Ohio Education Advocacy

 

Week of May 1, 2023

Honesty Champions,  THANK YOU for protecting honest education across Ohio! With SO MANY harmful education bills moving in the Statehouse EVERY WEEK, we are sending weekly action alerts with specific ways to TAKE ACTION on fast-moving, high-priority bills. Each weekly action alert includes three important sections: TAKE ACTION - easy ways for YOU to help stop harmful, high-priority bills  HEARING NOTICES - legislative hearings that you can attend or watch NEW BILLS - new legislation impacting honest education You can find these bills and hearings on the Honesty Legislation Tracker page.  PLEASE SHARE  the WEEKLY ALERTS with students, educators, family, friends, colleagues, schools, orgs, groups, businesses, and neighboring communities.

TAKE ACTION   Stop HB 6 - Let Ohio Students Play!  HB 6 bans transgender female students from participating on female sports teams in Ohio K-12 schools, colleges, and universities • Learn More   TAKE ACTION   POSSIBLE COMMITTEE VOTE on May 3, 10:30am 1) Tell the House Higher Education Committee to VOTE NO on House Bil 6! Call HERE Email HERE  2) Show Up to the hearing on Wednesday to oppose the bill -- and share this GRAPHIC to help pack the hearing room!  3) Support & follow LGBTQ+ organizations:  EqualityOhio, TransOhio,  Kaleidoscope Youth Center, LOVEBoldly, Trans Allies of Ohio, Diversity Center of NEO, Equitas Health, Trevor Project, Human Rights Campaign, The Buckeye Flame   Stop HJR 1 & SJR 2 - Say NO to Attacks on Direct Democracy HJR1 & SJR2 require 60% vote to approve any constitutional amendment; eliminate the 10-day cure period to gather additional signatures for an initiative petition proposing a constitutional amendment; require petitions proposing a constitutional amendment be signed by at least 5% of the electors in each Ohio county, instead of half of the counties • Learn More HJR 1 & SJR 2   TAKE ACTION   POSSIBLE COMMITTEE VOTE for SJR 2 on May 2, 9am; POSSIBLE FULL HOUSE VOTE for HJR1 on May 3, 2pm 1) Attend the Day of Action Democracy Rally to reject these attacks on direct democracy! Wed, May 3, 12:30, Columbus - RSVP HERE 2) Share this FLYER to help pack the Day of Action Democracy Rally  3) Contact your legislator today urging a NO VOTE on HJR1 & SJR 2 Call your Senator Call your House Representative  Call House Speaker Stephens at 614-466-1366 Follow these bills and more on our Legislation Tracker

HEARING NOTICES   Senate Workforce and Higher Education Tuesday, May 2, 9am, North Hearing Room Agenda House Bill 33 - Informal Hearing State Budget for FY 2024-2025, establishes appropriations for fiscal years 2024-2025 • Learn More Invited Testimony: Inter-University Council of Ohio Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Ohio Broadcast Educational and Media Commission House Constitutional Resolutions Committee Tuesday, May 2, 9am, Room 18 Agenda Senate Joint Resolution 2 - Opponent & Interested Party Testimony, POSSIBLE VOTE Requires 60% vote to approve any constitutional amendment; eliminates the 10-day cure period to gather additional signatures for an initiative petition proposing a constitutional amendment; requires petitions proposing a constitutional amendment be signed by at least 5% of the electors in each Ohio county, instead of half of the counties. •  Learn More   Senate Education Committee Tuesday, May 2, 3pm, South Hearing Room Agenda House Bill 33 - Informal Hearing State Budget for FY 2024-2025, establishes appropriations for fiscal years 2024-2025 •  Learn More Public Testimony: School funding Career-Technical Education Mental Health and Wellness House Primary and Secondary Education Committee Tuesday, May 2, 4pm, Room 116 Agenda House Bill 103 - Sponsor Testimony Creates a Social Studies Standards Task Force (with appointees of the Governor, Senate President, and House Speaker) to develop K-12 social studies standards using the American Birthright: The Civics Alliance's Model K-12 Social Studies Standards • Learn More House Bill 117 - Proponent Testimony Removes retention provision in the Third Grade Reading Guarantee • Learn More   House Higher Education Committee Wednesday, May 3, 10:30am, Room 17 Agenda House Bill 6 - Interested Party Testimony, POSSIBLE VOTE Bans transgender female student-athletes from female K-12 and higher education sports teams • Learn More House Bill 98 - Opponent Testimony Prohibits reduction of financial aid for private scholarship award House Bill 27 - All Testimony, Possible Amendment, POSSIBLE VOTE Requires state higher education institutions to provide financial cost and aid disclosure • Learn More     Senate Session   Wednesday, May 3, 1:30pm    House Session   Wednesday, May 3, 2pm    Senate Education Committee Wednesday, May 3, 4pm, South Hearing Room Agenda House Bill 33 - Informal Hearing State Budget for FY 2024-2025, establishes appropriations for fiscal years 2024-2025 • Learn More Public Testimony: Literacy Learning Acceleration, Remediation, and Tutoring Support Services Senate Workforce and Higher Education Thursday, May 4, 9am, North Hearing Room Agenda House Bill 33 - Informal Hearing State Budget for FY 2024-2025, establishes appropriations for fiscal years 2024-2025 • Learn More Invited Testimony: Ohio Association of Community Colleges State Board of Career Colleges and Schools Ohio-Michigan Association of Career Colleges and Schools Ohio Association of Career Technical Education Senate Education Committee Thursday, May 4, 11am, South Hearing Room Agenda House Bill 33 - Informal Hearing State Budget for FY 2024-2025, establishes appropriations for fiscal years 2024-2025 • Learn More Public Testimony: School Choice School Security Follow these bills and more on Honesty's Legislation Tracker

NEW BILLS   House Bill 157 Creates the Bureau of Hate Crimes in the Office of the Attorney General and authorizes the Attorney General to prosecute hate crimes Introduced: April 25, 2023 Sponsors:  Reps Casey Weinstein & Anita Somani Committee: TBD Learn More House Bill 159 Regards applied behavior analysis for certain children with autism Introduced: April 25, 2023 Sponsors:  Rep R Scott Lipps Committee: TBD Learn More Senate Bill 108 Establishes and regulates scholars residential centers Introduced: April 18, 2023 Sponsors:  Sen Louis Blessing, III Committee: Senate Health Committee Learn More Senate Bill 111 Establishes Urban Farmer Youth Initiative Pilot Program Introduced: April 19, 2023 Sponsor:  Sen Paula Hicks-Hudson Committee: Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Learn More Senate Bill 112 Requires school buildings to comply with national life safety standards and to name this act the Ohio Childhood Safety Act Introduced: April 25, 2023 Sponsor:  Sen Michael Rulli Committee: Senate Education Committee Learn More

STATEHOUSE RESOURCES Legislative Calendar HERE Senate Committee Schedule HERE House Committee Schedule HERE Watch LIVE & Recorded Meeting HERE Honesty Legislation Tracker HERE

Learn More to Do More

Visit the Honesty website to learn how you can help protect honest education across Ohio!