Latest news with #Ohioans'
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Despite lawsuit, unclaimed funds for Browns stadium moves forward
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Part of the Ohio budget signed last week is already being challenged in court. As it stands, $1 billion will be taken from Ohio's unclaimed funds program. That money could be an uncashed check or a forgotten bank account that the state holds onto for its citizens until it is claimed. How Ohio's recently passed budget will expand driver's education requirements Lawmakers now want to use some of that money to build new sports stadiums while Ohio resident Felicia Snell said the move is misguided. 'A stadium is not going to feed a child; a stadium is not going to put someone in an apartment,' she said. 'It doesn't make sense to me.' Right now, that fund houses $3.7 billion. Lawmakers want to capitalize on what they call idle money and use it for a new 'Ohio Cultural and Sports Facility' fund. The $1 billion that is used will be money that has been in the fund for more than 10 years; $600 million of it will go to the Cleveland Browns for a new stadium. Snell did not know that the state plans to give $600 million to the Cleveland Browns or use the other billions of dollars in the fund for sports stadiums in the future. She said she is shocked the state hasn't notified residents. 840-acre Knox County solar farm approved; opponents promise to continue fight 'Since I'm not that important, I mean, I guess why not take it,' she said. 'They're snatching funds and not focusing on children who are with crime, people that are homeless, people in addiction.' So, what is the class action lawsuit? It argues that using unclaimed funds unconstitutionally seizes Ohioans' private property without due process. 'I'm confident we're on good constitutional grounds and I'm also confident that they're not going to be able to prove damages by anybody,' Ohio Senate President Rob McColley (R-Napoleon) said. 'Everybody who has money in the fund still has ten years to come get the money and so there is no harm, there are no damages for those individuals, so I think it's going to be a tough case to prove all the way up.' McColley said he does not think the lawsuit stands a chance, in the higher courts, at least. 'They may win it at the local trial court level but that's something that we're confident as it advances through the stages that we'll be successful,' he said. Ohio equal rights amendment would outlaw discrimination, void same-sex marriage ban Senate Finance Committee Chairman Jerry Cirino (R-Kirtland) said that unclaimed funds have been used before, like in emergencies. 'This is not the first time, and we didn't recall any challenges to those occasions when that money was used,' he said. The lawsuit was filed by Marc Dann, a former Ohio attorney general who also sued the state — and won — over $900 million in COVID-era unemployment funds for Ohioans. 'The way they've decided to do it, by taking people's money that doesn't belong to the state, is uncosted and it's unconstitutional for several reasons,' Dann said. 'One is the government can't take your money or your property without compensating you for that. Secondly, they can't take your money at all, for a, for something that's not a public purpose and I think there's a pretty good argument that a, a football stadium for, for, that will benefit only the Cleveland Browns and Jimmy Haslam is, is is, is not a public purpose. The third reason is that, that there's not good due process.' Unless the courts say otherwise, the money will be taken from the fund on Jan. 1, 2026. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lawsuit seeks to stop Browns stadium funding
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A former Ohio attorney general has filed a lawsuit in an attempt to stop the state's contribution to build the Cleveland Browns a new stadium. Former Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann, through his law firm DannLaw, has filed a class action lawsuit in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, seeking an injunction to prevent the state from using the Unclaimed Funds Account to fund a proposed new stadium for the NFL team. Last week, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed the state's two-year budget, which included $600 million for a new Browns stadium in the Cleveland suburbs, 18 miles south of Huntington Bank Stadium. Intel reportedly considering major strategy change in manufacturers like Ohio plant According to the Ohio Department of Commerce, the state has about $4.8 billion in its Unclaimed Funds Account, which is money from Ohioans' inactive bank accounts, uncashed checks, and other sources that they may not know they have. The budget designates $1.7 billion of that money for the Ohio Cultural and Sports Facility, with the first part of that – the $600 million – being assigned to the football stadium. Watch a report on the state's unclaimed funds account in the video player above. According to a press release, the lawsuit was filed on behalf of three Ohio residents and a class that includes 'all individuals and entities whose funds are being held in the Ohio Unclaimed Funds Trust Fund as of June 30, 2025.' The lawsuit alleges that the state is violating the U.S. and Ohio constitutions, including due process protections. 