Latest news with #Statehouse
Washington Post
a day ago
- Business
- Washington Post
Iowa state lawmaker enters US Senate race after Ernst retort on Medicaid cuts
SIOUX CITY, Iowa — Iowa state Rep. J.D. Scholten, a Democrat, announced a run for U.S. Senate on Monday, a decision he says he made after U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst made a retort about Medicaid cuts that prompted swift backlash. Scholten, from northwest Iowa, was first elected to the statehouse in 2023 after twice losing congressional races in Iowa's reliably conservative 4th Congressional District.
Miami Herald
2 days ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
Ohio's revenue and pitfalls provide insight amid Pennsylvania's marijuana legalization battle
A preview of a possible future policy debate in Pennsylvania - with such questions as: "Should we let them grow 12 pot plants or six?" and "What about all those Poison Control calls?" - now is playing out in Ohio. The Buckeye State was the most recent of Pennsylvania's neighbors to legalize recreational marijuana. About 10 months into the new era, lawmakers in Columbus already want to overhaul the law that made cannabis legal. It's happening just as Pennsylvania lawmakers are reaching crunch time in their own marijuana musings. Gov. Josh Shapiro, a legalization advocate, tucked $500 million-plus in anticipated revenue from legalization into his proposed 2025-26 budget, and the deadline for state budget approval is June 30. Ohio, like Pennsylvania, has allowed medical marijuana sales for years. But reviews of how things have gone since recreational sales began on Aug. 6 are decidedly mixed. "I am not sure they did anything right," Tim Johnson, a consultant who has testified in the Statehouse in Columbus, said of the law's creators. Johnson, a retired Ohio law enforcement officer, consults for the marijuana industry and advocates for veterans, consumers and patients. Ohio's law got on the books via a Nov. 7, 2023, voter referendum. Tom Haren, an attorney with a Cleveland firm and a leading proponent of the ballot measure, praised its success. Naysayers, he said, have been proven wrong. "As expected, a dispensary shows in somebody's neighborhood, and all of the boogeymen that the prohibitionists warned about never show up," Haren said. Almost a year into the experiment, Ohio lawmakers have proposed changes to the revenue flow; putting a cap on the number of dispensaries; changing the licensing setup; and reducing the number of plants that can be grown in a home from 12 to 6. The activity in Ohio has the attention of Pennsylvania lawmakers. And it has fueled proponents' arguments that potential tax revenue is leaving Pennsylvania as marijuana buyers head to other states. Pennsylvania is "late to the game" but can "learn from the mistakes" elsewhere, Democratic Rep. Rick Krajewski of Philadelphia told a House committee in Harrisburg on May 5. A 173-page legalization bill he sponsored passed the Democratic-controlled House that week, but was then voted down by a Republican-controlled Senate committee. Ohio's 2023 approval happened via an "initiated statute" process in which non-lawmakers who feel an issue has been mishandled or ignored can have a proposed law put to a vote of Ohio residents. At the time of the Ohio vote, four other Pennsylvania neighbors - New Jersey, New York, Maryland and Delaware - had all made recreational cannabis use legal within the previous three years. The Ohio ballot measure passed by a 57% to 43% margin. The law created a Division of Cannabis Control to oversee the system. It set a specific limit on the level of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, content permitted; allowed the growing of 12 marijuana plants in a home where two or more people who are over 21 reside; and set an "adult use cannabis tax" of 10% on marijuana purchases made at dispensaries. It also left the state's medical marijuana program intact. How it has worked in Ohio As of May 24, Ohio's 10-month-old recreational industry had sold 81,900 pounds of marijuana for nearly $540 million via nearly 7.5 million individual transactions. The 147 licensed dispensaries pay an initial fee of $70,000 and another $70,000 every two years for license renewal. Another 12 dispensaries are operating on provisional licenses. There are also 37 holders of licenses for growers and cultivators. The most popular level of that license has an annual license renewal fee of $200,000. Testing labs also must be licensed. What Ohio did not do, according to Johnson, was protect consumers, patients and workers. In fact, Johnson said the Ohio law created an "entrapment program" for users because it failed to increase what he described as the ultra-low levels of metabolized marijuana that currently exist in state law as measuring sticks for intoxication. Hence, Johnson said, someone who uses a small amount of marijuana one day may still have a threshold-breaking blood- or urine-test level weeks later. For employers, he said, this means a lot of positive drug tests among prospective employees. "Employers are starting to find out, 'Hey, we've got to stop testing for THC so we can hire people,'" Johnson said. The Ohio statute allows the Legislature to change the referendum-adopted law, and multiple change bills have been submitted. Haren, who views the Ohio program as a success, said it helped to build it off the existing medical marijuana