The vision is the citizens of Ohio House District 29 deserve to have a voice, and to use that voice to magnify why Ohio House District 29 is a great place to live, work and play, which will encourage small, medium and large businesses to locate here creating good new jobs for our citizens, as well as to retain existing businesses and jobs. The platform for issues will create an environment to support this vision.

Issues

Ending Corruption in the Ohio House

Citizens Not Politicians Gerrymandering Amendment:
Joe supports the “Citizens Not Politicians” constitutional ballot amendment initiative to end gerrymandering in Ohio once and for all. Gerrymandering occurs when politicians draw biased, ridiculously shaped voting districts to favor their own interest and guarantee their re-election. In essence, these politicians are choosing their voters, instead of voters choosing their politicians.

Ohio is one of the 10 most gerrymandered states. Ohio politicians even recently implemented voting districts the Ohio Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional. This Citizens not Politicians constitutional ballot initiative, which tentatively will be on the November 5, 2024 ballot, empowers citizens, not politicians, to draw fair districts using an open and transparent process, resulting in fair elections.

Ohio Voting and Elections Amendment:
Joe supports the Ohio Voting and Elections initiated constitutional ballot amendment that may appear on the ballot in Ohio on November 5, 2024. This ballot initiative would make various changes to the Ohio Constitution regarding voting and elections including providing for automatic voter registration and same-day registration change, voting by non-electronic and electronic means, providing photo identification, and require the state to make accommodations for voters with disabilities.

HB-6 Energy Bill:
Joe supports the full repeal of the corrupt HB-6 energy bill passed under the federally indicted, convicted, and imprisoned house speaker Larry Householder.

Discrimination – Social Justice – Respect for All Individuals

Joe Salvato is committed to fostering an environment of respect and inclusivity. Joe has been a trained volunteer social justice activist and advocate for over 12 years, and has a fairly good grasp of the issues and possible solutions.

Systemic Racism:
Joe will champion efforts to reduce systemic racism and discrimination, and level the playing field, including addressing health and income disparities such as food deserts, health care, emotional stress, gun violence, unstable housing, job opportunities, and defend the preservation of American black history.

LGBTQ Discrimination:
Joe supports protecting the LGBQT community from extremist attacks, including banning books with LGBTQ content. The General Assembly’s Republicans will continue to bully sexual minorities at every opportunity, despite the damage that does to what’s left of Ohio’s reputation as a place to live.

Reproductive Rights / Women’s Rights:
Joe is a strong supporter of reproductive freedom. He believes that a woman, along with her doctor, has the right to make decisions about her reproductive health. Income equality and other discriminatory practices negatively impacting women also continue to be pressing issues.

“Right to Work State” is Code for Undermining Our Unions:
Joe will fight against policies that undermine the voice and power of organized labor, opposing any attempts to turn Ohio into a “Right to Work State”. It is the very existence of unions which has raised the standard of living for all workers, union and non-union. As state legislatures erode the power of the unions, the standard of all workers is negatively impacted.

Tax Fairness for the Super Wealthy:
Joe believes that the super wealthy, who have disproportionately and economically benefited from the labor of the middle-income and lower-income classes, should pay their fair share of taxes. This income inequality has eroded the income of the middle- and lower-income classes, which has negatively impacted the total collection of Social Security taxes. The super wealthy should morally and legally pay their fair share of Social Security taxes. There should be no cap, or a sufficiently higher cap to be determined, subject to social security taxes.

Economic Development:
Joe believes in creating a vibrant economy in Ohio and House District 29. This is a key issue. He is committed to attracting and retaining individuals, and encouraging small, medium, and large businesses to create and retain good jobs for our citizens. This can be accomplished by being more diligent with already established local and state economic and job committees and agencies, as well as venturing into other new options.

Public Transportation:
Joe advocates for comprehensive public transportation, including local bus services and intrastate Amtrak service in Ohio. He is committed to ensuring that all residents of House District 29 have access to reliable and efficient transportation. In Hamilton County efforts should continue to provide public transportation within a community, to provide services connecting the suburban communities, as well as maintaining bus services to and from inner Cincinnati. This can be accomplished by working with Ohio Southwest Regional Authority (SORTA).

Quality Education:
Joe believes in the power of education and its role in shaping the future of Ohio and House District 29. He supports fair funding for public schools, and supports maintaining the current structure of the Ohio Board of Education, with its 19 members. He firmly opposes Governor DeWine’s power grab to place the Ohio Board of Education under his control. Per a recent poll 76% of voters want the Ohio School Board to retain its current structure, and only 17% of voters want it reporting directly to DeWine, which is, in fact, unconstitutional. None-the-less, DeWine proceeded to try to unconstitutionally place the Board under him. That effort is currently tied up in the courts.

