Mary Jo supported her constituents and President Obama by voting twice to support the Affordable Health Care Act. Millions of Ohioans are now benefiting from health care reform. These include receiving preventative services, annual wellness visits, and better prescription drug coverage and young adults have the option of remaining on their parents' health insurance while beginning their careers.
In Congress, Mary Jo introduced and passed the Medical Debt Relief Act in the House which would have prevented credit bureaus from using medical debt that had been settled or repaid to unnecessarily hike interest rates against consumers seeking home mortgages, car loan or other credit.
Mary Jo co-sponsored the States Children Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which provides health care for 11 million children, including cost-effective health coverage for 4 million more children while preserving coverage for 7 million children already enrolled.
Mary Jo supported key insurance reforms including:
- 6.9 million residents with private insurance are free from worrying about lifetime limits on coverage;
- The 625,000 residents of Ohio who buy coverage on the individual market can now trust their coverage will not be rescinded due to a mistake on an application; and
- Insurance companies are prohibited from denying coverage to the 643,000 children in Ohio with pre-existing conditions.
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As a Congresswoman, Mary Jo supported protecting the jobs we already have and creating innovative, well-paying jobs for job-seeking Americans.
She supported the HIRE ACT to give tax incentives for businesses that hire unemployed Americans.
Mary Jo supported the Jobs for Main Street Act to help small businesses hire workers, access credit, and launch more job-creating projects and to hire and retain teachers, police, and firefighters; paid for by redirecting TARP funds from Wall Street to Main Street.
Her support for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act helped put Ohioans back to work while funding vital infrastructure projects including road projects, safe drinking water and water pollution control improvements in Columbus and Central Ohio.
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Mary Jo was one of only two freshmen legislators to serve on the Wall Street Conference Committee. She supported important financial industry reforms which helped to put Wall Street in check and protect consumers from another financial crisis.
She helped lead the fight against abusive credit card companies and predatory lending practices.
Mary Jo supported the Wall Street Reform and the Consumer Protection Act which ended taxpayer-funded bailouts and 'too big to fail' financial institutions, while protecting consumers from predatory lending.
While in Congress, Mary Jo supported the creation of the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau, which is now led by Ohio's own Richard Cordray.
Mary Jo co-sponsored the Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights, which provides tough new protections for consumers including: banning unfair rate increases, abusive fees and penalties, and strengthening enforcement.
Mary Jo supported the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act, which provides tools to prosecute mortgage scams and corporate fraud that contributed to the financial crisis and creates an outside commission to examine its causes.
As a Congresswoman Mary Jo co-sponsored the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which restores the rights of women and other workers to challenge unfair pay, to help close the wage gap where women earn 78 cents for every $1 a man earns in America.
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Mary Jo supports reducing our dependence on foreign oil.
She voted to make our nation more energy independent by increasing our use of wind, solar, biomass, and nuclear power.
Mary Jo supported the American Clean Energy and Security Act to address climate change issues.
Like many business leaders, Mary Jo believes in Ohio's clean energy capabilities and wants to make our state poised to become a leader in our nation's transition to a clean energy economy. She wants to attract new industries and bring thousands of clean energy jobs to Columbus and Central Ohio.
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Mary Jo has been recognized by our nations veterans service organizations:
- Mary Jo made history when she became the first and only central Ohio Member of Congress to receive an "A" rating from the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA).
- Mary Jo was the only central Ohio elected official to receive the 2010 endorsement from the Veterans of Foreign Wars national committee.
- Mary Jo received 100% for her record by the Disabled Veterans of America
While in Congress, Mary Jo fought to ensure our military is equipped with the necessary supplies to be successful overseas and come home safely.
Mary Jo co-sponsored the National Guardsmen and Reservists Parity for Patriots Act, legislation that aimed to modernize retirement eligibility for National Guardsmen and reservists.
She fought to guarantee our veterans get the medical care and benefits they are promised, the timely processing of claims, and educational, housing, and employment assistance.
Mary Jo supported the Caregivers and Veterans Health Services Act of 2010, which creates a caregiver support program where caregivers of veterans of all eras would receive supportive services such as caregiver training and education, counseling and mental health services, and respite care.
As a Congresswoman, Mary Jo supported the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act of 2009, which protects VA medical services; medical facilities and research programs by funding the Department of Veterans Affairs two years in advance.
She co-sponsored the Agent Orange Equity Act of 2009 so that all Vietnam veterans will be covered and compensated for exposure to Agent Orange.
Mary Jo co-sponsored the Veterans' Disability Claims Efficiency Act, which would create a fast-track system within the Department of Veterans Affairs to quickly grant initial disability ratings to veterans with straightforward claims.