infrastructure. Medical sellers were able to accommodate additional requirements under the new recreational law and - in Haren's view - operationally flip a switch and sell to both markets. "The only real difference is who is eligible to buy it," he said. Children, poisonings and hospitals Still, the broader Ohio discussion isn't over on whether recreational marijuana is a good thing. Testimony submitted to Ohio lawmakers a few weeks ago by a group of medical leaders at the state's children's hospitals sounded an alarm. "The number of accidental poisonings reported to Ohio Poison Centers for all age groups has increased 20-fold from baseline levels prior to the introduction of retail medical marijuana in early 2019," they said, with younger children suffering the most. Symptoms can include hallucinations, confusion, loss of consciousness and respiratory failure. In 2024, they said, nearly 500 children under 6 years old were seen in emergency rooms after ingesting a THC-based product. The much-respected Cleveland Clinic maintains a list of marijuana risks on its website that include an increased chance of auto crashes; increased chance of injury among adults over 65; contamination with pesticides or other harmful substances; and an addiction rate of about 1 in 10 adult users. Aaron Baer, president of the Columbus-based nonprofit Center for Christian Virtue, said his advice to Pennsylvania lawmakers is to "run away from this as fast as you can, for your kids' sake." In terms of academic achievement, economic development and helping people in poverty, it is difficult to argue that having more marijuana users benefits a state, he said. "It goes contrary to everything else we say we care about," he said. How other states did it Among Pennsylvania's neighbors, West Virginia is the only state that has not decriminalized recreational marijuana. And while the other states changed their laws in somewhat quick succession, they did it in different ways. In 2021, the governors of New Jersey and New York each signed bills that allowed marijuana use, and in 2022 Maryland voters passed a ballot referendum on the issue with 67% of voters in favor. In 2023, Delaware Gov. John Carney put out a statement that said he remained concerned about marijuana legalization, and "especially about the potential effects on Delaware's children, on the safety of our roadways and on our poorest neighborhoods." Carney declined to sign two bills that reached his desk - one to remove all state-level penalties for simple possession and the other creating regulations - and the bills lapsed into law. In Harrisburg, legalization concepts continue to percolate after the May 13 Senate committee shootdown of the House-passed bill. The Senate and House return to Harrisburg for voting sessions starting Monday. _____ Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Gov. Mike Braun: ‘Hoosier safety is top priority'
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun ceremonially signs legislation in his Statehouse office on Wednesday, May 28, 2025. He is flanked by administration officials, lawmakers, law enforcement officers and impacted family. (Leslie Bonilla Muñiz/Indiana Capital Chronicle) It may have been just a ceremonial signing but Indiana Gov. Mike Braun and advocates lauded two public safety bills Wednesday afternoon. Braun signed Senate Enrolled Act 324 and House Enrolled Act 1014, both bills to protect Hoosier families as a part of his agenda, he said. 'Keeping Hoosiers safe is our top priority, and we've secured several wins for public safety this session.' Braun said in a news release. 'These bills will increase the penalty for pushing fentanyl on our streets, help keep police officers safe, and make our communities safer for Hoosier families.' SEA 324, effective July 1, increases penalty levels for crimes involving fentanyl. It also states that a court must consider requiring a person charged with domestic violence to wear a monitoring device as a condition of bail. The bill hits close to home for one Indiana family — the Stoebick's, who attended the bill signing after losing a loved one to domestic violence. Jessica Stoebick, a nurse at Riley Hospital for Children, was murdered by her ex-husband after a history of domestic abuse incidents on Dec. 18, 2023. Her mother, Bobbi Stoebick stood next to Braun as he signed the bill wearing a shirt that read 'I wear purple for my daughter. Stop domestic violence.' Jessica's father and sister also attended. Bobbi Stoebick said she thinks that if her daughter's ex-husband was wearing a ankle monitor, her daughter would have had more time to prepare herself. 'It is baby steps,' She said after the signing. 'Women live in fear everyday, it has to stop.' Braun also signed HEA 1014, which will restrict government entities from hosting or organizing obscene performances. 'That's just common sense,' Braun said about the bill. 'It just isn't what the government should be spending taxpayer dollars on.' During the legislative session, no examples were provided of any such instances. The law also makes it a sentencing aggravator to be in the U.S. 'unlawfully,' as well as having distributed a controlled substance. 'There are no disruptions from the federal border,' Braun said. 'Things are already getting better.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Kansas trans kids file lawsuit over new law banning gender-affirming care
