Statehouse and Around Ohio
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Death penalty opponents push for elimination in Ohio
By: Susan Tebben – Ohio Capital Journal Opponents of the death penalty are once again urging the Ohio legislature to eliminate the practice in the state. In a hearing with the Senate Judiciary Committee, advocacy groups and family members of murder victims alike came together to ask for passage of a bill that would abolish the death…
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Ohio’s STORK Act: Tax relief for parents or a push against abortion rights?
(Adobe Stock Photo) If the STORK Act is passed, Ohio would join states such as Georgia, which already allow tax deductions for unborn children, a policy enacted in 2022. By Vanessa Davidson / Broadcast version by Farah Siddiqi reporting for the Kent State NewsLab-Ohio News Connection Collaboration. __________ Listen to this story: Ohio Rep.…
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Hemp industry workers testify against bill that would ban intoxicating hemp products
Health & Wellness, Health-Wellness-Disability, Latest Stories, News, Spotlight, Statehouse and Around OhioPeople who spoke out against Senate Bill 326 bill called for regulations, not a ban on sales — arguing that would cause the illicit market to flourish. By: Megan Henry – Ohio Capital Journal Workers in the hemp industry spoke out against a bill that would ban intoxicating hemp products in Ohio, effectively putting them out of…
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Ohio House passes bill that could cause expelled students to undergo a psychiatric assessment
By: Megan Henry – Ohio Capital Journal The Ohio House passed a bill that would allow school districts to create a policy to expel a student that poses an “imminent and severe endangerment” to the safety of other students or school staff for 180 school days, and possibly longer. House Bill 206 passed with a 65-15 vote during Wednesday’s…
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Jewish groups, Ohio Attorney General, support bill to define anti-semitism
The Ohio Holocaust and Liberators Monument is seen on the Statehouse grounds. (Photo courtesy of the official Ohio Statehouse website.) By: Susan Tebben – Ohio Capital Journal Religious groups and advocates across the state signaled their support for a bill that would cement a definition of anti-semitism into Ohio law. In a recent meeting of the Ohio…
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Ohio Dems try to repeal laws conflicting with reproductive rights amendment during lame duck
By: Susan Tebben – Ohio Capital Journal Ohio Democratic lawmakers are asking the state legislature to undo laws on the books that they say conflict with the reproductive rights amendment passed by voters in 2023 that’s now part of the Ohio Constitution. Several of those laws have been struck down by judges, either temporarily as a lawsuit continues…
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Republican bill would require Ohio school districts post their Pledge of Allegiance policy
Getty Image By: Megan Henry – Ohio Capital Journal Republican lawmakers want to require Ohio school districts to make their Pledge of Allegiance policy publicly available. State Reps. Gail Pavliga, R-Portage County, and Tracy Richardson, R-Marysville, introduced House Bill 657 over the summer and testified in support of their bill Tuesday during the Ohio House Primary and Secondary Committee…
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Ohio legislators, medical leader fear vaccine hesitancy, health care impacts if RFK Jr. confirmed
Health & Wellness, Health-Wellness-Disability, Latest Stories, News, Region and Beyond, Spotlight, Statehouse and Around OhioRobert F. Kennedy Jr. (Photo by Rebecca Noble/Getty Images) By: Susan Tebben – Ohio Capital Journal State legislators and medical experts in Ohio are decrying the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Democratic lawmakers and a leader at the Toledo Lucas County Health Department expressed particular concern over…
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Ohio Republican lawmaker says giving preferred pronouns on application indicates political leaning
By: Megan Henry – Ohio Capital Journal A Republican lawmaker said she wants to ban Ohio public universities from asking for prospective students’ preferred pronouns on college applications because, she claims, that could indicate their political ideology and possibly affect their admission. State Rep. Gail Pavliga, R-Portage County, recently introduced House Bill 686, which would also prohibit a public university from…
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Ohio lawmakers working to advance local infrastructure bond issue during lame duck session
By: Nick Evans – Ohio Capital Journal If all goes to plan, lawmakers will be asking Ohio voters next May to renew a multibillion-dollar fund that helps get shovels in the ground for local public works projects like roads and sewers. The State Capital Improvement Program has been around since the late 1980s and offers competitive grants…
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