D. J. Swearingen News

COLUMBUS – State Representative Derek Merrin’s (R-Monclova) House Bill 140, which will help voters better understand levy issues on a ballot, has been signed into law Tuesday.

Ohio House Speaker Bob Cupp (R-Lima) appointed State Rep. Derek Merrin (R-Monclova) as Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee for the 134th General Assembly. 

State Rep. Derek Merrin (R-Monclova) introduced the “Anthony Dia Act,” to expand the Ohio Safety Officers College Memorial Fund to ensure Anthony Dia’s sons qualify to receive a waiver to cover their college tuition and fees in Ohio. Currently, the fund provides tuition and fee waivers to spouses and children of police officers, fire fighters, and US armed forces service members killed in the line of duty, if they remain Ohio residents. 

State Rep. Derek Merrin (R-Monclova) announces Ohio’s annual sales tax holiday will be happening for consumers across the state from Aug. 7-9. The holiday marks the weekend where Ohioans will not have to pay state sales and use taxes on clothing items, school supplies and school instructional materials up to a certain price. Merrin was a cosponsor of Senate Bill 226 from the 132^nd General Assembly, which made the sales tax holiday permanent.

State Rep. Derek Merrin (R-Monclova) announces that the State Controlling Board recently approved coronavirus relief funding to support local schools preparing for the beginning of the upcoming school year. 

State Rep. Derek Merrin’s (R-Monclova) sponsored legislation, the Unclaimed Funds Reform Act, makes substantial changes to how the unclaimed funds system in Ohio operates. The comprehensive legislation earned bipartisan praise and passed unanimously in the Ohio House.

State Rep. Derek Merrin (R-Monclova) today introduced a fiscally-responsible capital reappropriations bill.

State Rep. Derek Merrin (R-Monclova) is encouraging small business owners across Fulton and Lucas counties to submit their story of how they’ve been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ohio 2020 Economic Recovery Task Force is launching the initiative to help further understand the magnitude of the coronavirus on Ohio’s economy. 

State Rep. Derek Merrin’s (R-Monclova) legislation, House Bill 150, passed in the Ohio House today by a 93-3 vote. The bill provides meaningful tax relief to new banks starting across the state. For the first three years, banks will be exempted from the Financial Institutions Tax and likely receive an annual tax savings ranging from $100,000 to $400,000.

A state initiative to support local farmers and minimize phosphorus runoff in Ohio’s waterways is welcome news for the region, State Rep. Derek Merrin (R-Monclova) said today.