Tag: state

Ohio Republicans trying to get voter photo ID on the ballot, enshrined in state constitution

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Ohio Republicans trying to get voter photo ID on the ballot, enshrined in state constitution

Ohio Republican lawmakers are trying to get a constitutional amendment on the ballot that requires voters to show photo identification in order to vote.

Lawmakers in the Ohio House and Senate introduced joint resolutions this week to enshrine voter photo ID laws into Ohio’s constitution.

House Joint Resolution 9 was introduced by Ohio Reps. Adam Bird, R-New Richmond, and Heidi Workman, R-Rootstown.

Senate Joint Resolution 10 was introduced by state Sens. Jane Timken, R-Jackson Township, and Theresa Gavarone, R-Bowling Green.

“This is about fair and free elections,” Timken said. “Voters need to know that when someone goes to vote, that it is the actual person who is registered to vote, and we do that by photo ID. This is overwhelmingly supported, not only by Republicans, but Democrats.”

The Pew Research Center showed 83% of Americans support requiring photo identification to vote.

“If you want to rent a car, you want to go to a hotel, get on an airplane, you need to show photo ID,” said state Sen. Kristina Roegner, R-Hudson.

“If you want to buy alcohol or even certain medicines, you need a photo ID. It makes all the sense in the world that when we’re talking about something as serious and as important as the integrity of our elections, that it would also require a photo ID.”

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If an Ohio voter is unable to provide a valid photo ID in person on election day, the joint resolutions would allow a voter to cast their ballot provisionally and provide photo ID at the board of elections by the deadline for their ballot to be counted.

The resolutions require three-fifths approval to be placed on the November ballot.

“I think the voters will decide that they want to protect it,” Bird said. “It’s wildly popular.”

Ohio law already requires citizens to provide photo identification before voting thanks to a bill the lawmakers passed in 2022 and took effect in 2023.

“We have some of the most restrictive election laws,” said state Rep. Phil Robinson, D-Solon. “This legislation is unnecessary.”

A valid photo ID includes an unexpired driver’s license, state ID card, a passport, a U.S. military ID card, an Ohio national guard ID card, or an ID card issued by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Ohio Senate President Rob McColley, R-Napoleon, said he hopes to pass the Senate’s resolution either June 10 or June 17.

“(The joint resolutions are) in response to some voter integrity concerns that have been happening nationally,” McColley said.

McColley is running for the job of lieutenant governor in November, alongside Republican governor candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. Ramaswamy has said Ohio must enshrine voter ID in the state constitution.

“Voter confidence in our election system is lower than it’s been in a while, and I think it’s important that we offer the voters the opportunity … to decide for themselves whether they want to put this in the constitution, offering it the highest possible level of protection to secure the system that they have in place to secure the fundamental right of voting … for generations to come,” said McColley.

Hawaii and Virginia had voter photo ID requirements laws, but those laws were repealed.

“When you see these kinds of examples happening in other states, it becomes imperative that we protect photo ID in Ohio by placing it … in the Constitution,” Bird said.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost brought forth six indictments for voter fraud in 2024 after receiving 600 referrals of alleged voter fraud from the Ohio Secretary of State. The indicted were accused of voting at least once between 2008 and 2020 despite not being U.S. citizens then.

“Election fraud is so very rare,” said Ohio Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio, D-Lakewood.

“I think this is an attempt by the Republicans to have an election go their way, because without doing something extraordinary like this, rather than just appeal to the voters on the basis of their policies, they’re actually limiting the amount of people that can vote because they see that as their path to winning.”

Robinson worries these joint resolutions could potentially take away early voting or mail-in ballots.

“I don’t see how that helps Ohioans be able to have their voice heard at the ballot box,” he said.

McColley, however, said there are no plans to get rid of early mail-in voting or absentee voting in Ohio.

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Source: ohiocapitaljournal.com
Author: Megan Henry

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May 22, 2026
Ohio House bill removes funding set aside for state childcare accessibility program

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Ohio House bill removes funding set aside for state childcare accessibility program

An Ohio House committee eliminated funding for a program intended to increase childcare accessibility in a bill meant to address potential childcare fraud.

The House Children and Human Services Committee brought Ohio House Bill 647 up for a hearing recently for the sole purpose of making changes to the bill. The committee’s chair, Republican state Rep. Andrea White, said she hopes to see the committee approve the bill soon.

The bill was initially introduced in response to a right-wing influencer’s claims out of Minnesota that federal funding was being fraudulently used by childcare facilities, particularly those managed and owned by Somali immigrants.

The Trump administration responded to the Minnesota claims by freezing childcare funding to that state, and other Democratically led states.

Ohio officials including Gov. Mike DeWine made comments at the time that the claims were made, hoping to avoid a freeze on federal funds coming to the state for its Publicly Funded Child Care program.

