State Legislature Must Move on Education, Economy, & Healthcare

Yesterday, Governor Mike DeWine delivered his annual address to a joint session of the Ohio General Assembly and laid out his agenda and vision for our great state. 

Latino Grassroots Org Urges For Action

Lair Marin-Marcum, Strategic Director for The LIBRE Initiative in Ohio, released the following statement:

“For Latinos, and all Americans, across the Buckeye state a future rich in educational choice, economic opportunity, and healthcare options is a top priority. Hardworking families and individuals in our state expect our elected officials, from the governor to state legislators, to work on policies that remove barriers and empower us to work toward our American dream.

This is we why welcome Gov. DeWine’s agenda of expanding educational options with measures that empower families and students with more – all while pursuing policies that empower families with more choice and options in their health care. We applaud his agenda of creating greater economic competitiveness and urge him to focus on eliminating barriers to economic opportunity and not top-down programs to be run out of Columbus.

Our organization stands ready to mobilize our community during this session to champion good solutions and fight against bad ones.”

Policy Background:

In education we should:  

• Pass Backpack Bill SB11 to fund students, not systems.
• Reduce restrictions on open enrollment so Ohioans have access to public schools that best serve their children’s needs.

In Health care we should:

• Full practice authority reform for APRN (Advance Practice Registered Nurses).
• Engage with the Ohio Hispanic Nurses Association to drive policy that benefits them and the people they serve.
• Pursue personal option model of healthcare to ensure greater affordability and accessibility to Hispanic Ohioans

On the Economy:

• Ensure red tape reduction & occupational licensing reciprocity legislation is fully enacted by the executive branch.
• Continue this positive work by advancing legislation to right size licensure & training requirements for all professions
• Provide resources for the community to understand the importance of responsible budgeting at the federal level

Lair Marin-Marcum:

Before taking on the Strategic Director role for The LIBRE Initiative-Ohio, Lair worked for the state of Ohio for over 13 years, first as the State Community Liaison for the Ohio Latino Affairs Commission and then as a State Regional Outreach & Hispanic Community Manager for the Ohio Department of Transportation.

LIBRE:

The LIBRE Initiative is a national organization dedicated to empowering the Hispanic community to reach their full potential by promoting and fighting for freedom-oriented solutions at the state and federal level. We leverage the strengths of our community to transform lives and policies by partnering with community leaders, activists, faith groups, and entrepreneurs to drive legislation that breaks down barriers to opportunity.