'The State of Ohio intends to steal over a billion dollars in private property from its citizens and pour it into the pockets of Jimmy Haslam, one of America's richest men,' Jeffrey A. Crossman, lead counsel and former Ohio legislator, said in the press release. 'Everyday Ohioans are rightfully outraged by this blatant abuse of power. The government can't just take someone's property and give it to someone else.' Ohio civil rights group rules that ex-employee can sue LifeWise for discrimination The lawsuit accuses the Browns' owners, the Haslam Sports Group, of seeking public funding 'for their thoroughly private venture' to cover half of the new stadium's construction cost. In addition to an injunction, the lawsuit also states the plaintiffs are seeking a jury trial should there be any monetary or legal claims. The Division of Unclaimed Funds recommends using this three-step process: • Search for unclaimed funds and generate a claim form by accessing the new system at Review and gather the required documentation.• Submit the claim form and any documents by mail or upload them directly through the system. Since being reinstated by the NFL in 1999, the Browns have won 141 games. Read the full lawsuit in the document below. Browns-stadium-funding-class-action-lawsuitDownload Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
A new Browns stadium, income taxes, school cell phone ban: How Ohio's budget affects you
Ohio's new two-year budget cuts income taxes for high earners, pays for a new domed stadium for the Cleveland Browns, funds K-12 schools, bans cell phones in classrooms and could reduce who receives Medicaid if federal officials slash spending. DeWine signed the bill late June 30 and issued 67 vetoes − the most of his time as governor. The Republican governor canned most of lawmakers' plans for property tax relief even as a group tries to eliminate all property taxes at the ballot. Lawmakers can override DeWine's vetoes with a vote of at least three-fifths of each chamber. Republicans control enough seats to make that happen. The 3,156-page final product includes hundreds of changes that affect how you live, work and play in the Buckeye State. Here's what the changes will mean: If you... Earn more than $100,000 a year: You are getting a break on your income taxes. Now, everyone earning at least $26,050 will pay 2.75% on their state income taxes − called a flat tax. Those making less pay no income taxes. Buy a newspaper, book or movie: You won't pay sales tax on newspaper subscriptions, material used to produce printed material or motion pictures acquired by theaters. Lawmakers wanted to impose taxes on these items, but DeWine vetoed that change. Donate to an anti-abortion pregnancy center: You will get a personal income tax deduction up to $750 per year for contributions to pregnancy resource centers. Buy cigarettes in certain counties: The budget allows Franklin, Summit and Hamilton counties to levy a cigarette tax to pay for local arts and cultural programming. Cleveland's Cuyahoga County is already authorized to do this. Want cities with marijuana dispensaries to get money: The budget maintained 36% of recreational marijuana tax revenue for cities with dispensaries and directed the rest of it to the state's general bank account. Lawmakers punted a more robust debate about cannabis to later this year, meaning cities won't get their money any time soon. Own the Cleveland Browns: You will receive $600 million toward your goal of moving the professional football team from its lakefront stadium to a new domed facility in the suburb of Brook Park. The money comes from a $1.7 billion pot of Ohioans' unclaimed funds from forgotten deposits and money. Have unclaimed funds: Ohioans' unclaimed funds will be used to pay for sports stadiums and cultural facilities. You can check if you have unclaimed funds at Own the Cincinnati Bengals or another sports team in Ohio: You could apply for $400 million in unclaimed funds set aside for other sports venues. Teams across the state have expressed interest in money for upgrades after the Browns made their $600 million request. Want to move the Cleveland Browns to Brook Park: It will be easier thanks to a change in state law that weakened the Art Modell law, which makes it harder to leave the city. Need a tampon: Menstrual products will be prohibited in the men's restrooms in public buildings. Are a transgender Ohioan: State law now makes it the policy of the state to recognize two sexes, male and female. Use a homeless shelter as a transgender Ohioan: DeWine vetoed an item that would have cut funding for homeless shelters 'that promote or affirm social gender transition.' Want to read a LGBTQ book: DeWine rejected a provision that would've forced public libraries to keep materials on sexual orientation and gender identity away from patrons under age 18. Bring a cell phone to school: Students will be prohibited from using cell phones in school starting Jan. 1, 2026, except in certain circumstances, such as a health issue or an active threat or an emergency. Want to get a driver's license at age 20: Ohio will require driver's