Public Libraries:
Joe supports public libraries, including the Hamilton County library system, which is only second in size to the New York City library system, by supporting reasonable tax levies funding the libraries, and defending the libraries against extreme acts to ban books. There is this ongoing segment in our society which wants to dumb down our citizens, and they must be called out for it. Support would include working with Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library system.

Affordable Housing:
Joe supports affordable housing at both the state and local levels. He is committed to ensuring that every citizen of House District 29 has a safe and affordable place to call home. Programs to consider include rental assistance, housing vouchers, subsidized rental housing, public housing, veteran assistance, senior apartments, and section 8 housing. Good resources with whom to to diligently work would be the Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority, Over the Rhine Community Housing, and Affordable Housing Advocates, as well as any agencies currently located in House District 29.

Public Parks:
Joe is a supporter of public parks, and reasonable levies to funding these parks. One such park system is Great Parks of Hamilton County. Others are our local municipal parks. He believes that these green spaces not only provide recreational opportunities, but also contribute to the overall well-being of the community.

Health Care

Long-Term Care for the Elderly and Disabled:
Joe supports paid home care providers for long-term care of the elderly and disabled, as well as unpaid family & friends home care providers. He believes in providing quality care and support for our most vulnerable citizens. Joe and his family provided long-term care for their mother, who lived to 101, and are quite sensitive to the needs of those for whom care is provided, and the care of the care providers. Quality of care could be much better. This could be accomplished by looking at different ways to increase funding, and to work with local and state committees and agencies.

Medicaid:
Joe supports Medicaid in the state of Ohio. The Ohio Department of Medicaid improves wellness and health outcomes by providing health care coverage for eligible individuals and families including children, pregnant women, seniors, and people with disabilities. The Ohio Department of Medicaid provides health coverage for more than three million Ohioans.

Medicare:
Joe is a staunch supporter of Medicare. There is no cap on income for Medicare taxes which is good. He also believes that this program can be kept solvent by continuing to negotiate for reasonable costs for hospital and medical facilities, for doctors, and for medicines. And just as important to continue to advance the quality of care.

Affordable Care Act:
The Affordable Care Act has unrelentingly been attacked by the right, but as is well documented, there never has been any plan with which it can be replaced. However, once people began to truly understand it, more than 60% of those polled now have a favorable opinion, and it widely supported.

A few of the many positive benefits of the Affordable Care Act include: 1) All insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act are required to cover specific health issues including chronic disease, mental health, and addiction, 2) it slowed the rise of health care costs, 3) it provided coverage for pre-existing conditions, 4) it eliminated coverage limits, 5) it allowed children to stay on their parents’ healthcare
plans up to age 26, 6) it expanded Medicaid coverage, 7) millions received healthcare for the first time, 8) more routine services are covered, 9) it created savings in prescription drug costs, 10) and not well known is the Affordable Care Act is responsible for the robust on-line activity and coordination of your various service providers.

During the initial implementation of the ACA, Joe worked with other volunteers on the Obama’s Northwest Suburbs of Chicago Organizing for Action (NWSOFA) team to assist with its implementation. One story of note was during the initial rollout there were many information technology (IT) issues. This was primary due to Obama wanted the IT team to be bi-partisan. When there were obvious IT issues at the start of the implementation, Obama pulled in the IT folks who worked on his 2012 campaign, and most of those issues were resolved in a matter of days.

Private Health Care:
Joe supports private health care and the Affordable Care Act protections for private health care.

Covid Vaccines and Boosters:
Joe strongly encourages covid vaccines and booster shots. For those leery of the science, Joe encourages folks to do their own research.

Opioid Health crisis:
Good legislatives strides have been made by the Ohio general assembly to address the opioid crisis. These efforts should be continued.

Child Advocacy

HB 322:
Joe supports House Bill 322, which would create a new criminal offense called “grooming,” defined as any “pattern of conduct” that a “reasonable adult” would interpret as an attempt to “entice, coerce, solicit, or prepare the minor to engage in “sexual activity.” An offense would be punishable by six months to two years in prison.

HB68:
Joe does not support the Ohio House override of Governor DeWine’s veto of HB 68 impacting transgender policy. That override takes away the rights of a marginalized group of youth and their parents and causes irreparable harm and grief. The reality is the House GOP Supermajority does not care about transgender youth and their parents. The GOP continues to exhibit its fear of any group which does resonate with its ultraconservative base.

Climate Change and Energy Policy:

Climate Change is real. It is worse than we think. It is caused by the activities of man. There are political hurdles. There is hope and there are solutions.

The Climate Change conversation will continue to grow as we call out deniers, and take personal, local, state, national and international actions

The CO2 reduction technology is here and is becoming more efficient and less expensive.

