Written by | Staff report WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Rep. Steve Stivers, R-Columbus, announced that his Ohio district offices will be drop-off sites this year for the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program. From now until Dec. 13, residents can drop off new, unwrapped toys between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Lancaster district office, 123 S. Broad St., Suite 235. For additional information, call Stivers’ Lancaster district office at 740-654-2654. Read more

By Ezra Klein and Evan Soltas, Updated: November 14, 2013 Welcome to Wonkbook, Ezra Klein and Evan Soltas's morning policy news primer. To subscribe by e-mail, click here. Send comments, criticism, or ideas to Wonkbook at Gmail dot com. To read more by Ezra and his team, go to Wonkblog. President Obama's second term began with two clear projects. The first was to successfully launch the Affordable Care Act. "If we don't get that right, nothing else matters," Obama would tell his staff. The secon... Read more

A historical marker was dedicated at the Athens County Fairgrounds to commemorate the location where 150 years ago Milton Holland raised Company C of the 5th United States Colored Infantry regiment. The ceremony took place in the afternoon on Veterans Day, Monday, Nov. 11. The keynote speaker for the dedication was Bennie McRae of Trotwood, Ohio. McRae is a nationally known expert on African-American military history. The master of ceremonies was Douglas McCabe of the Ohio University Archives, w... Read more

By: Jake Sherman and John Bresnahan November 13, 2013 07:22 PM EST House Republicans have a rich history of going too far — most of the time way too far. Budget fights turn into referendums on abortion. Health care debates swerve into discussions about rape. The struggle over immigration reform had some in the GOP pushing to kick people out of America. But as the Obamacare rollout gets worse with each passing day, Speaker John Boehner and his House GOP colleagues are being handed political gold ... Read more

Today is Veterans Day, a reminder of the debt the nation owes to those who have served in the armed forces, including almost 900,000 Ohio residents who previously have served, and another 80,000 currently standing duty at home or abroad. It is a debt the state has recognized: New legislation and executive orders aim to ensure that those who fought for the rest of us won’t have to return home to face an equally difficult fight for a job or promised benefits. “We’ve gotten better over the last yea... Read more

Written by U.S. Rep. Steve Stivers Today our nation’s fiscal future is bleak, the national debt is over $17 trillion and the U.S. House and Senate cannot agree on a long-term budget that balances. We have to stop the out-of-control government spending and personally, I think the best way to do that is through the passage of a Balanced Budget Amendment. The idea of a BBA is not new; it originated with our founding fathers. It was Thomas Jefferson who wrote in a letter to John Taylor: “I wish it w... Read more

WASHINGTON — Washington Court House teacher Paul LaRue had the ultimate hands-on project for his high-school history students: Since 2002, his students have researched the unmarked graves of veterans, ordering headstones for those who’d served the country. But a 2009 regulation stopped their work in its tracks. A rule change from the Department of Veterans Affairs required veterans’ next of kin to be notified before the veteran received a headstone from the VA. For LaRue’s students and other mil... Read more

WASHINGTON — Congressman Steve Stivers (R-15th District) today introduced legislation to correct an historic injustice. Stivers introduced the bill with Congressman Al Green (D-Texas) to restore the commission earned by Sgt. Major Milton M. Holland, who was promoted to the rank of captain due to his acts of heroism during the Civil War. However, the promotion was unjustly rescinded because of his skin color. “Milton Holland earned the rank of captain for his acts of valor during the Civil War, ... Read more

Congressman Steve Stivers (R – Columbus) recently congratulated the Buckeye Hills-Hocking Valley Regional Development District (BH-HVRDD) on being awarded a $1.7 million Make it in America grant for its Make it in Appalachia Ohio project, which will work to accelerate job creation in Ohio’s 15th Congressional District and throughout Appalachian Ohio. “Appalachian Ohio is incredibly well-positioned to attract new businesses and jobs to the region,” Stivers said. “The Make it in America Challenge ... Read more

By Jessica Wehrman The Columbus DispatchSunday October 27, 2013 6:36 AM WASHINGTON — Gov. John Kasich and Rep. Steve Stivers decided to embark on identical, quixotic missions this year: Within days of each other, both announced they would push for states to adopt a balanced-budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Every one of the 27 amendments to the Constitution has passed through Congress after receiving two-thirds approval from the House and Senate, respectively, then being ratified by thr... Read more