Latest news with #BrianStewart
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
$60 billion Ohio budget set to pass next week
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ohio lawmakers must pass the state's $60 billion state budget by the end of the month and details are still being hashed out and negotiated behind the scenes between the House and Senate. Among those items is $600 million to the Cleveland Browns to help the team build a new stadium. The House and Senate put different proposals in the budget to get that money to the Browns. Right now, the budget uses the state's unclaimed funds program to fund it. 'Both chambers have recognized that this is a historic project and a real win for the state of Ohio,' Ohio House Finance Chair Brian Stewart (R-Ashville) said. 'I think if all we have to do in the next week is hash out technical differences of how we do it, I think it's a pretty good start.' Kroger plans to close 60 stores over 18 months There are also talks about tax cuts in the budget. For example, Ohio Senate Republicans are looking to create a flat state income tax rate, saving Ohioans in what is currently the top tax bracket a combined $1.4 billion. But House members on both sides of the aisle are not entirely keen on the idea. 'This is not the time to wipe out $1.4 billion of our revenue,' Ohio House Finance Ranking Member Bride Rose Sweeney (D-Westlake) said. 'I am very concerned about the future of Ohio and our budget that is not preparing us to be the most fiscally responsible, the most prepared to take care of the people of Ohio.' 'Most [Republicans] have voted for income tax cuts before, we would like to see some income tax relief,' Stewart said. 'I don't know if we have the same view today that we need to get there entirely in this budget.' A big piece of the budget will also be property tax relief. The House and Senate agree something needs to get done but have taken different approaches to the issue. 'We want to have immediate, meaningful property tax relief and I think that a lot of those ideas that we've been kicking around the last six months are certainly candidates,' Stewart said. Most recently house members introduced a bill that would do things like eliminate inside millage usage, which helps fund police, fire and schools, but would save Ohioans billions of dollars. Backers of the bill are eyeing the state budget to get that through. 'We've heard concerns from local governments, primarily aimed at inside millage, and what the elimination of inside millage would do to local governments who are reliant on inside millage,' Ohio Senate President Rob McColley (R-Napoleon) said. 'I would say the inside millage is not likely to make it inside the final version, at least, we would fight against that.' But some budget considerations from earlier on in the budget debate are likely being left by the wayside, like legalizing online casino games and lottery. 'I think it is highly unlikely there will be any gambling expansion,' Ohio House Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) said. The budget must pass by the end of June. Lawmakers are on track to pass it next week, likely on Wednesday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ohio legislature closing in on tweaks to voter-approved recreational marijuana laws
Jun. 5—A Frankenstein's monster of sorts is coming alive in Columbus as members of the Ohio House and Senate work to close the gap in their chamber's different approaches to recreational marijuana reform. That gap has existed since Ohio voters approved recreational marijuana at the ballot box in 2023, with the Ohio Senate broadly pushing for more restrictions than the House was willing to tolerate. The House adopted a plan to try to find the middle: Amend Senate Bill 56 to include large portions of House Bill 160 and Senate Bill 86. Here's the broad overview of the hodgepodge piece of legislation, as things stand: — There would be no ban on the sharing of recreational marijuana between of-age adults. — The state's current flat 10% tax would be maintained on recreational sales and expanded onto intoxicating hemp products. Previous plans have sought to raise the tax to 15% or 20%. — Intoxicating hemp products would be banned from retail sales and only be purchasable at dispensaries. That's except for low-dose THC-infused beverages, which could still be sold retail. — The state's current host community financial kickback would be phased out seven years after the bill's effective date. Previous plans have considered cutting out that funding immediately. — The limit of Ohio dispensaries would rise from 350 to 400. — The minimum distance between dispensaries would be one mile. Previous plans have looked at a half-mile limit. — Public use would be allowed in permitting concert venues. Bars and restaurants still would not have the authority to permit marijuana consumption on their patios or outdoor areas. — THC concentration in certain products would be capped at 70%, with Ohio's Division of Cannabis Control having the regulatory power to bump it higher. The bill is likely to see further amendments in the House Judiciary Committee over the coming weeks. Rep. Brian Stewart, R-Ashville, who has headed the House's legislative efforts on intoxicating hemp and recreational marijuana, said that he hopes the compromise will be enough to get the Senate on board. The Senate's go-to expert on the subject, Sen. Steve Huffman, R-Tipp City, did not respond before publication when this news outlet asked if he approved of the House's changes. ------ For more stories like this, sign up for our Ohio Politics newsletter. It's free, curated, and delivered straight to your inbox every Thursday evening. Avery Kreemer can be reached at 614-981-1422, on X, via email, or you can drop him a comment/tip with the survey below.
