Author: Hannah Poling

Ohio House Speaker Stephens Denies Debate or Amendments on State Operating Budget

Hannah Poling

The Ohio House passed its version of a two-year operating budget on Wednesday despite objections from Republican lawmakers that no amendments were allowed to be made. The state operating budget includes a $1 billion tax cut, higher income limits for school vouchers, and a ban on TikTok from government devices.

House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) advanced the budget to a vote without allowing for any debate or amendments. There were 24 amendment proposals to the budget that Republicans say should have been debated prior to the vote.

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Ohio House Panel Passes More than $86 Billion State Operating Budget

Hannah Poling

An Ohio House Panel has passed the state operating budget including a $1 billion tax cut, higher income limits for school vouchers, and a ban on TikTok from government devices.

On Tuesday, the plan to spend more than $86 billion over the subsequent two fiscal years contained in the 5,300-page proposal known as House Bill (HB) 33 passed the House Finance Committee with bipartisan support.

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Delaware County Judge Blocks Columbus Gun Restriction Enforcement

Hannah Poling

A Delaware County Judge has blocked the gun control legislation passed by the Columbus City Council on December 5th meaning the city cannot restrict firearm magazines or implement gun storage requirements.

In a ruling issued on Tuesday, Delaware County Common Pleas Judge David M. Gormley placed an injunction on the legislation. Ohio think tank, The Buckeye Institute, filed a lawsuit against the city of Columbus’ gun restrictions in February on behalf of six anonymous residents to protect the rights of Ohioans to keep and bear arms. The lawsuit named the city, Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin, and Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein as defendants.

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Governor DeWine Says He Would Sign Bill Allowing an August Election to Decide on the Ohio Constitution Protection Amendment

Hannah Poling

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said on Monday that he would sign a bill allowing an August special election to decide whether to alter the process of how initiative petitions can propose constitutional amendments if both chambers of the state legislature pass it.

The proposed August election would decide whether the voter threshold for initiative petitions should be raised to a 60 percent approval percentage for any future constitutional amendments, call for signatures from all 88 counties, and do away with the opportunity to “cure” petitions by collecting additional signatures if necessary.

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Former Ohio City Official Ordered to Serve Time and Pay Restitution for Stealing Thousands from the Community

Hannah Poling

A former Village of Swanton city official has been ordered to pay the village thousands in restitution and serve over a year in prison after she was convicted of stealing from the community.

Ohio Auditor Keith Faber said in a press release that Judge Scott Haselman sentenced Kari Rowe, who was the utility clerk for the Village of Swanton, to 18 months in prison on theft in office charge, a third-degree felony, after admitting she stole nearly $64,000 from the Fulton County community. Haselman ordered Rowe to pay over $128,000 in restitution, including the funds she stole and audit costs, to the Village of Swanton.

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Ohio to Award over $42 Million for Safety Upgrades for More than 600 K-12 Schools

Hannah Poling

Governor Mike DeWine announced Tuesday that Ohio is providing over $42 million in new grants to support physical safety and security upgrades at hundreds of local schools across the state.

According to DeWine, “Our educators care deeply about the safety of Ohio students, as evidenced by the thousands of schools that came forward with solid security improvement plans that they intend to carry out with this funding.”

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Lt. Governor Husted Pushes Ohio Lawmakers to Pass Proposal Requiring Verified Parental Consent Before Kids Use Social Media

Hannah Poling

According to Ohio Lt. Governor Jon Husted, if lawmakers do not pass a separate bill that includes the requirement for verified parental consent prior to children’s use of social media by June 30th, lawmakers should add it back into the state budget due for Governor Mike DeWine’s signature by that date.

“The Lt. Governor’s support for the Social Media Parental Notification Act remains very strong and he will continue to advocate for its passage this spring. The budget, along with the social media provision, is currently under consideration in the Senate and we are urging members’ support there as well,” Husted spokesperson Haley Carducci told The Star. 

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Ohio Pro-Life Group Responds to Rep. Sykes’ Legislation Penalizing Pro-Life Pregnancy Centers

Hannah Poling

An Ohio Pro-Life group, Ohio Right to Life, responded on Friday to a piece of legislation introduced by U.S. Congresswoman Emilia Sykes (D-OH-13) that aims to penalize pro-life pregnancy resource centers while encouraging more violence and vandalism towards them.

On Thursday, Sykes introduced the Stop Anti-Abortion Disinformation (SAD) Act which directs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to “prohibit unfair or deceptive advertising related to the provision of abortion services and authorizes the FTC to enforce these rules and collect penalties from organizations in violation.”

