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Ohio craft breweries had a $1.27 billion economic impact in 2022
Raise a glass to Ohio beer. Ohio’s 420 breweries brought in $1.27 billion to the state’s economy last year and employed a little more than 12,000 people, according to the Ohio Craft Brewers Association’s 2022 Economic and Fiscal Impact of Ohio’s Craft Brewing Industry. The Buckeye State’s craft beer industry is booming, producing 1.29 million barrels […]
Russo on 2024 Senate Race: “Any one of these Republican candidates would support a total abortion ban”
As Ohio Democrats are reflecting on one year since the Dobbs decision, they are also looking ahead to next year’s U.S. Senate Race in Ohio. “Let me make one thing clear — every single candidate running for Ohio’s seat supports an abortion ban, including bans that make no exceptions for rape or incest,” House Minority […]
Gathering signatures to put abortion amendment on November ballot is ‘going very well’
Less than two weeks until the deadline, Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights is saying abortion right advocates will get the signatures needed to put a measure on the November ballot that would enshrine abortion rights in the Ohio Constitution. Abortion advocates attempting to get the amendment on the ballot need to collect 413,000 signatures by July […]
Ohio House passes bill blocking gender-affirming care and trans athletes
The Ohio House of Representatives passed a controversial bill that would prevent doctors from providing gender-affirming care to trans youth and prevents trans athletes from participating in Ohio women’s sports. Wednesday’s 64-28 vote comes a week after House Bill 6, dubbed the “Save Women’s Sports Act”, was added to House Bill 68, also known as […]
“A great step forward,” Senate’s budget restores proposed affordable housing tax credit program
In a positive turn of events, the Senate’s version of the two-year operating budget restores a new affordable housing tax credit program that was originally nowhere to be seen in the Senate’s proposed budget. The program would attract developers to build low-income housing by making state tax credits accessible to projects receiving federal aid. Ohio […]
Higher education bills added to Ohio Senate’s version of the state’s operating budget
A massive higher education overhaul is one step closer to happening as the Ohio Senate voted to pass their budget Thursday. Numerous bills, including Senate Bill 83, were added to the Senate’s version of the budget during Wednesday’s Senate Finance Committee meeting and the budget passed during Thursday’s Senate Session by a 24-7 party line […]
Bill banning trans athletes added to bill to limit health care for Ohio LGBTQ youth
A bill that would prevent trans athletes from participating in Ohio women’s sports was woven into a bill that would limit health care for LGBTQ+ youth, and passed the Ohio House Public Health Policy Committee — all in the same meeting. House Bill 6, dubbed the “Save Women’s Sports Act”, was added to House Bill […]
One Toledo law professor is helping drive two of this year’s most controversial proposals in Ohio
Since introducing a plan last year to make it harder to amend the Ohio Constitution, supporters have insisted their proposal was an issue-neutral effort to protect the state’s founding document. But advocates for a new 60% threshold for constitutional amendments have repeatedly hewed toward a variety of very specific issues: Firearms groups worried about future […]
“Send this back and do better.’ Advocates criticize Ohio Senate’s version of state budget
Angry. Frustrated. Disappointed. Disturbed. Those were the words various advocates used to describe the Ohio Senate’s version of the budget, which was released last week. “When I first saw a draft of this, it was so bad I thought it was a mistake,” Michael Corey, executive director of the Human Service Chamber of Franklin County […]
Ohio House Bill 8 would force schools to notify parents before teaching “sexuality content”
A controversial bill in the Ohio Statehouse would force educators to out students to their parents and require public schools to give parental notification before teaching “sexuality content.” House Bill 8 was introduced by State Reps. D.J. Swearingen, R-Huron, and Sara Carruthers, R-Hamilton, in February and opponents are saying it’s another anti-LGBTQ bill. Amendments recently […]
Ohio Senate’s budget kills DeWine’s proposed affordable housing tax credit program
The Ohio Senate’s proposed budget axed a new affordable housing tax credit program first introduced by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine in his budget. The program would entice developers to construct low-income housing by making state tax credits accessible to projects receiving federal aid, but the Senate killed it. DeWine originally capped the amount of credits […]
Ohio Senate restores some college student grant funding in proposed operating budget
The Senate’s version of Ohio’s two-year operating budget restores some of the funding Gov. Mike DeWine originally proposed to a grant program that helps college students who have the highest level of financial need. DeWine introduced his proposed budget earlier this year and the Ohio House introduced their version of the budget in April. The […]