Innovation Ohio

What you need to know about Ohio Statehouse Policy

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

2020 Legislative Scorecard: Ohio House of Representatives

Beginning in January of every odd-numbered year, lawmakers come to Columbus to convene the Ohio General Assembly. In the two year session that follows, hundreds of bills are introduced, many of which are signed into law. During the 133rd General Assembly, which began in January of 2019, legislators have grappled with issues ranging from responding to the COVID-19 pandemic to abortion rights, local control of public schools, gun safety to the confederate flag.

With Statehouse activity mostly wrapped up for the term, we’ve compiled the voting record of all 99 State representatives on the most significant proposals they faced for consideration by voters before they head to the polls on November 3.

Check out our Ohio House Scorecard, which lists how all 99 members of the Ohio House of Representatives voted on important proposals in the 133rd General Assembly.

View the Innovation Ohio 2020 House of Representatives Scorecard

Ohio Legislation Watch: Gun Reform Bills

Below is information on pro-reform bills introduced in the 133rd General Assembly with information about their current status and what you can do to support them.

HB 240 (Kelly, Miranda) – Child Access Protection Act

HB 315 (Liston) – Suicide Prevention 

  • Summary: Require gun dealers give suicide prevention information
  • Status: Assigned to House Health Committee on 9/24/19.
  • Testimony: Not yet available.
  • Bill Analysis: Not yet available.
  • Fiscal Analysis: Not yet available.
  • What activists can do: Ask Chairman Lipps to schedule a first hearing on HB 315.

HB 316 (Russo, Sweeney) – Extreme Risk Protection Orders (Red Flag Law)

  • Summary: To enact the Extreme Risk Protection Order Act to allow family members, household members, and law enforcement officers to obtain a court order that temporarily restricts a person’s access to firearms if that person poses a danger to themselves or others. 
  • Status: Assigned to House Health Committee on 9/24/19.
  • Testimony: Not yet available
  • Bill Analysis
  • Fiscal Analysis: Not yet available
  • What activists can do: Ask Chairman Lipps to schedule a first hearing on HB 316.

HB 317 (Russo, Sweeney) – Universal Background Checks

  • Summary: To enact the Protect Law Enforcement Act to require a firearm transfer to be made through a dealer, through a law enforcement agency, or pursuant to a specified exception, and to require a background check when a firearm is transferred.
  • Status: Assigned to House State and Local Government Committee on 9/24/19.
  • Testimony: Not yet available
  • Bill Analysis
  • Fiscal Analysis: Not yet available
  • What activists can do: Ask Chairman Wiggam to schedule a first hearing on HB 317.

HB 319 (West, A. Miller) – Local Control

  • Summary: To restore local authority to generally regulate firearms related conduct.
  • Status: Assigned to House State and Local Government Committee on 9/24/19.
  • Testimony: Not yet available
  • Bill Analysis: Not yet available
  • Fiscal Analysis: Not yet available
  • What activists can do: Ask Chairman Wiggam to schedule a first hearing on HB 319.

HB 320 (West) – Firearm Transfers

  • Summary: To prohibit a federally licensed firearms dealer from transferring a firearm while a background check is pending unless 30 days have elapsed.
  • Status: Assigned to House State and Local Government Committee on 9/24/19.
  • Testimony: Not yet available
  • Bill Analysis: Not yet available
  • Fiscal Analysis: Not yet available
  • What activists can do: Ask Chairman Wiggam to schedule a first hearing on HB 320.

HB 335 (Lepore-Hagan, Boyd) – Domestic Violence

  • Summary: To require a person who is subject to a civil or criminal domestic violence temporary protection order to surrender the person’s firearms.
  • Status: Assigned to House Criminal Justice Committee on 9/24/19.
  • Testimony: Not yet available.
  • Bill Analysis: Not yet available.
  • Fiscal Analysis: Not yet available.
  • What activists can do: Ask Chairman Lang to schedule a first hearing on HB 335.

HB 348 (A. Miller) – Protection Orders

  • Summary: To prohibit a person subject to a protection order from purchasing or receiving a firearm for the duration of the order.
  • Status: Assigned to House Civil Justice Committee on 10/01/19
  • Testimony: Not yet available.
  • Bill Analysis: Not yet available.
  • Fiscal Analysis: Not yet available.
  • What activists can do: Ask Speaker Householder to schedule a first hearing on HB 348.

