Ohioans will vote only once for party nominees for the Statehouse, Capitol Hill and the White House, thanks to a last minute deal to settle the "map flap". Republican Rep. Matt Huffman (R-Lima), Rep. Bob Hagan (D-Youngstown) and Rep. Matt Szollosi (D-Oregon) speak out about it.
Hearings on what would the nation's strictest abortion ban have been suspended after its backers submitted a list of more than 20 changes to the proposal. Senate President Tom Niehaus (R-New Richmond) expressed some frustration with the timing of these revisions, as Minority Leader Capri Cafaro explained some of her concern about the bill.
One of the authors of Ohio's death penalty law testified against it this week - Supreme Court Justice Paul Pfeifer told a House committee the law's application has become hit-or-miss. And as Gov. John Kasich predicted, Sears will be staying in Illinois.
It's been a very busy year in the Statehouse, with 67 bills passed by the House and Senate, though two never became law. The legislation includes the budget, the creation of the JobsOhio, and the so-called Common Sense Initiative, the expansion of vouchers, the elimination of the estate tax and the law allowing concealed weapons in bars. But ahead are a possible ban on exotic animals, changes to the state's pension system, and perhaps some elements of Senate Bill 5, the rejected collective bargaining reform law, will be reintroduced. Looking back on 2011 and ahead to what's on the horizon for next year are the leaders of the Ohio Senate - President Tom Niehaus, a Republican of New Richmond in southwest Ohio, and Minority Leader Capri Cafaro, a Democrat of Hubbard near Youngstown.