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Ohio State Representative Introduces Legislation Aiming to Protect Patients from Denied Emergency Service Claims

Hannah Poling

An Ohio Republican state representative introduced legislation to protect patients from insurance companies denying or reducing reimbursement for emergency service claims.

House Bill (HB) 99, sponsored by State Representative Susan Manchester (R-Waynesfield), will require insurers to conduct an emergency physician review of a claim before denying or reducing reimbursement for an emergency services claim and prohibit insurers from denying coverage of emergency claim based solely on the final diagnosis of the patient.

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Ohio Governor Appoints Magistrate Nathan Shaker to Wayne County Municipal Court

Hannah Poling

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced the appointment of Republican magistrate Nathan Shaker to the Wayne County Municipal Court.

Shaker, of Wooster, Ohio, will be taking the seat formerly held by Republican Judge Timothy VanSickle. To retain the seat, he must win the general election in November 2024. VanSickle is leaving the position as he was elected to the Wayne County Court of Common Pleas. Shaker will assume office on May 1st.

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Ohio State Representatives Introduce Legislation Aiming to Ease Financial Burden of Raising Children

Hannah Poling

Two Ohio Republican state representatives have introduced legislation to ease the financial burden on Ohio families raising children.

House Bill (HB) 118, known as the Baby Products Tax Exemption Bill, sponsored by State Representatives Nick Santucci (R-Howland Twp.) and Melanie Miller (R-City of Ashland), aims to exempt certain baby products from the sales and use tax.

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Ohio Republican Leader Scott Pullins Announces Exploratory Campaign for House District 98 in 2024

Hannah Poling

Longtime Ohio conservative Republican leader Scott Pullins announced on Thursday he is exploring a second run for Ohio House District 98 in 2024. State Representative Darrell Kick (R-Loudonville), who is currently in that seat, will not be able to run again because of term limits which, in theory, would create an open seat, but new districts will have to be drawn again.

Pullins, from Knox County, ran for election to the Ohio House District 98, which includes all of Knox County and parts of Morrow and Holmes counties, against Kick in the August 2022 Republican primary. He lost to Kick but gained 43 percent of the vote.

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Ohio Republican Lawmaker Introduces State Budget Amendment to Retain March Primary for the 2024 Election

Hannah Poling

As a bipartisan group of Ohio lawmakers push to move Ohio’s presidential primary elections from March to May, a Republican state Representative has introduced an amendment to the state budget to retain Ohio’s March primary for the 2024 election.

Every four years, during the presidential election season, Ohio’s holds their primary election in March. The state generally holds other statewide primaries in May but in 1996, the Ohio Legislature changed the presidential primary to March.

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Ohio to Award Nearly $50 Million for Jail Improvements Across the State

Hannah Poling

Governor Mike DeWine announced on Thursday that Ohio is providing nearly $50 million in new grants to local governments to support construction, renovation, and security improvement projects at nearly a dozen local jails across the state.

According to DeWine, “the funds will help these jails better meet the demands of our modern criminal justice system and keep both staff and inmates safe.”

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Ohio Attorney General Yost Files Amicus Brief Supporting State’s Authority to Remove Local Prosecutors Who Fail to Enforce Laws

Hannah Poling

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost filed an amicus brief on Wednesday with the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit urging it to affirm states’ authority to remove local prosecutors who refuse to put the law ahead of their personal politics.

Yost claimed in a news release that states have a right to defend their constitutions against local prosecutors who, by pledging not to enforce laws they dislike, essentially wield veto power over lawfully enacted legislation.

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Republican Lawmakers Advance Ohio Constitution Protection Amendment Towards August Election

Hannah Poling

The Ohio Senate advanced a Republican-led resolution on Wednesday that tries to alter how initiative petitions can propose constitutional amendments and a bill to allow for special elections to be held in August for certain purposes.

Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 2 and Senate Bill (SB) 92 passed along party lines. The resolution passed 26 to 7. The bill passed 25 to 8, with State Senator Nathan Manning (R-North Ridgeville) voting with the Democrats.

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Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw Testifies at Ohio Statehouse

Hannah Poling

Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw testified to the Ohio Senate Select Committee on Rail Safety on Tuesday, over two months after the February 3rd train derailment in East Palestine.

Ohio Senators questioned Shaw over a wide range of topics related to the derailment and subsequent controlled release of toxic chemicals that negatively impacted the environment and the health and safety of residents, including long-term community assistance programs, two-person crew requirements, and safety requirements for tanker cars.

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Ohio State Republican Senators Amend Resolution to Protect State Constitution

Hannah Poling

On Tuesday, Ohio State Senators amended a piece of legislation 4-1 that aims to alter the process of how initiative petitions can propose constitutional amendments.

