Stay engaged, involved, and up-to-date: 03/12/2018 Weekly Review


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!


The Ohio Department of Medicaid recently released a proposal that would make changes to who is able to receive coverage under the Medicaid Expansion by imposing work requirements on enrollees. The 1115 waiver came as a result of a provision passed in the biennial state budget.
We submitted a letter to Director Sears during the public comment period urging the Kasich Administration to reject the proposal. Plain and simple: work requirements don’t work. This proposal would likely hit women the hardest, leading to the loss of health coverage without improving employment rates. Read our full letter here.


#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 355 (Hill, Rezabek) – Sexting: Prohibits ‘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 will hold a third hearing on the bill for proponent testimony this Tuesday, March 20. The Committee meets at 1:30 PM in Statehouse Room 114.
  • HB 468 (Perales, Boyd) – Military Leave: Grants 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 will hold a third hearing for all testimony this Wednesday, March 21. The Committee will meet at 2:30 PM (or after session) in Statehouse Room 116.
  • 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. The bill includes exceptions for 17 year olds, including: emancipation for the 17-year old, court approval of the marriage, and not allowing the other party to be more than four years older. Currently, Ohio law sets the legal age for marriage at 18 for boys and 16 for girls, with exceptions for younger individuals and no “age floor.” The Community & Family Advancement Committee will hold a second hearing on the bill for proponent testimony this Wednesday, March 21. The Committee will meet at 3:00 PM in Statehouse Room 114.
  • HB 520 (Miller, Hughes) – Human Trafficking: Increases the penalty for solicitation from a third degree to a first degree misdemeanor. The House Criminal Justice Committee held a first hearing on the bill for sponsor testimony on Tuesday, March 13. You can find testimony from that hearing here (look under hearings for March 13).
  • HB 550 (Boyd, Boggs) – Family Leave: Establishes a statewide family and medical leave insurance benefits program. The program provides paid leave for Ohio workers to continue to earn a portion of their paycheck for up to 12 weeks in a 12-month period in order to care for and bond with a new baby, care for an ill family member or address their own serious health condition. The bill was introduced in the House on March 13.
  • HB 561 (Boggs, Lanese) – Spousal Rape: Eliminates spousal exceptions to rape under Ohio law. Ohio is one of eight states that still exempts spousal rape. The bill was introduced in the House on March 19. 
  • HB 565 (Hood, Vitale) – Abortion Ban: Outlaws all abortions in the state of Ohio, with no exceptions for rape, incest, or to protect the health of the pregnant woman. The bill was introduced in the House on March 19.
  • SB 41 (Eklund) – Testimonial Privilege: Provides testimonial privilege for open communication between an advocate providing services and a victim of sexual violence, stalking, or domestic violence. The Senate Judiciary Committee held a second hearing on the bill for proponent testimony Tuesday, March 13. You can find all testimony from the hearing here(look under Committee Documents from March 13). 
  • SB 72 (Huffman) – Prevailing Wage: Enables local governments, public universities, special districts and others to bid public construction projects without mandated wage rates. The bill was referred to the Senate Finance Committee this past week. 
  • 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 fourth hearing for all testimony on Tuesday, March 13. You can find all testimony from the hearing here(look under hearings from March 13).

  • SB 214 (Terhar, Lehner) – Genital Mutilation: Prohibits female genital mutilation (FGM) for girls under 18, even without the defense of “cultural or ritual necessity” or consent from the girl or her parents. Ohio is still one of two dozen states that does not ban FGM. The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a second hearing on the bill this upcoming Tuesday, March 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 ADVANCE PAID LEAVE IN OHIO 
State legislators recently introduced bills in the Ohio House (HB 550) and Senate (SB 261) to establish a statewide paid family and medical leave program. The bills createan insurance program funded by employee payroll contributions, which allows workers to continue to earn a portion of their paycheck for up to 12 weeks of leave to:
  • Care for and bond with a new baby;
  • Care for a family member with a medical issue; or
  • Address their own medical emergency
We’re working with advocates, legislators, and our coalition partners to build a movement on paid leave in Ohio. And we need your help to demonstrate to state lawmakers how critically important this legislation is for Ohio workers and families by sharing your paid leave story.
 
Have you had to return to work shortly after giving birth because your employer did not offer paid leave? Were you given time off of work to heal after a surgery because you had access to a medical leave policy? Are you unable to provide additional caregiving support to an aging relative because your work does not provide a paid leave program? Share your paid leave story here.