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Dec 16 2020

Lame Duck – Gun Hearings Wednesday, Marathon Sessions Thursday

Since our Monday coverage, the schedule has changed a bit and we have more clarity about what the rest of the week will look like.

The House and Senate will each hold their final session of the year on Thursday at 11 am. Expect these to go well into the afternoon or evening with all the measures likely to come up for a vote. It’s safe to assume that the bills scheduled for committee hearings and votes this week will be on the agenda.

In committee action, more gun bills are set to be heard in committees today (HB425, Duty to Notify and HB796 Duty to Retreat).

A conference committee debating a bill to combat theft in office by public officials (Senate Bill 10) may add language to the bill to strip power from the Franklin County Prosecutor to investigate wrongdoing by Statehouse officials, now that a Democrat is set to occupy that office.

A proposal (House Bill 798) to partially repeal HB6 — but keep portions bailing out coal & nuclear plants and eliminate Ohio’s renewable energy standards — will be heard today, but it seems unlikely that will make it to the floor of both chambers this week.

A Senate bill prohibiting medication abortion via telemedicine (SB260) will be on the House floor tomorrow while a House bill to make it harder to sue your employer for civil rights violations (HB352) is likely up for a Senate vote.

Bills likely up for a vote in Senate session Thursday:

  • HB352 (Employment/Civil Rights Laws)
  • HB425 (Duty to Notify/Concealed Handguns)
  • HB621 (COVID-19 Business Openings)
  • HB796 (Duty To Retreat/Stand Your Ground)
  • SB10 (Theft in Office–**possible Franklin County Prosecutor amendment**)
  • SB310 (State Capital Budget)
  • SB360 (Firearms Dealers)

Bills likely up for a vote in House session Thursday:

  • SB3 (Drug Sentencing)
  • SB10 (Theft in Office–**possible Franklin County Prosecutor amendment**)
  • SB260 (Telemedicine Abortion)
  • SB310 (State Capital Budget)

Written by Terra Goodnight · Categorized: coronavirus, Gun Safety, Statehouse Update · Tagged: COVID19, Lame Duck, lame duck session, stand your ground, state capital budget, telemedicine abortion

Dec 10 2020

Lame Duck Continues Despite Statehouse COVID-19 Outbreak

Still operating without a mask mandate as at least two lawmakers have tested positive for COVID-19 after attending committee hearings and session, it appears that things are still business as usual at the General Assembly this week. Two days of hearings are scheduled on dozens of bills as the House and Senate work to wrap up the 2019-2020 legislative session.

Ironically — as COVID keeps some lawmakers away from the building — the agenda once again are more bills to strip power from the Governor to control the pandemic. Republicans also seem intent on moving multiple bills that would loosen Ohio gun laws, including proposals to eliminate the Duty to Retreat in armed conflicts (also know as “Stand Your Ground”).

A detailed list of committee hearings we’re watching is provided below, but bills we are watching this week include:

  • Rollbacks of COVID-19 public health orders (SB374 and HB621), elimination of statewide mask mandate (SB387) and changes to testing data requirements (HB624)
  • HB6 repeal (HB798)
  • Stand Your Ground (HB796, SB383) and Concealed Carry (HB425) gun bills. … see “Statehouse Meetings and Events” below for a full rundown of the committee hearings and events we’ll be watching this week

The following bills were introduced since our last update. You can keep an eye on all the bills we’re tracking here.

New Legislation This Week

  • House Bill 798 (Hoops) – Nuclear Subsidies – to delay for one year the charges and payments for nuclear resource and renewable energy credits, and revise certain other laws, enacted by H.B. 6 of the 133rd General Assembly, to amend Power Siting Board law and other electric utility law, to prohibit certain restrictions on solar energy systems, and to declare an emergency.
  • House Bill 799 (Reineke, Lang) – Face Masks – to terminate certain provisions of the “Director’s Order for Retail and Business Compliance for Facial Coverings throughout the State of Ohio,” issued on November 13, 2020, and to declare an emergency.

