Latest news with #BillDeMora
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ohio bill would cap ‘junk fees' on tickets for concerts, sporting events
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – When purchasing a ticket for a concert or sporting event, customers may notice a plethora of fees added onto the original price. An Ohio bill introduced last week is hoping to lower those extra costs for residents. Senate Bill 196, sponsored by Sen. Bill DeMora (D-Columbus), would prohibit ticket sellers from charging more than a total of $5 in extra fees for a purchase containing one or more tickets. Ohio family pleads for better treatment of mother detained in ICE facility 'We need to do something to help regular everyday families in Ohio that want to do something fun, whether a concert, whether it's a sporting event, and it's not fair that they are overburdened with these fees,' DeMora said. 'Budgets are tight now, people are struggling to make ends meet, but they ought to be able to have some fun in their lives.' The bill deems violating this rule an unfair and deceptive business practice under Ohio law. Violators would be referred to the state attorney general for enforcement, who could take legal action by ordering the company to amend its fees or seeking restitution for consumers, among other options. Service fees average about 27% to 31% of total ticket prices, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office. The added costs, which DeMora calls 'junk fees,' have been a longstanding frustration among consumers. 'The fees are outrageous,' DeMora said. 'I mean, if the face value of tickets is $100, you pay $150.' Last year, the United States Department of Justice, along with 30 state and district attorneys general, including Ohio's, filed a civil lawsuit against Ticketmaster's parent company Live Nation Entertainment. The ongoing suit alleges the company holds a monopoly on the ticket market, resulting in fans paying more in fees. Mayor: Village won't replace non-working tornado sirens This month, the Federal Trade Commission began enforcing a new rule that requires ticket-sellers to disclose any extra fees upfront, instead of springing them on customers during checkout. Companies also must now avoid 'vague phrases' such as convenience fees, service fees or processing fees and clearly state the purpose of the charges. The new guidelines, however, do not put a price limit on or ban extra fees. DeMora called the new FTC rule a 'good step in the right direction' but said the fees are still too high and need to be addressed. Ticket fees for entertainment events may go to the ticket-seller, venue or event promoter for various costs associated with running the event, as well as maintaining the facility or services offered by the ticket company. NBC4 reached out to Ticketmaster and other entertainment companies for comment on the bill. The only reply came from SeatGeek, which stated that while the company appreciates and respects DeMora's efforts to make live events more affordable, caps on fees can 'distort the market' and have 'unintended consequences.' Columbus officer confronts school board after being denied access to school 'We believe the best way to protect and empower consumers is through transparent pricing, not caps,' Joe Freeman, vice president of government affairs, said. 'That's why we fully support the FTC's new rule, which took effect last week, requiring ticketing platforms to show the full, all-in price upfront.' SB 196 has been referred to the Government Oversight and Reform Committee, where it awaits its first hearing. Two Democrat state senators, Hearcel Craig (Columbus) and Casey Weinstein (Hudson), are cosponsoring the bill. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ohio Senate advances ranked choice voting ban
A ballot counter machine. (Photo by Graham Stokes for the Ohio Capital Journal. Republish photo only with original story.) With minimal debate last week, the Ohio Senate advanced a measure effectively prohibiting ranked choice voting in the state. 'Effectively' because state lawmakers actually can't ban the practice. Instead, Senate Bill 63 threatens to withhold an important stream of state funding for any local government that embraces ranked choice. The proposal's sponsors are bipartisan, and although the bill passed easily the vote split the chamber's Democrats. Five of the Senate's nine Democrats voted no. The bill now moves to the Ohio House where there is no companion legislation. State Sens. Theresa Gavarone, R-Bowling Green, and Bill DeMora, D-Columbus, sponsored the measure, and both made their pitch to fellow senators when it came up for a vote. Gavarone said she's spent much of her time in office working on elections-related legislation. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'Ranked choice voting flies in the face of that commonsense work by causing greater uncertainty and delayed election results that can take days or even weeks to settle,' she argued. Gavarone said the process reduces turnout and creates confusion among voters and administrators. Apparently referencing a forthcoming article, she argued 1 in 20 voters mismark their ballot in some way. She added that in 2024, several states with ballot measures enacting a ranked choice system rejected those proposals. DeMora defended their bid to deprive ranked-choice municipalities of state funding. 