Weed Advocates Are Ramping Up Lobbying Efforts and Notching Wins

Marijuana legalization advocates are hiring more lobbyists and otherwise ramping up their efforts to influence drug policy on Capitol Hill.

The weed industry’s lobbying efforts increased significantly between the first and second quarters of 2023, rising from $1.04 million to $1.39 million. Cannabis Freedom Alliance, a coalition of groups seeking to end federal prohibitions on weed, recently hired the Bose Public Affairs Group to lobby Congress on marijuana reform issues, according to lobbying disclosures.

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Former Walbridge Mayor Wilczynski Drops His Bid to Challenge Congresswoman Kaptur for Ohio’s 9th Congressional District

A political candidate looking to secure Ohio’s 9th Congressional District from U.S. Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-OH-09) has ended his 2024 run.

Ohio Republican and former mayor of Walbridge, Dan Wilczynski, has officially dropped out of the race to unseat Congresswoman Kaptur in 2024 who is currently serving her 21st term in Congress.

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Ohio House Unanimously Passes Legislation to Clarify Bail-Setting Procedures

The Ohio House unanimously passed Republican-backed legislation that aims to give judges in the state clear guidance in setting bail.

House Bill (HB) 191, sponsored by State Representatives D.J. Swearingen (R-Huron) (pictured above, right) and Bill Seitz (R- Cincinnati) (pictured above, left), looks to codify Criminal Rule 46, a rule that provides all state courts with instructions regarding bail-setting procedures in the Ohio Revised Code.

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Senator Vance Cosponsors Bipartisan Resolution Challenging Biden’s ESG Rule Politicizing Americans’ Retirement Plans

JD Vance

U.S. Senator JD Vance (R-OH) is joining a bipartisan challenge alongside 49 other U.S. Senators in opposition to President Biden’s new Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) rule, which politicizes the retirement assets of millions of Americans in order to support Biden’s ideological viewpoints rather than obtaining the highest returns for Americans.

“Joe Biden’s ESG investing rule is a brazen attempt to funnel Americans’ retirement savings toward far-left special interest groups,” Vance told The Ohio Star.

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Gilbert Runs Hard Against Pelosi Speakership in Close Race for Ohio’s 13th Congressional District

When U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-12) came to Shaker Heights, OH this week to fundraise for Democratic 13th-District congressional candidate Emilia Sykes, Republican hopeful Madison Gesiotto Gilbert was happy to let constituents know about it.

This wasn’t the speaker’s first major show of support for Sykes; Pelosi cut her a $30,000 check via her campaign organization in July. When Pelosi flew east to support Sykes,  a state representative from Ohio’s 34th Legislative District who the National Republican Congressional Committee calls Pelosi’s “protégé,” Republican spokesperson Courtney Parella put out a statement saying, “Emilia Sykes is bought and paid for by Nancy Pelosi and would serve as a rubber stamp for Pelosi’s failed economic agenda.”

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Supreme Court Rules Against California Requirement That Exposes Non-Profit Donations

In a 6-3 vote, the Supreme Court struck down a California requirement, pushed by Vice President Kamala Harris while she was Attorney General, that would force the disclosure of donations to various non-profits.

In an opinion siding with the Thomas More Law Center (TMLC) and Americans For Prosperity (AFP), who both sued the state, Chief Justice John Roberts stated, “The government may regulate in the First Amendment area only with narrow specificity, and compelled disclosure regimes are no exception.”

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Commentary: Open Borders Oligarch Charles Koch Re-Emerges to Oppose Trump and ‘America First’

The billionaire financier Charles Koch abandoned the Republican Party in the age of President Donald Trump, but he has returned on a white horse following the disputed election to preach the globalist cosmopolitan doctrines that previously had turned the GOP into a national laughingstock.

Koch penned an op-ed for CNN last week in which he urged Republicans to support amnesty for illegal aliens. He framed it as if allowing illegal immigrants to break the law is the “one thing we should all agree on” across the political spectrum.

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‘Vindictive’ Americans for Prosperity Foundation FOIA Lawsuit Targets Conservatives Working to Repeal Section 230

The Koch-backed Americans for Prosperity Foundation (AFPF) has filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) against the U.S. Department of Commerce seeking access to communication records of conservative individuals and groups that are fighting to repeal Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

Their FOIA request with Department of Commerce sub-agency, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) targets “emails,  text messages, and other communications from NTIA Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce Adam Candeub, who was recently named to a senior position at the Department of Justice, and others.”

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Americans for Prosperity Exposes ‘Corporate Welfare Horror Show’ to Congress for Halloween

Americans for Prosperity (AFP) launched the latest installment of their Unrig the Economy campaign on Tuesday entitled “Corporate Welfare Horror Show.” AFP is continuing to encourage Congress to reject the reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank and “zombie” tax extenders.

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Unplanned Session Sees Passage of House Bill 6 by Close Margin

  A previously unplanned session date was added to the calendar of the Ohio House of Representatives so that lawmakers could concur with Senate Amendments and pass House Bill 6. The move was successful and the legislation passed 51 yeas to 38 nays in a bipartisan vote Tuesday. Members spoke…

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AFP-OH Joins Nationwide Campaign Against Ex-Im Bank, Tax Extenders – Targets 3 Congressmen

  A national campaign called “Unrig the Economy” was just launched by Americans for Prosperity (AFP). The campaign seeks to inform voters about two issues: the Export-Import Bank and tax extenders. AFP-OH has joined the fight and is targeting three Ohio congressmen: Rep. Steve Stivers (R-OH-15), Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-OH-02), and…

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Ohio Senate Committee Hears from Opponents, Proponents, and ‘Interested Parties’ on Nuclear Debt Restructuring Plan

  COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee held its second hearing on House Bill 6 (HB 6) Wednesday. The bill is being called a bailout by some and a clean energy job saver by others. Two gentlemen were asked to give testimony to the committee by its…

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Americans for Prosperity ‘Pounding the Pavement’ for Six State Legislative Candidates

Americans for Prosperity-Ohio launched an ad campaign Thursday in support of six Ohio state legislative candidates. The ads will be running on Facebook and Google, said Nicole Tardif, communications director for AFP-Ohio. Each of the candidates has been identified through AFP’s support for smaller, less obtrusive government. The candidates who…

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Americans for Prosperity Announces Endorsements for Ohio State Legislature

Micah Derry

Americans for Prosperity-Ohio announced its endorsement Tuesday for six Ohio state legislative candidates based on their support for a free-market economy, low taxes and quality education. Andrew Brenner, Mike Rasor, Jim Trakas, Tim Barhorst, Todd Smith and Kristina Roegner all support “removing barriers to opportunity and improving the lives of Ohioans,” said…

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