Asian Americans push back against 'racist' Ohio property bills
[Source]
Asian American advocates rallied at the Ohio Statehouse on Tuesday to denounce proposed legislation they describe as discriminatory targeting of immigrants disguised as national security measures.
About the bills
State legislators are weighing House Bill 1 and Senate Bill 88, both known as the Ohio Property Protection Act, which would bar foreign nationals and businesses from countries designated as 'foreign adversaries' from buying property within 25 miles of critical infrastructure sites. The legislation would expand existing farmland restrictions to include military bases, airports, power stations, water treatment facilities, railroads and telecommunications infrastructure — coverage so broad it would 'effectively blanket the entirety of the state of Ohio,' according to Senate sponsor Terry Johnson (R-McDermott).
The U.S. currently designates China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia and Venezuela under Nicolás Maduro as foreign adversaries. While House Bill 1 would not apply retroactively to existing property owners, Senate Bill 88 originally required current owners to sell their property within two years, though that forced-sale provision was removed at Tuesday's committee hearing.
Trending on NextShark:
What critics are saying
Opponents of the bill reportedly filled the committee hearing room, with more than 100 people attending in person and over 230 submitting written testimony. 'This bill is racist,' said Rep. Anita Somani (D-Dublin), a first-generation immigrant from India, arguing it 'does nothing to protect Ohioans or improve Ohio.' Vincent Wang, who chairs the Asian American Coalition of Ohio, told 10 WBNS that the bills 'will push immigrants out and cause fear, hatred and destroy the Ohio economy.'
Critics say the legislation violates constitutional protections, and that existing federal laws already address legitimate security threats without resorting to racial profiling. 'Allowing someone to rent indefinitely but not own is legally inconsistent,' Hongmei Li of the Ohio Chinese American Council told WTVG, calling it an attempt to 'codify racial profiling in law.'
Trending on NextShark:
The big picture
The bills, parallel to others advancing across the country, stem from Gov. Mike DeWine's 2023 veto of similar legislation over concerns about 'unintended economic development consequences.' Asian immigrant-owned businesses in Ohio employed 97,600 people with an annual payroll of $3.3 billion in 2022, according to census data.
Understandably, opponents have drawn parallels to historic discrimination, including Chinese exclusion laws and Japanese incarceration camps during World War II. A comparable Florida bill with a smaller 10-mile restriction zone is currently under federal constitutional challenge, with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) promising swift litigation if Ohio's version passes.
Trending on NextShark:
Lawmakers have yet to schedule votes on either chamber's version of the legislation.
This story is part of The Rebel Yellow Newsletter — a bold weekly newsletter from the creators of NextShark, reclaiming our stories and celebrating Asian American voices.
Trending on NextShark:
Subscribe free to join the movement. If you love what we're building, consider becoming a paid member — your support helps us grow our team, investigate impactful stories, and uplift our community.
Subscribe here now!
Trending on NextShark:
Download the NextShark App:
Want to keep up to date on Asian American News? Download the NextShark App today!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
19 minutes ago
- Yahoo
US and EU sanctions must be coordinated to put pressure on Russia, head of Zelenskyy's office says
Andrii Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, has said that the sanctions discussed in the US Senate are very effective and should be coordinated with EU partners. Source: Yermak in an interview with US TV channel Newsmax TV, as quoted by Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne Details: Yermak said that the sanctions they discussed in the Senate were very effective, adding that these sanctions must be coordinated with EU partners, and that if the new package of EU and US sanctions is released at the same time, it would really put pressure on Russia. Yermak stressed the importance of finding new, real and effective sanctions against Russia. He also noted that such restrictions are effective, although they take time to produce results. As an example, he mentioned Senator Graham's legislative initiative on sanctions. Quote from Yermak: "The new bill of Senator Graham is about energy, oil and the banking sector – they are really painful and really effective sanctions. Putin will recognise that he needs to stop and go to serious negotiations when he feels that it will cost him a real price." Details: He also noted that he would discuss a new military aid package with American partners, stressing that strong security agreements with the United States are needed. Background: Yermak announced that he had met in Washington with Keith Kellogg, US Special Envoy for Ukraine. A Ukrainian delegation led by Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko arrived in the United States on Tuesday to meet with representatives of President Donald Trump's team to discuss several issues. According to media reports, the United States is disappointed but not surprised by Russia's ultimatum at the talks in Istanbul. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Wake schools now have a cellphone policy. What students and parents should know.