The sponsors of H.B. 647, Republican state Reps. Phil Plummer and Tom Young, defended the state’s oversight of the childcare system, while also introducing the bill to help prove enforcement of laws would be strong and swift, so the federal funding distributors didn’t take action.

“We can’t gaslight this and freak out the federal administration, and they pull our funding,” Plummer said in January when the bill was announced. “Because then we lose childcare centers.”

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The bill focuses on increasing the state’s data analysis skills when it comes to childcare centers and funding. It would also put in a new oversight system, including not only county prosecuting attorneys who are typically the ones to investigate local childcare fraud allegations, but also the state Inspector General’s Office, and the Ohio Attorney General’s Office as well.

The legislation would base funding from the Publicly Funded Child Care coffers on a child’s enrollment in a childcare facility, rather than on a child’s individual attendance. It would also allow the Ohio Department of Children & Youth to suspend a childcare center’s license without a prior hearing “if DCY has reason to suspect that (the center) has engaged in the misuse of public dollars or acted with intent to commit fraud against the PFCC program,” according to bill analysis by the Legislative Service Commission.

H.B. 647 received the support of Kara Wente, director of the Ohio Department of Children & Youth.

Changes made this week by the House committee remove money for a pilot program that Republicans have been trying to enact for several years, a program that was an attempt to increase accessibility in a state that advocates say is in “crisis” when it comes to affordability and access to childcare.

The Child Care Cred Program was originally a standalone piece of GOP-led legislation, but had since been absorbed into H.B. 647. The program was sold by supporters as a cost-sharing model, one in which the state would contribute to the cost of childcare, while the remaining cost would be split between participating employers and eligible employees.

In the committee changes, an appropriation for the program of $600,000 for fiscal year 2026 and $4.4 million in 2027 was removed, among other changes.

“So, instead of using the Child Care Cred money, that money is going to stay in (the budget of the Ohio Department of Children & Youth), and then the department will use other funds that are within their budget,” White told the committee.

The most recent state budget put forth $10 million in support of the Child Care Cred program.

There were no objections to the changes made to the bill. State Rep. Sarah Fowler Arthur, R-Ashtabula, said the bill changes were “a big improvement,” but commented on a different change, one in which the time period for childcare centers to “backdate,” or make changes to attendance records, was increased from seven days to 10 business days or 14 calendar days, whichever is later.

“I would prefer to see even tighter timelines,” Fowler Arthur said. “I think we really need to be making sure that we have the most accurate data possible.”

Another change made to H.B. 647 eliminated an increased to the Department of Children & Youth’s “community projects and assistance” funding by $2 million in 2026 and $3 million in 2027. In a previous version of H.B. 647, the money was required to go toward “enhanced data analytics for use in conducting automated attendance reviews of publicly funded childcare providers.”

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Susan Tebben
ohiocapitaljournal.com

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May 18, 2026
Ohio AG Dave Yost is trying to dismiss 77 cases against former Ohio State doctor Richard Strauss

Ohio AG Dave Yost is trying to dismiss 77 cases against former Ohio State doctor Richard Strauss

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost. (Photo by Morgan Trau, WEWS.)

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost recently filed a motion on behalf of Ohio State University asking to drop 77 cases involving the late Dr. Richard Strauss sexually abusing Ohio State student-athletes.

Yost is arguing that any claims of abuse that happened before Oct. 21, 1986 should be thrown out, he said in a May 10 filing in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.

Congress passed a law on Oct. 21, 1986 allowing states and universities to be sued in federal court for failing to prevent the sexual abuse of students.

Yost’s motion applies to plaintiffs in three cases against Ohio State.

He is arguing 43 plaintiffs should have their claims dismissed entirely because the abuse happened before Oct. 21, 1986, and he is asking that 34 plaintiffs should have their claims dismissed in part for the abuse that occurred before Oct. 21, 1986, according to the motion.

Strauss sexually abused at least 177 male victims between 1979 and 1996 during his time as a physician for Ohio State’s Athletics Department and at the university’s Student Health Center, according to an independent investigation commissioned by Ohio State University.

On the campus of The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Graham Stokes for the Ohio Capital Journal. Republish photo only with original story.)

Strauss retired from Ohio State University in 1998 and died by suicide in 2005 when he was 67.

Earlier this month, 30 former Ohio State football players joined a federal lawsuit against Ohio State for Strauss’ abuse.

At least three of the football players were part of the 1980 Rose Bowl team and played for coach Woody Hayes.

Ohio State has reached settlement agreements with 317 survivors for more than $61 million, according to the university. The most recent settlement was with 13 survivors for $1.8 million in April.

This motion comes days after Yost announced he would resign, effective June 7, to take a job with Alliance Defending Freedom, a right-wing Christian nonprofit law firm. The Southern Poverty Law Center labels the Alliance Defending Freedom as a hate group.

