The Ohio Statehouse Scoop Jo Ingles

There are bills that are introduced in the Ohio Legislature that seem to have popular support yet they never seem to be passed. In this episode, Ohio Statehouse Scoop host Jo Ingles identifies some of those bills. She talks with Ohio Public Media Statehouse News Bureau Chief Karen Kasler about why those bills often are not passed by Ohio's General Assemblies.

The Ohio Legislature held a special session last week after Gov. Mike DeWine took the rare step of ordering lawmakers to come back on their week off to do a couple of things. DeWine said he wanted lawmakers to ensure President Biden would be on the November ballot. And he wanted lawmakers to pass a provision that would make it harder for outside groups to wage campaigns. They did both but not without a lot of drama. Ohio Public Media's Jo Ingles talks to Statehouse News Bureau Chief Karen Kasler about what happened.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine took an unusual step and ordered the Ohio Legislature to come back into session the week beginning with Memorial Day. Many lawmakers had planned vacations for that week. But DeWine said it's important the legislature come back to deal with putting Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on the November ballot. As it stands now, Biden won't be certified by his party in time to make it on the ballot this fall. Lawmakers can change that as they've done for both parties in the past but they haven't so far. Now that lawmakers are coming back during the holiday week, the question turns to what will they do? DeWine also wants the legislature to pass a bill that would make it harder for citizens to finance ballot initiatives. What will happen with that? Ohio Statehouse Scoop podcast host Jo Ingles talks to Ohio Public Media Statehouse News Bureau Chief Karen Kasler about what is likely to happen this coming week.

A state rule-making agency is allowing existing medical marijuana suppliers to start the process for selling recreational marijuana next month, provided they meet certain criteria. Also, Ohio is going to have plenty of orange barrels on the highways this summer as road repairs and upgrades are made. Join host Jo Ingles, Ohio Public Media Statehouse News Bureau Chief Karen Kasler and Ohio Public Media Statehouse News Bureau Reporter Sarah Donaldson as they discuss the latest efforts to allow Ohioans 21 years and older to buy recreational marijuana. And Ohio Department of Transportation spokesman Matt Bruning talks about new road construction projects this week on the Ohio Public Media Statehouse News Bureau's Ohio Statehouse Scoop.

President Biden won't be officially nominated as the nominee for the Democratic party until the Democratic National Convention this summer. But that will happen after the deadline for certifying Biden for the Ohio ballot in November. State lawmakers could pass a legislative fix for the problem like they have in the past for presidential candidates in both parties. But they didn't. And a legislative fix might not be possible. Hear from Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and state leaders about what happened. Host Jo Ingles and Ohio Public Media Statehouse News Bureau Chief Karen Kasler explain why it happened and what could be done now to make sure the president is on the November ballot in the Buckeye State.

For 112 years, Ohio has had Home Rule protections in its Constitution that give communities the right to determine their own policies on important issues involving governing. But during the past couple of decades, cities and towns throughout Ohio have seen some of their power erode as the state has increasingly taken control over key policies. In this episode, Ohio historian Tom Suddes talks about the tradition of local control in Ohio. Ohio Public Media Statehouse News Bureau Chief Karen Kasler and podcast host, Jo Ingles, explore what is happening to local control now and changes that might lie ahead. And Rep. Sara Carruthers (R-Hamilton) talks about a piece of legislation she's sponsoring that would give some local control back to communities when it comes to cracking down on puppy mills.