The Toledo Diocese took a stand against a proposed Toledo city ordinance that would provide funds to transport women seeking abortions out of state.
The resolution, sponsored by Councilmembers Nick Komives, Theresa Gadus, and Michele Grim, calls for the appropriation of $100,000 from the COVID relief money provided to the city through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) taxpayer dollars intended to address the public health and negative economic impacts of COVID-19.
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As Governor Mike DeWine considers whether to sign a Republican-sponsored bill that aims to require a photo ID for nearly all Ohio voters, elections officials are questioning the necessity of the major voting reform.
House Bill (HB) 294 sponsored by state Representatives Bill Seitz (R- Green Township) and Sharon Ray (R-Wadsworth) would require voters to show a photo ID in order to vote and would issue a free photo ID to any Ohioan who wants one who does not have a drivers license.
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A Republican-supported bill to codify the Tenth Amendment Center in the Ohio Solicitor General’s Office heads to Governor Mike DeWine’s office for signature.
House Bill (HB) 506 sponsored by state Representatives Jeff LaRe (R-Violet Township) and Adam Bird (R-New Richmond) creates a Tenth Amendment center to “actively monitor federal executive orders, federal statutes, and federal regulations for potential abuse or overreach, including assertion of power inconsistent with the United States Constitution.”
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Ohio lawmakers passed a Bipartisan bill that requires schools to provide age-appropriate sexual abuse prevention education with the caveat that provided materials must not promote abortion.
House Bill (HB) 105 sponsored by state Representatives P.Scott Lipps (R-Franklin) and Brigid Kelly (D-Cincinnati) known as Erin’s Law, was inserted into Senate Bill (SB) 288, a criminal justice bill sponsored by state Senator Nathan Manning (R-North Ridgeville) on December 15th.
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In an 8-1 vote on Monday night, the Columbus Civilian Police Review Board recommended the removal of one of its members due to the member posting anti-police rhetoric on social media.
The decision comes in response to board member Gambit Aragon making anti-police social media posts after the cancellation of a controversial holiday story time event at a Clintonville church featuring drag queens.
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Ten Ohio public employees this week sued in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas to stop labor unions from drawing money from their paychecks.
Lead plaintiff Lukas Darling worked in property enforcement for the Boardman Township Planning and Zoning Department and resigned as a member of the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME) two years ago. The other nine petitioners have worked either in public schools or at a state agency. Each resigned as a member of either AFSCME, the Ohio Association of Public School Employees or the Ohio Education Association.
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Richland County Juvenile Court Judge Steve McKinley will meet Wednesday with Governor Mike DeWine’s chief legal counsel to discuss a vacancy on the Ohio Supreme Court.
According to McKinley, as an Ohio Supreme Court justice, he would define the state constitution “reasonably and in accordance with our tradition … protecting individual rights and the separation of powers.”
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An Ohio teacher filed a lawsuit against her former school after she said she was forced to quit for not using a student’s preferred pronouns, which would have violated her religious beliefs.
Vivian Geraghty was an English teacher at Jackson Memorial Middle School in Massillon until the district forced her to resign in August because she refused to participate in a student’s social transition to another sex by using different pronouns and a different name than the student had at birth.
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Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced that natural resources and wildlife officers with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) will now be outfitted with body cameras.
Officers of the ODNR must uphold all state legislation and laws within their areas of responsibility as certified peace officers. Last year DeWine ordered ODNR to begin outfitting its officers with body cameras. The agency used $3.5 million in funding from the Federal Coronavirus Relief Fund under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to buy the new cameras.
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The General Assembly approved a Republican-backed bill aimed to require governmental evidence-retention entities to test rape kits when investigating human trafficking cases through the criminal justice reform package that passed last week.
House Bill (HB) 390 sponsored by state Representatives Marilyn John (R-Shelby) and Laura Lanese (R-Grove City) applies to the current state law for preserving and cataloging evidence of sexual assault examination (SAE) kits for victims and survivors of human trafficking.
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Ohio continues to lag behind the rest of the United States in terms of employment according to a report released Friday by the state Department of Job and Family Services.
The data showed unemployment in the Buckeye State remained at 4.2 percent in November, the same as the prior month’s level and a half a point behind the nationwide 3.7-percent rate.
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Ohio’s 1st District Court of Appeals refused Friday to take up the state’s appeal of an injunction on its six-week abortion ban.
The appellate court sent the case back to the lower court to continue, and complete, proceedings in the case.
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An investigation conducted by the Ohio Auditor of State found a longtime former employee of the Clark County Auditor’s Office stole over $1.8 million of public funds over about 15 years to pay for his own lavish vacations.
