Ohio General Assembly now broadcasting all committee hearings

Persons interested in listening in on committee hearings the Statehouse received some great news last week.

As of Thursday, January 16, all committee hearings will either be streamed live or recorded and broadcast later via www.OhioChannel.org.

According to the Statehouse News Bureau, the move comes after years of work from journalists and other groups pushing for more government transparency.

The article notes that the cameras had actually been in the House and Senate since 1996, but those cameras weren’t regularly used except for floor sessions. The barrier, the report says was one of resources.

“To bring the cameras into the chambers is one thing, but then when you start to populate them through the committee hearing rooms, that’s a big deal," [Ohio Public Radio Statehouse Bureau editor Karen] Kasler says. "It took people, and it took money."

Since committee rooms exist throughout the Statehouse, the report notes that to equip every one with the technology to record and send video back to the headquarters of the Ohio Channel was a process that cost about $400,000.

Buckeye Firearms Association continues to keep a close eye on legislation that could effect your right to bear arms.

For a complete list of bills we are monitoring in the Ohio legislature, click here.

Chad D. Baus served as Buckeye Firearms Association Secretary from 2013-2019. He is co-founder of BFA-PAC, and served as its Vice Chairman for 15 years. He is the editor of BuckeyeFirearms.org, which received the Outdoor Writers of Ohio 2013 Supporting Member Award for Best Website, and is also an NRA-certified firearms instructor.