The Ohio House’s plan to increase starting pay for teachers in the state to $40,000 still leaves it below the average starting pay across the country, according to a recent report.
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Two Ohio Republican state senators have re-introduced legislation that aims to prohibit fees and insurance requirements from owning a gun.
Senate Bill (SB) 58, sponsored by State Senators Theresa Gavarone (R-Bowling Green) and Terry Johnson (R-McDermott), tries to protect Ohio’s Second Amendment rights by ensuring that no Ohioan will be required to possess or purchase firearm liability insurance or pay a fee for the possession of a firearm, parts, components, ammunition, or a knife.
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Supporters of legislation that aims to alter the process of how initiative petitions can propose constitutional amendments have told Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) that they have the support of at least 59 House Republicans who want a floor vote on the resolution.
It will take a three-fifths majority of the 99-member House to pass the resolution to put before voters House Joint Resolution (HJR) 1 requiring 60 percent voter approval for future constitutional amendments.
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If you paid a contractor to build a house and you agreed to a price and timeline, but the builder blew through the timeline and racked up the price tag, you’d be pretty upset. I bet you’d demand accountability, maybe even a discount.
Well, when it comes to the federal government and your tax dollars, President Biden seems to be okay with projects that bust the budget, fly past the deadline, and are completely derailed.
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Norfolk Southern announced on Wednesday that it expects the costs associated with February’s East Palestine, Ohio train derailment to amount to $387 million. The company anticipates the sum to rise over time, which doesn’t represent the final amount the railroad’s insurance providers will pay out.
The $387 million estimate includes the $30.9 million the railroad promised to assist locals and the residents of East Palestine in recovering from the incident, cleanup costs, community support, restoration payments, legal and advising fees, and an early estimate of claims and settlements.
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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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Columbus venture capitalist Mark Kvamme, who many Republicans thought to be a potential GOP contender to run for U.S. Senate against Ohio Democratic U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) in 2024, announced that he would not be running for Senate and instead endorsed Republican businessman Bernie Moreno.
Moreno previously filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to run for Senate in 2024 and to challenge Democratic incumbent Brown. He officially announced his campaign last week, saying that it’s time for a new generation of political outsiders to come in and get the job done to put America First.
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Alex Triantafilou, the newly elected head of the Ohio Republican Party, responded to the announcement that President Joe Biden is running for reelection, calling it “ill-advised.”
“Plain and simple – Joe Biden is not fit for office,” Triantafilou said Tuesday evening.
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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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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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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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In a major speech Tuesday before one of the nation’s most prominent pro-life groups, former South Carolina governor and Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley said Americans must find consensus on abortion law.
Haley didn’t offer specifics on precisely what “consensus” means to her in terms of policy, although she did say the federal government has a role to play in the post-Roe v. Wade world of life, liberty and abortion.
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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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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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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 Attorney General Dave Yost and his Environmental Enforcement team have unveiled a $1.1 million initiative to help communities statewide crack down on polluters.
“Shine a Light on Dumpers” is a multi-faceted initiative to stop illegal open dumping of solid waste in Ohio neighborhoods, including scrap tires, construction refuse, and more.
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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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In a campaign conversation Sunday with veterans in Des Moines, biotech entrepreneur and GOP presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy called for a rejection of the idea of a “national divorce” in favor of the beginning of a national revival.
Ramaswamy, who describes himself as an unapologetic America First candidate, told a packed VFW Post 9127 hall in the city’s Beaverdale neighborhood Sunday morning that his is more than a presidential campaign — it’s a mission to reclaim the soul of America.
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Campaigning in Des Moines’ Beaverdale neighborhood Sunday, Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy told The Iowa Star that Secretary of State Antony Blinken should face serious consequences if it turns out he was the point man for a disinformation campaign on Hunter Biden’s notorious laptop.
“It’s prosecution worthy,” the Ohio businessman told The Iowa Star after speaking to veterans at the Beaverdale VFW Post 9127.
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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 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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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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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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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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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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“In this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes,” Benjamin Franklin once observed.
Turns out, he was only half right.
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Supporters of exporting liquid natural gas (LNG) from Philadelphia got unambivalent backing from Democratic former Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan at a state hearing at the city’s Navy Yard on Thursday.
