Ohio General Assembly
We need cash bail reform to help fix the broken justice system in Ohio
“Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.” I remember the first time I watched the Wizard of Oz. I was fascinated by the storytelling, mesmerized by the bright colors and exciting action, and terrified of “The Great and Powerful Oz.” That is until Toto, Dorothy’s adorable and fearless dog pulls back the curtain […]
History Thursday: Ohio played pivotal role in ending MLB color barrier
Drivers on Route 23 north of Columbus may be surprised to learn the highway is named after a University of Michigan graduate. But Wesley Branch Rickey was much more than a Wolverine. The native of southern Ohio played and coached baseball at Ohio Wesleyan University before reaching the big leagues as a catcher. It was […]
Education reforms in state budget could narrow achievement gap
Last Monday, members of the Ohio House and Senate finally reconciled their respective versions of the state budget, passing it with bipartisan support in both chambers. While a $1.6 billion tax cut and funding for broadband and brownfield development will make headlines, the most historic provision of this budget is likely its change to the […]
Lifting federal regulations on medication abortion won’t guarantee access in restrictive states like Ohio
By Danielle Bessett, PhD., and Kelsey Mello Advocates around the country are applauding the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) decision earlier this month to review its longstanding restriction on the medication abortion drug mifepristone. Medication abortion is a safe and effective method to end a pregnancy, usually in the privacy of a patient’s own […]
“Born alive” abortion bill introduced again, despite current law, low statistics
Two medical professionals in the Ohio Senate reintroduced a bill that would criminalize physician inaction in “botched abortions,” but say the bill is more about having a reporting system, something that already exists in state law. The bill is sponsored by state Sen. Terry Johnson, R-McDermott, who currently works as a drug addiction treatment physician, […]
Transgender athlete bills don’t solve any pressing issue. They’re just bullying
Two bills are working their way through the Ohio General Assembly that do not solve any pressing issues in high school athletics; they simply target and needlessly victimize five Ohio children in a cynical attempt to score cheap political points. I’m referring to Ohio House Bill 61 and Senate Bill 132, which would ban transgender girls from […]
Now is the moment to fully and fairly fund Ohio’s schools
For decades, Ohio’s legislature has spun its wheels trying to “fix” our public schools. They’ve increased standardized testing, based decisions off a school report card system that fails to measure if we are meeting our students’ needs, and finally, when schools or districts fall short on these arbitrary metrics, legislators have harmed them even more […]
Voting is already safe and secure. Ohio’s new bill makes voting more difficult.
State elections officials and poll workers across the country never got their due in 2020. They ran one of their best elections, a feat that was overtaken by the circus trumpeting the Big Lie about a stolen election rife with fraud. The ringmaster of that ruse used the biggest bully pulpit in the land to […]
Increase support for child care in Ohio. This is a no-brainer.
When I talk to my friends who have children and they tell me how much child care costs, I cringe. Often the figures they throw out resemble the price tag of tuition. According to Child Care Aware of America, the average price of center-based infant child care in Ohio is indeed nearly the same as […]
Ohio Republicans go full Calhoun on nullification. Never go full Calhoun.
Ohio Republicans in the state legislature have apparently decided to go full Calhoun with a proposed bill attempting to nullify not only any federal gun laws they don’t like but also any court rulings related to gun laws with which they disagree. They do not possess the power to do this under the U.S. Constitution, […]
Fertility fraud victim wants punishment put in Ohio law
Last November, Carrie Lauterbach did what many people have done since the fad began and submitted her DNA through a commercially-sold test to find out her genetic background. She knew her mother had gone to a fertility doctor in Cincinnati for help conceiving Carrie and her sister. She knew her parents had filled out paperwork […]
Watch our Ohio state government closely, and hold these politicians accountable
Those who can’t govern, grandstand. You see it in Congress where the minority party routinely resorts to performing for right-wing media with manufactured controversies and tired catch phrases that bemoan “cancel culture” or “woke” libs. But it’s a lot easier to grab attention on Fox News by reading Green Eggs and Ham than it is […]