Legislative News
&
Archives
August 14, 2026 LEGILATIVE NEWSLETTER
So far the Ohio House of Representatives does not have any “As-needed” Sessions listed on their website. So, I don’t know if they will be back in Session prior to the November election. So far their schedule only shows a couple of Sessions in November.
In addition to the Tour, if the Senate “is in Session” we could attend some Senate or House Committee Hearings and their 1:30 p.m. Legislative Session. These events would give us an opportunity to see our “Legislators” at work and will also help us to understand how the Committee hearing are conducted, how individuals can testify before a Committee and an opportunity to see how our Legislators debate or discuss the issues that come before them. These observations will help us to become better advocates or lobbyist when we come back the next time.
Even if they are not in Session, we can schedule meetings to visit the offices of our respective Senators and/or Representative, to “lobby” and educate them on issues that are important to us and our members. Given the fact that our Legislative members will be back in Session in November, and will perhaps be attending Marathon Sessions, this will give us an excellent opportunity to put our issues front and center for them to address upon their return.
Keep in mind that Joint Resolutions 9 and 10 dealt with in-person voting, however, the Legislature also passed House Bill 472 which would require absentee voters to provide their driver’s license or state ID, starting with the November 2027 election. This bill would require absentee voters to show their ID either when they request an absentee ballot or if they submit their ballot in person. On June 26, 2026, Governor DeWine vetoed this legislation.
C. IF I COME FOR THE STATEHOUSE VISIT WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MATTERS THAT I CAN DISCUSS WITH MY SENATOR AND/OR REPRESENTATVE:
If you come for the Statehouse visit you can definitely meet with your Senator and/or Representatives or their staffs about the following issues which align with our Legislative Platform:
2. HOUSE BILL 472
HOUSE BILL 472, which would require absentee voters to provide their driver’s license or state ID, starting with the November 2027 election. This bill would require absentee voters to show their ID either when they request an absentee ballot or if they submit their ballot in person. On June 26, 2026, Governor DeWine vetoed this legislation.
It is anticipated that the House will try to over-ride this veto when they are back in Session. So again, you can start reaching out now to your Senators and Representatives to let them know that you do not agree with HB 472 and you do not want them to vote to override the Governor’s Veto.
3. SENATE BILL 341
SENATE BILL 341 referred to as the Ohio Marriage Law will ban underage marriage in the State of Ohio and will requires someone to be 18 years of age before they can be married. This bill was voted out of the Senate Judiciary Committee, however before it can become law, it must be voted out of the Senate so that it can go to the House for action and if it passes the House it will then go to the Governor.
Continue to track this legislation on the Senate’s Website. You can also send letters, emails or make calls to your Senator to request that when it comes up for a vote in the full Senate, you want them to vote in favor of this Legislation. Letters or emails can also be sent to members of the House of Representatives so that they know your position on this matter before it officially gets to the House.
For additional information read BPW Ohio Legislative Consultant Kathy Telban’s Article in your Summer 2026 OBW.
4. SENATE BILL 74: Fair Paycheck Workplace Certificate:
This legislation will create a mechanism by which an employer can obtain from the Department of Commerce a Certificate verifying that they pay their employees a fair and living wage, irrespective of gender. In other words, is provides a mechanism for employers and potential employees to know that an employer does not engage in wage discrimination. This legislation is still pending in the Senate Judiciary Committee and has only had one hearing. We need to contact member of that Committee to advocate for more hearings and that the legislation gets voted out of Committee so that it can go to the full Senate. If it does not pass the Legislature by the end of 2026, it will need to be re-introduced in the next General Assembly.
5. SENATE BILL 77: ANONYMOUS REPORTING OF WAGE DISCRIMINATION
This bill is also still languishing in the Ohio Judiciary Committee Senate. It would provide a mechanism for someone who believes that their employer has engaged in or is engaging in wage discrimination to report that discrimination without fear of reprisal. SB 77 also has only had one hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee, so we need to contact members of that Committee as well as all other Senators that we take wage discrimination very seriously and we want everyone to be paid fair and equitable wages. At the very least, the Committee should hold additional hearings to get testimony from those affected by wage discrimination and proceed to pass this Legislation.
