Don Jones
Making it harder to be a substitute teacher might not do what you think
On Monday, Representatives Adam Bird and Don Jones introduced House Bill 583, legislation to tighten regulations on educator licensing for substitute teachers. The bill increases the educational threshold for substitute teachers from a more broad requirement of a “post-secondary” degree to a more specific “bachelor’s” degree while creating some exceptions to this rule. The exceptions […]
Rep. makes case for virtual hearings, mask mandate at Ohio Statehouse
Rep. Brigid Kelly wants to see the Ohio General Assembly embrace legislating by virtual means as the state keeps battling the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. Whether the legislature meets in person or by video conference, the Cincinnati Democrat would like constituents to be able to testify for and against bills through digital means. And if hearings […]
State legislature approves ban on local ‘bag bans’
Paper or plastic? That’s a question headed to the governor’s desk. The state legislature has approved House Bill 242 that would prevent local governments from enacting any ban or tax on “auxiliary containers” such as plastic bags over the coming year. The Ohio House of Representatives passed the ban on bag bans late last year. […]
FirstEnergy money flowed to Ohio politicians who supported Householder-backed HB6
FirstEnergy Solutions said it needed a government bailout to continue operating. It still had hundreds of thousands of dollars available to donate to Ohio politicians. The Akron-based energy company spent years working toward what would become House Bill 6 — passed by the Republican-controlled state legislature and signed by Gov. Mike DeWine in the summer […]
EdChoice debate: Private schools a beneficial option, students and administrators say
Students and parents from Ohio’s private schools stayed up past their bedtimes in some cases to put their two cents in about the state private school voucher program’s fate. At conference committee hearings to decide on one particular proposal for EdChoice, private school advocates argued the workforce waiting for their students and the competitive nature […]
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 […]
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 […]