Terra Goodnight · February 27, 2017

Statehouse Preview: Week of February 27

Statehouse Preview is a new service from Innovation Ohio. To receive alerts about breaking news at the Ohio Statehouse, sign up for our Legislative News email list. [UPDATE: Since initial publication, the House cancelled its Tuesday hearing on the Pastor Protection Act.]

AT THE STATEHOUSE

The Joint Education Oversight Committee will hold a hearing on Thursday at 2:30 pm in the Senate South Hearing Room on Ohio’s State Plan for the Every Student Succeeds Act. ESSA gave states latitude to reduce the amount of testing required, a move endorsed by thousands of parents and educators. The state draft plan, however, retains the maximum testing requirement. To testify on the draft plan, contact the committee at 614-466-9082, or submit your comments online. The House Economic Development, Commerce & Labor Committee will tomorrow hold its third hearing on HB2, a bill rolling back protections against employment discrimination. Amendments to HB36, the so-called Pastor Protection Act, are expected tomorrow before the House Community and Family Advancement Committee votes to advance the measure at its Tuesday hearing at 3pm (Statehouse Room 018). HB1, a bipartisan measure that extends domestic violence protections to dating partners, advanced out of committee and will get a vote on the House floor tomorrow. HB26, the state’s two-year transportation budget, goes to the full House for a vote this week, after which it moves to the Senate. Democratic amendments to increase funding for public transportation failed in committee last week. The bill gets its first hearing in the Senate tomorrow at 9am. Subcommittee testimony continues on HB49, the state budget. Subcommittees will hear testimony from Departments including Development, Agriculture, Developmental Disabilities, Education, EPA, Health, Mental Health & Addiction as well as on sales tax provisions in the Governor’s proposal. View the House committee schedule for details.

TAKE ACTION

New Bills Need Support

• State Representative Kathleen Clyde introduced the TRUMP (Tax Returns Uniformly Made Public) Act, HB93, which would require presidential candidates to release their tax returns in order to appear on the Ohio ballot.
• Ohio lawmakers reintroduced a bill, HB97, to close the state’s marital rape loophole. Unfortunately, no Republicans have signed on as cosponsors.

Contact your Representative and encourage them to support HB93 and HB97, and ask Speaker Rosenberger to hold hearings. Stop the Pastor Protection Act

• HB36, which supporters claim will allow ministers to refuse to perform any marriage they disagree with,  something they are already able to do under existing law — will likely emerge out of committee tomorrow and could go to the full House for a vote as early as Wednesday saw its hearing this week canceled, but the measure could come back at any time. Learn more and take action.