By Gongwer Staff
Posted: January 9, 2023 8:23 AM

Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio sees her caucus playing a role in passing meaningful legislation in the coming session despite its limited size.

The Lakewood Democrat is one of seven minority party senators after Republicans grew their majority to 26, just shy of 80% of the chamber's seats.

Sen. Antonio said in an interview Thursday that although the gap in numbers between the caucuses is wide, their similar goals on issues ranging from tax policies for working families to workforce development should open pathways to bipartisan solutions.

One measure (SB 119) the minority leader is looking to revive in the coming session would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. While the legislation has failed to gain traction for years and received only one committee hearing last session, it did pick up a primary Republican cosponsor in Sen. Michael Rulli (R-Salem).

Sen. Antonio said she sees "a way forward" in the 135th General Assembly for the proposal, which she views as necessary for the state to attract and retain young workers.

"We certainly have support from the business community, large and small," she said.

Intel and other large employers who have moved into or expanded in the state already have similar anti-discrimination policies in place, the minority leader said.

"Their workers, who are either coming in new or existing workers, expect that not only will those policies be in place to welcome them at the worksite, but that they're also going to be in place in their communities where they're going to be raising their families," she said.

Sen. Antonio said bipartisan discussions about ending the death penalty in Ohio also will continue after legislation (SB 103 & HB 183) stalled in both chambers last session.

"We had a very amazing, bipartisan group of legislators in both the House and Senate that were on companion legislation last GA," she said. "And I think but for some of the redistricting and some of the other stuff that took our attention away, we would have gotten it done. I think we will get it done this General Assembly."

Sen. Antonio said her caucus also will be focused on continuing the implementation of the Cupp-Patterson school funding plan and pushing for accountability and transparency for the state's public and private schools.

The lawmaker succeeds former Minority Leader Kenny Yuko, who left the chamber due to term limits at the end of the previous session.

Sen. Antonio said she is similar to her predecessor because both prioritize bipartisan solutions. One difference is the further reduction of the Democratic caucus will lead her to take a more active role in legislative initiatives and committee work.

"I'm asking a lot of my members and, so, I'm going to step up," she said.

The minority leader characterized her relationship with Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima) as "very respectful."

"We obviously disagree on some issues, but we are able to have very civil discussions and sometimes just have to agree to disagree," she said. "But there is also a lot that we've been able to work together on."

One area the pair has already had to strike a compromise on involves logistical challenges. Some Senate committees this session will feature four Republicans and a lone Democrat in recognition of the size disparity between the caucuses. (See Gongwer Ohio Report, January 3, 2023)

Sen. Antonio said she blames the need to adjust the chamber's committee structure on gerrymandering giving the majority caucus an advantage that goes beyond the partisan preferences of the state's voters.

"This is the hand we've been dealt at this point in time, so we had to be pragmatic," she said.

"There were some compromises, but what I appreciated was that President Huffman was open to having a dialogue about it, and we arrived at a conclusion," she added.

Sen. Huffman likes to reference a karaoke singalong the pair shared at one point in their legislative careers, according to Sen. Antonio. A repeat performance is possible depending on whether the upcoming budget process leaves them in a celebratory mood, she said.