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

Of course, the ACLU of Ohio does not support people driving intoxicated. We simply think the best tests are those that measure actual impairment of drivers, not some essentially arbitrary amount of THC in one's system. So, SB 55 is not perfect. But it is worthy of support. 7/7