HB 349 (Weinstein) – Firearm Magazines

  • Summary: To generally prohibit a person from possessing a large capacity magazine and to establish a large capacity magazine registry.
  • Status: Assigned to House Criminal Justice Committee on 10/2/19.
  • Testimony: Not yet available.
  • Bill Analysis: Not yet available.
  • Fiscal Analysis: Not yet available.
  • What activists can do: Ask Chairman Lang to schedule a first hearing on HB 349.

HB 354 (Plummer, Swearingen) – Firearms

HB 646 (Howse) – Pilot Therapy 

  • Summary: To require Director of Health to establish a pilot therapy program for Cleveland youth and young adults who are at high risk for gun violence
  • Status: Assigned to House Health Committee on 5/27/20.
  • Testimony: Not yet available.
  • Bill Analysis: Not yet available.
  • Fiscal Analysis: Not yet available.
  • What activists can do: Ask Chairman Lipps to schedule a first hearing on HB 646.

HB 647 (Strahorn) – High Capacity Magazines 

  • Summary: Prohibits manufacture/sale of high capacity magazines
  • Status: Assigned to House Federalism Committee on 5/27/20.
  • Testimony: Not yet available.
  • Bill Analysis: Not yet available.
  • Fiscal Analysis: Not yet available.
  • What activists can do: Ask Chairman Becker to schedule a first hearing on HB 647.

SB 19 (Williams) – Extreme Risk Protection Order Act

  • Summary: To enact the Extreme Risk Protection Order Act to allow household members, family, and law enforcement officials to obtain a court order to temporarily restrict an individual’s access to firearms if that person poses a harmful risk to either themselves or others.
  • Status: One hearing held in Government Oversight and Reform Committee on 9/10/19.
  • Testimony: Sponsor Testimony of Senator Williams
  • Bill Analysis
  • Fiscal Analysis: Not yet available
  • What activists can do: Ask Chairman Coley to schedule additional hearings on SB 19.

SB 43 (Antonio, Kunze) – Domestic Violence Firearm Restrictions

SB 62 (Thomas) – Semi-Automatic Rate of Fire Restrictions

  • Summary: To prohibit certain conduct regarding a multitude of items (i.e. parts, components, attachments, devices, and accessories) that increase the rate of fire (but that do not convert such weapons into automatic firearms) for semi-automatic weapons.
  • Status: One hearing held in Government Oversight and Reform Committee on 9/17/19.
  • Testimony: Sponsor Testimony of Senator Thomas
  • Bill Analysis
  • Fiscal Analysis: Not yet available
  • What activists can do: Ask Chairman Coley to schedule additional hearings on SB 62.

SB 63 (Thomas) – Firearms Transfers

  • Summary: To require private firearm transfers to be made through a dealer, a law enforcement agency, or pursuant to a special exemption, and to require a background check for such transfers.
  • Status: One hearing held in Government Oversight and Reform Committee on 9/17/19.
  • Testimony: Not yet available
  • Bill Analysis
  • Fiscal Analysis: Not yet available
  • What activists can do: Ask Chairman Coley to schedule additional hearings on SB 63.

SB 64 (Thomas) – Minimum Purchasing Age for Firearms

  • Summary: To raise the minimum purchasing age for firearms to 21 years of age, and to increase the penalties for improperly furnishing firearms to minors.
  • Status: One hearing held in Government Oversight and Reform Committee on 9/17/19.
  • Testimony: Not yet available
  • Bill Analysis
  • Fiscal Analysis: Not yet available
  • What activists can do: Ask Chairman Coley to schedule additional hearings on SB 64.

SB 65 (Thomas) – Gun Show Regulations

SB 182 (Thomas, Lehner) – Minimum Purchase Age

SB 183 (Thomas, Lehner) – Universal Background Checks

SB 184 (Williams, Lehner) – Extreme Risk Protection Order (Red Flag)

SB 202 (Thomas, Craig) – Local Authority

SB 203 (Thomas, Lehner) – Firearm Transfers

SB 221 (Dolan) – Firearms Laws

SB 223 (Thomas, Lehner) – Firearms 

For a real-time status report on all gun legislation (including pro-gun legislation) pending in the Ohio legislature, check our custom tracker, courtesy of Gongwer News Service.

