Rotunda Rumblings
Legislating while impaired
: U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno disparaged anti-drunk driving technology as a waste of money on Wednesday, earning a rebuke from a colleague who was nearly killed in a drunk driving accident,
Sabrina Eaton reports.
At a confirmation hearing for President Donald Trump’s nominee to head the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Westlake Republican categorized an upcoming requirement that impairment detection devices be included in passenger cars as an “insane federal regulation” that contributes to high car prices. New Mexico Democratic Sen. Ben Ray Lujan responded sarcastically, suggesting that cars be made out of plastic to find “the cheapest car that we can sell to the American people … and more people will die.”
HALT fentanyl
: Flanked by parents holding photos of loved ones who died from drug overdoses, President Donald Trump signed legislation Wednesday that will boost penalties for fentanyl trafficking,
Eaton writes
. The “Halt All Lethal Trafficking (HALT) of Fentanyl Act”
co-authored by Bowling Green Republican Rep. Bob Latta
permanently classifies fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs under the Controlled Substances Act.
Read more Ohio politics stories
-
From road rage to death threats: How violence against politicians threatens democracy
-
Trump-backed cuts to public broadcasting and foreign aid pass both chambers of Congress
-
Customer-first focus needed as PUCO probes FirstEnergy power outages in Lakewood, elsewhere: editorial
Phonics-Focused Funding
: Two Cuyahoga County schools are among 33 statewide who are getting federal grant dollars to help their students learn to read.
Anna Staver reports
that the $46 million will help districts with underserved students continue Gov. Mike DeWine’s push for the “Science of Reading.”
Mad at Max:
An attorney for a Westlake doctor accused of threatening U.S. Rep. Max Miller on Interstate 90 says the congressman’s allegations are meritless and won’t stand up in court,
Lucas Daprile reports.
What’s more, the release of videos and other investigative documents from the June 19 incident will help exonerate Feras Hamdan, who faces several charges related to the incident, said defense lawyer Issa Elkhatib. Elkhatib called the Bay Village Republican’s allegations “defamatory” and motivated by a desire “to gain political points.” A video Hamdan took of the incident shows Hamdan driving alongside Miller’s vehicle, yelling at the lawmaker.
Sales trip:
Vice President JD Vance traveled to a crucial swing state on Wednesday to sell the Trump administration’s signature domestic policy legislation as a victory for working American families, despite concerns even among some Republicans over its cuts to the safety net in service of benefiting the rich,
The New York Times reports
. In what amounted to an attempted brand relaunch of legislation that Democrats have framed as an attack on the middle class, Mr. Vance traveled to a machine shop in eastern Pennsylvania to spotlight provisions in the package that would cut taxes, preserve overtime pay and create $1,000 savings accounts for newborns.
Et tu, JD?
A podcast host who was friendly to President Donald Trump during his campaign is needling Vice President JD Vance over the Jeffrey Epstein case — a sign that interest in the issue isn’t going away even as the White House works to contain it,
Politico reports
. Podcaster Theo Von reposted a video clip Wednesday on social media from his June interview with Vance in which the vice president agreed that the government should release files about the criminal investigation into the accused sex trafficker. MAGA supporters were upset by a July 7 White House announcement that an FBI and Department of Justice investigation found no evidence of an incriminating client list connected to the disgraced financier, who authorities say died by suicide in a New York prison in 2019.
Congressional candidate:
Eric Conroy, a U.S. Air Force veteran and former CIA case officer, announced his campaign to represent Ohio’s 1st Congressional District Thursday.
Speaking with Fox News Digital
ahead of his announcement, the Cincinnati native said southwest Ohio deserves a “common-sense advocate” in Washington, D.C., who can help the city reach its full potential. Conroy criticized incumbent Democratic Rep. Greg Landsman as “anything but” that common-sense decision maker for Ohioans, tying Landsman’s policy record to President Joe Biden’s progressive agenda.
Buckeye Brain Tease
Question:
Gov. DeWine says he’d crown the Walleye as Ohio’s state fish, but how well do you know the state’s other official symbols? For example: What’s Ohio’s state beverage?
Email your response to
. The first correct respondent will be mentioned in next week’s newsletter.
Thanks to everyone who answered our last trivia question: During the Civil War, more than 15,000 Ohio civilians grabbed their hunting rifles and rushed to Cincinnati in 1862 to defend against a Confederate invasion. What was their nickname?
Answer:
Squirrel Hunters
Capitol Letter reader Tony Koury from Youngstown was the first to email with the correct response.
On the Move
Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican frontrunner for Ohio governor, has been endorsed by Ohio House Speaker Matt Huffman, a Lima Republican, via
an op-ed in the Lima News
.
U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, a Columbus-area Republican, has been endorsed by the Ohio Chamber of Commerce’s federal political action committee.
U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes, an Akron Democrat, has been endorsed by End Citizens United, a Democratic nonprofit that advocates for campaign-finance reform.
Birthdays
Friday, July 18:
Reed Cusack, senior legislative aide to state Sen. Willis Blackshear; Annabelle Handley, legislative aide to state Rep. Monica Robb Blasdel
Saturday, July 19:
Travis Brock, senior legislative aide to state Sen. Tim Schaffer; Chloe Donovan, legislative aide to state Rep. Joe Miller
Sunday, July 20:
State Sen. Al Cutrona; Rea Hederman Jr., vice president of policy for the The Buckeye Institute; Ursel McElroy, Ohio Department of Aging director
Straight from the Source
“It’s the one fish, I think, that’s distinctive in Ohio, that we are the best at.”
– Gov. Mike DeWine, telling reporters Wednesday he would “certainly” sign legislation making walleye the state fish of Ohio,
according to Ohio Public Media’s Sarah Donaldson
.
State lawmakers are
renewing a decades-long effort
to make walleye Ohio’s state fish, though there’s been resistance from legislators in some parts of the state who favor their local alternatives (including perch in Northeast Ohio and smallmouth bass in Southern Ohio).
Capitol Letter is a daily briefing providing succinct, timely information for those who care deeply about the decisions made by state government.
Subscribe to get Capitol Letter in your email box each weekday for free.