Take Action to Keep Democracy Open

  1. Tell Senate Leader Obhof and House Speaker Cupp to make virtual testimony available as an option for policy experts and everyday Ohioans to safely participate in committee hearings at allontheline.org/OHTestimony
  2. Copy & share this tweet from your personal account calling for virtual testimony. Or write your own tweet sharing the link to take action at allontheline.org/OHTestimony:

    We want options for virtual testimony at the Statehouse to #KeepDemocracyOpen by making the process
    ✅ Healthy & Safe
    ✅ Transparent & Fair
    ✅ Accessible to all of us!
    ➡️ allontheline.org/OHTestimony

Written by Terra Goodnight · Categorized: coronavirus, Education, Gun Safety, Healthcare and Human Services, K-12 Education, Legislative Updates, Statehouse Update · Tagged: concealed carry, covid-19, face masks, nuclear subsidies, ohio statehouse, statehouse update

Aug 04 2020

Voting Advocates Release Letter to Secretary LaRose Laying Out Steps He Can Immediately Take For Safe and Accessible Election

Voting rights advocates call on Sec. LaRose to use his authority to ensure Ohio’s election in November is safe, secure, and accessible for all voters.

Columbus, OH – Today, voting advocates representing a diverse intersection of voters across Ohio gathered to release a letter to Secretary of State Frank LaRose laying out four policies he can immediately and unilaterally enact to make November’s election safe and accessible during the COVID-19 crisis. 

“I do not hear from our leaders that all of our votes matter. I am here to say we will not allow this to happen. We must raise our voices to Secretary LaRose and demand he takes action,” said Rev. Chris Attaway of Tabernacle Church in Cleveland. 

The letter is online here and is signed by more than a dozen organizations. It lays out four policies that Secretary LaRose has the authority to enact immediately:

  1. Prepay postage on absentee ballots and applications.
  2. Create a statewide online absentee request form and phone number. 
  3. Encourage county boards of elections to offer multiple dropboxes.
  4. Issue a directive to limit polling place consolidation.


“It is clear that Ohioans cannot rely on their state legislature to pass needed election reforms to make sure we have a safe, secure, and accessible general election. Fortunately, Secretary of State Frank LaRose has existing legal authorities to implement policies that will significantly ease voters’ burden of safely casting a ballot during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,” said ACLU of Ohio Policy Strategist Collin Marozzi. “There is a leadership void in our state, and we are calling on Secretary LaRose to use the powers of his office to reaffirm the fundamental right of Ohio voters to make their voice heard.” 

A recording of the press call is online here. (Passcode: 1P&Yd=8U)

The letter and advocacy efforts come in response to massive problems during the Ohio primary election this spring. 

Rev. Brian Cash of East Mount Zion Baptist Church in Cleveland expressed concern that older members of his congregation would be unable to navigate the confusing absentee system. “We must push Secretary of State LaRose to send prepaid postage to ensure that all of our community members are able to participate in this year’s election,” he said. 

Kalesha Scott, a recent Central State University graduate and Ohio Student Association organizer, said: “Many students were unable to vote because of issues with the absentee ballot system, including myself. These four steps that Secretary LaRose can and should take would greatly help college students and young people making their voices heard.” 

“While some voters were able to navigate the system during the primary, countless other Ohioans were unable to cast their ballots,” said Petee Talley of the Unity Coalition and Black Trade Unionists. “The General Assembly has had plenty of time to make our election safe and accessible, but has failed to do so. Time has run out. So we are calling on Secretary of State LaRose to do the right thing, and exercise his authority to take these steps.”

The letter is available online at:
http://innovationohio.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/LaRose-Letter-Aug-4.pdf

###

Written by Michael McGovern · Categorized: 2020 Election, coronavirus, Democracy · Tagged: 2020 election, coronavirus, Frank LaRose, larose, pandemic, Voter Suppression, Voting, Voting Rights

Jul 24 2020

How Ohio’s Secretary of State Can Ensure a Safe & Successful General Election

Innovation Ohio Calls on Secretary of State Frank LaRose To Act

In the face of a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ohio must work aggressively to provide multiple ways for Ohioans to vote in the November election that are safe and convenient. The problems that surfaced in the delayed March primary — a complicated process of requesting and returning a ballot, difficulty securing postage and lack of awareness of vote-by-mail procedures – all remain unaddressed. With the legislature at a standstill thanks to a federal corruption probe, it is up to Ohio Secretary of State LaRose, working with local Boards of Elections, to ensure that all modes of voting are easily accessible to all registered voters.