According to a release from Auditor of State Keith Faber, 64-year-old Robert Vanderhorst, a former employee of Clark County in Springfield since 1991, stole over $1.87 million of public funds in a scheme involving a fake vendor between the years 2005 and 2021.
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A judge in Fairfield County granted Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s request for a temporary restraining order temporarily stopping Columbus’ new restrictive gun laws from going into effect for 14 days.
Judge Richard Berens issued the ruling Thursday morning, immediately enjoining the ordinances.
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Ohio lawmakers gave final approval Thursday, on a Republican-backed bill that aims to cut down on unemployment fraud by revising and updating the state’s unemployment compensation system.
Senate Bill (SB) 302, sponsored by State Senators Bill Reineke (R-Tiffin) and Bob Hackett (R-London), looks to tighten the rules for verifying the identity of applicants for unemployment benefits in the state.
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The liberal voting activist group that dumped $350 million of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s money on local election offices during the 2020 presidential election is back again with another $80 million to give over the next five years.
And Wisconsin once again will be front and center in the Center for Tech and Civic Life’s “generosity.”
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A bipartisan Ohio bill to establish a temporary tax amnesty program that would forgive interest and penalties on delinquent taxes and fees passed in the State Senate on Wednesday.
House Bill (HB) 45, sponsored by State Representatives Bill Roemer (R-Richfield) and Thomas West (D-Canton), aims to “create a temporary amnesty program for delinquent state taxes, forgiving taxpayers of penalties and interest accrued if they pay the full amount of their taxes owed during an established time period. Any person who pays that amount due during the amnesty period would also be immune from criminal prosecution or civil actions related to their taxes or fees paid.”
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The Ohio state House of Representatives failed to pass a bill that would have banned transgender athletes from competing in sports outside of their biological gender, despite passing the Ohio state Senate only hours before.
The bill was first introduced in the House in June by Rep. Jena Powell and originally included a line requiring athletes to undergo a physical exam to determine their biological gender, according to FOX 8. During a 2 a.m. vote, the House failed to pass the bill after the state Senate included it in Senate bill 178, which stripped the State Board of Education of significant powers and gave control of educational policy enforcement to the governor Wednesday, according to the Columbus Dispatch.
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Penn Sports Interactive (Penn) could face a $250,000 fine over promoting sports betting in Ohio to underage bettors on a college campus.
Penn Sports Interactive is the parent company of Barstool Sportsbook, an online sports betting site. The Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) claims that Barstool violated the rules at the University of Toledo when the company promoted a pre-registration deal on its app during a show.
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The Columbus City Council unanimously voted on Monday to ban the sale of flavored tobacco and vaping products within city limits. Under 48 hours later, the Ohio Senate approved a bill that would make Columbus City Council’s ban illegal.
House Bill (HB) 513, sponsored by state Representatives Jon Cross (R-Kenton ) and Bill Roemer (R-Richfield), passed in the Ohio Senate on Wednesday by a vote of 23-8. The legislation includes an amendment known as a “preemption law, prohibiting local governments in Ohio from enacting any laws regarding tobacco or vaping products that are more strict than state law.”
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The Ohio Board of Education passed a resolution Tuesday that rejects proposed changes to broaden the definition of sex-based harassment and discrimination to include gender identity and sexual orientation for LGBTQ students.
In a 10-7 vote, board members 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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Teenagers in Ohio could be permitted to work until 9:00 p.m. on a school night if a bipartisan bill progressing through the Statehouse passes.
Senate Bill (SB) 251, sponsored by State Senators Tim Schaffer (R-Lancaster) and Tina Maharath (D-Columbus), aims to allow kids as young as 14 to work late during the school year if their parents give permission, to help with “staffing problems.”
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A bipartisan bill in the Ohio House aims to classify the crime of animal cruelty as an act of violence and increase the penalties in animal abuse cases.
Senate Bill (SB) 164, sponsored by State Senators Jay Hottinger (R-Newark) and Kenny Yuko (D-Richmond Heights), would enhance Goddard’s Law that was passed in 2016, classifying serious physical harm of a pet as a fifth-degree felony.
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The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center detailed in a survey how it incorporates diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) into its hiring and admissions practices, according to materials obtained in a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request by Do No Harm, an education watchdog group.
The survey, obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation, was administered by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and asked the school to detail how it commits itself to DEI standards in categories including leadership and mission, faculty and staff, students and communication and engagement. It shows the center has made diversity “central” to its mission as “a driver of institutional excellence.”
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The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) elected Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost as president for the year 2023.
The association voted unanimously to elect Yost during the NAAG Capital Forum in Washington.
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The Toledo City Council plans to consider a resolution to co-opt COVID relief funds to transport women out of the state to have abortions.
