Celebrate, Then Plan: Pro-Parent, Pro-Student Bills Still Need Your Help

by Tiffanie Broadbent

First, the CELEBRATION

There was good news from the Ohio Statehouse this week: Three important education bills crossed a big hurdle and were passed on the floor of the House of Representatives. We should celebrate these accomplishments for:

House Bill 68, The Save Adolescents from Experimentation Act
House Bill 6, The Save Women’s Sports Act (which was added to House Bill 68 before the vote)
House Bill 8, The Parents’ Bill of Rights

If any of these bills are unfamiliar to you, please take a few minutes to read through descriptions linked above. It is imperative that Ohio Conservatives understand what is at stake if these bills do not cross the finish line and end up as Ohio laws.

We should all celebrate the passage of these bills in the House because every one of these was viciously opposed by anti-education, anti-family organizations and individuals. (See a visual representation of that opposition in this post.) Getting these through the House as been a real fight, and it would not have happened without citizen pressure, from in-person and written testimony to phone calls, emails, and communications with committee members, our own Representatives, and the Speaker of the House.

Next, the PLAN

We cannot rest in celebration mode. Those ranged against us are already enacting their plans to erase these victories and defeat these bills. Great legislation has a long journey from concept to law, and we need to be involved in every step.

Already, Statehouse insiders are reporting opposition to the next steps, so we need to be ready with our plans. One way to approach this task is to identify the areas where legislation becomes vulnerable, either to outside opposition or to apathy among our own legislators. See the table below explaining the steps, vulnerabilities, and citizen actions that can aid or defeat legislation.

What’s in store for these bills? Statehouse insiders are expecting several hurdles. First is the concern that the Senate President may be pressured to stall these bills and not assign them to committees for deliberation. Remember, if bills are stalled long enough, they will not be voted on, the clock will run out and they will have to be restarted in the next legislative session.

The second concern is that Governor DeWine may have already decided to Veto one or more of these bills. If this happens, it will take a 3/5ths vote of both the House and Senate to override his Veto. Many Republicans are hopeful this could happen, but it certainly won’t be possible without citizen pressure.

One thing we know without any doubt is those in opposition to these bills will be out in full force, using every bit of leverage and cunning to defeat parental rights and common-sense student protections. That means we must rally every conservative in Ohio to exert as much citizen pressure as we can to get these bills passed. Democrats (and frankly, some Republicans) are counting on stretching this out as long as they can, ensuring every step is an exhausting fight for us.

Let’s be brutally honest with ourselves: this is where conservatives have lost in the past. We’ve gotten tired, we’ve gotten frustrated, we’ve been busy loving our families, living our lives, supporting our communities. We’ve had a general belief that living well and doing good are enough, and we are rightly turned off by the ugliness of politics. But the victories we’ve seen with these bills are more than heartening. These victories are proof that more of us than ever are beginning to understand our role in these battles, and we’re finding ways of being effective in these fights.

When it comes to ensuring a future where our children can learn and grow without the antagonistic push of denigrating gender theory and explicit content in their schools, we absolutely cannot rest until these common sense bills are put into law in Ohio. Here at Fortify Geauga, we continue to find new ways to make conservative activism as easy and effective as it can be. Please help us. Check back often to see the progress of these bills. We will update our website through every step so you will always know how to act effectively in support of our children. The stakes are enormous, and so is our potential.

Issues – Check here for in-depth descriptions of the bills (good for sharing with other conservatives) and updates on the legislative process

Act Now – Check here for up-to-date instructions on what you can do to help; many tasks can be completed in only a few minutes

Newsletter – Stay informed and motivated with our weekly newsletter for ALL Ohio Conservatives

When legislation is…	It can be defeated or advanced by…	We can help by…
… first introduced in the House or Senate	… the Speaker of the House or the President of the Senate letting it sit and stalling it by not assigning it to a committee for hearings	… contacting the Speaker or President and urging them to assign the bill to a committee
…being considered in a committee	…committee members voting for or against it …committee leaders stalling hearings or votes, or amending the legislation in unfavorable ways	…testifying for (or against) the bill in person at committee hearings, …submitting written formal testimony ahead of the hearing date, …contacting committee members by phone, email, or fillable contact form and urging them to vote for or against the bill in their committee, to schedule timely hearings and votes, and reasonable amendments
…awaiting a vote in the House or Senate (after it passed through committee)	…the Speaker of the House or the President of the Senate stalling it by not putting it on the schedule for a full vote (if the legislative session ends before the bill is voted on, legislators will have to reintroduce the bill in the next session)	…contacting the Speaker or President and urging them to bring it up for a vote (if it’s legislation we support)
…being voted on in the House or Senate	… individual Representatives or Senators voting for or against it	…contacting individual Representatives or Senators and urging them to vote for or against the bill

If a piece of legislation passes through these steps in one Chamber, the steps will be repeated in the other Chamber. If the legislation passes through all those steps, it continues to the Executive Branch.

When legislation is…	It can be defeated or advanced by…	We can help by…
…accepted by both Chambers and sent to the Governor	…the Governor signing it into law or issuing a Veto, or …the Governor waiting 10 days to act, in which case it automatically becomes law	…contacting the Governor and making our expectations known
…Vetoed by the Governor	…a 3/5th vote of both Chambers can override the Governor’s Veto	…contacting all Representatives and Senators and urging them to support or defeat the legislation