Read The Full Report

We urge the Secretary of State to exercise his authority and use funding already available to:

  • Include and pay for return postage on all absentee ballot applications and ballots
  • Allow voters to submit an absentee ballot request online
  • Establish multiple secure drop boxes for absentee ballot return
  • Commit to resist efforts to close polling locations, which only results in longer lines and more crowded indoor spaces.

You can download the full report by clicking the orange “download full report” button in the sidebar of this page or by clicking the blue “Read the full report” button above.

Click here to sign the petition from All In For Ohio urging Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose to take these four actions to save our November election from chaos and voter suppression.

Written by admin · Categorized: coronavirus, Democracy, Statehouse Update · Tagged: 2020 election, all in for ohio, all in for ohio voters, election, election 2020, Frank LaRose, general election, hb680, householder, io report, larose, Larry Householder, ohio secretary of state, petition, report, reports, secretary of state, Statehouse

Jul 24 2020

New Report: With Ohio Legislature In Chaos, Frank LaRose Must Act

We’re back with a mid-week update to give you the backstory on Innovation Ohio’s latest analysis, outlining four actions Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose can take today to make the November election safer & more accessible.

Ohio Senate Refuses to Pass Bad Voting Bill, Calls For More Hearings on HB680

Now it’s up to Secretary of State Frank LaRose to make sure the November election is safe for all Ohio voters.

In Monday’s update, we wrote about an Ohio Senate hearing and possible vote on a bill (House Bill 680) to move up the deadline to request an absentee ballot in November. The bill would also unnecessarily tie the hands of the Secretary of State, disallowing him from doing a number of things to make it easier to vote by mail. A lot has happened since then.

Many Senators and witnesses, including Sec. LaRose, support the idea to move up the deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot to ensure mail delays don’t result in voters receiving it too late to return it by the deadline. However, other provisions in the bill — revoking the Secretary’s authority to provide return postage for ballots and failing to explicitly authorize a way for voters to request their absentee ballot online — appear unpopular among Senators on a bipartisan basis, and the Chairman held the bill over for future hearings.

If the Senate makes any changes to the bill, it would need action by the House in order to become law – a 90-day process that already puts us in late October.
On Tuesday, as HB680 was being heard, news broke of a $60 million corruption scandal involving the House Speaker.

Larry Householder has resisted calls to step down and members of his leadership team continue to oppose calls to expel him. Until the House replaces the Speaker — who as a condition of his release on felony charges — cannot travel or be in contact with any potential witnesses in the case — it cannot function to do the work of the people.

Innovation Ohio Calls on Secretary of State Frank LaRose To Act

Read the full report here

In order to have a safe and accessible election, Ohio voters have only one hope left and it’s Secretary of State Frank LaRose. Today we published an analysis showing that the Secretary has the authority, without an act of the legislature, to:

  • Include and pay for return postage on all absentee ballot applications and ballots
  • Allow voters to submit an absentee ballot request online
  • Establish multiple secure drop boxes for absentee ballot return
  • Commit to resist efforts to close polling locations, which only results in longer lines and more crowded indoor spaces

Read our analysis of Frank LaRose’s legal authority to protect the November election

Take Action

Sign All In For Ohio’s petition

Sign the petition

It’s time for LaRose to act with or without the assistance of the legislature. All In For Ohio has created a petition you can sign to send a message to Secretary of State LaRose that our elections are too important to be held up thanks to a dysfunctional legislature. 

Sign the petition today to send a message to Frank LaRose that it’s time to act.

Written by Terra Goodnight · Categorized: 2020 Election, coronavirus, Democracy, Statehouse Update · Tagged: 2020 election, corruption, election 2020, Frank LaRose, HB6, hb680, householder, larose, Larry Householder, Ohio Senate, report, secretary of state, Speaker Larry Householder, statehouse update, vote by mail, voter registration

Jul 20 2020

Ohio Senate May Vote On Harmful Elections Bill, HB 680

Send your Senator a letter urging them to amend H.B. 680

At The Statehouse: Senate May Vote TOMORROW On Harmful Elections Bill 

After a quiet month of summer break, the Ohio Senate returns for a day of committee hearings and floor votes tomorrow, and, at the top of their agenda, is HB 680, an election bill that makes it harder to vote early, in-person, and by mail, and does nothing to improve the safety or accessibility of voting in November. The bill was passed by the Ohio House last month on a party-line vote. Tomorrow the Senate will get its turn.

