Ohio Affordability · Receipts and Records
OH‑09 · Northwest Ohio · Updated September 2026

Derek Merrin spent eight years casting votes that directly impacted how much we make at work and how far that paycheck goes. The fact is, the paycheck doesn’t go as far anymore. It is time to examine Derek Merrin’s record — like how he has helped make our electric bills higher and his votes to side with corporations by taking away the rights of workers. We can compare that to Marcy Kaptur’s record on household costs — with every claim linked to the reporting or the public document behind it.

Tuesday, November 3, 2026

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01 · House Bill 6

Merrin’s Votes for Higher Electric Bills

In 2019, the Ohio legislature passed House Bill 6, which added a monthly surcharge to electric bills statewide. The goal was to prop up two aging coal plants and Derek Merrin, then a state representative, voted yes twice. The added surcharge was not optional, didn’t depend on where your home’s power came from and it didn’t matter how much power you used.

The Ohio Manufacturers’ Association estimated that the total charged to Ohio families at more than $528 million. And this law became central to the largest corruption case in state history: FirstEnergy admitted to funneling roughly $60 million to then-Republican Speaker Larry Householder to get it passed. Householder is now serving a 20-year federal sentence. Merrin has not been charged in the case, but he was one of the few legislators who voted against expelling Householder, even after his arrest.

Read the Reporting

02 · Workers’ rights

Merrin’s Anti-Worker Record

Costs are one side of a household’s budget. Wages are the other. Ohio’s public service workers — school custodians, bus drivers, health care workers, city and county workers and more — negotiate pay, sick time and working conditions through union contracts. But over his four terms in the statehouse, Merrin sponsored or cosponsored bills that would have narrowed their basic rights.

Derek Merrin speaking at a campaign event with Derek Merrin for Congress signs behind him

Read the Records

Ohio Legislature · 2017 [Public record]
House Bill 53, as introduced

The relevant language is in the first section. Merrin is listed as a cosponsor.

Ohio Legislature · 2017 [Public record]
House Bill 298, as introduced

The text of the bill to cut sick leave for public and school employees, with Merrin as its only primary sponsor.

03 · The pro-worker candidate

Marcy Kaptur’s Fight to Make Ohio More Affordable

Marcy Kaptur has a long track record of putting money back in the pockets of families like ours in northwest Ohio. Her record includes tax credits for families to save money on utility bills through energy efficient appliances. She saved 62,000 Ohioans their hard-earned pensions, benefiting not just their families but the economies and businesses of entire communities. And today she is at the forefront to get data centers to pay for the extra water and power they demand instead of adding even more to our utility bills.

Marcy Kaptur speaking with union workers holding IAM and USW picket signs

Read More

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services · 2024 [Public record]
Lowering prescription drug costs for Ohio

Ohio-specific figures: 72,000 Medicare enrollees on insulin averaging $502 a year in savings, and $147 million expected across 542,000 Part D enrollees.