Again, if these pieces of legislation are not passed by the end of this Legislative Session, they die and will need to start all over again in with the 161st Legislature.
6. SENATE BILL 421: INCREASING THE PERIOD FOR VICTIMS TO FILE CIVIL CASES FOR DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF BEING A VICTIM OF A SEXUAL OFFENSE.
This legislation would give victims of a sexual offense an additional five (5) year period in which to file a civil action against the perpetrator. This would be especially helpful to child victims or anyone who suffered a sexual assault but for some reason they were not able to take action until at a later time. The alleged abuser can be a family member, a teacher, a medical provider, a therapist, or basically anyone. This bill passed the Senate before the Legislature went on its Summer Recess. It needs to be passed by the House before it can go to the Governor and become law.
These are just some of the bills that we are monitoring. If you are aware of any other legislation which needs our attention, email me at : chardew1@yahoo.com.
Again, if you are interested in participating in the Statehouse Visit, let me know asap so that I can finalize the arrangements for this Legislative event. While not all of your expenses will be covered by BPW Ohio for attending we should be able to cover some of them from our Advocacy Designated Fund.
Best Personal Wishes to each of you.
Charlon K. Dewberry
BPW Ohio Legislative Chair 2026-2027
OHIO LEGISLATIVE SESSIONS:
As I stated in my July Legislative Newsletter our State Legislature is currently on recess until after the November election. However, that being said, they do have some “as needed” Session days scheduled for the months of September and October. So far the Senate has scheduled the following “as needed” dates:
-
Wednesday, September 16, 2026, Session at 1:30 pm
-
Wednesday, September 23, 2026, Session at 1:30 pm
-
Wednesday, October 7th, 2026, Session at 1:30 p.m.
What’s Our Next Steps?
A. CONTACT YOUR SENATOR OR REPRESENTATIVE:
As previously stated, we can still email our Legislators or write letters or make calls and we can still visit their offices and leave information regarding pending Legislation that we want them to prioritize when they come back into Session.
In fact, this is a good time for us to remind them about our issues because when they come back into Session, they will be trying to pass as many of their initiatives as possible before the end of the Legislative Session.
B. STATE HOUSE VISIT
In my prior Newsletter, I proposed that we make a visit to our State House on one of the “As Needed” Senate Session Days. In order to have sufficient time to plan our visit I have selected WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7TH, 2026 as the date of our Visit.
On that date, we can take an “Official Tour” of the Statehouse, which is conducted by members of the Ohio Statehouse staff. These tours are approximately 45 minutes long and will provide an excellent opportunity for those who have never been to the Statehouse before to become familiar with it so if they come back for future Lobby Days, they may feel more comfortable in the space.
1. VOTER RIGHTS:
The Ohio Ballot Board recently voted to place on the ballot this November, (what was formerly referred to as SJR 10 and HJR 9), ISSUE 3 which asks Ohio Voters to consider an Amendment to the Constitution of the State of Ohio that was proposed by a three-fifths supermajority of the Ohio General Assembly. If approved, the proposed amendment would require Ohio voters to present a government-issued photo registration in order to vote.
To vote in person , voters would be require to present one of the specific types of government-issued photo identification listed. In-person voters who do not possess photo identification because of sincere religious objection to being photographed would be permitted to provide alternative verification of their identity, as provided by Ohio law.
To vote by another method under Ohio law, such as absentee voting by mail, voters would be required to do one of the following: (1) provide specific type of government issued photo identification, or (2( if authorized by Ohio law, present a signature and at least one-other identifies authorized for voting purposes.
If this Amendment passes, it will become a permanent portion of our Ohio Constitution and future elections.
