Week of March 20, 2023

Next week’s testimony opportunities
The House Ways and Means Committee will be holding a hearing on HB 1, tax reform, on Tuesday, March 28 at 2:30 p.m. They will be accepting proponent, opponent and interested party testimony during this hearing.

House Finance Subcommittee on Primary and Secondary Education
The committee held testimony on the biennial budget for fiscal years 2024 and 2025. OSBA, the Buckeye Association of School Administrators (BASA) and the Ohio Association of School Business Officials (OASBO) provided proponent testimony. Click here to read the testimony. Additionally, the following individuals provided testimony:

• Kyle T. Kiffer, treasurer and CFO, Streetsboro City;
• Randy Drewyor, treasurer, Perrysburg EV;
• Brian Bagley, board member, Licking Heights Local (Licking);
• Kevin Miller, superintendent, Licking Heights Local (Licking);
• Todd Griffith, treasurer, Licking Heights Local (Licking);
• John Ray Stoddard, superintendent, Berkshire Local (Geauga);
• Joseph G. Spiccia, superintendent, Wickliffe City;
• Julie Ramos, director of strategic innovation, Wickliffe City;
• Abby M. Sharp, treasurer, Ayersville Local (Defiance);
• Doug Hale, superintendent, Chesapeake Union;
• Anthony J. Calderone, superintendent, LaBrae Local (Trumbull);
• Joyce Dupont, treasurer, Norwalk City;
• Phillip D. Butto IV, treasurer and CFO, Hudson City;
• Dr. Robert F. Hill, superintendent, Springfield City.

House Finance Subcommittee on Infrastructure and American Rescue Plan 
The committee held testimony on the biennial budget for fiscal years 2024 and 2025, focused on Elementary and Secondary School Relief Funds (ESSER). The following individual provided testimony:

• Aaron Rausch, chief of budget and school funding, Ohio Department of Education.

House Primary and Secondary Education Committee
The committee held a fourth hearing on HB 12, sponsored by Reps. Don Jones (R-Freeport) and David Dobos (R-Columbus), which would rename the Department of Education as the Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) and would create the position of Director of Education and Workforce. The bill also would reform the functions and responsibilities of the State Board of Education and the Superintendent of Public Instruction. OSBA provided opponent testimony on the bill. Click here to read the testimony. Malia Lewis, board member, Cleveland Heights-University Heights City, provided additional opponent testimony.

House Economic and Workforce Development Committee
The committee held sponsor testimony on SB 1, sponsored by Sen. Bill Reineke (R-Tiffin), which would rename the Department of Education as the Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) and would create the position of Director of Education and Workforce. The bill also would reform the functions and responsibilities of the State Board of Education and the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

The committee held a third hearing on HB 3, sponsored by Reps. Gail Pavliga (R-Atwater) and Lauren McNally (D-Youngstown), which would authorize a nonrefundable tax credit for the construction or rehabilitation of certain federally subsidized rental housing and authorize a uniform method for the tax valuation of most such housing.

House Ways and Means Committee
The committee held a fourth hearing on HB 1, sponsored by Rep. Adam Mathews (R-Lebanon), which would modify the law regarding property taxation and income tax rates. Testifying as an interested party on the bill was:

• Nicholas Ciarniello, treasurer, Willoughby-Eastlake City.

The committee also held a second hearing on HB 57, sponsored by Reps. Thomas Hall (R-Madison Twp.) and Steve Demetriou (R-Bainbridge Twp.), which would index the homestead exemption amounts to inflation.

Finally, the committee held a second hearing on HB 60, sponsored by Rep. Daniel Troy (D-Willowick), which would increase the amount of and expand the income qualifications for the homestead exemption.

Senate Finance Committee
The committee held a fourth hearing on SB 6, sponsored by Sen. Kirk Schuring (R-Canton), which would prohibit the State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) and School Employment Retirement System (SERS), among others, from making investment decisions for the primary purpose of influencing environmental, social and corporate governance policies.

House Pensions Committee
The committee heard testimony from the five pension systems in Ohio. The following individuals provided interested party testimony:

• William J. Neville, executive director, State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio;
• Richard Stensrud, executive director, School Employees Retirement System of Ohio.

Senate Government Oversight Committee
The committee amended SB 44, sponsored by Sen. Andrew O. Brenner (R-Powell), which would require a state occupational licensing agency to accept electronic license applications. The amendment would allow state agencies to choose the system used to receive electronic applications for an occupational license, rather than requiring use of one selected by the Department of Administrative Services.

House Provider Services Committee
The committee held a second hearing on HB 47, sponsored by Reps. Richard D. Brown (R-Canal Winchester) and Adam C. Bird (R-New Richmond), which would require the placement of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in each public and chartered nonpublic school and each public recreational facility. The bill would also require the Ohio Department of Health to develop a model emergency action plan for the use of AEDs.

House Criminal Justice Committee
The committee held a third hearing on HB 20, sponsored by Rep. D.J. Swearingen (R-Huron), which would create the crime of electronic computer service interference. This would prohibit a person from knowingly and without authorization gaining access to or permitting access to be gained to a computer, computer system or computer network. Additionally, the bill would create the crime of electronic data theft which would prohibit a person from knowingly and without authorization obtaining electronic data with the intent to either revise or execute any scheme to defraud, deceive, extort or commit any crime or to wrongfully control or obtain property or wrongfully gain access to electronic data, among other provisions.

House State and Local Government Committee
The committee held sponsor testimony on HB 74, sponsored by Reps. Thomas Hall (R-Madison Township) and Mary Lightbody (D-Westerville), which would establish a plan to migrate the state’s information technology systems to the state’s computer center and cloud environment and establish a cybersecurity and fraud advisory board.

The committee also held sponsor testimony on HB 76, sponsored by Reps. Hall and Andrea White (R-Kettering), which would modify state agency data storage and notification law.

New Bills Introduced
The following bills were introduced this week:

• HB 125, sponsored by Reps. Adam Mathews (R-Lebanon) and Nick Santucci (R-Howland Township), which would modify the income tax deductions for contributions to 529 plans and ABLE accounts;
• HB 127, sponsored by Rep. Sarah Fowler Arthur (R-Ashtabula), which would revise the law regarding the home education of children;
• SB 87, sponsored by Sen. Kent Smith (D-Euclid), which would establish the day of each general election as a legal holiday for which government employees receive paid leave.

Federal update
Please click here to read the weekly Federal Advocacy Education Report that includes education related information.

Posted by Nicole Piscitani on 3/24/2023