With the passing of Ohio’s controversial Senate Bill 1, President Donald Trump’s continued executive orders and the age-old partisan divide, Portage County politicians didn’t let up in the statehouse or on social media in March.
U.S. Rep. Democrat Emilia Sykes proposed the most bills, while Ohio State Sen. Republican Kristina Roegner continued her support of governor-hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy and Senate Bill 1.
With the start of her first term in January, Ohio State Rep. Heidi Workman (R-Rootstown) has had her first piece of legislation signed into law. U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce, a Republican serving all of Portage County, and Ohio State Rep. Steve Demetriou (R-Bainbridge Twp.) did not bring forth any new bills, nor had any of their previous pieces of legislation moved forward as of March 30.
Senate Bill 1: Reactions, affects
Gov. Mike DeWine, in his last term as governor, signed the diversity, equity and inclusion-banning, strike-preventing Senate Bill 1 into law March 28. This legislation will affect all public higher education in the state.
The bill was introduced Jan. 22 and was passed by the House (59-34) March 19. The Senate approved it 20-11 March 26.
The bill eliminates any DEI-related programming and training, lessens protections for tenured faculty, bans faculty from striking and says that colleges and universities cannot take stances on “controversial” topics, such as abortion or climate change. Noncompliance could result in a loss of state funding.
Roegner, chair of the Senate Higher Education Committee, was a co-sponsor of the reintroduced bill. The legislation was named Senate Bill 83 last congressional session.
“As chair, 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,” Roegner said in a press release. “We want Ohio’s students to be educated, not indoctrinated.”
Throughout SB1’s legislative process, Workman has also been a supporter of the controversial bill. After the Senate passed the legislation, she tweeted “RIP DEI in Ohio!”
Similar moves to eliminate DEI have also been discussed on the federal level.
Roegner backed Trump’s executive order to end all DEI programming in nearly all sectors. She responded “well said!” to the following post about a Senate-floor speech from Ohio State Rep. Gary Click (R-Vickery):
“If what I had growing up is white privilege, I want a refund! DEI flips the script on MLK’s dream that his children would be judged by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin. It is time for D.E.I to D.I.E. #SB1 #FloorSpeech,” Click said.
Bills brought forth (from Feb. 25 to March 28)
Roegner, who announced her run for Ohio treasurer in February, brought forth a resolution in March in support of moving NASA’s headquarters to Cleveland after its lease in Washington is up in 2028. “Ohio is the birthplace of aviation,” the resolution read.
According to a Cleveland 19 article posted March 26, NASA confirmed to the station it does not have plans to move its headquarters.
On March 7, DeWine signed Workman’s House Bill 14, which ensures Ohio tax law matches the protections made in the Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2023. Rep. Bill Roemer from Summit County co-sponsored this legislation, which was introduced Jan. 23.
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.
Sykes continued her streak from last month and introduced multiple bills to Congress. The following sit in the House as of March 29:
- Feed Our Families Act of 2025: This would allow families who rely on the federal government-funded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to continue receiving benefits up to three months after a government shutdown.
- INFANTS Act: This would require the Department of Health and Human Services and the FDA to require nutrition testing for baby formula.
- Reaffirming Emergency Abortion Care for All Resolution: This resolution supports the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) of 1986, which states that all people should have access to emergency healthcare services regardless if they are able to pay for it. Sykes stated abortion should fall into that protection.
- Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act: This would protect workers’ rights to unionize and hold “fair” elections, according to a press release.
- Pay Our Military Act: This would ensure those serving the United States would get paid during a government shutdown.
- Healthy Food Access for All Americans Act: This legislation’s goal would be to have food providers bring their services to areas experiencing food deserts.
Joyce did not bring forth any pieces of legislation in March, and no other bills have been made law by Portage County representatives other than House Bill 14.
How they’ve voted
Each month, Sykes and Joyce vote on pieces of legislation in Washington, D.C.
Though much of their voting records do differ, the Democrat and Republican did each vote “Yes” to the following homeland security-related bills:
- Subterranean Border Defense Act: With this, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) would need to submit an annual report about its prevention of illegal cross-border tunnel operations.
- Research Security and Accountability in DHS Act: Under this bill, the science and technology directorate in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) would need to have a set policy to protect private information and research related to homeland security.
- Emerging Innovative Border Technologies Act: This would require CBP and the science and technology directorate of the DHS to develop a plan to incorporate “innovative technologies” in border security.
