paula hicks-hudson
Ohio Senate committee on rail safety releases recommendations
The Ohio Senate’s Select Committee on Rail Safety unveiled its final report Wednesday morning. The Senate set up the panel in the wake of the East Palestine derailment in February of this year. The report offers a limited a set of recommendations — in no small part because federal authorities take precedence on regulating rail […]
Ohio Senate approves emergency measure to codify bail rules
The Ohio Senate has approved a measure codifying court rules that govern how judges set bond. The step comes after a clause in last year’s cash bail amendment eliminated the courts’ ability to set its own rules. Senate President Matt Huffman hinted this may not be the last time lawmakers take a more active hand […]
Last year’s cash bail amendment from lawmakers put Ohio’s entire pretrial release system in jeopardy
The cash bail amendment last year brought by Ohio lawmakers and approved in November directing judges to weigh public safety when setting cash bail inadvertently undermined the state’s entire bail system. Effectively every legal interest — prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges, the Ohio Bar Association, sheriffs, and the ACLU — agree on the proper course of […]
Ohio state Senate Democrats lay out priorities for the coming term
Ohio’s Senate Democrats gathered in a Statehouse conference room Tuesday to discuss their priorities for the coming term. The gathering itself offered a stark visual reminder of the challenges the minority faces. The seven Democratic senators weren’t even enough to fill the small conference table where they met. Minority Leader Nickie Antonio acknowledged they face […]
Police hiring database measure gets hearing
More than a year after its introduction, a measure establishing a statewide database for police officer hiring got its first committee hearing. Still, the proposal may be a longshot in the GOP-controlled House. For years, reformers have called for such a database. They invoke officers like Timothy Loehmann, who shot and killed Tamir Rice in […]