House Bill 680, as passed by the House, would:

  • Require Ohioans to pay for postage on absentee ballot applications and on any absentee ballots themselves
  • Limit each County to only one Early Vote and secure ballot drop box location no matter its size or population.
  • Force Ohioans to request absentee ballots by mail instead of online.
  • Prohibit the Governor and Ohio Department of Health Director from “causing an election to be conducted other than the time, place, and manner prescribed by the Revised Code,” effectively tying official’s hands to change aspects of the election even if the pandemic continues to worsen.
  • Shorten the time to request a vote-by-mail ballot

Despite repeatedly saying he wants to allow Ohioans to request an absentee ballot online and that forcing voters to pay for return postage is likely “unconstitutional,” Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose is inexplicably supporting the passage of HB 680.

Reports suggest the Secretary of State and local election officials are primarily interested in moving up the deadline to request an absentee ballot, but if that’s the case, they should condition their endorsement on improvements to the bill that make it easier — not harder — for Ohioans to exercise alternatives to voting in person on election day.

The bill is up for its first and last Senate hearing tomorrow, setting it up for a likely floor vote at tomorrow’s 1:30 pm session. See “Statehouse Meetings and Events” below for details on watching or testifying at tomorrow’s hearing. 
Here is a tool you can use to send a note to your State Senator to ask them to fix HB 680.

Take Action on HB 680

House Bill 680 — up for a vote in the Ohio Senate as early as tomorrow, July 21 — does nothing to make our elections safer or more accessible in November. 

Contact your state Senator and ask them to amend HB 680 with the following voting improvements:

  • Prepaid postage on absentee applications and ballots,
  • Online absentee ballot requests, and
  • Multiple, secure and convenient drop boxes to return absentee ballots

Click here to send an email to your Senator now!

New Legislation This Week

Below are some of the new bills introduced in the last several weeks since we last sent an update. You can also view the complete list of bills we’re tracking.

  • House Bill 706 (Crawley, West) – Police Training – to require peace officers to complete training on de-escalation techniques, implicit bias, procedural justice, and mental health issues, to require information regarding mental health resources and available support be provided to peace officers annually, and to make an appropriation.
  • House Bill 707 (Miranda, Boggs) – Tear Gas – to prohibit the use of tear gas by peace officers.
  • House Bill 709 (Denson, Upchurch) – Use of Force – to establish a database of records of use of force by law enforcement officers
  • House Bill 710 (Upchurch, Denson) – Police Practices – to prohibit police officers from engaging in biased policing and other status-based profiling and to require the attorney general’s office to establish rules regarding such police practices.
  • House Bill 712 (Sheehy, Hicks-Hudson) – Law Enforcement Database – to require the Attorney General to create a database of information regarding law enforcement officers who have been terminated or resigned under certain circumstances and to require law enforcement agencies to access the database to determine employment eligibility of those officers.
  • House Bill 713 (West, Leland) – Law Enforcement Quotas – to prohibit law enforcement agencies from using quotas for arrests and citations.
  • House BIll 721 (Weinstein, Crawley) – Military Surplus – to prohibit a political subdivision from receiving certain property from a military equipment surplus program operated by the federal government and to limit the use of federal funds to purchase equipment.
  • House Bill 729 (Galonski) – Pride Month – to designate the month of June as “Pride Month.”
  • Senate Bill 334 (Craig, Brenner) – Juneteenth Holiday – to establish the nineteenth of June as Juneteenth, a legal holiday for which government employees receive paid leave.
  • Senate Joint Resolution 5 (Thomas) – Slavery Amendment – proposing to amend Section 6 of Article I of the Constitution of the State of Ohio to prohibit slavery or involuntary servitude in Ohio for the punishment of crime.

Written by Terra Goodnight · Categorized: 2020 Election, coronavirus, Democracy, Statehouse Update · Tagged: coronavirus, Frank LaRose, house bill 680, november, vote by mail, Voting

Jul 16 2020

Ohio City Leaders Call on Portman to Fight for a Bold Federal Relief Package

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Columbus, OH – Today, city executives and elected officeholders across Ohio held a press call to demand that Senator Portman support the HEROES Act or fight for a similarly-bold package for localities, working families, or schools as the Senate crafts its own bill. They released a letter signed by 20+ elected officials across the state outlining key priorities. 

