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SNAP “asset tests” removed from state budget
State lawmakers removed two provisions from the state budget that would have made food stamps more difficult to access for poor Ohioans. Senate Republicans earlier this month proposed two changes to how the state administers benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. One would impose an “asset test” on recipients, which eliminates their benefits if […]
‘Ludicrous and unhelpful:’ Senate Republican seeks to restrict SNAP and Medicaid in Ohio
A Senate Republican from Lancaster is seeking to restrict eligibility requirements on poor Ohioans seeking government assistance paying for groceries and health care. The proposed legislation comes during a pandemic that has killed about 450,000 Americans. Nearly 1 in 10 households said during a survey last month that they often or sometimes don’t have enough […]
After lawsuit, health department releases COVID-19 faulty test kit emails
After the Ohio Capital Journal filed a public records lawsuit, the state health department released several hundred pages of correspondence with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. OCJ requested the correspondence on March 27, after then-Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton informed the public that a coronavirus test kit the CDC supplied […]
A Statehouse staffer got COVID-19. Secrecy reigned, senators say.
When a state Senate staffer tested positive for COVID-19 early this week, bipartisan leadership found a rare moment of agreement: Mum is the word. A spokesman for the GOP Senate President refused to answer questions when rumors of the positive test leaked out. A spokeswoman for the Democratic Minority Leader deferred comment to Republican leadership. […]
‘Woefully unprepared:’ How small-scale testing capabilities mar Ohio’s COVID-19 response
The same day the first Ohioan known to be infected with COVID-19 began to display symptoms, the state Department of Health received its first testing kit from the CDC. The kit didn’t work. Two of the three reagents that comprise the kit were faulty, according to ODH Director Dr. Amy Acton. Samples from suspected cases […]