The morning newsletter of the Ohio Capital Journal
Reporting for the People
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By David DeWitt | Editor in Chief
Good morning Ohio!
New research shows that at least 37 states, including Ohio, are facing billions in reduced federal payments for hospital services because of the Trump/Republican Medicaid funding changes.
(Photo via Getty Images)
By Susan Tebben
The healthcare research group KFF released a new analysis estimating $60 billion in current federal spending for hospitals could be reduced when new limits from the reconciliation bill take full effect.
By Megan Henry
A newly proposed bipartisan bill would create a cap on reimbursement rates for Ohio foster care placements.
By Amanda Becker, The 19th News
The conversation among Democrats about how the party’s candidates should — or should not — respond to anti-trans attacks has taken up a lot of oxygen in Washington as party strategists debate the best course forward. Now that conversation has come to Ohio.
COMMENTARY
The Kroger Co. corporate headquarters is seen in downtown Cincinnati. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images.)
By Taylor Warren
Kroger’s controversial customer surveillance scheme was recently the subject of harsh bipartisan criticism in Congress. Ohio lawmakers have an opportunity to join the nationwide effort to protect consumers from the Cincinnati company’s pricing program.
STORIES FROM THE STATES PODCAST
The big challenges and policy issues that cross state lines.
Throughout the U.S., extreme heat days are becoming more frequent and more intense. State policymakers are now attempting to plan for extreme heat’s growing risks, which could strain public health and infrastructure budgets and the agricultural economies.
THE RUNDOWN
News from other states
By Ian Karbal, Pennsylvania Capita-Star
Leaders at food banks across Pennsylvania say changes to the federal food stamps program have led to hundreds of thousands of people losing benefits, and the food banks are struggling to keep up with demand amid those cuts and the struggling economy.
NATIONAL NEWS
By Ariana Figueroa
Fentanyl seizures decreased by 39% during the first year of the second Trump administration after ICE shifted Homeland Security’s criminal investigations arm to conducting immigration enforcement, government investigators reported Friday.
By Ariana Figueroa
President Donald Trump can continue building a White House ballroom for now, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday, reversing a federal judge’s order that barred above-ground construction on the grounds of the former East Wing.
By Ashley Murray
IndyCar took over the streets of the nation’s capital for the Freedom 250 Grand Prix, the last in a series of events coordinated and promoted by President Donald Trump to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States.
CATCHING OUR EYE
Privatizing education. Jessie Balmert reports in the Columbus Dispatch, “Ohio could close, convert struggling schools under proposed changes.”
Chronically struggling public schools could be converted into charter schools, have their leadership replaced or be forced to close, according to proposed changes Ohio wants federal education officials to approve.
The proposal lists 16 ways to improve the state's lowest-performing schools, which include high schools where at least a third of students do not graduate. But Ohio school leaders worry that the changes go too far and weren't properly vetted.Living with disabilities. Cleveland.com’s Karan Singh reports, “An alternative to guardianship? Ohio bill promises more independence for adults with disabilities. Critics see risks.”
For Ohio adults with developmental disabilities who need help navigating major decisions, the legal options can present a stark choice: retain full control or, if a court finds them legally incompetent, have a guardian appointed with authority to make certain decisions for them.
A bill moving through the Ohio legislature seeks to establish a middle ground.Flock. The Cincinnati Enquirer’s David Ferrara and Quinlan Bentley report, “More than 1,000 Flock cameras watch Cincinnati area. Resistance is growing.”
Police are using a private network of Flock license plate cameras to track people. While law enforcement credits the technology with solving crimes, its use has sparked a backlash from privacy advocates and some residents.
The growing network of more than 1,100 cameras in Greater Cincinnati creates a vast surveillance web with inconsistent usage policies.Youth homes. The Dayton Daily News’ Avery Kreemer reports, “Local lawmakers picked for new committee to address delinquent youth group homes.”
A new Ohio legislative study committee will soon begin evaluating the impacts of courts ordering delinquent youth to stay in residential group homes, a practice that has drawn concern and scrutiny in the area due to Montgomery County’s outsized number of group homes.
The committee, set to convene Monday, Aug. 24, will feature state Rep. Andrea White, R-Kettering, as co-chair, Rep. Phil Plummer, R-Butler Twp. and a handful of other select lawmakers; alongside representatives from various state departments, county children services agencies, juvenile courts, group homes, law enforcement agencies and more.SNAP cuts. The Toledo Blade’s Chantal Eulenstein reports, “SNAP funding cuts leave Lucas County with $2.5 million gap.”
Lucas County Job & Family Services will see a significant funding cut this fall as it administers programs that provide food, cash, and other assistance to low-income residents.
The agency oversees local administration of programs including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as SNAP, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF.
The reductions stem from the federal tax and spending law signed by President Trump, which is expected to cut SNAP spending by $187 billion through 2034.
THE POD
THAT'S ALL FOR NOW, FOLKS.
Mahalo!
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