Tavia Galonski
Lawmakers hung up on hiring restrictions in Second Amendment “sanctuary” bill
A measure eliminating federal firearm provisions from Ohio law is facing a skeptical audience in the Statehouse. Drafters modeled the so-called Second Amendment Preservation Act on a recent Missouri law currently tied up in federal court. Supporters are particularly angry about regulations proposed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. They’ve repeatedly raised […]
Advocates call on lawmakers to expand employment, housing protections for victims of violent crimes
Landress Luckey held up two photos Wednesday morning in the Ohio Statehouse atrium — one was of her daughter Laura Luckey and the other was Laura’s friend. Both young women had died from violence. Luckey was standing alongside six other women clutching tea light candles in front of a couple hundred people as part of […]
Ohio tries to eliminate statute of limitations again, but this time for wrongful convictions
The following article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and is published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content-sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication by other news outlets as it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland. A bill about to be introduced into the Ohio House would […]
Attorney fees provision sours support for guardianship overhaul
A bipartisan team of House lawmakers is working on a sweeping update to Ohio’s guardianship laws. The changes stem in large part from recommendations offered by the Ohio Judicial Conference, and they come at a moment when Britney Spears’ conservatorship case has put added attention on the issue. The problem? HB 488 also carries an […]
Ohio House Dems submit congressional redistricting maps
House Democrats have thrown their congressional redistricting maps in the ring, completing the partisan caucus proposals. State Reps. Richard Brown, D-Canal Winchester, and Tavia Galonski, D-Akron, submitted the maps on Friday as what they call “a more realistic vision for Ohio compared to the widely criticized House and Senate Republican maps.” “Democrats are offering a […]
Mailbag: I requested an absentee ballot. Can I change my mind?
Unlike Chris Wallace, our brilliant Ohio Capital Journal readers get the privilege of having a mute button. Just don’t use it on me. It’s time for another edition of the Mailbag: Got a question about Ohio politics? Send them to [email protected] or tweet them to @tylerjoelb. If you request a mail-in ballot, can you change […]
FirstEnergy money flowed to Ohio politicians who supported Householder-backed HB6
FirstEnergy Solutions said it needed a government bailout to continue operating. It still had hundreds of thousands of dollars available to donate to Ohio politicians. The Akron-based energy company spent years working toward what would become House Bill 6 — passed by the Republican-controlled state legislature and signed by Gov. Mike DeWine in the summer […]
House considers ‘stand your ground’ bill; critics call it a racist legal concept
Legalized lynching. Citizens’ license to kill. Codification of black men’s deaths. These were just a few of the characterizations people offered to the Ohio House Criminal Justice Committee of a “stand your ground” proposal that lawmakers reviewed Tuesday. Starting in the afternoon and continuing well into the evening, a steady stream of citizens implored lawmakers […]
Sen. Portman heard from ‘dozens’ of black leaders. Here’s what they said.
Note: This story has been updated to include information provided by the senator’s office. U.S. Sen. Rob Portman recently participated in a conference call with “dozens” of black leaders discussing how COVID-19 and racial injustice has impacted their communities. What those leaders discussed and who was involved in the call was not initially disclosed. Portman’s […]
As pandemic rages and uncertainty looms, Ohio legislature takes the backseat
For nearly two months now, Gov. Mike DeWine has pulled the levers of government power via executive orders, announced in real time at televised briefings every afternoon. Ohio’s chief executive and his health director have blocked mass gatherings of people, canceled in-person learning at K-12 schools, and shuttered “non-essential” businesses. The General Assembly, meanwhile, has […]
Rep. Galonski: I’m too busy to prosecute Trump at The Hague
As it turns out, threatening international prosecution against the president is a lot easier said than done. State Rep. Tavia Galonski, D-Akron, appears to be backing off her plan to refer President Trump to The Hague for alleged crimes against humanity. Nearly two weeks after her initial call for action, she has announced no further […]
Ohio Democratic legislator wants Trump prosecuted for ‘crimes against humanity’
A Democratic state legislator from Akron who says she “can’t take it anymore” wants President Donald Trump prosecuted in international court for alleged crimes against humanity. With state legislators working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, Rep. Tavia Galonski is turning her attention to federal and international matters. On Sunday night, she posted to Twitter […]