A recording of the call is available here. (Password: 6p+gK@07)

“We are in the middle of a very challenging year in our state and in our country — and that is putting it mildly,” said Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz, noting that his city is experiencing “Great Depression levels of unemployment” and that Ohio cities’ reliance on income tax makes them uniquely vulnerable to recessions. Toledo faces a $30 M deficit because of the pandemic and has had to furlough 300 employees.  

A photo of Rob Portman speaking during a congressional hearing. Image courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Creator: Glenn Fawcett
Image credit: U.S. Government

“The federal government has botched the response to COVID-19, and we in local government have had to do what we always do: step up to deliver for and protect our citizens,” he said. “But in this unprecedented moment, our hands are tied by not having the resources we need to deliver the services our citizens expect…If Washington chooses to ignore police and sanitation workers and they have to be laid off, I will be very clear about who was responsible for that…Airlines and corporations are always first in line, but most people want the parks mowed and a firefighter to be able to come when they call.” 

Cincinnati Councilmember P.G. Sittenfeld emphasized the unprecedented moment of a public health, economic, and racial justice triple crisis and how surreal it has been to see visitors bureaus and recreation centers become temporary hospital facilities and housing for the homeless. 

He explained how his city’s $73 M budget deficit, often seen as an abstraction, has real-world effects. “Our ability to piece together a budget that ensures that vulnerable seniors and youth can keep cool in 90-degree heat is at risk….Teachers are reaching into their pockets more than ever to pay for things their kids need,” he said. “Senator Portman should join Senator Brown in getting this vital legislation through. My message to him is: listen to your constituents.” 

He also urged the Senator to continue the Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program and noted Economic Policy Institute data that if it expires, over 100,000 jobs will be lost. 

Cleveland Cincinnati Councilmember Blaine Griffin said, “If the HEROES Act passes, Cleveland will receive more than $1 B for healthcare and for teachers and for other essential employees. They are working so hard for us, and we cannot give them a pink slip…We need federal relief to keep Clevelanders to keep from falling into poverty.” 

He also said the city has been financially responsible. “Cleveland has done our part. We prepared for a downturn. But nobody was prepared for COVID-19 and how it would reveal the inequities among us,” he said. 

He noted the recession has contributed to a spike in violent crime and domestic violence and has disproportionately affected African-Americans. He invited Senator Portman to walk the neighborhoods of Cleveland with him and see the effects. “I know we are seen as a Democratic city,” he said, “But we are your constituents too, Senator.” 

Columbus City Auditor Megan Kilgore forecasts a drop of 4.7% in city revenue, five times worse than Columbus’ worst-ever year for revenue collection on record during the Great Recession. 

“Funding infrastructure is the most economically efficient way to rebuild an economy,” she said. “Take a project like an investment in clean drinking water or sewer lines or high-speed IT networks or green energy projects. Think about the workers who work on that. That creates more wages, which gets spent, and that spending supports other workers. That is the multiplier effect….If Senator Portman does not act, he is putting a ‘Closed for Business’ sign on Ohio.” 

Chillicothe Mayor Luke Feeney said the crisis has been particularly acute for Southeast Ohio, which has a disproportionately high number of public-sector workers like teachers, hospital employees, and local government staff. 

His city is still finalizing projections, but they could be as high as a 10% or 11% dropoff in revenue. Already in the last few months, the city has drained one-third of its reserves, which it has spent the last few years building up, and has had to issue layoff notices to firefighters. He offered an example of economic effects: “We’ve had to reduce work hours by one-third. That means the building I sit in right now [City Hall] has to close tomorrow. That means those workers won’t come downtown and shop or dine on Main Street.” 

Speaking for Southeast Ohio as a whole, he said: “There may not be a big population center, but we matter down here too. We’re asking Senator Portman to stem the bleeding in places like mine and in cities like Ironton and Waverly,” he said. 

The leaders seek $1 trillion in aid to state and local governments, among other priorities detailed in the letter pertaining to Medicaid, K-12 education, childcare, paid family leave, and unemployment compensation. Already, 65,700 public sector workers have been laid off in Ohio since February. 

