The Ohio Statehouse Scoop

On this week's Ohio Statehouse Scoop, Host Jo Ingles talks to former Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown about his first days out of that office and his plans for the future. Ohio Public Media Statehouse News Bureau Chief Karen Kasler and Reporter Sarah Donaldson join Ingles to talk about Dr. Amy Acton, former Ohio Health Department director, throwing her hat in the ring for a gubernatorial run in 2026. An...

Happy 2025! Ohio begins this year with some new laws. Ohio Statehouse Scoop Host Jo Ingles explains some of those changes. She talked with Chris Davey, a spokesman for the failed redistricting reform effort in November, about where the group plans to go with its quest to change the process Ohio uses to draw congressional and legislative districts in the future. Ingles is joined by Ohio Public Medi...

As we close out 2024, we remember the big stories that made headlines during this inaugural year of the Ohio Statehouse Scoop. Podcast host Jo Ingles and Ohio Public Media Statehouse News Bureau Chief Karen Kasler recap the big stories that made news in Ohio this year.

The Ohio Legislature didn't end up voting to give itself a pay raise but it did pass some major changes to education and elections in the final days of the lame duck session. Ohio Statehouse Scoop Host Jo Ingles reports on some of those changes in this podcast. Ohio Public Media Statehouse News Bureau Chief Karen Kasler joined Jo to talk about the Christmas tree bill and other big pieces of legisl...

As the Lame Duck session in Ohio continues, several big bills are on the table, including HB 8. That's the Ohio Parents Bill of Rights, something opponents refer to as the Buckeye State's version of the "Don't Say Gay" bill. There's a controversial provision attached to it that requires K-12 school districts to adopt policies for Lifewise and other religious-based groups that want to take kids off...

Any doubt that Ohio is a red state was laid to rest in November. Democrats lost in nearly all races and are even more outnumbered. So what went wrong and how do Democrats in Ohio move forward? In this episode, Ohio Statehouse Scoop host Jo Ingles delves into those questions. Ohio Public Media Statehouse News Bureau Chief Karen Kasler talked with some of the party's key players. And Statehouse News...

There's a bill in the Ohio Legislature to require public school districts to develop a policy on conditions under which release for religious instruction could be allowed. Lifewise, the Christian-based program in operation in many Ohio schools, has been taking elementary students off campus from schools during the day to provide religious education with permission from the student's parents. Howev...

Majority Republicans in their caucus have chosen a new leader but Matt Huffman needs no introduction. He's currently serving as the president of the Ohio Senate. When he comes over to the Ohio House in January, he will likely lead that chamber as the speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives. Ohio Statehouse Scoop Host Jo Ingles explains Huffman will take over the position now held by Speaker J...

After months of campaigning, the Ohio Legislature returned to the Ohio Statehouse this week. The first thing lawmakers did when they got there was to pass a controversial bill that requires students to use bathrooms that correspond with the gender listed on their birth certificates. Ohio Statehouse Scoop Host Jo Ingles reports this week, majority Republicans in the Ohio House and Senate will choos...

The election is over and former President Donald Trump was even more popular with Ohioans than any other time he's been on the ballot. Trump won the Buckeye State by 12 points (according to unofficial numbers). And that red wave washed away long-time U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown, the defacto leader of the state's Democrats. So what does this all mean? In this week's Ohio Statehouse Scoop, host Jo In...

In this podcast, Ohio Statehouse Scoop Host Jo Ingles talks to Ohio Public Media Statehouse News Bureau Chief Karen Kasler and Reporter Sarah Donaldson about the political landscape in the Buckeye State going into Election Day and the final pitch candidates are making. We remember former Ohio House Speaker JoAnn Davidson, the first and only woman to serve in that role, as she was laid to rest this...

This week is the final full week of early voting leading up to the November 5 election. Ohio Statehouse Scoop host Jo Ingles reports on voter confusion over Issue 1. She is joined by reporter Sarah Donaldson and Bureau Chief Karen Kasler to talk about what's behind the enormous number of challenges of voter registrations at local boards of elections and discuss efforts by the state to bring charge...