'It doesn't outlaw them, it doesn't say they can't do it. It just withholds state funds for those that do it,' he said. 'May sound harsh, but it's necessary. Ranked choice voting is expensive, confusing, and time consuming.' DeMora noted Cuyahoga County elections officials have testified elections equipment around Ohio isn't built to handle ranked choice elections. And he pointed to local elections in Portland, Oregon in which more than 100 candidates ran for city council and almost 20 ran for mayor. 'That's not voter empowerment. It's voter overload,' he argued, 'The result — roughly 20% of all Portlanders, did not vote for any council candidate, and nearly 15% didn't vote for mayor.' Following the vote, Senate President Rob McColley argued that states that instituted ranked choice like Alaska have had buyer's remorse. Although the vote was close, Alaska voters actually decided to keep their ranked choice system last November. Still, McColley argued ranked choice 'doesn't do what it markets itself as doing.' He rejected the idea that through multiple rounds of counting, ranked choice arrives at a winner with majority support. 'What you're doing instead is you're saying this is the person that people ranked in their top however many choices,' he said. 'It doesn't necessarily mean it's the best candidate, it doesn't necessarily mean that a majority got it.' As the bill moved through committee, ranked choice supporters far outnumbered those speaking in favor of the ban. The group Rank the Vote Ohio helped organize that opposition and advocates for ranked choice around the state. They've made some inroads, but those successes have been modest. Charter review committees in two cities, Cleveland Heights and Lakewood, have recommended putting a ranked choice charter amendment on the ballot. A handful of others are considering similar moves, and organizers are trying advance a charter amendment in Cincinnati. Rank the Vote Ohio Executive Director Denise Riley said Gavarone and DeMora are presenting an incorrect account of ranked choice voting 'to justify subverting the Ohio Constitution to suppress voters' choices.' 'These senators have ignored the pleas from their constituents to stop spreading electoral disinformation, despite ample testimony refuting their lies,' she argued. Riley pushed back on claims that ranked choice delays results. 'The majority of RCV jurisdictions,' she said, 'release preliminary results the night of or day after the election, just as other cities do.' Riley noted delays often have to do with allowing time for absentee ballots to arrive, not the time it takes to tabulate ballots Riley rejected claims that procedure reduces participation, pointing to Maine's nation-leading turnout in 2022 and a report published by the American Bar Association. She dismissed arguments about voter confusion noting several states in which exit polling showed voters understood what they were doing. 'Hopefully the Ohio House and Governor Mike DeWine won't be tricked into subverting the Ohio Constitution based on lies,' Riley said. For what it's worth, the sponsors' testimony was at times misleading. Although several states did reject ranked choice voting last year, two of those cited by Gavarone (Montana and Arizona) weren't voting on ranked choice — they were considering different versions of open or so-called 'jungle' primaries. That approach puts candidates from all parties on a single ballot with some number of top vote-getters advancing to the general election. And DeMora's complaints about voters not casting a ballot in a given race, known as an undervote, is at best disingenuous. He misspoke when it comes to Portland's mayoral race — the analysis from OregonLive he relied on put the mayoral undervote at 11%, not 15%. Based on a comprehensive report from county election officials it appears that count includes undervotes and overvotes, where a voter marks two candidates at the same rank. The actual undervote was less than 7%. Regardless, it's not uncommon at all in local races for voters to leave a race blank. Consider the 2023 mayoral and city council races right here in Columbus. Roughly 15% of voters left the mayor's race blank — the same amount DeMora mistakenly cited in Portland. And in Columbus' city council races, the undervote was staggering. While Portland saw roughly 20% of voters leave council races blank, in Columbus the undervote ranged from 44%-77%. Follow Ohio Capital Journal Reporter Nick Evans on X or on Bluesky. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ohio Senate passes bill banning students using cellphones during school day