Anything less than $1 trillion for state and local government will cause needless suffering: while Ohio stands to lose another 191,400 public and private sector jobs in the next 18 months if no federal package is passed, the Economic Policy Institute projects that even a package that amounts to a mere $500 B for states and cities will still trigger the loss of 93,900 Ohio jobs. 

Written by Colleen Craig · Categorized: coronavirus, Economic Development and Jobs · Tagged: coronavirus, coronavirus relief package, HEROES Act, portman, relief package, U.S. Senate

May 19 2020

At The Statehouse: Lawmakers Look To Grant Business Immunity

Both chambers are working on legislation to limit the ability for businesses to be sued for liability during the COVID pandemic emergency. A Senate committee will hold a third hearing and vote on that chamber’s version of the bill (SB308) while the House plans two hearings this week to consider the House Bill (HB606). 

Lawmakers last week introduced new legislation (SB311) to rescind current health emergency orders and limit the power of the Director to enact new orders. 
The House and Senate have session scheduled for Wednesday with an additional meeting of the House penciled in for Thursday if necessary.

New Legislation This Week

Several new bills were introduced last week that we will be monitoring. You can also view the complete list of bills we’re tracking.

  • House Bill 633 (Boggs) – Workers Compensation – To make COVID-19 contracted by specified types of employees an occupational disease under the Workers’ Compensation Law under certain circumstances and to declare an emergency.
  • House Bill 634 (Denson, Upchurch) – Marijuana – To allow for the cultivation and possession of marijuana, to modify possession and cultivation penalties, and to allow for the expungement of certain marijuana convictions.
  • House Concurring Resolution 27 (Russo) – Health Insurance – To urge the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to immediately issue a special enrollment period through HealthCare.gov for uninsured Ohioans who may be unable to access COVID-19 testing and treatment.
  • Senate Bill 311 (McColley, Roegner) – Health Orders – To rescind certain orders of the Director of Health regarding COVID-19, to require the approval of the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review for Department of Health orders to be effective for more than fourteen days, to require statewide Department of Health orders to include the Governor’s signature, to modify the Department’s rulemaking authority, to allow in-person high school graduation ceremonies, and to declare an emergency.

Statehouse Meetings and Events

Tuesday, May 12

  • 9 am – House Criminal Justice – 7th hearing (all testimony, possible amendments & vote) on HB3 (Domestic Violence). Statehouse Room 017. Watch online at ohiochannel.org.
  • 10 am – House Insurance -1st hearing (sponsor) of HCR27 (Emergency Health Insurance Enrollment), HB571 (Occupational Diseases), and HB579 (COVID Testing). Statehouse Room 116 (overflow in Room 114 for social distancing). Watch online at ohiochannel.org. 
  • 10am – House Rules and Reference – meeting to set agenda for May 20 House session. Statehouse Room 018 (overflow in 017). No broadcast.
  • 1 pm – House Finance – 8th hearing (all testimony, possible amendments & vote) on HB388 (Out of Network Care) and 2nd hearing (all testimony) on SB310 (Federal Funds). Statehouse Room 313. Watch online at ohiochannel.org.
  • 1:30 pm – Senate Finance – Invited testimony from Buckeye Association of School Administrators, Ohio School Boards Association, Ohio Education Association, and Ohio Federation of Teachers on re-opening of K-12 schools for 2020- 2021 school year. Senate Finance Hearing Room. Watch online at ohiochannel.org.
  • 2 pm – Gov. DeWine Briefing on COVID-19. Watch online at ohiochannel.org.
  • 3 pm – House Civil Justice – 3rd hearing (all testimony) on HB606 (Civil Immunity) and SB175 (Firearms Immunity). Room 121 (overflow in Room 122). Watch online at ohiochannel.org. 
  • 3 pm – House Higher Education – 1st hearing (sponsor) on SB40 (Campus Speech). Statehouse Room 116 (no overflow). Watch online at ohiochannel.org.