Kansans rally in support of transgender rights May 5, 2023, at the Statehouse in Topeka. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector) TOPEKA — Two transgender teenagers and their parents are challenging a new Kansas law that bans gender-affirming care for minors. The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas and the national ACLU filed a lawsuit Wednesday in Douglas County District Court on behalf of a 16-year-old trans boy and a 13-year-old trans girl. The lawsuit argues the new law violates state constitutional rights for equal protection, personal autonomy, and parenting. Senate Bill 63 prohibits health care providers from using surgery, hormones or puberty blockers to treat anyone younger than 18 who identifies with a gender that is different from the sex they were assigned at birth. Health care providers who break the law may be subject to civil penalties and stripped of their license. The ACLU is seeking an injunction to block enforcement of the law while the case is being litigated. 'Every Kansan should have the freedom to make their own private medical decisions and consult with their doctors without the intrusion of Kansas politicians,' said D.C. Hiegert, a legal fellow for the ACLU of Kansas. 'SB 63 is a particularly harmful example of politicians' overreach and their efforts to target, politicize, and control the health care of already vulnerable Kansas families.' The GOP-led Legislature passed SB 63 and overrode a veto by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly earlier this year, ignoring overwhelming opposition from Kansas social workers, teachers, medical providers and members of the LGBTQ+ community who said gender-affirming care saves lives by acknowledging and supporting vulnerable kids for who they are. The lawsuit points to medical guidance established by the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Endocrine Society and others surrounding gender identity, gender expression, and gender dysphoria. The guidelines require medical providers to confirm a minor has demonstrated a long-lasting and intense pattern of gender nonconformity, that the condition worsened with the onset of puberty, that coexisting psychological or social problems have been addressed, and that the patient has sufficient mental capacity to provide informed consent. Both of the plaintiffs, the lawsuit says, identified from a young age with a gender other than their sex assigned at birth. They are identified by pseudonyms. The family of the 16-year-old boy, who lives in Johnson County, moved from Texas to Kansas in 2022 to escape a rise in anti-trans legislation. When he started going through puberty, he 'could not stand the feminine aspects of his body,' the lawsuit says. A therapist and medical providers diagnosed him with gender dysphoria and recommended hormone therapy, because he had already started going through puberty. Now that he is taking testosterone, the lawsuit says, 'he is more comfortable in his body, and happier,' and he has 'blossomed at school and in his social life.' The 13-year-old girl, who lives in Douglas County, has lived as a girl since second grade. She legally changed her name in 2020 and changed the gender designation on her birth certificate in 2023. After consulting with doctors in 2024, she decided puberty blockers were the right choice to benefit her mental health, the lawsuit says. As soon as she received her first shot last year, at age 12, she 'literally started dancing,' the lawsuit says. 'She felt such enormous relief from no longer needing to worry about puberty, and had so much less fear,' the lawsuit says. 'The puberty blocking shots let her be herself, happy, and carefree.' She has not had any negative side effects from the shots, which last about six months, the lawsuit says. But her last shot was in November, and her next shot was supposed to be in late May. If she waits more than a few weeks, the lawsuit says, the medication will stop working. The lawsuit says both families have looked for care in other states as a result of the new law. Harper Seldin, senior staff attorney for the ACLU's LGBTQ and HIV Project, said all transgender Kansans should have the freedom to be themselves. 'Bans like SB 63 have already had catastrophic effects on the families of transgender youth across the country,' Seldin said. 'These bans have uprooted many families from the only homes they've ever known while forcing many more to watch their young people suffer knowing a politician stands between them and their family doctor's best medical judgment.' In addition to banning gender-affirming care, SB 63 bans the use of state funds for mental health care for transgender children, bans state employees from promoting 'social transitioning,' which is defined to include the use of preferred pronouns, and outlaws liability insurance for damages related to gender-affirming care. The model legislation, labeled the 'Help Not Harm Act,' was supported by faith-based anti-LGBTQ+ groups in and outside of Kansas. When the Legislature overrode the governor's veto in February, Brittany Jones, director of policy and engagement for Kansas Family Voice, said lawmakers voted on the side of 'common sense.' 'Every child deserves to be loved and protected — not manipulated into making life-altering decisions by individuals who profit off of those decisions,' Jones said. 'We celebrate this new day in Kansas in which Kansas children are protected.'
