REDISTRICT

“This process … deals with the concerns that we’ve heard historically about the process,” said Obhof, a Republican from Medina. “It would make several of the current districts impossible to draw and, most importantly, it provides input to both parties and ensures minority party participation in the process, as well as a number of safeguards that don’t exist right now.”

Under the proposal, which will get its first formal hearing on Wednesday, it would take a three-fifths majority of each legislative chamber, including at least one-third of minority party members, to approve a 10-year congressional map.

If that couldn’t be reached, the process would be kicked to a seven-member redistricting commission that would include the governor, secretary of state, auditor and four lawmakers, two of each party. The commission could draw a 10-year map if it got two minority party votes.

If it couldn’t, then the commission majority could draw a map that would last only four years. However, that map could get a lastditch legislative vote, and if a majority of the House and Senate, including one-fifth of minority party members, approved it, it would become a 10-year map. The plan also:

Prohibits the splitting of counties more than once, except for the 10 most populous counties. The Fair Elections coalition has called for a more stringent prohibition on splitting counties, and this is a major point of contention. Franklin County currently is split among three districts.

Of the 10 most populous counties, two could be split three times and the remainder no more than twice. The coalition doesn’t want an exclusion for these counties.

Requires the population of each district to be equal within one person. The

coalition has argued that the U.S. Supreme Court allows more flexibility.

If a city is large enough, it would have to contain a full congressional district within its borders. Columbus appears to be the only city that would meet this criteria.

A city with a population of more than 100,000 could not be split if it was located in a county bigger than a congressional district, such as Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati.

Obhof said he anticipates a vote by the end of the month. The full legislature would need to act by Feb. 7 to get the measure on the May ballot.

“We’ve got several weeks left if we want to put something on the ballot in May before we need to pass anything,” he said. “So to the extent that we can still discuss the issues and work out differences, there’s still plenty of time, in my opinion.”

WBNS-TV (Channel 10) chief meteorologist Chris Bradley was discharged Tuesday after spending nearly two months in the intensive-care unit at the Wexner Medical Center at the Ohio State University.

“Nothing shy of a miracle I am here — feeling very blessed,” Bradley, 52, said in a social media posting.

Diagnosed last March with myeloid leukemia, Bradley had undergone a stem-cell transplant on Sept. 29. In late November, Bradley suffered a setback and was hospitalized at OSU.

He was suffering from pneumonia and kidney failure at one point.

Bradley is now recovering at home.