San Francisco Chronicle
01-06-2025
- Health
- San Francisco Chronicle
AIDS/LifeCycle's final ride: Thousands hit road in Bay Area, ending 3 decades of fundraising
With a tinge of melancholy, more than 2,400 bicyclists gathered Sunday morning to kick off the last AIDS/LifeCycle, bringing to a close more than three decades of fundraising through the annual event for HIV and AIDS prevention, care and support services. Cyclists will travel 545 miles over seven days from the Cow Palace in Daly City to Santa Monica. 'We want to make HIV-AIDS a thing of the past,' said Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said Sunday before setting off for the first leg of the ride to Santa Cruz. 'I'm excited to suit up.' Each day, riders bike anywhere from 43 to 112 miles. Each cyclist raised at least $3,500 from friends, family and the community to support HIV and AIDS programs and services overseen by the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the Los Angeles LGBT Center. 'I can't think of a better way to honor those that we have lost and also to join the fight against HIV and AIDS,' said Brian Stewart, 32, a political strategist from Los Angeles readying for his inaugural ride. 'I'm really, really excited.' At least 800 volunteers known as 'roadies' turned out to help direct riders, provide medical services to the injured, serve meals and drive cyclists' gear from stop to stop. After the COVID shutdown in 2020, participation in the ride declined and the cost of fundraising rose, prompting organizers to end the annual event, which began in 1994. Over the years, the ride raised a total of more than $300 year, the ride raised $17.2 million, the highest total after 2022. 'Now more than ever, these funds are critical so we can respond to the needs of our communities, particularly when funding for HIV, DEI and transgender communities are under attack,' said Tyler TerMeer, CEO of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, who has participated as a cyclist and organizer in the ride for 17 years. 'It's bittersweet that it's the last ride,' said Laura Chung, 39, a nurse at Kaiser Hospital embarking on her second ride. 'But they'll create something new.' Next year, a three-day cycling event will take riders from San Francisco to Sonoma and back. Then in 2027, the Big Gay 10K footrace will take place in San Francisco.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Appalachian Ohio's public schools face tough choices with potential state, federal funding cuts
Ohio school children in a classroom. (Photo by Morgan Trau.) Public school leaders in Appalachian Ohio say that state and federal funding cuts would cause suffering for schools and the students they serve. An analysis of the Ohio House Republican budget proposal shows it would result in more than $565 million in lost funds for Appalachian school districts over the next two years and a loss of $2.75 billion for public schools statewide, compared to the Fair School Funding Plan that's been in place the past two budget cycles. The Ohio Senate is currently working on a state operating budget draft that would spell out, among other things, how the chamber thinks public and private education should be funded by the state. The big question right now is whether Ohio Republican lawmakers will keep to the Fair School Funding Plan that was passed with bipartisan support four years ago and included a six-year phase-in, or whether they will abandon it before the third and final phase. Republicans control supermajorities in both chambers of the Ohio Statehouse. Ohio House Republicans have already laid out their proposal. It does not include a continuation of the Fair School Funding Plan, which distributes support based on a funding formula that takes into account individual district needs, student demographics, and poverty rates, among other categories. The House budget proposal gives schools an additional $226 million, which House Finance Chair Rep. Brian Stewart, R-Ashville, said would be an increase from 2025 funding. Democrats and Fair School Funding Plan advocates say that with inflation schools need much more than that to be fully funded, based on the needs identified as part of the funding plan's data. A fully-funded increase would be between $666 million and $800 million, they say. School board members from across the state signed on to a letter organized by advocacy group All In for Ohio Kids, asking that the legislature go back to the Fair School Funding plan. The members write that the funding formula 'is working as intended,' and that it 'provides an equitable and transparent foundation for a shared responsibility between the state and local communities to support public education for the nearly 90% of Ohio students attending public schools.' 