(Photo by SDI Productions via Getty Images) Ohio students are one step closer to being banned from using cellphones during the school day. The Ohio Senate passed Senate Bill 158 by a vote of 30-2 during Wednesday's Senate session. The bill would require schools to create a policy banning students from using cellphones during the school day. Ohio state Sens. Bill DeMora, D-Columbus, and Beth Liston, D-Dublin, voted against the bill, which now goes to the Ohio House for consideration. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Ohio Sen. Jane Timken, R-Jackson Township, introduced the bill about a month ago. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine was quick to voice his support for it, saying last month that 'we need to be sure that our classrooms, frankly, are now cellphone free.' 'This legislation is a common sense approach to unplug our children from the constant flow of distractions during the vital school time in which they are in the classroom,' Timken said during Wednesday's Senate session. 'It will boost in-person relationships and reduce distractions.' A 2024 Pew Research study reported 72% of U.S. high school teachers said cellphone distraction is a major problem in classrooms. Students receive nearly 200 alerts per day on their cellphones, according to Statista. Ohio law currently requires all school districts to have a policy for student cellphone use by July 1. Some schools already ban cellphones while other schools limit cell phone use to only certain times of the day. S.B. 158 would take the law a step further by banning the use of cellphones in school. School districts would have to ban cellphones in school by Sept. 1, according to the bill. 'The facts are clear, school districts that have restricted student cellphone use during the instructional day have seen a return to noisy classrooms, fostering real face-to-face conversations and relationships,' Timken said. 'Eliminating cellphones in schools leads to improved academic performance and allows them to develop academically and socially and thrive.' State Sen. Catherine D. Ingram, D-Cincinnati, echoed Timken's comments. 'There are distractions, and we need to make sure that when our children are in school, they are learning,' she said. There are some exceptions to the bill. A school board can allow a student to use a cellphone to monitor a health concern if the board receives a written statement from the student's doctor. The bill also requires public school administrators to include protocol addressing cellphone use during an active shooter situation in the emergency management plan for each building. At least 21 states require school districts to ban or restrict students' cellphone use in schools, according to Education Week. Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Utah have a statewide restriction. Follow Capital Journal Reporter Megan Henry on Bluesky. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ohio bill would ban exclusive streaming contracts for college sports
Ohio State Buckeyes football helmet.(Photo by) A bill proposed in the Ohio Senate would ban exclusive streaming contracts for college sports, stopping fans from needing to pay for numerous services to watch their favorite teams. The national championship-winning Ohio State University football team played Michigan State University last season. But it was a game you could only watch on Peacock, NBC's streaming service — something that OSU fan and state Sen. Bill DeMora, D-Columbus, was angry about. 'I don't have streaming services because, again, I can't afford to spend all that on the streaming service,' he said. 'The fact that I wasn't able to watch an Ohio State game about killed me.' In recent years, streaming services have been getting exclusive contracts to broadcast college athletics. If you don't pay for the services, you don't get to watch. DeMora said this adds up, since the Big 10 has a deal with Peacock and the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) has one with ESPN subsidiaries ESPN+ and ESPNU. This could be especially difficult for people who can't access or don't have high-speed internet, he said. 'They can't watch streaming TV even if they wanted to pay the extra money for it,' he continued. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Since DeMora is not only a fan, but also a state senator, he introduced Senate Bill 94, which would prohibit public universities from giving exclusive broadcasting rights to a streaming service. 'The streams were lagging, pixelated, out of sync and plagued by poor audio quality,' DeMora said during recent testimony on the bill. 'People were paying for something that was horrible quality to start.' WEWS/OCJ reached out to both the BIG 10 and MAC conferences, the different streaming services and their owners — as well as OSU, Kent State and the University of Akron. Akron said they didn't have a comment yet, and Kent declined to comment. But Ohio State did chime in. 'Media rights agreements are negotiated by the Big Ten on behalf of all conference members, and broadcast rights for specific athletic events are controlled by the designated media partner in accordance with the larger media rights agreement,' OSU spokesperson Ben Johnson said. State Rep. Josh Williams (R-Sylvania) said this was a 'kind of stupid' bill. 