Latest news with #Ohioans'
Axios
6 days ago
- Business
- Axios
OH Senate proposes giving Browns $600M from taxpayers' unclaimed funds
The Ohio Senate passed its version of the biennial state budget this week, which includes a new method for publicly subsidizing the proposed Browns stadium in Brook Park. State of play: Under the proposal, the state would give the Haslam Sports Group $600 million in a cash grant siphoned from a pot of Ohioans' unclaimed funds. Per the Ohio Department of Commerce, the state currently holds roughly $4.8 billion in these funds: things like uncashed last paychecks, dormant bank accounts and rental and utility deposits. What they're saying: "It's dead on arrival," Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne said Wednesday in criticizing the proposal during a wide-ranging interview on ESPN 850. "This is not just robbing Peter to pay Paul," he earlier said at a press conference Tuesday evening. "It's robbing Bob and Betty Buckeye to pay Jimmy and Dee Haslam." Ronayne referred to the proposal variously as "a boondoggle," "piracy" and "the worst idea in the history of public policy." Between the lines: The House budget version calls for paying the Browns $600 million in money financed with state bonds, which would be paid back over 25 years with tax revenue generated by the project. DeWine prefers doubling an existing tax on sports betting companies to pay for the Browns stadium and other pro sports facilities. Ronayne likes that idea, too. In the meantime, Ronayne's on a campaign to publicize the pot of unclaimed funds and is urging Ohioans to collect.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost suspends campaign for governor
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost. (Photo by) Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced the suspension of his gubernatorial campaign in an email to supporters on Friday. Yost said he has enjoyed traveling around the state engaging with Ohioans in his bid to succeed term-limited Governor Mike DeWine, but 'it is also apparent that a steep climb to the nomination for governor has become a vertical cliff.' 'I do not wish to divide my political party or my state with a quixotic battle over the small differences between my vision and that of my opponent,' Yost wrote, seeming to refer to fellow candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. 'I am simply not that important.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur who was also the co-leader with Elon Musk of the Trump-created Department of Government Efficiency, received the Ohio Republican Party's gubernatorial endorsement on May 9. Yost said the state 'has challenges ahead' and Columbus 'needs re-engineering, not demolition.' He warned of a 'comeback attempt' by former U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown that could 'unwind all of the good that the last 15 years of Republican leadership has brought.' 'This is a time to protect Ohio, not a time for a family squabble,' Yost wrote. Brown has not formally announced any bid for elected office, but former Ohio Department of Health director Amy Acton has already thrown her hat in the ring to vie for the governor's seat as a Democrat. Yost, whose term as state attorney general runs until Jan. 2027, plans to 'continue to fight for Ohio and Ohioans' for the rest of his tenure, but 'I suspect that this is not my final chapter,' he told supporters. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ohio primary election: What's on the ballot, and where can I vote?
(WKBN) – Ohio's primary election is Tuesday, May 6. Polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. You can find your polling place on the Secretary of State's website. A valid photo ID is required to vote. Early in-person absentee voting began last month. Applications for absentee ballots to be mailed must have been received by the boards of elections by April 29. Absentee ballots, returned in person or via a method other than U.S. Mail, must be received by the boards of elections by the close of polls. Absentee ballots returned by U.S. Mail must be postmarked no later than May 5 and received by the boards of elections by May 10 to be counted. The deadline to register to vote in Ohio has already passed — that deadline was April 7. You can check your voter registration online. There is one statewide issue on the ballot. Issue 2 would allow the state to continue issuing bonds to fund major infrastructure projects at the local level. The program itself is not new. Ohio voters first approved it in 1987 and re-approved it through three separate constitutional amendments since then — the most recent in 2014. The last amendment will sunset on July 1. Issue 2 would amend the Ohio Constitution to allow the state to issue general obligation bonds to help local governments pay for capital improvement projects through the State Capital Improvement Program. The issue does not levy a new tax on Ohioans, since bonds are part of state budget planning, according to the sponsoring lawmakers. But Ohioans' tax dollars would continue to pay down the debts incurred by local governments that take advantage of the program, according to the Ohio Ballot Board. The new debts could take up to 30 years to repay. Locally, there are several candidates running for positions in the primary. In Youngstown, incumbent Mayor Tito Brown is being challenged by City Councilwoman Samantha Turner for the Democratic nomination. The winner will be on the November ballot to