OGRC

Vol. 3, Issue 4

page 5. The sex offender bill (Am. Sub. H.B. 256) which will prohibit persons convicted of certain sex offenses from receiving or keeping teaching or other educational certificates passed the House May 23. The bill was amended in committee at OGRC's initiative to exclude the state's offensive solicitation law from its coverage. No anti-Gay amendments were offered on the floor of the House. The bill is now up for consideration by the Senate Education and Health Committee.

The Senate passed a bill (Sub. S.B. 35) to create a housing division in municipal courts, to enforce all housing laws in a city. This will permit persons in cities with sexual orientation laws in housing, but with no viable enforcement agency (such as Columbus and Yellow Springs) to have these civil rights laws enforced in a court.

The General Assembly adopted a joint resolution (Am. H.J.R. 3) to creáte a joint select committee of the General Assembly to study proposed rules of evidence in court proceedings. This will include child custody rules of evidence, which will provide a forum for Lesbian mothers and Gay fathers. The committee has not yet been appointed, so it has not scheduled any hearings.

EDUCATION AND HEALTH COMMITTEE OHIO SENATE -Am. H.B. 251

STATE GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE OHIO HOUSE

-

Am. H.B. 303

Marcus Roberto (D-Ravenna) Chair

Dist# 18

Dist#

John Mahoney (D-Springfield) Vice-Chair

10

Charles Curran (D-Dayton)

6

Thomas Carney (D-Boardman) Chair C. J. McLin (D-Dayton) Vice-Chair Cliff Skeen (D-Akron)

71

36

43

Tim McCormack (D-Euclid)

31

Kinsey Milleson (D-Freeport)

30

Rocco Colonna (D-Brook Park) *Dean Conley (D-Columbus)

4

32

Ronald Nabakowski (D-Lorain)

13

Vernon Cook (D-Cuyahoga Falls)

39

Oakley Collins (R-Ironton)

17

Joseph Williams (D-Niles)

56

Paul Matia (R-Westlake)

25

Barney Quilter (D-Toledo)

47

Cooper Snyder (R-Lebanon)

14

Francine Panehal (D-Cleveland)

5

Terry Tranter (D-Cincinnati)

24

*Thomas Sawyer (D-Akron)

40

26

77 27

72

Have letters to these Senators sent by persons in their district; or organize a mass mailing from your county to Senators from your county

Ask them to delete the reference to "good moral character" from Am. H.B. 251. DO NOT mention the Gay issue. Speak of the good moral character clause as dangerously vague. or unnecessary to the purposes of the bill.

Helen Fix (R-Cincinnati) Bob McEwen (R-Hillsboro) Alan Norris (R-Westerville) Marie Tansey (R-Vermilion) Michael Oxley (R-Findlay) Don Gilmore (R-Columbus)

*Known supporter of Gay rights

2833

Have letters sent to these reps. from people in their districts; or have a mass letter writing from your county to those members from your county

Ask them to reinsert "minorities" to the provisions of Am. H.B. 303. Do NOT mention the Gay issue except to those with an asterisk by their name. Urge the members to support the rights of minorities as well as women.

ALERT: Everyone should be aware that the Ohio Supreme Court in its dedsion in the State of Ohio versus Phipps sexual solicitation case found that Ohio's Importuning law is constitutional. Basically, this means that offensive same sex solicitation is a crime. The decision represents an appalling lack of logic and the worst homophobic attack in quite awhile. The decision will be discussed at the next OGRC gen. meeting.