Category: Ohio

Ohio Awards Multi-Million Dollar Grant to Ensure Kindergarten Readiness

Hannah Poling

Ohio will soon receive an influx of federal funding intended to improve kindergarten readiness.

According to a statement from Governor Mike DeWine’s Office, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services will receive a total of $48 million over three years to support and increase access to quality early childhood care and education as part of the Preschool Development Grant Birth to Five from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families.

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Ohio Speaker Stephens Announces Committee Chairs and House Leadership Team

Hannah Poling

New Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) has released his list of committee chairs and vice chairs with about 50 percent of those positions going to 20 of the 22 Republicans who supported him for speaker including most of the major committees, such as finance.

Earlier this month, lawmakers elected moderate Republican Stephens as the new Speaker of the Ohio House to succeed state Representative Bob Cupp (R-Lima). The choice came despite the Republican Caucus‘ previous selection in November of state Representative Derek Merrin (R-Moncolva) as the new Speaker. Although the GOP caucus voted for Merrin as Speaker of the House in December, Stephen fought in collaboration with the Democrats to collect votes and garner a win.

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Cincinnati Ohio School Administrators Admit to Deceiving Parents and Teaching Critical Race Theory in Classrooms

Hannah Poling

Despite Republican State Senator Sandra O’Brien (R-Ashtabula) re-introducing the Parental Education Freedom Act to empower parents to be the primary decision-makers regarding where and what type of education their children receive, an undercover investigation has revealed that school administrators in Cincinnati, Ohio have admitted to covertly indoctrinating students with Critical Race Theory (CRT) in the classrooms.

As part of Accuracy in Media’s investigation, numerous school administrators admitted that teachers are sneakily and covertly introducing CRT to their students unbeknownst to their parents and that they don’t plan to stop even if lawmakers pass legislation prohibiting this.

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Ohio Lawmakers File Bill to Overhaul the State’s Medical Marijuana Program

Hannah Poling

Two Republican state lawmakers in Ohio have introduced a bill to change the state’s medical marijuana regulations, which would allow more people to use cannabis for medicinal purposes and establish a new state agency to manage the program.

Senate Bill (SB) 9, sponsored by State Senators Steve Huffman (R-Tipp City) and Kirk Schuring (R-Canton), is similar to another proposal from the previous legislative session, SB 261, which was passed by the Ohio Senate in December 2021 but was defeated in the Ohio House of Representatives.

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Ohio Lawmakers Consider Bill to Localize State Agency Licensure Appeals

Hannah Poling

State lawmakers are considering a bill that would transfer the conflict over state licenses that have been suspended or repealed to local county courts as opposed to the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas.

Senate Bill (SB) 21 sponsored by state Senators Rob McColley (R-Napoleon) and Michele Reynolds (R-Canal Winchester) would provide legal challenges to licenses issued by the Ohio Casino Control Commission, the State Medical Board, the State Chiropractic Board, the Board of Nursing, and the Liquor Control Commission to take place in the county where that person or company is based.

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Ohio School Districts Struggle to Rebut Undercover Video of Staffers Saying They Mislead Parents

Just the News

School districts around Ohio’s capital Columbus are reeling from undercover video of their employees discussing how they mislead parents who oppose critical race theory and related concepts into thinking schools aren’t exposing their children to versions of those concepts.

Accuracy in Media, led by an alum of undercover journalism nonprofit Project Veritas, released its latest sting of school districts Tuesday, following previous investigations of Idaho, Iowa and Tennessee.

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Mentor Leaders Call for Lake County Commissioners to Rescind Sales Tax Increase

Hannah Poling

In Lake County, a discussion about raising the sales tax is ongoing. The county’s 7.75 percent sales tax rate, which is now the third-highest in the state, was approved earlier this month by the county Board of Commissioners after a 0.5 percent hike.

On January 12th, the commissioners passed the sales tax increase by a vote of 2 to 1, with John R. Hamercheck and Richard J. Regovich voting in favor and John Plecnik opposed.

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Hamilton County Republican Party Names Melissa Powers as Next County Prosecutor

Hannah Poling

Melissa Powers, a former juvenile court judge, has been chosen by the Hamilton County Republican Party to serve as the county’s next prosecutor.

