Senator Antonio Announces Passage Of Bill To Allow Solar Panels In Condominiums
On January 26th, the Ohio Senate passed my bill, Substitute Senate Bill 61, to strengthen a number of consumer protection provisions for condominium owners and make changes to the law regarding solar panel installation in condo properties and planned communities.
The legislation, which is joint-sponsored by Louis W. Blessing, III (R-Colerain Township), will prohibit homeowners associations (HOAs) from blocking an individual’s ability to install solar panels as long as the HOA does not own or maintain the roof or exterior walls where the panels will be placed. The bill now heads to the Ohio House of Representatives for referral to a committee.
In Ohio, solar energy is one of the fastest-growing sectors, providing increased employment opportunities and supporting our economy. Homes with solar power systems are also more attractive to many potential buyers, which leads to increased property values and bolsters community growth. Substitute Senate Bill 61 strikes a balance between preserving the character of planned communities while enabling Ohioans to make clean, renewable energy choices on their properties.
Lakewood is home to a large number of condominiums, and I know there are so many in our community who are conscious of their impact on the environment. Not only does solar energy reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but it also lowers utility bills, combats rising energy costs, increases a home’s value, and provides reliable backup power in the case of a widespread electrical grid outage. I am proud to do my part in ensuring solar energy is accessible for all Ohioans, regardless of where they live.
State Senator Nickie J. Antonio (D-Lakewood) is honored to be serving in the Ohio Senate, representing District 23, and in leadership as the Assistant Minority Leader. Antonio, who was elected to the Senate in 2018, previously spent eight years in the Ohio House of Representatives, where she served District 13 and was also a member of leadership. Antonio has served as a Lakewood City Councilmember, Executive Director of an outpatient drug and alcohol treatment program for women, Adjunct Professor and as a teacher for children with special needs.
Nickie Antonio
State Senator Nickie J. Antonio (D-Lakewood) is honored to be serving in the Ohio Senate, representing District 23, and in leadership as the Assistant Minority Leader. Antonio, who was elected to the Senate in 2018, previously spent eight years in the Ohio House of Representatives, where she served District 13 and was also a member of leadership. Antonio has served as a Lakewood City Councilmember, Executive Director of an outpatient drug and alcohol treatment program for women, Adjunct Professor and as a teacher for children with special needs.
Antonio serves as Highest Ranking Member on the Senate Health, Transportation, and Joint Medicaid Oversight Committees. She also serves on the Finance; Ways and Means; Workforce and Higher Education; Rules and Reference; and Joint Legislative Ethics Committees. Additionally, she is a member of the Ohio House Democratic Women's Caucus, previously as chair, and is the State Director for the National Women Legislators’ Lobby.
She has been a dedicated champion of workers’ rights, high-quality education, local governments, equal rights for women and the LGBT community, health care for all and fighting the opioid crisis.
Antonio is recognized as a leader who reaches across the aisle to get things done. As a result, she championed Ohio’s historic adoption open records law (S.B. 23/H.B. 61) and step therapy reform law (S.B. 265/H.B. 72). Last General Assembly, Antonio passed legislation to abolish the shackling of pregnant inmates (S.B. 18/H.B. 1) and to require pharmacist education for dispensing life-saving naloxone (S.B. 59/H.B. 341). During her tenure in the Ohio legislature, Antonio has introduced the Ohio Fairness Act, which would provide civil rights protections for members of the LGBTQ community. She continues to work to remedy and end Ohio’s use of the death penalty, as well as on an array of other bills focused on improving the lives of all Ohioans. Antonio continues to be an established expert in health policy in the General Assembly.
The first in her family to graduate from college, she holds both an MPA and a B.S. Ed. from Cleveland State University, and she was named a CSU Distinguished Alumni in 2013. She is also an alumnus and Bohnett Fellow of the Kennedy School Harvard Leadership Program (2011) and has been the recipient of numerous awards as legislator of the year from various organizations during her tenure.
Her daughters, Ariel and Stacey, have made Antonio and her wife, Jean Kosmac, very proud as the girls engage in their adult life journeys.