Category: Ohio

Ohio House Speaker Stephens Asks State Representative Bob Young to Resign Amid Domestic Violence Charges

Hannah Poling

Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) requested that State Representative Bob Young (R-Green) resign as State Representative and as Chair of the Ohio House Pensions Committee due to alleged domestic violence charges.

On July 6th Young held a fundraiser with Speaker Stephens as the guest of honor. According to a statement from Stephens, he attended the fundraiser and afterward went to Young’s home to spend time with his friends and family. According to Stephens, the alleged incident occurred after he left the Young home.

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New Bill Would Cut Down the Number of Members on Ohio Board of Education

Hannah Poling

A Republican Ohio lawmaker introduced a bill into the Ohio House of Representatives to reduce the size of Ohio’s State Board of Education and remove governor-appointed positions.

House Bill (HB) 235 sponsored by State Representative Sarah Fowler Arthur (R-Ashtabula), and former state education board member, looks to downsize the 19-member Board of Education to fifteen members by 2027. It also aims to remove the eight positions appointed to the Board of Education by the governor beginning in 2025.

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Ohio Lawmakers Introduce Legislation to Increase Drug and Human Trafficking Penalties

Hannah Poling

Two Republican Ohio Lawmakers have introduced a bill into the Ohio House of Representatives that aims to increase the penalties for drug and human trafficking in Ohio.

House Bill (HB) 230, known as the Saving Ohio Communities Act, sponsored by State Representatives Cindy Abrams (R-Harrison) and D.J. Swearingen (R-Huron) looks to address the staggering increase in drug overdoses, specifically fentanyl poisoning in the state.

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Ohio Adult-Use Marijuana Activists Submit Signatures for November Ballot Initiative

Hannah Poling

A group of marijuana legalization activists delivered thousands of signatures to the Ohio Secretary of State’s office on Wednesday in an attempt to put an initiative to legalize the purchase and sale of marijuana by Ohio residents aged 21 and older on the ballot in November.

The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol submitted 222,198 signatures to the Secretary of State’s office before the deadline to go before voters in November.

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Ohio Pro-Abortion Activists Submit Signatures for November Ballot Initiative

Hannah Poling

A group of pro-abortion activists delivered thousands of signatures to the Ohio Secretary of State’s office on Wednesday in an attempt to put an amendment to enshrine abortion into the state constitution on the ballot in November.

The Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom, a coalition of radical pro-abortion activists that includes Planned Parenthood, Pro-Choice Ohio, the Abortion Fund of Ohio, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Ohio, along with the Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights submitted 710,131 signatures to the Secretary of State’s office before the deadline to go before voters in November.

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ACLU Submits Signatures for Radical Ohio Late-Term Abortion and End to Parental Consent Ballot Initiative

Susan Berry, PhD

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) submitted signatures Wednesday for its Ohio ballot initiative that would not only bring late-term abortions to the state but also end parental consent laws and other protections for women and children.

Protect Women Ohio (PWO) is a parental rights and pro-life coalition that is seeking to block radical leftist organizations’ attempt to rewrite Ohio’s Constitution via the ballot initiative that would eliminate parental notification and consent requirements for minors obtaining abortions and gender transition hormone drugs and surgeries.

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Ohio Governor DeWine Signs $86 Billion State Budget with 44 Vetoes

Hannah Poling

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed the state’s $86 billion biennial operating budget containing tax cuts for individuals and businesses, higher income limits for school vouchers, and a new requirement for parental approval of social media accounts for children under 16.

DeWine vetoed a total of 44 budgetary measures, including a two-week sales tax holiday, legislation that would have prohibited the regulation of tobacco and nicotine products, and legislation that would have prohibited higher education institutions from forcing students to have specific immunizations.

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Illegal Immigrant Who Allegedly Raped Nine-Year-Old That Got Abortion to Stand Trial in Ohio

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An illegal immigrant is due to appear in an Ohio court Wednesday for his trial after he allegedly raped a minor who was nine years old at the time.

In July 2022, Gerson Fuentes, who the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency announced in 2022 was in the country illegally, was charged with two counts of felony rape after he was accused of sexually assaulting a nine-year-old in Ohio twice between January and May 12, according to The Columbus Dispatch. The minor obtained an abortion in Indiana at the age of 10, leading police to arrest Fuentes, who is set to stand trial this week for the charges in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, in Ohio.