There are currently two pieces of legislation Republican lawmakers in both the House and Senate are working to put on the ballot in August that would require 60 percent of voters to approve constitutional amendments.

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Ohio Republican Party Says If U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown Cared About Ohio He Would Not Help Fund Biden’s Radical Agenda

Hannah Poling

The Ohio Republican Party said in a press release Tuesday that if U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) cared about the working people of Ohio, he would cooperate with Republicans on the other side of the political aisle to restrict spending and reduce costs rather than take money out of Ohioans’ pockets to fund President Joe Biden’s radical agenda.

According to the Ohio Republican Party’s Communication Director Dan Lusheck, tax day is the Democrats’ “favorite day of the year.”

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Ohio Narcotic Intelligence Center Warns People of Varying Forms of Fentanyl Found in State

Hannah Poling

The Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center (ONIC) has released a public safety notice in order to warn Ohioans of the various forms of fentanyl being found across the state.

According to ONIC Executive Director Cynthia Peterma, ONIC has found fentanyl in six different physical forms in Ohio, including powder, tablets, chalk, rocks, black tar, and gum. The various forms reported in Ohio contained fentanyl primarily mixed with other substances.

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Former Vice President Mike Pence to Headline Ohio Christian Fundraiser

Hannah Poling

Republican former Vice President Mike Pence, who is reportedly considering a 2024 presidential bid, will deliver the keynote address at a gala fundraiser thrown by the Center for Christian Virtue (CCV) in Cincinnati, Ohio next month.

The Cincinnati Celebration Gala for the Center for Christian Virtue, Ohio’s largest Christian public policy organization, will take place at the Duke Energy Convention Center on Tuesday, May 9th, 2023. According to the Center for Christian Virtue, it will be an evening of music, inspiration, and fellowship. They highlight that Pence will be speaking on the pro-life battle facing both Ohio and the nation.

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Ohio Ballot Board Certifies Amendment to Raise the State Minimum Wage

Hannah Poling

On Monday, The Ohio Ballot Board unanimously certified that the proposed constitutional amendment that would raise the state minimum wage to $15 an hour called “Raise the Wage Ohio Amendment” incorporates only one constitutional amendment and therefore advances.

The Committee to Represent the Petitioners including Prentiss Haney, Taneisha Latoya Head, Kandiss Bondurant, Mary Jo Ivan, Diane Morgan, and Andrew Ritterman must now gather over 413,000 signatures from registered voters in at least 44 counties, which equals 10 percent of the votes cast in the most recent gubernatorial election before July 5th. The number of signatures must equal at least 5 percent of the votes cast in the most recent gubernatorial race in each county.

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Bowling Green Pregnancy Center Vandalized by Abortion Extremist Group

Hannah Poling

An abortion activist extremist group vandalized a free reproductive healthcare facility in Bowling Green, Ohio on April 15th threatening that “if abortions aren’t safe, you’re not either.”

This vandalism comes at a time when Ohio Pro-life advocates are working tirelessly to stop a proposed constitutional amendment that would legalize abortion throughout the state

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Ohio Governor Appoints Prosecuting Attorney Jason Given to the Coshocton County Court of Common Pleas

Hannah Poling

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has announced the appointment of Republican Prosecuting Attorney Jason Given to the Coshocton County Court of Common Pleas, Juvenile and Probate Division.

Given, of Coshocton, Ohio will be taking the seat held by Judge Van Blanchard who is retiring form the bench after being appointed in November 2011 upon the death of Judge David Burns. In order to retain the seat, Given must win the general election in November 2024. Given will assume office on May 1st, 2023.

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Ohio Attorney General Says Cigna Group’s New Transparency Efforts Will Not Stop His Lawsuit Against Them

Hannah Poling

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said this week that a move by the Cigna Group, the parent company of Express Scripts, touting their further advancement of transparency and affordability for consumers and clients will not stop his lawsuit against them.

The Cigna Group announced on Thursday several actions to further evolve its pharmacy benefit management (PBM) model including driving down costs for consumers, offering clients a new level of transparency, and enhancing disclosures and clarity.

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Eight Toledo Financial Managers Indicted for Defrauding $72 Million from over 200 Clients

Hannah Poling

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and Ohio Department of Commerce Director Sherry Maxfield announced on Tuesday that the managers of a Lucas County investment firm have been indicted on multiple felony charges in a decade-long scheme to defraud at least 200 clients out of $72 million.

Eight managers from Northwest Capital were charged with 204 felony counts in all, most of which were related to misleading and defrauding investors of tens of millions of dollars.