While serving in the House, Mary Jo co-sponsored legislation to repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell.
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As a public school mother, Mary Jo first ran for office in 1991, winning and serving two terms on the Columbus Board of Education.
She is committed to ensuring that all Central Ohioans receive a quality public education.
Like President Obama, Mary Jo believes going to college is part of the American Dream. College should be affordable for all students and supports increased grant funding to help students reduce their college debt.
Mary Jo stood with teachers as she worked to overturn Senate Bill 5, an unfair and unsafe law which would have hurt teachers, children and local communities. She not only signed a petition to repeal Senate Bill 5, she also circulated petitions, knocked on doors and made phone calls.
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As a Congresswoman, she supported the Recovery Act which created jobs for seniors by investing $120 million for the Senior Service Employment Program and provided funds to lower the cost of food, energy, and housing for America's seniors by investing in home weatherization projects and senior nutrition programs.
Mary Jo believes in protecting and safeguarding Social Security and Medicare for our elderly. She will always advocate for protecting Social Security and Medicare while ending waste and abuse. She wholeheartedly believes that Ohioans, who have worked their entire lives while paying into Social Security, deserve to retire with a sense of security and dignity.
During her first term, Mary Jo helped to make significant strides in protecting Social Security's future health.
She helped to pass health insurance reform legislation that will lower health care costs, end waste, fraud, and abuse, and protect Social Security and Medicare for years to come.
The Social Security and Medicare Boards of Trustees reported that health the insurance reform that Mary Jo supported will help keep Social Security solvent, enabling us to continue to pay Social Security benefits for at least the next 30 years.
Mary Jo supported health insurance reform because it will expand access to preventative care for seniors under Medicare. Beginning January 1, 2011, Medicare beneficiaries will no longer have to pay any out-of-pocket costs for most preventive services, including:
- An annual wellness visit with your physician to develop a personalized prevention plan that takes a comprehensive approach to improving your health;
- A personal risk assessment, including any mental health conditions;
- A review of your medical and family history, including medications and current care by other healthcare providers;
- Routine measurements such as your height, weight, and blood pressure;
- A review of your functional ability and level of safety, including an assessment of any cognitive impairment and screening for depression;
- Scheduling Medicare screenings and preventive services for the next 5 to 10 years; and
- Any other advice or referral services that may help intervene and treat potential health risks.
In addition, the following preventive services that Medicare currently covers will be provided free of charge to the patient, including:
- An annual flu shot and vaccinations;
- Cholesterol and other cardiovascular screenings;
- Diabetes screenings;
- Screenings for colorectal, cervical, and prostate cancers;
- Mammograms every 12 months for eligible beneficiaries age 40 and older;
- Bone mass measurement; and
- Medical nutrition therapy to help people manage diabetes or kidney disease.
Mary Jo's support of Medicare also means Medicare will be able to expand coverage of preventive services with no charge to the beneficiary as new recommended services, tests, and screenings become available, ensuring Medicare coverage stays on the cutting edge of medical care.
She also supported the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act which will take immediate steps to close the Medicare prescription drug donut hole that leaves seniors without coverage for expensive and necessary prescriptions. The new law will provide a $250 rebate for all Medicare Part D enrollees who enter the donut hole in 2010 to help them manage their medical expenses. Over the next ten years, this bill will completely close the donut hole, lowering prescription costs for central Ohio's seniors.
This legislation also will ensure that preventative care is free for all Medicare recipients, which will help seniors stay healthy and prevent future medical problems. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act helps strengthen Medicare financially by improving oversight and reducing fraud and wasteful spending in the system. Seniors in central Ohio rely on Medicare for access to affordable health care and this legislation will provide them with quality, affordable care while extending the life of the Medicare program by reducing costs.
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Mary Jo supported the Worker, Homeownership & Business Assistance Act, which expanded unemployment benefits and first-time homebuyer tax credit, and tax relief for struggling small businesses
She supported Helping Families Save Their Homes Act, which builds on the President's initiative to stem the foreclosure crisis, with significant incentives to lenders, servicers, and homeowners to modify loans.
As a Congresswoman, she supported American Jobs And Tax Loophole Act, which was designed to cut taxes for businesses, facilitate small business loans, and increase investments in highways and other infrastructure projects.
The daughter of a pipefitter, Mary Jo has always supported worker rights, which is why she supported and co-sponsored the Employee Free Choice Act. The Employee Free Choice Act would enable working people to bargain for better benefits, wages and working conditions by restoring workers' freedom to choose for themselves whether to join a union.
Mary Jo knocked on doors and made phone calls to stop Senate Bill 5, the unfair and unsafe legislation that Ohioans overwhelming opposed in November 2011. As well as House Bill 194, which attacks voting rights.
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