Jo Ingles

This week marked the second in a row without a voting session in the Ohio House. All sessions were canceled because majority Republicans cannot decide on a leader to replace former House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger. He resigned in April and is embroiled in an FBI investigation involving his associations with payday lending lobbyists. 

Ohio House sessions for this week have, once again, been cancelled due to controversy over who will be the next speaker. The fight that’s been brewing among majority Republicans in the House Is now affecting the business of the legislature - and is quickly becoming a campaign issue.

Voters approved an overhaul of the way Ohio’s Congressional district map will be drawn in the future. But a lawsuit has been filed in federal court against the current map, which opponents say is a result of partisan gerrymandering. 

It’s been over a week now since the Ohio House Republican Caucus failed to come up with enough votes to name a new speaker to take over for the rest of this year. House leaders say they hope to do that tomorrow.  The pressure is mounting for majority lawmakers to pick a leader soon.

"Without a speaker, the House is essentially rudderless and that is making the ability for anybody to get any type of public policy accomplished difficult to impossible." - Keith Lake, Ohio Chamber of Commerce

(Updated info)

The Ohio House was scheduled to meet Tuesday, but there are questions about who will lead that session and the other two that are scheduled, or whether they will still happen at all. A House spokesman said some members couldn’t make it tomorrow morning.  But there were also concerns about whether a session called by somone other than a speaker would be valid - that session had been called by interim Speaker Kirk Schuring (R-Canton).

There was bad news for some of those challenging the process behind the state’s medical marijuana program, but that’s good news for its future. 

Studies show in the near future, about 2/3 of Ohio’s jobs will require some college or skilled vocational training. But the cost of getting that education often leaves Ohioans will thousands of dollars in student loans that hinder their buying power and ability to succeed financially. 

Backers of a constitutional amendment that would allow the state to allow voters to decide to regulate marijuana like alcohol will soon able to start collecting signatures to put it before voters. 

The Ohio House has canceled its sessions while the Republican caucus works behind the scenes to figure out who will replace Speaker Cliff Rosenberger. He resigned in April amid an FBI inquiry into his associations with lobbyists. Democrats and the Republican leader of the Ohio Senate say they are not going to step into the fight.

Still no word on who the next speaker of the Ohio House might be. Republican state lawmakers met for hours Tuesday and couldn't agree on a nominee.

Fifty years ago, Martin Luther King Jr. advocated for Americans living in poverty in what was called the “Poor People’s Campaign.” But advocates for poor Ohioans say the problems that existed are still common. So, they’re relaunching the effort that was first kicked off a half a century ago.

Backers of a proposed constitutional amendment to make marijuana legal in Ohio have passed the first big hurdle in that process. 

This Tuesday’s primary election could have a big impact on who gets elected by state lawmakers to be the House Speaker next week. 

Numbers from the Ohio Secretary of State’s office show the so-called blue wave, nicknamed for Democratic enthusiasm that’s been evident in recent races in other states, might not be real in Ohio. 

Former Ohio Attorney General and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Chief Rich Cordray will be running as the Democratic gubernatorial candidate in November after winning last night’s primary. And his victory was resounding.

Thousands of Ohioans are going to the polls tomorrow to cast their ballots in the primary for governor, US Senator, Congress and state lawmakers as well as a plan to change the redistricting process – and there are nearly 500 local levies and other issues on the ballot. 

It’s crunch time for the four Democratic gubernatorial candidates who want to be Ohio’s next governor. They are making their final pitches to voters during the final hours of their campaigns, trying to get their vote on Tuesday. 

A bill will be introduced later this week that would change the rules under which lawmakers accept gifts and would ban international travel. This comes in the wake of the resignation of former House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger, who has hired an attorney to deal with inquiries from the FBI. 

A new bill has been introduced that would require health classes cover fetal development and offer students information on where they can find prenatal care. But it doesn’t include other related information.

The Democratic and Republican candidates for governor have filed their final fundraising reports before the May primary. And there’s a clear winner in the money race.

The only abortion clinic in the Toledo area has stopped performing surgical abortions….at least for now. 

Gov. John Kasich has been urging lawmakers to pass a bill that would put a red flag law in place to prevent people deemed dangerous by a court from buying guns. It would also ban bump stock attachments for guns and make other reforms. But it appears it won’t be easy to get it passed.

Employers could be getting a big rebate if the Board of Directors for the Ohio Bureau of Worker’s Compensation approves it. 

Some Democratic lawmakers want an independent investigation into what prompted former House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger to resign. 

Ohio’s medical marijuana program is supposed to be fully operational on September 8. But there are court battles over problems with the process of choosing cultivators. Some fear it might delay the start of the program. 

A petition submitted by backers of an all-out legalization of marijuana to put the issue before Ohio voters has been rejected.

The Republican leader of Ohio’s Senate says the short term goals of his caucus have been accomplished. But some lawmakers disagree.

A federal appeals court has unanimously upheld a decision that says a Planned Parenthood defunding law backed by Ohio lawmakers and Gov. John Kasich is unconstitutional.

The Democratic race for governor is taking a nastier turn. The two candidates thought to be the frontrunners are sparring over their ties to certain organizations.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Richard Cordray got a boost today from Democratic Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren - who progressives idolize and conservatives strongly oppose.