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Jan 25 2023

New Senate Proposal Shifts Power Over Public Education In Ohio

Senate Bill 1, so numbered because it represents the top priority of the newly-elected members of the Ohio Senate Republican majority, is newly-introduced legislation that would make major changes to public education in Ohio, stripping power from Board members elected by voters after the November election saw several Democrats take seats on the board.

The primary impact of SB1, if passed, would be to reorganize the Ohio Department of Education into a new Department of Education and Workforce, headed by a member of the Governor’s cabinet and divided into divisions responsible for primary and secondary and career-technical education. The legislation would mandate that the department identify “in-demand” jobs and provide information to seventh and eighth graders about available careers.

While Article VI, Section 4 of the constitution establishes the State Board of Education and grants it authority over the hiring of a Superintendent of Public Instruction, under SB1, the superintendent would merely serve as an advisor to the Department and support the Board in its greatly limited role of teacher licensure.

Members of the Ohio legislature would have to approve all senior hiring by the Department and could overrule any policies it adopts. This represents a massive shift away from an elected Board of Education, made up of elected representatives from around the state to the gerrymandered supermajority General Assembly. 

Most of the language of Senate Bill 1 is the same as what was included in last session’s SB178, but it also contains new assurances to homeschooling families and private religious schools that the department will not adopt any new rules for them, something that was needed to dispel any opposition to the plan from those corners.

SB1 is a massive change to how education is governed, moving ultimate responsibility for enacting education policy away from elected School Board members to the legislators. And it comes in the wake of voters shaking up the membership of the Board at the ballot box in November. When taken together with recent moves to make it harder for voters to amend the state’s constitution, it’s clear that the priority of legislative Republicans is consolidating power for themselves and silencing the voices of voters.

Written by Terra Goodnight · Categorized: Education, Front Page, K-12 Education, Legislative Updates

Dec 09 2022

Defend the right to vote in Ohio. Stop HB 458

Ohioans across the political spectrum agree: every eligible citizen should be able to exercise their constitutional right to vote.

House Bill 458 is the opposite of what Ohioans want.

If HB 458 becomes law:

  • Voters will lose access to drop boxes. Boards of Election will be limited to a single drop box location, which is open during business hours only, and can only be used during the early voting period.
  • Voters will lose the freedom to register to vote and/or vote with an alternate form of ID, such as a utility bill, government document, or paycheck.
  • Most voters will lose the freedom to vote provisionally with the last four digits of their social security number.
  • Voters will be punished by slow mail delivery. Absentee ballots will be thrown out if they are not received by the end of Election Day. This even applies to overseas and military voters.
  • Voters will be forced to provide a strict photo ID to vote, whether voting by absentee ballot, or in person on Election Day, or provisionally.
  • Most August special elections will be eliminated, which harms our local school districts.

This bill is a clear and direct attack on millions of people’s voting rights. 


HB 458 is destructive and completely unnecessary. A solution looking for a problem. It only hurts Ohioans’ ability to participate in their democracy.

Elected officials should be making voting easier for all eligible voters, not harder.

Help stop this devastating bill. Contact these state officials. Remind them Ohio is watching.

Written by Rachel Coyle · Categorized: Democracy, Fair and Open Elections, Legislative Updates, Statehouse Update, Take Action

Dec 05 2022

Support People over Politicians — Stop Ohio HJR 6

For over 100 years, Ohioans have had the right to gather hundreds of thousands of signatures, place a constitutional amendment on the ballot, and pass it into law. That’s the power of the people.

But now, two Ohio politicians are trying to take this right away.

While you and your family prepare for the holidays, Secretary of State Frank LaRose and State Rep Brian Stewart are trying to pass HJR 6.

Under HJR 6, Ohioans who gather signatures and place an amendment on the ballot would need to win a supermajority (60%) of statewide votes for their amendment to become law.

That means just 41% of voters could block what the majority of voters want. Ohio would be run by minority rule.

We believe the people of Ohio should have the final say, not lobbyists and politicians. If you agree, take action to help stop this attack on your freedoms.

1.) Testify in-person against HJR 6. Click here for info on how to testify in-person.

2.) Submit written-only testimony against HJR 6. Click here for info on how to submit written-only testimony.

3.) Tell these officials to respect your right to pass citizen-led ballot initiatives. DO NOT LET HJR 6 pass:

  • Email key Ohio legislators
  • Call House Government Oversight Committee Chair Shane Wilkin: 614-466-3506
  • Call House Speaker Bob Cupp: 614-466-9624
  • Call Senate President Matt Huffman: 614-466-7584

Every action you take helps defend Ohioans’ freedoms.

Written by Rachel Coyle · Categorized: 2023 Election Hub, Democracy, Equal Districts, Fair and Open Elections, Legislative Updates, Open and Efficient Government, Statehouse Update, Take Action

Nov 15 2022

Ohio Lame Duck 2022

This week, the Ohio legislature begins its Lame Duck session.

In Ohio, Lame Duck occurs every two years between Election Day and December 31st, before the newly elected legislators are sworn in.

Any bill that hasn’t yet passed must be signed into law by the end of the year. Otherwise, the bill dies and must be reintroduced next term.