education training for anyone under 21 years old. Current law requires training for those younger than 18. Attend a public school: The budget allocates about $8 billion per year for public, K-12 schools. Democrats and school leaders say that's less than what they were promised under a fair-school funding model first approved in 2021. Want to run for school board: You won't have to list your political affiliation. DeWine vetoed that proposal. Attend a nonchartered, nonpublic school: You won't receive state taxpayer money through an educational savings account to pay for tuition and supplies. Ohio currently pays for public schools and private tuition through vouchers but the non-chartered, non-public schools lack oversight, DeWine said in his veto message. Worry about STRS pension oversight: Ohio is remaking the 11-member board by August 2028. The change means fewer teachers and retirees and more appointed financial experts on the board, which has been beleaguered with drama. Want to use AI in schools: School districts must develop a policy on the use of artificial intelligence by July 1, 2026. Have children who need glasses: The budget will ensure more kindergarten through third grade students receive comprehensive eye exams and, if needed, glasses. Ohio set aside $10 million for children's glasses. Are raising a baby: The budget expands home visits to an additional 12,000 families, DeWine said. Home visits help parents learn the skills they need to care for their babies and reduce infant mortality in the state. Want property tax relief: DeWine jettisoned a plan to limit how much school districts could carry over year to year. He also axed a plan that required certain levies be included in the 20-mill floor. DeWine promised a working group to look at property tax reform, but lawmakers were already calling for an override. Are one of the 770,000 Ohioans on Medicaid because of the expansion: Ohio would end Medicaid coverage for low-income adults if the federal government chips in less than 90% of the program. Currently, Ohio pays for 10% of the cost for that group of people. Want to buy pop with SNAP benefits: Ohio will ask the federal government for a waiver to ban the use of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for sugar-sweetened beverages. Want children to stay on Medicaid: DeWine vetoed a change that would have blocked Ohio's attempt to keep children on Medicaid, regardless of changes to their parents' financial circumstances, through their fourth birthdays. The proposal needs federal approval to move forward. Want to know how a bill becomes a law: The budget restricts access to lawmakers' internal records and bill drafts until after the two-year legislative session is over. Gary Daniels with the American Civil Liberties Union called the change "an ongoing assault on your right to know & accountability." Care about water quality: DeWine vetoed language that would have prevented using H2Ohio funds to purchase land or conservation easements. H2Ohio is a program DeWine launched in 2019 to reduce harmful algae blooms in Lake Erie and improve water quality statewide. Want oversight of conditions in Ohio's prisons: Lawmakers moved the duties of inspecting and investigating complaints about prisons from the Corrections Institution Inspection Committee to the Ohio Attorney General's Office. Have a complaint about campaign finance violations or voter fraud: You will no longer go to the Ohio Elections Commission, which was eliminated. Instead, election complaints will be handled by the Ohio Secretary of State's Election Integrity Unit. But local prosecutors will retain control over who is charged with voter fraud. Need child care: The Ohio budget increases the number of children who can receive care at various child care providers. The budget also requires child care providers to be paid based on enrollment instead of attendance – a federal change that Ohio will implement by July 5, 2026. Like bike paths: State and local governments will still be able to use eminent domain for bike paths. Are called for jury duty as a state employee: You won't be required to fork over any compensation you receive for jury duty or court attendance. Have a cell phone: You will pay 60 cents per month for enhanced 911 services. That's an increase from the current fee of 40 cents per month. Want to sell a queen bee: You would pay a $50 fee to sell, trade, gift or distribute them. Are the victim of AI-generated porn and sexual images: You could sue the person who created the fake image and that offender could face a criminal charge for nonconsensual creation of fabricated sexual images. Want age verification for porn: The budget requires an organization that sells or presents any material or performance that is "obscene or harmful to juveniles" to utilize reasonable age verification methods. Are looking for the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services: It is now called the Department of Behavioral Health. Reporters Haley BeMiller and Laura Bischoff contributed to this article. With love, as always, for the late Dispatch reporter Jim Siegel, the original budget guru. State government reporter Jessie Balmert can be reached at jbalmert@ or @jbalmert on X. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: How the new Ohio state budget signed by Gov. Mike DeWine affects you