To be updated about weekly and breaking news about important legislation, sign up for our legislative email alerts.

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.

10 Senators With A Voucher Problem: Where the impact of the voucher crisis will be hardest felt

The Ohio House and Senate are advancing two competing plans to address Ohio’s private school voucher explosion, but without a fix, some lawmakers will feel acute pain as their local schools see funding losses skyrocket.

Without action, the impacts on local school districts could be catastrophic.

Thanks to years of policy changes expanding eligibility for vouchers, the scope of the problem continues to grow, with local public schools set to lose $62 million more to private school vouchers this year alone. As the two plans to address the crisis are debated at the statehouse, it’s important to understand just how much of an issue this could become for lawmakers considering these changes.

Without action, the impacts on local school districts could be catastrophic. Next year the number of local school buildings where students would be eligible to take a voucher to attend private schools is set to skyrocket:

2019-20202020-2021
Public school buildings affected by voucher losses4831,221

Districts statewide will be affected, but some lawmakers see more impacts than others.

For example, State Sen. Tim Schaffer, R-Lancaster, would see the number of public school buildings in his district eligible to lose students to private school vouchers rise next school year by 53 from 11 to 64.

Likewise, state Sen. Jay Hottinger, R-Newark, would see the number of buildings losing students (and funding) to vouchers jump from 9 to 58. 

Top Ten Senate Districts Impacted By Rise In Voucher Eligibility:

Senator 2019-2020: Buildings eligible2020-2021: Buildings eligibleChange in number of eligible buildings
Tim Schaffer1164+53
Andrew Brenner90142+52
Tina Maharath97148+51
Jay Hottinger958+49
Bob Peterson1462+48
Frank Hoagland956+47
Terry Johnson549+44
Dave Burke1859+41
Rob McColley545+40
Theresa Gavarone4078+38

These exponential increases are thanks to a recent change in how the state assigns report card grades to school buildings that even the legislature’s top voucher proponent, State Sen. Matt Huffman, R-Lima, has called “arbitrary.” In 2011, Huffman wanted to turn the entire EdChoice voucher program into an income-based voucher program, not unlike what House Speaker Larry Householder passed last week in House Bill 89.

“It should be based on need and ability to pay, not some arbitrary standard,” he said during his 2011 press conference about his House Bill 136 that would have created the statewide, income-based voucher program.

If nothing is done to fix this crisis over the next few weeks, Huffman’s Senate colleagues – many of whom represent rural districts – will have to explain to their constituents why they approved increasing the number of buildings eligible to lose state funding to private school vouchers by as much as 800 percent. 

Huffman is also in line to be the next Senate President.

Innovation Ohio’s New Report Finds Exploding Voucher Payments, Return to Lax Oversight of Charters in Ohio Budget

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 25, 2019
Contact: Michael McGovern, mcgovern@innovationohio.org
 
Columbus, OH – A report from Innovation Ohio focused on the state’s new budget finds a huge increase in spending on voucher payments to private schools and a return to lax, pre-ECOT scandal charter school oversight. This is the latest budgetary explosion for a voucher program that has increased more than 600% since 2011.
 
“Given the ECOT scandal, it is astounding that statehouse leaders would loosen rules around failing charter schools that suck money out of Ohio public school classrooms,” said Innovation Ohio Education Fellow and report author Stephen Dyer. “What we need is closer scrutiny and reigning in these payments to private schools.” 
 
The report highlights four key giveaway to poor-performing, privately run schools: 
1. Weakening rules to automatically close failing charter schools
2. Lowering standards for dropout recovery schools
3. Weakening oversight of charter school sponsors, many of whom are for-profit companies
4. A huge increase in public dollars flowing to private schools via vouchers
The voucher expansion alone could cost Ohio public school districts another $73 million over two years, on top of an already ballooning $389 million per year private school voucher program.

Over the last several years, Innovation Ohio has been leading the fight to expose Ohio’s failing charter school system and sounding the alarm bells around expanding voucher programs. 

 
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Here’s What Gun Safety Advocates In Ohio Are Up Against

Earlier this week, Mike DeWine announced a package of gun safety reforms he would like to see the Ohio General Assembly enact into law. If history is a guide, he’s running into some stiff headwinds.

Just ask Dayton.

