It has been a busy week at the Ohio Statehouse! In addition to the committee hearings and legislative activity below, the newly elected members of the House and Senate held informal votes to decide chamber leadership for the upcoming 136th General Assembly. Matt Huffman (R-Lima) was selected to be the next Speaker of the House and Rob McColley (R- Napoleon) was selected to be the next Senate President. These elections will need to be finalized on the House and Senate floor when the chambers officially meet in January 2025.
This week Ohio’s AI in Education Coalition released their AI in Education Strategy Report. This coalition, convened by Lt. Governor Jon Husted in May of this year, is made up of stakeholders across the state government, industry, and education sectors. OSBA is pleased to have participated in this coalition on our members’ behalf. Check out the report at the link above.
Don't forget to register for the OSBA, BASA, and OASBO Winter Finance Workshop on Monday, December 9th, 2024! This workshop provides an annual update of timely topics impacting Ohio K-12 schools from the Department of Education & Workforce, the Ohio Auditor of State, County Auditors Association, The Ohio Education Policy Institute, and the education associations. Click here to learn more and check your registration.
The Senate passed HB 70 with a vote of 30-1. This bill was sponsored by Reps. Sarah Fowler Arthur (R-Ashtabula) and Jennifer Gross (R-West Chester) and would require schools to adopt a policy regarding the administration of over-the-counter medications. HB 70 will now be sent to the governor’s desk for signature.
The committee held its third hearing on HB 70 sponsored by Reps. Fowler Arthur and Gross (R-West Chester). The bill would require public and chartered nonpublic schools to adopt a policy regarding the administration of over-the-counter drugs to students. The committee passed the bill unanimously.
The committee held its first hearing on SB 304 with Sen. Mark Romanchuk (R-Ontario) offering sponsor testimony. This bill would establish the Nonchartered Educational Savings Account Program to provide eligible students with an educational savings account beginning in the 2025-2026 school year.
A first hearing on SB 311 was held with Sen. Sandra O’Brien (R-Rome) offering sponsor testimony. SB 311 would allow students to receive an EdChoice voucher and either an Autism or Jon Peterson Special Needs scholarship in the same year.
The committee held a third hearing on HB 432 sponsored by Rep. Jones. The bill would create alternate credentialing pathways for career-technical educators.
The committee held its second hearing on SB 293, sponsored by Sen. Reynolds. The bill would require districts to adopt a policy allowing students to be excused from school to attend a released time course in religious instruction. The committee heard in-person and written testimony from almost 400 witnesses, including proponents, opponents and interested parties.
House Primary and Secondary Education Committee
The committee heard sponsor testimony from Reps. Juanita Brent (D-Cleveland) and Lauren McNally (D-Youngstown) on HB 387. This bill would dissolve existing academic distress commissions and repeal the law that could create new commissions.
The committee held its first hearing on HB 563 and heard sponsor testimony from Rep. Sean P. Brennan (D-Parma). This bill would enact the “Future Educators Support Act.”
The committee heard sponsor testimony on HB 561 from Reps. Brennan and Veronica Sims (D-Akron). This bill would prohibit for-profit operators of community schools.
The first hearing on HB 485 was held with sponsors Reps. Tom Young (R-Dayton) and Phil Plummer (R-Dayton) providing testimony. This bill would require public schools to adopt an internet safety policy for students who use school-provided internet access. HB 485 would also require public schools to include instruction in the social, emotional and physical effects of social media for students in grade 6-12.
The committee heard sponsor testimony from Reps. Young and Melanie Miller (R-Ashland) on HB 520. This bill would authorize schools to allow students to use participation in club sports and other athletic activities to fulfill requirements for high school physical education.
The committee held its second hearing on SB 208, sponsored by Sen. Kristina Roegner (R-Hudson). This bill would require school districts to include an exception for military children in their open enrollment policies. The committee heard proponent testimony on the bill.
The committee held its fourth hearing on HB 407, sponsored by Reps. Gayle Manning (R-North Ridgeville) and Bill Seitz (R-Cincinnati). This legislation would require private schools that accept vouchers to meet certain accountability measures. The committee accepted a substitute version of the bill. The substitute bill included:
- Elimination of requirements EdChoice scholarship students take state or national assessments.
