The Ohio Senate made quick work on two of Governor Mike DeWine’s vetoes this week. Up first, on Wednesday, the Ohio Senate voted 24-8 to complete the override of the governor’s veto of House Bill 68. The Ohio House previously voted to override the veto on Jan. 10. HB 68 will become law in about 90 days. It bans transgender minors from receiving gender-affirming healthcare and prohibits transgender girls from playing in girls and women’s sports.
Less than an hour after the HB 68 override, the Senate voted again, this time to override one of the line-item vetoes the governor made in the new budget last July. In the budget, DeWine struck out a measure that prohibited cities and local governments from banning flavored tobacco sales. Columbus has such a ban on books and Cleveland has considered one. Public health advocates say the bans help prevent new smokers from taking up the habit, especially kids.
Cleveland City Council approved changes to its public comment rules this week. Council began allowing the public to comment at meetings in 2021, but the rules governing the process have been challenged in court. A man who had his microphone turned off during a council meeting brought the lawsuit saying the rules violated First Amendment protections.
The public doesn't have a right to know how much taxpayer money it cost to protect governor DeWine while he attended Super Bowl 56 in Los Angeles in 2022. The Ohio Supreme Court this week ruled that a Cincinnati newspaper cannot have access to the records. DeWine took 19 members of his family to the Super Bowl where the Bengals lost to the Los Angeles Rams. Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers provided the security detail.
We will talk about these stories and more on this week’s “Reporters Roundtable.”
Guests:
- Abbey Marshall, Reporter, Ideastream Public Media
-Ken Schneck, Editor, The Buckeye Flame
-Karen Kasler, Statehouse News Bureau Chief, Ohio Public Radio/TV