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
As pharmacies close, Ohio Chamber blasted for siding with middlemen
The Ohio Chamber of Commerce in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Graham Stokes for Ohio Capital Journal. Republish photo only with original article.) Owners of small pharmacies — many themselves members of local chambers of commerce — are accusing the Ohio Chamber of Commerce of siding with huge corporate middlemen who are driving them out of business. That undermines Ohioans' health and costs the state's businesses and taxpayers far more in the long run, the pharmacists say. Pharmacies of all sizes are battling with drug middlemen known as pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, over provisions in the state budget governing how prescription drugs are priced and how pharmacies are paid for dispensing them. Measures intended to help pharmacies were built into the Ohio House version of the state operating budget, stripped out by the Ohio Senate, and are now in the hands of a conference committee working against a June 30 deadline. New data show Ohio pharmacy closures even worse than originally thought Ohio and other states have been hemorrhaging pharmacies for years, and at an accelerating pace. Last year, Ohio lost 215 pharmacies and the total number dropped below 2,000 for the first time in memory, according to an online tracker launched by the Ohio Board of Pharmacy. That creates serious health concerns, especially in underserved areas where many face health and transportation challenges. The loss of a community's sole pharmacy can make it nearly impossible for some to get their medicine or professional advice about how to manage their diabetes or blood pressure. Closures of isolated pharmacies creates deserts, and they're growing. In Meigs County in Southeastern Ohio, for example, nearly 40% of the census tracts are part of what the pharmacy board calls pharmacy deserts. 'As more pharmacies close in Ohio, we're going to see poorer health — we're not going to see positive outcomes,' said Denise Conway, owner of Conway's Danville Pharmacy. 'We're going to see more ER visits. It's just going to cost employers more.' CVS in 2017 bought and closed the Lonsinger's, the sole pharmacy in Danville, leaving the nearest one in Mount Vernon, 12 miles away. 'One man broke down crying,' librarian Betty Carpenter in 2019 told The Columbus Dispatch about an elderly resident. 'He said, 'I can't walk to Mount Vernon.' He could walk to Lonsinger's.' Also in 2019, Conway and her husband bought a Danville building and opened a pharmacy there while Knox County opened a health clinic on the premises. It was a rare example of a health care desert restored to life. Other Ohio communities aren't likely to be so fortunate. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE 'We're down to about 300 independents,' said Dave Burke, a pharmacist, former state senator and executive director of the Ohio Pharmacists Association. 'We're really afraid as an organization that people are going to lose access to care. Care that keeps them out of the hospital. Care that shortens their stay in the hospital. And care that keeps them employed.' Burke and many other pharmacists blame the rush of closures on the conduct of the big PBMs, the middlemen that are part of giant corporations. They decide on behalf of insurers what drugs are covered, and they decide how much to reimburse pharmacies for the drugs they dispense. The three biggest PBMs — CVS Caremark, OptumRX and Express Scripts — control nearly 80% of the covered prescriptions in the United States. Critics say that enables them to extract huge, non-transparent discounts from drugmakers. They say it also enables them to force pharmacies into disadvantageous, take-it-or-leave-it contracts. Critics say that reimbursements under them are low and that they impose arbitrary rules and fees. Each of the big-three PBMs is part of a vertically integrated, Fortune 15 health conglomerate. Each of those also owns a top-10 health insurer. In addition, CVS owns the largest retail pharmacy chain and they all own mail-order pharmacies. So the big three get to decide how much to reimburse their own pharmacies as well as those of their competitors. Pharmacists and their advocates say the disputed language in the state budget would end those conflicts and rectify many problems. It would prohibit PBMs from imposing rules (and subsequently charging fees) that go beyond those of the Ohio Board of Pharmacy. It would end the murky system of reimbursements by requiring PBMs to pay pharmacies the prices listed in a public database — the National Average Drug Acquisition Cost, or NADAC, survey. And it would require PBMs to pay pharmacies roughly $10 for each prescription they dispense. With the NADAC reimbursement meant to ensure pharmacies break even on the drugs, the dispensing fees are meant to cover overhead such as payroll, supplies, rent, and insurance. 'By definition the calculation is break-even,' Burke said. 