Wake County elementary and middle schools are now expected to become cellphone-free during the school day with high schools allowing the devices to be used in limited situations. The Wake County school board unanimously gave final approval Tuesday to a new cellphone policy that says personal wireless communication devices must be silenced and put away during instructional time. The policy would allow high school students to take their phones out during breaks and if allowed in class by the teacher. 'High school students are different,' said school board member Lynn Edmonds. 'They should have a little bit more autonomy.' Failure to follow the new policy, which goes into effect in July, could result in phones being confiscated and students being disciplined. The policy represents Wake County's first attempt to standardize cellphone rules across all schools. Previously, individual schools set their own policies. Wake's new phone policy comes amid growing concerns about the negative impacts the devices have on learning and students' mental health. At least 24 states have laws or policies that ban or restrict students' use of cellphones in schools statewide or recommend local districts enact their own bans or restrictive policies, according to an Education Week analysis. Both the state House and Senate have passed their own bills restricting cellphone use in school and included the language in their budget proposals. Wake would have to change the policy if the Senate bill becomes law because it requires phones to be turned off and not just silenced in class. School leaders say the policy will likely need to be revised on a regular basis due to changes in technology. The phone policy is more restrictive at elementary schools and middle school than high schools. Under the policy, elementary and middle school students would be required to put their phones away during instructional time between morning and afternoon bells. To provide consistency, the board rejected adding wording on Tuesday that would allow schools to place additional restrictions. The policy defines 'put away' as being out of sight and not easily accessible. This can include putting the phone in a locker, backpack or bag. Students wouldn't be allowed to leave their phones in their pocket. Some exceptions would be allowed for students to use phones during school: ▪ Phones can be used during school hours if they're authorized or required in the individualized education program or Section 504 plan of a student with disabilities. Wording was added Tuesday to also include if phones are used by students with disabilities for translation or assistive communication. ▪ Phones can be used if they're part of a student's individualized health plan. Examples include using the phone to monitor a student's glucose levels ▪ School staff may authorize brief use of a device if there is a reasonable and legitimate need to communicate with someone outside the school during the instructional day. Students must ask for permission in advance, unless they're calling 911 in an emergency. Two exceptions would only apply at high schools: ▪ The high school is allowing teachers to authorize use of devices during class for instructional purposes. ▪ The high school has developed a rule for allowing the devices to be used during specified non-instructional time, such as class change and lunch. School board member Toshiba Rice said it would cause too many problems telling high school students that they can't check their phones during non-instructional times. 'You can't take away something that is part of a person's social norms in its entirety,' Rice said. The policy allows school staff to temporarily confiscate a student's phone if they've repeatedly violated the policy or their use of the device is substantially disrupting other students. At the urging of board member Lindsay Mahaffey, the policy was amended Tuesday to say that students will get a verbal warning first about silencing or putting away their phones before they are confiscated. 'They're children,' Mahaffey said. 'Children make mistakes.' Phones are generally supposed to be returned at the end of the class. But they can be confiscated for the entire school day if the student's behavior is substantially disruptive or if they've regularly violated the policy. Parents are supposed to be notified if their student's device is being repeatedly confiscated or if it's being confiscated for the entire school day. Parents can be required to come to the school to pick up the confiscated phone if there's been a pattern of violations all school year and written warning was provided ahead of time. The policy says the school system will not accept responsibility for the theft, loss or damage to phones. Ahead of the vote, the district surveyed teachers about the policy with 2,617 submitting responses. ▪ 87.6% of teachers agree or strongly agree that phones should be turned off during instructional time. ▪ Teachers were split whether there are appropriate times when student device use can be encouraged with 43.5% agreeing or strongly agreeing and 42.2% of teachers disagreeing or strongly disagreeing. ▪ 58.8% of teachers agreed or strongly agreed that device confiscation should only be used as a last resort after other classroom management strategies have failed. ▪ 61.9% of teachers agree or strongly agree that they support device confiscation in classrooms. Also on Tuesday, the school board voted to convert Lake Myra Elementary School in Wendell to a multi-track year-round calendar starting in the 2026-27 school year. In a multi-track calendar, all the students are divided into four groups, called tracks, which have their own rotating schedules. Three tracks are in session at all times, which can increase the building's capacity by 20% or more. The conversion will expand Lake Myra's capacity from 616 students to 814 students. Lake Myra currently uses a track 4 year-round calendar, meaning all students follow the same schedule.
Yahoo
39 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Mike Lawler's third 2025 town hall is in Putnam County this month. What to know
Rep. Mike Lawler is holding a third town hall meeting after two rowdy gatherings at which constituents grilled him about Trump administration actions and Republican plans to cut spending on Medicaid and other programs. Lawler, a Rockland County Republican serving his second House term, will be at Mahopac High School in Putnam County at 6 p.m. on Sunday, June 8. It's part of a series of four town halls he planned, one in each of the four counties in New York's 17th Congressional District. The first two gatherings were in Rockland County on April 27 and in Westchester County on May 4. Both were raucous events where audience members booed and jeered Lawler's responses and some were removed from the auditorium by police. The fourth forum is supposed to take place in Dutchess County this month; the date and location haven't been disclosed yet. Residents must sign up in advance for the forums, and only those who live in the district are allowed in. The Putnam County event is currently listed as "sold out." But with the previous forums, additional spots have opened up after initially reaching capacity as registrations were cancelled for people from outside the 17th District and those who claimed multiple seats, according to Lawler's office. The town hall comes after House Republicans narrowly passed a party-line bill on May 22 that extends the 2017 tax cuts and shrinks federal spending. That legislation, now pending in the Senate, gave detail to what were previously rough budget plans and offers fresh grist for discussion at Lawler's latest forum. Lawler has been weighing whether to run for governor instead of re-election in 2026 and has said he will announce his decision this month. Six Democrats already have lined up to run for his seat in a critical Hudson Valley swing district that will help determine which party controls the House after the next election. Chris McKenna covers government and politics for The Journal News and USA Today Network. Reach him at cmckenna@ This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Mike Lawler's Putnam County town hall is Sunday, June 8: What to know
