Ohio Politics Explained: Budget talks, the 2024 Senate race, abortion arguments

Ohio inched closer this week to a special August election that would ask voters whether they want to make it harder to amend the state constitution. The state House introduced its budget, and another Republican entered the 2024 U.S. Senate race.

We break down what it all means In this week's episode of Ohio Politics Explained. A podcast created by the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau to catch you up on the state's political news in 15 minutes or less.

This week, host Anna Staver was joined by reporter Haley BeMiller.

1) Constitutional consternation

Republicans in Ohio's House and Senate want to make it harder to change the state constitution, raising the bar for voter-approved amendments from 50% plus one vote to 60%.

"The constitution is not meant to be a policy document," Sen. Rob McColley, R-Napoleon. "The constitution is meant to inform us as to how the government is supposed to be run and to enshrine rights for all Ohioans."

But Democrats found the timing of all this suspicious. The GOP wants to call a special election in August−three months before voters are expected to decide whether to put abortion access protections into our founding document.

And they disagree with the premise pushed by Republicans that amending the state's constitution is too easy.

The Senate approved both the resolution and the August election on Wednesday, but it remains unclear whether there are enough votes to pass it in the House.

2) Bernie's back

Cleveland businessman Bernie Moreno is running for U.S. Senate again.

Moreno tried to capture the Republican nomination for the open seat in 2022, but he dropped out of the race after a conversation with former President Donald Trump.

State Sen. Matt Dolan, R-Chagrin Falls announced he was running again in January after placing third in last year's primary. And it's rumored that Secretary of State Frank LaRose and U.S. Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Troy, are both considering jumping in.

But unlike last year's election, the winner of this Republican primary will face Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown.

3) Teacher raises and TikTok bans

The Ohio House dropped its version of the two-year state budget this week, and it included a raise in the base salary for teachers, tax cuts and a new start date for deer hunting season.

The 5,300-page bill lays out how the state will spend more than $80 billion dollars on everything from public education to prisons. It included more money for in-home healthcare workers than what Gov. Mike DeWine proposed, but less money than he requested to train elementary educators to teach phonics.

The budget also includes a plan to move Ohio's presidential primary from March to May, ban the use of TikTok on government devices, and eliminate the sales tax on baby products like diapers and wipes.

A vote is expected by the full House next week. Then, the budget will go to the Senate.

4) Parental consent for abortion

Opponents of abortion access in Ohio are already up on the airwaves with an ad claiming that the proposed constitutional amendment would nullify a state law that requires parents to give consent for their minor children to have the procedure.

But law professors interviewed by the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau said that was highly unlikely for two reasons.

"It would have zero effect on parental consent," said Dan Kobil, a professor of constitutional law at Capital University. "The amendment doesn’t say anything about children having the same rights that adults do with respect to reproductive decisions."

Second, to overturn the parental consent law, someone would have to sue, and then the Republican majority on the Ohio Supreme Court would determine whether it qualified as a restriction that furthered patient health and safety.

"It’s equally plausible that Ohio’s parental involvement law would stick around, especially given who would be tasked with deciding the question, which is the Ohio state Supreme Court,” said Mary Ziegler, a law professor at the University of California at Davis.

Listen to "Ohio Politics Explained" on Spotify, Apple, Google Podcasts and TuneIn Radio. The episode is also available by clicking the link in this article.

The USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau serves The Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio politics podcast: Budget talks, new challenger for Sherrod Brown