Now that the seven-week saga over who will lead the House is over, representatives are now back at work – voting on more than two dozen bills last week and planning two voting sessions next week. One of the most controversial bills they’re expected to take up is the so-called “Stand Your Ground” bill. Statehouse correspondent Andy Chow reports on a separate battle happening within the self-defense bill. Among those bills that the House approved last week was the big crackdown on payday lenders. It caps interest rates at 28 percent – a move that supporters of the bill said was more than fair, but opponents said could lead to the demise of the industry in Ohio. The bill had been in a House committee for more than a year and there was talk of a deal, and then it suddenly moved – in its original form, with no changes – right after the resignation of former Speaker Cliff Rosenberger. The FBI is reportedly looking into Rosenberger’s travel with lobbyists connected to payday lenders. In spite of what may have been concerns that stopped the bill from moving, it passed overwhelmingly, 71-17.
Among those bills that the House approved last week was the big crackdown on payday lenders, which passed overwhelmingly. Another bill taken up by the House on its first day back was legislation to pay for new voting machines. And it passed the House unanimously. Statehouse correspondent Jo Ingles looks at what was in that bill and why was it at the top of the list of measures to be passed right away.
On the subject of voting - the state can’t do it right away, but it can maintain its voter rolls the way it’s been doing for decades. The US Supreme Court split 5-4 over Ohio’s two step removal process, which the Secretary of State’s office says prevents duplicate registration and takes deceased voters off the rolls. But advocates for unions, low-income people and the homeless called that a “use it or lose it” process that dismissed a person’s right not to vote. Among those arguing against Ohio was Dan Tojaki, an Ohio State University law professor who worked with the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio on the case. Secretary of State Jon Husted – who’s the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor – has been low-profile in his victory. He didn’t do many interviews, but did share some thoughts about the case this week.