Women's Public Policy Network

Ohio

Stay engaged, involved, and up-to-date: 02/12/2018 Weekly Review

Tuesday, February 20th, 2018

Stay engaged, involved, and up-to-date: In the weekly reviews from the Women’s Public Policy Network, we look back on last week’s highlights from the WPPN, share updates on bills affecting women that are moving at the Statehouse, showcase weekly news clips, and provide calls to action on bills pending in the Legislature. Sign up for our emails to receive these updates in your inbox every week!

“As a physical therapist and lactation consultant providing home visits to new families seeking help to get breastfeeding and development smoothly started, I am passionate about [this issue]. Breastfeeding duration cumulatively reduces healthcare costs by optimizing immune function and emotional attachment.”
“Hence, a global recommendation to breastfeed for at least 1 year. Yet 60 percent of women do not achieve personal breastfeeding goals, and Ohio has a breastfeeding rate of only 20 percent at one year. Barriers to achieving recommended breastfeeding rates include limited access to skilled care and lack of paid leave.” Read Allyson’s full blog post here.
 
WHAT’S NEW IN THE NEWS FROM THIS WEEK
LOOKING AHEAD: PARTNER EVENTS THIS UPCOMING WEEK  
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Capital Club
41 South High Street, Columbus, OH 43215
Women of POWER brings together the next generation of women in elected office with women currently elected in the Ohio Legislature and throughout Ohio. The Women of POWER networking reception benefits the Glenn College nonpartisan leadership programs that educate and empower Ohio women ready to run for political office and be leaders in their communities. This event is sold out
Visit our Partner Events Calendar for more details on future events hosted by our coalition partners across the state.
#OHLEG ALERT
We are tracking the progress of any state bills affecting women in the Ohio Legislature for the 132nd General Assembly. The legislature is back in session for 2018. Here are some updates from this past week and a look ahead at activity to watch for in the House and Senate:
  • HB 302 (Boggs, Antonio) – Pregnant Minors: Allows for a pregnant minor to have consent to her own health care decisions during her pregnancy, such as receiving an epidural during delivery. A substitute version of the bill was accepted by the Committee, which excludes consent for abortion care. The House Health Committee held a second hearing on the bill for proponent testimony this past Wednesday, February 14. You can find all testimony from that hearing here.
  • HB 355 (Hill, Rezabek) – Sexting: This bill would prohibit ‘sexting’ by anyone under the age of 21 and require every county in Ohio to create a sexting educational diversion program aimed at helping first time offenders under 21 convicted of sending sexually explicit materials of a minor. The bill was amended to continue to allow prosecutors to go after individuals possessing child pornography. The House Criminal Justice Committee held a first hearing on the bill for sponsor testimony this past Tuesday, February 13. You can find testimony from that hearing here.
  • HB 468 (Perales, Boyd) – Military Leave: Would grant full-time state employees paid leave for the purpose of attending medical examinations and appointments provided through the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The House Armed Services, Veterans Affairs & Homeland Security Committee held a first hearing on the bill for sponsor testimony this past Wednesday, February 14. You can find testimony from that hearing here.
  • HB 492 (Gonzales) – State Procurement: Establishes the women-owned business enterprise program, which would require state agencies to establish goals for procurement of women-owned businesses. The bill was referred to the House State & Local Government Committee this past Tuesday, February 13.
  • HB 497 (Rogers, Manning) – Private Images: Prohibits the nonconsensual dissemination of private sexual images, and creates certain legal rights and employment protections for a victim of such a crime. The bill was introduced in the House this past week on Tuesday, February 13. 
  • HB 507 (Gonzales) – Tax Credit: Allows a refundable income tax credit for parents of stillborn children. The bill was introduced in the House this past week on Tuesday, February 13. 
  • HB 511 (Lanese, Rogers) – Marriage Age: Makes changes to the state laws governing marriage ages by requiring both males and females to be aged 18, with exceptions for 17 year olds to marry with court approval. Legislation was prompted after a Dayton Daily News story investigated the prevalence of minors marrying in Ohio. The bill was introduced in the House this past week on Wednesday, February 14. 
  • SB 28 (Uecker) – Abortion: Would require fetal remains from a surgical abortion at an abortion facility to be disposed of by cremation or burial. The bill was passed out of the full Senate by a 24-9 vote in January and received a second hearing for proponent testimony in the House Health Committee this past Wednesday, February 14. You can find all testimony from that hearing here.
  • SB 145 (Huffman, Wilson) – Abortion Method Ban: Bans the safest and most common procedure for abortions in the second trimester. The House Criminal Justice Committee held a third hearing for opponent testimony this pastTuesday, February 13. You can find all testimony from that hearing here.
  • SB 190 (Hoagland) – Veteran Paid Leave: Would grant full-time state employees paid leave for the purpose of attending medical examinations and appointments provided through the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The Senate Local Government, Public Safety & Veterans Affairs Committee will hold a second hearing on the bill for proponent testimony this upcoming Tuesday, February 20. The Committee will meet at 9:45 AM in the Statehouse South Hearing Room. 
  • SB 198 (Yuko) – Marriage Age: This bill makes updates to Ohio’s marriage laws to set the legal age of marriage to 18 years, except in certain circumstances allowing for 16 and 17 year olds if they receive consent from the juvenile court and their parent or guardian. The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a first hearing on the bill for sponsor testimony this upcoming Tuesday, February 20. The Committee will meet at 10:15 AM in the Statehouse North Hearing Room. 
We will keep tracking any new updates and will be sharing timely legislative updates on these and other women-centric legislation on Twitter using the #OHLeg hashtag. Follow us to stay up-to-date on what’s happening at the Statehouse.
RAISE YOUR VOICE TO SUPPORT PAID FAMILY LEAVE
No one should be forced to choose between caring for a loved one and earning a paycheck. Unfortunately, that is the reality for far too many Ohio families lacking access to paid family leave.
That’s why Ohio lawmakers are taking action. State Representatives Kristin Boggs and Janine Boyd and State Senator Charleta Tavares recently announced that they will be introducing statewide paid family and medical leave legislation in the Ohio House and Senate.
Use our advocacy tools to contact your legislators and urge them to co-sponsor the Ohio Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program:
Visit our Paid Leave landing page on our website for more information about the issue and how to get involved.