face the Republican and Independent candidates. There are also candidates running for Youngstown City Council. Poland Schools is trying to pass an emergency renewal levy, while Lowellville has an income tax increase of 2.5% on the ballot. In Trumbull County, several candidates are running for spots on the Warren and Niles city councils. Girard and Newton Falls also have city council races on the ballot. Vienna Township Fire and EMS has a five-year, 3.5 mills additional levy on the ballot. Vienna is trying to build its fire department's ambulance service back up while the township remains in fiscal emergency. The levy would generate $480,000 a year for the fire department, allowing it to bring back part-time personnel. Champion Township Police also put a five-year, 1.6-mill additional levy on the ballot. The police department said its expenses have exceeded tax revenue every year since 2021. The levy would cost the owner of a $100,000 home $56 per year and generate $413,000 a year for the department. In Columbiana County, Kelly Linger and Danielle Menning are running for Municipal Court Judge in a race that has become contentious at times. Menning was hired in the prosecutor's office in 2020 and is now assigned to juvenile court. Linger was hired as an assistant prosecutor a year later but was appointed last July by Governor Mike DeWine to fill a vacancy on the court. There are also several renewal levies and a Salem City Council race. You can see all of the issues and races on the ballot on the local boards of elections websites here: Columbiana County Board of Elections Mahoning County Board of Elections Trumbull County Board of Elections Justin Dennis contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Five potential legal changes included in the Ohio budget passed by the House
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The Ohio House passed an over 5,000-page biennial budget bill this month that includes not only $61 billion in state spending but also law changes on topics ranging from abortion to adult websites and driver's ed. On April 9, after two months of testimony and negotiations, lawmakers in the House passed a proposed state budget for the next two years by a 60-39 vote. The legislation will now be reviewed by state senators, who will have the opportunity to make changes before it heads to Gov. Mike DeWine's desk for final approval. Ohio Supreme Court to decide same-sex parental rights case The version of the budget passed by the House included multiple controversial provisions, many of which do not make spending appropriations but rather create or update state laws. Five of those provisions can be found below. The budget bill would require pornography websites or any site that hosts content that is 'obscene or harmful to juveniles' to verify visitors are over 18 years old through photo identification or other documentation. Specifically, users would confirm their age through a copy of a government-issued photo ID or another personal document, such as proof of a mortgage or employment. Companies would be required to 'immediately' delete such documents after the age verification is complete. However, websites would be able to store the documents if an individual has an account. If a resident has a profile, they would have to go through age verification every two years after its creation. If a user does not renew their account within two years, all age-verifying documents would be deleted. Ohio State faculty vote to join Big Ten alliance against Trump Adult websites would be responsible for using a system to monitor the location of their visitors to ensure Ohioans' ages are verified. If an adult website fails to verify a user's age and a minor gains access to its content, the Ohio attorney general may bring a civil lawsuit against the company. No other person or entity would be permitted to file a civil action, the provision says. Lawmakers introduced similar bills pushing for this change in both this General Assembly and the past legislative session. The House-passed version of the state budget would require all individuals under 21 years old to complete driver's education to obtain their license, while the current law only requires the training for those under 18. Ohio drivers under 18 who are obtaining their license for the first time must have a minimum of 24 hours of classroom instruction, eight hours of behind-the-wheel instruction, and 50 hours of in-car supervised practice before they can take the road test. Currently, legal adults do not need to complete these requirements to get a license; they just need to pass the road test. The budget bill would codify that the state recognizes only two sexes, male and female, and that these sexes are 'not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality.' The bill defines gender identity as an individual's 'internal and subjective' sense of self that is 'disconnected from biological reality' and cannot be recognized as a replacement for sex. It further specifies that the state recognizes women as individuals who belong, at conception, to the sex that produces egg cells, while men belong to the sex that produces sperm cells. The bill would also require public libraries to place material 'related to sexual orientation or gender identity or expression' in a portion of the public library that is not primarily open to the view of minors. Ohio University attempts to include student, faculty input in anti-DEI requirements Furthermore, it would prohibit state