Ohio’s Republican Statehouse supermajority often tries to quietly pass their most controversial bills during Lame Duck.

Throughout this chaotic period, we’ll be tracking some of the most important legislation and sending out regular calls to action.

Make sure you’re following Innovation Ohio on social media as well:

  • Facebook
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  • TikTok

We’ll need your help to fight for and against life-altering bills over the next several weeks.

Your calls, emails, tweets, and testimony matter. Your voice matters.

Written by Rachel Coyle · Categorized: Abortion Rights, Children & Families, Criminal Justice Reform, Democracy, Economic Development and Jobs, Education, Fair and Open Elections, Featured Items, Gun Safety, Healthcare and Human Services, Higher Education, K-12 Education, Legislative Updates, Statehouse Update, Take Action, Women's Watch

Mar 23 2022

Desiree Tims Responds to Governor’s SOTS Address

COLUMBUS — Today, Desiree Tims, President and CEO of Innovation Ohio, released a video statement responding to Governor DeWine’s State of the State address. The full statement is copied below:

“My name is Desiree Tims, and I’m the President & CEO of Innovation Ohio. This afternoon, Governor Mike DeWine gave his ‘State of the State’ address. I want to take a few minutes to talk about the REAL state of our state.

“We have an opportunity to make Ohio a comeback state, but first we need leaders who will advance progressive policies that help working families. Unfortunately, Ohio is controlled by Republican extremists and the governor has caved to his party to our detriment.

“I was disappointed to see how many times the governor took credit for things that Joe Biden and Democrats like Sherrod Brown, Joyce Beatty, and Tim Ryan accomplished for our state.

“There are also several major issues that the governor failed to mention.

“Instead of working for all Ohioans, Governor DeWine and Ohio’s Republican supermajority passed tax giveaways for the rich. This gift resulted in the wealthiest 1% of Ohioans receiving an extra $50,000 per year. 

“All while your electric bills go up, housing remains unaffordable, and healthcare workers have yet to receive hazard pay.

“Governor DeWine also failed to mention his Republican Party’s racist attacks. Right now, his party is trying to rewrite history by banning American history books and arresting peaceful protesters fighting for civil rights.

“They demonstrate Republican extremism at its worst.

“Mike DeWine and his party even defied Ohio law by failing to draw legal maps. Meaning, right now, Ohioans have no idea who they will be voting for or what district they will be voting in. This Republican mess has cost Ohio taxpayers millions of dollars. 

“It’s important for Ohioans to know the REAL state of our state — so we can work together to make things better.

“Ohio workers and families deserve the best. It will take all of us together to move our state forward.

“Sign up at InnovationOhio.org to join the fight.”

Written by Desiree Tims · Categorized: Children & Families, Economic Development and Jobs, Education, Equal Districts, Legislative Updates, Press Releases, Statehouse Update

Mar 15 2022

Desiree Tims Condemns DeWine Signature of Permitless Carry Bill

COLUMBUS — Today, Desiree Tims, President and CEO of Innovation Ohio, released the following statement condemning Governor Mike DeWine’s signature of SB 215, allowing concealed carry of firearms without training or permits:

“Governor DeWine and Ohio’s Republican supermajority just passed an anti-life bill that will cause the deaths of Ohio children. They ignored grieving Dayton families and signed away Ohioans’ lives.

“No one asked for this bill. Police, parents, and responsible gun owners alike actively fought against it. But national Republican money once again spoke louder than Ohio values.”

Written by Desiree Tims · Categorized: Children & Families, Gun Safety, Legislative Updates, Press Releases

Jun 29 2021

Innovation Ohio Urges Gov. DeWine to Veto Dangerous Budget Items

Today, Innovation Ohio, Ohio’s leading progressive politics and policy advocacy organization, urged Governor Mike DeWine to line item veto the most harmful lines still remaining in Ohio’s operating budget bill.

“We’re grateful that minority party members were able to negotiate some deeply troubling items out of the budget, but the Republican supermajority refused to remove additional provisions from the bill that will weaken our democracy here in Ohio,” said Desiree Tims, President and CEO of Innovation Ohio. 

“Ohioans need Governor DeWine to veto the most extreme budget bill provisions.”

Innovation Ohio is asking Governor DeWine to veto several of the budget bill’s most damaging provisions, including:

  • A provision prohibiting election officials from working with or accepting grants from nongovernmental entities (likely including barbershops, bars, church groups, sports programs such as the Cavs, even the League of Women Voters) on voting or voter education
  • A provision allowing ONLY Republicans to intervene in lawsuits — specifically redistricting lawsuits
  • A provision abolishing the Citizen’s Education Fund, which uses donations for voter education, registration programs, & improving election facilities
  • A provision allowing medical professionals to refuse to treat anyone if it violates their “moral or religious” beliefs
  • And several additional items of concern to Ohioans

“Without Governor DeWine’s vetoes, this budget bill will devastate our ability to register and educate voters in all future elections. It will let doctors refuse to treat essentially any patient they don’t like. It could close several of our few remaining abortion providers. And it will take vital resources from our children by expanding charter schools and vouchers,” continued Tims.

