Tina Maharath

Should Ohio candidates be able to use campaign funds on child care costs?

BY: - June 23, 2021

If Ohio wants a more diverse set of political candidates, state Sen. Tina Maharath believes the campaign rules should be more favorable to busy parents. Maharath, a Columbus Democrat, proposes the way to do that is to allow candidates to use donations to pay for child care costs while they are on the campaign trail. […]

After financing xenophobic campaign, FirstEnergy deplores anti-Asian bigotry

BY: - April 1, 2021

There has been a terrifying surge in violence against Asians over the past year, prompting one Ohio company to take a stand on an issue it was arguably on the other side of in 2019. Meanwhile, Ohio’s lieutenant governor is digging in over comments he made last week. There has been a drumbeat of random […]

COMMENTARY

Salary history bans can impact wage gap

BY: - February 25, 2021

Last week, Canal Winchester State Senator Tina Maharath introduced a bill to the Ohio State Senate to prohibit employers from asking about applicants’ salary histories. Applicant salary history has become a flashpoint in conversations about what can be done to close the gender pay gap. The argument is that past salary history can be a […]

DeWine again caught in middle of tug-of-war over COVID-19 response

BY: and - November 16, 2020

Ohio has reached another crossroads in the battle against COVID-19.  Gov. Mike DeWine is once again caught in the middle as the state repeatedly sets new records for virus cases and hospitalizations. After months of a decentralized approach and emphasis on personal responsibility, DeWine now says Ohio faces “a monumental crisis.” As much as the […]

Ohio Senate passes bill to prohibit widespread stay-at-home orders

BY: - September 24, 2020

The Ohio Senate has approved a bill that would restrict the state health director from issuing broad quarantine and stay-at-home orders in battling a pandemic. Senate Bill 311 is one in a string of bills introduced by Republican legislators this year seeking to rein in power of the Ohio Department of Health, all while the […]

Musician sings of struggles as lawmakers highlight bills that would help black families

BY: - February 5, 2020

The story sung by Paisha Thomas inside the Ohio Statehouse atrium tells of a hard-working mother. She has three kids, and is stuck picking up extra shifts on Fridays to make up for the time spent raising them.  She weighs the cost and makes the choice, is it the chicken or the rent? As the […]

Ohio Senate Democrat targets 18-and-up bars

BY: - January 22, 2020

Democratic state Sen. Tina Maharath wants the underclassmen off the barstools.  The senator from Franklin County introduced a bill that would prohibit anyone under 21 years of age from entering establishments where booze drives more than 60 percent of total receipts in a given year.  Currently, 18-and-up bars are a Google search away for minors […]