Ohio Senate
Supreme Court dissenting justices on redistricting mock Ohioans’ rights to judicial review
The argument of the three Republican supreme court justices dissenting against the anti-gerrymandering opinion issued by the court 4-3 Wednesday appears to be: Republican politicians are allowed to rig the game in their favor against the wishes of Ohio voters and in violation of the Ohio Constitution, and the Ohio Supreme Court has no authority […]
Newest abortion bill heads to governor’s desk
The newest abortion regulation in the state is now headed to the Ohio governor’s desk after the Senate agreed to technical House amendments. Senate Bill 157, the so-called “born alive” abortion bill, passed the Senate 24-7 on Wednesday. The bill expands the crime of “abortion manslaughter” to include inaction by doctors if a child is […]
How cheating voters with gerrymandering poisons everything
Would you play poker with someone who has taken all the face cards in one deck to deal to themselves while you’re left to get cards from a deck with no kings, queens, jacks, or aces? Would you play Monopoly with someone who gets to start the game pre-owning hotels on Boardwalk, Park Place, Pennsylvania, […]
Senate passes congressional map that continues GOP stronghold over state
Ohio Senate Republicans rushed through a congressional redistricting map Tuesday introduced to the public less than 24 hours before. It was passed out of committee 5-2 along partisan lines before being passed by the whole chamber later in the day 24-7, also along partisan lines. The passage came on the same day a committee who […]
Statehouse Republicans introduce congressional map heavily favoring GOP
Statehouse Republicans introduced a newly drawn map for Ohio’s districts in U.S. Congress Monday night that maintains a firm GOP majority. While amendments are possible, the map is poised to pass out of a Senate committee Tuesday with a full Senate session to follow, and House sessions planned for Wednesday and Thursday. Data behind the […]
Legislation refiled putting AG in charge of lethal use of force investigations
A measure in the Ohio Senate would put the Attorney General’s office in charge of investigating officer involved shootings. The idea, sponsored by Cleveland Democratic Sen. Sandra Williams, has been filed in every session going back to 2016, but has yet to gain traction. It was the very first recommendation offered by an Ohio Supreme […]
‘Failed abortion’ laws already on the books, say opponents of new bill
Opponents of a new abortion-related piece of legislation and one legislator on the committee reviewing the bill questioned why the bill was needed considering the regulations are already a part of law. Senate Bill 157 received its third hearing in the Senate Government Oversight & Reform Committee on Wednesday, where opponents and supporters of the […]
Sex abuse survivors speak out for more education
Among more than a dozen advocates demanding better education in schools on sexual abuse, survivors told their stories, issuing an ultimatum to legislators to keep other children from being victimized. “Just as we teach addition and subtraction, we must teach children how to speak up for themselves,” said Alicia Zimov, a survivor, along with her […]
Total abortion ban bill enters Senate committee after day of protest
A bill hinging on the downfall of federal abortion rights came into a Senate committee Wednesday with the support of its two Republican sponsors. Senate Bill 123 is a “trigger” bill that would allow the state to ban abortion with a change in the U.S. Constitution or the overturning of the U.S. Supreme Court decision […]
With school vaccine mandates banned, lawmaker wants mask requirements outlawed, too
Ohio schools will soon be barred from mandating that students be vaccinated against COVID-19. A Republican state lawmaker wants to also prohibit schools from mandating students and others wear face masks. Senate Bill 209, introduced by state Sen. Andrew Brenner, R-Powell, is unlikely to impact school districts’ decisions for the fall, as lawmakers are on […]
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 […]
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 […]