Ohio House of Representatives
Budget includes $250M for Ohio broadband internet expansion
Few items in the new state budget will have as direct an impact on Ohioans’ lives as the money to be spent on improving access to broadband internet, what one lawmaker has long championed as the “great social equalizer of our time.” Lawmakers agreed to spend $250 million on broadband internet expansion projects to aid […]
Ohio college athletes will be able to profit off of names, likenesses
When a legislative effort was fumbled, it was said that Gov. Mike DeWine picked up the ball and ran with it. As it turned out, the Ohio General Assembly did get the job done before the final bell sounded. Sports metaphors abounded inside the Statehouse on Monday as two branches of government worked to enact […]
Highway Patrol lieutenant appointed to Householder’s former seat
A lieutenant with the Ohio State Highway Patrol has been selected to fill the vacant House 72nd District seat left open by the expulsion of Larry Householder. Kevin Miller, a Newark Republican, was picked among 20 applicants for the seat. The appointment was announced just two days after the deadline to apply and one day […]
Rep. Crawley selected to fill open Franklin County commissioner seat
State Rep. Erica Crawley’s new position has her moving a half-mile down High Street. The Columbus lawmaker was selected by the Franklin County Democratic Party Central Committee to fill an open county commissioner seat. Crawley earned a narrow victory for the appointment over Elizabeth Brown, the president pro tempore of Columbus City Council. Crawley is […]
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 […]
State Board of Ed members support banning racial focus in Ohio schools
Present and former members of the Ohio State Board of Education are opposed to the use of a racial lens when teaching education in the state. Dr. Jenny Shafer Kilgore, Kirsten Hill and Lisa Woods all spoke during multiple hours of testimony at a recent hearing in support of a bill that would eliminate the […]
Householder’s son among 20 interested in filling open House seat
Might a Householder hold the former Householder House seat? That’s the hope of Derek Householder, a Perry County commissioner and the son of former Rep. Larry Householder who is among the 20 candidates to fill the vacant Ohio House of Representatives’ 72nd District seat. A screening committee will begin interviewing candidates Thursday to replace the […]
Mailbag: What’s with all the ‘Ohio is for Leaders’ ads on TV?
Welcome back to another installment of the Ohio Capital Journal Mailbag. Sports betting is not yet legal here, but the odds are good you will find this political column enlightening. (I hope.) Let’s get to it: Got a question about Ohio politics/government? Send them by email to [email protected] or tweet them to @tylerjoelb. Who keeps […]
Social media satirist known as ‘Reflog_18’ wants Householder’s open seat
Eligibility in question, but McNeil says he’s ‘less corrupt than the last guy’ A Licking County resident known widely online for his Ohio sports commentary and having once organized the Cleveland Browns 0-16 parade is vying for the Statehouse seat left open by the expulsion of Rep. Larry Householder. Chris McNeil, a Granville native who […]
Sports betting in Ohio takes one more step toward legalization
This time next year, Ohioans could be placing sports bets on Cincinnati Reds games or choosing an underdog to win it all at the Memorial golf tournament in Dublin. That’s if the Ohio House of Representatives quickly follows the lead of the state senate, whose members approved the framework for legalized sports betting earlier this […]
Health experts speak out against bill prohibiting vaccine mandates
Pediatricians and other infectious disease experts issued clear warnings about a proposed bill to weaken Ohio’s vaccination laws: Doing so would put children’s lives at risk and potentially expose the state to a resurgence of deadly viruses. A half-dozen medical experts implored lawmakers to reconsider approving a new law that would prohibit vaccine mandates for […]
Ohio Senate passes state budget, negotiations with House to follow
The two legislative chambers have approved their respective versions of the two-year state operating budget. Now comes the heavy negotiating. Lawmakers in the Ohio Senate and Ohio House of Representatives have until the end of June to find common ground among their differing spending priorities. The goal is to send a finished version to Gov. […]