Renewable Energy Opportunities:
Joe views the transition to renewables as the largest business opportunity in the history of the world. He is committed to supporting this growth, which he compares to the industrial revolution, but exponentially more powerful in today’s technological environment.

Balanced Energy Policy:
Joe supports a balanced energy policy that includes wind, solar, nuclear energy, including building thorium molten salt reactors, natural gas electricity generation, and coal power plants with carbon capture features, for which the technology is now available and being used.

He also supports energy efficiency measures including 1) the capture and recycling of wasted heat energy from electricity generation and heat intensive industrial processes, 2) the replacement of inefficient industrial electric motors with far more efficient motors, 3) adequate insulation of buildings in every sector including residential, 4) replacement of inefficient windows, lighting systems, hot water heaters, appliances, and electronics with more efficient modern versions, 5) and higher fuel economy standards for cars and trucks, and greater use of mass transit.

He believes in maintaining a sensible energy balance and protecting our environment for future generations. As a trained volunteer climate change activist and advocate for over 12 years, he is very much aware of the political forces impacting energy policy, and the difficulty in developing a sensible energy policy, especially for the state of Ohio. There have been attempts, but at this time Ohio has no sensible balanced energy policy. Joe would like to be part of a bi-partisan effort to craft balanced energy legislation and policy which benefits all Ohioans. A balanced sensible energy policy, including energy efficiency, will create good new jobs for Ohioans.

Methane Emissions:
Joe supports measures to limit methane escaping into our atmosphere from fracking production operations, including capturing the flare gas to generate electricity for local projects.

Conservation

Stewardship of Natural Resources:
Joe is committed to the stewardship of our natural resources and our planet.

Protection of Public Properties:
Joe supports protecting our public properties from fracking production and timber extraction. This can be accomplished at both the Federal and state level. At the state level, bi-partisan support to protect our public properties for the benefit of all Ohioans.

The Invasive Tree of Heaven and the Invasive Spotted Lanternfly:
The Spotted Lanternfly is an invasive species which devastates all trees, except one, which is the invasive Tree of Heaven, which is the host tree for the Spotted Lanternfly. The tree of Heaven must be eradicated in the State of Ohio to protect all our trees. Joe has witnessed highway maintenance crews mowing down invasive honeysuckle, and at the same time mowing down Tree of Heavens. This is a worst-case scenario because cutting down a Tree of Heaven, without properly treating it, causes the roots to sprout numerous new Tree of Heavens. This issue would be an important issue, which should receive bi-partisan support.

Public Safety

Gun Safety Measures:
Joe supports sensible gun safety measures to reduce avoidable deaths and disabilities. This includes universal background checks, locking up guns at home, training and registration for concealed carry, and red flagging individuals with documented mental instability. In Ohio bi-partisan legislation is needed for the benefit of all Ohioans.

Law Enforcement Support and Oversight:
Joe supports funding for law enforcement officers, law enforcement training, access to mental health services, use of mental health workers in the field, citizens on oversight of law enforcement practices, such as for the use of body cameras.

Joe supports the Hamilton County Regional Safety Complex located in Colerain Township on E. Miami River Rd. As the crow flies this shooting range is 1.2 miles from his home. This facility will allow the shutdown of the City of Cincinnati shooting range in Evendale, which has operated there since 1947. It is operating 300 days a year negatively impacting the mental health of residents of Evendale, Lincoln Heights, and Woodlawn.

At first skeptical, Joe has had conversations with the Hamilton County Sherriff’s Department, the Colerain Township planning department, a Colerain Township police officer, and a couple of political figures, and fully supports this project. It will be a state-of-the-art training facility for the Hamilton County Sherriff’s Department, the City of Cincinnati police department, the Colerain Township Police Department, and as he understands it, other federal and state entities.

Marijuana Legalization:

Issue 2 to Commercialize, Regulate, and Legalize
Joe supports reasonable adjustments to the recently passed marijuana constitutional amendment. He is committed to preventing big business from controlling and excessively profiting from the adjustments. For those growing up in the 60s, as well as others, it is important a small number of home-grown marijuana plants for personal use, similar to home brew, are part of the deal.

Splitting from the Democratic Platform:
While Joe aligns with the Democratic platform on many issues, he does have some divergent views. He is particularly focused on tax fairness for the super wealthy and the transition to renewable energy. His stance on gun safety, law enforcement, and marijuana legalization also diverges from the standard Democratic platform. Additionally, his stance on Social Security taxes reflects a commitment to progressive taxation, a policy that some Democrats may not fully support.

This platform provides a comprehensive overview of Joe Salvato’s policy positions and political beliefs. It clearly outlines his commitment to the residents of House District 29 and his vision for its future.