Past Legislation
CONSTITUTION AND CITIZENSHIP DAY
SEPTEMBER 17, 1778
Constitution Day, is an American federal observance that recognizes the adoption of the United States Constitution and those who have become U.S. citizens. It celebrates the signing of the U.S. Constitution in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787. When the Constitution was ratified, women could not legally own land or property, and married women had no legal claim to their spouse’s money or children. It was not until August 26, 1920 when the Nineteenth Amendment was added to the Constitution that white women were allowed to vote in elections at every level. The 19th Amendment states: The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. However, obstacles like poll taxes, literacy tests and other discriminatory state voting laws would keep Black women (and men) disenfranchised for a further 45 years, until the Voting Rights Act was signed into law on August 6, 1965. It was not until 1943 and the passage of the Magnuson Act that Chinese immigrants could begin naturalizing as U.S. citizens. In 1923, the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was first introduced. It states: Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex. On January 27, 2020, Virginia became the 38th State to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (“ERA”) making it the 28th Amendment to the United States Constitution. The ERA ensures United States laws embraces equality for everyone, thereby providing equal rights and protections to all human beings. If you want to learn about the ERA’s Journey to become the 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, go to: https://tinyurl.com/ERAJourney A 2020 8 ½ x 11 PDF version of the United States Constitution with the 28th Amendment can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/US-Constitution-2020 A 2020 5 x 4 PDF Pamphlet version can be found here https://tinyurl.com/US-Constitution-Pamphlet For quantities over 500, of the Pamphlet, contact Curt Lepper at Rapid Press 203-348-8884 or curt@rapidpressct.com. This 2020 version is in commemoration of the ratification of The Equal Rights Amendment. It is being provided by an informal group of women's rights advocates carrying on the work of their foremothers that started over a century ago. Please share this version far and wide!
Will You Lose Your Right? Take Action!
Federal HR 22
"Does the name on your birth certificate match the name you go by today? Or did your last name change when you married? If the names don’t match, the federal SAVE Act (Safeguard American Voter Eligibility) would require proof on paper that you are a U.S. citizen before you can register to vote or update your voter registration information." HR 22 is the resurrected HR8281 from 2024. HR8281 passed the House and was lost in the Senate. Now it is back again threatening to take away the voting rights of over ___ million women in the USA. Click on the following links for more information. It’s back again. Take Action! Discriminatory SAVE Act - Equal Rights Amendment North Carolina Alliance NCJW - Oppose Save Act Action Alert https://www.ncjw.org/act/action/save-our-democracy-stop-the-save-act/ LWVUS has an action alert to contact your MOCs to oppose the SAVE Act: https://www.lwv.org/take-action/tell-your-members-congress-oppose-save-act
There were six (6) BPW Ohio members present for the press conference. (l-r) BPW Legislative Consultant Kathy Telban, Immediate PSP Liz Herrell, IPSP Stephanie Bridwell, Senator Paula Hicks-Hudson. PSP Paulette Knazek, PSP Charlon Dewberry, Senator Kent Smith, and BPW Ohio Legislative Chair Pat Talbot. On Tuesday, February 27, 2024, then President now Past State President (IPSP) Stephanie Bridwell spoke with State Senators Kent Smith and Paula Hicks-Hudson on proposed legislation the "Pay Equity Hotline" to address inequities in the workplace and the "Fair Paycheck Workplace" to recognize companies that pay their employees equally. Both these measures would strengthen the current Ohio law prohibiting wage discrimination. Charlon Dewberry commented via her email that our BPW President Stephanie Bridwell gave remarks supporting the pay equity legislation. I am sure it was recorded by the Ohio Channel so you can probably go to their website and pull it up for yourself. She did a wonderful job and this was a great opportunity for BPW Ohio to showcase our work on behalf of working women. Please share this information with others and lets get actively involved in the fight to secure pay equity for all women. If anyone is counting, this is our second trip to the Statehouse to advocate on our legislative platform issues in the last couple of years - Lobby Day in November 2022 and yesterday. Let's keep it going.