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.

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.

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.