Legislative Report

by Nicole Piscitani • April 7, 2025

The Ohio Senate has been active with committee hearings, particularly the Senate Education Committee, which has routinely held weekly hearings as the members consider several bills.

The bills are important to watch due to House Bill (HB) 96, the biennial budget bill, which is moving quickly. The Ohio House is expected to finish up its version of HB 96 on April 9. The legislature will then take a two-week break and return to the Statehouse the week of April 28. This budget has been moving faster than normal, and the Senate has…

by Nicole Piscitani • March 21, 2025

The Ohio General Assembly is working on the FY2026-27 biennial budget, and while the bill will appropriate state funds during the next two years, it will also contain many policy changes. Those policy changes are often House and Senate bills that have already been introduced. While the number of committee hearings a bill has received could indicate the likeliness of it working its way into the budget, some bills may be amended in without any hearings.

The Ohio House is in the process of drafting its version of the budget. As that…

by Nicole Pisciani • March 7, 2025

Gov. Mike DeWine’s executive budget, which was introduced as House Bill (HB) 96, primarily focused on the funding components of transportation plus the initiatives developed in the School Bus Safety Workgroup. The introduced bill would increase the minimum state share of transportation to 45.83% in fiscal year (FY) 26 and 50% in FY 27. The current state share is 41.67% and the increased percentages are consistent with the Fair School Funding Plan’s transportation phase-in.

In August 2023, DeWine brought together 13…

by Nicole Piscitani • Feb. 22, 2025

For the past three years, home valuations have been historically high, resulting in homeowners paying higher property taxes. The Ohio General Assembly is set to address this issue through multiple property tax bills. It is likely that at least one property tax bill will pass during the next six months.

The homestead exemption is a reduction program that the legislature can use to address property taxes for certain individuals. Ohio’s constitution allows the legislature to give a property tax credit to homeowners 65 years of age or…

by Nicole Piscitani • Feb. 7, 2025

Gov. Mike DeWine announced his last executive biennial budget on Feb. 3, 2025. The budget is for fiscal years 2026-27 and, due to term limits, DeWine will not seek reelection. The release of the executive budget starts Ohio’s legislative process, and it is important to note that while DeWine’s budget starts the process, the legislature largely crafts the finalized version.

DeWine’s past budgets have focused on kids, as does this one. As it pertains to the school-funding formula, the budget proposal would continue…

by Nicole Piscitani, deputy director of legislative services • Jan. 27, 2025

The Ohio House majority caucus released its priority bills last week, and the School Bus Safety Act, House Bill (HB) 3, was reintroduced and given a spot on the priority list.

Rep. Bernard Willis (R-Springfield) returns as the bill’s sponsor after working diligently in the 135th General Assembly to try to pass it. As a quick refresher on the efforts made in the 135th General Assembly, House Transportation Committee Chair Rep. Riordan T. McClain (R-Upper…

by Nicole Piscitani • Feb. 10, 2025

The 136th General Assembly officially began on Jan. 6, 2025, with the swearing in of the 99 elected state representatives to the Ohio House and 33 elected state senators to the Ohio Senate. Both the Ohio House and the Ohio Senate voted on leadership; the following elected officials will serve in these positions.

Ohio House

• Speaker of the House: Rep. Matt Huffman (R-Lima)
• Speaker Pro Tempore: Rep. Gayle Manning (R-North Ridgeville)
• Assistant Speaker Pro Tempore: Rep.…

The 135th Ohio General Assembly is expected to close its legislative work this week. House Primary and Secondary Education Chair Gayle Manning (R-North Ridgeville) has indicated that the committee will not meet again this year. The Senate Education Committee has one committee hearing scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 17. A few education-related bills are still pending and could receive action this week. 

by Nicole Piscitani • