Democrats also called for Gov. John Kasich to declare a statewide public health emergency in recognition of the heroin problem.

“We implore Gov. Kasich to publicly recognize the severity of Ohio’s heroin crisis by calling this what it really is — a public health emergency,” state Rep. Dan Ramos, a Lorain Democrat said. “To combat heroin addiction in Ohio, we need to up the ante and make meaningful advances from all policy angles.

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“Heroin addiction is claiming far too many lives in Ohio, and the death count continues to rise. We are in serious need of widespread awareness and a comprehensive plan to clean up our state.”

Ramos’ proposed legislation that would commission a study by the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services to make budget suggestions for the next session of the Ohio General Assembly.

State Rep. Matt Lundy, an Elyria Democrat, called for a stop-gap measure in the interim with “Save Our Children Now,” a statewide initiative funded by excess dollars the state is set to receive from Medicaid expansion, the release said.

The $100 million initiative will be used to reduce the wait for treatment and the lack of available beds statewide.

“The state has been slow to make the investments needed to address the state’s heroin crisis and to save the lives of our children,” Lundy said. “We must get Ohioans clean now so we can keep families together and get these Ohioans back to work.”

Lawmakers also proposed a bill that would increase school districts access of resource officers to help children affected by heroin.

Some $10 million in state grants would assist schools in hiring part-time and full time officers and require the Department of Education to make long-term funding recommendations by the state’s next biennial budget, the release said.

Representatives Heather Bishoff, a Blacklick Democrat, and John Rogers, a Mentor-on-the-Lake Democrat, also are working on a bill that will require county-by-county lists of certified programs to be made available online.

Rogers said he’s also developing a bill that would prevent Ohioans with heroin addiction from access to cash via “Cash for Gold” stores. The bill will regulate the process of turning in metals for cash by delaying payments to customers who are unable to provide original proof of purchase at the time of transaction.

Law enforcement officers also may receive assistance from legislation. A bill proposed by state Rep. Nick Barborak, a Lisbon Democrat, requires the Department of Public Safety to make recommendations by Jan. 1 for funding needed to combat heroin use. According to the release, the bill could funnel $10 million to train officers and increase resources for officers to handle the heroin problem.

Another bill proposed by Barborak would expand search warrant execution times from three to 10 days for federal agents.

Lawmakers plan to finalize the bills in coming weeks, the release stated.