'Imagine the Buckeyes not being part of the Big 10 anymore because a simple piece of legislation said you can't sign up to a streaming deal,' Williams said. 'I think it's ill-advised, ill-conceived and it won't get any support.' This bill could hurt the schools, he added. 'You're going to stop universities from a revenue stream that they can generate off of their athletic programs that they use to reinvest into their athletic facilities,' the Republican said. The legislation would also allow students to watch broadcasts for free. The legislation would require state universities to provide enrolled students access, but it is up to the school's discretion how that is implemented. Johnson explained that Peacock does give a student discount. Right now, the premium subscription for students is $2.99 per month for a year, down from $7.99. Once a year passes, students will have to pay $7.99 per month. 'Having to pay extra to watch their teammates and classmates' sporting events isn't fair to them,' DeMora argued. Williams disagreed with this argument and the Democrat's frustration with the cost in general. 'That's like saying someone can't afford the purchase of a television, so therefore games shouldn't be televised,' Williams said. The general public is with him on what he calls the streaming epidemic, DeMora said. 'It's not fair to the everyday fan,' he said. The bill will be subject to more hearings in the coming weeks. Both DeMora and Williams have proposed football-related legislation. The Democrat proposed a bill that would prevent state money from going towards professional sports teams that have losing records. Williams, in the last General Assembly, introduced a bill that would make planting a flag in the center of the Ohio Stadium football field illegal. He proposed this after a brawl broke out when University of Michigan players tried to plant a flagpole after they beat OSU. Follow WEWS statehouse reporter Morgan Trau on Twitter and Facebook. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New bill makes effort to change how college sports are streamed
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WJW) — A state lawmaker said watching teams like the Ohio State Buckeyes has become a frustrating experience for many fans, complicated by the emergence of streaming services that now carry certain games each season. 'There are a dozen different streaming services and if you want to watch Big Ten football or Big Ten basketball, if you don't pay for all the services, you're going to miss your team's game because it switches from one week to the next, one game to the next, what streaming service they're actually going to be on,' said State Senator and OSU graduate Bill DeMora. Holistic pet care: How it's helping some animals live longer lives The Democrat from Columbus is proposing a bill that would ban exclusive streaming contracts for college sports in the Buckeye State. Senate Bill 94 would also require that enrolled students be given access to broadcasts of athletic events. During a hearing held by the Senate's Higher Education Committee on Tuesday, Demora told fellow lawmakers, 'I was disheartened the last two years to have Ohio State football games on streaming only services, which I don't pay for.' DeMora said fans are being unfairly gouged by the streaming-only model. 'True fans have to pay for this service and that service and that service, an extra $50, $60 every time they want to watch their team play every month,' he said. Lorain woman Sharon Matusiak, 64, killed by train at Leavitt Road crossing When asked why the state should have any say on which platforms air the games, DeMora responded, 'Ohio State University and the University of Cincinnati, Bowling Green, Toledo, Akron, Kent State and Cleveland State are all funded by public tax dollars, so they should not be allowed into a contract that says that only the games will be watched on a streaming service.' A spokesman for Ohio State told FOX 8, 'Media rights agreements are negotiated by the Big Ten on behalf of all conference members'. DeMora responded, 'They can say that but we all know that if Ohio State told the Big Ten, 'we're going to get our own network and not participate in the Big Ten Network,' that the Big Ten would do whatever it took to keep Ohio State because that's their money maker.' DeMora said he has received positive feedback from sports fans, but says the political reality is that there is no chance that his proposal will become law. Families share story that brought them together for Donate Life Month 'None of the bills that I sponsor ever get passed because I'm in the minority party,' he said. DeMora said his only hope is that the Republican majority will pick up the torch on behalf of college sports fans across the state and ban exclusive streaming contracts. 'It doesn't cost the taxpayers any money, and it's something that saves taxpayers money because right now, if you want to see sports, you're shelling out money hand over fist,' he said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