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ohio bill would make Superman the state's official superhero, but not until 2033
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Superman! A bipartisan bill has flown into the Statehouse to make the character Ohio's official superhero, after the comic book hero's new movie filmed in the state last year. House Bill 270 calls for Superman to be adopted as the official superhero of Ohio beginning on April 18, 2033, when the character enters the public domain. Rep. Adam Mathews (R-Lebanon), one of the bill's sponsors, said Superman is one of Ohio's most notable cultural exports, originating in Cleveland where writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster created the hero while attending Glenville High School in 1933. Ohio bill would cap 'junk fees' on tickets for concerts, sporting events 'Superman has become a cultural phenomenon, a testament to the impact of Ohio's creators and innovators, and the character has served to showcase Ohio's culture, art, and architecture on a global stage,' said Mathews during H.B. 270's first hearing in the House General Government Committee on May 20. Mathews argued now is the time to honor Superman given the DC Studios move titled simply 'Superman' is flying into theaters this July after filming in Cincinnati and Cleveland last summer. Watch a previous NBC4 report on 'Superman' in Ohio in the video player above. The film, which was awarded $11 million in Ohio tax credits and hired several thousand locals, rolled cameras at Cleveland's Public Square, Progressive Field, Headlands Beach State Park and in Sandusky. Actor David Corenswet, cast as Superman, was seen donning the character's iconic costume while walking down the steps of City Hall. Rep. Terrence Upchurch (D-Cleveland), the bill's other sponsor, said he hopes the movie will cause Cleveland to become a hub for talent recruitment throughout the film industry. 'I am extremely proud to be from a city with such rich history and achievement and am honored that the new 'Superman' movie is being filmed in our city, transforming our downtown into Metropolis,' said Upchurch during the May hearing. 'I may be biased, but I believe Cleveland has one of the most beautiful downtowns in the state and this film provides the opportunity to showcase it.' Poisonous plant rapidly spreading across Ohio: what to do if you see it Director James Gunn, who previously helmed Marvel's 'Guardians of the Galaxy' trilogy, is relaunching DC's cinematic franchise with Corenswet as Clark Kent, replacing British actor Henry Cavill, who first starred as Superman in 2013's 'Man of Steel.' Gunn took to social media last July to thank Cleveland, writing that when he came to scout the city's filming locations in 2023, Terminal Tower was lit up with Superman's signature colors. 'Cleveland — today we are leaving you after six amazing weeks of shooting,' Gunn's post read. 'I would walk down your streets and someone would stop me and tell me how grateful they were we were shooting in their city — not once, not twice, but dozens of times.' Filming in Ohio kicked off on June 17 last year, with the last possible production date in the state marked for Aug. 23, according to the tax credit application. Broken down, the application said the production in Ohio accounted for 133 days for preparation, 37 for shooting and 31 for wrap. That means 25% of Gunn's movie was filmed in Ohio. Gunn's Ohio-related expenses were projected to exceed $36 million, which makes up about 10% of the movie's total budget of more than $363 million. Gunn also briefly filmed in Cincinnati, where crews were spotted at Union Terminal, known to be the inspiration for the Justice League's headquarters in the 1970s animated 'Super Friends' series. State leaders still think it's too easy to amend the Ohio Constitution Just as people travel to New Zealand to see the rolling hills on the Shire, we want themto travel to Cincinnati to see the Hall of Justice, Mathews said. 'Ohio is the birthplace of flight, both for airplanes and superheroes, and this bill honors one of our key cultural achievements with the recognition it has earned,' said Mathews. 'Highlighting the gift that Superman is, as a force for truth, justice, and the American way, could not be any more Ohio.' H.B. 270 could receive additional hearings in the House General Government Committee hearing. 'Superman' is scheduled to be released in theaters on July 11. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
