Legislative update: Politicians talk House GOP budget, Demetriou runs for Ohio Senate

Ohio State Rep. Steve Demetriou (R-Bainbridge Twp.) is now engaged with a new opportunity, announcing he will run for Ohio Senate in the November 2026 special election.

Demetriou, now in his second term as a state representative, serves on the Development, Small Business, Technology and Innovation, and Ways and Means committees. He is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and served in Afghanistan with the Army.

“I’m running for the Ohio Senate to continue fighting for Northeast Ohio and our shared conservative values,” the congressman wrote on X April 10. “My time as a West Point cadet and Army infantry officer taught me the importance of servant leadership; I’ve brought that approach to the Ohio House in order to lower taxes and the cost of living, make our government more efficient, and empower parents in the education of their children.”

The 2026 special election is being held because of JD Vance’s move from U.S. senator to U.S. vice president after President Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Ohio State Sen. Kristina Roegner (R-Hudson), who serves all of Portage County and parts of western and northern Summit County, is another Portage County politician campaigning for a new position. In February, she announced her run for state treasurer.

During April, four Portage County politicians also brought forth bills down at the Ohio statehouse and in Washington D.C.

Thoughts on the GOP’s proposed state budget

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:

• Limit K-12 school districts to only receive 30% of their carryover budget year to year. Additional leftover funds would be returned to the public, through a property tax reduction. According to the Ohio House of Representatives official website, property tax relief would total $4 billion statewide.
  
• Increase pay for township officials, justices and judges, from 1.75% to 5% annually through 2029
  
• Raise the motor vehicle registration and renewal fee by $5
  
• Increase funding for private school vouchers by $500 million
  
• Allow the state treasurer’s office to issue $600 million in bonds, which would come from increased tax revenue, to help finance part of a new, domed Cleveland Browns stadium to be built in Brook Park
  
• Require school districts to allow for up to two hours a week of release time for religious courses for each student
  
• Allocate an additional $207.6 million for public school funding for 2026-27 school year and an additional $347.6 million for the 2027-28 school year

Demetriou and Summit County’s Jack K. Daniels co-sponsored the budget, and Rep. Heidi Workman (R-Rootstown) voted in favor of it.

“Ohioans made it clear – they want real property tax relief, and House Bill 96 delivers,” Demetriou wrote on X April 9. “This bill answers the call of voters with the largest tax cut in Ohio history, returning $4.2 billion to homeowners and making sure families can afford to stay in their communities. It’s a bold step toward restoring balance and fairness in our property tax system.”

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

Bills brought forth (from March 28 to April 23)

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.

On April 1, Workman (R-Rootstown) introduced House Bill 220, which would add language that would require greater details on the appeals process and on prior authorization for covered medications and provide additional information for greater clarity to a previously-passed piece of legislation about Medicaid and health insurance coverage. This sits in a House committee as of April 26.

In Washington D.C., U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce introduced several bills in April. All of the pieces of legislation he has brought forth since the start of this congressional session sit as introduced, including these newest proposals:

• Preparing Regulators Effectively for a Post-Prohibition Adult Use Regulated Environment (PREPARE) Act: This bill aims to prepare the federal government for when cannabis becomes federally legal. As of April 26, the legality of cannabis usage and production varies state to state. The PREPARE Act would have federal regulators develop a regulatory and revenue framework to “ensure safe production and consumption of cannabis,” according to Joyce’s website.
  
• Strengthening the Tenth Amendment Through Entrusting States (STATES) 2.0 Act: This aims to remove marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act, a law which first passed in 1970 that is a legal foundation detailing legal and illegal drug use under the federal government. This would leave this regulatory responsibility up to the states. Majiuana would need to be regulated by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau and the Food and Drug Administration.
  
• Combating Organized Retail Crime Act: This would establish an Organized Retail and Supply Chain Crime Coordination Center within the Department of Homeland Security to crack down on theft and other crimes toward retail and chain supply stores.

U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes (D-Akron) 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.

Demetriou did not bring forth any legislation as of April 26, and no bills from Portage County politicians became law in April.

How they’ve voted

On the federal level, Sykes and Joyce slightly differed in their voting records during April, with Joyce voting “Yes” on every piece of legislation brought his way during the month.

The pair both voted in support of 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 as of April 28. They 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. Joyce voted in favor of the bill, which passed the House 220-208 and now sits in the Senate.

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

Committees

Joyce announced he will serve as co-chair of the Congressional Croatian Caucus. Over 15,000 Croatian Americans live in Northeast Ohio, he wrote on X.

Community work

Nearly all of Portage 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-related programs in colleges, among other initiatives.

As for Demetriou, the Ohio Senate hopeful met with members of the College Republicans April 22 at the University of Akron, tweeting out, “The future looks bright for Northeast Ohio.” In April, he also met with local treasurers and leaders within the Fraternal Order of Police.

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.

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.

Sharing stances on social media

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.”

In recent weeks, Trump has also announced the United States would potentially retaliate against Iran if the country does not follow through with a nuclear deal that would prevent an increased development of nuclear weapons in Iran, according to multiple news publications.

Joyce, who has supported much of the Trump administration’s actions during this new term, said he spoke with the Republican Study Committee about his support of “applying maximum pressure on the Iranian regime.”

“For decades, Iran has been the predominant state sponsor of terrorism in the world,” Joyce wrote on X April 1.