Latest news with #HouseBill262
New York Post
27-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Ohio's proposed ‘Natural Family Month' faces backlash from LGBTQ parents
Over two dozen Ohio lawmakers are pushing a bill that designates the weeks between Mother's Day and Father's Day as 'Natural Family Month,' sparking backlash from some LGBTQ families, according to reports. State Reps. Beth Lear and Josh Williams, both Republicans, said they introduced House Bill 262 to celebrate families and emphasize their critical role in society, at a time when marriages and birth rates are declining. Advertisement 'At a time when marriage is trending downward and young couples are often choosing to remain childless, it's important for the State of Ohio to make a statement that marriage and families are the cornerstone of civil society, and absolutely imperative if we want to maintain a healthy and stable Republic,' Rep. Lear said in a press release. 'With America facing declining birth rates and a shrinking population, we can no longer afford to ignore the foundational role that strong families play in sustaining our future,' Rep. Williams also said in a statement. 'H.B. 262 is about more than policy—it's about promoting the economic and social stability that comes from raising children in healthy, two-parent households. We must use every tool at our disposal to support the families that are building the next generation of Americans,' he added. 5 Ohio lawmakers are pushing a bill that designates the weeks between Mother's Day and Father's Day as 'Natural Family Month,' sparking backlash from some LGBTQ families, according to reports. NDABCREATIVITY – Advertisement The bill does not define what makes a 'natural' family, but Williams told NBC News the bill is intended to 'promote natural families—meaning a man, a woman, and their children—as a way to encourage higher birth rates.' Birth rates in the U.S. fell to a historic low in 2023, according to a report by the CDC published last year. The CDC recently reported that birth rates increased by 1% in 2023, which 'drove a less than 1% increase in the general fertility rate.' 5 State Reps. Beth Lear and Josh Williams, both Republicans, said they introduced House Bill 262 to celebrate families at a time when marriages and birth rates are declining. Louis-Photo – Advertisement Some marriage rates have also experienced a downward shift over the past few decades. The Pew Research Center reported that the number of 40-year-olds in the U.S. who have never been married reached a record high in 2021. But the bill was criticized by the LGBTQ community, according to reports by WLWT5 and NBC News. Ohio resident Vanessa Melendez, who identifies as lesbian, is a married mother of two who lives with her wife, adopted daughter, and stepson from a previous marriage, in College Hill. 5 But the bill was criticized by the LGBTQ community, according to reports. AP Advertisement Melendez hit the Ohio lawmakers for using the word 'natural' in their pro-family bill, saying it excludes families like hers, and others who have adopted, conceived through IVF, or are raising children without a partner. 'The elephant in the room on how they've positioned it is on the word 'natural,'' Melendez told WLWT5. 'And I think that what they're saying is if there's only one way to be a natural family, and that's entirely not true.' 'They're really coming after it at a very narrow, exclusionary way, and they're only giving a description of one type of family,' Melendez added. 'We don't want to take away from that one type of family, but there are so many other kinds of families.' 5 LGBTQ parents have criticized the proposed bill. (JLco) Julia Amaral – Williams defended the bill to NBC News, saying the bill is not meant to be discriminatory but is intended to support the family structure that's 'most directly tied to the creation and raising of children.' 'By that same logic that all families should be celebrated,' Williams also told WLWT5. 'You could go then to June and say we shouldn't have Pride Month because all sexual orientation should be celebrated, not just those that are alternative to the mainstream.' 5 The 2022 LGBTQ Pride Parade in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio on June 25, 2022. Williams, who is Black, was raised by a single mother, grew up in poverty, and experienced homelessness, and argued that fatherlessness has had negative effects on the Black community. Advertisement 'And we know the statistics that show that that results in a higher rate of poverty, a higher rate of dropping out of school, a higher rate, a higher rate of being on public assistance, a higher rate of engaging in criminal conduct,' he told WLWT5. Williams and Lear did not immediately return Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ohio bill to celebrate ‘natural family' month excludes LGBTQ+, single parents
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — A new Ohio bill plans to designate a month celebrating 'natural families' with 'a clear male leader,' legislation that a leading advocacy group said invalidates single parents and 'takes direct aim at LGBTQ+ families.' House Bill 262 was introduced at the Ohio Statehouse on May 13 to recognize the weeks between Mother's Day and Father's Day as 'Natural Family Month.' The proposal is backed by the Natural Family Foundation, a Westerville-based organization that defines a 'natural family' as one man and one woman 'committed in a lifelong monogamous relationship' with their 'biological or adopted children.' Why this transgender Ohioan says he's leaving the state 'For society to survive, the fabric must be mended by readjusting the social constraints/contracts to once again favor the age-old natural family prototype,' the foundation's site states, noting that, 'Within the family there must be a clear male leader and that leader must come from the family's lineage.' The foundation didn't respond to NBC4's request for comment. Dwayne Steward, executive director of Equality Ohio, condemned H.B. 262 as 'discriminatory, dehumanizing legislation,' and 'a calculated act of strategic erasure.' 'It not only invalidates the existence of single parents and countless other caregivers, but it takes direct aim at LGBTQ+ families,' Steward said. 'The so-called 'Natural Family Foundation,' the group pushing this legislation, has made their ideology clear: if you're not a heterosexual, monogamous couple with children — led by a biological male from the family lineage — you don't count as a family at all. As an adoptive parent, myself, I feel this erasure personally.' More than 23% of households in Ohio include single parents, U.S. Census data shows. A report from the Williams Institute at the University of California Los Angeles found Ohio's LGBTQ+ population is the sixth largest in the nation, with about 557,000 adults identifying within the community. 