Ohio state Sen. Bill DeMora, D-Columbus, criticized Yost’s motion to dismiss the claims.

“He is completely betraying the needs of survivors of sexual abuse as he heads out the door,” DeMora said in a statement. “This decision has nothing to do with the case against Ohio State and Dr. Strauss; it is purely Yost using every opportunity he has left to screw Ohioans and benefit the ultra-rich elite class that he has always worked for.”

Survivors of Strauss have said that Ohio Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan knew about the sexual abuse when he was an Ohio State assistant wrestling coach from 1987 to 1995.

Jordan, who recently ran unopposed in the May primary for his Fourth Congressional District seat, has repeatedly denied knowing about any abuse.

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Megan Henry
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May 15, 2026
Ohio lawmakers consider joining other states to test psychedelic-assisted treatments

Ohio lawmakers consider joining other states to test psychedelic-assisted treatments

Rep. Justin Pizzulli, R-Scioto County. (Credit: Ohio House website)

In Ohio and several other states around the country, lawmakers are weighing the potential benefits of a little-known psychedelic drug called ibogaine.

Prompted in large part by veterans seeking psychedelic-assisted treatment abroad, Republican lawmakers are looking to research its efficacy in treating post-traumatic stress and opioid addiction.

It’s an almost inconceivable turnaround for a party that spent decades aggressively pursuing the war on drugs.

“I think that, looking at the effect it has on veterans,” Ohio state Rep. Justin Pizzulli, R-Scioto County, said, “and just hearing people talk about how it helped them — it stopped them from committing suicide — I think that’s a message that Republicans are very passionate about.”

Pizzulli chairs the Ibogaine Treatment Study Committee and lobbied for its creation as part of last year’s budget.

Pizzulli represents Portsmouth which he described as “ground zero” for the opioid crisis in Ohio.

“It was the greatest crisis to ever happen to my community in our lifetime, and we’re still paying and recovering for it,” Pizzulli said.

“I made a promise to my constituency to be sure to find alternative methods to help fix and to research things that I think could potentially be helpful.”

Supporters of ibogaine treatment insist their effort is limited to clinical therapies in a controlled setting rather than opening the door to recreational use. And they point to initial studies that show promising results for the treatment.

Right now, a handful of states are pooling funds and working together to develop a treatment that could pass muster with the FDA.

The White House has blessed the effort and kicked in $50 million. Supporters who spoke Wednesday encouraged Ohio to participate.

Still, even some lawmakers who seem open to the approach remain skeptical about the state’s role in funding the effort.

Committee testimony

Initial studies suggest ibogaine rewires neural pathways in the brain and promotes regeneration. Researchers have already seen some effectiveness in treating opioid addiction and PTSD with ibogaine, but they think it might also have applications in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases like multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease.

Geoffrey Lawrence from the libertarian think tank Reason Foundation emphasized its potential in treating opioid use disorder.

He noted current medication-assisted treatments, like methadone and buprenorphine, have low success rates in part because they require regular dosing.

The average person winds up going through treatment for opioid addiction several times before achieving long-term remission.

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“Ibogaine works differently,” Lawrence said. “It physically repairs the brain’s architecture and balance of neurotransmitters within a matter of days. As a result, patients are able to move beyond the symptoms of physical withdrawal and get a new lease on life.”

Logan Davidson serves as legislative director for Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions. The group funds grants for veterans traveling abroad for ibogaine treatment. He stressed the conservative case for expanding access to the drug.

“The legislation we have advanced does not legalize, decriminalize or expand recreational use of any substance,” he said.

“It funds rigorous scientific research in controlled clinical settings, preserves FDA and DEA authority, demands accountability for every public dollar invested, and reflects a fundamental commitment to those who served.”

With roughly 17 veterans on average committing suicide each day, Davidson said any work at the state level to advance treatment is important.

“If there is an opportunity to accelerate an effective treatment through that process,” he said, “you can count the lives saves by the days shaved off that timeline.”

Who pays?

To that end, Lawrence explained Texas recently approved an ibogaine research program with the goal of developing a treatment that could make it through clinical trials.

And although Texas put forward $100 million split evenly between private and state dollars, that’s nowhere near enough.

And would you look at that — Ohio is set to receive about $2 billion in opioid settlement funds.

Lawrence said several states are already considering proposals to earmark some of those settlement dollars for the effort. Mississippi, for instance, committed $5 million in March.

“Using this money to create access to a drug that works effectively and immediately to help people turn their lives around could be the most impactful legacy of those funds,” Lawrence said.

But Ohio state Sen. Steve Huffman, R-Tipp City, pushed back.

“Is it the state’s job to do that?” he asked.

He noted Ohio put $5 million toward pediatric cancer research in the most recent budget, but it’s not common for state lawmakers to do so.

“Is it not the federal government’s job to financially do that to benefit all citizens?”