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Ohio Attorney General Yost Sues ‘Sham’ Charity for Stealing Thousands Intended for East Palestine Residents

Hannah Poling

According to a new lawsuit filed by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost in the Columbiana County Court of Common Pleas, a sham charity stole thousands of dollars after pretending to raise money for East Palestine residents in the wake of the disastrous February 3rd train derailment.

Yost announced on Tuesday that he is suing Mike Peppel, a resident of Leetonia, for allegedly running a fraudulent charity fund that he promoted to help East Palestine. The February 3rd Norfolk Southern train derailment due to an overheated wheel bearing, which resulted in the release of poisonous chemicals into the environment, drastically changed the lives of locals.

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Ohio Republican JR Majewski Announces Candidacy to Unseat Democratic Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur

Hannah Poling

Ohio Republican JR Majewski announced on Wednesday his candidacy to run for Ohio’s 9th Congressional District in 2024. U.S. Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-OH-09) is currently in that seat and is serving her 21st term in Congress.

Majewski, from Port Clinton, ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Ohio’s 9th Congressional District against Kaptur in the general election in November 2022. He lost to Kaptur but gained 43 percent of the vote.

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Senate Republicans Renew Push to Reform Ohio Education System After Interim Superintendent’s Resignation

Hannah Poling

Two Republican Ohio State Senators said that the recent resignation of the interim superintendent of Public Instruction is an opportunity to overhaul the state education system and the Board of Education.

On Friday, Ohio’s interim state superintendent, Stephanie Siddens, announced that she is leaving her job after nearly two years and is set to take a job as deputy superintendent of the Upper Arlington City School District.

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Permanent Health Clinic Opens Two Months After Toxic East Palestine Train Derailment

Hannah Poling

Residents of East Palestine and the surrounding areas now have a permanent location to go in the village for medical attention as worries about short- and long-term health continue to grow in the wake of February’s Norfolk Southern train catastrophe.

On Monday, the East Palestine Health Clinic formally opened its doors in collaboration with East Liverpool City Hospital and the Ohio Department of Health (ODH).

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Truck Carrying 40K Pounds of Toxic Soil From East Palestine Overturns Spilling in Columbiana County

Hannah Poling

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s office said on Monday that a truck carrying toxic soil from the East Palestine train derailment overturned, spilling roughly half of its contents onto a roadway in Columbiana County.

The tractor-trailer had an open top and was hauling 40,000 pounds of contaminated soil away from the East Palestine derailment site.

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Ohio House Republicans Come to Agreement on Who Controls the House GOP’s Campaign Funds

Hannah Poling

After months of contention, the factions supporting Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) and State Representative Derek Merrin (R-Monclova) have come to an agreement on who controls the House GOP’s campaign funds.

On Monday, the Ohio House Republican Alliance (OHRA) announced that one supporter of Merrin, State Representative Phil Plummer (R-Dayton), and one supporter of Stephens, State Representative Jeff LaRe (R-Violet Twp.), are to serve as co-chairs leading the campaign arm of the Republican House caucus.

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Taking Back America’s Children Ohio Summit Calls Patriots to Act on Educational Change

Hannah Poling

A national Christian non-profit organization is holding a summit in Hudson, Ohio to educate, motivate and activate parents, grandparents and concerned Americans across the nation to fight anti-Semitic falsehood infiltrating the textbooks and curriculum of U.S. classrooms.

The “Taking Back America’s Children Ohio Summit” (TBAC) held by Proclaiming Justice To The Nations (PJRN) aims to answer the call to the need for change in education and to give parents and patriots the opportunity to learn from experts on how to fight the “woke culture” indoctrination and false narratives taking over American classrooms.

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Ohio Governor DeWine Calls on Lawmakers to Consider Strengthening ‘Heartbeat Law’ Ahead of Potential Vote on Abortion Amendment

Hannah Poling

In advance of a potential November referendum on an proposed constitutional amendment aiming to legalize abortion throughout the state, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said he wants the General Assembly to consider strengthening Ohio’s “heartbeat law.”

According to DeWine, to avoid passage of the abortion amendment, Ohio needs to revisit the heartbeat law and ensure that Ohio has sustainable legislation that voters will not overturn at the polls.

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Environmental Groups Sue to Block Ohio Law to Accept Private Petitions for Oil and Gas Drilling in State Parks

Hannah Poling

Four environmental groups have filed a lawsuit in an attempt to block a new law requiring Ohio to accept private petitions to drill for oil and gas beneath state parks.

