Work continues on Congressional map; second primary considered
 
Following the Ohio Supreme Court’s recent ruling striking down the congressional maps passed by the General Assembly late last year, legislative leaders are hoping to unveil new maps as soon as next week.
 
Speaking to reporters earlier in the week, Senate President Matt Huffman indicated that a new map may become available on Monday, which would allow for a committee hearing and a possible Senate vote to follow. The legislative timetable in the House is less clear, but the two houses may work in concert.
 
Of particular importance to lawmakers is establishing a map which can receive two-thirds support from both houses to pass the bill with an emergency clause, allowing it to take effect before the May 3^rd primary election. Most legislation passed without an emergency clause takes effect 90 days after the governor’s signature. Clearing the two-thirds vote threshold will require Democratic support in the Ohio House.
 
Should a two-thirds majority not be achieved, the process would return to the Ohio Redistricting Commission where a four-year congressional map could be enacted without minority party support.
 
Huffman also discussed with Hannah News Service the potential for a separate primary election day for congressional races, other than May 3^rd.
 
Huffman was quoted, “Whether you’re Democrat, Republican, whatever it is, certainly the statewides don’t [want to move the primary election]. All of those other elected offices, U.S. Senate, county commissioner, all down the line, they’re all saying, why are you moving our primary?” Huffman told reporters.
 
“There’s other ways of solving that problem, the congressional problem, without interrupting everyone else.”
 
CCAO will monitor discussions surrounding a separate congressional primary closely, as such action could entail significant expense and organizational challenges for county boards of elections.

Public Children Services leader speaks on impact of mental health crisis

Public Children Services Association of Ohio (PCSAO) Executive Director Angela Sausser testified before federal lawmakers this week on the impact of America’s mental health crisis on children’s services.
 
Sausser’s testimony to the US House Ways & Means Committee (available here) comes as PCSAO released the results of a December survey of 19 county public children service agencies. The survey results showed nearly one quarter of youth entering children services custody in 2021 did so primarily because of high-acuity needs, like mental illness, developmental/intellectual disability, or as a diversion from juvenile corrections.
 
Sausser also detailed the twin challenges of limited placement options for high-acuity needs children paired alongside the workforce crisis in child protective services. This had led to instances of children being forced to temporarily sleep in county agency buildings, as no other placement options are available.
 
The stresses experienced by the children services workforce also are a growing challenge. A recent study indicated that 53 percent of caseworkers in Ohio counties demonstrated secondary traumatic stress that met the threshold for post-traumatic stress disorder.
 
"The stress of these jobs clearly existed before the pandemic but has been exacerbated and more pronounced during COVID-19. … This led to high turnover in our field even before the pandemic and ensuing 'Great Resignation.' Now, our workforce is frayed, unable to keep up with their own mental health needs, let alone the needs in our communities. Those stressors have led to caseworker vacancy rates in the double digits in many counties and caseload sizes well above what is manageable," Sausser testified to the committee.
 
Sausser’s testimony underscored the need for greater investment in the mental health workforce to address these challenges.
 
The full PCSAO report of the child placement crisis can be accessed here.