| We’ve got a couple stories centered on what the state’s role is in governing what minors are exposed to as Ohio Republicans push several bills that aim to punish teachers, school librarians, drag queens and more for exposing minors to content that is deemed harmful to juveniles. It’s a complicated topic, but I’ll tell you what I’ve learned down below. If you have any thoughts you’d like to share or any stories you think I should be focused on, give me a shout. You can reach me 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. *** *** Lebanon state rep floats bill to create criminal liability for teachers, school librarians for pandering obscenity Credit: Nick Graham • The story: Ohio state Rep. Adam Mathews, R-Lebanon, has a new proposal that would open Ohio school teachers and school librarians up to felony charges if they were found guilty of pandering obscenity. • The background: Current law provides all teachers with broad protections to use “obscene” materials in the classroom, but under Mathews’ bill, that protection would only be provided to health and biology teachers. Under Ohio law, obscenity is defined as something that is predominantly sexual in nature when it comes to adults, but that interpretation is more ambiguous when it comes to minors. • Point of contention: Ohio’s leading education union flatly denies that there’s any indication that teachers or school librarians are pandering obscenity and told this news organization that the bill sends the wrong message. • Mathews’ view: The freshman Warren County legislator told this news organization the bill would establish a level of trust among parents, students and school districts. • Here’s my full story on the bill. Area pride performance cited in Ohio GOP’s attempt to ban ‘obscene’ public drag shows Credit: Nick Graham • The story: The state is holding hearings on a popular GOP proposal to ban “obscene” drag performances from being held in public spaces. • Background: The move comes after two 2023 drag shows, including one in Middletown, caught the ire of Republican lawmakers for being “intentionally (sexually) provocative in indescribable ways,” as Butler County Auditor Nancy Nix described it in testimony. • Details: The bill specifically targets obscene public performances, not all drag shows, and drafters of the bill say it’s an entirely unique approach to try to hone in drag performances. Other states, such as Tennessee, have seen their laws banning all public drag shows struck down by higher courts for violating the first amendment. However, courts have long held that the state has an interest in regulating obscenity, which supporters believe gives this bill the legs to survive judicial review. • Opposition: More opposition is sure to come, but opponents to the bill worry that, in a time in which everyday people seem to be divided on what could be considered “obscene,” that the courts might adopt a looser definition of the term than they have in the past. • Here’s my story on the bill. Local political news of the week • Vandalia City Manager Dan Wendt resigns: After a long, closed-door meeting this week, Vandalia council accepted Wendt’s resignation, pending a settlement agreement. The city and Wendt declined to provide details on why the city’s top administrator resigned. Aimee Hancock was there and has the story. • Tipp City makes city manager hire: Tipp City agreed to terms with Eric Mack, who has been involved in the local government for over a decade. He’ll replace retiring City Manager Tim Eggleston at the end of June. Jeremy Kelley and Nancy Bowman report. State political news of the week Credit: Nick Graham • State boasts upcoming sales tax-free period: Ohioans will enjoy a 10-day period of no local or state sales taxes on most purchases in early August, marking the biggest sales tax holiday in state history. The state has set aside $750 million over the next two years to pay for the annual expanded event. Here’s my story. • New law bans foreign money in politics: A new Ohio bill pushed by Republicans bans foreign political contributions in all candidate elections and statewide ballot initiatives, even from green card holders who have long enjoyed the freedom to donate to whatever cause they’d like. Democrats hope, and some Republicans fear, the law will be struck down in courts. Here’s my story on the saga. • Democrat fills candidacy gap in vacant local Ohio House race: Krista Magaw, a retired former executive director of the Tecumseh Land Trust, has been confirmed as the Democratic candidate in Greene, Clark and Clinton counties’ House District 71 following the prior candidate’s withdrawal. She’ll face GOP Xenia City Councilman Levi Dean this November. Here’s my story. National political news of the week • In Dayton, U.S. House Speaker blasts Trump conviction: “We’re outraged by it,” said Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La, in his first public comments following a New York jury’s decision to find former President Donald Trump guilty on 34 felony counts for falsifying business documents after allegedly paying hush money to porn actress Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election. Tom Gnau has the story. • Dayton to host NATO conference in 2025: Over 600 delegates from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s Parliamentary Assembly will descend on the Dayton area from May 24-26 next year, announced U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Dayton, and a host of state and local officials. The visit comes 30 years after the Dayton Peace Accord halted fighting in Bosnia, Croatia, and Serbia. Tom Gnau has the full story. *** | 