Wednesday, May 13

  • 9 am – House Civil Justice – 4th hearing (all testimony, possible amendments, and substitute) on HB606 (Civil Immunity). Statehouse Room 116 (overflow in 114). Watch online at ohiochannel.org.
  • 9:15 am – Senate Judiciary – 3rd hearing (all testimony, possible amendments, and vote) on SB308 (Civil Immunity). Senate South Hearing Room. Watch online at ohiochannel.org.
  • 11 am – Senate Rules and Reference – meeting to set agenda for May 20 Senate session. Senate Majority Conference Room. No broadcast.
  • 11:45 am – House Rules and Reference – meeting to set agenda for May 21 House session. Statehouse Room 017 (overflow in Room 018). No broadcast.
  • 1 pm – House Session – agenda TBD. Watch online at ohiochannel.org.
  • 1:30 pm – Ohio Senate – agenda TBD. Watch online at ohiochannel.org.
  • 2 pm – Gov. DeWine Briefing on COVID-19 – Watch online at ohiochannel.org.
  • 3 pm – Senate Local Government – 2nd hearing (all testimony, possible amendments & vote) on HB242 (Plastic Bag Ordinances). Senate South Hearing Room. Watch online at ohiochannel.org

Thursday, May 14

  • 1 pm – House Session – agenda TBD. Watch online at ohiochannel.org.
  • 2 pm – Gov. DeWine Briefing on COVID-19 – Watch online at ohiochannel.org.

Friday, May 15

  • 2 pm – Gov. DeWine Briefing on COVID-19 – Watch online at ohiochannel.org.

Written by Terra Goodnight · Categorized: coronavirus, Higher Education, Ohio State Budget, Statehouse Update · Tagged: Budget Cuts, coronavirus, hb606, hb633, hb634, hcr27, Mike DeWine, ohio house, Ohio Senate, ohio statehouse, sb308, sb311, state, State Budget, Statehouse

Apr 27 2020

DeWine to Announce Reopening Plan

Statehouse Preview

Week of April 27, 2020

Statehouse work continues online this week (see below), but House Speaker Larry Householder has informed House staff to return for in-person work beginning next week.

The House has scheduled sessions on May 5 (if needed), 6, 7, 13, 14, 19 and 21st, and plans tor resume committee meetings in some of the larger hearing rooms with accommodations made for social distancing.

The Senate, for its part, has a session scheduled for Wednesday but is widely expected to cancel it in favor of a meeting date later in May. The chamber and its leader, Senate President Larry Obhof, have not indicated when or if they plan to resume business as usual. 

Today, Governor DeWine will continue his series of daily COVID-19 briefings with a much-anticipated update about the state’s plans to allow the limited resumption of certain businesses and activities. Briefings are expected to continue daily.

The House of Representatives’ Economic Recovery Task Force will continue to hear from (mostly) business owners about their economic hardships. Only one representative of workers has appeared before the panel in its three weeks of almost daily hearings.

Also today, the state Controlling Board, a panel of legislators empowered to approve spending outside the normal legislative process will consider proposals from the DeWine administration’s Office of Budget and Management and Department of Job and Family Services related to the state’s COVID-19 response. The hearing will also be streamed online.

Statehouse Meetings and Events

Monday

  • 10 am – Economic Recovery Task Force – Speakers include representatives from Stark County Minority Business Association, Mechanical Contractors Association of Ohio, Chillicothe Fireworks, Brumbaugh of Garner Trucking, cityBRANDS Holdings, LLC, Lake Erie Shores & Islands, Allen Company, Lakota Sports Organization, BASEC Management, Inc., DBA Wendy’s and Body Alive Fitness. Virtual meeting streamed live online at ohiochannel.org. 
  • 12 pm – Controlling Board – Senate North Hearing Room and streamed live online at ohiochannel.org.
  • 2 pm – Gov. DeWine Briefing on COVID-19 – streamed live on ohiochannel.org.

Tuesday

  • 2 pm – Gov. DeWine Briefing on COVID-19 – streamed live on ohiochannel.org.

Wednesday

  • 1:30 pm – Ohio Senate (if needed) – stream lived on ohiochannel.org.
  • 2 pm – Gov. DeWine Briefing on COVID-19 – streamed live on ohiochannel.org.

Thursday

  • 2 pm – Gov. DeWine Briefing on COVID-19 – streamed live on ohiochannel.org.

Friday

  • 2 pm – Gov. DeWine Briefing on COVID-19 – streamed live on ohiochannel.org.

Written by Terra Goodnight · Categorized: coronavirus, Legislative Updates, Statehouse Update · Tagged: Amy Acton, Business, Controlling Board, coronavirus, COVID19, dewine, Economic Recovery Task Force, Governor, householder, obhof, ohio house, Ohio Senate, Speaker Larry Householder

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