Home valuations are up in Ohio. And in some parts of the state, valuations have spiked more than 30%. Since property taxes are based on valuations, some homeowners are likely to get a big shock when they open their next tax bill. Lawmakers say their voters are worried about it. So what is the legislature doing about it? Lawmakers have introduced more than a dozen bills, have a committee looking into it, and are even considering putting an issue before voters statewide to deal with spiking property tax rates. But it ends there. Most political watchers think meaningful property tax reforms are unlikely this year. Ohio Statehouse Scoop host Jo Ingles explores what's being done and, just as importantly, what's not being done. She's joined by Ohio Rep. Scott Wiggam (R-Wayne County), Buckeye Institute Research Fellow Greg Lawson, and Ohio Policy Matters Executive Director Hannah Halbert. At the end of the podcast, Ohio Public Media Statehouse Bureau Chief Karen Kasler and Reporter Sarah Donaldson join Jo to weigh in on their observations.

There are bills that are introduced in the Ohio Legislature that seem to have popular support yet they never seem to be passed. In this episode, Ohio Statehouse Scoop host Jo Ingles identifies some of those bills. She talks with Ohio Public Media Statehouse News Bureau Chief Karen Kasler about why those bills often are not passed by Ohio's General Assemblies.

The Ohio Legislature held a special session last week after Gov. Mike DeWine took the rare step of ordering lawmakers to come back on their week off to do a couple of things. DeWine said he wanted lawmakers to ensure President Biden would be on the November ballot. And he wanted lawmakers to pass a provision that would make it harder for outside groups to wage campaigns. They did both but not without a lot of drama. Ohio Public Media's Jo Ingles talks to Statehouse News Bureau Chief Karen Kasler about what happened.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine took an unusual step and ordered the Ohio Legislature to come back into session the week beginning with Memorial Day. Many lawmakers had planned vacations for that week. But DeWine said it's important the legislature come back to deal with putting Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on the November ballot. As it stands now, Biden won't be certified by his party in time to make it on the ballot this fall. Lawmakers can change that as they've done for both parties in the past but they haven't so far. Now that lawmakers are coming back during the holiday week, the question turns to what will they do? DeWine also wants the legislature to pass a bill that would make it harder for citizens to finance ballot initiatives. What will happen with that? Ohio Statehouse Scoop podcast host Jo Ingles talks to Ohio Public Media Statehouse News Bureau Chief Karen Kasler about what is likely to happen this coming week.

A state rule-making agency is allowing existing medical marijuana suppliers to start the process for selling recreational marijuana next month, provided they meet certain criteria. Also, Ohio is going to have plenty of orange barrels on the highways this summer as road repairs and upgrades are made. Join host Jo Ingles, Ohio Public Media Statehouse News Bureau Chief Karen Kasler and Ohio Public Media Statehouse News Bureau Reporter Sarah Donaldson as they discuss the latest efforts to allow Ohioans 21 years and older to buy recreational marijuana. And Ohio Department of Transportation spokesman Matt Bruning talks about new road construction projects this week on the Ohio Public Media Statehouse News Bureau's Ohio Statehouse Scoop.

President Biden won't be officially nominated as the nominee for the Democratic party until the Democratic National Convention this summer. But that will happen after the deadline for certifying Biden for the Ohio ballot in November. State lawmakers could pass a legislative fix for the problem like they have in the past for presidential candidates in both parties. But they didn't. And a legislative fix might not be possible. Hear from Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and state leaders about what happened. Host Jo Ingles and Ohio Public Media Statehouse News Bureau Chief Karen Kasler explain why it happened and what could be done now to make sure the president is on the November ballot in the Buckeye State.

For 112 years, Ohio has had Home Rule protections in its Constitution that give communities the right to determine their own policies on important issues involving governing. But during the past couple of decades, cities and towns throughout Ohio have seen some of their power erode as the state has increasingly taken control over key policies. In this episode, Ohio historian Tom Suddes talks about the tradition of local control in Ohio. Ohio Public Media Statehouse News Bureau Chief Karen Kasler and podcast host, Jo Ingles, explore what is happening to local control now and changes that might lie ahead. And Rep. Sara Carruthers (R-Hamilton) talks about a piece of legislation she's sponsoring that would give some local control back to communities when it comes to cracking down on puppy mills.

Advocates for children say Ohio is among the states that spend the least on childcare. The Ohio Chamber of Commerce says there's a crisis in Ohio right now because employers need workers but workers need affordable and, often unavailable, childcare. In this episode, we look at what needs to be done to deal with the problem. Statehouse journalists weigh in on the likelihood that Ohio lawmakers will take action to deal with the issue.

In this episode, we introduce you to the creative team that brings you The Ohio Statehouse Scoop every week. Ohio Public Media Reporter and podcast host Jo Ingles is joined by Ohio Public Media Statehouse News Bureau Chief Karen Kasler, Ohio Public Media Statehouse News Reporter/Producer Sarah Donaldson, Ohio Public Media Statehouse Videographer/content creator Dan Konik, Ohiochannel Operations Engineer Eric French and Dr. Dan Shellenbarger, General Manager of Ohio Public Media Services. This award-winning team brings you this podcast every week. And in this episode, they talk about their specific roles in this podcast and their approach to journalism in general.

Ohio experienced the big, solar eclipse last week. Many parts of the state were in totality. Our Statehouse News Bureau team talked about their experiences in the path of totality. And Ohio Governor Mike DeWine laid out his plans for the future of Ohio in his annual State of the State speech. And he is focusing on the needs of kids. But do his fellow GOP lawmakers, who dominate both chambers of the Ohio Legislature, agree with his plans? And what do the Democrats think about DeWine's ideas? Jo Ingles, Sarah Donaldson, and Karen Kasler try to shed light on the situation in this week's podcast.