bob peterson
Lawmakers hung up on hiring restrictions in Second Amendment “sanctuary” bill
A measure eliminating federal firearm provisions from Ohio law is facing a skeptical audience in the Statehouse. Drafters modeled the so-called Second Amendment Preservation Act on a recent Missouri law currently tied up in federal court. Supporters are particularly angry about regulations proposed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. They’ve repeatedly raised […]
GOP plan to advance 60% amendment in August looking wobbly after second hearing cancelled
Hints of uncertainty are creeping into the Ohio House ahead of an effort toward a constitutional showdown. For the second time in as many days, the House Government Oversight committee canceled its hearing instead of voting on an August special elections measure. That legislation is crucial to a Republican ballot effort asking voters to make […]
Rep. Kelly to campaign for Hamilton County auditor
A Cincinnati lawmaker has announced her candidacy for Hamilton County auditor . State Rep. Brigid Kelly, a Democrat, said she is vying for the auditor in 2022 after having spent the past five years fighting “for what matters most at the Statehouse.” “The auditor is supposed to be our local consumer watchdog, and that is […]
State lawmakers Peterson, Stewart to run for open Congressional seat
Two Republican state lawmakers have announced plans to campaign for a congressional seat that will soon be left vacant by the departure of U.S. Rep. Steve Stivers. Sen. Bob Peterson, R-Washington Court House, and Rep. Brian Stewart, R-Ashville, will both vie for the Republican nomination for Ohio’s 15th Congressional District. Stivers, an Upper Arlington Republican, […]
Bill targets energy aggregation as Ohio voters keep approving it
This month, Columbus became the latest and largest city in Ohio to approve an electric aggregation plan to pool customers together in order to seek a cheaper group rate. Voters throughout Ohio have approved many such election and gas aggregation plans in their own counties, cities and townships in recent years. These plans, as agreed […]
Ohio Senate passes bill to prohibit widespread stay-at-home orders
The Ohio Senate has approved a bill that would restrict the state health director from issuing broad quarantine and stay-at-home orders in battling a pandemic. Senate Bill 311 is one in a string of bills introduced by Republican legislators this year seeking to rein in power of the Ohio Department of Health, all while the […]
Republicans on Ohio Controlling Board reject prepaid postage for voters
A majority of Ohio Controlling Board members are not convinced there is a need to make voting by mail more convenient by prepaying for postage this fall. They made that determination Monday at a meeting held digitally because of COVID-19 safety protocols — a Zoom conference which began just 45 minutes after news broke that […]
Many Ohio lawmakers use campaign $$ to subscribe to hometown papers
Dozens of Ohio legislators are choosing to spend their donors’ money in the interest of local journalism. In total, 35 state representatives and senators paid for news subscriptions using campaign funds in 2019, a review from the Ohio Capital Journal has found. And though the president bemoans the alleged problem of “fake news,” it is […]