Rotunda Rumblings
Marijuana makeover: Republicans are taking another run at modifying Ohio’s adult-use marijuana laws. The Senate passed a bill on party lines Wednesday that would limit home grow and ban outdoor smoking in public spaces. Anna Staver reports that Senate Bill 56 did not include any tax changes. Those are expected in the budget.
Big pharma: The Ohio Supreme Court in December effectively reversed a $651 million judgement that two Ohio counties won against chain pharmacy retailers for their roles fueling the opioid crisis. As Jake Zuckerman reports, two Ohio House Republicans introduced legislation that would lock the court’s reasoning into law.
I can see clearly now: Only 20% of students who fail school vison screenings get follow-up exams and glasses. Gov. Mike DeWine’s OhioSEE budget proposal would provide $50 million in the next two years to bring follow-up exams to schools, as well as provide students glasses. DeWine is tying students’ vision to his emphasis in recent years on reading instruction, Laura Hancock reports.
Bullet points: In a Wednesday morning speech on the House of Representatives floor, U.S. Rep. Shontel Brown criticized “unelected, unaccountable, unvetted, unconfirmed billionaire Elon Musk” for prompting an email on Saturday that asked all federal government employees to respond with five bullet points explaining what they did the previous week. Sabrina Eaton asked Brown and other U.S. Congress members from Ohio to reveal their activities that week.
Senior moments: The Ohio House passed a bill that would provide a waiver for seniors at Lakeside High School in Ashtabula Area City School District from meeting the required instructional hours under state law. Hancock reports that a heavy November snowstorm collapsed part of the school’s roof and resulted in students missing school.
Wrongful convictions: Two wrongfully convicted Northeast Ohio residents will each get about $1.9 million from the state, under agreements approved Monday by the Ohio Controlling Board. As Jeremy Pelzer reports, Michael Buehner of Lorain and Joel Covender of Amherst – who each served lengthy prison sentences after being convicted of murder and sex crimes, respectively – are each set to receive about $1.9 million from the state, with hundreds of thousands of dollars more going to their respective attorneys.
Egg-spensive: The price of eggs keeps going up because of an avian influenza infecting egg-laying hen. Paris Wolfe reports that Ohio’s flocks have been hit hard by the bird flu known as H5N1. About 9 million chickens in Ohio have been destroyed in the past year. And unfortunately, “we haven’t hit the peak yet.”
Full Disclosure
Five things we learned from the Feb. 12, 2025, financial disclosure of Ohio’s newest state senator, Jane Timken. The Canton Republican joined the legislature earlier this month and filed a disclosure about her 2024 finances:
Timken earned less than $9,999 in dividends from The Timken Company, the global manufacturer that her husband’s family founded. Timken earned between $25,000 and $49,999 in dividends and capital gains from her investment in Apple. She lost less than $1,000 on an investment in a family partnership called Oakdale Farms LLC, a 699-acre property in Jackson Township. She reported owning no real estate and owes no debts greater than $1,000. State lawmakers don’t need to report their personal or vacation homes. When Timken ran for U.S Senate in 2022, her federal financial disclosure estimated her household assets from about $40 million to $72 million. Of that, $2.2 million to $5.2 million were held by her personally. She has a license to practice law in Ohio.
On the Move
Anna Lippincott, a a former staffer of imprisoned ex-Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, is the new finance director for former state Sen. Niraj Antani’s campaign for treasurer.
Birthdays
Ex-state Rep. Denny Wojtanowski
Straight from the Source
“December 2023 when we passed (Senate Bill 86), that was a long time ago. I wish we could change a lot of things. I wish I could have told President Biden not to debate in the middle of June and get out of the race ahead of time.”
-Columbus Democratic state Sen. Bill DeMora on why he voted against the changes to Ohio’s marijuana laws found in Senate Bill 56, when he voted for a similar set of changes in December 2023.
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The number of plants households can grow would drop if the Senate’s overhaul of Ohio’s marijuana regulation becomes law. Read More
