 I am greatly honored to represent Ohio's 80th House District, covering Miami and southern Darke counties. If you are ever in Columbus, please feel free to call and schedule a visit at The People's Office of District 80.
Promoting Data Center Protections
I voted in support of House Bill 646 – legislation establishing the Ohio Data Center Study Commission.
This bill is in response to the rapid growth of data centers in Ohio and the many unanswered questions regarding their development. Key concerns include the use of agricultural land, noise pollution, water use and disposal, energy demand, national security, and much more. According to some estimates, roughly 200 data centers are operating in Ohio, and additional facilities are being proposed.
We must make sure to house data centers in the U.S. for national security reasons. But we also must make sure Ohioans are not subsidizing the massive consumption of power and water. We need to remind data companies that Ohio should not be home to all their centers; let’s put more of them out in the desert instead of on our precious farmland.
House Bill 646 would do the following:
- Create the Data Center Study Commission within the Department of Development, with members appointed by the Governor, Speaker of the House, and President of the Senate, that meet certain criteria
- Require the Commission to examine various topics regarding data centers
- Require the Commission to submit a report of its findings and any legislative recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly not more than six months after the bill’s effective date
If enacted, the first Commission meeting must occur 45 days after the bill’s effective date.
House Bill 646 now heads to the Ohio Senate for consideration
Promoting Obscene Material Protections
I voted in support of House Bill 84 – the Innocence Act – legislation that will help protect Ohio children from accessing online materials that are obscene or harmful to juveniles.
The Innocence Act aims to shield Ohio’s youth from being exposed to adult content by requiring any entity that publishes obscene or harmful content online to verify the age of its users. The bill also establishes criminal penalties for deep fake pornography where a person’s image or likeness is used in sexual imagery or videos without their consent, allowing prosecutors to bring charges against anyone who superimposes another person’s likeness into sexually explicit content.
If enacted, House Bill 84 would do the following:
- Require any entity that sells, delivers, furnishes, disseminates, provides, exhibits, or presents any material or performance that is obscene or harmful to juveniles to perform a geolocation check on all users
- Require a covered entity to submit an affidavit to the Attorney General stating its compliance with these age verification requirements
- Allow the Attorney General to investigate reasonable allegations of violation of the age verification requirements, and endow the Attorney General with exclusive enforcement authority for these age verification requirements
- Enable the Attorney General to pursue civil penalties of up to $100,000 for each day that a covered entity fails to comply with these age verification requirements
House Bill 84 now moves to the Ohio Senate for further consideration.
Promoting Vehicular Homicide Protections
I voted in support of House Bill 533 – legislation to include the operation of motorized bicycles, golf carts, mopeds, and motor scooters under the definitions for vehicular assault and vehicular homicide in Ohio law.
While these vehicles can legally operate on municipal roadways around the state, they do not qualify under the current statute for vehicular homicide and assault. Under current law, these sections are primarily limited to motor vehicles, motorcycles, and a limited list of other vehicles. HB 533 corrects this deficiency.
House Bill 533 now heads to the Senate for further consideration.
Promoting STEM and Robotics Education
 Attending Ohio’s statewide robotics competition at Troy’s Hobart Arena was an opportunity to appreciate how our schools are equipping students with the competitive edge they will need to shape the future of technological innovation and national defense. Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is a major force leading the way for students in our region. Next, these students will compete at the international level in Houston, Texas.
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