The resolution, sponsored by Councilmembers Nick Komives, Theresa Gadus, and Michele Grim, calls for the appropriation of $100,000 from the COVID relief money provided to the city through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) taxpayer dollars intended to address the public health and negative economic impacts of COVID-19.
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Advocates for occupational licensing reform successfully urged an Ohio House panel on Tuesday to unanimously pass a Senate bill to recognize professional certifications awarded by other states.
Eighteen states, varied in their politics and geography, already recognize out-of-state licenses for most professions, including neighboring Pennsylvania. These universal-recognition laws all require the licensee to have current permission to work in his or her state and have no pending professional disciplinary matters or disqualifying criminal records. Licensees remain subject to any fees or testing required by their adopted states.
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The Columbus City Council unanimously passed a ban on the sale of flavored tobacco products such as menthol cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and flavored vaping products on Monday.
City health officials say tobacco company marketing has historically targeted minorities and young people and most people who begin smoking do so before they’re adults or in early adulthood.
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Governor Mike DeWine announced Monday that the Ohio School Safety Center (OSSC) has finished setting the required training known as the Armed School Staff Essential Training (ASSET) Curriculum.
The OSSC developed the curriculum to meet the requirements of House Bill (HB) 99 sponsored by state Representative Thomas Hall (R-Madison Twp.) which gives Ohio school boards and governing bodies the option to arm staff members.
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Lawmakers introduced a Republican-sponsored bill into the House Higher Education and Career Readiness Committee that would ban COVID-19 vaccine mandates in Ohio colleges and universities.
House Bill (HB) 747 sponsored by state Representative P. Scott Lipps (R-Franklin) prohibits private colleges or state institutions of higher education from discriminating against an individual based on COVID-19 vaccination status even in medical school programs.
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After completing six hearings a Republican-backed bill to make changes in Ohio voting laws passed out of the Ohio House Government Oversight Committee along partisan lines 7-5 on Monday.
House Bill (HB) 294 sponsored by state Representatives Bill Seitz (R- Green Township) and Sharon Ray (R-Wadsworth) aims to require a photo ID for nearly all Ohio voters.
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The Ohio Elections Commission (OEC) announced last week it will hold a hearing on Thursday, January 5, 2023 to review evidence against former gubernatorial candidate Joe Blystone concerning alleged campaign-finance violations.
Charges against the Republican former hopeful include failure to report contributions from small-dollar backers and breach of rules regarding corporate donations. The onetime candidate was engaged in negotiations with Commission Executive Director Philip Richter, but some GOP members of the commission, including D. Michael Crites and Christina Hagan, reportedly insisted on continuing the probe to achieve full accountability.
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Ohio has a court date for the first-of-its-kind lawsuit against Google.
Delaware County Common Pleas Court set May 14 as the date Attorney General Dave Yost begins his case against the internet search giant in an effort to have it declared a common carrier and subject to government regulation.
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Cleveland State University eliminated from its law school the name of John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States, appointed over 200 years ago to the bench.
University officials removed Marshall’s name due to his ownership of slaves and his comments in support of slavery. However, the dean of the law school told The College Fix on December 5 that this is not an example of “erasing history.”
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A Republican-backed bill aimed to lower prescription drug costs for Ohioans made its way to the Ohio House Health Committee for its first hearing on Tuesday.
House Bill (HB) 715 sponsored by state Representatives P.Scott Lipps (R-Franklin) and Tom Young (R-Washington Township) would require the State Board of Pharmacy to develop a program for prescription drugs to be imported from Canada.
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Ohio Governor Mike DeWine plans to fill the seat on the Ohio Supreme Court by announcing his appointment by the end of the year.
DeWine said it’s critical for the new justice to be named by the end of the year so that they can start right away.
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Ohioans may soon get protections from fertility fraud after the Senate passed a major criminal justice reform bill.
A 27-2 bipartisan vote sent Senate Bill (SB) 288 sponsored by State Senator Nathan Manning (R-North Ridgeville) to the House where lawmakers will consider it further prior to sending it to Governor Mike DeWine for final approval.
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The Ohio State Senate passed a 2,144-page Republican-backed bill to “restructure” the Ohio Department of Education on Wednesday.
Senate Bill (SB) 178 sponsored by State Senator Bill Reineke (R-Tiffin) told the Primary and Secondary Education Committee that the bill seeks to “improve the academic achievement and workforce skills of our students, to drive better outcomes in their education, and to prepare for more effective career readiness.”
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Within 24 hours of presenting the idea, Ohio Senate Republicans passed legislation on Wednesday that aims to expand the ability to drill for oil and gas on state-owned lands.
