Tag: Ohio Senate

What Senate Bill 22 Does and Does Not Do

Jack Windsor

Wednesday the Ohio General Assembly (GA) did something that doesn’t often happen – the Republican supermajority delivered veto override votes in both chambers to undo what a Governor from their own party did just one day earlier.

Senate Bill 22 (SB22) is a law that establishes legislative oversight of emergency, standing and special orders issued by state leaders and agencies – giving the General Assembly the power to rescind orders with a concurrent resolution (a simple majority vote of both the House and the Senate) instead of passing a law that requires the Governor’s approval.

Below is a simple list of what the new law does and doesn’t do.

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Representative Candice Keller Targeted by Activists at Save Our Children Rally

Corinne Murdock

Counter-protesters wearing black activism gear targeted Representative Candice Keller (R-OH-53) after her speech this past weekend at a Save Our Children Rally in Columbus. Keller is an avid pro-life legislator and creator of the Ohio Heartbeat Bill.

Keller and her husband Kent – a write-in candidate for the Ohio Senate – attended the rally. In interviews with The Ohio Star, Keller states that she and her husband were walking back to their cars when they noticed people recording and following them. Every time the couple looked back, the group stopped and stared – but continued taping.

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Ohio Dem Accuses State House Republicans of Failing to Address ‘Hostile Work Environment’

Anthony Gockowski

An Ohio Democrat claimed last week that current House Speaker Larry Householder (R-Glenford) and his two predecessors “ignored requests dating back several years” to address “a hostile work environment in the Ohio House.”

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Conservatives Say Obhof’s Canceling Session Before Acton Vote is ‘Betrayal’

Jason M. Reynolds

Conservatives are using words like “betrayal” to describe Ohio Senate President Larry Obhof’s late-night move to kill a vote on a bill to curb Dr. Amy Acton’s unrestrained powers in shutting the state down, and suggests he had an ulterior motive.

The Senate will not act this week on Senate Bill One pulling back the Health Department director’s powers, meaning it will likely fail, Fox 19 Now reported. The Senate is only having committee meetings this week and will hold a session next week.

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Ohio Senate Passes Emergency Legislation Meant to Help Ohioans During the Coronavirus Outbreak

Zachery Schmidt

The Ohio Senate unanimously passed emergency legislation aimed at helping Ohioans deal with the coronavirus.

House Bill 197 dealt with a plethora of issues including the state’s primary voting, education, taxes and unemployment benefits.

The Ohio House of Representatives will vote on this bill later today.

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State Senator Says Cutting Tax Breaks for Small Businesses Would Be ‘a Mistake’ for Ohio

Anthony Gockowski

  State Sen. Lou Terhar (R-Cincinnati) said it would be “a mistake” for the Ohio Senate to support a decrease to the tax breaks small businesses receive in the state. “There are a range of issues with the House budget that concern us in the Senate. The first would be…

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Anti-Smoking Groups Actually Testified Against Ohio Gov. DeWine’s Proposal to Raise Minimum Age to 21

Anthony Gockowski

  Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has called for raising the minimum age to purchase tobacco from 18 to 21, a proposal that’s included in Ohio’s biennial budget bill. But anti-smoking groups in the state have actually testified against the proposal. These groups believe that the proposal would mostly punish youth…

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Ohio Senate Asked to Reconsider $550 Million Increase in Spending on Education

Anthony Gockowski

  The Ohio Senate Finance Subcommittee on Primary and Secondary Education was asked to reconsider spending an additional $550 million on public education in the state’s biennial budget, House Bill 166. Testifying before the committee Wednesday, Greg Lawson, a senior research fellow at The Buckeye Institute, pointed out that “Ohio’s…

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Ohio Senate Passes Bill Requiring State Agencies to Cut Regulations By 30 Percent

Anthony Gockowski

  The Ohio Senate passed a bill Wednesday that would require every state agency to cut its rules and regulations by 30 percent over three years in order to encourage economic growth. Senate Bill 1, sponsored by State Sens. Rob McColley (R-Napoleon) and Kristina Roegner (R-Hudson), requires that state agencies…

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Ohio State Rep Introduces Bill in Response to 9-Year-Old’s Drag Performance

Anthony Gockowski

State Rep. Tim Schaffer (R-Lancaster) has introduced a bill that he says would close a “loophole in child exploitation laws” after a 9-year-old boy performed in drag at a bar just outside of Columbus. Jacob Measley, who performs under the name “Miss Mae Hem,” sparked outrage online in December after…

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Heartbeat Bill Set to Become Law in Ohio After Emotional Day at the Statehouse

Anthony Gockowski

One of the most divisive and talked-about bills in Ohio’s history is officially on its way to Gov. Mike DeWine’s desk and is expected to be signed into law at any moment. After months of debate and numerous committee hearings, the heartbeat bill passed the Ohio House Wednesday afternoon in…

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Ohio Lawmakers Look to Institute $10,000 Fines for Violations of Heartbeat Bill, Use Money Collected for Adoption Efforts

Anthony Gockowski

Ohio House Republicans added substantial new provisions to their version of the “heartbeat bill” that have the potential to make one of the state’s most controversial pieces of legislation even more divisive. While the Senate already passed its version of the bill last month, it is still making its way…

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Communities Brace for Diesel Tax Increases After Ohio Gov. DeWine Signs Gas Tax Into Law

Anthony Gockowski
Tennessee Star

In one of his first major acts in office, Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH) signed into law the state’s first gas tax increase since 2005. The issue has been the focal point of his first few months in office, and negotiations with House and Senate Republicans have not been easy. But…

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Gas Prices Spike as Ohio Legislature Approves Gas Tax Hike

Andrew Shirley

The American Automobile Association (AAA) announced Monday that only three months into 2019, the nation’s average gas price has spiked by almost 45 cents. Ohio prices increased as well, but by slightly less than the national average. While Ohioans may be relieved, experts are predicting that these price increases are expected…

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Ohio Senate Passes Bill to Outlaw Practice of Dumping Aborted Fetal Remains in Public Landfills

Anthony Gockowski

The Ohio Senate passed a bill Wednesday that would require abortion providers in the state to either cremate or bury the fetal remains from an abortion rather than sending them to public landfills, which is the current practice. Senate Bill 27 was sponsored by State Sen. Joe Uecker (R-Miami Township)…

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Lake Erie Improvements Bill Turned Into a 90-Page Spending Package with $2 Million in Renovations to the Ohio Governor’s Residence

Anthony Gockowski

The Ohio Governor’s Residence in Bexley is set to receive $2 million in renovations on the taxpayer’s dime after the funding was tossed into a catch-all bill passed at the last minute of 2018. Senate Bill 51 was initially introduced in the Ohio Senate in February 2017 as a piece…

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DeWine Sends ODOT Director to Senate to Lobby for 18-Cent Gas Tax

Anthony Gockowski

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Senate Transportation, Commerce, and Workforce Committee began hearing testimonies Monday on Gov. Mike DeWine’s demand for an 18-cent gas-tax increase. The chairman of that committee, Sen. Rob McColley (R-01) (pictured, left), however, made it clear that he and his fellow Senate Republicans oppose the 18-cent…

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