Budget activity
The House passed Substitute House Bill (HB) 110 by a vote of 70-27. The bill makes operating appropriations for the fiscal years (FY) 2022 and 2023 biennium and includes the Fair School Funding Plan, HB 1, with some modifications. The House Finance Committee earlier in the week accepted an omnibus amendment that included education-related changes. Click here to read the comparison document outlining the education-related changes. Click here for school district simulations. The bill now moves to the Senate.

General Assembly activity
The Ohio General Assembly sent Senate Bill (SB) 57 to Gov. Mike DeWine for his approval. The bill would exempt from property taxation qualifying housing provided by a charitable organization to individuals diagnosed with mental illness or a substance use disorder; allow a commercial or industrial tenant who pays 100% of the property tax to be eligible to file a property tax valuation complaint or counter-complaint with the Board of Revision; and permit a reduced property valuation for tax years 2020, 2021 and 2022 for eligible individuals as a result of COVID-19.

Ohio Department of Education
The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) released updated local education agencies’ allocations for the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, also known as ESSER III. Click here for a link to the updated allocations.

House activity
The House passed HB 140 by a vote of 60-33. The bill would modify the form of election notices and ballot language for property tax levies.

Senate Primary and Secondary Education Committee
The committee held a third informal hearing on HB 110, sponsored by Rep. Scott Oelslager (R-North Canton), which makes operating appropriations for the FY 2022 and 2023 biennium. OSBA, the Ohio Association of School Business Officials and the Buckeye Association of School Administrators provided interested-party testimony. Click here to read the testimony. Providing proponent testimony was State Superintendent of Public Instruction Paolo DeMaria.

House Primary and Secondary Education Committee
The committee held a third hearing on HB 200, which revises the state report card and school accountability systems. Testifying in support of the bill were the following superintendents:

The committee held sponsor testimony on HB 73, sponsored by Reps. Gayle Manning (R-North Ridgeville) and Erica C. Crawley (D-Columbus), which would reduce the number of end-of course exams required for graduation from five to four by requiring a new single American history and government exam beginning with the class of 2024; require school districts to form a working group to evaluate the amount of time students spend on testing; eliminate the requirement for 11th-grade students to take the ACT or SAT; and prohibit student retention under the third-grade reading guarantee.

The committee held sponsor testimony on HB 244, sponsored by Reps. Andrea White (R-Kettering) and Brian E. Lampton (R-Beavercreek), which would require K-12 schools to allow relocating military children who are not yet residents of the district to enroll electronically and participate in technology-based educational opportunities.

House Ways and Means Committee
The committee passed HB 123, which would modify community reinvestment areas (CRAs) by increasing school districts’ approval for an exemption from 50% to 75%; establishing a revenue sharing agreement for income over $3 million and annually index the amount to inflation; and allowing limited home rule townships to use CRAs.

The committee held a fifth hearing on HB 157, which would sunset on Dec. 31, 2021, a provision of law that modifies municipal income tax employer withholding rules for COVID-19-related work-from-home employees, and prohibit a municipal corporation from assessing taxes, penalties or interest against an employer for the employer’s failure to properly withhold tax from an employee’s wages.

The committee held sponsor testimony on HB 207, sponsored by Rep. Daniel P. Troy (D-Willowick), which would increase the income qualification for the homestead exemption from $30,000 to $37,500 and adjust the reduction amount for exemption.

The committee held sponsor testimony on HB 255, sponsored by Rep. P. Scott Lipps (R-Franklin), which would permit the second publication of a county delinquent property tax list to be made online instead of in a newspaper.

Senate Workforce and Higher Education Committee
The committee held sponsor testimony on SB 135, sponsored by Sen. Jerry C. Cirino (R-Kirtland), which would require school districts to include in career advising policies information for career fields with an associate’s degree and certificates; provide information on reserve officer training corps; and require school districts to adopt a policy on free speech that includes a process for a student or teacher to file a complaint due to a violation of the policy.

House Commerce and Labor Committee
The committee held sponsor testimony on HB 181, sponsored by Rep. Jena Powell (R-Arcanum), which would require a licensing authority, including ODE, to issue an occupational license to an applicant who completes a registered apprenticeship program and prohibit the licensing authority from requiring an examination or higher passing score if not required for other applicants.

The committee held sponsor testimony on HB 187, sponsored by Reps. Brigid Kelly (D-Cincinnati) and Lipps, which would require an employer to provide earnings and deductions statements to each of the employer's employees.

House State and Local Government Committee
The committee held sponsor testimony on House Concurrent Resolution 13, sponsored by Reps. J. Kyle Koehler (R-Springfield) and Rodney Creech (R-West Alexandria), which urges Congress to enact The Sunshine Protection Act of 2021, which would permanently extend daylight saving time.

The committee held sponsor testimony on HB 203, sponsored by Powell, which would require an occupational licensing authority to issue a license or government certification to an applicant who holds a license, government certification or private certification or has satisfactory work experience in another state under certain circumstances.

House Government Oversight Committee
The committee held sponsor testimony on HB 202, sponsored by Powell, which would void the order requiring the use of facial coverings throughout the state, and prohibit the governor, among others, from requiring the use of facial coverings without approval by the General Assembly.

Posted by Nicole Piscitani on 4/23/2021