The Spectrum: Government shutdown looming; Ohio's death penalty debate

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

• Ohio’s Senators are back on Capitol Hill this week and are racing the clock to avoid a government shutdown.

“This is petty politics by a few extremists in the House of Representatives,” Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) said.

“I think the fundamental issue is, are we able to live within our means as the United States government,” Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) said.

What are the sticking points that could block a deal, and what does each senator have on their agenda heading into the fall?

• Hundreds of Ohio school districts are suing the state over the school voucher system, but said they’re being threatened by Republicans in the Statehouse.

“What you have here is an effort to bully school districts,” Superintendent of LaBrae Local Schools A.J. Calderone said.

Hear why supporters of school choice said all they’re asking for is transparency from the schools.

• There is a bipartisan effort to abolish the death penalty in Ohio that is gaining momentum. Lawmakers say what sentence they are proposing instead for the most violent offenders, and hear from the lawmakers who want to keep capital punishment on the table.

• Former Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Morgan Harper and Republican strategist Will Hinman join the roundtable to discuss what can be done to avoid a government shutdown and keep the lights on in Washington D.C.