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Ohio Governor DeWine Requests Presidential Disaster Declaration for East Palestine

Hannah Poling

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine requested on Monday that President Joe Biden issue a Major Presidential Disaster Declaration for damage resulting from the catastrophic East Palestine train derailment that occurred earlier this year.

This follows two groups of protestors, Unity Council for the East Palestine Train Derailment and River Valley Organizing, pressuring the Ohio Governor to submit a disaster declaration before the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Monday deadline.

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U.S. Supreme Court Sends Back Ohio Redistricting Case

Hannah Poling

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Ohio’s highest court must reconsider the congressional districting of the state that the Ohio Supreme Court previously ruled unlawful.

The U.S. Supreme Court issued a summary judgment, a decision made without listening to oral arguments, reversing the Ohio Supreme Court’s judgment from last July that the congressional districting process unfairly favored the Republican Party.

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Ohio Professor Reprimanded by University After Giving Student ‘Zero’ for Using ‘Biological Women’ on Assignment

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University of Cincinnati administrators reprimanded professor Melanie Nipper earlier this month for violating the free speech of a student when she gave her a zero on an assignment, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Student Olivia Krolczyk released a viral TikTok video discussing how she was given zero points for a section of her project for using the term “biological women” in her Gender in Popular Culture course, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported. Krolczyk submitted a Freedom of Speech claim with the school which resulted in Ashley Currier, head of the Department of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at UC, issuing the reprimand to Nipper on June 14, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.

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U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown Narrowly Ahead of Republican Opponents in Ohio Senate Primary Poll

Hannah Poling

U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) is currently holding a narrow lead against his Republican challengers for U.S. Senate in 2024 in a new poll conducted by the East Carolina University (ECU) Center for Survey Research.

The poll details that among the registered voters in Ohio surveyed, Brown holds a slim lead over both the already declared and undeclared candidates.

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Ohio House Speaker Is Now Confident in Lawmakers Meeting State Budget Deadline

Hannah Poling

Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) says that he is now confident in lawmakers passing the state’s biennial budget before its June 30th deadline.

This follows his previous statement that with the approximately 800 differences between the biennial budgets passed by the Ohio House and Ohio Senate, it is likely that the state legislature may miss its end-of-the-month deadline and need to pass a temporary budget until they can strike a final deal.

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Ex-Ohio House Speaker Sentenced to 20 Years for Racketeering

The Center Square

A federal judge sentenced former Ohio Republican Speaker of the House Larry Householder today to the maximum 20 years in federal prison Thursday for his involvement in the largest bribery scandal in state history.

Prosecutors asked federal judge Timothy Black to sentence him to 16-20 years. The 64-year-old Householder asked for less than two years. Householder was remanded to the custody of U.S. marshals following Thursday’s hearing.

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Ohio State Lawmakers Pass Resolution Urging Relocation of U.S. Space Command Headquarters to Ohio

Hannah Poling

The Ohio House of Representatives passed a Republican-backed Concurrent Resolution to urge the Federal Government to officially name Wright Patterson Air Force Base, in Dayton, Ohio as the permanent location for the U.S. Space Command headquarters.

The Ohio House Passed House Concurrent Resolution 8 by a 90-2 vote advancing the resolution to the Ohio Senate for their review.

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City of Columbus Continues Fight to Overturn Preliminary Injunction Halting Gun Control Laws

Hannah Poling

The City of Columbus is trying to implement its gun control laws while a lawsuit filed by The Buckeye Institute to protect the rights of Ohioans to keep and bear arms is being heard.

The city requests that the 10th District Court of Appeals overturns a ruling by a Delaware County judge to temporarily halt a state law that would make it difficult for municipalities to establish specific gun control measures.

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Ohio Secretary of State LaRose: Abortion and Marijuana Legalization Efforts Will Make the November Ballot

Hannah Poling

Ohio Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who is an undeclared candidate for the U.S. Senate, told The Ohio Star that he thinks that the abortion and marijuana legalization efforts in the state will both obtain enough signatures to get on the November 2023 ballot.

“Both efforts are very well funded and it wouldn’t shock me if they are able to get the adequate number they need to get on the November ballot,” LaRose told The Star.

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Republican Ohio House Veterans Oppose Interim Budget Amendment to Homestead Exemption Bill

Hannah Poling

Six Republican Ohio House veterans wrote a letter opposing a committee adding a seven-day interim budget to a bill that gives military families a tax break.

