Gun rights groups back making Ohio Constitution harder to amend: Capitol Letter

Rotunda Rumblings

Target on a bill: Gun rights advocates have joined abortion opponents and others in backing a proposal that would make it harder to amend the Ohio Constitution. The Buckeye Firearms Association and the Sportsmen Alliance told an Ohio Senate committee they’re concerned about out-of-state, well-funded groups, specifically gun control groups, attempting to change Ohio’s Constitution. They believe a higher threshold at the ballot box for an amendment proposal to pass would keep those interests at bay. Opponents of the plan say the proposed amendment doesn’t specifically limit how much someone can spend on a campaign, and that Statehouse Republicans’ real motivation is to defeat an abortion rights amendment by increasing the threshold, Laura Hancock reports.

Get your popcorn: U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan’s committee probing the “weaponization” of the federal government saw some fireworks on Thursday. Sabrina Eaton reports that Thursday’s hearing was meant to discuss a federal lawsuit accusing President Joe Biden’s administration of putting pressure on social media companies to censor free speech, but it degenerated into partisan bickering. At one point, the committee’s top Democrat rose from her chair and tossed a piece of paper at a Republican she said had just thrown the document at her.

On the rails: Ohio’s congressional delegation is coalescing behind a U.S. House bill that would enact new rail-safety standards after a train derailment spilled hazardous material in East Palestine last month. Eaton reports that a bipartisan coalition from Ohio’s delegation held a press conference on Thursday where they pushed the Reducing Accidents in Locomotives (RAIL) Act. Ohio’s two U.S. senators, Sherrod Brown and JD Vance, are sponsoring their own Senate version that differs in some key ways from the House bill.

Official English: U.S. Sen. JD Vance, an Ohio Republican, is introducing legislation that would establish English as the official language of the United States, taking up a cause that Republicans have repeatedly pursued without success in past Congresses, writes Eaton. The “English Language Unity Act” that Vance is introducing would require government functions to be conducted in English and adjust requirements for naturalization by introducing a universal English language testing standard, his office said. Because Democrats control the U.S. Senate, Vance’s effort has little chance of passage.

Price check: Ohio Auditor Keith Faber’s office questioned the costs of $2.9 million across seven state agencies that administered federally funded programs last fiscal year. The audit is required under federal law to ensure that federal funds sent to Ohio are spent appropriately by state agencies. During that fiscal year, the state administered 353 federal programs from 25 federal agencies, with spending of $46.8 billion. Auditors questioned costs related to Ohio Medicaid, regular and pandemic unemployment insurance and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, according to a statement from Faber’s office.

Taking flight: The Ohio Senate sent to the House a bill designating the Wright Flyer III as the official state airplane. Orville and Wilbur Wright built the aircraft, which solved previous problems with earlier planes. Wilbur Wright made a circling flight of 24.2 miles in 39 minutes, 23 seconds over Huffman Prairie, northeast of Dayton, the Dayton Daily News’ Ed Richter reports.

Team work: Two former college athletes spoke in favor of a bill that would ban transgender girls and women from playing on high school and college girls and women teams. Lisa Sebastian was a member of the 1993 Ohio State women’s basketball team that lost to Texas Tech in the National Championship game, and Rachel Davis, a former Ohio State women’s rowing team captain, said they believe trans girls and women would have an unfair advantage, Ohio Capital Journal’s Megan Henry reports.

Refunds coming: The Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles said Thursday that it erroneously charged some disabled veterans for specialty license plates when they should have been provided at no charge, having realized it didn’t implement a change in state law that allows certain disabled veterans up to two free disabled veteran license plates. The BMV estimates nearly 2,000 people were improperly charged since the law went into effect in October 2019, and the department is going to refund them. The average refund will be around $60, with some variation based on local fees and taxes.

Buckeye Brain Tease

Question: There is only one remaining washboard manufacturer in the United States. Where is it?

Email your response to capitolletter@cleveland.com. The first correct respondent will be mentioned in next week’s newsletter.

Thanks to everyone who responded to last week’s trivia question:

Which Ohio county does the state spend the most on? What county gets the least?

Answer: According to the Legislative Service Commission, Franklin County received $5.8 billion in fiscal year 2022. That is followed by Cuyahoga County, which received $4.9 billion, Hamilton County, which received $3.1 billion, and Summit County, which received $2.2 billion. The county to receive the least is Noble County, with $46.2 million.

Pam Manges, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network’s Ohio state lead ambassador emeritus, was the first to answer correctly.

We’re always looking for new questions to include in the Buckeye Brain Tease. If you have suggestions, send them to capitolletter@cleveland.com. You won’t be eligible to win that week, but we’ll tip our caps to any reader submissions we use.

On the Move

The Ohio Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors elected Brian Hicks, president and CEO of Hicks Partners LLC, as its new chairman. Hicks has served on the chamber’s board since 2010 and served as president of the chamber’s research foundation until February 2022.

Birthdays

Friday, March 31: Maj. Gen. John C. Harris, Ohio adjutant general; James M. Cox, Ohio’s 46th and 48th governor, 1920 Democratic presidential nominee (1870-1957)

Saturday, April 1: Matt Huffman, Ohio Senate president; Michael Farley, vice president of government affairs and general counsel, Ohio Insurance Institute; Tyler Herrmann, deputy legal counsel, Ohio Office of Budget & Management; Robert Lucas, Ohio’s 12th governor (1781-1853)

Sunday, April 2: Former Ohio Supreme Court Justice Judith Ann Lanzinger

Straight From The Source

“I extend my deepest sympathy to the East Palestine, Ohio, community as they grapple with the effects of this devastating derailment on their community, but I must remain steadfast in my commitment to protect our residents — at all costs.”

-Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, who blocked a company from receiving carloads of wastewater from the East Palestine derailment. City and Maryland state leaders said they were worried about the risks the water may pose to the city’s struggling public sewage plant, the Washington Post’s Ian Duncan reports.

Capitol Letter is a daily briefing providing succinct, timely information for those who care deeply about the decisions made by state government. If you do not already subscribe, you can sign up here to get Capitol Letter in your email box each weekday for free.

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