Facts in a Flash

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 136^th 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…

The Ohio General Assembly has returned with a flurry of legislative activity. This issue of Facts in a Flash recaps this busy week and outlines everything you need to know! 

Senate Activity 

The Senate concurred with the House’s amendments to Senate Bill (SB) 104, sponsored by Sen. Jerry C. Cirino (R-Kirtland) and Sen. Andrew O. Brenner (R-Delaware), with a vote of 24-7. SB104 originally addressed…

Welcome to Lame Duck!  

Now that the November Election is over, the General Assembly will return to the Statehouse for a handful of lame-duck sessions before the end of the year. The Senate will return next week with both committee hearings and a session scheduled for Wednesday, 11/13. The House has does not have a session scheduled until December but will be holding various committee hearings on Tuesday, 11/12. Facts in a Flash will keep you up to date on legislative activity during these session dates.  

Next week, OSBA’s…

It was a very active week at the Statehouse! The legislature amended and passed many bills this week ahead of their summer recess. The General Assembly is not expected to return to session until after the November election.

House Activity
The House agreed to the Senate changes to House Bill (HB) 2, sponsored by Reps. Al Cutrona (R-Canfield) and Terrence Upchurch (D-Cleveland). Earlier in the day the Senate…

House Finance Committee 
The committee met and heard testimony on House Bill (HB) 629, sponsored by Rep. Jay Edwards (R-Nelsonville). This legislation would make capital and other appropriations. The bill includes $600 million for construction and renovation of K-12 school buildings. Kim Murnieks, Director of the Office of Budget and Management provided testimony outlining the projects to be funded by the bill.

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House activity
The House passed House Bill (HB) 380, sponsored by Reps. Brett Hudson Hillyer (R-Uhrichsville) and Kevin D. Miller (R-Newark), with a vote of 87-0. This bill would designate a portion of Interstate 70 in Licking County as the “Tuscarawas Valley Memorial Highway.”

The House passed HB 378, sponsored by Reps.…

House Primary and Secondary Education Committee
The committee heard proponent testimony on Senate Bill (SB) 29, sponsored by Sen. Steve Huffman (R-Tipp City). The bill would make changes regarding education records and student data privacy. The committee accepted an amendment to the bill that would include devices and accounts provided by a school district to an individual student for the student's…

House and Senate Activity
The House and Senate met in special session to address non-education related issues. 

Rules Activity
The Department of Education and Workforce does not currently have any proposed rules open for public comment. 

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

Posted by Nicole Piscitani on 5/31/…

House Activity
The Ohio House passed House Bill (HB) 352, sponsored by Reps. Rachel Baker (D-Cincinnati) and Sara Carruthers (R-Hamilton), by a vote of 89-5. This bill would establish the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study Commission. The bill now heads to the Ohio Senate for consideration.

The House also voted to agree with the Senate’s amendments to…

Governor activity
Gov. Mike DeWine signed House Bill (HB) 250, which includes the requirement that districts adopt a cellphone usage policy. Under the bill, this policy will need to be in place by July 1, 2025. Other provisions in the bill include the following:

• Renames the “Military Enlistment Seal” to the “Military Seal.”
• Establishes new pathways for a high school student to earn the seal;
• Permits a licensed educator with a grade band specification under former law to…