House Bill (HB) 507 which Republicans passed at the end of the 134th General Assembly modified Ohio’s code so that state agencies must lease the properties they hold for oil and gas extraction, as opposed to just allowing them to. The legislation also instructed the Oil and Gas Land Management Commission to create a set of guidelines for applications.

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Ohio Governor DeWine Signs Executive Order Launching Ohio Adoption Grant Program

Hannah Poling

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed an executive order on Friday to launch the Ohio Adoption Grant Program, which provides up to $20,000 to parents adopting a child.

DeWine signed the Ohio Adoption Grant Program as part of House Bill (HB) 45 into law in January. It gives parents a grant who adopt children under the age of 18. It includes adoptions that are privately planned as well as adoptions made through a public children services agency, including adoptions made by foster parents and family members. It excludes adoptions conducted by a stepparent.

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Ohio House Republicans Introduce Legislation to Ban TikTok from Government Devices

Hannah Poling

Two Republican Ohio House Representatives have introduced legislation that would ban TikTok from government devices.

The introduction of this legislation follows a state executive order issued by Governor Mike DeWine in January 2023, forbidding the use of TikTok or other platforms and applications held by an entity located in China from state devices citing that the Chinese Communist Party employs the apps as an “intelligence gathering mechanism.”

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Ohio Attorney General Yost Files Amicus Brief Pushing Back on Federal Education Overreach

Hannah Poling

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost filed an amicus brief on Thursday with the United States Supreme Court pushing back on federal education overreach.

Yost claimed that the most recent plan by the United States Secretary of Education to eliminate billions of dollars of student debt “is nothing more than an egregious power grab that tramples all over the separation-of-powers doctrine.”

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Ohio Governor Appoints Civil Attorney Jeffrey Ruple to Lake County Court of Common Pleas

Hannah Poling

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced this week the appointment of Republican civil litigator Jeffrey Ruple to the general division of the Lake County Court of Common Pleas.

Ruple, of Kirtland, Ohio will be taking the seat formerly held by Republican Judge Eugene Lucci. In order to retain the seat he must win the general election in November 2024. Lucci was elected to the Eleventh District Court of Appeals leaving his seat on the Lake County Court of Common Pleas vacant. Judge-designee Rupe will assume office on April 24th.

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Ohio U.S. Lawmakers Demand Norfolk Southern Pay for Damages in Last Year’s Sandusky Train Derailment

Hannah Poling

Three Ohio U.S. lawmakers are demanding that Norfolk Southern, the same company that caused the toxic train disaster in East Palestine earlier this year, pay for damages caused by a train derailment that occurred in Sandusky, Ohio last October.

Ohio U.S. Senators JD Vance (R-OH) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) as well as U.S. Representative Marcy Kaptur (D-OH-09) sent a letter to Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw on Wednesday demanding that the railroad “take responsibility and pay immediately for costs to repair the damage” by the Sandusky wreck.

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Ohio Attorney General Yost Accepts Petition to Amend State Constitution Raising Minimum Wage

Hannah Poling

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost accepted a petition on Wednesday which aims to amend a portion of the Ohio Constitution and raise the state minimum wage to $15 an hour.

The proposal called “Raise the Wage Ohio Amendment” aims to amend Article II, Section 34a of Ohio’s Constitution in order to raise the minimum wage to $12.75 per hour beginning January 1st, 2025 and then in equal yearly increments until it gets to $15 per hour on January 1st, 2026.

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Ohio Ballot Board Requests State Supreme Court to Dismiss Abortion Amendment Lawsuit

Hannah Poling

The Ohio Ballot Board requested that the Ohio Supreme Court dismiss a lawsuit claiming that it erred in a decision to advance a proposed constitutional amendment to legalize abortion throughout the state.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost wrote a brief on behalf of the ballot board saying that the relators “fail to state a claim upon which relief can be granted” and the relators “do not have a clear legal right to the relief sought.” Additionally, the Ohio Ballot Board requested that the judge dismiss the relators’ claims.

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Ohio State Representative Calls on House Speaker Stephens to Move the Ohio Constitutional Protection Amendment to the House Floor

Hannah Poling

State Representative Scott Wiggam (R- Wayne County) sent a letter on Tuesday to moderate Republican House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) urging him to move the Ohio Constitution Protection Amendment to the House floor as soon as it passes out of committee for an August election.

This follows Stephens removing Wiggam from his position as chair of the House Constitutional Resolutions Committee and the committee all together due to Wiggam signing a discharge petition last week to accelerate the Ohio Constitution Protection Amendment, also known as House Joint Resolution (HJR) 1, which aims to alter the process of how initiative petitions can propose constitutional amendments.

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