Rotunda Rumblings
Case studies: While Ohio colleges where at least 56 international students had their visas revoked are sharing scant information, some immigration attorneys and court documents are revealing details. Some of the students protested policies that are against the positions of President Donald Trump. Democratic politicians have expressed some concern, while Gov. Mike DeWine says he doesn’t have enough information to make an opinion, according to reporting by Laura Hancock, Adam Ferrise, Jake Zuckerman and Molly Walsh.
Social media block: A federal judge on Wednesday issued an order to permanently halt an Ohio law requiring social media companies to obtain parental permission before letting users younger than 16 to create an account. As Jeremy Pelzer reports, the ruling, which found the 2023 law to be unconstitutionally vague and violated Ohio minors’ free-speech rights, is the latest in a series of legal wins by tech giants to overturn laws in a number of states restricting children’s use of social media.
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Tax break tussle: Ohio lawmakers want to require that school districts sign off before cities hand out steep property‑tax breaks for new homes. Builders say changing how Community Reinvestment Areas work would derail projects, especially for affordable housing. But Anna Staver reports that the bill sponsors think it’s unfair for existing homeowners to foot the bills for their new neighbors.
Stop and weight: The Ohio attorney general’s office is warning medical spas to stop misleading claims about their own version of popular weight-loss drugs. Olivia Mitchell writes that Yost issued letters to more than a dozen spas claiming their own versions of the drugs are approved by the Food & Drug Administration and are just as safe and effective as the brand names. The custom-made variations, called compounded drugs, are made of semaglutide or tirzepatide, which are the main ingredients in the popular name-brand medications Ozempic, Zepbound, Wegovy and Mounjaro.
Pension palpitations: Ohio’s public pensions are absorbing a $4 billion blow so far this year as the stock market has tumbled amid President Donald Trump’s tariff orders. The Columbus Dispatch’s Laura Bischoff reports that those pensions have lost $4 billion in value since Jan. 1, though the number fluctuates with the market. Those five systems serve about 1.16 million Ohio workers and retirees.
Run off the road? The recently passed Ohio House version of the state budget scraps Gov. Mike DeWine’s plans for driver’s education but still stiffens requirements. The Cincinnati Enquirer’s Jessie Balmert writes that the House budget would require training for those younger than 21 rather than those under 18, as is the case under existing law. DeWine wanted to require training for any newly licensed driver.
Ahmad released: Former Ohio deputy state treasurer Amer Ahmad was set to be released from federal custody Wednesday, nearly a decade after he was convicted of steering state business to his financial adviser in exchange for more than $500,000 in kickbacks, then fleeing the country for Pakistan. As Bischoff reports, Ahmad, who served under Democratic treasurer Kevin Boyce, crossed the U.S.-Mexico border on foot before catching a flight to Lahore, where he was arrested after being found with fake travel documents and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash. He was returned to the U.S. for sentencing after spending 16 months in a Pakistani jail, which he called a ”terrible experience."
Full Disclosure
Here are five things we learned from the Feb. 20, 2023, ethics disclosure form filed by state Rep. Bride Rose Sweeney, a Westlake Democrat, about her 2023 finances:
1. Besides Sweeney’s 2023 legislative salary of $80,419.55, her only other source of income that year was interest payments on a Key Bank savings account, which totaled less than $1,000.
2. Her only investments worth more than $1,000 were her state public employee retirement fund account and an Ohio deferred compensation mutual fund account.
3. She accepted gifts worth more than $75 (or $25 if they came from a lobbyist) from then-Democratic political operative Serena Finlay, Cleveland real-estate agent Paul Clapp, House Majority Leader Allison Russo, state Rep. Dani Isaacsohn, Cleveland Guardians executive Neil Weiss, the American Council of Young Political Leaders, and the Ohio Council for Home Care and Hospice.
4. For a 2023 trip to Israel with other lawmakers, Sweeney’s travel expenses – totaling nearly $6,900 -- were covered by Ohio Jewish Communities Inc. And the Negev Foundation, which split the cost. The expenses included the costs of flights, hotels, ground transportation, meals and beverages, hiring a tour guide, and entrance fees.
5. The Ohio House reimbursed Sweeney $5,818.45 for lodging and $5,159.68 for mileage for the year.
Birthdays
Madison Flading-Mayberry, senior legislative aide to state Sen. Beth Liston
Straight from the Source
“If you’re going to start with this row office, what is the next row office up their sleeve? Maybe Rep. Stewart and the Republican Party might need better recruiting [for coroner].”
- Lucas County Commissioner Lisa Sobecki, a former Democratic state representative from Toledo, speaking with the Toledo Blade against a state budget measure that would have county coroners appointed by their respective county commissioners, rather than elected by voters. House Finance Committee Chair Brian Stewart, a Pickaway County Republican, told reporters last week the rationale for the change was that many Ohio counties have trouble finding people who are both willing to serve as coroner and want to run a political campaign for the job.
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