Emilia Strong Sykes
Ohio House approves transgender sports ban for women’s athletics
Ohio lawmakers approved a bill Thursday to allow college athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness, with Republicans adding an unrelated provision to ban transgender girls from competing in women’s high school and college sports. The last-minute addition of a provision dealing with the transgender sports ban set off a chaotic debate on […]
With drawing days away, Ohio legislation seeks to stop Vax-A-Million program
Five Ohioans who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 are about to win $1 million through a new vaccine lottery program, but a Republican lawmaker wants to call the whole thing off. State Rep. Jena Powell, R-Arcanum, is drafting legislation that would prevent the state from administering any vaccine lottery program. Hundreds of thousands of Ohioans […]
Testy exchanges seen in first hearing on Ohio election changes bill
The Republican sponsors of a bill to change various pieces of Ohio election law had their first opportunity Thursday to make a case why these changes are necessary. State Reps. Bill Seitz, R-Green Twp., and Sharon Ray, R-Wadsworth, fielded questions from a handful of Democratic lawmakers, each sharing concerns that some of the provisions would […]
Huffman drops pursuit of ballot amendment to extend Ohio redistricting deadlines
Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman has ended his pursuit of a constitutional amendment to push back redistricting deadlines in the state, a proposed attempt at dealing with delays in receiving U.S. Census data. Ohio is expected to receive census data used for drawing new federal and state legislative maps sometime in September. That is a […]
Explainer: The proposals to keep Ohio’s redistricting process on track
Ohio’s redistricting process is in a state of turmoil, with a delay in Census data leading the state to worry about there not being enough time to adequately draw new legislative maps. Republicans and Democrats have both presented plans for how Ohio can deal with these delays. In essence, legislative leaders from both parties want […]
Ohio Transportation Budget: What to know and how it impacts you
Ohio lawmakers recently approved a two-year transportation budget ahead of schedule and without much drama, sending the $8.3 billion package to Gov. Mike DeWine for a signature. Legislators agreed to allocate billions of dollars toward maintaining and improving Ohio’s transportation infrastructure, including highways, roads and bridges. Despite the governor having proposed major cuts to public […]
Census data delays may significantly impact Ohio redistricting process
Delays in processing the 2020 U.S. Census data will likely impact Ohio’s ability to redraw legislative districts later this year. The U.S. Census Bureau announced last Friday it has pushed back the deadline to release population data to Sept. 30, months later than was originally expected, due to the pandemic. The delay could pose major […]
Mailbag: Will any Ohio lawmakers run for Rob Portman’s seat?
Welcome back to another installment of the Mailbag, the only column in Ohio that politicians are giving serious consideration to reading. Let’s get to it! Got a question about Ohio politics/government? Send them by email to [email protected] or tweet them to @tylerjoelb. Anyone in the Ohio legislature looking at running for Sen. Rob Portman’s seat? […]
Ohio political officials react to violence at U.S. Capitol
This story is being updated. A number of Ohio officials have condemned the violent protests Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Federal lawmakers were debating the certification of the Electoral College count when demonstrators made it past police barricades to storm the Capitol Building. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine called the events “an embarrassment […]
Democratic state lawmaker files lawsuit against own party
An Ohio Democratic state lawmaker is suing her party’s leadership in federal court over a dispute related to her membership within the House Democratic Caucus. State Rep. Bernadine Kennedy Kent, D-Columbus, filed the lawsuit against the caucus as well as its current and former leaders. The lawsuit seeks damages and for Kennedy Kent to be […]
DeWine again caught in middle of tug-of-war over COVID-19 response
Ohio has reached another crossroads in the battle against COVID-19. Gov. Mike DeWine is once again caught in the middle as the state repeatedly sets new records for virus cases and hospitalizations. After months of a decentralized approach and emphasis on personal responsibility, DeWine now says Ohio faces “a monumental crisis.” As much as the […]
Kasich at DNC? Former rival Strickland embraces effort to beat Trump
Former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland admits he “wasn’t particularly excited” to hear the news about his once-rival being invited to speak at the Democratic National Convention. Then again, Strickland considers himself to be a utilitarian. He also believes a second term for President Donald Trump would “change the country, maybe forever.” “If this is what […]