Natalie Fahmy

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A last-minute act could expedite what has become a divisive bill at the Ohio Statehouse, known as the “bathroom bill.” “There’s extreme mileage that people get out of attacking LGBTQ rights,” Ohio Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood) said. “We want to protect children, and this is the way to do that,” Rep. Jena Powell (R-Arcanum) said. House Bill 183 would require both public and private K-12 schools and colleges to designate specified facilities for the “e…

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- At the Ohio Statehouse, a vote for a bill that would change training for certain bar and restaurant workers was delayed on Tuesday. “There are a lot of questions that remain unanswered in this bill,” attorney and opponent of the bill Sean Harris said. House Bill 504, sponsored by Rep. Gail Pavliga (R-Portage County), is known as Hayden’s Law, after a 25-year-old from northeast Ohio who died after leaving a bar. The bill would require alcohol server training for bars and…

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A high number of Ohio students are not reading at grade level but a state law that mandates a certain type of instruction called the “science of reading” aims to fix that. “We’ve got to do something, seriously,” Rep. Tom Young (R-Washington Township) said. “This is the future, not to be trite, but this is the future of our state.” On Wednesday afternoon the Ohio House Higher Education Committee, chaired by Young, heard from some of the state departments that are impleme…

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Every public school in the state will likely soon be required to implement a cell phone use policy as part of House Bill 250, which now heads to the governor’s desk after passing the statehouse with no votes against it in either chamber. “This is a critically important amendment for Ohio students and staff,” Rep. Beryl Brown Piccolantonio (D-Gahanna) said. If signed into law, it will require every public school to adopt a policy about cell phone use during school hours.…

Watch a previous NBC4 report on H.B. 68 in the video player above. COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- An Ohio law banning gender-affirming care for transgender youth cannot go into effect as planned next week while a legal challenge moves forward in court, a Franklin County judge ruled Tuesday. Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Michael Holbrook issued a two-week temporary restraining order on Tuesday to block House Bill 68. The legislation would prohibit Ohio’s children’s hospitals from providing treatm…