Major changes to Ohio’s convoluted municipal income tax system are headed to Gov. John Kasich after passing the state House of Representatives on Tuesday. The result of years of debate, House Bill 5 will help Ohio businesses by standardizing and streamlining the state’s patchwork system of 300 or so different local tax forms, supporters say. […]
“Heartbeat Bill” blocked by GOP leaders in Ohio House
December 10, 2014 by
A last-minute effort by conservative Republicans to bring the “heartbeat bill” to a House floor vote failed on Tuesday. Rep. Matt Lynch, a Bainbridge Township Republican, planned to add the anti-abortion legislation to a bill tackling infant mortality, but House GOP leaders prevented the move by putting the bill on hold. Lawmakers could add legislation […]
Commission would decide salaries for lawmakers under Ohio Senate plan
December 5, 2014 by
Ohio lawmakers would not be able to set their own pay and that of other elected officials under legislation passed Thursday in the Ohio Senate. Unlike a proposal passed by the House late Thursday, the Senate plan does not make any changes to elected officials’ current salaries. The Senate unanimously voted to establish a nine-member […]
Ohio House approves bipartisan re-districting plan
December 5, 2014 by
Republicans and Democrats reached agreement Thursday evening to change how the state draws legislative districts. The Ohio House passed the bipartisan plan in an 80-4 vote Thursday night after hours of deliberation behind closed doors and weeks of deliberation among both parties and chambers about how to improve what has become a hyper partisan process […]
Ohio Senate passes municipal income tax overhaul
December 4, 2014 by
The Ohio Senate on Wednesday passed legislation to revamp the state’s convoluted municipal income tax system. House Bill 5, which passed the Senate 23-8, now faces a final vote in the Ohio House, which approved a slightly different version of the legislation last year. The result of years of debate between business groups and local […]
Plan dropped to eliminate minimum pay scale for Ohio teachers
December 3, 2014 by
House leaders have dropped a plan to kill the minimum pay scale for teachers across Ohio. Provisions in House Bill 343 would have eliminated a state requirement that teachers be paid a minimum amount based on their education level and years of experience. But House leaders this morning removed those provisions, sending HB 343 to […]
Conservative and liberal groups call for redistricting reform in Ohio
November 26, 2014 by
A conservative think tank and liberal advocacy group usually at odds with each other are on the same page on one issue — redistricting reform. State legislators are considering proposals to change how Ohio draws its congressional and legislative boundaries, a process that has become bitterly hyperpartisan as the party in power draws lines favoring […]
Ohio House Committee Approves “Heartbeat Bill,” Future Uncertain
November 21, 2014 by
A House panel voted Thursday morning to send the “heartbeat bill,” which would place steep restrictions on access to abortion, to the full House. The controversial bill, approved by a vote of 11-6, would prohibit abortion once a fetal heartbeat has been detected, as early as six weeks into a woman’s pregnancy. Anti-abortion advocates are […]
Ohio House Approves Limit to Student Testing Time
November 21, 2014 by
The Ohio House Thursday passed a bill to limit state testing of students in Ohio to four hours per subject a year. If passed by the Senate, House Bill 228 would limit the time spent on state tests next school year, but won’t be in place in time to affect testing this spring. It would […]
Secretary of State Calls Says Redistricting Reform Must be Bipartisan
November 20, 2014 by
Secretary of State Jon Husted said Wednesday that a proposal in the Ohio Senate is lawmakers’ best bet for delivering on their promise to enact redistricting reform before the end of the year. “I believe the Senate proposal is a better starting point at getting something accomplished in this General Assembly than introducing these new […]
