The Biden administration’s Department of Health and Human Services saw the announcement of several new appointments, including a former Democrat state representative, who sponsored legislation to declare racism a public health crisis.

Biden on Tuesday appointed former Ohio state Rep. Janine Boyd (D) to be director of HHS Region 5, which covers the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Boyd has served on the Ohio state legislature since 2014 but resigned last month.

“Janine R. Boyd is a pediatric speech and language pathologist turned advocate and state legislator. With almost two decades of experience in health and human services advocacy and policy as a government affairs professional, Boyd has been actively involved in Ohio’s state budget process and identifying federal opportunities on behalf of programs that serve the most vulnerable citizens,” the White House stated.

In 2020, Boyd won reelection and defeated her Republican opponent by over 40,000 votes and nearly 87% of the overall vote.

As detailed by the Daily Wire, Boyd sponsored legislation to declare racism a public health crisis in Ohio. She was one of several Democratic sponsors of HCR6, which was introduced in March 2021.

The Daily Wire reported:

The bill discussed systemic racism and advocated for the creation of a “working group” to “support local, state, regional, and federal initiatives that advance efforts to dismantle systematic racism and mitigate exposure to adverse childhood experiences and trauma; incorporate educational efforts to address and dismantle racism and to expand understanding of racism and how racism affects individual and population health.”

It also advocated for all assembly members to be “committed to reviewing all portions of the Revised Code with a racial equity lens.”

She has also sponsored legislation dealing with police body cams, making face coverings required for House sessions, criminal justice, election ballot drop boxes, and bail laws.

Biden’s appointment of Boyd is an expression of the White House’s commitment to “the expansion of human rights laws to increase protections for members of the LGBT+ community.”

It’s worth noting that in December 2020 Boyd supported a bill to make October 11 the “Coming Out Day.”