Sykes also voted in favor of the Pandemic Unemployment Fraud Enforcement Act, which would extend the statute of limitations for fraud for the Coronavirus Relief Act and other unemployment programs. She also voted “Yes” to the Cost-Share Accountability Act of 2025, which would require the new Department of Energy to report its work, and the DOE and USDA Interagency Research Act, which would require the Department of Energy and the Department of Agriculture to work together for greater research.
Joyce did not vote “Yes” or “No” for those matters.
All the bills mentioned have yet to be signed into law as of March 29.
Committees
On March 6, Sykes released a press statement that said she was named chair of the Housing Task Force of the Democrat’s Housing, Infrastructure, & Transportation Working Group, which “will play a pivotal role in ensuring that our communities have access to affordable, safe housing.”
Joyce announced March 21 that he, along with three other politicians, will serve as a co-chair of the newly-relaunched House Manufacturing Caucus. Last legislative session, Joyce also held this same position.
Community work
Joyce and Sykes were out with their constituents this month, in addition to holding their regular phone-in town hall sessions.
Joyce met with members of the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber March 5, discussing how to create more jobs and help businesses thrive in the area, as he documented on X. Going along with the various legislation he has introduced this year regarding Great Lakes preservation, the congressman spoke with local officials at the 2025 Great Lakes Congressional Breakfast Reception March 6.
Sykes also updated her X account with her newest community engagements. She flipped pancakes with members of the Summit County Farm Bureau at their annual Farmers’ Share Breakfast March 11, and alongside Ohio State Sen. Casey Weinstein from Summit County, met with people across their district to “make their voices heard” at their own “Community Conversation” event March 18 in Akron.
Taking stances on social media
Roegner, who endorsed Republican Ramaswamy for Ohio governor in February, has continued to praise him on her social media throughout March. She stated on X that she had never endorsed a candidate in a gubernatorial primary before.
Cincinnati-native Ramaswamy became the youngest Republican primary presidential candidate ever in 2024. He stood out during that election for stating he wanted to require voters 24 and under pass a civics test to vote.
In the gubernatorial race, he has expressed his goal of eliminating Ohio’s state income tax, among other initiatives. Roegner retweeted a March 10 post about eliminating state income tax from the governor hopeful.
“I am proud of the progress we have made in Ohio but to make Ohio the very best state in the nation – a state of excellence- we need bold leadership which is why I endorsed @VivekGRamaswamy to be Ohio’s next governor,” she wrote on X March 15.
Roegner also shared her support for initiatives DeWine has been in favor of, including banning cellphones in Ohio schools and creating plans to promote fitness in schools. In May 2024, DeWine had signed House Bill 250, which required all Ohio school districts to create a cell phone policy that would help eliminate phone usage during school hours.
DeWine’s second term ends in 2027, and the gubernatorial election will be held Nov. 3, 2026.
In addition to celebrating Medal of Honor day on his X account, Joyce met with U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, who was appointed into the position by DeWine after J.D. Vance assumed the role of vice president.
He also tweeted his continued belief in Trump March 4.
“President Trump laid out his vision to put America first for the next four years,” he said. “I look forward to working with President Trump and his administration to deliver results for the people of OH-14.”
In response to the president’s March 19 executive order to dismantle the Department of Education, Sykes tweeted out her fervent opposition to the move.
“What the president is attempting to do is take away invaluable resources from kids in #OH13 and across the country,” she wrote.
She has also commented on the Trump Administration’s plans to lay off over 80,000 workers in the Department of Veterans Affairs, attending a protest of this plan outside the Akron VA Clinic.
In another community-political involvement, Sykes joined the National Association of Letter Carriers March 25 against the Trump administration’s recent announcement of potential plans to privatize the United State Postal Service.
On March 27, the congresswoman responded to members of Trump’s administration accidentally adding the editor of The Atlantic into a conversation about a planned attack in Yemen on a messaging app’s group chat earlier in March. The situation has brought forth questions and concerns about the state of the U.S.’ national security, though no disciplinary actions have taken place.
“The fact Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth disclosed information that should have been classified in a group chat is horrifying,” she wrote on X. “By doing so, he put American soldiers’ lives at risk. These are people’s parents, siblings, aunts and uncles, and friends, and their lives should be treated with more respect.”