The Hamilton County Republican Party’s central committee met late Thursday afternoon at Clovernook Country Club in North College Hill to choose Joe Deters’ successor after his appointment to the Ohio Supreme Court. Powers, who did not seek re-election to the juvenile court bench last year, received a resounding majority of the vote.

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Ohio Attorney General Sues Fake Home Warranty Company After over 1,200 Consumer Complaints

Hannah Poling

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is suing a “home warranty” firm and its administrator due to misleading and unethical business tactics.

Since 2018, more than 1,200 consumers combined have filed complaints with the Better Business Bureau and the Ohio Attorney General’s Office about Amazon Home Warranty, a Wyoming company based in New Jersey that uses a Columbus customer-service address, and Amazon Warranty Administrators, which lists a Dublin address but is not, as required by state law, registered with the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office.

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Ohio Casino Control Commission Considers Banning Sports Bettors Who Harass College Athletes Online

Hannah Poling

According to its executive director, the Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) may examine the prospect of banning Ohio sports gamblers who harass college athletes over gambling losses on social media.

OCCC Executive Director Matt Schuler said he would ask the commission to look into adding any Ohio sports bettor to a sports betting exclusion list if they harass college athletes based on the outcome of a sports bet.

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Ohio State Representative Merrin Unveils Proposal of Ethics Reform Package

Hannah Poling

Republicans in the Ohio House are pushing to modify the state’s ethics laws to, among other things, limit elected officials’ ability to serve on corporate boards and require more transparency from lobbyists and utility board applicants.

Representative Derek Merrin (R-Monclova Township), flanked by 11 of the 43 Republicans who backed him for speaker, unveiled proposed legislation, called the “Ohio Ethics and Financial Disclosure Reform Act,” which would make lobbyists disclose all of the money they receive from each client and forbid elected officials from serving on corporate boards of directors after being elected.

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Parents Sue Hilliard School District over Indoctrination and LGBTQ ‘I’m Here’ Badges

Hannah Poling

The removal of staff-worn LGBTQ badges is being demanded by a number of parents from central Ohio who are suing Hilliard City Schools in federal court because teachers are engaging in “intimate sexual conversations” with pupils as young as 6 years old.

In the case, Ohio Republican Council of Clubs’ attorney Joshua Brown said he represents parents who claim activist instructors are conducting private conversations with their children about sexuality and mental health while keeping those conversations hidden from parents.

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Ohio House Republicans Call on New Speaker to Reconsider Megan Fitzmartin as Communications Director

Hannah Poling

In a letter dated Monday, state Representative Derek Merrin (R-Monclova Township) and his leadership team urged new House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) to rethink hiring Megan Fitzmartin as the taxpayer-funded position of the House GOP policy and communications director because she was “a chief campaign operative” of former Speaker Larry Householder, whose corruption trial is set to begin next week.

The letter claims that Fitzmartin’s appointment is “extraordinarily ill-advised and demonstrates questionable judgment” and that a “sizable number” of House Republicans are unlikely to cooperate with her.

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Ohio Senator Vance and Arizona Representative Biggs Send Bicameral Letter Opposing Biden’s Illicit Misuse of Immigration Parole

Hannah Poling

Wednesday, U.S. Senator JD Vance (R-OH) and Congressman Andy Biggs (R-AZ) wrote a bicameral letter to Alejandro Mayorkas, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, requesting an explanation of the Department’s careless decision to drastically expand immigration parole programs in the face of a historic border crisis.

According to Vance, the American people have a right to know the reasoning behind the Biden Administration’s decision, as well as, more significantly, the legal basis for it.

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Ohio School Administrators Admit to Sneaking Critical Race Theory into Schools

Hannah Poling

Mere days after Republican State Senator Sandra O’Brien (R-Ashtabula) reintroduced the Parental Education Freedom Act to empower parents to be the primary decision-makers regarding where and what type of education their children receive. An undercover investigation has revealed that school administrators in Columbus Ohio are sneaking Critical Race Theory (CRT) into the classroom.

As part of Accuracy in Media’s investigation, numerous school administrators admitted that teachers are sneakily and covertly introducing critical race theory to their students unbeknownst to their parents and that they don’t plan to stop even if lawmakers pass legislation prohibiting this.

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Republican State Senator Matt Dolan Announces Run for U.S. Senate

Hannah Poling

Republican State Senator Matt Dolan (R-Chagrin Falls) has announced he’s running for U.S. Senate against Ohio Democratic U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) in 2024.

