Governor DeWine pointing out the
evacuation zone during a press conference to update residents on the
derailment.
On Monday, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine traveled to East Palestine to
meet with local officials and emergency responders following the
derailment of a Norfolk Southern Railway train. Governor DeWine
activated the Ohio National Guard and sent personnel from the Ohio
State Highway Patrol to assist local authorities. Governor DeWine
conducted a press conference urging residents within a 1-mile by
2-mile area surrounding East Palestine to evacuate while the
railroad company conducted a controlled release of chemicals from
the rail cars.
Also on Monday, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT)
announced applications for funding to develop and implement projects
that enable and encourage children to safely walk or bike to school
are open.
ODOT’s Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program is funded at $5 million
annually, a $1 million increase from last year. It provides funding
for infrastructure improvements such as pedestrian and bicycle
crossing improvements, new or improved sidewalks, and bike racks. It
also helps fund non-infrastructure activities such as walk to school
days, bike rodeos, public awareness campaigns, and educational
programs.
“Ensuring that Ohio children get to school safely by walking and
biking is just as important as ensuring safe travels in a school bus
or car,” said Governor Mike DeWine. “The additional funding provided
to this program will allow more communities and schools to make
routes between home and school safe, convenient, and accessible.”
Lastly on Monday, Governor DeWine released Ohio’s Comprehensive
School Safety Framework that outlines recommended strategies that
schools can use toward creating physically and emotionally safe
environments for students.
“There is nothing more important than the well-being of our kids,
and this framework outlines strategies that schools can implement to
help ensure a safe learning environment and positive school
climate,” Governor DeWine said.
Governor DeWine at the new Franklin County
Crisis Care Center groundbreaking
On Tuesday, Governor DeWine attended the groundbreaking for the new
Franklin County Crisis Care Center. In alignment with Governor
DeWine's mental health initiatives, the center is a communitywide
investment that will serve adults and their families with a full
array of services to support individuals with both mental health and
substance use disorders.
On Wednesday, Lt. Governor Jon Husted rolled out his proposal that
would require certain online companies to obtain verifiable parental
consent to contractual terms of service before permitting kids under
the age of 16 to use their platforms.
You can find more information and a fact sheet here.
Also on Wednesday, Lt. Governor Husted attended the Dayton
Development Coalition's (DDC) Annual Meeting where he received the
“Maureen Patterson Regional Leader Award,” which honors
extraordinary leaders in the community who advocate for the
community’s economic health and growth.
Also on Wednesday, Lt. Governor Husted provided remarks at the grand
opening celebration for the Sierra Nevada Corporation’s new hangar
at the Dayton International Airport.
Governor DeWine receiving updates on the derailment before
announcing that residents could return home safely
Finally on Wednesday, Governor DeWine, Pennsylvania Governor Josh
Shapiro, East Palestine Fire Chief and Incident Commander Keith
Drabick, and local, state, and federal officials representing both
states announced that evacuated residents in and around East
Palestine could safely return home.
On Thursday, Lt. Governor Husted gave remarks at
the Ohio Association for Career Technical Education and Ohio
Association for Career Technical Superintendents Legislative
Seminar. During his speech, he highlighted the Career Tech proposal
in the executive version of the state operating budget.
Also on Thursday, Lt. Governor Husted traveled to Mansfield to meet
with the Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development to discuss
items in the executive budget related to TechCred, the Common Sense
Initiative (CSI), the All Ohio Future Fund, and more.
Lastly on Thursday, the Ohio Department of Development announced
that $10 million in grant funding remains available to support
minority- and women-owned Ohio businesses grow and expand their
operations.
The Women's Business Enterprise Loan Program and Ohio Micro- Loan
Program are priority initiatives of the DeWine-Husted Administration
and were included in the 2022-2023 operating budget, which was
passed in by the Ohio General Assembly in June 2021.
On Friday, Lt. Governor Husted discussed his proposed Social Media
Parental Notification Act with WSNY-94.7 FM.
"Social media companies are making billions from products that can
be very harmful to our kids, and we need to give parents more tools
to protect their children," he said.
Also on Friday, the Ohio Department of Education recognized National
School Counseling Week.
"With a role that supports students in so many ways, we thank school
counselors for elevating school communities as they encourage
students to reach their God-given potential," Governor DeWine said.
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