The Ohio Redistricting Commission is currently at a standstill because Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima) and House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) cannot agree on who should co-chair the committee.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine officially reconvened the Ohio Redistricting Commission on Wednesday to begin the process of drawing new state legislative maps.
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Ohio State Representative Bob Young (R-Green) announced on Friday that he will resign as state representative and chair of the Ohio House Pensions Committee next month following his second arrest in connection with an alleged domestic violence case.
As previously reported by The Ohio Star, a warrant was issued for Young’s arrest in July. He was charged with a 1st-degree misdemeanor domestic violence charge and a 4th-degree felony charge of disrupting public services at his home in Green following an alleged incident at a fundraiser. Young paid $520 of his $5,000 bond or 10 percent plus fees to secure his release and plead not guilty to the charges.
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The Ohio Ballot Board has approved the language for a November ballot measure to legalize the possession, purchase, and sale of marijuana by Ohio residents aged 21 and older.
The board approved the full ballot language as drafted by the Ohio Secretary of State’s office, now titled Issue 2 for the November general election unanimously without discussion.
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Following the defeat of Ohio State Issue 1 on Tuesday, Ohio Lawmakers in the House and Senate voiced their opinions.
Issue 1, if approved by voters, would have mandated a 60 percent approval percentage for any future constitutional amendments, call for signatures from all 88 counties, and do away with the opportunity to “cure” petitions by collecting additional signatures if necessary.
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The Conservative Political Action Coalition (CPAC), the nation’s oldest conservative grassroots organization, appointed Ohio State Representative Brett Hillyer (R-Uhrichsville) to serve on its National Prosecutors and Law Enforcement Advisory Council.
The press release details that in this position, Hillyer (pictured above) will work with other council members to develop best practices and policy recommendations to boost public safety through conservative justice system reforms.
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Ohio State Representative Bob Young (R-Green) will not resign as state representative or chair of the Ohio House Pensions Committee due to alleged domestic violence charges.
This follows Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) requesting that Young step down as state representative and committee chair so he can focus on his family.
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Ohio Governor Mike DeWine is urging the General Assembly to pass the full biennial budget before its June 30th deadline rather than to pass a temporary budget with negotiations continuing into July.
Under the Ohio Constitution, the state’s two-year budget must be passed and signed into law before the fiscal year’s end on June 30th. However, the budget legislation approved by the Ohio House and Ohio Senate differ significantly from one another.
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Protesters interrupted a session of the Ohio House this week demanding that Governor Mike DeWine declare a state of emergency in East Palestine as a result of the catastrophic train derailment earlier this year.
The group’s Unity Council for the East Palestine Train Derailment and River Valley Organizing gathered to pressure the Ohio governor to submit a disaster declaration before the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) July 3rd deadline. Also, the groups protested in the Rotunda at the Ohio Capitol Building and marched into DeWine’s offices.
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Two Republican Ohio House Representatives have introduced legislation to create new social studies standards through a task force of appointed state officials.
House Bill (HB) 103, sponsored by State Representatives Don Jones (R-Freeport) and Tracy Richardson (R-Marysville), tries to create the Ohio State Social Studies Task Force to craft social studies standards to replace the existing standards in Ohio.
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State Representative Scott Wiggam (R- Wayne County) sent a letter on Tuesday to moderate Republican House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) urging him to move the Ohio Constitution Protection Amendment to the House floor as soon as it passes out of committee for an August election.
This follows Stephens removing Wiggam from his position as chair of the House Constitutional Resolutions Committee and the committee all together due to Wiggam signing a discharge petition last week to accelerate the Ohio Constitution Protection Amendment, also known as House Joint Resolution (HJR) 1, which aims to alter the process of how initiative petitions can propose constitutional amendments.
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Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose on Tuesday supported a prospective August election as a way to change the process of how initiative petitions can propose constitutional amendments.
Republicans in both the House and Senate have introduced resolutions to raise the initiative petition voting threshold to 60 percent to amend the state Constitution.
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Although the “Ohio Constitution Protection Amendment” did not pass in the Ohio House and Senate prior to the February 1st deadline to be on May’s primary election ballot, state lawmakers may reinstate an August special election to consider the amendment.
House Joint Resolution (HJR) 1 sponsored by state Representative Brian Stewart (R-Ashville) aims to alter the process of how constitutional amendments can be proposed by initiative petitions. Currently, issues proposed by initiative petitions need to meet a 50 percent voting threshold to amend the Constitution. Under this proposal, these issues would need to meet a 60 percent threshold.
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