“I am unapologetically committed to putting the needs of Ohio first and delivering results as our next U.S. Senator. With the courage of my convictions, clarity of purpose, and a resolute focus on the challenges and opportunities facing our beloved state, I am ready to lead,” Dolan said in a statement.

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Parent Educational Freedom Act Reintroduced in Ohio Senate

Hannah Poling

Republican State Senator Sandra O’Brien (R-Ashtabula) has reintroduced the Parental Education Freedom Act. The measure would make each student in the state eligible for an Educational Choice (EdChoice) Scholarship to be used at a private school of their choice, or an increased tax credit for expenses related to homeschooling.

O’Brien introduced this legislation during the lame-duck session last month as SB 368 however, the legislation did not progress before the start of the 135th General Assembly so she had to reintroduce it. 

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Ohio Looking at Options to Replace Gas Tax

The Center Square

Calling the gas tax an unsustainable way to fund transportation infrastructure, the Ohio Department of Transportation is studying its options.

Using a $4 million federal grant, Ohio developed a website to seek public opinion on potential funding options. Those results will eventually be forwarded to the General Assembly later this year, according to a promotional video produced by ODOT.

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Ohio Congressman Legislates Against Use of SEC for Social Policy

Bradley Vasoli

U.S. Representative Dave Joyce (R-OH-14) is encouraging fellow congresspersons to get behind a resolution he introduced to shield American industry from new disclosure requirements meant to advance leftist environmental policy. 

Last year, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed requirements for publicly traded companies to disclose information about the “climate-related risks that are reasonably likely to have a material impact on their business, results of operations, or financial condition….” 

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Ohio State Senator Introduces Legislation to Allow Lawful Production of Homemade Liquor

Hannah Poling

If a new bill presented by an eastern Ohio Senator were to become law, Ohioans could lawfully produce as much as 200 gallons of homemade liquor a year without a government permit as long as they don’t sell it.

The first set of measures from the current legislative session, which started earlier this month, was introduced by the Ohio Senate on Thursday. Senate Bill (SB) 13 sponsored by state Senator Frank Hoagland (R-Mingo Junction) allowing for the distilling, serving, and shipping of homemade liquor without a permit was one of them.

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Pro-Choice Group Announces Intent to File Ohio Ballot Initiative to Legalize Abortion

Hannah Poling

A coalition of abortionists and pro-choice activists have announced their intent to file a ballot initiative to insert legalized abortion in the Ohio Constitution.

The group called Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom is a group formed by the left-leaning organizations the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Ohio, Abortion Fund of Ohio, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio, and others.

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Ohio House Republicans Re-Introduce Proposal to Increase Threshold for Citizen-Led Ballot Initiatives

Hannah Poling

Following a closed-door meeting at the Ohio Statehouse held by State Representative Derek Merrin (R-Monclova), a group of over thirty lawmakers filed a new version of their proposal to increase the threshold for citizen-led ballot initiatives.

47 Republicans who adhered to the Republican caucus’s decision to abstain from voting for state Representative Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) for speaker of the house, were invited by Merrin to a meeting on Wednesday. The meeting included discussing house rules, redistricting, and progressing the proposed constitutional amendment to require support from at least 60 percent of voters rather than a simple majority to pass future proposed amendments that was introduced last legislative session.

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State Lawmakers Reintroduce Bill to Overhaul Ohio Education System and Board of Education

Hannah Poling

Ohio Senate Republicans are making another attempt to overhaul the state education system and the Board of Education by introducing a bill Wednesday afternoon that reconsiders a proposition that fell short of approval last month.

The 2,000-page bill, Senate Bill (SB) 1, sponsored by state Senator Bill Reineke (R-Tiffin), would “restructure” the Ohio Department of Education, create a new administrative division under the governor’s office, and reduce the duties of the State Board of Education. This was the first introduced bill of 2023.

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Agents Seize Record Amount of Methamphetamine During Columbus Investigation

Hannah Poling

In what the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is describing as one of their biggest arrests in years, authorities recovered eight pounds of methamphetamine from a Columbus apartment and detained two people.

DEA agents in collaboration with officers from the Ohio State Highway Patrol raided the Columbus apartment on Wednesday. Inside, more meth was discovered than the DEA had ever found in a single arrest in Central Ohio. 

