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Potential Ohio bills target transgender medicine, pornography, and conversion therapy
Several bills regarding sex and gender issues are being considered in the Ohio legislature, including a bill to prohibit transition-related medicine for transgender youth, a bill to make pornography a public health hazard, and one that aims to cease conversion therapy. Transgender-related medicine A bill still being drafted by state Rep. Ron Hood, R-Ashville, and […]
Paid family and medical leave supporters say statewide program good for business, employees
The effect of a lack of paid family leave on small businesses and women of color were significant issues brought up in the second hearing on a bill to provide a statewide leave program. A small businessowner and mother argued that paid family and medical leave made good business sense, but wasn’t always affordable for […]
Second conference committee to be formed on EdChoice issues
The Ohio Senate rejected a House overhaul of the state’s private school voucher program Wednesday, sending yet another bill related to EdChoice to a conference committee. Senate Bill 89 was up for consideration at the Senate’s session Wednesday night, but several senators spoke out against the amendments made, ultimately voting down the emergency clause of […]
Supporters: Student religious liberty bill protects all students
Supporters of a bill to further “clarify” students’ rights to exercise their faith said Tuesday that the bill is a protection for those of any faith or no faith at all. House Bill 164 has been under scrutiny since it was introduced, and the criticism by education officials and the ACLU continued after it was […]
Ohio House and Senate still in conflict on vouchers, conference committees scheduled
With the Ohio Senate still planning to reject an overhaul to the Educational Choice Scholarship program, a renewed push for a revised but still intact EdChoice has begun. After the Senate was left without a bill to vote on last week because of administrative and technical issues, the fate of Senate Bill 89 is still […]
Entrepreneurship/STEM programs announced for Appalachian students
A free program to support Ohio students in Appalachia study STEM and entrepreneurship is opening its application period. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, co-chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission, announced the application periods on Friday for the Appalachian Entrepreneurship Academy and the Appalachian Region Commission/Oak Ridge National Laboratory Summer STEM Program. STEM stands for science, technology, […]
Senate left waiting as transfer of House EdChoice overhaul delayed
Senate legislators plan not to concur with the House version of a bill that would overhaul EdChoice in favor of an income-based scholarship program. After two different Senate sessions, one Wednesday evening and another Thursday morning, the chamber had not received the House version of Senate Bill 89, which it had passed 87-7 on Wednesday […]
Ohio Fairness Act fills hearing room with advocates, business groups
It wasn’t the many hordes of people that crowded into a Statehouse hearing room that got people’s attention on Tuesday. It wasn’t even the more than 250 testimonies filed on the issue at hand. It was the 11-year-girl bending the microphone so she could reach it, telling her story of being bullied by kids and […]
Bills could be in jeopardy after EdChoice amendments added then stripped
The EdChoice voucher program is still being debated in the Ohio legislature, but the amendments created in an attempt to resolve the issue could bring collateral damage for the bills to which they were hurriedly attached. As both the House and Senate deliberated over the private school voucher program, the amendments the chambers proposed were […]
Supporters of Ohio Fairness Act: ‘We need this legislation’
After being rescheduled because of the education bill fight, supporters are once again scheduled to make their arguments for an anti-LGBTQ discrimination bill in Ohio. The Ohio Fairness Act is a bill that would make sexual orientation and gender identity or expression part of the civil rights law’s “covered characteristics” for which discrimination is prohibited. […]
Senate begrudgingly agrees to House’s EdChoice delay
After nearly a full week of debate and back and forth, the Ohio Senate decided to agree to a 60-day delay for the private school voucher education program, with the hope of a better plan as a result. “I have to vote yes because I can not in clear conscience at midnight tonight… allow those […]
House pushes back EdChoice application date, sends amendment back to Senate
It was the Ohio House of Representatives’ turn to work late into the night on a proposal to rework the state’s private school voucher program Thursday. After a long day of debate, the House decided to opt for more time. State representatives convened at about 9 p.m. to pass an amendment to Senate Bill 120, […]