The Ohio Senate on Wednesday passed House Bill 555 by a vote of 27 to 6, a Republican-backed education bill that calls for a more demanding evaluation system for schools, along with other significant changes. The bill would revamp the state’s system of grading K-12 public schools. It would grade schools using 15 measures — […]
Ohio House Moves to Ban Internet Cafes
December 7, 2012 by
Ohio House members passed legislation that could all but ban Internet cafes, but whether the Senate goes along still seems like a real roll of the dice. There are several of these cafes in operation in Marion. By a 63-30 bipartisan vote, House members agreed to block the 800 or so storefront parlors that have […]
Lawmakers Hope to Make Divorces Quicker and Less Combative, Expensive
December 6, 2012 by
Divorce proceedings should become less time-consuming, less expensive and easier on both couples and children following the passage of legislation Tuesday. The Ohio Senate passed the Collaborative Family Law Act unanimously last week. The House adopted the bill Tuesday by a vote of 87-2. The bill now heads to Gov. John Kasich to sign, which […]
Lawmakers Pass Bill to Crack Down on Puppy Mills
November 29, 2012 by
Ohio lawmakers gave final approval Tuesday to a bill designed to crack down on puppy mills. The bill will be sent to Gov. John Kasich and he is expected to sign it, a spokesman said. Passage of the law, known as Senate Bill 130, means commercial dog breeders in Ohio will be subject to standards […]
Ohio Abortion Bill, Planned Parenthood De-funding Stalled
November 28, 2012 by
A ban on abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected and a move to strip about $2 million in funding from Planned Parenthood have run into a Senate roadblock. The one-man stop sign is Republican Senate President Tom Niehaus who told reporters Tuesday afternoon that he will shelve both controversial measures for the rest […]
Lawmakers Debate Funding for Planned Parenthood
November 14, 2012 by
With a bill stripping funding from Planned Parenthood expected to move and other abortion-related legislation in the mix, abortion-rights supporters joined female Democratic lawmakers Tuesday to tell Republicans to back off. “Ohio does not want to turn the clock backward and hand over to politicians the personal medical decisions that belong to a woman, her […]
Ohio Lawmakers Working on Puppy Mill Restrictions
November 13, 2012 by
Puppy mills will be leashed if Ohio lawmakers act this week on a bill to enact licensing requirements for dog breeders. The bill, which would establish standards of care for large-scale dog breeding operations, is one of dozens of issues getting an airing this week during a full slate of legislative hearings in Columbus. Supporters […]
Ohio Lawmakers Want to Force Insurers to Cover Autism
October 23, 2012 by
A bipartisan group of more than 30 state lawmakers is backing a pair of new Statehouse bills that would make it mandatory for insurance companies to provide coverage for autism treatment. Thirty-two states — including every state in the Midwest, except Ohio — have laws requiring insurance companies to provide diagnostic and therapy services for […]
Lawmakers Approve Changes to Ohio Public Pension Programs
September 13, 2012 by
Beginning in January, many Ohio public workers will face increased pension contribution rates and higher retirement-age requirements — changes included in a package of public pension reforms Ohio lawmakers approved Wednesday with bipartisan support. The pension reform legislation — a package of five bills, one for each retirement system — is headed to Gov. John […]
Ohio House Set to Vote on Public Pension Changes
September 11, 2012 by
State lawmakers are poised to approve a package of public pension reforms this week that would eventually increase pension contributions for teachers, police and firefighters and make several other changes to stabilize the retirement systems’ financial health. A House committee unanimously approved the changes on Monday, setting up a full vote on the House floor […]