In late 2018, Ohio lawmakers enacted a bill (House Bill 228), overriding a veto by Gov. John Kasich, that blocked Ohio cities from enacting local gun ordinances and subjected local communities to civil liability for passing gun laws stricter than the state’s. The bill states that “any local firearm regulation that interferes with an individual’s right to bear arms, inhibits individuals from protecting themselves, their families, or others from intruders and attackers, or otherwise inhibits the legitimate use of firearms is preempted by the state of Ohio.” Ohio cities and their leaders have their hands tied.

Here’s what Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley had to say at the time:

As DeWine, Whaley and gun safety advocates attempt to reform our gun laws, it’s worth revisiting the recent past to see what they are up against. HB228 was just one of several recent measures to expand the rights of gun owners in Ohio, demonstrating just how powerful the momentum is within the GOP-controlled General Assembly to move in the opposite direction.

In recent years, Ohio lawmakers have passed bills to:

Allow guns in bars and restaurants that serve alcohol (SB17 in 2011)

Sitting lawmakers who voted yes:

Representatives Butler, Jordan, G. Manning, Oelslager, Patton and Seitz.

Senators Brenner, Hottinger, M. Huffman, Lehner, O’Brien, Obhof, Peterson, Roegner, Schaffer and Uecker.

Eliminate requirement to store guns unloaded in motor vehicles and allow guns to be stored in the Statehouse parking garage (HB495 in 2012)

Sitting lawmakers who voted yes:

Representatives Butler, Cera, DeVitis, Jordan, G. Manning, Oelslager, Patton, Schaffer, Scherer, Seitz and R. Smith.

Senators Brenner, Burke, Coley, Eklund, Hackett, Hottinger, M. Huffman, Lehner, O’Brien, Obhof, Peterson, Roegner, Schuring, Terhar and Uecker

Allow concealed carry by residents of other states without licensing or training, and lifted the ban on high capacity magazines (HB234 in 2014) 

Sitting lawmakers who voted yes:

Representatives Becker, Blessing, Butler, Cera, DeVitis, Fedor, Hood, Jordan, Oelslager, Patterson, Perales, Rogers, Seitz, Sheehy, R. Smith and Strahorn.

Senators Brenner, Burke, Coley, Eklund, Hackett, Hottinger, M. Huffman, Kunze, Lehner, O’Brien, Obhof, Patton, Peterson, Roegner, Schaffer, Schuring, Terhar, Uecker and Williams

Allow guns in daycares and on college campuses and prohibit employers from banning firearms from employee vehicles parked on their property  (SB199 in 2016)

Sitting lawmakers who voted yes:

Representatives Becker, Blessing, Brinkman, Butler, Cera, Cupp, Dean, Fedor, Green, Hambley, Hood, Jordan, Keller, Koehler, G. Manning, Merrin, O’Brien, Oelslager, Patterson, Patton, Perales, Reineke, Rogers, Scherer, Seitz, R. Smith, Vitale and Zeltwanger.

Senators Brenner, Burke, Coley, Gavarone, Hackett, Hottinger, S. Huffman, Kunze, N. Manning, McColley, O’Brien, Peterson, Roegner, Schaffer, Schuring, Terhar and Uecker.

Prohibit cities from enacting local gun ordinances (HB228 in 2018)

Sitting lawmakers who voted yes:

Representatives Antani, Becker, Blessing, Brinkman, Butler, Carfagna, Cera, Cupp, DeVitis, Dean, Edwards, Ginter, Green, Greenspan, Hambley, Hood, Hoops, Householder, Jordan, Keller, Kick, Koehler, Lanese, Lang, Lipps, G. Manning, McClain, Merrin, Oelslager, Patterson, Patton, Perales, Reineke, Riedel, Rogers, Romanchuk, S. Ryan, Seitz, R. Smith, T. Smith, Stein, Vitale, Wiggam, WIlkin, Zeltwanger

Brenner, Burke, Coley, Dolan, Gavarone, Hackett, Hoagland, Hottinger, M. Huffman, S. Huffman, McColley, Obhof, Peterson, Roegner, Schaffer, Terhar, Uecker, Wilson.

With this crew still controlling the statehouse, it will take a lot of work and convincing for DeWine’s proposals to get passed.

Statehouse Preview: House Budget Plan Includes Big Tax Changes

Last week, the House revealed its changes to the state budget (HB166) and, for the most part, we like them.

