June 25

Gender identity bill stuck in House: editorial

Published: Friday, June 22, 2012, 8:00 PM

By The Plain Dealer Editorial Board The Plain Dealer

An Ohio House committee chaired by Lake County legislator Ron Young needs to get moving on a bipartisan bill to ban employment and housing discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

House Bill 335 has languished since being introduced last fall, but the need for the bill is plain. In 21st-century Ohio, it is indefensible that, by failing to forbid discrimination based on sexual identity, state law in effect permits it.

In September 2009, the Democrat-controlled House passed a similar bill co-sponsored by Republican Ross W. McGregor of Springfield and Democrat Dan Stewart, then a Columbus representative, but it was never brought up for a vote in the Senate.

McGregor and Nickie J. Antonio, a Lakewood Democrat, introduced the current bill last Sept. 27.

With control of the House now in Republican hands, Speaker William Batchelder of Medina and his GOP colleagues took six weeks (until Nov. 9) to refer the bill to a House committee.

http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2012/06/gender_identity_bill_stuck_in.html

Hannah Report 6/25/12

GENERAL ASSEMBLY/STATEHOUSE

Former Rep. Carlton Weddington took a plea deal Monday and was sentenced to three years in prison as the prosecutor in the case and the FBI confirmed more individuals may be indicted before the summer is over.

House Speaker William Batchelder (R-Medina) announced Monday that the chamber will be creating a special task force to "facilitate discussion and interaction between Ohio's manufacturing community, public policy makers and interested parties regarding the state of manufacturing in Ohio and what can be done to improve Ohio's manufacturing competitiveness in the 21^st century."

http://www.hannah.com/DesktopDefaultPublic.aspx?type=hns&id=189804