Cecil Thomas
Measure expanding reliance on cash bail gets first hearing in the Senate
The Attorney General-backed bid to change limits on cash bail got its first hearing in the Ohio Senate Tuesday. The effort comes as a direct response to a state supreme court ruling and would require a constitutional amendment to take effect. The purpose of bail is to ensure defendants return to court for their trial […]
Democrats want to allow for virtual testimony at Statehouse committees
At different times during the pandemic, Democratic lawmakers have tried unsuccessfully to push for the Ohio General Assembly to conduct its work remotely. Now with Ohio navigating its return to normalcy, Democrats still want to provide some virtual access to the legislative process in the years to come. Members are proposing legislation that would allow […]
Bill would enhance Ohio vandalism penalties in response to 2020 damage
A Republican state senator is seeking to increase the penalties for arson, vandalism and other criminal acts as a response to damage caused to the Ohio Statehouse and nearby businesses last year. Sen. Andrew Brenner, R-Powell, said the recent storming of the U.S. Capitol also spurred his desire to sponsor Senate Bill 34 last week. […]
Anti-mask, anti-vax Ohioans support bill targeting health dept. authority
Maskless and frustrated, a string of Ohioans offered tales Wednesday of their personal aggrievement since the coronavirus pandemic began. A woman told of her favorite gluten-free bake shop closing down in 2020, thus denying her access to “cheesy bread with the best freshly made marinara sauce I’ve ever tasted.” She also claimed her cat died […]
Ohio’s minimum wage to rise by 10 cents per hour in 2021
The Ohio minimum wage will rise by 10 cents to $8.80 per hour in 2021. That will be the wage for non-tipped employees. Tipped workers will earn $4.35 per hour plus tips in 2021. Ohio workers under the age of 16 will make the federal minimum wage, which is $7.25 per hour. Ohio’s minimum wage […]
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 […]
Musician sings of struggles as lawmakers highlight bills that would help black families
The story sung by Paisha Thomas inside the Ohio Statehouse atrium tells of a hard-working mother. She has three kids, and is stuck picking up extra shifts on Fridays to make up for the time spent raising them. She weighs the cost and makes the choice, is it the chicken or the rent? As the […]
Bipartisan Ohio bill seeks to raise age to own firearms to 21
A bill with bipartisan sponsorship making its way through the Ohio legislature aims to raise the age for gun ownership from 18 to 21. Senate Bill 182 would also increase the maximum amount of prison time and fines attached to the charge of “improperly furnishing a firearm to an underage person.” Under the proposed law, […]
Gun advocates argue for removal of ‘duty to retreat’ in Ohio
A third hearing on a bill to remove the duty to retreat from a self-defense law was eventful and testy at times on Wednesday in its state Senate committee. Senate Bill 237 would expand the current law, often called the Castle Doctrine, which gives Ohio residents legal standing to use force to defend their home […]