Ask the Ohio House to hold hearings on the gun safety bills
We’ve been reporting on five bills introduced earlier this year to reduce gun violence, the leading cause of death for Ohio’s children and teenagers.
This week’s call to action is telephone or email the Chair of House Government Oversight Committee to ask him to hold hearings on the bills that have been referred to the Committee:
- HB 418, repealing the recent law that allows Ohioans to carry a concealed firearm without a license and obligation to notify a police officer of the weapon if stopped,
- HB 419, expanding background checks, and
- HB 421, to establish a bipartisan task force to study data on gun violence and report on evidence-based best practices to reduce it.
You can cite 2023 poll by USA Today and Suffolk University showing that almost 90% of Ohioans support mandatory background checks and a training requirement to get a permit for concealed carry.
Unless hearings are held, the bills will die in committee by the end of this year and have to be introduced all over again. The Committee Chair is Rep. Bob Peterson (R-Chillicothe), who has been supportive of the faith community’s request to support food security programs. His contact information is 614-466-3506, rep91@ohiohouse.gov
Here are suggested messages:
For HB 418: Encourage Chair Peterson to schedule a sponsor hearing next week to introduce this bill to repeal permitless conceal-carry. See poll results above.
For HB 419: Data show that expanded background checks will ensure dangerous people are not given the opportunity to purchase a firearm. Cite Ohio poll data above. This bill will close the loophole of those engaged in the business of selling firearms through transfers at gun shows and online. Please ask Chair Peterson to call for a sponsor hearing and to proceed with proponent and opponent hearings.
For HB 421: Forming a Bipartisan Task Force will ensure people from all walks of life, not just politicians, will bring their expertise to the table. Over 120 people die of gun violence every day in Ohio, and guns are the leading cause of death for children and teens in Ohio. Please ask Chair Peterson to schedule proponent and opponent hearings.
Check to see if your Representative is on the House Government Oversight Committee, and if so, contact your Rep with the same messages:
- Bob Peterson- Chair, R – 614-466-3506, rep91@ohiohouse.gov
- Jim Thomas, Vice Chair, R – 614-466-8030, rep49@ohiohouse.gov
- Latyna Humphrey, Ranking Member, D – 614-466-8010, rep02@ohiohouse.gov
- Richard D. Brown, D – 614-644-6002, rep05@ohiohouse.gov
- David Dobos, R- 614-466-9690, rep10@ohiohouse.gov
- Michele Grim, D- 614 644-6017, rep43@ohiohouse.gov
- James Hoops, R- 614-466-3760, rep81@ohiohouse.gov
- Dani Isaacsohn, D – 614-466-5786, rep24@ohiohouse.gov
- Scott Oelslager, D – 614-752-2438, rep48@ohiohouse.gov
- Justin Pizzuli, R – 614-466-2124, rep90@ohiohouse.gov
- Bill Seitz, R – 614-466-8258, rep30@ohiohouse.gov
- Michael Skindel, Dl – 614-466-5921, rep13@ohiohouse.gov
- DJ Swearingen, R – 614-644-6011, rep89@ohiohouse.gov
Help get Ohio energy bills moving again
The two energy bills we’ve been following – HB 197 (community solar) and HB 79 (energy efficiency) have not advanced yet. This article provides links to contact the legislators who are currently deciding on whether they will survive and pass.
Sponsored by two Republicans, HB 197 would create a community solar pilot program that would enable people and businesses unable to install rooftop solar to share in the cost savings of getting part of their electricity from local, renewable generation. After 7 hearings, 121 proponent testimonies, and only 5 pieces of testimony submitted by opponents (two of them by AEP), the committee staffer emailed us that “the sponsors need to work to gain additional Majority support,” and he later added “most likely it will be up for a vote on the 26th of June.”
Meanwhile, the companion bill SB 247 is being introduced by Senator Lang in the Senate Energy and Public Utilities. Use this link to send a message to legislators in both chambers.
If you need a boost to get the energy to write yet another email about community solar (and please do!), watch this delightful Ohio Citizen Action video “NO MORE WAITING!”
The bipartisan HB 79, co-sponsored by Reps. Bill Seitz and Rose Bride Sweeney, would restore energy efficiency programs killed by HB 6 in 2019, replacing the previous programs with voluntary participation by utilities, to help consumers pay for retrofits to reduce their energy needs and save money. HB 79 did not appear on the House agenda for May 22 because enough House members still oppose energy efficiency to block the bill despite Seitz’s power as Minority Leader. Please call your Ohio Rep immediately with your views on this bill. Use this link to find your rep by putting your address in the “Who Represents Me” box and then clicking on the Rep’s photo to access the office phone number.
Great momentum on Citizens Not Politicians – here’s how you can help next
Episcopalians from several cities and towns joined thousands of other volunteers in collecting signatures statewide to qualify a proposed constitutional amendment called Citizens Not Politicians for the November ballot. The goal is to stop gerrymandering by prohibiting elected officials and lobbyists from Ohio’s Redistricting Commission and mandating a transparent, fair process to draw maps so all votes count equally. The Executive Council of the Diocese of Southern Ohio has endorsed the proposed amendment, citing the Episcopal Church’s support for civil rights and opposition to gerrymandering. The Fair Districts Ohio Coalition through which we volunteered has collected almost 180,000 signatures towards the 413,000 needed! Thank you to every one of you who helped achieve this!
Fair Districts Ohio is a statewide nonpartisan coalition including the Ohio Council of Churches, the League of Women Voters, Common Cause Ohio, and the Ohio A. Philip Randolph Institute. Many other groups have been collecting signatures as well. The total number of signatures gathered by all groups will be announced once the petitions are turned into the Ohio Secretary of State before the July 3 deadline.
If the amendment qualifies for the ballot, there are many ways you can help inform voters starting this summer. These include writing postcards, calling or texting voters, distributing literature and yard signs, serving on the speakers’ bureau or hosting a community information event at your congregation. Here’s the link to volunteer with Fair Districts Ohio. They will connect you to the closest volunteer hub for your community.
Bear witness to help your community see immigrants as neighbors
Last week’s blog shared Episcopal Church resources on welcoming immigrants and protecting their human rights. Please counter the dehumanizing portrayal of these newcomers: “We need to clarify misinformation that wrongly equates vulnerable migrants with drug traffickers and other false narratives about immigrants. We need to share stories of the successes of how we can enrich each other by living in community and helping those fleeing persecution and harm,” writes the Office of Government Relations. Bear witness! If your congregation is meeting and aiding immigrants and refugees, please reach out to elected officials and your community with news of why they have come and how they are striving to adapt and contribute. Send me stories to share with the diocese.
Nick Swartsell of WVXU in Cincinnati posted a lovely broadcast on June 17 about the Mauritanian refugees in Lockland, including their joy that a neighbor has organized a bike kitchen where they can receive a donated bike in exchange for learning how to repair it. This is like the wonderful Franklinton Cycle Works near St. John’s, Columbus. Meanwhile, members of Mill Creek Valley Episcopal congregations are volunteering this summer in the Heartfelt Tidbits summer day camp in Wyoming, where children up to grade 4 and parents are continuing to progress in English in a cheerful, welcoming, and fun environment.
Advocacy updates are compiled by Ariel Miller, a longtime community advocate and member of Ascension & Holy Trinity, Wyoming. Connect with her at arielmillerwriter@gmail.com.
