Ohio

Ohio law and the planned date for the Democratic National Convention could keep President Joe Biden off the state’s November ballot. Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s chief legal counsel wrote Ohio Democratic Party Chairwoman Liz Walters over the weekend, explaining the deadline to certify a presidential candidate in Ohio is Aug. 7.

Two Ohio lawmakers want to make sure state schools follow federal law and allow groups like the Boy Scouts and Girls Scouts to be present during the school year. Proposed legislation in the House of Representatives requires schools to allow U.S. Title 36, which permits patriotic organizations to provide information to students. Those organizations could be the Boy Scouts, Girls Scouts, 4-H, Future Farmers of America, Civil Air Patrol, Boys & Girls Clubs of America and many other groups.

State Auditor Keith Faber placed a southwest Ohio school district in fiscal emergency Friday after it projected an operating fund deficit of nearly $11 million. A fiscal analysis by the Auditor of State’s Local Government Services Section certified a projected operating deficit of $10.8 million for the Mt. Health City School District in Hamilton County, near Cincinnati. The figure represents 26% of the district’s general revenue funds for the fiscal year that ends June 30.

A plan to more stringently scrutinize voter registration data and citizenship verification during Ohio’s elections sits before the Ohio House of Representatives. The proposed legislation, which has yet to be assigned to a committee, also focuses on security of individual voting machines and would require the state’s board of voting system examiners to contain a person with cybersecurity expertise and credentials.

A Hamilton County judge now must decide on parts of Ohio's heartbeat law after Attorney General Dave Yost agreed the law banning nearly all abortions is unconstitutional. In court filings, Yost said Ohio's 2019 law that banned most abortions in the state was unconstitutional after voters guaranteed the right to an abortion in the state’s constitution in November.

Two Ohio Republican lawmakers want to make it easier for criminals to have records sealed to help the state’s workforce participation. Sponsors say the plan – Getting Rehabilitated Ohioans Working or Grow Act – could also reduce revictimization and create an environment of safer and healthier communities and families.

Dennis Kucinich, former Cleveland mayor and longtime Democrat U.S. representative, has garnered enough signatures to be on the ballot for Ohio’s 7th Congressional District as an independent candidate.

State and federal officials are awaiting President Joe Biden’s disaster declaration to help recovery from tornadoes and severe storms that impacted 11 counties in mid-March. Gov. Mike DeWine, along with Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown and Republican Sen. J.D. Vance, wrote asking for a FEMA presidential disaster declaration to open federal aid for those impacted not already reimbursed by other government programs or private insurance.

Two Ohio Republican lawmakers want to make it easier for criminals to have records sealed to help the state’s workforce participation. Sponsors say the plan – Getting Rehabilitated Ohioans Working, or "Grow Act" – could also reduce revictimization and create an environment of safer and healthier communities and families.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Ohio announced Friday it filed a lawsuit on behalf of abortion providers across the Buckeye State challenging state law that says women must wait a minimum of 24 hours after an in-person medical consultation before getting an abortion performed.

Ohio’s job market remained neutral in February, better than falling like the national figures, according to analysts. The new numbers from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services bucked a trend of rising unemployment in the state that covered six months.

More than 124,000 people enrolled in Ohio’s Medicaid program were also enrolled in Medicaid programs in other states, a new report from state Auditor Keith Faber said. The audit that examined four years’ worth of data also showed the state paid more than $1 billion to medical providers for services to people enrolled in multiple states.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Ohio announced Tuesday it has filed a lawsuit on behalf of two families challenging the Saving Ohio Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act, which is included in House Bill 68.

Former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder has been indicted on ten new state felony charges alleging misuse of campaign money and ethics violations, Attorney General Dave Yost announced on Tuesday.

Despite the likely feeling most Ohioans have about taxes, they could feel better knowing they have one of the nation's highest returns on their tax dollars, according to a new report. The personal finance website WalletHub ranked the Buckeye State fifth in the country in terms of taxpayer return on investment after analyzing state and local tax collections with the quality of services residents receive in each state using 29 different metrics.