| This week’s Ohio Politics newsletter spans a gulf of topics after lawmakers eagerly unveiled plans to cut down on domestic violence and increase affordable housing while a Butler County city sued the state over home rule and a county judge temporarily blocked a contentious law on gender affirming care. If you’d like to reach me about politics, government or reporting, I can be contacted at 614-981-1422, avery.kreemer@coxinc.com or @AveryKreemer on X. You can also follow our political coverage on our website and through our Ohio Politics Facebook page. *** *** As Ohio boots hundreds of thousands from Medicaid, local state rep asks for pause on children Credit: AP • The context: A COVID-19 era federal mandate for states to preserve Medicaid coverage expired, which has allowed Ohio to decrease its Medicaid enrollment by about 600,000 people, according to a Dayton Daily News analysis. • The story: About 120,000 of those Ohioans are minors. In a letter to the governor, local state Rep. Willis Blackshear, Jr., D-Dayton, called the report “startling” and asked for the state to pause its practice of unenrolling minors from state healthcare. Healthcare reporter Sam Wildow has the full story. • The response: Dan Tierney, spokesperson for Gov. Mike DeWine, defended the state’s approach. He said Ohio has been “judicious” and has been commended by the federal government for how it’s handled the situation. You tell us: What matters most to you this November? Credit: NYT • At a glance: It’s never too early to prepare for a presidential election, at least if you work for a newspaper. The top of the ticket might be the main draw, but there are plenty of critical races on the ballot this November that will have huge impacts on state and local politics. • Take our short survey: At this link, you’ll be directed to a quick survey that will help us better understand what is motivating our readers this November. With your help, we can cater our coverage to ensure that we’re delivering the stories that you care about most. Local political news of the week • Exodus toll rising in New Lebanon: Newly obtained documents show that even more village employees were fired last month in a decisive exodus backlit by an ongoing special investigation. There were eight total employees terminated. Aimee Hancock has the story. • Oxford sues state for home rule over tobacco: The City of Oxford in Butler County has teamed up with Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland and other Ohio cities in a lawsuit, asserting that it indeed has the home rule authority to regulate tobacco sales within city limits and fighting a recently-enacted state law that tried to take that power away. Here’s my story. State political news of the week Credit: Avery Kreemer • Local rep introduces plan to spur affordable housing: Warren County Rep. Adam Mathews, R-Lebanon, worked with a Democratic cosponsor to create a plan to incentivize local governments to adopt pro-housing policies. Here’s my story on the newly introduced bill. • Proposed law would require photo ID to access online porn: A newly introduced bill with substantial backing would require porn websites to verify the age of its users before showing them sexually explicit material, which means that Ohio adults would have to verify their identity with photo ID or similarly traceable means. Here’s my story on the bill. • State transgender care ban for minors blocked: Republican Judge Michael Holbrook of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas issued a temporary restraining order on a bill that would prevent transgender minors from being prescribed hormone treatments, as well as blocking trans girls from participating in girls school sports. Morgan Trau of WCPO has the story. • Third time’s the charm? Outgoing state Rep. Sara Carruthers, R-Hamilton, introduced a bill for the third time that would retrain police on how to better respond to domestic violence calls, among other things. Here’s my story on the bill. National political news of the week Credit: AP • Bipartisanship needed to get Biden on Ohio, Alabama ballots: As things stand, President Joe Biden won’t be crowned by the Democratic party as nominee in time to get on the ballot in Ohio and Alabama. A fix is probable, but it requires Democrats to ask Republican majorities, and for Republicans to agree, in both states. Julie Carr Smyth and Kim Chandler of the Associated Press have the full story. *** | 