Last updated: 4/28/24
HB 6
Marketed title: Enact the Save Women's Sports Act
Actual title: To enact sections 3313.5319 and 3345.562 of the Revised Code to enact the Save Women's Sports Act to require schools, state institutions of higher education, and private colleges to designate separate single-sex teams and sports for each sex.
Status:
This was recommended for “favorable passage” by the Republican dominated House Committee on Higher Education by an 8 (all Republicans) to 5 (4 Democrats and 1 Republican) majority after testimony from 13 proponents and 123 opponents of the legislation.
Not only did the committee choose to hold the perspectives of “The Center for Christian Virtue” as superior to that of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Ohio Psychiatric Physicians Association regarding what’s best for children in Ohio, but their own report to the House conspicuously failed to include the misogynistic and discriminatory nature of the distinction regarding specifically which genders and sports were to be “protected”.
HB 183
Marketed title: Regards single-sex bathroom access in schools, universities
Actual title: To amend sections 3314.03 and 3326.11 and to enact sections 3319.90 and 3345.90 of the Revised Code to enact the Protect All Students Act regarding single-sex bathroom access in primary and secondary schools and institutions of higher education and to amend the version of section 3314.03 of the Revised Code that is scheduled to take effect January 1, 2025, to continue the changes on and after that date.
Status (as of 4/10/24):
This was recommended for “favorable passage” by the Republican dominated House Committee on Higher Education by a 10 (all Republicans) to 5 (all Democrats) majority, again bending to the will of “The Center for Christian Virtue” and other far right fringe advocacy groups rather than the professional perspectives of several boards of education, several law firms, the Ohio Education Association, the ACLU, and the Children's’ Defense Fund.
This legislation will ban all public schools (K-12 and in higher education) from allowing a child to use a restroom that is not designated the same as the biological sex expressed on that child’s birth certificate. Not only is this legislation unenforceable without incredible and unacceptably excessive intrusion by school personnel, but it further designates transgendered individuals as non-entities in the eyes of the state.
HB 8
Marketed title: Enact the Parents' Bill of Rights
Actual title: To amend sections 3314.03 and 3326.11 and to enact section 3313.473 of the Revised Code to enact the "Parents' Bill of Rights" to require public schools to adopt a policy on parental notification on student health and well-being and instructional materials with sexuality content.
Status:
This legislation has passed the House on a straight party line vote (65 Republicans (including my opponent) in favor, and 28 Democrats opposed) and is now in a Senate committee.
Among other things, this legislation requires school personnel to notify the parent of a child about any request by that child to identify as a gender that does not align with the student’s biological sex as expressed on that child’s birth certificate. Again the republican supermajority is negating the human dignity of any who do not conform to its politically determined and discriminatory gender norms.
HB 4
Marketed title: Regards certain economic boycotts, discrimination by businesses
Actual title: To declare the General Assembly's intention to enact legislation regarding financial institutions and other businesses that conduct economic boycotts or discriminate against certain companies or customers based on certain factors.
Status:
This legislation has been referred to a House committee.
If this legislation is passed, the Treasurer of State will be required to identify companies and financial institutions that engage in economic boycotts against “protected entities” and publish that list publicly. The government would be forbidden from entering into contracts with companies on that list.
The bill defines “protected entity” as a fossil fuel company, timber company, mining company, agricultural production company, lumber production company, knife entity, firearm entity, trade association, or company that contracts with ICE.
The bill explicitly authorizes the Treasurer to take any action the Treasurer considers appropriate to identify economic boycotts.
In other words, the first time the Republican House has proposed legislation to guard against discrimination, it is designed to protect fossil fuel companies, mining companies, timber companies, and weapons manufacturers from being discriminated against! Wow.