Five things to know for Thursday, Sept. 18

AFP-OH kicks off Buckeye Blueprint Blitz statewide tour

Americans for Prosperity–Ohio kicked off its Buckeye Blueprint Blitz statewide tour in Cincinnati on Wednesday. The Buckeye Blueprint concentrates on four key police areas: cutting taxes, expanding education freedom, making energy affordable, and modernizing government.

“These solutions will help Ohio lead the Midwest and become the best state in the nation,” AFP-OH State Director Donovan O’Neil said in a statement. “From tax relief to education choice, Ohio has made progress, but it is only the beginning. This Blitz will connect citizens with solutions and lawmakers with the urgency to act.”

ACLU of Ohio sues Ohio State

The ACLU of Ohio is suing The Ohio State University over the expulsion of a student who allegedly posted videos to his personal social media pages expressing opinions related to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

The left-leaning civil liberties group said the school disenrolled Guy Christensen without holding a hearing. The group also argues that videos and speech do not provoke or threaten illicit violence, and the school’s censoring and punishing a specific perspective is unconstitutional.

Ohio AG wants to remove Miami Twp. fiscal officer

The Ohio Attorney General’s Office plans to start the process to remove Miami Twp. Fiscal Officer Robert Matthews from his post. The attorney general’s move follows the state auditor’s finding of “clear and convincing evidence” that Matthews knowingly broke laws related to his role, WDTN-TV reported.

The Board of Trustees is suing Matthews following the fiscal officer’s alleged attempt to use municipal funds to buy more than $9 million in gold coins, the television station reported. Board members and Administrator Christopher Snyder have lodged three formal complaints against Matthews.

Ohio joins coalition supporting D.C. National Guard deployment

Ohio has joined a 23-state coalition supporting President Donald Trump’s authority to deploy the National Guard to Washington, D.C.

The coalition filed an amicus brief in the case District of Columbia v. Trump, outlining the skyrocketing violent crime in Washington, D.C., including carjackings, robberies, and assaults against members of Congress, staffers, and embassy officials. It also details how the action has made the nation’s capital safer.

Bill would allow paramedics, EMTs to work in hospitals

Ohio law bars EMTs and paramedics from providing skills in a hospital, outside of the emergency department. House Bill 398 would change that.

In prepared sponsor testimony, Ohio Rep. Kellie Deeter, R-Norwalk, said “two major health systems” that employ paramedics and EMTs as part of their care teams in emergency departments proposed the measure.