Shaping Public Policy

1. Shaping Public Policy AAUW Ohio Equity Day April 9, 2011

2. AAUW Policy Agenda • Expand Educational Opportunities • Promote Economic Security • Promote and Defend Civil Rights

3. Policy Issues in Ohio Expand Educational Opportunities • Charter schools and School Vouchers • Higher Education Promote Economic Security • Healthcare Security for Women Promote and Defend Civil Rights • Reproductive Rights and Health Services • Human Trafficking

4. Ohio General Assembly Proposals affecting Education: • Teach for America • Vouchers • Charter schools • Charter universities • Collective bargaining • Bullying

5. Ohio General Assembly Proposals affecting Economic Security • Health Care Note: Most legislative action in this area is at the federal level.

6. Ohio General Assembly Proposals affecting Civil Rights • Reproductive Rights “Heartbeat Bill” Late-Term Abortion Restrictions Judicial Bypass Restrictions Insurance Ban on Abortion Coverage Prevention First • Human Trafficking

7. Education Bills • Teach for America (Am. SB 81): Passed by the Senate; now in House Education Committee. Allows Teach for America participants to teach in Ohio. • Vouchers (SB 65, HB 136, HB 115): SB 65 eliminates the cap of 14,000 scholarships (vouchers) that may be awarded annually under the Educational Choice scholarship program. HB 136 creates the Parental Choice and Taxpayer Savings Scholarship Program and the Special Education Scholarship Program, and repeals the Ed Choice and Cleveland programs. HB 115 gradually increases to 20,000 the number of Educational Choice Scholarships awarded annually (by 1,000 scholarships a year).

8. Education in the Budget Bill • Charter Schools (HB 153, the budget bill): Lifts restrictions on where charter schools can open and makes online learning more available. The expected increase in enrollment in the next two years is 18% each year, at a cost of almost $2 billion over the biennium. • STEM Initiatives are zeroed out in the proposed budget. • Gifted Education funding is included in basic aid for school districts; spending requirements are eliminated.

9. Higher Education • Charter Universities (HB 153, the budget bill): Plan for “entrepreneurial” universities; increased faculty teaching loads, reduced program redundancy, construction reform, research commercialization. • The tradeoff is more autonomy and fewer restrictions in exchange for less state support (10-11% reduction). • Tuition increases are likely.

10. Collective Bargaining Impact Collective Bargaining Reform (SB 5): Signed by governor. • Prohibits a school district, educational service center, a conversion community (charter) school that collectively bargains, or STEM school from entering into a collective bargaining agreement that does specified things, such as establishing a maximum number of students per class or teacher. • Requires performance-based pay for teachers based, in part, on evaluations conducted under a policy recommended by the Superintendent of Public Instruction and adopted by the State Board of Education. • Less flexibility for employees and management to solve problems .

11. Referendum Plans • Next Steps: Referendum effort, We are Ohio, being mounted by labor unions and the Ohio Democratic Party. • 1,000 Signatures needed before ballot language can be submittted to Ballot Board. Language must be approved by Attorney General and Secretary of State. • 231,149 Signatures needed to place referendum on ballot. • 44 Counties needed to participate in collecting signatures.

12. Other Education-Related Bills: Bullying • School Bullying Policies (HB 155): Requires that public school bullying policies prohibit bullying by electronic means and require staff training on the policies. • School Anti-Bullying Act (HB 116): Requires age-appropriate instruction on and parental notification of public schools’ policies prohibiting harassment, intimidation, or bullying. Provides for a consistent method for anti-bullying education.

13. Economic Security: Health Care • Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (HB 11) • Health Insurance (HB 85) • Health Care Coverage (HJR 2 and SJR 1) The two bills and the joint resolutions all deal with the same subject: The preservation of Ohioans’ freedom to choose their health care coverage and avoid “Obamacare.” They are designed to help Ohio bring suit against the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in federal court. There is the potential of a November ballot issue.

14. The Other Side of Health Care • Ohio Health Care Plan (SB 112): To establish and operate the Ohio Health Care Plan, to provide universal health care coverage to all Ohio residents. (No hearings yet.) • Prevention First: New bill to be introduced this spring to prevent unintended pregnancies by increasing access to information and services that allow people to make responsible decisions. (Lobby Day coming up May 10.)

15. Bills Affecting Civil Rights Reproductive Rights: • Abortion, Pregnant Minor (HB 63): Passed House, currently in Senate committee. Amends judicial bypass process to make it more difficult for a minor asking a judge for permission to obtain an abortion. • Post Viability Abortion (HB 78): Waiting for floor vote in House. Makes it a felony for a physician to perform an abortion after 20 weeks, with narrow exception for mother’s physical health; no exception for mental health, rape or incest. Same as SB 72.

16. More Reproductive Rights Challenges • Insurance Coverage—Abortions (HB 79): Waiting for House floor vote. Prohibits women from using their own money to buy coverage for abortion care through a public exchange. • The “Heartbeat” Bill (HB 125): House floor vote is imminent. This bill would ban abortions at the first detection of a fetal heartbeat, usually at about nine weeks. It unconstitutionally restricts abortion access during the first trimester, contradicting Roe v. Wade.

17. New Human Trafficking Bill Safe Harbor Act: Protecting Victims of Human Trafficking (to be introduced this spring) • Exempts a victim of human trafficking from Ohio’s solicitation statute. • A victim who is a minor will get appropriate services, which may include physical and mental health care. • A poster will be created providing information re the national human trafficking resource center hotline. • The poster must be posted in numerous establishments, including truck stops, labor camps, fairs, hospitals.

18. What can we do? • Stay informed. Sign up for the Two Minute Activist alerts. Be sure your branch public policy chair is informing your members about the need for action. • Call or email your representatives. Let them know your position on a bill and ask them how they will vote. Hold them accountable for their position. Personalize your communication if you can. • Write letters to the editor. Smaller papers are especially likely to print your letters. • Reach out to your community. Hold a public meeting on an issue to educate the broader community.

19. Where to Look • Ohio House: www.house.state.oh.us • Ohio Senate: www.ohiosenate.gov • Governor: www.governor.ohio.gov • Legislation Information: 1-800-282-0253

20. Action will delineate and define you. Thomas Jefferson