TAKE ACTION: Innovation Ohio urges Ohioans to contact Governor DeWine today and tomorrow (Tuesday and Wednesday) to urge him to veto these troubling budget items.

Written by admin · Categorized: 2021, 2022 Election, Democracy, Fair and Open Elections, Healthcare and Human Services, Legislative Updates, Ohio State Budget, Open and Efficient Government, Press Releases, Statehouse Update, Strong Communities, Take Action

Jun 21 2021

Innovation Ohio Condemns Bills to Ban Schools from Teaching “Divisive Concepts”

Today, Desiree Tims, President and CEO of Innovation Ohio, released the following statement condemning two dangerous, broad-reaching bills (HB 327 and HB 322) that would ban Ohio schools and colleges from teaching “divisive concepts.”

“Republicans in Ohio’s Statehouse want you to believe that an academic concept — taught primarily in law schools and other institutions of higher learning — is a greater threat to our children’s education than systemic racism.

“More than a year into a global pandemic that has ravaged communities of color, we know this isn’t true. Unfortunately, Ohio Republicans don’t seem to care.

“Vaguely written and extremely broad, recent Republican-sponsored bills targeting K-12 and college curriculum are merely part of the far-right’s attack on Critical Race Theory (CRT) -— or rather the false narrative they have used to define it.

“CRT has been developed by Black legal scholars like Derrick Bell and Kimberlé Crenshaw over the past 40 years, and is responsible for concepts such as intersectionality and systemic racism. It is an important tool for those seeking to not only identify but solve problems of racial injustice in this country.

“However, CRT is rarely, if ever, taught in K-12 classrooms. So why are Ohio Republicans wasting their time trying to ban it?

“There are strikingly similar bills in Statehouses across the country, because national extremist groups are feeding them to Republican politicians. These out-of-state lobbyists are trying to control our children’s education; they don’t want our kids to think critically about the world around them and develop the skills to improve it.

“Republican attacks on our children’s right to a quality education coincide with their efforts to suppress voting rights and the right to peacefully protest. All out of new tricks, they serve as proof that when you fail to learn from history, you are bound to repeat it.

“But those of us eager to embrace diversity, equity and inclusion as a way of life can’t afford to repeat a history defined by oppression and hate — our children’s education will determine whether we do.

“Now more than ever, it is crucial that Ohio children receive an honest education — one that exposes rather than hides our state and nation’s tragic yet triumphant history. They deserve to learn about Ohio’s own Carl Stokes, the first Black mayor of a major American city. Yet they also deserve to know why no major American city elected a Black mayor until 1967.

“We must bravely acknowledge the role that systemic racism has played in our past and present, and empower our children to think critically about how they can uproot it. As Republicans seek to ban CRT, it is clear the time is ripe to do the opposite, and allow its many lessons to positively influence the next generation.

“We as Ohioans (and Americans) have confronted so much history together, but there is still so much to learn and work to do. Republicans’ pathetic attacks on K-12 and higher education must be stopped; our collective future depends on it.”

Written by admin · Categorized: 2021, Children & Families, Democracy, Education, Higher Education, K-12 Education, Legislative Updates, Press Releases, racial justice, Statehouse Update, Strong Communities

Jun 14 2021

Innovation Ohio Endorses Bills to Reform Ohio’s Cruel Cash Bail System

COLUMBUS — Today, Innovation Ohio (IO), Ohio’s progressive politics and policy hub, announced their official endorsement of two bipartisan bills to reform Ohio’s cash bail system: HB 315 and SB 182.

“Every day, thousands of Ohioans who have not been convicted of a crime sit in jail, simply because they can’t afford bail. They can’t work, pay bills, or take care of their kids. At the same time, rich Ohioans accused of the same crime get to pay to go home. These bills give us a real chance to finally fix Ohio’s cruel, racist, classist cash bail system,” said Desiree Tims, President and CEO of Innovation Ohio.

Ohio’s current cash bail system too often has devastating, long-term impacts on Ohioans’ lives. In addition to the potential loss of their job, home, and children, studies show that individuals who cannot afford cash bail receive harsher punishments than those who can pay to go home. Bail reform will help ensure no one is treated differently under the law simply because of their financial status.

Bail reform not only saves lives, it saves money. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Ohio performed a fiscal analysis and found that these bills would save Ohio $199 and $264 million every single year.

Bail reform would help address racial disparities in Ohio’s court system. Studies show that Black Ohioans spend far more time in jail pre-trial (before being convicted of any crime) than white Ohioans.

Bail reform is also incredibly popular. An astounding 77% of Ohioans believe individuals should receive a hearing in front of a judge to determine release options within 48 hours of arrest/detention.

Innovation Ohio encourages all Ohioans to testify (or submit written-only testimony) in support of these bills. The first opportunity to testify will be this Wednesday, June 16th, at 3:00 pm.

IO has created a how-to guide for submitting bail reform testimony to help make the process simple and accessible for the public.

Written by admin · Categorized: Criminal Justice Reform, Legislative Updates, Press Releases, racial justice, Statehouse Update, Take Action

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