Ohio House of Representatives
More than 30 Ohio Republicans call on Rep. Bob Young to resign following second arrest
More than 30 Ohio Republicans have called on state Rep. Bob Young to resign following his second arrest, according to a document obtained by News 5. Young (R-Green) is facing three charges: domestic violence, assault and violation of a protection order. The first two stemmed from an incident in July, and the third at the […]
Ohio economists divided on housing subsidy in conflict between House and Senate
As the Ohio legislature debates whether to provide subsidies to developers to build low-income housing, a panel of economists is divided on whether that will significantly lower rents. The lack of affordable housing is an acute problem in the Buckeye State. The Columbus Dispatch earlier this month reported that a full-time worker would have to […]
Ohio House passes bill blocking gender-affirming care and trans athletes
The Ohio House of Representatives passed a controversial bill that would prevent doctors from providing gender-affirming care to trans youth and prevents trans athletes from participating in Ohio women’s sports. Wednesday’s 64-28 vote comes a week after House Bill 6, dubbed the “Save Women’s Sports Act”, was added to House Bill 68, also known as […]
Jeopardy champion Ohioan, others testify against anti-LGBTQ health care bill
A packed and stuffy Families, Aging and Human Services committee room was flanked by multiple overflow rooms, where applause could be heard after parents, trans advocates and individuals implored the committee not to approve of House Bill 454, a bill created by committee member state Rep. Gary Click, R-Vickery. One of the testimonies came from […]
LGBTQ icon Jim Obergefell announces Ohio House bid
Jim Obergefell, whose lawsuit established marriage equality in the United States, is running for an Ohio House seat. The Sandusky native announced his bid for the 89th District Tuesday morning. In the current map, the district covers the coast in Erie and Ottawa Counties, and Obergefell put protecting Lake Erie front and center in his […]
Race theory education bill gets changes sponsors hope make it more ‘positive’
One of two bills currently in the Ohio legislature attempting to address “critical race theory” in schools has received some changes sponsors say are in response to criticism. In the last year, conservative activists and politicians have launched an attack on “critical race theory,” which generally is not taught at the K-12 level and is […]
Dems take aim at legalized marijuana
Two Democrats plan to bring up the legalization of recreational marijuana, while also trying to cancel out past criminal convictions related to marijuana. State Reps. Casey Weinstein, D-Hudson, and Terrence Upchurch, D-Cleveland, introduced a new bill to decriminalize marijuana, along with creating a marijuana excise tax, commerce and licensing in the industry and appropriations for […]
Redistricting fights in Ohio begin, this time with an open records request
The redistricting process still has a long way to go, but a battle to keep track of public records during the process has already begun in a court case between the ACLU and the Ohio House of Representatives. The ACLU asked the Ohio Supreme Court to compel employees within the Ohio House and the offices […]
Ohio lawmakers reintroduce medically unproven ‘abortion reversal’ bill
Ohio lawmakers are once again proposing that patients be made aware of a controversial and unproven “abortion reversal” method. State Reps. Kyle Koehler, R-Springfield, and Sarah Fowler Arthur, R-Ashtabula, are the main sponsors of a bill they are calling the “Abortion Pill Reversal Information Act.” Two-dozen Republicans in the Ohio House of Representatives have signed […]
She says vaccines make you magnetized. This lawmaker invited her testimony, chair says.
After a discredited doctor’s conspiracy theories involving COVID-19 vaccines, magnetics and 5G towers made a mockery of the Ohio House of Representatives, the Health chairman blamed the sponsor of anti-vaccination legislation for inviting the doctor to testify before the committee. House Health Committee Chairman Scott Lipps, R-Franklin, said in an interview that fellow Republican Rep. […]
More efforts this fall to legalize sports betting in Ohio? A good bet.
Ohioans will have to hold off from planning their next Buckeyes-Bengals-Browns parlay, but perhaps for not too much longer. Ohio lawmakers did not finalize a proposal on legal sports gambling before departing the Statehouse for a summer break. But it’s a sure bet they will take a close look at the issue upon returning to […]
Mailbag: What’s the cost of sending Highway Patrol to the Texas border?
Welcome back to another installment of the Ohio Capital Journal Mailbag, which rank choice voting has shown is the most-read political column in the state. (Or at least is readers’ third pick.) Let’s get to it: Got a question about Ohio politics/government? Send them by email to [email protected] or tweet them to @tylerjoelb. Any new […]