New Republican Gov. Mike DeWine didn't waste any time putting his stamp on the state on Monday morning just after midnight. DeWine signed six executive orders immediately after signing the oath of office inside a packed farmhouse across the drive from his main home in Cedarville.
"We said we were going to hit the ground running," he said.
The first created the Governor's Recovery Ohio Initiative, placing one person - Alisha Nelson - in his administration in charge of coordinating the state's anti-drug effort.
The others created the Governor's Children's Initiative; established Ohio as a disability inclusion state and model employer of individuals with disabilities; elevated foster care priorities in Ohio; and boosted drug prevention within the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.
DeWine also put an anti-discrimination policy back in effect, cementing outgoing Gov. John Kasich's protections for state employees based on gender identity. He also added pregnant women, young children and foster parents as protected classes.
DeWine is being inaugurated Monday morning at the Ohio Statehouse.
