Explanation
This ordinance authorizes the Director of the Department of Finance and Management to enter into a subrecipient agreement not-for-profit service contract with Ohio Women’s Alliance, a 501(c)(3) not for profit corporation, in support of ensuring Access to Reproductive Healthcare. These funds will be used to provide practical support and medically accurate and legal reproductive health information to residents of the City of Columbus. “Access to Reproductive Healthcare,” as used in this ordinance, includes patient support expenses that arise in the pursuit of reproductive healthcare, such as transportation, lodging, childcare, and lost wages; information hotlines, peer support, and case management; community education and engagement regarding reproductive health; and operational needs of the grantees stemming from providing such supports to the public. “Access to Reproductive Healthcare” does not include the use of public funds to subsidize abortion procedures and associated services such as anesthesia, laboratory tests, or hospital services.
Through the American Rescue Plan, this legislation authorizes the Director of the Department of Finance and Management to enter into subrecipient agreement not-for-profit service contract with Ohio Women's Alliance in an amount up to $134,000.00 to continue to provide needed reproductive health support services for residents of the City of Columbus. This legislation also authorizes the expenditure of up to $134,000.00 for these services within the Department of Finance and Management's allocation in the Recovery Fund 2209. Importantly, all expenses must be eligible under the United States Treasury American Rescue Plan guidelines. Expenses must be necessary expenditures incurred and related to disproportionately impacted populations due to the public health emergency with respect to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).
These contracts shall be awarded pursuant to Columbus City Codes Section 329.30: Process for awarding not-for-profit service contracts estimated to exceed fifty thousand dollars ($50,000.00). The services contemplated under these subrecipient contracts cannot be provided by existing City employees as the City lacks the necessary personnel.
Emergency action is requested to avoid any delay in providing services to vulnerable residents.
Fiscal Impact: Funding is available within the State Local Fiscal Recovery Fund to support this agreement.
Title
To authorize the Director of the Department of Finance and Management to enter into a subrecipient agreement not-for-profit service contract with Ohio Women’s Alliance in support of ensuring Access to Reproductive Healthcare; to authorize an expenditure of $134,000.00 within the Recovery fund; and to declare an emergency. ($134,000.00)
Body
WHEREAS, living a safe and healthy life is a basic human right that includes Access to Reproductive Healthcare; and
WHEREAS, when people have access to a full range of reproductive health care services-including birth control, abortion, and maternity care-they are healthier and their families thrive; and
WHEREAS, the Ohio Constitution preserves individual, inalienable rights to its people, among which are those of enjoying and defending life and liberty, and seeking and obtaining happiness and safety; and
WHEREAS, people cannot be free or equal without control over their own bodies, lives, and futures; and
WHEREAS, the Ohio Constitution likewise preserves the freedom to choose health care and to be free from state laws which shall impose a penalty or fine for the sale or purchase of health care; and
WHEREAS, the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson overturned 49 years of precedent protecting people’s right to make decisions about their own necessary medical care; and
WHEREAS, the immediate implementation of Ohio Senate Bill 23 stripped Ohioans of their full range of essential health care options, of their bodily autonomy and control over their reproductive lives, and of their family autonomy to make decisions about how, whether, or when to be a parent; and
WHEREAS, abortion bans and restrictions fall hardest on Black, brown, low-income, and other marginalized people whose barriers to readily accessible healthcare have always been greatest, especially Black women and mothers who bear the highest rates of pregnancy complications, maternal mortality, and infant mortality; and
WHEREAS, there is a need for culturally-competent and trauma-informed care to assist women in navigating the medical system; and
WHEREAS, residents deserve to be able to make decisions about pregnancy and abortion free from fear or politicians who shame and try to control them; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the need for Access to Reproductive Healthcare so as to necessitate the lending of support to these organizations in order to assure the immediate preservation of the public health and safety; NOW THEREFORE:
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That for purposes of this ordinance, “Access to Reproductive Healthcare” includes patient support expenses that arise in the pursuit of reproductive healthcare, such as transportation, lodging, childcare, and lost wages; information hotlines, peer support, and case management; community education and engagement regarding reproductive health; and operational needs of the grantees stemming from providing such supports to the public. “Access to Reproductive Healthcare” does not include the use of public funds to subsidize abortion procedures and associated services such as anesthesia, laboratory tests, or hospital services as proscribed by RC §§5101.55 and 5101.56.
SECTION 2. That the Director of the Department of Finance and Management is hereby authorized to enter into a subrecipient agreement not-for-profit service contract with Ohio Women’s Alliance for up to $134,000.00 in support of ensuring Access to Reproductive Healthcare.
SECTION 3. That per the action authorized in Section 1 of this ordinance, the expenditure of $134,000.00 within the Recovery fund, fund 2209, subfund 220902, is hereby authorized per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
SECTION 4. That this subrecipient agreement is entered into pursuant to Columbus City Codes Section 329.30.
SECTION 5. That the City Auditor is authorized to make any accounting changes to revise the funding source for all contracts or contract modifications associated with this ordinance.
SECTION 6. That for the reasons stated in the preamble hereto, which is hereby made a part hereof, this Ordinance is hereby declared to be an emergency measure and shall take effect and be in force from and after its approval by the Mayor, or ten days after passage if the Mayor neither approves nor vetoes the same.