On Monday, the House Rules and Reference Committee approved an amendment to include this budget to Senate Bill (SB) 43 to expand the situations in which surviving spouses of disabled veterans may receive the “homestead” tax exemption.

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Commentary: Ohio Constitutional Amendment Would Abolish Parental Consent

Admin

Broad, sweeping language can easily mislead those caught up in its charm, especially in discussions about abortion “rights.” A deceptively worded constitutional amendment that pretends to protect the “right” to abortion in the Buckeye State would, in fact, abolish the need for parental consent laws for abortion, should it be placed on the ballot this fall and approved by voters.

Abortion activists are proposing an extreme amendment to the Ohio constitution that would go as far as denying loving parents the ability to consult with their own daughters about their abortion decision. Such a dangerous change to the 172-year-old constitution would do nothing but threaten young women for years to come.

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Ohio House Overwhelmingly Passes Pro-Life and Pro-Family Legislation

Hannah Poling

The Ohio House of Representatives passed two Republican-backed pieces of legislation on Tuesday one that modernizes and streamlines the adoption process across the state and another bill that excuses breastfeeding mothers from jury duty.

The Ohio House passed House Bill (HB) 5 by a 93-0 vote and HB 34 by a 94-0 vote advancing both pieces of legislation to the Ohio Senate for review.

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Ohio House Advances Legislation Protecting Citizen and Provider Access to Off-Label Medications

Hannah Poling

The Ohio House of Representatives advanced a piece of Republican-backed legislation that aims to protect a healthcare provider’s ability to fill off-label prescriptions.

House Bill (HB) 73, known as The Patient and Health Provider Protection Act, sponsored by State Representatives Jennifer Gross (R-West Chester) and Mike Loychik (R- Bazetta) passed 75-17 out of the Ohio House of Representatives advancing it to the Ohio Senate for further consideration.

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Amazon to Make Second-Largest Private Sector Investment in Ohio History

Hannah Poling

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted announced that Amazon Web Services is expanding its data center operations in central Ohio making the second-largest single private sector investment in Ohio’s history.

DeWine said that Amazon Web Services will invest an estimated $7.8 billion by the end of 2029 expanding its data center operations in the state and creating hundreds of new jobs. The new data centers will be equipped with networking hardware, computer servers, data storage devices, and other types of technology infrastructure needed to support cloud computing.

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Ohio Governor Mike DeWine Urges General Assembly to Pass State Budget

Hannah Poling

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine is urging the General Assembly to pass the full biennial budget before its June 30th deadline rather than to pass a temporary budget with negotiations continuing into July.

Under the Ohio Constitution, the state’s two-year budget must be passed and signed into law before the fiscal year’s end on June 30th. However, the budget legislation approved by the Ohio House and Ohio Senate differ significantly from one another.

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Chemistry Professor Testifies East Palestine Controlled Burn May Not Have Been Necessary

Hannah Poling
East Palestine Train Wreck

A chemistry professor testified during a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) fact-finding hearing that the controlled burn of vinyl chloride from the Norfolk Southern train that derailed in East Palestine, Ohio earlier this year may not have been necessary.

Norfolk Southern officials says that the unified command made the decision to vent and burn the vinyl chloride, out of concern for polymerization, a molecular chemical reaction that may have caused the tanker cars to rise in temperature resulting in a disastrous explosion.

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Undeclared U.S. Senate Candidate Frank LaRose to Make Ohio Senate Primary Announcement Soon

Hannah Poling

Ohio Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who is an undeclared candidate for the U.S. Senate, told The Ohio Star that he hopes to make an announcement for a run for U.S. Senate against Ohio Democratic U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) in 2024 “soon.”

“It is a big logistical undertaking. You don’t undertake an effort this big without figuring out how you can do it successfully. I think it’s vitally important that we beat him (Sherrod Brown) next year. If I can do it right I want to do it. I hope to make an announcement soon,” LaRose told The Star.

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Professor: Ron DeSantis Is a Racist for His ‘Freaks of Nature’ Basketball Comments

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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis noted in an interview that he preferred baseball over basketball partly because the latter is played by guys who are “just freaks of nature.”

Speaking to the Christian Broadcasting Network, the 2024 GOP presidential candidate said baseball is a “thinking man’s game” that requires special skill sets, Newsweek reports.

