I Need Your Help: The Ohio Statehouse

The Ohio Statehouse is in the process of making a rule that says that shoes must be worn there. I'd been going there barefoot for over 10 years, but a year ago (or so), I got stopped by a State Trooper, and the powers-that-be were upset to discover that they had no rule to prevent such an awful thing ;-). So, the board that runs the place has passed a rule.

That rule can still be rejected by the General Assembly, so there is a small chance of getting rid of it.

I've written up extensive instructions on what we can do on my blog: . I'd sure appreciate if you all could write email letters to the members of the General Assembly who will decide on it.

Of course, most of you would want to do that from a barefoot running perspective, and that's fine. If you were visiting Columbus for, let's say, the marathon and wanted to stop in at the Statehouse (it is a really nice building, with steps worn down through years of feet treading on them), how much more unwelcoming could such a rule be?

Many thanks to anybody who makes the effort to help me (and actually, all of us--a new rule sets back hopes of acceptance).
 
I hope to have a letter sent

I hope to have a letter sent by tonght.
 
How about I place this on the

How about I place this on the home page for you, and add it to our Facebook page as well? Let me know.
 
I have one ahead of yours I

I have one ahead of yours I will get on tonight, then yours in a couple of days. Thanks!
 
I wish I would have had more

I wish I would have had more notice, heads-up.
 
Barefoot TJ wrote:I wish I

Barefoot TJ said:
I wish I would have had more notice, heads-up.



TJ, I do apologize. I was farting around trying to work myself up into just not lying down and accepting the rule. I fight a lot of these battles, and sometimes I'm not sure if I want to get started with a new one, and that leads to procrastination.

The committee hearing was yesterday and I testified. Luckily (frankly, I was amazed), the implementation of the rule was delayed because the committee had concerns. However, it looks like CSRAB will try to fix those concerns instead of just tossing the rule.

I've put a fuller description on my blog: http://ahcuah.wordpress.com/2011/12/20/statehouse-hitch/

(Feel free to repost on BFRS if you wish.)

So, emails are still useful. In addition, if I could get Ohio barefooters and barefoot runners to testify in the future, that would probably help the most.
 
omg how ridiculous is that. 

omg how ridiculous is that. If they ban VFF's they have to ban EVERY type of minimalist shoe or sandal that can be rolled up. I have some old rubber flip flops that are fairly flexible, they going to ban those, too?



Seriously, this crap is getting out of hand.
 
I'll see what I can do.  Do

I'll see what I can do. Do you have a deadline for me? I do have some other submissions first.



Now see there? They wouldn't even let me in their buildings, since I CANNOT wear traditional footwear anymore, and even flip-flops for more than 10-20 minutes cause me great pain. Shouldn't this be considered discrimination?
 
Barefoot TJ wrote:I'll see

Barefoot TJ said:
I'll see what I can do. Do you have a deadline for me? I do have some other submissions first.



I'm still trying to figure out just how things work at this stage of things. The committee tabled it, expecting changes to come from CSRAB (the Statehouse folks). Their next meeting is Jan 19, but I would expect them to consult with lawmakers before that (as they were more-or-less ordered to do). That negotation may just focus on language (while still keeping a barefoot ban), and we want to stop that.

So, I need to find out more about those negotiations and how we can affect them.
 
If you finalize/edit your

If you finalize/edit your article, please email it to me with the due date to [email protected]. Deal?
 
Here's an update. Yesterday

Here's an update. Yesterday the folks who run the Statehouse modified the language slightly (now they require "shoes or comparable footwear", whatever the heck that means) and passed it. There's a story about it in today's Columbus Dispatch: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/01/19/shoes-to-be-required-to-enter-statehouse.html



I've also blogged some additional information: http://ahcuah.wordpress.com/2012/01/20/statehouse-approves-shoe-rule-again/



The short story is that now it goes back before the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review, but I don't know when yet. Keep watching this space and I'll let you know as soon as I know anything.



It would still be nice if we could get Ohio barefooters besides me in to testify against it. They generally meet every two weeks, often on a Monday, at 1:30pm.
 
Comparable footwear. 

Comparable footwear. Hmmmmm. I think we could all be pretty creative with that. Anyone want to go first?
 
A skirt and a pair of shorts

A skirt and a pair of shorts of similar length are comparable, right? See where I'm going with this? If it only needs to be comparable to a shoe, does it really need to have a sole, for instance?
 
How about an outfit with shoe

How about an outfit with shoe art all over it? That would be comparable right?
 
Ahcuah, will the law

Ahcuah, will the law specifically say that shoes have to be worn on the "feet?"