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Marijuana Legalization Petition for Ohio Legislature Resubmitted by Secretary of State for Four-Month Review

Hannah Poling

An activist-led petition for marijuana legalization in Ohio has been formally resubmitted to the legislature by the Ohio Secretary of State, giving legislators four months to evaluate the change. Advocates may then gather more signatures to get the issue on the November ballot if legislators do not take action.

In a letter to legislative leaders, Secretary of State Frank LaRose stated that he had fulfilled his duty to introduce the reform proposal to the legislature on the first day of the new session and to begin the four-month timeframe for lawmakers to consider it.

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Ohio Attorney General Asks Supreme Court to Lift Order Blocking ‘Heartbeat Law’

Hannah Poling

Attorney General Dave Yost is requesting that the Ohio Supreme Court reinstates the heartbeat law as readily as possible, which blocks the majority of abortions once a fetal heartbeat is found.

In accordance with the 2019 Ohio law, doctors are not permitted to perform abortions once heart activity has been identified, or around six weeks into a pregnancy. The law went into effect the same day the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on June 24th, 2022.

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Ohio GOP Majority Discusses Next Steps Following Election of Jason Stephens for House Speaker

Hannah Poling

About a week after 22 Republicans sided with the Democrats to elect moderate State Representative Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) as Speaker of the Ohio House, State Representative Derek Merrin (R-Monclova) invited his 45 supporters to a closed-door meeting Wednesday at the Ohio Statehouse to discuss their next steps.

This follows Merrin losing the vote for speaker over Stephens, who won with 22 Republicans and all 32 Democrats voting for him despite the Republican Caucus‘ previous selection in November of Merrin as the new speaker.

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Ohio’s Latta Reintroduces Measure Against Automatic Congressional Pay Raises

Bradley Vasoli

U.S. Representative Bob Latta (R-OH-05) reintroduced a bill this week to end automatic pay raises for members of Congress. 

The congressman has proposed this measure in past sessions to force federal legislators to go on record every time they wish to raise their salaries. All seven cosponsors of the legislation were Republicans. It did not receive a vote in committee. 

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State Representative Marilyn John Expresses Outrage over Ohio House Speaker Election

Hannah Poling

State Representative Marilyn John (R-Shelby) voiced her outrage at the recent selection of the Ohio Speaker of the House of Representatives at a meeting of the Richland County Ohio Republican Party on Monday.

Earlier this month, lawmakers elected moderate Republican Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) as the new Speaker of the Ohio House to succeed state Representative Bob Cupp (R-Lima). The choice came despite the Republican Caucus‘ previous selection in November of state Representative Derek Merrin (R-Moncolva) as the new Speaker.

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Existing Ohio Law Protecting Unborn Babies Blocks FDA Approval of Pharmacy Distribution of Abortion Pills

Hannah Poling

The “Abortion Pill,” also known as RU-486, could previously only be prescribed by medical professionals in the United States. The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has officially authorized pharmacy distribution of RU-486, but an Ohio law passed in 2004 forbids pharmacies from distributing these harmful pills.

The drug, commonly known as Mifepristone, has recently received FDA approval, and retailers like Walgreens and CVS across the U.S. have already declared they will stock it. In Ohio however, only doctors with specific training and certification can offer, sell, dispense, or administer the drugs.

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Ohio Republican Party Passes Resolution Rejecting Expansion of Title IX

Hannah Poling

The Republican State Central and Executive Committee of Ohio passed a resolution during their January meeting to reject proposed changes to broaden the definition of sex-based harassment and discrimination to include gender identity and sexual orientation for LGBTQ students.

The committee resoundingly passed the resolution to “support parents, schools, and districts in rejecting harmful, coercive, and burdensome gender identity policies and to protect federal funding subject to Title IX.”

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Ohio Attorney General Updates Statewide Sex Offender Registry Technology

Hannah Poling

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced Monday that all 88 county sheriffs in the state received new cameras to improve the routine registration procedure for convicted sexual offenders.

“Ohio’s sex offender registration system plays a critical role in holding convicted offenders accountable, and in the hands of our county sheriffs, these tools ensure that photographs are clear and uniform across the state. Our job is to support local law enforcement, and that’s exactly what we’re doing with this grant,” Yost said.

