Controversial policies falter in Ohio legislature’s lame duck session: Capitol Letter


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Lame duck letdown: Ohio’s lame-duck session was plenty busy. But one of the most notable aspects of the session, culminating with an overnight, marathon session that lasted until around 6 a.m., was what didn’t happen. As Andrew Tobias writes in this analysis, three of the most controversial measures that earlier appeared teed up for approval – a measure increasing the voter approval threshold for state constitutional amendments, a bill overhauling the state Board of Education and some sort of action on abortion – all ended up fizzling out.

Strike out: After negotiations over stripping power from the state Board of Education held up other legislation in the Ohio General Assembly’s final planned sessions for 2022 for much of the day Wednesday, lawmakers tried to wedge it in as a 2,100-page amendment along with anti-vaccine provision. But that effort, attached to an already amended bill banning transgender girls from playing high school sports, failed and the legislature adjourned early Thursday morning without passing the bill, Laura Hancock reports. Among other changes, it would have concentrated most education oversight in Ohio under the governor’s office rather than with the board.

Billions: Not long before sunrise on Thursday, the Ohio General Assembly passed a $6 billion bill of mostly federal funds, Jake Zuckerman reports. Big recipients include Ohio’s schools, nursing homes, hospitals and childcare centers. It also funds a new $10,000-$20,000 grant program for adoptive parents; rent and utility assistance; money for food banks; and legal aid for Ukrainian refugees.

Prevention ed: Lawmakers inserted Erin’s Law, or House Bill 105, into a sweeping criminal justice bill at the last minute as well. Erin’s Law will require sexual abuse prevention instruction for students in kindergarten through sixth grade, and sexual violence prevention education for grades seven through 12. Hancock reports that the bill was amended Wednesday to prohibit abortion providers such as Planned Parenthood from providing the curriculum. The bill is named after an Illinois woman who has worked to pass her bill in three dozen states, Hancock reports.

Here’s more on other major bills headed to Gov. Mike DeWine after passing in the wee hours of Thursday morning:

Senate Bill 288 is a massive criminal justice reform bill that, among many other things, would allow police to pull over drivers in Ohio for holding a phone behind the wheel, toughen penalties for “aggravated vehicular homicide,” decriminalize fentanyl test strips, toughen penalties for disrupting a religious service in the state, reduce the penalty for underage drinking and ban fertility doctors from using their own sperm to impregnate patients without consent.

House Bill 66 would give $30 million in state funding to help renovate Progressive Field as part of a deal with the Cleveland Guardians to stay in the ballpark through at least 2036. It would also codify an Ohio Supreme Court ruling that the Cleveland suburb of Maple Heights can’t tax Netflix or Hulu like they do cable companies

Senate Bill 16 would prohibit authorities from banning the sale or carrying of guns in an area where a riot is happening or might take place and declare gun stores an “essential business” that can’t be closed during an emergency like the COVID-19 pandemic. It would also create new or increased penalties for people who assault police officers or other emergency service responders, menace them by displaying a deadly weapon, or prevent workers or emergency vehicles from responding to an emergency.

Senate Bill 302 would tighten verification measures for Ohio unemployment benefits applicants in order to cut down on fraud

Money for travel: Northeast Ohio residents don’t have a problem with women traveling outside the state to obtain legal abortions, but a recent Baldwin Wallace University poll found the majority do not want public funds paying for it, Hancock reports. While Cleveland City Council never followed through on creating an abortion fund that it had discussed, the Cuyahoga County Council directed $278,000 in federal money to a fund that will help educate women facing unplanned pregnancies understand their options, including paying for hotels and travel costs for out-of-state abortion.

Taking credit: U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, an Ohio Democrat, on Thursday called for Congress to make permanent a $300 per child monthly tax credit that was part of the stimulus bill. He told a Capitol Hill press conference that 2 million children in Ohio benefitted from the tax credit while it was in effect, and it cut child poverty nearly in half. He said he hopes the tax credit will be included in a massive spending bill that Congress is expected to consider next week. “If the Republicans insist on these tax cuts for corporations, some of which are legitimate, then this has got to be part of it,” said Brown.