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Groups Oppose ‘High Hazard’ Hiring Requirements at Ohio Oil Refineries

The Center Square

Opposition surrounds a proposal in the Ohio House that would increase hiring requirements at oil refineries in the state, including a mandate that employees demonstrate fluency in English.

The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) and Americans for Prosperity-Ohio (AFP-Ohio) turn their arguments against House Bill 205 – dubbed the “High Hazard Training Certification Act” – to the Senate after it passed the lower chamber earlier this week. It has not been assigned to a committee in the Senate.

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Ohio Lawmakers Introduce Legislation Increasing Penalties for Reckless Driving

Hannah Poling

Two Republican Ohio lawmakers have introduced a bill into the Ohio House of Representatives that aims to increase penalties for reckless driving.

House Bill (HB) 56 sponsored by State Representatives Andrea White (R-Kettering) and Phil Plummer (R-Dayton) aims to stop reckless driving also known as “hooning” from creating dangerous conditions on Ohio roads.

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Ohio Governor DeWine Pushes for $13 Million from State Budget for Narcotics Intelligence Center Expansion

Hannah Poling

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine is pushing for $13 million of the state’s biennial operating budget to be used for the expansion of the statewide Narcotics Intelligence Center.

The Governor discussed the funding during the Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center’s Law Enforcement Drug Summit on Thursday saying that this $13 million increase is pivotal as it better allows them to assist local law enforcement agencies across the state with handling drug-related violent crimes.

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Ohio House Advances Legislation Creating a Unified Barber Cosmetology License

Hannah Poling

The Ohio House of Representatives advanced a piece of Republican-backed legislation that modernizes the statutes authorizing the Cosmetology and Barber Board.

House Bill (HB) 158, sponsored by State Representatives Melanie Miller (R-City of Ashland) and Bill Roemer (R-Richfield), unanimously passed out of the Ohio House Commerce and Labor Committee advancing it to the house floor for further consideration.

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Associated Builders and Contractors of Ohio Endorses State Issue 1

Hannah Poling

Another major Ohio business organization has come out in support of Ohio State Issue 1 which aims to alter the process of how initiative petitions can propose constitutional amendments.

Issue 1, if approved by voters, would mandate 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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Ohio House Passes SAFE Act, Save Women’s Sports Act, and Parents Bill of Rights

Hannah Poling

The Ohio House of Representatives passed two Republican-backed pieces of legislation on Wednesday one that aims to protect women’s sports and children from exploitation in the state and one that aims to require school systems to have policies in place that allow parents to be more active in their child’s education.

The Ohio House passed House Bill (HB) 68, known as the SAFE Act, with the Save Women’s Sports Act amended into it by a 64-28 vote and HB 8, known as the Parents’ Bill of Rights, by a 65-29 vote advancing both pieces of legislation to the Ohio Senate for their review.

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Ohio National Guard Commander Awarded for Being a Role Model Despite Pushing Journalist in East Palestine

Hannah Poling

The two-star commander of the Ohio National Guard who made national headlines for pushing a journalist during an East Palestine news conference earlier this year has been given a leadership award for being “a role model for others.”

Major General John C. Harris Jr. received the Harry S. Hertz Leadership Award from the Baldrige Foundation on Wednesday for his role-model leadership “challenging, encouraging, and empowering others to achieve performance excellence.”

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Ohio Right to Life Calls for Closure of Cleveland Late-Term Abortion Facility

Hannah Poling

An Ohio pro-life advocacy organization is calling for the closure of a late-term abortion facility in Cleveland following a patient experiencing a “dangerous hemorrhage” caused by injuries inflicted during a surgical abortion.

Ohio Right to Life says that Preterm Cleveland, a notoriously dangerous late-term abortion facility, “should have its doors permanently closed.”

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Ohio Lawmakers May Miss June 30th Deadline for State Budget

Hannah Poling

Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) indicated that the state legislature may miss the deadline for the state’s biennial budget with negotiations to continue into July.

Under the Ohio constitution, the state’s two-year budget must be passed and signed into law before the fiscal year’s end on June 30th. However, the budget legislation approved by the Ohio House and Senate differ significantly from one another.

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Norfolk Southern to Spend over $25 Million to Revitalize East Palestine City Park

Hannah Poling

Norfolk Southern Railway announced that it intends to spend over $25 million to upgrade and revitalize East Palestine City Park as part of the railroad’s response to help make things right following the catastrophic train derailment earlier this year.

