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Billions available to Ohio economy if racial disparities were eliminated, study shows
Racial disparities are keeping the state of Ohio from bringing in billions into the economy, a new study shows. The Health Policy Institute studied disparities experienced by Black and Hispanic/Latino Ohioans, and how improvements to their health and “economic vitality” could improve the state in those categories as well. “Beyond the substantial impacts on people […]
Changes to Ohio voter ID law will impact August 8 election. Here’s how
Early voting is ongoing for the upcoming Aug. 8 special election on Issue 1 that asks voters to make it harder to amend the Ohio Constitution by raising the threshold to 60%. To get to the ballot box, voters need to keep in mind changes made to voter ID laws last year, in a late-night […]
Ohio arts programs get boosts in funding from budget, grants, ARPA
Arts programs in Ohio are seeing much-needed funding boosts with budget provisions and federal grants bringing in new ways for them to stay on the stage. The Ohio Arts Council, a state agency that provides financial assistance through grants and services to organizations and individuals in the arts, received more than $50 million in funding […]
State Board of Education of Ohio discusses changes coming with budget approval
In their first meeting since the state budget was approved with sweeping changes to Ohio’s State Board of Education, the group discussed the impacts it will face. “This is going to be another chapter here and I want to be as proactive and on top of this chapter as I can, and as we can,” […]
Labor force decreased in Ohio as working-age deaths increased, data shows
As participation in the labor force went down, working-age Ohioans still face rising death rates, a new report shows. Research from the Health Policy Institute of Ohio showed a 9% decline in the labor force participation rate for the state from 2007 to 2022, according to data collected for a 2023 Health Value Dashboard, which […]
LGBTQ+ youth would be put at greater risk of homelessness under Ohio forced outing bill
The Ohio State University campus area is a home many teens choose as they transition to their burgeoning adulthood. For MD Sitzes, it wasn’t a choice. In the late 1990s, Sitzes came out as queer, and with a parent who couldn’t handle the situation, they were forced out and lived on the streets of Columbus. […]
Bill to reduce Ohio’s State Board of Education to elected-only positions introduced
A bill that would reduce the size of Ohio’s State Board of Education and eliminate governor-appointed positions has been introduced with GOP support in the Ohio House. On July 5, House Bill 235 was introduced by sponsor state Rep. Sarah Fowler Arthur, R-Ashtabula. Fowler Arthur, a former state education board member herself, entered the potential […]
Ohio abortion rights supporters submit signatures, gunning for November ballot
Two trucks loaded with more than 400 boxes rolled into the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office Wednesday. In those boxes were 710,000 signatures abortions rights advocates say prove they have the support they need to bring a ballot measure asking voters to put abortion care in the Ohio Constitution. “Those (402) boxes are filled with […]
“How are you supposed to finance that?” Ohio college students face barriers to abortion access
The U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade has added lots of stress and uncertainty to Unni Shreram’s life. As a 19-year-old junior at Ohio State University, she is part of a wider demographic of college students who face specific challenges when it comes to abortion access. “As a young person of reproductive […]
Final Ohio education budget expands vouchers, limits board of ed powers
With Gov. Mike DeWine spending the day before a holiday poring over a 1,200-page document debating line-item vetos, he had a lot of input from advocacy groups as to the final education budget. A conference committee of Ohio House and Senate leaders reached an agreement last week, and on the last day of the month, […]
Ohio’s congressional redistricting case moves back to state supreme court
In an expected move, the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday sent back an Ohio congressional redistricting appeal for reconsideration by the state’s highest court. Following its decision in Moore v. Harper, in which a majority of the court rejected the concept of the independent state legislature theory, the court entered a short order regarding the […]
US Supreme Court decision rejects independent legislative theory, likely spells doom for Ohio case
A U.S. Supreme Court ruling on a North Carolina case decimated the arguments made by Ohio Republican leaders who were hoping to have their own case taken up by the court. In Moore v. Harper, the six justices in the majority rejected arguments for the independent state legislature theory (ISLT), a centuries-old and repeatedly rejected […]