The liberal ex-lawmaker who unsuccessfully opposed Republican J.D. Vance for the U.S. Senate from Ohio last year is now on the leadership team of the pro-natural-gas Natural Allies for a Clean Energy Future. In that capacity, he appeared before the LNG Export Task Force to strongly urge the creation of an LNG terminal at the Port of Philadelphia.
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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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Ahead of a four-day campaign swing this weekend through the Hawkeye State, Ohio businessman and GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is announcing the first phase of his Iowa leadership team.
The lineup includes some political heavy hitters, including the former president of the Iowa State Senate.
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A new poll of likely New Hampshire Republican voters shows former President Donald Trump far outpacing his nearest competitors.
Trump now holds a 20 percentage point lead over Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (42% to 22%), according to the University of New Hampshire’s Granite State Poll.
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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 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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The Ohio House introduced its version of the state budget on Tuesday, including a $1 billion tax cut, higher income limits for school vouchers, and a ban on TikTok from government devices.
The second iteration of a plan to spend more than $86 billion over the subsequent two fiscal years is contained in the 5,300-page proposal known as House Bill (HB) 33.
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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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New polls in battleground Arizona and Pennsylvania suggest Florida Governor Ron DeSantis — not former President Donald Trump — could prevail in a matchup against President Joe Biden.
But the Public Opinion Strategies (POS) polls again are raising questions about methodology — and the people behind the DeSantis-friendly poll.
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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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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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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 Governor Mike DeWine has delayed the executions of three death row inmates citing ongoing issues with pharmaceutical drug suppliers for the state’s lethal injection method.
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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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Ohio Entrepreneur and Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is planning a busy campaign trip through the Hawkeye State this weekend.
Ramaswamy’s four-day bus tour will take him to seven cities around eastern and central Iowa, where he’ll connect with veterans, a Republican women’s group and Iowa’s leading faith coalition.
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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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There was one group at Wisconsin’s budget hearing pushing for less. Americans for Prosperity warned Wisconsin lawmakers about spending too much of the state’s record $7.1 billion surplus.
Americans For Prosperity Wisconsin this week waited through hours of requests for more money at the legislature’s public budget hearings to make the simple case to spend less.
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Well over two months have passed since a Norfolk Southern train carrying toxic chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, less than a mile from Pennsylvania’s border, and President Joe Biden hasn’t visited affected communities in either state. Pennsylvania lawmakers are urging him to do so.
Six weeks ago Biden said he would “be out there at some point.” The White House did not respond to a request for comment on whether he has yet scheduled a visit. (Biden’s Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg first went to the site more than two weeks after the derailment.)
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Nearly every U.S. state recognized increased backlogs for new Social Security disability benefit applications since 2019, And the Great Lakes states were no different.
In fact, Wisconsin’s backlog more than doubled, ranking in fifth nationwide for increased backlogs. From 2019 to 2023, Wisconsin’s backlog grew 130 percent, with an increase of 11,500 backlogged applications. It has the fifth highest backlog increase in the nation.
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A Republican Ohio House Representative introduced legislation to make homeschooling approval easier for Ohio families.
House Bill (HB) 127, sponsored by State Representative Sarah Fowler Arthur (R-Ashtabula), aims to only require the superintendent of a school to acknowledge a parent or caretaker’s intent to home school.
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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 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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Ohio businessman Vivek Ramaswamy said he would shut down a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF) that is “beyond repair” and expand Second Amendment rights if he is elected president.
The political outsider vying for the Republican Party’s nomination laid out his gun rights agenda in a speech Friday to the National Rifle Association’s annual meeting in Indianapolis.
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A pro-woman parental rights coalition is launching two 60-second ads this week aimed at defeating Ohio’s pro-abortion, anti-parent amendment, a product of the leftist American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and one that would eliminate parental notification and consent requirements for minors obtaining abortions or gender transition interventions and surgeries.
Both ads by Protect Women Ohio feature Ohio mothers who express fear and concern at the proposal to amend Ohio’s state constitution to guarantee abortion, particularly how it undermines parental rights and allows for gender transition surgeries and abortions for minors without any requirement for parental notification or consent.
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