Senate activity
The Senate passed House Bill (HB) 166 by a vote of 33-0. Before the two-year state budget bill reached the Senate floor, the Senate Finance Committee made several changes to the legislation, including:
• implementing long-term graduation requirement changes, which were crafted jointly by Ohio Excels, the Fordham Institute and the Alliance for High-Quality Education;
• removing the provisions that eliminated academic distress commissions (HB 154) without implementing a separate reform plan for academic distress commissions;
• establishing a legislative committee to study the state report card and make recommendations by Dec. 15, 2019.

Click here for a synopsis of the changes between the executive, House and Senate versions of the bill. Next week, a conference committee will iron out the differences between the versions of the bill. 

The Senate Finance Committee also heard testimony from several school district representatives, including:
• Brian D. Hamler, superintendent, Whitehall City;
• Stephen E. McAfee, treasurer, Whitehall City;
• Lisa Fahncke, treasurer, Miami East Local (Miami).

House Primary and Secondary Education Committee
The committee amended and passed HB 123, which requires public schools to implement certain programs on suicide awareness and prevention and violence prevention. The amendment includes a provision to permit pre-existing clubs that have an adult adviser and are open to the student body to satisfy the bill’s club requirement, provided that the pre-existing club implements suicide and violence prevention and social inclusion training and awareness. 

The committee also conducted a third hearing on HB 165, which requires the state to adopt health education standards, which may be utilized by public schools.

House Health Committee
The committee conducted a second hearing on HB 210, sponsored by Rep. Sara P. Carruthers (R-Hamilton). The bill requires Ohio Department of Education-licensed preschool programs and other entities to screen and test prospective employees for tuberculosis and annually test certain employees for a five-year period.

House Judiciary Committee
The committee conducted sponsor testimony on HB 208, sponsored by Reps. Bill Roemer (R-Richfield) and Joseph A. Miller III (D-Amherst), which increases the penalty for assault if the victim is acting as a sports official or the assault is committed in retaliation for the victim’s actions as a sports official.

House State and Local Government Committee
The committee accepted a substitute version of HB 218, sponsored by Rep. Thomas F. Patton (R-Strongsville), which permits school districts, among others, to enter into public-private initiatives with a private party regarding public facilities. Click here for a synopsis of the changes in the substitute version.

Posted by Will Schwartz on 6/21/2019