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Leftists Sue Ohio Secretary of State Over New Voter ID Law

Bradley Vasoli

Attorneys for the Elias Law Group announced over the weekend they are representing several left-leaning institutions seeking to nix Ohio’s new law requiring voters to show photo identification to participate in an election. 

The Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, the Ohio Federation of Teachers, the Ohio Alliance for Retired Americans and the Union Veterans Council are listed as plaintiffs in the lawsuit against Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R). The firm working the case is headed by Marc Elias who has handled cases for Democrats in the 2020 presidential contest and numerous other national elections. 

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Governor Signs Election Integrity and Voter ID Requirements into Law as Left Cries Foul

Hannah Poling

The state of Ohio is facing a lawsuit over a recent law that requires voters to show picture identification at the polls and shorten the time allotted for mail-in ballots.

House Bill (HB) 458 is a piece of legislation that Governor Mike DeWine signed on Friday that will drastically alter the state’s election laws, including the requirement for a photo ID. Additionally, the legislation limits the number of ballot drop boxes that voters can use and substitutes a four-day deadline for the previous law’s 10-day deadline for mail-in ballot delivery.

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Civil Rights Lawsuit Details Ohio School Official’s Alleged Strip Search of Middle School Girl Over a Vape Pen

Hannah Poling

The mother of an 8th grader has filed a federal lawsuit in the Northern District of Ohio Federal Court against the Willoughby-Eastlake School district claiming a violation of her daughter’s constitutional rights, failure to train school employees, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

On September 27th, a nurse’s aide allegedly strip-searched an unnamed middle schooler in search of a purported vape pen.

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Newly Signed Ohio Bill Expands Afterschool Enrichment Accounts

Bradley Vasoli

A $6 billion spending bill that Ohio Governor Mike DeWine (R) signed on Friday expands a program assisting parents and guardians with supplemental education purchases.

The ACE Educational Savings Account program previously bestowed a $500 credit on families seeking to purchase enrichment materials or services to help their children get past the learning setbacks caused by the COVID-19 school shutdowns. The new legislation raises the credit to $1,000. 

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Ohio Republican Party Censures GOP Lawmakers Who Backed New House Speaker

Hannah Poling

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio Republicans censured 22 lawmakers on Friday for voting with Democrats to choose the new Speaker of the Ohio House, saying they had disregarded their obligations to the party and the public.

Earlier this week, a number of Republican lawmakers joined forces with Democrats to choose State Representative Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) as speaker. The choice comes despite the Republican Caucus‘ previous selection in November of State Representative Derek Merrin (R-Moncolva) as the new speaker.

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Ohio Sports Betting Companies Fined $150K After ‘Repeated Violations’

Hannah Poling

Mere days after Governor Mike DeWine cited concerns with Ohio’s new sports betting setup, the Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) issued three more warnings for infractions on Thursday.

According to the OCCC, BetMGM, LLC (BetMGM); American Wagering, Inc. (Caesars), and Crown OH Gaming, LLC (DraftKings) violated state law and administrative rules regarding advertising.

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Ohio Governor Vetoes Flavored Tobacco Ban Bill, Leaving Local Governments in Charge

Hannah Poling

Governor Mike DeWine vetoed a bill on Thursday, that would prohibit local governments in Ohio from enacting any laws regarding tobacco or vaping products that are more strict than state law.

DeWine scheduled a press conference with health authorities to discuss the legislation rather than just vetoing it, calling youth smoking an “epidemic” made worse by commercially available flavored tobacco products.

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Parents of Akron Public School Students Speak Out About Potential Teacher Strike

Hannah Poling

Parents are speaking out about the potential teachers’ strike and what is being done on both sides to resolve it as tensions between Akron Public Schools (APS) and its teachers intensify.

After many allegations of campus violence, APS teachers declared last week that they would strike mere days after kids are expected to return from winter break. According to a news release, safety was one of their primary concerns.

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East Cleveland City Council in Dispute over Council President and Ward 3 Seat

Hannah Poling

Members of the East Cleveland City Council dissolved into an argument over the position of council president and who legally qualifies for the Ward 3 position.

Last month, Councilmembers Korean Stevenson and Pat Blochowiak filed a lawsuit against Council President Nathaniel Martin and Clerk of Council Tracy Udrija-Peters due to allegedly illegal actions without the council’s support.

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