Huffman also asked why private industry isn’t leading the charge.

Americans for Ibogaine CEO Bryan Hubbard explained ibogaine isn’t patentable.

“There’s not the opportunity to create 6, 7, 800% rates of return on a medication that can essentially be replicated and produced by anyone,” he said. “The lack of patentability is a significant disincentive to the conventional Big Pharma model.”

He added that the current system of medication-assisted treatment for opioid abuse is often billed through Medicaid. That system serves some companies’ interests just fine, Hubbard said.

“We would be foolish to not recognize that there is a business model at work that is rooted in the daily administration of pharmacology,” he said.

If ibogaine treatment proves as successful as its supporters hope, Hubbard added, it could disrupt that approach to treatment.

Hubbard successfully lobbied the Trump administration to issue an executive order encouraging research into psychedelic-assisted treatments.

As part of that order, the president directed the Department of Health and Human Services to put at least $50 million toward state research efforts like the one Texas announced.

Hubbard encouraged state lawmakers to get on board.

“I hope that stalwart Ohio, part of the blue-collar backbone of America, will be among the states which turn the fulcrum of history to emancipate the mind, body and soul of very person who lives at the end of hope,” he said. “Ibogaine heals.”

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May 13, 2026
Private school voucher lawsuit heads to Ohio’s 10th District Court of Appeals

Private school voucher lawsuit heads to Ohio’s 10th District Court of Appeals

Getty Images.

Attorneys fighting on behalf of public and private school funding will present arguments before an appellate court today, Tuesday, in a continued battle over Ohio’s private school voucher program.

A lawsuit that has been active since 2022 will now go before the 10th District Court of Appeals, as attorneys for more than 300 public school districts and advocates defend an attempt to force the state legislature to eliminate funding for the private school voucher program.

Public school advocates are against the state funding of private school vouchers, partly because they argue the program funding has overtaken that of public schools.

The Ohio Constitution includes a provision requiring the state to fund a single system of public schools. The lawsuit argues that the private voucher program represents an unconstitutional funding of a second system of education.

The lawsuit also argued that the program violated the equal protection clause in the constitution.

Schools including Cleveland Heights-University Heights, Columbus, Richmond Heights, Lima, and Barberton were signed on to the lawsuit, along with individuals and parents.

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The case landed in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, where Judge Jaiza Page said the legislature has “exceedingly broad powers” in its authority over the state’s education system, but the power does not come with “unlimited discretion.”

Supporters of private school vouchers argued that it is a scholarship program, and does not purport to be a “system” of schools, something Page didn’t buy in the June 2025 decision in which Page said the voucher program was unconstitutional.

Calling vouchers a scholarship program “is mere semantics” because the state pays schools directly, the judge wrote.

“Where EdChoice participating private schools are inexplicably receiving double the per-pupil state funding than public schools, it is difficult to say that EdChoice is simply a scholarship that follows and/or benefits the students, as opposed to a system that benefits private schools,” Page wrote in 2025.

The judge didn’t make a decision on one claim in the lawsuit: that the voucher program created “segregation” in public schools.

Page wrote that there was no evidence of “discriminatory intent,” and denied the request for a summary judgment from both sides of the lawsuit, meaning the claim is still active and awaiting a ruling in the Franklin County court.

Anticipating the rest of the lawsuit would be appealed, Page allowed the program to continue “in recognition that this decision may cause significant changes to school funding in Ohio.”

The parties in the suit have appealed, with the state and private school advocates appealing the rulings that the voucher program is unconstitutional, that it creates more than one “system of uncommon schools,” and that the direct payments from the state allows unconstitutional funding for religious schools.

Attorneys for private school parents maintain their argument that it is “a scholarship program, not a school-funding program,” according to appeals court documents.

“It therefore cannot run afoul of any prohibition against funding ‘uncommon schools,” wrote attorney Keith Neely, of the Institute for Justice, a DC-based law firm representing private school parents.

Public school advocates are cross-appealing, pushing back against the one ruling for which Page sided with the state.

Page ruled that there was no evidence that the voucher program in Ohio creates a disparity in education.

“While it seems inevitable that some Ohio students might be excluded from the EdChoice program by a participating private school, none of student plaintiffs have alleged or provided any evidence of denial of participation in the EdChoice program,” Page wrote.

Cleveland-based attorneys Maria Fair and Mark Wallach argued in a brief to the appellate court that “there is no valid governmental interest in funding private education, much less seeking parity between public and private resources.”

“The cycle never ends: The state insufficiently funds public schools, which are then forced to seek local tax levies or apply for private grants,” the attorneys wrote.

“The state then diverts more taxpayer dollars to private entities, justifying this by citing those very same levies and grants.”

The case is scheduled to go before the 10th District Court of Appeals on Tuesday morning.

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May 12, 2026