Stay engaged, involved, and up-to-date: Week of 06/12/17 Update

Friday, June 16th, 2017

In our weekly updates from the Women’s Public Policy Network, we highlight some of the work our partners have been up to this week, share updates on bills affecting women that are moving at the Statehouse, and provide a call to action on proactive bills pending in the Legislature. Sign up for our email list to receive these updates in your inbox every week!

ICYMI: OUR NEW, IMPROVED LOOK

Earlier this week, we launched our new and improved website to support the efforts of advocates and our partners working to advance positive policy solutions for Ohio’s women and families. Take a moment to explore the new site, and find out how you can get involved and make a difference!

#OHLEG ALERTS:

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 this week and a look ahead to next week:

HB 1 (Sykes, Manning) – Modernize Ohio’s domestic violence laws by extending victims of dating violence access to DV protections, such as civil protection orders. The Senate Judiciary Committee held a third hearing on the bill this week with proponent testimony.

HB 240 (Barnes) – Designates the month of April as “Respect Your Date Month” to raise awareness on the issue of partner violence. The bill would require state colleges and universities to adopt a policy regarding dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and rape on campus, and to declare an emergency. It is scheduled for a hearing in the House Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee next Wednesday, June 21st.

SB 4 (Kunze, Oelslager) – Expands the expungement law for human trafficking survivors. Current law only allows for the expungement of records for prostitution and related charges, but does not apply to certain other offenses committed during the time that they were trafficked, such as theft or drug possession. Too often, these other charges hold back women from finding housing or employment. The House Criminal Justice Committee has scheduled a hearing on the bill for next Tuesday, June 20th.

SB 145 (Huffman, Wilson) – Bans the most common procedure for abortions in the second trimester. The Senate Judiciary Committee held a first hearing on the bill this week, and is scheduled for another hearing on Tuesday, June 20th to hear proponent testimony.

We are also 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.

ACTION ALERT: OHIO SENATE BILL 145

A bill in the Ohio Senate (SB 145) would ban the most common procedure for second trimester abortions. Ohio Handmaids – inspired by characters in The Handmaid’s Tale – silently sat in on the first hearing earlier this week, protesting further abortion bans in Ohio.

The bill is scheduled for another hearing in the senate Judiciary Committee next Tuesday, June 20th. Join fellow advocates in standing against this dangerous, unconstitutional bill by attending the second hearing at 10:15AM on Tuesday in the North Hearing Room at the Ohio Statehouse. More details here.