'This should be a welcoming state:' DeWine denies claim of 'anti-LGBTQ+ climate' in Ohio H.B. 262 comes ahead of LGBTQ+ Pride Month in June and the 10th anniversary of Obergefell v. Hodges, the 2015 decision establishing the right to same-sex marriage. Reps. Beth Lear (R-Galena) and Josh Williams (R-Sylvania Twp.) introduced the bill with the support of 26 Republican lawmakers, and argue the designation is needed given the U.S. fertility rate recently reached a historic low. 'At a time when marriage is trending downward and young couples are often choosing to remain childless, it's important for the state of Ohio to make a statement that marriage and families are the cornerstone of civil society, and absolutely imperative if we want to maintain a healthy and stable republic,' Lear said. Williams argues H.B. 262 would promote 'the economic and social stability that comes from raising children in healthy, two-parent households.' 'With America facing declining birth rates and a shrinking population, we can no longer afford to ignore the foundational role that strong families play in sustaining our future,' Williams said. 'We must use every tool at our disposal to support the families that are building the next generation of Americans.' Ohio mayors urge more communities to ban anti-LGBTQ+ conversion therapy The bill adds to the list of Statehouse legislation that opponents deem 'anti-LGBTQ+,' like a law banning gender-affirming care for trans youth that is currently in effect while litigation continues. Another is a measure that went into effect in February requiring academic institutions to set separate bathrooms based on students' 'biological sex.' Watch a report of some Ohio mayors calling for an end to conversion therapy in the video player above. A law coined by supporters as 'The Parents' Bill of Rights' requires teachers to notify parents before teaching 'sexuality content' and of changes in a student's mental, emotional or physical health. A national crisis hotline said it received a significant increase in calls from LGBTQ+ youth in Ohio within hours after Gov. Mike DeWine signed it into law. Lawmakers have also debated a proposal to ban universities from asking students their preferred pronouns and another penalizing school districts that use students' chosen name and pronouns without parental permission. Williams reintroduced a bill in April that opponents argue will amount to a ban of drag queens in public. Still, when asked in March to respond to claims that Ohio is fostering an unfriendly climate for LGBTQ+ residents, DeWine said he 'would totally disagree with that.' 'I don't think we have done that,' he said. 'Look, you go back and look at everything that I have said as governor, in 'State of the State' speeches and other times, this should be a welcoming state. We want everybody to come to Ohio and feel welcomed in the state.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Statewide anti-squatting bills supported by Shreveport City Council
SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – The Shreveport City Council looks to propose changes in state law to eliminate the city's ongoing issues with blight and squatters. The council unanimously approved a resolution Monday that supports three bills filed at the Louisiana Capitol. House Bill 262 by Representative Tammy Phelps would change the term 'squatter' to 'adverse possessor.' House Bill 512, introduced by Representative Phelps, would establish the crime of criminal blighting. Senate Bill 189, introduced by Senator Sam Jenkins, would establish the Louisiana Land Bank Authority, enabling local authorities to acquire and manage properties and issue bonds for financing purposes. The council's resolution stated that Phelps and Jenkins both represent the inner city of Shreveport and asked the Louisiana legislature to pass their bills in order to address the city's ongoing issues with squatters. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
New bill promises harsher fines for boaters ignoring efforts to halt spread of invasive species in Montana
Jan. 31—State wildlife officials examine over 100,000 boats annually at roadside inspection stations, searching for signs of hitchhiking critters that could harm local lakes, rivers and streams. Of special concern are zebra and quagga mussels. Both species have been known to reproduce uncontrollably in American waters, causing millions of dollars of infrastructural damage and devastating local ecosystems. In 2024, officials intercepted 42 boats infected with mussels, but Rep. Tom Millet, R-Marion, says more needs to be done to stop the spread of invasive species in Montana. "We have not had such problems that a statewide emergency has been declared, but that does not mean we can sit on our laurels," said Millet at a House Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee hearing Tuesday night. Millet and Rep. Braxton Mitchell, R-Columbia Falls, are sponsoring House Bill 242, which would double the maximum fines for boaters that bypass inspection stations. Boaters charged with negligently transporting invasive species could face fines up to $1,000 for first offenses and $1,500 for subsequent offenses. Those charged with knowingly transporting invasive species could be charged up to $1,950. If passed, it would mark the first time the fines have been raised since their introduction in 2009. The bill has attracted the support of several environmental organizations, including the Whitefish Lake Institute, which helps monitor for invasive species in lakes throughout the Flathead Valley. Program coordinator Durae Belcer said many lakeshore residents know about invasive species and even contribute to monitoring efforts through the organization's citizen science program, but she thinks higher fines could help visitors understand the risks that invasive species pose. "Water and water quality is essential so anything that threatens that resource should be taken seriously," said Belcer. "A fine that is a little bit larger might make them more aware of how important it is." The fine increases would likely only impact a handful of boaters each year. Chief enforcement officer for Montana, Fish, Wildlife and Parks Ron Howel said that, in 2024, the department issued 47 citations and 91 written warnings to boaters that bypassed inspection stations. Under the proposed law, game wardens would still have the discretion to issue verbal and written warnings to boaters that may have mistakenly or unknowingly broken the law. House Bill 262 faced little opposition at its initial hearing. A committee vote has not yet been scheduled. Reporter Hailey Smalley can be reached at hsmalley@
