By SAMANTHA HENDRICKSON Associated Press/Report For America
Intentional false reports about school shootings and other hoax emergency calls could be prosecuted as a felony under legislation passed by the Republican-led Ohio House on Wednesday.
The bill would create a felony offense for “swatting,” which is when someone knowingly reports a false emergency that prompts response by law enforcement, such as a kidnapping, school shooting or other violent crimes. Supporters of the bill say such situations cause unnecessary panic, disruption and expense, and can end with innocent people being arrested or harmed.
GOP Rep. Kevin Miller, of Newark, who sponsored the legislation, said such false alarms can “create highly charged incidents” that end in tragedy.
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By 1812Blockhouse
The 2022 Ohio Capital Bill, passed by overwhelming margins in both the Ohio House and Senate, means that several proposed Richland County projects are receiving funding.
The measure includes the state’s two year $3.5 billion construction budget that includes statewide initiatives, business and industry incentives, and local projects advanced by lawmakers.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said of the bill, “I thank the General Assembly for their partnership in supporting these important projects across Ohio which will make a tremendous impact and continue job growth in our state. House Bill 687 also creates a significant and historic investment into our state parks, which are true gems which can be enjoyed by all Ohioans and those who support our tourism industry.”
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Special to 1812Blockhouse
The following message was sent to the Ohio State community Friday from Melissa L. Gilliam, executive vice president and provost; Stacy Rastauskas, vice president for government affairs; Jeff Risinger, senior vice president of talent, culture and human resources; and Melissa Shivers, senior vice president for student life.
This week marks an important moment in our state’s and university’s commitment to eradicating any form of hazing in educational institutions across Ohio. Collin’s Law, Ohio’s Anti Hazing Act, which went into effect last week, enacts a number of important requirements and changes, all in effort to end hazing and interrupt contributing factors that have enabled the persistence of hazing in the past.
More…Anti-Hazing, Colleges and Universities, Ohio General Assembly, The Ohio State University
By Susan Tebben, Ohio Capital Journal
Child care in the state will still have one standard-making process that was nearly cut from the state budget, while other investments in broadband and publicly-funded child care come with praise from Ohio advocates.
Leaders of child care facilities and policy advocates in the state were worried that Step Up to Quality, the state’s standard-monitoring system and ranking method for licensed child care programs, would be eliminated after a Senate revision of the budget noted that as a goal. The system was ultimately retained in the final budget version signed by Gov. Mike DeWine into law.
Also included in the budget, financial eligibility for publicly-funded child care (PFCC) was widened for Ohio children, including those with special needs. More…
By Tyler Buchanan, Ohio Capital Journal
When a legislative effort was fumbled, it was said that Gov. Mike DeWine picked up the ball and ran with it.
As it turned out, the Ohio General Assembly did get the job done before the final bell sounded.
Sports metaphors abounded inside the Statehouse on Monday as two branches of government worked to enact a plan to allow college athletes to earn compensation off their own names, images and likenesses (NIL). More…
By Tyler Buchanan, Ohio Capital Journal
Growing up as a person who is gay and deaf, Joe Osborne-Payne knows how it feels to be stigmatized.
He doesn’t want the language of state laws to stigmatize him, too.
Osborne-Payne, the chief information officer for the Ohio Association of the Deaf, is among those advocating for legislators to rewrite certain sections of the Ohio Revised Code to take out antiquated, offensive language. More…
By Susan Tebben, Ohio Capital Journal
Two state legislators, including the chair of the Senate Primary & Secondary Education Committee, say a newly proposed funding formula is still alive in Ohio’s biennial budget.
State Sen. Andrew Brenner, R-Delaware, assured a recent Central Ohio virtual town hall including local educational representatives that despite the fact that the majority of the funding formula introduced during the last General Assembly died at the end of the year, the biennial budget brings with it the formula that lessens the weight of property taxes, and expands eligibility for private school voucher programs.
“I believe in this budget there will be a school funding formula in it,” Brenner said. More…
By Tyler Buchanan, Ohio Capital Journal
Ohio’s professional sports teams are in favor of legalized sports gambling and want in on the action.
A coalition of eight pro teams (plus the Memorial Golf Tournament in Dublin) announced support for a legislative effort to legalize sports gambling in the state.
A group of lawmakers spent the early months of 2021 hearing testimony from these teams and many other industry experts in preparation of drafting a legalization proposal. A bill is expected to be introduced soon.
Momentum is leaning toward legalization. States across the country have legalized sports gambling in recent years as a way to boost revenues. More…
By Tyler Buchanan, Ohio Capital Journal
When a tenant faces eviction, the filing can stay with them for years — potentially impacting their ability to find stable housing again.
A bipartisan bill introduced by Sens. Stephanie Kunze, R-Hilliard, and Hearcel Craig, D-Columbus (both pictured above), proposes to allow eviction records to be expunged under certain circumstances.
A tenant would be able to request to have their eviction records expunged. A judge could authorize expungement if they feel the record “is no longer a reasonable predictor of future tenant behavior” and if expunging it would be in the “interests of justice.” More…
By ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS Associated Press
Ohioans would receive a 2% personal income tax cut and the state would fund schools in a more equitable fashion under the latest version of the state budget introduced Tuesday by House Republicans.
The 2% cut would amount to $380 million in reduced taxes over two years beginning July 1, and is on top of $120 million in reduced taxes brought on by recently passed legislation that aligns Ohio tax code with federal law, according to majority GOP lawmakers.
The budget also provides previously announced $155 million in grants to help industries negatively affected by the coronavirus pandemic. More…
