Ohio Politics Explained: Unemployment fraud, cannabis for autism and the GOP rift

Ohio's 2024 race for the U.S. Senate officially got underway this week while Republicans in the Ohio House remained divided over how their election for speaker went down.

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 statehouse bureau chief Anthony Shoemaker.

1) Off to the races

The race to see whether a Republican can defeat Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown in 2024 is already underway.

State Sen. Matt Dolan, R-Chagrin Falls, announced he's running this week.

“The midterm election showed us nationally that if the Republicans are going to put up folks that are focused on yesterday, running these campaigns of grievances, we’re going to lose," Dolan told the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau.

Dolan came in a close third in the crowded race for the Republican nomination in 2022 to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Rob Portman. And though he's the first candidate to jump in for 2024, it's doubtful he will be the last.

2) Expanding the conditions for cannabis

Medical marijuana advocates haven't given up the fight to let people with autism use the drug to treat their symptoms.

The State Medical Board received multiple petitions late last year and will review them in the coming months.

Meanwhile, Republican and Democratic state lawmakers say they plan to continue to push for legislation to add autism to the list of approved conditions for cannabis.

A bipartisan bill passed the House in 2022 but it never received a vote in the state Senate.

3) GOP rift remains

Republicans hold 67 of the 99 seats in the state House, but the GOP supermajority isn't rushing ahead with its agenda.

Instead, they're still divided over how the controversial vote to elect the new House Speaker went down.

Forty-five of them appear to be sticking by Rep. Derek Merrin, R-Monclova Township, because he was the guy House Republicans chose to be the speaker in an unofficial vote in November. The other 22 are behind Rep. Jason Stephens, R-Kitts Hill, who crossed the aisle to get elected speaker with the help of all 32 House Democrats.

"This could absolutely stop (Stephens) and wreak havoc," University of Cincinnati political science professor David Niven said. "They might thwart their own agenda in a way Democrats never could."

4) Unemployment fraud

In the summer of 2021, Ohio says officials at the unemployment benefits system noticed a subcontractor accessing their data at odd hours.

That led to an investigation that allegedly uncovered the theft of more than $10 million by state employees, subcontractors, and their friends and families.

Names of those involved have not been released yet because authorities are still investigating, according to Ohio Job and Family Services spokesman Bill Teets.

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 Explained: Public corruption, cannabis for autism and GOP rift