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My name is Micah Mitchell. I am a Master of Social Work/Ph.D candidate at The Ohio State University, a research associate at the Kirwan Institute for Race and Ethnicity, and a policy fellow at the ACLU of Ohio. I am also transgender.

To Chairman LaRe, Vice Chair White, Ranking Member Leland, and members of the House Criminal Justice Committee, thank you for this opportunity to provide proponent testimony for House Bill 456.

SJR 6 adds language to the Ohio Constitution explicitly prohibiting non-citizens of the United States from voting in Ohio's municipal elections. Non-citizens are already prohibited from voting in Ohio's elections via plain language in the Ohio Revised Code.

Thank you for the opportunity to present opponent testimony in today’s hearing on Senate Joint Resolution 5 (“SJR 5”) which, because it proposes an unnecessary and harmful response to a Supreme Court of Ohio decision, should be rejected soundly by this Committee.

Thank you for the opportunity to present testimony in support of Substitute House Bill 315 which, as was the case with the as-introduced bill, the ACLU of Ohio supports enthusiastically.

On May 11, Representatives Leland and Hillyer introduced changes to House Bill 315, altering a bill that reforms Ohio’s use of cash bail. The ACLU of Ohio reviewed the bill and, while we find some changes less favorable than others, we remain steadfast in our support.

In recent years, anti-abortion advocates across the country have adopted a multi-pronged approach to ban abortion as frequently and in as many places as possible.

The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on the education system. Now, lawmakers are trying restrict students’ rights and their learning.