Two bills in the Ohio General Assembly would delay the school year from starting until after Labor Day. Senate Bill 34 and House Bill 549 are nearly identical. They would make state education funding contingent on school districts starting the school year after the September holiday. But the bill would allow schools to opt out […]
Ohio House passes legislation designating day for Atomic Veterans
June 13, 2018 by
State Representative Riordan McClain (R-Upper Sandusky) announced House passage of House Bill 414, sponsored by State Representative Tim Schaffer (R-Lancaster), that designates July 16 as “National Atomic Veterans Day” in Ohio. Members of the Ohio House today favorably passed a slate of 28 bills that impact constituents of the 87th House District, demonstrating that the […]
State cancels $1 billion medicaid cut to Ohio hospitals
June 11, 2018 by
The state has canceled a planned $1.1 billion Ohio Medicaid cut to hospitals, saying an uptick in the economy and reshuffling money in the health care program has prevented the reduction. The cut would have represented 5 percent of what Ohio Medicaid pays hospitals to treat some 3 million program recipients who qualify based on […]
Advocates hope to put payday loan reform bill on 2019 ballot
May 29, 2018 by
Consumer advocates pushing reforms to curb payday loan interest rates and establish safeguards for Ohio borrowers aren’t waiting for the Statehouse to take action. Ohioans for Payday Loan Reform, a coalition of faith leaders and organizations that serve low-income Ohioans, can now begin collecting signatures to put a measure on the ballot as soon as […]
Stalemate continues at Ohio House over election of new Speaker
May 23, 2018 by
The Ohio House’s stalemate over finding a new speaker will continue into its second week, as lawmakers canceled another planned vote Wednesday amid uncertainty over whether Rep. Ryan Smith has the needed votes to win the job. “I want to use the old carpenter’s axiom that you measure twice and cut once, so I need […]
Feds turn down Ohio request for exemption from individual mandate
May 21, 2018 by
The federal government has turned down Ohio’s request to nix Obamacare’s individual mandate, saying the Department of Insurance didn’t provide necessary information in its application. The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, in a Thursday letter to Ohio Department of Insurance Director Jillian Froment, said Ohio needs to provide a state plan that “among […]
Judges decline to halt Ohio medical marijuana implementation
May 21, 2018 by
A pair of Franklin County judges ruled this week against stopping Ohio’s medical marijuana program, siding with state regulators and patients who said any further delay in the program would prevent sick people from getting their medicine. Unsuccessful applicants to grow medical marijuana wanted the court to pause the program while state regulators consider their […]
Attorney General accepting applications for Teen Ambassador Board
May 2, 2018 by
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine has announced that his office is now accepting applications for its Teen Ambassador Board. Ohio high school students who will be juniors or seniors during the 2018-2019 school year are eligible to apply. The deadline is May 31, 2018. “This is an opportunity for students to learn more about government, meet new people, […]
Federal appeals court: Ohio effort to defund Planned Parenthood unconstitutional
April 22, 2018 by
A panel of three federal appeals court judges ruled Wednesday that Ohio lawmakers passed an unconstitutional law that sought to defund Planned Parenthood and keep the organization from receiving public money to pay for non-abortion-related health care programs for the poor. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is the second court to strike down […]
New law extends protection orders to dating partners
April 6, 2018 by
A new Ohio law expands civil protection orders to dating partners, bringing Ohio in line with every other state except Georgia. Ohio law previously allowed spouses, cohabitants and parents to seek protection orders but excluded people who weren’t living together. House Bill 1, signed Thursday by Gov. John Kasich, expands the court orders to dating […]