Many of the highlights worth noting are changes to eliminate or scale back various tax loopholes. By closing or scaling back tax breaks and loopholes, the House generates some new revenue to pay for most of the Governor’s priorities while adding some of its own, even while scaling back on DeWine’s two-year revenue estimate to better conform with projections from legislative budget analysts.

Among the highlights of the House plan:

  • Shrinks the so-called “LLC Loophole,” under which owners of certain pass-through businesses collect their first $250K in income tax-free and get a preferential rate for revenue beyond that.
  • Applies the sales tax to ride-sharing trips from Lyft and Uber.
  • Requires out of state online retailers to collect Ohio’s sales tax.
  • Eliminates various breaks for owners of private jet time-shares, motor racing teams, purchases of flight simulators and motion picture productions.
  • Eliminates state income taxes on the bottom income brackets and lowers rates on middle earners.
  • Requires graduating high school seniors to complete the FAFSA – a policy shown to substantially improve college financial aid awards
  • Increases funding for the enforcement wage and hour laws
  • Doubles funding for rape crisis centers
  • No school funding plan, but backers continue to work on tweaks that could address concerns from low-income rural and urban districts. Stay tuned.

Pro-tip: see all proposed House changes to the Governor’s proposed budget by reviewing the comparison document and appropriations spreadsheet.

Next Up

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the House Finance committee will hear more public testimony (read all submitted testimony, listed by hearing date) on the plan, and is expected to vote on amendments and to pass the bill at its Wednesday meeting (agenda). After that, the bill heads to the full House for a vote on Thursday afternoon or, if needed, Friday morning.

We’ll send more details about what’s in the House amendments later this week to our budget list – sign up if you’re not already a subscriber.

Lawmakers Work on Budget and Nuclear Power During First Week of Spring Break

At the Statehouse

🏖️ Spring Break 🏖️

Expect a quiet week at the Statehouse as lawmakers begin the first of two weeks of Spring Break. No session of the House or Senate is scheduled and only a handful of committees are working. Two issues will drive the week: the State Budget and a new Energy reform plan which many are calling a bailout of Ohio’s nuclear energy industry

Nuclear Power Plan

Last week House Speaker Larry Householder unveiled a new plan to assess fees on Ohio utility customers’ monthly bills to support emission-free energy generation, a proposal that would raise approximately $300 million per year, the bulk of which would flow to Ohio’s nuclear power plants. The plan would replace current assessments on utility bills to fund renewable energy generation and efficiency programs, and has been panned by environmental and renewable energy advocates who say it would remove incentives to move to renewable and clean energy sources and could even subsidize coal power plants.

The first draft of the plan (House Bill 6) will receive its first two hearings in the House Energy and Natural Resources committee and its Energy Generation Subcommittee this week. See “Committees Hearings to Watch,” below, for details.

House Wrapping Up Budget Plans

Over this first week of Spring Break, Speaker Householder is expected to work with House Finance Chairman, Scott Oelslager, to sort through hundreds of amendments from members to the state’s two-year operating budget (HB166). House changes to the proposal, which currently reflects priorities of the DeWine administration, are expected to be unveiled at next week’s hearings of the House Finance Committee in the form of a substitute bill.

In the sub bill, we expect to see dozens, if not hundreds of amendments which could include changes to school funding, taxation, health policy, support for higher education and more. Next week we’ll share the highlights of these proposals, which will be vetted in several days of hearings before going to the full House for a vote the week of April 29.

Abortion Attacks Aren’t Over

Last week, as the Ohio legislature enacted an unconstitutional 6-week abortion ban, which will be challenged in courts, the war on abortion rights continues on multiple fronts. As we noted last week, newly-introduced House Bill 182 (Becker) would ban private insurance coverage of so-called “non-therapeutic” abortion, eliminate exceptions for rape and incest and redefine “non-thereaeutic” abortion to include any contraception that prevents implantation of a fertilized egg. Also last week, HB90 (Antani) was amended to require an anti-abortion curriculum in Ohio’s 3rd through 12th-grade classrooms and the House held its first hearing on SB27 (Uecker), to require the burial or cremation of aborted fetal remains.

Any of these anti-abortion measures could find their way into the state budget (HB166), a must-pass bill that is a popular target of unrelated policy changes. We’ll need to be vigilant and demand public hearings before anything is passed into law.

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