- Removal of language mandating voucher recipients meet state requirements for graduation.
- Removal of the provision that would have required chartered non-public schools to provide an accounting for the use of state-provided funds accepted under the EdChoice Scholarship program.
- Removal of the requirement that chartered non-public schools report information about family incomes.
- Creation of a procedure for admission when students apply to a private school lacking capacity.
Select Senate Committee on Housing
The committee held a fourth hearing on SB 245, sponsored by Sens. Michele Reynolds (R-Canal Winchester) and Hearcel Craig (D-Columbus). This bill would revise the law governing eviction, real estate representation agreements, residential building code enforcement and real property transfers.
House Transportation Committee
The committee held a fifth hearing on HB 279, sponsored by Reps. Bernard Willis (R-Springfield) and Richard D. Brown (D-Canal Winchester). This bill would appropriate $25 million to create a School Bus Safety Grant Fund at the Department of Education and Workforce to assist districts with the cost of installing safety features on new and existing school buses. The bill would also increase the penalties for illegally passing a stopped school bus and designate August as “School Bus Safety Month”. The committee accepted an amendment to the bill that would maintain current provisions allowing law enforcement to use images captured by a school bus camera as a part of their investigation. The committee unanimously passed the bill.
House Pensions Committee
The committee accepted a substitute version of HB 310, sponsored by Rep. Don Jones (R-Freeport). The bill would change the cost of military service credit for STRS members. The substitute version of the bill creates a scholarship fund that would allow an individual to apply for financial aid to purchase the military service credit. The substitute version does not have an appropriation. Jones indicated that he hopes the next biennial budget will provide the funds.
The committee heard sponsor testimony on House Joint Resolution (HJR) 6 from Rep. Beth Lear (R-Galena) and Rep. Scott Wiggam (R-Wayne County). HJR 6 is a constitutional amendment that would place an annual limit on property tax increases of the lesser of the rate of inflation or 4%.
The committee also heard sponsor testimony on HB 402 from Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Loveland). This bill would authorize a property tax reduction in 2023 for properties with increased tax liability relative to 2022.
The committee heard sponsor testimony on HB 579 from Rep. Sean P. Brennan (D-Parma) and Rep. Cindy Abrams (R-Harrison). This bill would allow a township to levy property taxes to provide for school resource officer services for school districts located within their territory. Rep. Brennan clarified in his testimony that any township with multiple school districts in its territory would need to get approval from all districts and split revenue from the levy among them. Vice versa is also true, as a district within multiple townships would need a certification from all townships within its territory to pursue a levy.
Senate General Government Committee
The committee heard sponsor testimony on 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.
House Technology & Innovation Committee
The committee held their third hearing on HB 507, sponsored by Rep. Brett Hillyer (R-Uhrichsville). The bill would extend legal safe harbor to political subdivisions that implement a specified cybersecurity program.
House Public Health Policy Committee
The committee held its second hearing on HB 633 from Reps. Joesph A. Miller, III (D-Amherst) and Thomas Hall (R-Madison Township). This bill would require the Department of Health to develop type 1 diabetes informational materials and mandate that school districts, county education offices and charter schools give those materials to parents and guardians of students enrolling in elementary school. The committee heard proponent testimony on the bill.
The committee also held its third hearing on HB 356, sponsored by Rep. Sara Carruthers (R-Hamilton). This bill would make changes regarding cardiac monitoring for youth and student athletes and be designated the Healthy Cardiac Monitoring Act. The committee was open for opponent and interested party testimony. No witnesses were present to testify.
House Homeland Security Committee
The committee held its first hearing on HB 542, with sponsor testimony given by Reps. Bill Dean (R-Xenia) and P. Scott Lipps (R- Franklin). This bill would create the "Blanchester Wildcats" license plate. It is a House companion bill to SB 248, which received a hearing last week in the House Transportation Committee.
House Behavioral Health Committee
The committee held its third hearing on HB 571, sponsored by Rep. Andrea White (R-Kettering). The bill would require schools and higher education institutions to include the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline telephone number, 988, on student identification cards, student planners and electronic portals. The committee passed the bill unanimously.
