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Ohio Politics Explained podcast: Culture war bills about schools move at the statehouse

Ohio lawmakers introduced a transgender bathroom bill this week while a bill to rewrite our state's social studies standards had a hearing. Ohio Politics Explained, a 15-minute podcast created by the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, is discussing the state's culture war and politics. This week, House Republicans introduced a bill to restrict how transgender students use the bathroom, while a group suing the state over school vouchers demanded an apology from Ohio's auditor, and craft brewers lobbied for a legal change. Opponents of the bill say this is another disappointing move in the ongoing culture war over LGBTQ rights, while opponents of House Bill 183 argue that it would teach students a white-washed view of history. Craft beer has taken off in Ohio, and the brewers of your favorite ales are asking lawmakers to change Ohio's franchise law that governs their contracts with distributors (the companies that get their beers onto store shelves). wholesalers say Ohio's law is fair because those "just causes" get hashed out by both parties before a contract gets signed. Ohio Auditor Keith Faber asked for a survey of public school districts to complete a survey this week detailing how much they've spent on litigation challenging state laws, but the timing of this request has made this look like witness intimidation.

Ohio Politics Explained podcast: Culture war bills about schools move at the statehouse

Published : 10 months ago by Anna Staver in Politics

Republicans introduced a bill this week to restrict how transgender students use the bathroom. A group suing the state over school vouchers demanded an apology from Ohio's auditor, and craft brewers lobbied for a legal change.

We break down what it all means in this week's episode of Ohio Politics Explained. A podcast created by the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau to catch you up on the state's political news in 15 minutes or less.

This week, host Anna Staver was joined by statehouse bureau chief Anthony Shoemaker.

A bill introduced this week by House Republicans would require students in K-12 and college to use bathrooms that match the sex on their birth certificate.

"I hear from superintendents. I hear from schools," Rep. Adam Bird, R-New Richmond, said. "They’re truly distressed over feeling like they’re required to allow boys in the girls' restroom and vice versa. It feels like the time is right."

But opponents of House Bill 183 say this is another disappointing move in the ongoing culture war over LGBTQ rights.

"To suddenly make an issue of this, it’s hard not to see it as them jumping on the national bandwagon," Equality Ohio policy director Maria Bruno said.

Lawmakers also continued debating whether Ohio's state standards for social studies need to be rewritten.

"I am very concerned that we have a generation of younger people who don’t know the basics," Rep. Don Jones, R-Freeport, said. "I think the current standards are pretty vague."

He wants to rewrite them using the American Birthright standards, which were developed by a conservative group and promote Western history lessons over skills like civic participation.

Rep. Sean Brennan, D-Parma, said districts should decide whether to use certain documents or discuss certain opinions. And he worried House Bill 103 would teach students a white-washed view of history.

Craft beer has taken off in Ohio, and the brewers of your favorite ales say the law needs to catch up with their industry.

They're asking lawmakers to change Ohio's franchise law that governs their contracts with distributors (the companies that get their beers onto store shelves). Current code dictates that these contracts can only be broken by bankruptcy or a "just cause." Brewers say that's too restrictive and gives distributors too much power.

"In any other business, you would go and say, 'Hey, I want to find an alternative logistics company to help me do this.' But I'm not allowed to. It's impossible right now with the way that the state law is written," said John Haggerty, co-founder of Warped Wing Brewing Company in Dayton.

But wholesalers say Ohio's law is fair because those "just causes" get hashed out by both parties before a contract gets signed.

Ohio Auditor Keith Faber asked the state's public school districts to complete a survey this week detailing how much they've spent on litigation challenging state laws.

Faber's office says these are public records, and the districts don't disagree. But they say the timing of this request − which came as subpoenas were being issued in their lawsuit against the state − made this look like witness intimidation.

Vouchers Hurt Ohio, the group asking a judge to decide whether the state's voucher laws are constitutional, threatened to seek contempt charges if the survey wasn't rescinded.

Faber's office said they did nothing wrong and had no plans to walk it back.

Listen to "Ohio Politics Explained" on Spotify, Apple, Google Podcasts and TuneIn Radio. The episode is also available by clicking the link in this article.

The USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau serves The Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.


Topics: Ohio, Podcasts

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