Latest news with #CatherineIngram
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
More than 400,000 Ohioans see driver's license suspensions lifted under new law
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — More than 400,000 Ohioans have seen their driver's license suspensions lifted in just one month since a new law was implemented, according to Sen. Catherine Ingram (D-Cincinnati). Ingram said as of Tuesday, 429,501 Ohioans have had total suspensions or blocks removed, and more than $8.3 million in reinstatement fees have been forgiven; 201,024 eligible drivers have been sent notifications. Chillicothe paper mill will close in August after stating it would remain open 'These aren't just numbers,' Ingram said. 'These are lives of workers, parents, and students who now have one less barrier standing in their way.' The bill was co-sponsored by Sen. Louis W. Blessing III (R-Colerain Township) and became law on April 9. It fully went into effect at the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles on May 9. Watch previous coverage in the player above. The law ends the practice of suspending driver's licenses for failure to pay court fines or fees, along with some other minor offenses. The law does not apply to any 'drug abuse offense' in which a vehicle was used 'to further the commission of the offense.' The law also allows those who have had their license suspended for being in default on child support payments to prove that a suspended license prevents them from making the payments, and they could be granted 'limited driving privileges.' As Fort Rapids sale looms, Columbus church eyes plan to redevelop waterpark A 2022 report from the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland found that 60% of driver's licenses suspended in Ohio were suspended due to reasons not related to driving. Drivers are encouraged to make sure their information is current with the BMV so that if they're eligible for reinstatement, they can be notified. The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio applauded the law, which makes Ohio the 25th state to shift away from debt-related penalties. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
'Put your money where your mouth is': Black health advocates stress need for funding
Apr. 17—Ahead of the Ohio Senate's deliberations on the state budget, chamber Democrats and Black health advocates are encouraging the state to "put your money where your mouth is" during this budget cycle. "We talk a whole lot about caring about families, caring about children, teaching them how to read — but they gotta live before they can start to read," said state Sen. Catherine Ingram, D-Cincinnati, joint chair of the Ohio legislature's Black Maternal Health Caucus. Ingram was joined by co-chair Sen. Paula Hicks Hudson, a Toledo Democrat who will be the party's top budget negotiator when the Senate picks up the budget later this month. The two used a statehouse press conference to cap off their inaugural Black Maternal Health Summit, aimed in large part at addressing the disparities between infant and maternal health outcomes between white and Black families. A press statement from the summit relays that Black women in Ohio are nearly three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women, and that Black infants die at more than twice the rate of white infants. "These disparities are rooted in long-standing structural inequities — not differences in biology — and are preventable with intentional investment and policy change," the statement reads. Caitlin Feldman, policy director for the early childhood advocacy organization Groundwork Ohio, told reporters: "it is far past time for Ohio to be lifted out of the basement when it comes to infant and maternal health outcomes." Feldman called for the Senate to counteract several changes the House made to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine's proposed budget. Those include a $22 million decrease in funding toward Ohio's Help Me Grow home visitation program and the cancellation of a governor-proposed plan to create an up-to $1,000 tax credit for every Ohio child under seven years old. ------ For more stories like this, sign up for our Ohio Politics newsletter. It's free, curated, and delivered straight to your inbox every Thursday evening. Avery Kreemer can be reached at 614-981-1422, on X, via email, or you can drop him a comment/tip with the survey below.