A 2011 state law gave state agencies the power, if they choose, to lease out state lands for oil and gas exploration and production. However, the Oil and Gas Land Management Commission has been slow to approve any projects. Former Governor John Kasich signed that bill into law but didn’t appoint anyone to the commission for years. Under Governor Mike DeWine, the commission has met more often but has not approved leases.
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The Ohio State Senate this week passed a bill deeming natural gas a form of “green energy” and eased the leasing of state lands by fossil-fuel companies.
Sponsored by state Representative J. Kyle Koehler (R-Springfield), the measure’s main feature is an unrelated agricultural policy reducing the minimum number of poultry chicks that can be sold or transferred in Ohio from six to three. Lawmakers embraced that change based on the advice of the poultry industry and that of adults supervising children in 4-H agriculture programs who want to make smaller purchases for their farm projects.
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Ohio lawmakers amended a bill Tuesday that stops biological men and boys from high school and middle school from participating in women and girls’ sports. The amendment removed a provision that could have required students to undergo “internal and external” exams to verify their sex.
Instead, House Bill (HB) 151, The Save Women’s Sports Act, sponsored by State Representative Jena Powell (R-Arcanum) (pictured above), now would require an athlete whose biological gender is disputed to present a birth certificate under the amendment adopted by the Senate Primary and Secondary Education Committee.
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The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in Northeast Ohio found that individuals are setting up labs with pill presses to produce fentanyl pills inside their homes.
According to the DEA, generally in a lot of cases, cartels produced the pills in Mexico and then distributed them in the United States but now say they are finding a concerning trend where individuals are producing these dangerous drugs from local home laboratories.
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Some parents in Ohio’s Lakota Local Schools reportedly remain concerned after the school board determined Superintendent Matt Miller engaged in no wrongdoing following an investigation into documents alleging he admitted to having sexual fantasies involving children, Libs of TikTok reported Wednesday.
According to the report, Lakota parent Vanessa Wells filed a police report with the sheriff’s office on August 8 against Miller, who oversees the second-largest school district in the state in Butler County, with approximately 17,200 students.
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A coalition of free-market associations sent an open letter on Tuesday to Ohio’s state lawmakers encouraging them to enact universal occupational license recognition, meaning the Buckeye State would honor professional certifications issued in other states.
Message signers included leaders of Americans for Prosperity-Ohio, the Buckeye Institute, the Goldwater Institute, the National Taxpayers Union and Americans for Tax Reform. The organizations observed that the state’s population is declining and that it will continue to do so if pro-market reforms aren’t made to attract new workers, including universal license recognition. Numerous states, including Arizona and North Carolina, generally accept credentials obtained elsewhere by people moving into those states.
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Columbus City Council passed a package of gun control legislation Monday night despite a judge’s order to cease any such action.
Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther, City Attorney Zach Klein, and City Council President Shannon G. Hardin announced their proposition of “common sense” laws to reduce gun violence last month.
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With the unanimous passage of Senator Kristina Roegner’s (R-Hudson) Senate Bill (SB) 3 last year, nurses in Ohio will soon be able to choose a multistate license (MSL) through the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC).
Beginning on January 1st, 2023 registered nurses (RNs), licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and nursing students will be able to apply for an MSL which will permit them to practice in any of the 37 other states that have joined under the NLC.
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Lawmakers in the Ohio House attached an amendment to a bill that would send $615 million to skilled nursing facilities to assist with staffing shortages and keep establishments open.
The amendment was attached to Senate Bill (SB) 110 sponsored by State Senators Sandra O’Brien (R-Ashtabula) and Steve Wilson (R-Maineville) which already appropriates $465 million for rental assistance programs.
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LGBTQ rights activists canceled their controversial Holi-drag Storytime, a faction of Drag Queen Story Hour geared towards small children as young as two years old mere hours before the event was set to begin.
On Saturday, the Red Oak Community School, part of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbus scheduled to have a holiday drag queen event where three local drag queens would be in attendance to read books “highlighting inclusion and acceptance” to the children and would perform a few holiday numbers.
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Following the tragic death of a Cleveland firefighter, Ohio lawmakers unanimously passed an amendment to Senate Bill (SB) 185 to set higher mandatory prison sentences for individuals convicted of striking and killing firefighters and emergency personnel on the road.
State Representatives Tom Patton (R-Strongsville) and Bride Rose Sweeney (D-Cleveland) brought forward the amendment to address a concern in current state law that sets a higher minimum sentence for those convicted of vehicular homicide but omits firefighters and emergency medical personnel.
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The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority is recovering part of the ridership lost during the pandemic, when it reported more than $70 million in overspending of its general fund.
In 2021, the authority reported it had overspent by $70.2 million in its general fund despite the injection of $122.2 million in federal money.
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