The committee held its fourth hearing on HB 78, sponsored by Reps. Bill Seitz (R-Cincinnati) and Joe Miller (D-Amherst). The bill would make retired teachers who are reemployed in positions covered by the State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) eligible to seek election to the STRS Board. HB 78 also includes as STRS members student teachers who hold pre-service teacher permits and are employed as substitute teachers. The committee accepted an amendment that would remove the provisions related to student teachers because they had been previously enacted in another bill. The committee passed the bill unanimously.
Senate Veterans and Public Safety Committee
The committee heard sponsor testimony on SB 329 from Sen. Theresa Gavarone (R-Bowling Green). This “School Bus Safety Act” would authorize a civil penalty system related to drivers who illegally pass a school bus but cannot be identified and designate the month of August as "School Bus Safety Awareness Month”.
The committee held its first hearing on SB 216, with sponsor testimony from Sen. Stephen A. Huffman (R-Tipp City). This bill would phase out the state income tax on nonbusiness income over six years and repeal the commercial activity tax after 2029.
The committee also heard sponsor testimony on Sub. HB 378 from Sen. Brian Lorenz (R-Powell). This bill would authorize a full homestead exemption for surviving spouses of members of the uniformed services killed in the line of duty.
The committee held its second hearing on HB 496, sponsored by Rep. James A. Hoops (R-Napoleon). This bill would revise the law governing property taxes and county auditors. The committee heard proponent testimony on the bill.
Rules Activity
The Department of Education and Workforce has the following proposed rules open for public comment at this time:
- OAC 3301-14-01: Operation of the education management information system.
- OAC 3301-18-01: Calculating student attendance rate to meet minimum performance standards.
- OAC Chapter 28: Local Report Card
- OAC 3301-28-01: Calculating student attendance rate to meet minimum performance standards.
- OAC 3301-28-10 Ratings for schools and districts.
- OAC Chapter 43: High School Continuation Programs
- OAC 3301-43-01 Definitions.
- OAC 3301-43-02 Establishment of adult high school diploma programs.
- OAC 3301-43-03 Eligibility criteria for adult high school continuation and earning equivalent adult high school credit.
- OAC 3301-43-04 Program elements, basis for awarding adult high school credits.
- OAC 3301-43-05 Criteria for issuing diplomas.
- OAC 3301-43-06 Administering ninth-grade proficiency and Ohio graduation tests to eligible adults.
- OAC 3301-43-07 Program reimbursement, adult high school continuation.
- OAC Chapter 45: Adult High School Diplomas
- OAC 3301-45-01 Purpose.
- OAC 3301-45-02 Definitions.
- OAC 3301-45-03 Provider application.
- OAC 3301-45-04 Provider requirements.
- OAC 3301-45-05 Enrollment.
- OAC 3301-45-06 Measurement of provider performance.
- OAC 3301-45-07 Process to earn a high school diploma.
- OAC 3301-45-08 Contracting educational services.
- OAC 3301-45-09 District of residence.
- OAC 3301-45-10 Standards for competency-based education.
- OAC 3301-46-01: Innovative education pilot programs.
- OAC Chapter 56: Intervention standards for districts declared to be under academic watch or in academic emergency status.
- OAC 3301-56-01 School district and building improvement, supports, and interventions.
- OAC 3301-56-02 Reading achievement improvement plans.
- OAC Chapter 69: Miscellaneous programs.
- OAC 3301-69-01 Stipends for national board-certified teachers.
- OAC 3301-69-02 Excuses from school attendance.
- OAC Chapter 91: Standards for School Lunch and Breakfast Programs
- OAC 3301-91-01 Eligibility for receiving state matching funds.
- OAC 3301-91-02 Schedule of payments.
- OAC 3301-91-03 Report required.
- OAC 3301-91-04 Calculation of payment.
- OAC 3301-91-07 Appeal for extension of time for compliance.
- OAC 3301-91-09 Guidance for approving food to be sold in schools.
- OAC 3301-91-10 Establishing summer food service programs at school sites and associated cost.
Click here to view the ODEW rules open for public comment.
The State Board of Education has the following proposed rules open for public comment at this time:
- OAC Chapter 3302-73-26: Action after appeal of conviction.
Click here to view the SBOE rules open for public comment.
Federal Update
Please click here to read the most recent Federal Advocacy Report which includes up-to-date information on federal education efforts.