Accessibility links
The Ohio Statehouse Scoop From the award-winning team of the Ohio Public Media Statehouse News Bureau. We give you insights and "the scoop" on the story behind the scenes of Ohio politics.
The Ohio Statehouse Scoop

Podcast Directory
The Ohio Statehouse Scoop

The Ohio Statehouse Scoop

From WKSU

From the award-winning team of the Ohio Public Media Statehouse News Bureau. We give you insights and "the scoop" on the story behind the scenes of Ohio politics.

Most Recent Episodes

The story behind why a $15 an hour minimum wage amendment isn't on the ballot in Ohio this November

The story behind why a $15 an hour minimum wage amendment isn't on the ballot in Ohio this November

Ohioans had been signing petitions since last year to get a $15 an hour minimum wage proposal on Ohio's ballot this November. So why aren't voters going to vote on it? Ohio Statehouse Scoop Host Jo Ingles talked with Ohio Public Media Statehouse News Reporter Sarah Donaldson about what she discovered when trying to figure out what went wrong. OPM Statehouse News Bureau Chief Karen Kasler tells us where the effort goes from here.

The story behind why a $15 an hour minimum wage amendment isn't on the ballot in Ohio this November

Listen · 17:04
Ohioans celebrate the 4th of July with parades, picnics and petitions

Ohioans celebrate the 4th of July with parades, picnics and petitions

It appears likely Ohioans will be able to vote on a constitutional amendment this November that could oust politicians from the process of drawing lines for legislative and congressional districts. Petitions from more than 730,000 registered voters were submitted last week to put the measure on the ballot. And Libertarian candidates might be able to, once again, have their party affiliation listed on the ballot along with their names. But a proposal to raise the minimum wage in Ohio won't be on the ballot this fall after organizers failed to get enough signatures in rural areas. Ohio Statehouse Scoop Host Jo Ingles explains what is, and isn't, on the ballot. Ohio State University Political Science Professor Emeritus Paul Beck and Stephen Brooks, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Akron weigh in on how those issues might affect candidates up for election in November. Plus Ohio Public Media Statehouse News Bureau Chief Karen Kasler and Reporter/Producer Sarah Donaldson explain the process for moving forward and how the petition-initiated changes could impact the political landscape in the Buckeye State.

Ohio lawmakers go on summer break but pass a lot of bills on the way out the door

Ohio lawmakers go on summer break but pass a lot of bills on the way out the door

Ohio lawmakers passed more than 50 bills last week before heading out the door for summer break. Ohio Statehouse Scoop Host Jo Ingles, Ohio Public Media Bureau Chief Karen Kasler, and Ohio Public Media Reporter Sarah Donaldson explain what the legislators did and what they left undone. Plus Jo talks to an organizer of "Citizens, Not Politicians," a group that is filing to put a proposed constitutional amendment before voters in November that would change the redistricting process in Ohio.

Ohio lawmakers go on summer break but pass a lot of bills on the way out the door

Listen · 16:39
Ohio lawmakers are going on a long break after this week. What will they pass before they leave?

Ohio lawmakers are going on a long break after this week. What will they pass before they leave?

This is the last scheduled week for the Ohio General Assembly to meet before going on a long summer break. The big ticket item on this week's agenda is a $4 billion capital bill. It's believed to be the largest in state history. Ohio Statehouse Scoop host Jo Ingles talks to her Ohio Public Media Statehouse Bureau colleagues, Karen Kasler and Sarah Donaldson, about the big spending bill and other legislation that might be addressed this week.

Ohio lawmakers are going on a long break after this week. What will they pass before they leave?

Listen · 14:56
Ohio property homeowners expect high tax bills this year due to new valuations but state l...

Ohio property homeowners expect high tax bills this year due to new valuations but state l...

Home valuations are up in Ohio. And in some parts of the state, valuations have spiked more than 30%. Since property taxes are based on valuations, some homeowners are likely to get a big shock when they open their next tax bill. Lawmakers say their voters are worried about it. So what is the legislature doing about it? Lawmakers have introduced more than a dozen bills, have a committee looking into it, and are even considering putting an issue before voters statewide to deal with spiking property tax rates. But it ends there. Most political watchers think meaningful property tax reforms are unlikely this year. Ohio Statehouse Scoop host Jo Ingles explores what's being done and, just as importantly, what's not being done. She's joined by Ohio Rep. Scott Wiggam (R-Wayne County), Buckeye Institute Research Fellow Greg Lawson, and Ohio Policy Matters Executive Director Hannah Halbert. At the end of the podcast, Ohio Public Media Statehouse Bureau Chief Karen Kasler and Reporter Sarah Donaldson join Jo to weigh in on their observations.