agencies from displaying any flag, like a pride flag or other political symbols. Only the United States, Ohio and POW/MIA (Prisoners of War/Missing in Action) flags would be permitted at government buildings. If the budget bill were to pass as is, Ohioans would no longer see county coroners on the ballot, as boards of commissioners would begin appointing the position instead. Coroners investigate and certify the causes of death for people who die within their jurisdiction, primarily under unnatural or suspicious circumstances. The job is elected in almost all of the state's counties. Summit and Cuyahoga counties alternatively have appointed medical examiners, who typically have more extensive forensic pathology training. Numerous coroners have come out against the provision, expressing concern that appointments could invite political influence into death investigations. Judge dismisses parent lawsuit against Hilliard schools over LGBTQ+ policies 'We feel the best system for the state of Ohio and for all Ohioans is to elect the coroner to preserve the impartiality, the integrity and the independence of death investigation in the state,' David Corey, executive director of the Ohio State Coroners Association, recently told NBC4. 'By being appointed corner, you're beholden to the people or the person that appoints you, versus trying to just find out the truth and serving the county electorate.' The County Commissioners Association of Ohio has long lobbied for the change, claiming many counties have problems recruiting candidates for the role. The group also believes the change would allow for commissioners to 'share, combine or reorganize' the duties of the coroner across a larger geographic area for a more efficient system. Ohio law requires certain information about abortions performed in the state to be reported to the Department of Health through a confidential form given to patients. The document includes medical history and demographic information. The data from the forms is summarized into annual reports that are publicly released, detailing abortion statistics in the state. Patients' names are not included. The budget bill would require the department to develop a public electronic dashboard and publish abortion data from these forms every month. The continuously updating dashboard would include similar data as the annual reports, including the total number of abortions, patients' ages, if they are Ohio or out-of-state residents, and marital status. The monthly dashboard would also add a new statistic, listing the number of abortions performed on minors by each facility. This would not replace the annual report but supplement it. The Senate will send a completed version of the bill to DeWine's desk by June 30. As with all spending bills, DeWine can reject certain provisions within the legislation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
What is Issue 2 on Ohio's May 6 ballot?
(WJW) — The only statewide issue up to Ohio voters in the May 6 primary election would allow the state to continue issuing bonds to fund major infrastructure projects at the local level. Issue 2 would amend the Ohio Constitution to allow the state to issue general obligation bonds to help local governments pay for capital improvement projects like roads and bridges, wastewater treatment systems, storm water management and more through the State Capital Improvement Program. How to vote early in Ohio's May 6 primary election The issue does not levy a new tax on Ohioans, since bonds are part of state budget planning, according to the sponsoring lawmakers. But Ohioans' tax dollars would continue to pay down the debts incurred by local governments that take advantage of the program, according to the Ohio Ballot Board. The new debts could take up to 30 years to repay. The program itself is nothing new. Ohio voters first approved it in 1987 and re-approved it through three separate constitutional amendments since then — the most recent in 2014. The last amendment will sunset on July 1. The upcoming issue also raises the annual limit for state-issued bonds from $200 million to $250 million, or $2.5 billion over the amendment's 10-year authorization. The program started out at $120 million per year. The program has funded nearly 19,000 projects since it began and each dollar funded by the program typically leverages $2 to $3, Linda Bailiff, director of the Ohio Public Works Commission, testified before a Senate committee in November, in favor of the resolution to create the ballot issue. Cleveland voters to cast ballots at new voting locations The project review committee administering the program awarded the city of Cleveland more than $9 million in 2024 and about $8 million in 2023, according to James DeRosa, director of the Mayor's Office of Capital Projects. 'This represents a significant source of funding for the city to address aged infrastructure while facing the challenges of uncertain revenue streams and ever-rising project costs,' he testified before the Senate committee in November, also in favor of the resolution. The issue was added to the primary election ballot through a bipartisan joint resolution adopted in the last General Assembly, which saw near-unanimous support in both chambers. The measure can be approved with a simple majority vote. A vote for 'yes' on the May 6 ballot is a vote to renew the 38-year-old program for another 10 years. A 'no' vote is a vote not to renew the program. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