With less than two weeks to go of early voting for the November election, it appears Ohio's U.S.Senate race is tight. So is the contest to pass Issue 1, the amendment on the ballot that would change the process for redistricting. Ohio Statehouse Scoop Host Jo Ingles talks with Ohio Public Media Statehouse News Bureau Chief Karen Kasler and Reporter Sarah Donaldson about what's on the ballot and wh...

Ohioans are going to the polls and casting ballots early. Voting began on Tuesday, October 8, 2024. The stakes in this election are high. Not only is it an historic presidential race but Ohioans will also determine whether U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown will keep his seat or whether they want to send newcomer, Republican Bernie Moreno. The race is being closely watched nationally because it could dete...

The 2023 Ohio Abortion Report is out and Ohio Statehouse Scoop Host Jo Ingles reports on its details, including who is getting abortions in Ohio and at what point. She's joined by Ohio Public Media Statehouse News Bureau Reporter Sarah Donaldson and Bureau Chief Karen Kasler to talk about the vice presidential debate, the value of endorsements and more.

Haitian immigrants living in Springfield are fighting back against top Republican candidates, blaming them for problems their community has experienced in recent weeks. Ohio Democrats are fighting back after the Ohio Ballot Board adopted a controversial summary for Issue 1, the proposed redistricting amendment. And Ohio voters are reacting to disputatious comments by U.S. Senate candidate Bernie M...

Controversy over immigration continues in Springfield as Republicans make their pilgrimage there to talk politics and those at the top of the ticket still refer to the Southwest Ohio city as an example of the problem with immigration. And there's controversy at the Ohio Statehouse as a Republican-dominated panel that decides language for ballot issues adopts wording that angers backers of a propos...

The city of Springfield, Ohio has been in the news a lot recently because of claims made about Haitian immigrants who live there. Many of them are there legally. Republicans, including Vice Presidential candidate and U.S. Senator J.D. Vance, have been making controversial comments on social media about the immigrants living there. In last week's debate, former President Donald Trump echoed some of...

Are you ready to vote? Are you sure? More than 155,000 voter registrations have been removed from the poll books so you had better check to make sure you are still registered. But you need to hurry because the voter registration deadline is October 7. Groups that want to register new voters know that deadline looms. So they are embarking on efforts to get new voters. Ohio Statehouse Scoop host Jo...

Ohio workers are the focus of this week's podcast. Policy Matters Ohio has released its new report on the economic conditions for workers in the Buckeye State. Ohio Statehouse Scoop Host Jo Ingles talked to the group's director, Hannah Halbert, about the new study. She also spoke to Greg Lawson with the Buckeye Institute to get his thoughts on the state of Ohio's economy where workers are concerne...

Supporters of an amendment on Ohio's ballot this fall have taken the Ballot Board to court over the summary majority Republicans on that panel adopted. The summary is the language voters will see on the ballot and backers of the amendment say it is misleading, inaccurate and partisan, thereby making it unconstitutional. We'll explore those claims with Citizens Not Politicians spokesman Chris Davey...

The Republican-dominated Ohio Ballot Board approved summary language for the proposed redistricting amendment that sponsors of that map-drawing reform effort promise to take to court this week. In this episode, Ohio Statehouse Scoop Host Jo Ingles reports on the controversy over the language Ohioans will see on the ballot when they cast votes and why sponsors of the plan say it does not represent...

Last week was the first for sales of legal marijuana to adults in Ohio. Ohio Public Media Statehouse News Bureau reporter Sarah Donaldson covered that story and shared her experiences with Ohio Statehouse Scoop podcast host Jo Ingles. Ohio Public Media Statehouse News Bureau Chief Karen Kasler joined the conversation to talk about what comes next. Also, Associated Press Reporter Julie Carr Smyth t...

Ohioans will be voting on a constitutional amendment this fall that would, once again, change the process for making legislative and congressional maps. The processes voters approved in 2015 and 2018 resulted in maps ruled unconstitutional seven times by the Ohio Supreme Court. The majority Republicans, who control the Ohio Legislature and all statewide elected offices, also controlled the process...

The Repubican-dominated Ohio General Assembly is considering a bill that would limit drag performers to adult cabarets and would make it illegal for them to perform in public parks, libraries, or places where there are children under 18-years-old. Backers of the bill say it is needed to protect kids from observing harmful behavior that confuses them. But advocates for LGBTQ Ohioans say the bill wo...