News
Liberal Supreme Court justices challenge abortion restrictions in high-stakes case
WASHINGTON — The liberal wing of the U.S. Supreme Court appeared highly skeptical of a Louisiana law that restricts abortion access as the justices heard oral arguments Wednesday in a high-stakes case that could open the door for additional abortion limitations around the country. But the court’s conservative majority — which is likely to determine […]
LGBTQ+ protections, pet euthanasia, women’s policy, and the impacts of racism
Whiplash. NPR is reporting that under the Trump administration, Obama-era policies aimed at protecting LGBTQ people have been rescinded one by one. “The Trump administration is — tit for tat — … trying to reverse-engineer every single one of those advances,” one law professor says. The pound. Ohio Public Radio’s Jo Ingles is reporting, “Bill Would Ban Use Of […]
Ballot amendment to legalize marijuana in Ohio submitted for review
Will marijuana become fully legalized in Ohio next year? That’s the hope of a group behind the proposed “Amendment to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol.” The group recently submitted initial paperwork to the Ohio Attorney General office for this constitutional amendment to appear on the 2020 General Election ballot in November. The amendment, if passed, would […]
Chamber of Commerce rep warns of ‘unintended consequences’ in supermajority tax reform bill
A lobbyist for an influential Ohio business advocacy group Tuesday warned Senators against legislation to require a supermajority vote before raising Ohio’s income tax rates. Tony Long, director of tax and economic policy for the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, said Senate Joint Resolution 3 could yield “unintended consequences” for Ohio businesses down the line. “The […]
Total abortion ban introduced in House, in case Roe v. Wade overturned
A new abortion ban is being introduced in the Ohio House, this time aiming at total prohibition of abortions statewide. Dubbed the “Human Life Protection Act” by sponsor state Rep. John Becker, the bill would take effect if the federal case that legalized abortion in the nation, Roe v. Wade, is overturned. If and when […]
Major abortion case heads to U.S. Supreme Court this week
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Wednesday in a high-profile abortion case that’s rooted in Louisiana but could have major implications in states around the country. The case, June Medical Services LLC v. Russo, centers on a Louisiana law that requires any physicians who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a […]
Affordable health care, toxic drinking water, JobsOhio, and local banks
Each day in our newsletter, we are highlighting stories and commentary from other media big and small throughout Ohio and the nation. If you’d like to get this feature directly to your inbox, please sign up for our newsletter here. Catching Our Eye: Affordable health care. The U.S. Supreme Court will hear another Republican case attempting to […]
Republicans slice voter registration referendum into four parts
Ohio Republicans sliced apart a proposed constitutional amendment that would have made it easier to vote in Ohio. By dissecting the “Secure and Fair Elections Amendment” into four separate ballot proposals instead of one cohesive sweep, the Ohio Ballot Board effectively increased the required number of valid signatures four-fold from about 443,000 to nearly 1.8 […]
Proposed term limit amendment clears another hurdle
A proposed constitutional amendment that would institute new term limits on Ohio legislators has cleared another hurdle toward getting it on this year’s General Election ballot. The latest victory for term limit advocates came Monday morning despite opposition from Ohio Senate President Larry Obhof. What the term limit amendment does The proposed “Lifetime General Assembly […]
EdChoice stalls, decision due in less than a month
The EdChoice decision needed in less than a month seems to have stalled, and legislators are still not in agreement as to what the solution is. About a week ago, the conference committee deliberating on House Bill 9 adjourned to take time to “get their minds unwarped,” as committee chair state Rep. Don Jones, R-Freeport, […]
Cummings honored with first U.S. Capitol room named for black lawmaker
WASHINGTON — The House Committee on Oversight and Reform’s hearing room in the Rayburn Office Building has been renamed the Elijah E. Cummings Room in honor of the late Baltimore congressman. Cummings’ family, friends, former colleagues and staff packed the hearing room Thursday for a dedication ceremony. It is the first time that a room […]
At CPAC, Jordan decries socialism and ‘coup’ against Trump
An hour after a bearded man named Grizzly Joe opened the day’s proceedings with the Pledge of Allegiance, Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan took the stage at CPAC to decry socialism and an alleged coup against the president. Jordan, a Republican from Urbana who represents a swath of northern Ohio, was a featured guest at the […]