'You are paying (Medicaid's) post-rebate cost of the drug. The only way to cover the bottle, the cost of the lid, the bag, the heat, the lights, the payroll is the dispensing fee.' The provisions that the state Senate stripped out of its budget version mirror reforms the Ohio Department of Medicaid undertook in 2022. Following concerns among pharmacists and investigations by a newspaper and the state auditor, the department mounted its own probe of drug transactions. It learned that in 2017, two PBMs — CVS Caremark and OptumRx — billed the state $224 million more for drugs than they paid the pharmacies that had bought and dispensed them. The Medicaid department fired the PBMs, created its own, single PBM, based reimbursements on the NADAC survey and started paying pharmacists a $10 per-prescription dispensing fee. Despite the higher reimbursements and dispensing fees, an analysis released earlier this year found that the new arrangement saved the state $140 million. That led many to conclude that the middlemen were skimming a hefty portion of the money flowing through the system. Ohio Medicaid got rid of big middlemen, paid pharmacies more and saved $140 million, report says Even so, applying the same rules to non-Medicaid transactions would 'harm small businesses and their employees,' said Rick Carfagna, a former state representative who is now the senior vice president of government affairs at the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. 'PBMs are business-to-business entities, and they exist only because a company or health plan hires them,' Carfagna said in an email. 'When you increase dispensing fees on a per-prescription basis, you're impacting the ability of employers, including small businesses, local governments and labor organizations, to balance their budgets by controlling their health care costs. These increased fees eventually find their way downstream, in whole or in part, to all of those employers utilizing PBMs.' Carfagna didn't respond directly when asked whether Ohio's independent and small-chain pharmacies are themselves small businesses that have been rapidly disappearing. Conway, who is herself chair-elect of the Knox County Chamber of Commerce, said Carfagna and the Ohio Chamber used deceptive language in fighting for the PBMs. 'The Ohio Chamber in their testimony called the dispense fee a tax,' she said. 'It's by no means a tax. It's the cost of running a business. A dispense fee has always been built into the model of reimbursing a pharmacy. You can't put a zero there. It's the cost of running a business.' Burke, executive director of the Ohio Pharmacists Association, said the Ohio Chamber's position also ignores that Ohio Medicaid saved money when it increased dispensing fees and switched to a transparent system of reimbursements. Several other states, most recently Minnesota, have adopted similar arrangements. 'Every state that has gone to a transparent model hasn't gone back to the traditional one,' Burke said. 'They're saving money and they're not going back.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Axios
01-07-2025
- Business
- Axios
DeWine signs budget giving $600M for Browns' new stadium
The biennial state budget that Gov. Mike DeWine signed into law late Monday night includes $600 million for the Haslam Sports Group to build a new Browns stadium in suburban Brook Park. Why it matters: The state funding is roughly half of the total public contribution the Haslams sought for their $2.4 billion project. Locking it down sets the table for the team's relocation after the current lease expires in 2028. The latest: The Browns formally purchased the $76 million, 175-acre site last week in Brook Park, where they intend to construct the new stadium. Yes, but: The mechanism by which state lawmakers chose to fund the project has generated controversy. Zoom in: The legislature decided to tap a $4.8 billion pot of "unclaimed funds" — generally small sums that Ohio residents have not yet collected from old bank accounts, uncashed checks and security deposits. The budget sets aside $1.7 billion of these funds to create a new reserve for Ohio's pro sports facilities. The Browns will be the first recipient, but the Cincinnati Bengals are next in line. Between the lines: DeWine's preferred funding method was doubling a tax on sports betting operators, but he did not veto the measure. The other side: Cleveland-area elected officials have sharply criticized the proposal, part of the unanimous Democratic opposition to a budget they say prioritizes billionaires at the expense of Ohio's working and middle classes. The budget also includes a tax cut for wealthy earners. What they're saying:"Ohioans' private property should not be taken without due process, and certainly not to subsidize billionaire developers," said State Rep. Tristan Rader (D-Lakewood) in a recent statement. "This isn't economic development, it's a constitutional red flag." Between the lines: Two former Democratic state lawmakers plan to file a lawsuit in Franklin County over the unclaimed funds' reallocation, which they call a "classic, unconstitutional taking of people's property." What's next: County Executive Chris Ronayne has affirmed the county will not issue additional bonds for the project and still believes that by holding out, the Haslams may ultimately choose to return to a renovated lakefront facility.
