which discusses policy surrounding ABLE accounts, which provide tax-advantaged help for people with disabilities wanting to save and invest money. According to a copy of the legislation, there are little changes at stake if the bill is approved. This sits in the Senate committee.
The 13th district’s Democrat Emilia Sykes, a United States Representative serving western portions of the county, brought forth these bills:
- Stop Anti-Abortion Disinformation (SAD) Act: This bill would “to crack down on the use of misleading advertising and disinformation by crisis pregnancy centers.” According to the press release about the bill, crisis pregnancy centers, which aim to counsel pregnant women to not get an abortion, “often falsely and deliberately advertise themselves to potential clients as comprehensive reproductive health care providers.”
- Reducing Accidents in Locomotives (RAIL) Act: This act aims to improve train safety, requiring at least two people to be working on all railroads making more than $250 million, among other initiatives.
- Taxpayer Data Protection Act: Directly addressing Musk leading Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency, this would “stop people with conflicts of interest or without a security clearance from accessing the highly sensitive Treasury Department payment system,” which handles Medicare and Social Security.
All Sykes-backed bills currently still sit in the House.
Along with Joyce and two other congressional figures, Sykes also introduced the East Palestine Health Impact Monitoring Act of 2025, which would help fund a long-term study on the health impacts of the February 2023 train derailment. This sits in the House, as well.
Since the start of the year, Joyce, who has worked in Congress since 2013, has continued to introduce and reintroduce bills. The representative has brought forth the following, which all sit in the House:
- Protecting First Responders from Secondary Exposure Act of 2025: This would provide funding to state and local governments for buying devices that reverse drug overdoses, like Naloxone, and for training that would reduce first responders’ risks of lethal substance exposure.
- Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act of 2025: This would continue a program that would help prevent and monitor harmful algae in bodies of water.
- Higher Education Accountability Tax Act: This would require an increasing amount of qualifying universities to pay a 10% tax on endowment funds, a raise from the current 1.4% current tax. If a university increases its tuition rate more than the increased inflation rate, the tax would increase to 20%.
- Combating the Lies of Authoritarians in School Systems (CLASS) Act: This would ban K-12 public schools from receiving any funds from or forming contracts with the Chinese government or any entity related to the county.
- Great Lakes Gateways Network Act of 2025: This would allow the secretary of the interior to match grants to support the access to and education about the Great Lakes.
- Improving Care and Access to Nurses (I CAN) Act: This would “increase healthcare access, improve quality of care, and lower costs” by eliminating any barriers that would prohibit Advanced Practice Registered Nurses and nurse practitioners from practicing medicine in Medicare and Medicaid programs.
- Animal Cruelty Enforcement (ACE) Act: This would create an Animal Cruelty Crimes Section within the Department of Justice that would investigate and enforce punishment for animal cruelty crimes.
How they’ve voted
Joyce and Sykes have voted on over a dozen bills since the start of the year.
Both Joyce and Sykes both voted in favor of the HALT Fentanyl Act, which aims to classify fentanyl-related substances into a category of drug that has the highest potential for abuse within the federal government’s drug policy system.
Both politicians also supported the Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act, a bill that would prevent an illegal immigrant who flees from the country’s Border Patrol from ever legally becoming a U.S. citizen.
“The lawlessness at our southern border under the previous Administration has put our law enforcement and communities at risk,” Joyce tweeted Feb. 13. “I voted for the Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act on the House floor today to increase criminal penalties for engaging in high-speed vehicle chases with Border Patrol and other law enforcement partners.”
Joyce also supported the Protecting American Energy Production Act, which would prevent a president from banning hydraulic fracking. The congressman also supported the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which would penalize healthcare providers who do not “comply with the degree-of-care requirements” for children that remain alive outside the womb after an abortion or an abortion attempt.
Sykes voted against both acts.
As for state legislation, Roegner has been a very vocal supporter of the DEI-eliminating Senate Bill 1, which passed the Senate in February. She voted in favor of the bill, which is now in the House.
Senate Bill 1 would prevent higher education instructors from striking, eliminate tenure for faculty, prohibit schools from sharing positions on “controversial” topics and eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion training, offices and scholarships in Ohio higher education, in addition to other goals.
The chair of the Senate Higher Education Committee is a co-sponsor of the bill and spoke at a news conference Feb. 12.
“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 in a press release. “We want Ohio’s students to be educated, not indoctrinated.”
All bills mentioned have yet to be signed into law.
Committees
In February, Sykes announced she was elected to two caucuses, serving both in top leadership positions.
She is now co-chair of the Bipartisan Congressional Women’s Caucus, which has a “longstanding mission of advancing bipartisan policies that improve the lives of women, girls, and families across the country,” according to a Feb. 13 press release.
The congresswoman will also chair the nonpartisan Tariffs, Trade, and Strategic Competition Working Group in the Problem Solvers Caucus, where she will work with a group of Democrats and Republicans to ensure their communities are not harmed by “unfair trade efforts,” a release said.
As announced Jan. 31, Sykes will also maintain a vice-ranking position on the Transportation and Infrastructure committee and a ranking position on the Science, Space and Technology committee.
Community work
At the end of January and in early February, Sykes held meetings with elected officials and faith leaders across her district to discuss current issues, with many topics revolving around Trump’s recent executive orders.
As he shared on X, Demetriou met with two local college students, one from John Carroll University and the other from Kent State University, who are aspiring to enter politics in the future.
Taking stances on social media
Joyce, Sykes and Demetriou have been busy posting about their legislative efforts and community actions on X, along with sharing their thoughts on happenings that have come about since Trump’s inauguration.
Demetriou has, by far, led the county’s representatives in non-legislative-related posting, as he has shared more about his support for Trump, with one statement from him saying, “Donald Trump has done in 2 weeks, what Biden failed to do in 4 years. So refreshing to have real leadership back.”
In response to Trump ordering all federal DEI employees to be put on paid leave in late January, Demetriou celebrated the executive order, tweeting, “I wish these folks the best of luck, as many of them will now have to apply for a real job for the first time in their life!”
Along with congratulating the state’s newly-appointed Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel, the congressman also posted about his backing of recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in Northeast Ohio.
Demetriou said he was, “Proud of the work law enforcement at @GeaugaSheriff is doing to keep our communities secure and deport criminal illegal immigrants,” after Fox 8 published an article that said ICE detained 58 people in Geauga County. Later in February, he also tweeted that support of law enforcement and keeping cities safe was a top priority this year.
Sykes, in response to ICE spotted near an Akron elementary school, shared information on how community members, no matter their immigration status, can prepare themselves if they interact with these officials.
The congresswoman, who had also been highlighting important Black figures in history throughout the February for Black History Month, also praised her Democratic party, saying they were working to protect citizens from “cuts that Trump, Musk & DOGE are making to essential services.”
In February, Joyce said he “unequivocally” supports Israel amidst Hamas’ “barbarism,” and like Demetriou, also congratulated Tressel on his appointment.
At the end of January, the representative shared his optimism for Trump’s second term.
“As we look at the next 4 years, I am excited to work with President Trump, Ohio’s own J.D. Vance, and the Trump Administration to deliver the results the American people deserve,” he wrote.
