Senator Antonio Commends Passage Of Transportation Budget
Senator Antonio speaks on the floor of the Ohio Senate.
Last week, the state’s transportation budget, House Bill 74, was passed unanimously by the Ohio Senate and concurred by the Ohio House of Representatives. As the highest ranking Democrat on the Transportation Committee, I am pleased to have participated in this bipartisan process that will fix Ohio’s roads and bridges, keep public transit as a priority and move Ohio into the 21st Century with regard to electric vehicle supports.
H. B. 74 includes almost $6 billion over the biennium to fix Ohio’s roads and bridges, adds an additional $70 million per year over the Governor’s budget for public transportation as well as $8 million for Electric Vehicle charging stations.
It also requires the Ohio Department of Transportation to have a policy to make the purchase and replacement of rail lines used for public passenger transportation eligible for funding, subject to approval by the Transportation Review Advisory Council, which will benefit RTA.
The bill also modernizes and expands the possibilities for Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority (TARTA), something in the works for years.
I want to thank the advocates, businesses and organizations who worked closely with my office throughout the past few months to create a promising state transportation budget. H.B. 74 now awaits Governor DeWine’s signature.
State Senator Nickie J. Antonio (D-Lakewood) is honored to be serving in her first elected term in the Ohio Senate District 23, following 8 years of service in the Ohio House of Representatives, 13th House District with 5 of those years serving in leadership as Minority Whip. Antonio has also served as Lakewood City Councilmember, Executive Director of an outpatient drug/alcohol treatment program for women and teacher for children with special needs.
Nickie Antonio
State Senator Nickie J. Antonio (D-Lakewood) is honored to be serving in her first elected term in the Ohio Senate District 23, following 8 years of service in the Ohio House of Representatives, 13th House District with 5 of those years serving in leadership as Minority Whip. Antonio has also served as Lakewood City Councilmember, Executive Director of an outpatient drug/alcohol treatment program for women and teacher for children with special needs.
Antonio serves as the Senate Assistant Minority Leader and Highest Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Transportation and Joint Medicaid Oversight Committees. She also serves on the Finance, Workforce and Higher Education, and Ways and Means Committees. She is also a member of the Ohio House Democratic Women's Caucus—previously serving as chair—and is the State Director for the Women Legislators’ Lobby.
She has been a dedicated champion of workers’ rights, high-quality education, our local governments, equal rights for women and the LGBT community, healthcare for all and fighting the opioid crisis.
Antonio is recognized as a leader who reaches across the aisle to get things done. As a result, she has worked to pass legislation such as Ohio’s historic adoption open records law (SB 23/HB 61) and a step therapy reform law (SB 265/HB 72). During each of her four terms in office, Antonio has introduced the Ohio Fairness Act (now SB11), to provide civil rights protections for members of the LGBT community, as well as an end to Ohio’s use of the death penalty and an array of other bills focused on improving the lives of all Ohioans. Antonio continues to be an established expert in health policy in the General Assembly.
The first in her family to graduate from college, she holds both MPA and B.S.Ed. Degrees from Cleveland State University and was named a CSU Distinguished Alumni in 2013. She is also an alumnus and Bohnett fellow of the Kennedy School Harvard Leadership Program (2011).
Daughters Ariel and Stacey have made Antonio and wife Jean Kosmac, very proud as the girls engage in their adult life journeys.