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Bill on rape statutes addresses marital rape loophole
With bipartisan support on the issue of removing the statute of limitations for rape and sexual assault in Ohio, legislators are hoping a bill recently introduced in the state Senate would also remove a loophole involving marital rights. Senate Bill 162 seeks to remove the statute of limitations for rape and sexual assault, which currently […]
Tax credit for donors to anti-abortion pregnancy centers moves toward full Ohio House vote
A bill giving a tax credit to donors for pregnancy centers who promote carrying a pregnancy to term was approved in the state House Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday, moving it toward a full House vote. Supporters and critics of House Bill 297 made their cases in the fourth committee hearing on the bill, […]
Bill regulating nurse overtime awaits Ohio House vote
UPDATE 12/11/19 3:16 p.m.: The House approved House Bill 144 on Wednesday with a vote of 80-13. A bill seeking to regulate overtime requirements for nurses is making its way through the legislature, with support from the Ohio Nurses Association and opposition from the Ohio Hospital Association and state Chamber of Commerce. House Bill 144 […]
New Ohio bill seeks to meld with federal mental health requirements
A new bill with bipartisan support seeks to line up mental health laws in Ohio with federal law, according to the sponsors of the bill. The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act was introduced Monday by State Rep. Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington and Rep. Phil Plummer, R-Dayton, according to a press release. The law […]
Supreme Court denies review of Kentucky ultrasound law
The United States Supreme Court declined to review a decision allowing Kentucky to require doctors performing abortions to conduct ultrasounds and describe the procedure’s findings to women. While the law allows women to decline to look at the ultrasound screen and request for the volume be turned down on the machine, it requires the ultrasounds […]
Study on unproven ‘abortion reversal’ drug halted due to risk to patients
A study on an unproven “abortion reversal” treatment that relates to a senate bill currently sitting in the Ohio Legislature has ended because of its risk to the female patients. The study was being conducted at the University of California, Davis, to see if the hormone progesterone could be used to stop abortion performed using […]
Bipartisan state senators working to protect domestic violence survivors from gun violence
Just before Thanksgiving this year, Logan resident Natalie Nutter filed for divorce from her husband, Kevin. Weeks prior, Kevin Nutter, also of Logan, pleaded guilty to violating a protection order Natalie had filed against him, which she’d received after he’d made threats against her and her family. In exchange for his guilty plea, Kevin Nutter […]
Dayton shooting, universal background checks brought up in gun reform bill hearing
Supporters of gun reform measures proposed by Gov. Mike DeWine said the legislation would be an important first step in curbing gun violence, but wouldn’t agree that universal background checks were a better solution. The Committee for Government Oversight and Reform met Wednesday to hear proponent testimony as they review Senate Bill 221, which proposes […]
Supporters of ‘Duty to Retreat Act’ testify before Senate committee
A committee of state senators took another look Tuesday at a proposed change to the self-defense law that would eliminate the legal requirement for a person to try to escape an aggressor before fighting back with deadly force. Members of Ohioans for Concealed Carry and Ohio Gun Owners testified in support of Senate Bill 237, […]
Ohio abortion bills by the numbers: Here’s what’s pending
A number of abortion-related bills have passed at least one chamber of the Ohio legislature, or are being reviewed currently within the Statehouse. Legislation that would effectively ban abortions after about six weeks — Senate Bill 23 — passed the Senate in April with 18 votes in favor and 13 opposed. The House approved the […]
Ohio teachers union speaks out against religious liberties bill, sponsor decries ‘urban myths’
As Ohio teachers speak out against a “Student Religious Liberties Act” that was passed by the Ohio House, the lead sponsor of the bill is calling out “inaccuracies” given about the bill, which he says have been spread by the media and “misinformed individuals on social media.” House Bill 164 amends certain sections of the […]
Push is on to pass a paid family leave bill; advocates say it’s needed more than ever
Debates are frequent surrounding the legitimacy of baby boomer life advice and the struggle of the millennial, but public policy analysts say there’s another demographic facing a struggle right now: the “sandwich” generation. The term represents a group in the state and country that are caught in the middle, raising young children, but also acting […]