News & Press - Catholic Conference of Ohio

Two bills supported by the Catholic Conference of Ohio are moving forward to the next stage in the legislative process.  House Bill 7, the Strong Foundations Act, passed the Ohio House of Representatives and will now go to the Ohio Senate. HB 7 supports Ohio mothers and babies in their first one thousand days to address maternal and infant mortality and to improve health, developmental, and learning outcomes. Programs it funds include Healthy Beginnings at Home, which helps pregnant women maintain stable housing, and the Help Me Grow program, which provides parent support and education to improve maternal and child health and encourage positive parenting.

Senate Bill 198, which provides inmates with state identification cards and documentation upon their release relating to work experience, education, and trade skills, was passed out of the Small Business and Economic Opportunity Senate Committee. It will now go to the Ohio Senate floor for a vote.

The Catholic Conference of Ohio testified in support of House Bill 460, the Getting Rehabilitated Ohioans Working (GROW) Act, which would allow for the automatic sealing of certain criminal records. The Catholic Church calls for public policies that ensure justice while directing the criminal justice system to achieve its ends of rehabilitation and restoration. This bill does both without compromising the demands of reparation following a criminal conviction. Click “Read more” for the full testimony.

In addition, House Bill 50 to create a certificate of qualification for housing (CQH) for the formerly incarcerated, was passed by the Senate on Wednesday, May 8. The bill now goes to Governor DeWine for his approval as the Ohio House of Representatives passed HB 50 on May 24, 2023. 

The Catholic Conference of Ohio testified earlier this week in support of House Bill 106, which would require employers to provide earnings and deductions statements to their employees. The Catholic faith considers work a fundamental right and calls for protection in the form of fundamental fairness in all agreements and transactions. In the encyclical Rerum Novarum, Pope Leo wrote, “to defraud any one of wages that are his due is a great crime which cries to the avenging anger of Heaven.” Click “Read more” to view the full testimony.

In addition, House Bill 34, which would excuse breast-feeding mothers from jury service, was unanimously passed by the Ohio Senate. The bill now goes to Governor DeWine for his approval as the Ohio House of Representatives unanimously passed HB 34 last June. 

CCO was grateful that the approved budget (HB 33) included a number of items which we advocated for to invest in pregnant women, children, and other vulnerable Ohioans.

See How the Catholic Church in Ohio Supports Women in Need to learn more about the Catholic ministries that help women, children, and families in Ohio and the CCO's advocacy for structural support for women in need. 

Click "Read More" to view and download the flyer. 

On Tuesday, May 16, the Catholic Conference of Ohio testified in support of HB 106, the Pay Stub Protection Act, which would require employers to provide earnings and deductions statements to each employee. In the testimony, CCO shared that the USCCB Pastoral Letter on the U.S. Economy, on the fundamental right to make a living, calls for protection in the form of fundamental fairness in all agreements and transactions. By providing transparency between businesses and workers, this bill would help assert that worker’s dignity is not less than their employers and help defend working Ohioans from wage theft.

For Labor Day, Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, released a statement observing that there are both encouraging signs of economic recovery and ongoing hardships related to COVID-19.  Archbishop Coakley echoes Pope Francis’ call from the encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, to rise out of this crisis with an economy that expresses universal fraternity...

Following passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in the U.S. Senate, Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, chairman of the U.S. Conference of the Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, issued a statement of support. 

"...We are pleased that the legislation reflects an integral ecology, with historic investments in public transit, rail, bridges, and clean drinking water, and emphases on climate change mitigation, carbon capture and climate resilience. It is also very good to see expanded broadband internet access and the creation of new jobs..."

HB 166: State Budget
House Budget Language
Governor's Proposal
LSC Analysis

Catholic Conference of Ohio Budget Backgrounders

Health and Human Services
Defend and Protect Human Life
Promote Care for Creation
Support Families Who Choose Catholic Schools

Catholic Conference of Ohio Page on the State Budget

Chairman of U.S. Bishops Committee on Domestic Justice & Human Development Expresses Disappointment in SCOTUS Ruling on Janus v. AFSCME. Click Here

Chairmen of U.S. Bishops’ Migration Committee and Religious Liberty Committee Express Disappointment with Supreme Court’s Ruling in Travel Ban Case. Click Here

Chairman of U.S. Bishops’ Pro-Life Committee Praises Supreme Court’s Respect for Free Speech in NIFLA v. Becerra Decision. Click Here

On this Labor Day, let us give thanks to God present to us in the Eucharist as we toil for our heavenly reward.  Let us give thanks for the human vocation to work, and strive to make our businesses, our communities, our nation, and our world places where the human person can fully thrive.  And let us give thanks for the opportunity to encounter Christ present in those in need, along with the great gifts that come in demonstrating care and concern for our most vulnerable brothers and sisters, including those experiencing great poverty in the area of work.  May we all earnestly seek to adopt God's "gaze of love" as our own, to envision and make real a world of work restored "in deed and in truth."

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