'Alarmingly, provisions in the current state budget for (fiscal year) 2026-2027 threaten the integrity of the (fair funding plan), leaving many districts, especially those with limited local tax bases, struggling to meet rising costs and educational demands,' the letter stated. 'These changes risk stalling progress, undermining the formula's effectiveness and disrupting local school districts' ability to plan responsibly for the long term.' School districts from urban, suburban, and rural regions all stand to be impacted. But the Appalachian region's districts could face cuts that would dramatically change the way education is provided in an area with limited resources as it is. Tom Gibbs, Ph.D., superintendent of the Athens City School District, has spent two decades of his career in education working in Appalachian districts, and during that time, he's seen several 'funding mechanisms' put in place for public education, but he's also seen the different challenges schools and districts face, specifically Appalachian schools. 'Obviously, two of the biggest challenges are, one, poverty … and the other is that you're spread out, so everything is hindered by transportation (needs) and technology access,' Gibbs said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX He said Athens is unique with its location near and connection to Ohio University, but the district still has its share of needs. He's in favor of the Fair School Funding Plan because it's 'research-based,' and based in the local-level facts of each school district, he said. 'I do have some concerns that we're moving away from a formula again,' Gibbs said, adding that he's worried about plans to reduce taxes that help school districts, and talks of requiring schools to return carryover funds after a cap. An analysis by the Ohio River Valley Institute found that the Ohio House budget proposal would result in more than $565 million in lost funds over the next two years for Appalachian public schools, 'yielding the lowest state share of school funding in Ohio's history,' the institute said. Because it 'ignores inflation and eliminates targeted funding for districts with wealth disparities or districts that lose students to private schools,' the analysis found the Ohio House Republican plan would underfund public schools statewide by $2.75 billion. 'We're risking putting our students and teachers even further behind other states,' said the study's author, Nick Messenger, an economist and senior researcher for the Ohio River Valley Institute. Messenger used state budget data and funding projections from think tank Policy Matters Ohio to focus his analysis on counties in Ohio served by the Appalachian Regional Commission. The biggest change over fiscal years 2026 and 2027 would be seen in Mahoning County, according to Messenger's research. Using the Fair School Funding Plan, schools there would receive $262.5 million. Under the House proposal, the district would only see $166.6 million. Athens County would receive $72.45 million under the Fair School Funding Plan model, the analysis found. Under the House proposal, schools there would see $52.8 million. In addition to state uncertainty, Gibbs also said any change in funding on the federal level to public education, for which Athens receives about $1 million from 'various funding streams,' would impact their ability to provide tutoring and specialized programs, like special education. Policy Matters Ohio said the state's public schools receive $3 billion per year in federal funding, about 11.6% of public school revenue. Much of the federal funding schools like Athens receive is based on their participation in the free and reduced-lunch programs, eligibility for which is based on the income level of a student's household. Athens has higher levels of eligibility for the program than some other districts, therefore their funding can be used for 'school-wide' programs, according to Gibbs. 'We have some flexibility to implement programs, which means reading intervention, math intervention,' Gibbs said. 'Any reduction in that funding stream is going to have a negative impact on the additional tutoring support services we provide.' Seeing decreases in state aid and federal aid, along with possible limits in how districts can raise local funding would be challenging, he said, 'and we could be creating an environment where more schools have to go back to the ballot more often.' Ohio Statehouse lawmakers have until the end of June to develop a final budget draft to send to the governor for his signature. The Ohio Senate's Finance Committee, which leads the chamber's budget development, is hearing from not only school districts, but Ohioans speaking on behalf of topics like public libraries, disability rights, parks and recreation, and food banks throughout the week, with hearings currently scheduled through Friday. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Opponents speak out for more than three hours against making changes to Ohio's marijuana law
