Republicans this week moved to classify natural gas as green energy, change the head of Ohio’s public education system, and restrict how transgender girls can play sports.
We break down what that means in this week’s episode of Ohio Politics Explained. Podcast from the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau to catch up on state political news in under 15 minutes. This week, host Anna Staber was joined by reporter Nolan Simmons.
1) Gas drilling in state parks
A bill that would make it easier for 4-H students to buy baby chickens got some controversial amendments this week.
Amended House Bill 507, which passed the Senate in a partisan vote, will make it harder for agencies that manage public lands to say no to digging under their properties. It also labels natural gas as green energy and limits the types of pesticides that local governments can ban.
Republicans say the change will make the excavation process under public land (which has been in place for a decade) more efficient. However, Senate Minority Leader Senator Kenny Yuko, D-Richmond Heights, said the change would “determine whether and how excavation will occur in our state parks. It shuts off critical processes and the general public.”
2) transgender athletes
Republicans in the Ohio Senate have made major changes to a bill banning transgender girls from playing on women’s sports teams.
House Bill 151 was introduced to the Senate with a controversial provision requiring doctors to perform pelvic exams to confirm the gender of players. It was removed this week, along with a section making the law apply to public universities.
R-Lima Senate Speaker Matt Huffman told reporters, “There were a lot of things I didn’t like.”
The bill would require athletes to present a birth certificate when gender is questioned.
Huffman plans to deliver a new version next week.
3) Who controls public education
This week, the Senate passed major changes to how public education works in Ohio.
Senate Bill 178 separated education policy from state boards of education and transferred it to the governor’s office. This will create a cabinet-level director position to oversee this newly renamed Department of Education and Labor.
Republicans say the change will take time, while Democrats say it’s a massive restructuring that moves too quickly through the legislature. They hope to have this discussion next year when they have more time to hear from stakeholders.
“This is going to happen…” said Huffman. “If people say we need more time to research it, well, we’ll research and maybe lose some time to get the reform done.”
4) A New Political Battlefield
An increasing number of states are voting for the laws they want enacted. From access to abortion to recreational marijuana to sports betting to casino gambling, statewide voting initiatives are becoming the way to legislate big changes.
Here in Ohio, Republicans want to make it harder to amend the state constitution. With the proposal going before voters as early as next spring, the rules would have to change to require amendments to pass with a 60% majority, rather than the current simple 50% plus 1 vote.
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USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau serves The Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal, and 18 affiliated news organizations in Ohio.