Ohio Senate

The Ohio Senate has passed the so-called “Heartbeat Bill,” SB 23, which bans an abortion when a viable heartbeat is detected, which can be as early as six weeks. If passed, it would be one of the most restrictive abortion measures in the country.

Ohio is among 15 states that have asked the federal government for permission to impose work requirements on Medicaid recipients. Ohio’s request would cover people up to age 50, but a state senator has proposed a bill that would go further.

State lawmakers are now considering Gov. Mike DeWine’s 18 cent gas tax increase, to plug a hole of more than a billion dollars in the Department of Transportation’s budget. However one legislative leader says they’re also looking for ways to cut taxes again.

The "Heartbeat Bill" abortion ban is on its fifth try through the legislature, after being passed and vetoed in the lame duck session.

A spokesperson for Republicans in the Ohio Senate says caucus members have unblocked people on their official social media pages as part of an effort to avoid further legal action.

A southwest Ohio man has settled a lawsuit he filed against his Republican state senator, who he says blocked him on Facebook during a heated debate about the “Heartbeat Bill” abortion ban in December.

Minority Democrats in the Ohio Senate say they’ll be focusing on jobs, the economy and education in bills they will present in the new general assembly. 

Two state senators say Ohio needs to join all other states in developing a comprehensive plan to deal with rising numbers of residents with Alzheimer’s and dementia that are likely to come in the next few decades.

The leader of the Ohio Senate says the “Heartbeat Bill,” which would ban abortion when a fetal heartbeat is detected, is one of his chamber’s priorities. It’s just not at the top of their list, which includes proposals aimed at cutting state regulations, adding environmental protections and reforming criminal sentencing laws.

Ohio Senate Republicans are saying one of their top goals is to protect what they believe to be the state’s number one natural resource: Lake Erie. They say keeping Lake Erie clean will be a team effort that doesn’t just fall on the shoulders of farmers. 

Backers of the six week abortion ban known as the “Heartbeat Bill” are upset after lawmakers’ attempt to override Gov. John Kasich’s veto failed. The measure passed the Ohio House but failed by a single vote in the Ohio Senate.