Ohio Lawmakers Approve ‘Parents Bill of Rights’ with Provision Requiring Release for Religious Instruction

Ohio lawmakers this week passed a package of controversial education bills, including the “Parents Bill of Rights Act” — derided by critics as a forced outing bill for LGBTQ+ youth — and a measure mandating public school districts to allow students to attend third-party religious instruction during the school day. The measure, Ohio House Bill 8, passed mostly along party lines 24-to-7 in the Senate, with one Republican objector; and 57-to-31 in the House, with three Republican objectors (including Rep. Andrea White, R-Kettering). It now goes to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine for his signature.

The Parents Bill of Rights framework originally sought to establish a mandatory line of communication between public schools and students’ parents, but the bill received significant backlash from LGBTQ+ students and advocates over a provision that requires school officials to report significant changes in a student’s mental health to the student’s parents. Supporters argued that the bill properly empowers parents to make decisions about their child’s education and mental health.

Ohio Law Allows Longer Expulsions for School Hit Lists, Dangerous Threats

A bill to give school districts greater control over how to punish students who pose “imminent and severe endangerment” to others passed both chambers of Ohio’s General Assembly Wednesday night despite Democrats’ concern that the bill vests too much power in superintendents.

House Bill 206 will give district superintendents unilateral authority to require students who are expelled on those grounds to be assessed by mental health professionals, along with the unilateral power to extend that student’s expulsion by up to 90 days if the student has not shown “sufficient rehabilitation.” The bill gives several examples of what would constitute “imminent and severe endangerment” from a student, including possessing a knife or firearm at school; committing an act of violence at school that, if committed by an adult, would be considered a criminal act; making a bomb threat; or making threats, including hit lists, social media posts or “threatening manifestos.” Concerns that the bill’s harsh punishments may be overused, specifically against students of color, H.B. 206 was amended early Wednesday to require public schools to track demographic data on expulsions and report it to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce.

National Organizations Urge the White House to Lift the Contingency Management Funding Cap

Last week, the Addiction Policy Forum joined the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry (AAAP), the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), the National Council on Mental Wellbeing, and other national organizations in sending a letter to the administration to lift the current $75 max restriction on many federal grant programs on patient incentives for recovery behaviors or Contingency Management (CM) from opioid, stimulant, and alcohol use disorders.

A Government Shutdown Could Occur on Dec. 21. Here's What Services and Payments Could Be Impacted

With two federal spending bills now scrapped and a revised version still up in the air, the U.S. faces a possible government shutdown that could begin at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 21, when current funding is set to lapse. That raises questions about what types of services and payments could be impacted just days before the holidays.  A looming shutdown stems from controversy over a spending bill that would have extended funding through March 14, but which was nixed by House Speaker Mike Johnson after some Republicans — including President-elect Donald Trump — objected to billions of dollars in spending that had been added to the bill. Without congressional approval for new spending, federal agencies are typically barred from doling out money, although there are some exceptions, such as activities to protect life and property. At the same time, agencies must make decisions about which workers will stay on the job, which can lead to varying impacts on government operations. Below is what could be impacted if the U.S. government shuts down on Dec. 21.