So long: U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, a Niles-area Democrat who is retiring from Congress after an unsuccessful bid for U.S. Senate, delivered his farewell speech on the House of Representatives floor on Thursday. In it, he called for the nation to come together to fix the nation’s broken economic, immigration, welfare and education systems. “We’re not going to fix these problems if we’re not decent to each other, if we don’t talk to each other,” Ryan said. He said in an interview that he’s looking at future career options that will work best for his family, and won’t make any announcements until next year.

Farewell: U.S. Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, a Rocky River Republican, plans to make his farewell speech next week. He announced his retirement from Congress after ex-President Donald Trump targeted him for defeat following his vote to impeach Trump for his role in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. In an interview, Gonzalez said he’s spent his final days in Congress focusing on his work on the House Financial Services Committee. When the congressional session ends, he’ll take his family on vacation and finalize his plans. He says he’s “highly unlikely” to seek public office again but “I never say never.”

Auf Wiedersehen: Cincinnati GOP Rep Steve Chabot, who lost his reelection bid to Democrat Greg Landsman after his district was redrawn to favor Democrats, delivered his farewell address earlier this week. He said he was the last remaining member of the Republican class of Congress members who gave their party control of Congress in 1994. In an interview, he said he plans to retire and spend time with his family. “My wife says I will be bored, but bored sounds good right now.”

Winning formula: Abbott Laboratories will build a new factory in Bowling Green, with plans to hire 450 workers and spend $536 million in capital investment, Mark Williams writes for the Columbus Dispatch. The plant will make powdered food – including baby formula – for infants, children and adults with extreme allergies and other dietary conditions.

Last call: Today is the final day of voting for the 2022 Sloopys, Capitol Letter’s irreverent Ohio politics awards. Click here for details. Voting will run through 6 p.m. this evening, and we plan to share the winners in the Thursday, Dec. 22 edition (unless we decide to share them sooner.)

Question: The Ohio House voted earlier this month to designate the sugar cookie as Ohio’s official cookie, although the measure crumbled in the Senate. But in doing so, they egregiously overlooked which cookie, which was invented in Ohio in 1957 as part of a national contest?

Email your response to [email protected]. The first correct respondent will be mentioned in next week’s newsletter.

Thanks to everyone who responded to last week’s trivia question:

What is the origin of the word “Ohio,” and what does it mean?

Answer: It’s an Iroquois word that means “The Great River.” Rene Robert Cavelier Sieur de La Salle, one of the first Europeans to view the river, named it “la belle riviere” or “the beautiful river” in 1669, according to Ohio History Connection.

Danny Hurley of Capitol Consulting, of Bexley, was the first with the correct answer!

John Haseley, Daniel van Hoogstraten and Nicole Rowe have launched Amplifire Strategic Communications, a Columbus-based public-relations firm focusing on corporate and nonprofit clients. Haseley and Hoogstraten will continue working for Democratic political consulting firm Remington Road Group.

Friday, 12/16: Michael Hall, Gov. Mike DeWine’s chief of staff; John Plecnik, Lake County commissioner and 2018 Ohio House candidate; Mordecai Bartley, Ohio’s 18th governor (1783-1870)

Saturday, 12/17: Anita Pelino, legislative aide to state Rep. Michael O’Brien

Sunday, 12/18: William Allen, Ohio’s 31st governor (1803-1879)

“Timing’s everything.”

Gov. Mike DeWine, speaking to reporters on Thursday about what he learned from his first term, which was beset by a once-a-century global pandemic.

Capitol Letter is a daily briefing providing succinct, timely information for those who care deeply about the decisions made by state government. If you do not already subscribe, you can sign up here to get Capitol Letter in your email box each weekday for free.


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