The announcement follows East Palestine City Council approving the proposed plans for the project on Monday night. Norfolk Southern will now develop a full master plan for the community park in the village’s center.

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Ohio House Unanimously Passes Legislation to Clarify Bail-Setting Procedures

Hannah Poling

The Ohio House unanimously passed Republican-backed legislation that aims to give judges in the state clear guidance in setting bail.

House Bill (HB) 191, sponsored by State Representatives D.J. Swearingen (R-Huron) (pictured above, right) and Bill Seitz (R- Cincinnati) (pictured above, left), looks to codify Criminal Rule 46, a rule that provides all state courts with instructions regarding bail-setting procedures in the Ohio Revised Code.

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U.S. Senate Candidate Matt Dolan Launches Statewide Ad Campaign Targeting Sherrod Brown

Hannah Poling

Republican State Senator Matt Dolan (R-Chagrin Falls) launched a statewide ad campaign on Tuesday in his bid for U.S. Senate against Democratic U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) in 2024.

The 60-second digital advertisement is the first statewide ad buy in his bid for the U.S. Senate, targeting Brown and his “blind loyalty” to President Joe Biden.

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Ohio Republican Party Pushes Back Against ACLU Stance on Ohio Parents’ Bill of Rights

Hannah Poling

The Ohio Republican Party is pushing back against the “radical extremist” group, the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio’s (ACLU), opposition to House Bill (HB) 8 which aims to require school systems to have policies in place that allow parents to be more active in their child’s education.

House Bill (HB) 8, known as the “Parents Bill of Rights,” aims to require school systems to alert parents before using materials with explicit sexual content in class, gives parents the option to review curriculum for sexually explicit content and request alternate education, requires school systems to inform parents of any changes to the mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being services given to their kids, and requires school systems to develop a parent-approved health care plan for each student.

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Ohio Supreme Court Rules August 8th Special Election Can Continue as Planned

Hannah Poling

The Ohio Supreme Court ruled that the August 8th special election to vote on Ohio State Issue 1 aimed at altering the process of how initiative petitions can propose constitutional amendments can legally proceed as scheduled.

Ohio State Issue 1 if approved by voters would mandate 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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Ohio House Unanimously Passes Legislation Simplifying Remote Work Tax Filing

Hannah Poling

The Ohio House unanimously passed Republican-backed legislation that aims to streamline tax reporting requirements for remote workers.

House Bill (HB) 121 sponsored by State Representatives Monica Robb Blasdel (R-Columbiana County) and Adam Mathews’ (R-Lebanon) looks to modernize the municipal net profits tax filing requirements for remote workers and allow employers to designate qualifying reporting locations to consolidate their filings to a single central business location.

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IRS Agent Claimed He Can ‘Go Into Anyone’s House At Any Time,’ Ohio U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan Says

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House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan sent a letter to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Friday demanding to know why an agent had told a woman that he could “go into anyone’s house at any time I want.”

Jordan revealed in the letter that a he’d recently learned of allegations about an IRS agent who had allegedly used a fake name to enter a taxpayer’s home and then threatened her. The letter explained that an agent going by “Bill Haus” showed up at an Ohio woman’s home in April, telling her that he can “go into anyone’s house at any time.”

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Ohio Lawmakers Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Improve Mother and Infant Health

Hannah Poling

A bipartisan group of Ohio lawmakers introduced a bill to address the state’s infant and maternal mortality rates and improve mothers’ and infants’ health, learning, and development outcomes.

House Bill (HB) 7, known as the “Strong Foundations Act,” sponsored by State Representatives Andrea White (R-Kettering) and Latyna Humphrey (D-Columbus), aims to expand access to food, housing, transportation, and healthcare for Ohio mothers and their children.

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Ohio Governor DeWine Appoints Attorney Elizabeth Ellis to the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas

Hannah Poling

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced the appointment of Republican attorney Elizabeth Ellis to the general division of the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas serving the community of Montgomery County.

Judge-designee Ellis from Dayton, Ohio, is an assistant prosecutor at the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office. She has held this position since 2021. Ellis previously headed the civil section for the Greene County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for 19 years. She has also held positions with the Greene County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office as the juvenile division’s chief appellate counsel and director.

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