Women's Public Policy Network

Ohio

Stay engaged, involved, and up-to-date: 10/30/2017 Week in Review

Saturday, November 4th, 2017

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!

 

FROM THE BLOG: LATINA EQUAL PAY DAY
“Nationally, Latinas working full time, year round are typically paid only 54 cents for every dollar paid to their white, non-Hispanic male counterparts. Latina Equal Pay Day was recognized on November 2nd, marking how far into the year that Latinas have to work in order to earn what their White male counterparts earned the previous year.
That means that Latinas must work an entire extra ten months to earn the same wages as White men. We’ll let that sink in for a moment.” Read the full blog post here.
WHAT’S NEW IN THE NEWS FROM THIS WEEK
The Columbus Dispatch, November 2, 2017
Rewire, November 2, 2017

Eva Longoria Says Latina Wage Gap Is Like Ripping A Dollar In Half
Huffington Post, November 2, 2017

Six Charts That Help Explain The Republican Tax Plan
The New York Times, November 2, 2017
10TV, November 2, 2017
The New York Times, November 3, 2017
STOP THE BANS
 
Wednesday of this week was a busy day at the Ohio Statehouse for advocates fighting for reproductive rights. The Ohio House passed the Down syndrome abortion ban (HB214) by a 63-30 vote, advancing the bill on to the Senate. This legislation not only intrudes on the doctor-patient relationship, but also stands in the way of a personal health care decision during a time when women and their families are facing a complex prenatal diagnosis.
That same day, the Ohio House Health Committee held a first hearing for the six-week abortion ban (HB258), a bill that would ban abortions before many women even know that they are pregnant. Some positive, proactive legislation did get some action later that afternoon as the Ohio House Criminal Justice Committee held a first hearing for sponsor testimony on the Clinic Protection Act (HB234).
Get more information and find out how you can take action to stand up against these harmful attacks on reproductive health care access by reading our action alert here.
#OHLEG ALERT
We are tracking the progress of any state bills affecting women in the Ohio Legislature for the 132nd General Assembly. Here’s a quick overview of some key highlights from last week and looking ahead to this upcoming week:
  • HB 214 (LaTourette, Merrin) – The Down Syndrome abortion ban, which bans a doctor from performing an abortion if they have knowledge that a woman is seeking the abortion due to a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome. The bill went before the full Ohio House on Wednesday of this past week and was passed by a 63-30 vote. It now advances on to the Senate. You can listen to the House floor speeches that stood up for reproductive rights on the NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio Podcast, The Morning After.
  • HB 234 (Howse, Lepore-Hagan) – Criminalizes the blocking of access to reproductive health care and provides the ability for legal action for harassment or intimidation at clinics. The Criminal Justice Committee held a first hearing for sponsor testimony on the bill this past Wednesday. You can find testimony here (look for testimony and documents from November 1).
  • HB 258 (Hagan, Hood) – The six-week abortion ban, which bill would ban abortions after a detectable heartbeat. Often times, this is before the woman even knows that she is pregnant. The House Health Committee held a first hearing on the bill for sponsor testimony this past week. You can find testimony here (look for testimony and documents from November 1).
  • HB 365 (Hughes, Boggs) – Known as the Reagan Tokes Act, this bill would require released violent offenders wearing GPS monitors to have set geographic boundaries and would give law enforcement the ability to access the GPS data without a subpoena. It received a second hearing for proponent testimony in the House Criminal Justice Committee this past week on November 1. You can find all testimony here (look for the testimony and documents from October 17). 
  • HB 383 (Carfagna) – Requires that child-care centers provide parental notice of any serious risks to health or safety of children while under their care. The House Community & Family Advancement Committee will held a first hearing on the bill for sponsor testimony this past week. You can find testimony here (look for testimony and documents from November 1). 
  • HB 385 (West) –  Prohibits a state agency from preventing employees from discussing their own wages or another employee’s wages and prohibits retaliation against an employee who has discussed wages. It also prohibits a state agency from seeking the wage or salary history of a job candidate. Many of these issues the bill addresses are the reason for gender pay discrimination and the gender wage gap. It was referred to the Economic Development, Commerce & Labor Committee this past week, but has not yet been scheduled for a hearing.
  • HB 403 (Howse, Kelly) – This legislation would create the Gender Pay Disparity Task Force. It aims to address the gender wage gap and find solutions to crate gender equity. The bill was introduced this past week on November 1, the day before Latina Equal Pay Day. 
  • SB 201 (Bacon, O’Brien) – Known as the “Reagan Tokes Act”, this is a companion bill to HB 365, which would require released violent offenders wearing GPS monitors to have set geographic boundaries and would give law enforcement the ability to access the GPS data without a subpoena. The Senate Government Oversight & Reform Committee held a second hearing on the bill for proponent testimony this past week. You can find all testimony here (look for Committee Documents from November 1).

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 CLOSE THE GENDER WAGE GAP
In honor of Latina Equal Pay Day, raise your voice to help us chip away at some of the causes of pay inequity. There are currently five bills pending in the Ohio Legislature that aim to contribute to the close of the gender wage gap and address wage discrimination. Take action now to help us advance these critical pay equity bills:
  • HB 138 (Smith, Boyd) – Wage Discrimination: Creates an equal pay discrimination hotline where workers could anonymously report instances of alleged wage discrimination. This bill was referred to the House Economic Development, Commerce & Labor Committee in March, but has not yet had a single hearing. Contact the Committee Chair Representative Ron Young, and urge him to hold hearings on the bill.
  • HB 180 (Clyde, Howse) – Equal Pay: Establishes the Ohio Equal Pay Act to create protections for closing the wage gap, such as prohibiting an employer from retaliating against employees who discuss their salaries or wages. Contact the Committee Chair Representative Louis Blessing III, and urge him to hold hearings on the bill.
  • HB 385 (West) – Wage Information: Prohibits a state agency from preventing employees from discussing their own wages or another employee’s wages and prohibits retaliation against an employee who has discussed wages. It also prohibits a state agency from seeking the wage or salary history of a job candidate. Many of these issues the bill addresses are the reason for gender pay discrimination and the gender wage gap. The bill was referred to the House Economic Development, Commerce & Labor Committee this past week. Contact the Committee Chairman Representative Ron Young, and urge him to hold hearings on the bill.
  • HB 403 (Howse, Kelly) – Equal Pay: Creates a Gender Pay Disparity Task Force to address pay inequality. The bill was just introduced yesterday and has not yet been assigned to a Committee. Contact your Representative and urge them to support the bill.
  • SB 174 (Tavares) – Wage Requirements: Enacts the Fair and Acceptable Income Required (FAIR) Act, which would update state laws to help protect against wage discrimination. It was referred to the Senate Transformation, Commerce & Workforce Committee in September, but has not yet had a single hearing. Contact the Committee Chair Representative Frank LaRose, and urge him to hold hearings on the bill.