Ohio property homeowners expect high tax bills this year due to new valuations but state l...

Listen · 17:33
Why don't Ohio lawmakers pass some bills that seem to be popular with voters?

Why don't Ohio lawmakers pass some bills that seem to be popular with voters?

There are bills that are introduced in the Ohio Legislature that seem to have popular support yet they never seem to be passed. In this episode, Ohio Statehouse Scoop host Jo Ingles identifies some of those bills. She talks with Ohio Public Media Statehouse News Bureau Chief Karen Kasler about why those bills often are not passed by Ohio's General Assemblies.

Why don't Ohio lawmakers pass some bills that seem to be popular with voters?

Listen · 10:57
Ohio Legislature holds a special session. Here's what happened.

Ohio Legislature holds a special session. Here's what happened.

The Ohio Legislature held a special session last week after Gov. Mike DeWine took the rare step of ordering lawmakers to come back on their week off to do a couple of things. DeWine said he wanted lawmakers to ensure President Biden would be on the November ballot. And he wanted lawmakers to pass a provision that would make it harder for outside groups to wage campaigns. They did both but not without a lot of drama. Ohio Public Media's Jo Ingles talks to Statehouse News Bureau Chief Karen Kasler about what happened.

Ohio's governor orders lawmakers to come back into session to put Biden on ballot

Ohio's governor orders lawmakers to come back into session to put Biden on ballot

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine took an unusual step and ordered the Ohio Legislature to come back into session the week beginning with Memorial Day. Many lawmakers had planned vacations for that week. But DeWine said it's important the legislature come back to deal with putting Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on the November ballot. As it stands now, Biden won't be certified by his party in time to make it on the ballot this fall. Lawmakers can change that as they've done for both parties in the past but they haven't so far. Now that lawmakers are coming back during the holiday week, the question turns to what will they do? DeWine also wants the legislature to pass a bill that would make it harder for citizens to finance ballot initiatives. What will happen with that? Ohio Statehouse Scoop podcast host Jo Ingles talks to Ohio Public Media Statehouse News Bureau Chief Karen Kasler about what is likely to happen this coming week.

Ohio's governor orders lawmakers to come back into session to put Biden on ballot

Listen · 14:18
A fix to put President Biden on Ohio ballot in November leads to chaos as lawmakers fail t...

A fix to put President Biden on Ohio ballot in November leads to chaos as lawmakers fail t...

President Biden won't be officially nominated as the nominee for the Democratic party until the Democratic National Convention this summer. But that will happen after the deadline for certifying Biden for the Ohio ballot in November. State lawmakers could pass a legislative fix for the problem like they have in the past for presidential candidates in both parties. But they didn't. And a legislative fix might not be possible. Hear from Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and state leaders about what happened. Host Jo Ingles and Ohio Public Media Statehouse News Bureau Chief Karen Kasler explain why it happened and what could be done now to make sure the president is on the November ballot in the Buckeye State.

A fix to put President Biden on Ohio ballot in November leads to chaos as lawmakers fail t...

Listen · 17:19
Local communities in Ohio are losing control over their own policies. We look at how and why.

Local communities in Ohio are losing control over their own policies. We look at how and why.

For 112 years, Ohio has had Home Rule protections in its Constitution that give communities the right to determine their own policies on important issues involving governing. But during the past couple of decades, cities and towns throughout Ohio have seen some of their power erode as the state has increasingly taken control over key policies. In this episode, Ohio historian Tom Suddes talks about the tradition of local control in Ohio. Ohio Public Media Statehouse News Bureau Chief Karen Kasler and podcast host, Jo Ingles, explore what is happening to local control now and changes that might lie ahead. And Rep. Sara Carruthers (R-Hamilton) talks about a piece of legislation she's sponsoring that would give some local control back to communities when it comes to cracking down on puppy mills.

Local communities in Ohio are losing control over their own policies. We look at how and why.

Listen · 18:46
The Ohio Statehouse Scoop

Podcast Directory