In the News
A coalition of conservative religious groups is waging an intensive lobbying effort to remove a nondiscrimination provision from President Biden's ambitious prekindergarten and child care plans, fearing it would disqualify their programs from receiving a huge new infusion of federal money.
The hearing held by the House Financial Services' Subcommittee on Diversity and Inclusion, centered around discrimination in the financial services industry in relation to banking, housing, employment and lending.
Black members of the LGBTQ+ community Tuesday asked members of Congress to pass civil rights legislation and create greater visibility for LGBTQ+ people of color, saying they face greater barriers in banking, buying a home and other financial transactions than White LGBTQ+ Americans.
Black community leaders urged public and private officials to do more to create affordable housing in Greater Columbus, saying the need has become as dire as ever.
"We are demanding an affordable housing action plan," said Nana Watson, president of the NAACP Columbus chapter, who said there still aren't enough units being built.
Top members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) played leading roles in brokering the deal that allowed the bipartisan infrastructure bill to emerge from House gridlock and reach President Biden's desk.
It all underscores the CBC's growing power in a House only narrowly held by Democrats, as well as the tight ties between the group, the president and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).
When Margaret Rosell Hawkins and Sarah Strickland Scott put their heads together to create an organization to support the dreams and aspirations of Black women, they envisioned a group that would foster an appreciation for civic engagement, educational advancement, and cultural relevance.
As the U.S. House prepared to pass a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill last week, Rep. Joyce Beatty found herself at the center of a precarious debate among Democrats.
The chair of the Congressional Black Caucus acted as a liaison late Friday between leaders who wanted to vote on infrastructure and progressives who sought guarantees about a social spending bill. Beatty, of Columbus, even spent part of the night waiting outside a meeting of the progressive caucus.
The House passed a $1 trillion bill on Friday night to rebuild the country's aging public works system, fund new climate resilience initiatives and expand access to high-speed internet service, giving final approval to a central plank of President Biden's economic agenda after a daylong drama that pitted moderate Democrats against progressives.
But an even larger social safety net and climate change bill was back on hold, with a half-dozen moderate-to-conservative Democrats withholding their votes until a nonpartisan analysis could tally its price tag.
Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) could see record federal funding as part of a massive spending plan that is essential to President Biden's legislative agenda.
The institutions stand to see at least $2 billion in federal funding as part of the the sweeping "human infrastructure" package, as well as additional funding set aside for research and development grants in the legislation
Republicans in the Ohio House and Senate unveiled two different maps Wednesday for the state's 15 congressional districts. Both would leave Democrats with two safe seats despite voter-approved changes to curb gerrymandering.
Ohio's current congressional delegation includes 12 Republicans and four Democrats. Maps proposed by Ohio House Republicans and Ohio Senate Republicans could give the GOP as much as a 13-2 advantage. The Senate plan has more competitive districts than the House's, according to popular redistricting analysis website Dave's Redistricting App.
The resolution calls for the Department of Defense to set clear annual emission reduction targets in line with global goals in the 2015 Paris Agreement and the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2022.