Fewer jobs or less qualified workers is the heated debate behind House Bill 399, which seeks to cut the number of hours required for a license as a cosmetologist or barber.
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Two Ohio representatives introduced a bill Wednesday that would bar discrimination against LGBT Ohioans in employment, housing, and public accommodations.
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The Ohio House passed a wide-ranging education bill Wednesday that would require public schools to teach a number of programs on violence and suicide prevention and “social isolation.”
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Ohio House Democrats unveiled the next steps in their “Ohio Promise” campaign during a Wednesday press conference and said they plan to make gun control a top policy initiative in the fall session.
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Two Ohio Republicans announced Monday their plan to introduce a gun-control bill that would improve the “current firearms background check process.”
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The Ohio Democratic Women’s Caucus, chaired by State Rep. Tavia Galonski (D-Akron), issued a letter of support Friday to the United Auto Workers union and its president.
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Ohio Democrats are condemning Attorney General Dave Yost for an effort to take over opioid-related lawsuits.
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Ohio House Democrats have launched a new website to serve as a hub for their efforts to pass numerous gun-control bills in the state.
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Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones is looking to increase legal penalties for drug dealers who sell to pregnant women after another baby experiencing withdrawal symptoms was born to a female prisoner this month. “It’s come to a tipping point when you have two in less than nine days,” Jones…
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Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nephew of President John F. Kennedy, has been recognized by Time Magazine as a “hero for the planet” for his environmental activism, but he’s also become one of the most recognizable faces of the anti-vaccination movement. On Wednesday, Kennedy took his anti-vaxxer message to…
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Greg Lawson, a research fellow at The Buckeye Institute, is taking his message of sustainability to the Ohio Senate Finance Committee, which is currently hearing testimony on its version of the state’s biennial budget. As The Ohio Star previously reported, Lawson has been urging lawmakers all session to avoid…
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The Ohio House is currently considering a bill that would reduce the number of state-mandated standardized tests students are required to take by eliminating four end-of-course exams, including the American history and American government exams. House Bill 239, referred to as the Testing Reduction Act, was introduced by Reps.…
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The Ohio House is considering a bipartisan bill that would make it easier for non-violent offenders to receive treatment for drug addiction in lieu of a criminal conviction. The legislation, House Bill 1, was proposed May 21 as part of a package of bipartisan bills. “The goal is to…
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State Sen. Lou Terhar (R-Cincinnati) said it would be “a mistake” for the Ohio Senate to support a decrease to the tax breaks small businesses receive in the state. “There are a range of issues with the House budget that concern us in the Senate. The first would be…
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Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has called for raising the minimum age to purchase tobacco from 18 to 21, a proposal that’s included in Ohio’s biennial budget bill. But anti-smoking groups in the state have actually testified against the proposal. These groups believe that the proposal would mostly punish youth…
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Ohio House Democrats announced their plans Wednesday to introduce a package of gun-control laws in response to the so-called constitutional carry bill making its way through the committee process. As The Ohio Star previously reported, Republicans introduced a bill in March to bring constitutional carry to the Buckeye state,…
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Ohio House Democrats were critical Monday of a new bill introduced by their Republican colleagues that would end the statute of limitations for civil claims relating to sexual misconduct at the hands of public university doctors. The bill was introduced in response to the shocking report surrounding former Ohio…
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Gov. Mike DeWine called for lifting the statute of limitations in cases of rape and sexual abuse in response to the report surrounding former Ohio State University team doctor Richard Strauss. According to a report released Friday by the university, Strauss, who killed himself in 2005, abused at least…
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Ohio House Democrats and Republicans unveiled a set of bills Monday at a joint press conference, continuing an unusual bipartisan push in the Ohio Legislature after successfully passing a state budget bill. “By working together, we can strengthen Ohio families, give our children a brighter future and create a…
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A bill making its way through the Ohio House would make it easier for military spouses living in the state to obtain professional licenses, a policy championed by the conservative Buckeye Institute. House Bill 133, sponsored by Rep. Rick Perales (R-Beavercreek), would grant full professional licenses to military spouses…
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The Ohio House passed House Bill 166 Thursday, its version of the state’s biennial budget. While the bill includes substantial income tax reductions, some groups aren’t pleased with the impact it will have on small businesses. Under the bill, Ohio’s Business Investment Income Deduction would be lowered to $100,000.…
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The Buckeye Institute, an Ohio-based conservative think tank, warned lawmakers Tuesday that state government spending “has outpaced inflation and population growth for years,” meaning the “day of reckoning will be painful for families and businesses” if they don’t cut down on spending. Greg Lawson, a research fellow at The…
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A revised state budget proposal unveiled Thursday by House Republican leadership would introduce substantial income tax cuts for Ohioans but would do so by eliminating tax breaks for small businesses. The budget plan, House Bill 166, builds off of the budget proposal put forward by Gov. Mike DeWine, who…
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State Rep. Tim Schaffer (R-Lancaster) has introduced a bill that he says would close a “loophole in child exploitation laws” after a 9-year-old boy performed in drag at a bar just outside of Columbus. Jacob Measley, who performs under the name “Miss Mae Hem,” sparked outrage online in December after…
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Ohio House Democrats unveiled a number of proposals Thursday that they claim will “modernize” Ohio’s tax system to “benefit working people, families and small businesses.” They’re calling the set of proposals the “People First Tax Reform,” which will include a “Working Families First” tax incentive. This incentive would reform Ohio’s…
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One of the most divisive and talked-about bills in Ohio’s history is officially on its way to Gov. Mike DeWine’s desk and is expected to be signed into law at any moment. After months of debate and numerous committee hearings, the heartbeat bill passed the Ohio House Wednesday afternoon in…
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Ohio House Republicans added substantial new provisions to their version of the “heartbeat bill” that have the potential to make one of the state’s most controversial pieces of legislation even more divisive. While the Senate already passed its version of the bill last month, it is still making its way…
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In one of his first major acts in office, Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH) signed into law the state’s first gas tax increase since 2005. The issue has been the focal point of his first few months in office, and negotiations with House and Senate Republicans have not been easy. But…
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The Ohio Governor’s Residence in Bexley is set to receive $2 million in renovations on the taxpayer’s dime after the funding was tossed into a catch-all bill passed at the last minute of 2018. Senate Bill 51 was initially introduced in the Ohio Senate in February 2017 as a piece…
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The Columbus City Council approved a pledge of $50 million Monday to help build a new Columbus Crew stadium, and now state lawmakers want to provide an additional $15 million in taxpayer support. As The Cincinnati Enquirer noted Tuesday, state lawmakers dismissed plans to provide FC Cincinnati $10 million in…
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A bill more than a decade in the making that establishes stricter sentences for child abusers received just one dissenting vote in the Ohio House—a Cleveland Democrat opposed to mandatory minimum sentences. In a vote of 84-1, Rep. Stephanie Howse (D-Cleveland) cast the lone nay vote against Destiny’s bill, named…
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Just last month, The Ohio Star introduced you to Barack Obama endorsed, Ohio House Candidate Mary Lightbody. We told you then that there’s simply something about Mary and her love for higher taxes. And here’s what we said: Simply put, Mary Lightbody wants to impose billions in new, higher income…
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According to her campaign website, Democrat Ohio House District 19 Candidate Mary Lightbody wants to “Light up Ohio with Lightbody.” However, if her far left agenda is enacted, Ohio taxpayers may be left simply too poor to afford a lightbulb. Ohio House District 19 is located in Eastern Franklin County. The…
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