Ohio seeks to balance stopping unemployment fraud with speeding up claims: Capitol Letter

Rotunda Rumblings

Unemployment improve: Greater than two years after the coronavirus disaster led Ohio’s unemployment system to be deluged with advantages claims (each actual and fraudulent), state leaders are nonetheless engaged on methods to cease scammers whereas additionally making it simpler for legit candidates to get advantages as shortly as potential. Jeremy Pelzer has the most recent on what the state is doing on each fronts and what issues stay.

Alleged abuse: Eight employees at a state-run facility for adults with mental disabilities have been charged with a mixture of affected person abuse, proof tampering, and falsification, Jake Zuckerman studies. 5 now not work on the facility. Three are on paid administrative depart.

Vaxx assaults: Vaccine hesitancy could also be taking a toll on Republicans, who seem like dying at the next fee from COVID-19. Laura Hancock studies on a brand new examine that checked out extra deaths in Ohio and Florida – these which might be larger than in regular years. It additionally linked the decedents’ political affiliations, and located that after vaccines have been broadly accessible in each states, Republicans accounted for twice as many deaths than Democrats.

NOPEC: Ohio’s utility regulators may quickly take the unprecedented step of rescinding a certificates to an electrical aggregator that sells energy to Northeast Ohio residents. Sean McDonnell reported on a number of the historical past of aggregators and electrical energy deregulation in Ohio to get you in control.

By no means thoughts: The Twitter account for Home Judiciary Committee Republicans headed by Ohio’s Jim Jordan quietly deleted an Oct. 6 tweet that stated “Kanye. Elon. Trump.” after the rapper previously generally known as Kanye West praised Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Celebration on Alex Jones’ InfoWar present Thursday, based on Media Matters for America.

Newbie’s luck: Future congressman Max Miller, a Rocky River Republican, received first choose of Washington congressional workplaces accessible to freshmen on Friday after drawing the highest quantity within the room-selection lottery. He chosen room 143 within the newly renovated Cannon Home Workplace Constructing. Miller, who will symbolize Ohio’s reconfigured seventh congressional district, will even have native workplaces in Parma and Wooster, a spokesman stated.

Photo voltaic wind: U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Toledo and U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown of Cleveland, each Democrats, on Friday known as for a crackdown on unfair commerce practices by Chinese language photo voltaic product makers following the Commerce Division’s dedication that producers in China have been making an attempt to bypass U.S. duties by doing minor processing in different international locations earlier than transport items to the USA. “We can’t permit America’s photo voltaic business, and the hundreds of employees at Ohio’s hometown firms like First Photo voltaic and Toledo Photo voltaic, to proceed being attacked,” stated an announcement from Kaptur.

Fluid funding: Case Western College received a $224,905 Nationwide Science Basis grant to assist it develop new methods to measure fluid motion, Brown introduced Friday. “Scientific analysis is vital for creating jobs and enhancing our economic system,” stated an announcement from Brown. “We unleash extra American innovation once we nurture all Ohio expertise.”

Rejection letter: Ohio Legal professional Basic Dave Yost rejected a petition abstract for a poll problem that will finish certified immunity for workers of political subdivisions. Yost’s workplace stated the petition failed to fulfill the requirement that its abstract be “a good and truthful assertion of the proposed regulation or constitutional modification,” telling petitioners that its title is deceptive and its abstract is lacking data for potential signers. The petitioners have an opportunity to revise the abstract and resubmit one other model.

Don’t give it some thought: Jobless Ohioans who’re suing Gov. Mike DeWine for slicing off $300 weekly pandemic unemployment advantages filed an opposition to the state’s request that the Ohio Supreme Court docket rethink the case. On Nov. 22 the courtroom dismissed an enchantment as moot within the case, and attorneys for the state need the courtroom to rethink and clarify its place.

Full Disclosure

5 issues we realized from the March 24, 2022, monetary disclosure of Rep. Invoice Seitz, a Cincinnati Republican.

1. He lists 13 sources of earnings. The majority of it comes from his work as a legislator and as an lawyer with the Dinsmore & Shohl regulation agency

2. He sits on the board of the Western Hills Excessive College Basis in addition to the American Legislative Trade Council

3. He lists 11 investments value over $1,000, together with frequent inventory in Duke Vitality, Enbridge Inc., and First Monetary Bancorp

4. He obtained presents from Sen. George Lang, Jeff Invoice, the Cincinnati Reds, and FC Cincinnati (the latter two being opening sport tickets)

5. He owes a minimum of $1,000 to Brad Seitz

On the Transfer

Jeff McClain is retiring as Ohio tax commissioner, based on Gov. Mike DeWine spokesman Dan Tierney. He’s the third member of DeWine’s cupboard to step down forward of the governor’s second time period.

2022 Nationwide Instructor of the Yr Kurt Russell, an Oberlin Excessive College historical past trainer, was on the visitor record for final week’s White Home state dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Birthdays

Dec. 5: D.J. Eckert, Republican political advisor; Aaron Mulvey, Ohio Home Republicans’ press secretary

Straight From The Source

“I do know persons are stunned there’s assist from the legislature to make Sugar Cookie the official state cookie of Ohio, however actually Chocolate Chip has burned lots of bridges right here on the Statehouse through the years.”

–Andy Chow of the Statehouse News Bureau on essential laws to designate the sugar cookie as Ohio’s official state cookie. The laws handed the Ohio Home on Wednesday.

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