State lawmakers have been working quickly to pass last-minute legislation before session ends, including controversial bills relating to issues such as abortion and guns. The state’s Democratic US Senator – who just won re-election and is considering a run for president – thinks this creates a bad reputation for Ohio.
Democratic U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown says the Ohio Legislature is corrupt, pointing to controversies with failing charter schools and an investigation into payday lending kickbacks. He says Republican leaders in the House and Senate spend too much time on polarizing bills such as “Stand Your Ground” and the “Heartbeat Bill.”
“I think that people around the country see an Ohio state government that doesn’t deliver the goods, it doesn’t fund higher ed the way it should, our economic growth’s below the national average, our infant mortality rate is too high.
Republican leaders in Wisconsin and Michigan have been criticized for trying to jam conservative bills in before Democratic governors come in. But unlike those states, Ohio Republicans swept the statewide offices and kept their House and Senate supermajorities.
