S2 E7: WTF is Going on @ The Ohio Statehouse?!

In our 7th episode of Season 2 of the OAE Podcast and 4th “WTF is going on at the Ohio Statehouse?!” presentation of the 136th General Assembly, Maria & Ainslee are again joined by experts on the front lines of Statehouse advocacy. In today’s discussion, we go over the controversies that are front and center at the Statehouse and share some predictions about what we expect the rest of the year. Spoiler: Shenanigans are afoot!Find links to the organizations referenced and calls to action below. And check out earlier presentations to get a deep dive into specific bills under consideration. Recorded: Tuesday, May 26, 2026Previous Episodes Covering the 136th GA* WTF is going on at the Ohio Statehouse?! - February 27, 2026* WTF is going on at the Ohio Statehouse?! - November 13, 2025* WTF is going on at the Ohio Statehouse?! - May 15, 2025OAE UpdatesCHECK OUT OUR PODCAST!We give a behind-the-scenes look at the madness at the Ohio Statehouse.BECOME A COMMUNITY PARTNER!Complete the Community Partner Interest Form on our website to become an Ohioans Against Extremism Community Partner.CHECK OUT OUR BILL TRACKER!The full weekly hearing list for the hundreds of bills we track is available at any time at OhioBills.WTFNEW! POLICY EXPLAINERS If you have a request for a topic for our new Policy Explainers, or if you are interested in helping produce these explainers, please reach out to [email protected] Schedule & Shenanigan ForecastNow through sometime in June: “Mini Lame Duck”They say they want to leave at the beginning of June. They say that every year. Fool us once…They will return on [REDACTED]They can technically come back at any time. Sometimes they come back as early as August to do some more campaigning via policy-making. Sometimes they stay out until mid November.Post election: Lame Duck mayhemBills expire on December 31. They will go to the buzzer if they have to, particularly those not returning next sessionIt’s all theatre all the time. Smile for the CameraEver heard, “Don’t wrestle a pig in mud”? Well.. that applies here. They want to earn their viral story, their Fox News guest appearance, their shout-out from Elon.The wildcards are the ones not coming backBrenner, Williams to name a few…The girls are still fightingThere is a lot of discontent within the Republican party. There are going to be a lot of power plays.THIS WEEK’S SHENANIGANS! HJR 9/ SJR 10What it isA constitutional amendment to add voter photo ID requirements (already established in state law) to the Ohio Constitution.What’s happening this weekTestimony for and against the bill. To change the constitution. For forever. With legislation just introduced this month. Right before they leave for the summer and campaign for their own reelection. Total coincidence we’re sure.Sign up to stay informedSign up to be part of a phone bank calling Ohio legislatorsMedicaid fraud circular firing squadWhat it isAfter a viral story from the Daily Wire sparked accusations that there is wide-scale fraud in Ohio’s medicaid systemWhat’s happening this weekThe State Auditor, the Attorney General Office, and the Department of Medicaid were invited to testify. The State Auditor is currently in a competitive election to become the attorney general. Total coincidence we’re sure.The committee chair is Representative Gross, who has stated that Ohio is in “crisis” due to widespread medicaid fraud.WHO WE FOLLOWDemocracyWHO TO FOLLOW FOR LEGISLATIVE UPDATES & ANALYSIS* Common Cause* League of Women Voters* Ohio Voter Rights Coalition* All Voting is Local* ACLU of OhioORGANIZING EFFORTS* Ohio Ballot Protection* Red Wine & BlueCriminal JusticeWHO TO FOLLOW FOR LEGISLATIVE UPDATES & ANALYSIS* Ohio Families United for Political Action & Change (OFUPAC)* ACLU of Ohio* Ohio Justice & Policy Center* Ohio Poverty Law CenterORGANIZING EFFORTS* CONGRATS to the Columbus Safety Collective for the passage of Issue 5! * Ohio Coalition to End Qualified ImmunityImmigrationWHO TO FOLLOW FOR LEGISLATIVE UPDATES & ANALYSIS* Ohio Immigrant Alliance* ACLU of Ohio* Vibrant OhioORGANIZING EFFORTS* OhioIsHome.org* Ignite Peace* OPAWL* LULAC* CRIS Ohio* CAIR OhioEnvironmentWHO TO FOLLOW FOR LEGISLATIVE UPDATES & ANALYSIS* Ohio Environmental Council* Ohio Citizen ActionORGANIZING EFFORTS* Conserve Ohio* Ohio Residents for Responsible Development * Save Ohio Parks* Buckeye Environmental Network* Local solar power ballot initiative in Richland (narrowly failed)HealthcareWHO TO FOLLOW FOR UPDATES & ANALYSIS* Policy Matters Ohio* Planned Parenthood of Ohio* Abortion ForwardORGANIZING EFFORTS* Ohio Women’s Alliance* New Voices for Reproductive JusticeImportant legislative highlights:* HB 324 (telemedicine ban for a variety of prescriptions)* TESTIMONY NEEDED! Had proponent testimony last week and we expect that it will have opponent testimony as early as Wednesday June 3rd - if you would like to testify please email [email protected] - * people can take action and tell their legislator to vote NO on HB 324 hereLGBTQ+ RightsWHO TO FOLLOW FOR LEGISLATIVE UPDATES & ANALYSIS* Equality Ohio* TransOhio* LoveBoldlyORGANIZING EFFORTSEqual Rights AmendmentBILL TRACKERS* Buckeye Flame* Love BoldlyImportant legislative highlights:* HB249 (Drag Ban) - has not passed and it will not be passed in time to impact any prides this year.* HB693 (anti-LGBTQ bill impacting child welfare and foster care systems) - Equality Ohio is looking for families impacted by the child welfare systems willing to speak on the harm of this bill.EducationEducation @ the Statehouse TLDR: Brenner still sucks and doesn’t understand DEI; Introducing some GOOD transparency and accountability bills (SB443)WHO TO FOLLOW FOR UPDATES & ANALYSIS* Honesty for Ohio Education* Ohio Federation of Teachers * Ohio Education AssociationBILL TRACKERHonesty For Ohio EducationImportant legislative highlights:* SB443 (voucher transparency & accountability) - GOOD BILL! Bipartisan bill being introduced this week.* SB113 - DEI ban for K-12* HB485 and SB310 (Baby Olivia bills) could see opponent testimony scheduled at any time. They further erode our nonexistent health education standards and push “fetal personhood” along with absolutely inaccurate language about fetal development.* Reminder: Property tax bills inherently impact public school funding!Rely on our tracking and analysis? Please consider supporting our work.We don’t have any billionaire friends, and we don’t paywall our updates. We rely on the generous support of Ohioans like you to keep us going. Please consider becoming a monthly donor. Even $5/month can make a big difference.More from Ohioans Against ExtremismNEW! Policy Explainers!We are supplementing our weekly posts with policy explainers that dive into the weeds of complex policy issues.* SB202 Is About More Than Just a Flag (May 14, 2026)* What HB 1 and HB 292 tell us about the future Ohio lawmakers are building (May 21, 2026)If you have a request for a topic, or if you are interested in helping produce these explainers, please reach out to [email protected] our Community Partner NetworkJoin a diverse network of community partners and take advantage of private planning sessions, exclusive safety resources, a free spot at OAE’s training sessions, and more.Support & Follow Ohioans Against ExtremismDonate | Substack | PodcastThanks for reading! This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to Ohioans Against Extremism at ohagainstextremism.substack.com/subscribe