Ohio Republicans are pushing to make it harder to amend the state’s constitution before a likely vote on codifying abortion access. Lawmakers passed a $13 billion transportation budget, and there’s lot’s of discussion about a TikTok ban.
We break down what it all means In this week’s episode of Ohio Politics Explained. A podcast created by the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau to catch you up on the state’s political news in 15 minutes or less.
This week, host Anna Staver was joined by reporter Laura Bischoff.
1) August special election
Ohioans could be voting on whether to make it harder to amend the state constitution in August−months before an anticipated vote to create constitutional protections for abortion.
“From an administrative standpoint, another August primary is not the easiest for local governments,” Stephens, R-Kitts Hill, told reporters Wednesday. “I think, however, the Legislature does set the date and time and place of the election. So, you know, that is always a possibility.”
The August election, if it happens, would be on a resolution to require all future constitutional amendments to pass with 60% of the popular vote instead of the current simple majority of 50% plus one vote.
And it would happen less than a year after Republicans voted to eliminate most August elections due to high costs and low turnouts.
2) TikTok and the Ohio congressional delegation
U.S. Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Cincinnati, is the only active TikTok creator among Ohio’s congressional delegation.
“It’s been part of a larger effort to be really transparent about my votes and what we’re working on,” Landsman said. “That, to me, is a big piece of this job.”
But his fellow lawmakers have concerns about the app’s parent company, ByteDance, which is based in China, and whether it threatens U.S. national security. Critics say Chinese policy requires companies to turn over user data if compelled.
U.S. Rep. Troy Balderson, R-Zanesville, said he came away from the congressional hearings about the app more worried than before, particularly about TikTok’s addictiveness and children.
3) How the $13.5 billion transportation budget impacts you
Ohio lawmakers agreed to spend $13.5 billion over the next two years on everything from highway repairs to bike lanes and railroad safety.
The transportation budget, which the governor is expected to sign by Friday, will spend $2.2 billion on pavement projects and $717 million on bridges. But it will also require two-person crews for freight trains, raise the monetary limits for local governments who want to do their own repair work, and let Cincinnati ask its voters whether they want to sell the city’s railroad line.
4) Public pension fight
A longstanding fight over how the State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio is managed will come to a head this spring as activists try to overtake the pension fund’s controlling board in a May election.
It’s a pivotal moment for the board which has faced infighting and turmoil over the past few years. Retirees are angry over the elimination of cost-of-living allowances, a perceived lack of transparency and the payment of bonuses to pension investment staff.
Listen to “Ohio Politics Explained” on Spotify, Apple, Google Podcasts and TuneIn Radio. The episode is also available by clicking the link in this article.
The USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau serves The Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.
