As I'm never fond of pointing out - these folks do not care what you think, they actively find ways to limit your participation and feedback re: legislation, and every elections bill they move is designed to keep more & more people from voting. It's 100% politics, not policy.
3/3

1) The hearing notice was sent very late today, leaving 4.5 business hours to prep & submit testimony.
2) Bills that move typically have at least 3 hearings. The House GOP is instead ramming it through in a single hearing
3) In person testimony is limited to 180 seconds.
2/3

But HB 486 ignores all that. And even if it did not, and/or even if HB 486 expanded to include other faiths, that does not solve First Amendment issues. Our framers had it right - intertwining govt with religion inevitably leads to problems for both. 9/9

U.S. history is filled with examples of religious tests to hold elected office, taxpayer-supported churches, anti-blasphemy laws, outright banishment of certain faiths form various areas, and more. This was almost exclusively Christian denominations feuding vs one another. 8/9

Among those who have used (their version of) Christianity to justify their actions - supporters of slavery, racial segregationists, those who favor discrimination vs. LGBT folks & fans of Manifest Destiny & other justifications to invade foreign lands & kill their people. 7/9

But the very design of HB 486 is to promote Christianity above all other religions & faiths. It does this by promoting what supporters claim is the good, while thoroughly ignoring the bad. That is, the long history of official, govt-supported religious intolerance. 6/9

The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment is quite clear. Govt is to remain neutral with regard to religion & religious beliefs. This protects religion & adherents of all religions, keeping govt from supporting one faith over another, or religious beliefs over none. 5/9

HB 486 goes on to offer 24 examples of what the bill's sponsors & supporters have in mind. That is, what they frame as positive influences of Christianity on our history & society. That is where the First Amendment problems & concerns emerge. 4/9

But HB 486 deliberately goes farther, explicitly suggesting & signaling to teachers & instructors that teaching about Christianity's impact is "imperative to reducing ignorance of American history, hate, and violence within our society." 3/9

Indeed, the First Amendment (& Ohio Constitution) allow various aspects about religious beliefs & religion to be taught in schools. For example, it is no violation to mention how many civil rights advocates & slavery abolitionists were motivated by strong religious beliefs. 2/9

In recent years, Ohio has made great strides in expanding record sealing & expungement, access to professional licenses so people are not shut out of whole industries & careers because of their past, and finding alternatives to prison/jail. SB 143 continues this momentum. 5/5

We also when some cannot meet their basic needs they will turn, or return, to crime. In a state where our prisons have been packed beyond capacity for decades. Where cities & counties continually seek more & more taxpayer money for their bursting jails. This must change. 4/5

SB 143 does not require quotas. Any burdens on private employers are minimal. Ohio is full of people who want to work, who want to provide for themselves & their families, but they are continually shut out of jobs, decent paying jobs & jobs with benefits, like health care. 3/5

Far too often, when one checks "The Box" (re: criminal records) on job application paperwork they receive no further consideration. In Ohio, where an estimated 1 in 3 people have a criminal record, the effects of The Box are felt here daily, by many. 2/5