The Spectrum: Anti-LGBTQ+ bills in Ohio; Congressional hearings on bank failures

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – This week on The Spectrum:

• There is a wave of anti-LGBTQ+ bills in statehouses across the country, and Ohio is no exception.

“You are asking me if trans people exist,” said Rep. Gary Click (R-Vickery). “I can’t tell you if they exist or they don’t exist until you tell me what they are.”

“We don’t think that this is anything based on anything other than politics,” said Maria Bruno, public policy director for Equality Ohio. “This is just to pick up a fight and to introduce more extreme legislation.”

The three bills before Ohio lawmakers that conservatives said are meant to protect children, and why some advocates said those proposals are putting a target on already vulnerable youth.

• Leaders from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), federal reserve and treasury department will be in the hot seat on Capitol Hill this week.

“How this bank was run, we know it was run by incompetent leadership,” said Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio). “In many cases, arrogant and greedy leadership.”

The questions Brown is demanding answers to after a string of bank failures.

• Ohio Republicans are reviving an effort that could make it harder to pass constitutional amendments through ballot initiatives.

“It’s the right policy,” said Rep. Brian Stewart (R-Ashville). “It’s time to quit talking about it. It’s time to attempt to get something done.”

“It’s just one more attempt to be unfair, undemocratic, and to squash voter voices,” said Rep. Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington).

How soon Ohioans could vote on it if the proposal makes it out of the statehouse.

• With the social media platform TikTok proving to be a unifying issue on Capitol Hill, Republican strategist Terry Casey and Democratic strategist Joe Rettof weigh in on the privacy concerns spurned by the use of the platform.