Stock photo from Getty Images. More than 20 people spoke out against a bill that would change Ohio's marijuana law. Thirty-five people submitted opponent testimony against Ohio House Bill 160, which would reduce THC levels and redirect most of the tax revenue. State Rep. Brian Stewart, R-Ashville, introduced the bill two months ago and opponents testified against the bill for more than three hours during Wednesday's House Judiciary Committee meeting. 'H.B. 160 imposes a litany of negative changes on cannabis users, consumers, growers, and professionals to dismantle key parts of current Ohio law enacted by your constituents,' said Gary Daniels, ACLU of Ohio's legislative director. 'At worst, these changes can be interpreted as purposeful, designed to kneecap Issue 2. At the least, these changes fundamentally handicap the purchase, use, transportation, and sale of cannabis in the state.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Ohioans passed a citizen-initiated law to legalize recreational marijuana in 2023 with 57% of the vote, and sales started in August 2024. Ohio lawmakers can change the law since it passed as a citizen initiative. The state's total recreational marijuana sales were $479,219,877 as of April 26, according to the Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Cannabis Control. H.B. 160 would reduce the THC levels in marijuana extracts from a maximum of 90% down to a maximum of 70%, cap the number of marijuana dispensaries at 350, and reallocate the bulk of marijuana tax revenue to the state's General Revenue Fund. It would ban using marijuana in public spaces and offer expungement for prior convictions for marijuana related offenses. 'I think this bill represents the most thoughtful of the approaches we've seen from legislators,' said state Rep. Jamie Callender, R-Concord. 'If we could find some common ground, I think the sponsor has mentioned that he wants to have a fairly stripped down bill.' H.B. 160 would repeal the Cannabis Social Equity and Jobs Program, which was enacted through the passage of Issue 2. The bill also has an intoxicating hemp provision that would require every THC product to only be sold at Ohio's regulated marijuana dispensaries. During the committee meeting, Callender held up an intoxicating hemp product he recently purchased with the Hawaiian Punch logo on it. 'This is to show that there is some common ground,' Callender said. '1,000 milligrams of THC, 96.1% THC. … No ID required to purchase, no ID required to go into the location. … We don't want children having access. We don't want false labeling.' The bill would also make it illegal to purchase marijuana in another state and bring it back to Ohio. 'But Ohioans can still return home from their favorite out-of-state microbrewery with a can, six pack, or entire keg of beer,' Daniels. Many of the opponents were not shy about pointing this out. 'The Issue 2 campaign was called Regulate Cannabis Like Alcohol,'said Karen O'Keefe, Marijuana Policy Project's director of state policies. 'Yet H.B. 160's unnecessary and onerous restrictions on cannabis in no way resemble how alcohol is regulated. … Would you ban possessing bourbon purchased in Kentucky?' Opponents questioned where they would be legally allowed to use marijuana if the bill passed. 'If people can't consume at home-and sharing at a friend's house becomes illegal, where are they supposed to consume safely?' asked Anthony D. Riley, founder of Ohio Cannabis Live and the Ohio Cannabis Expo. Those opposed to the intoxicating hemp provisions are worried about the ramifications of limiting sales to only marijuana dispensaries. 'We have concerns that the language in S.B. 160 would ban most types of legal hemp products from retail sales, reducing access for consumers,' said Ohio Grocers Association President Kristin Mullins. Instead, she wants lawmakers to incorporate regulatory oversight such as age-restricting products and product labeling. The Ohio Senate passed their own version of a bill that would overhaul the state's marijuana law back in February — shortly before the House introduced their bill. There are some similarities between the bills such as lowering THC levels, requiring marijuana only be used in a private residence, and capping dispensaries at 350. One of the biggest differences with Senate Bill 56 is limiting Ohio's home grow from 12 plants down to six. The bill would also combine the state's medical and recreational marijuana programs under the Division of Cannabis Control. S.B. 56 has yet to have a hearing over in the House. Follow Capital Journal Reporter Megan Henry on Bluesky. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
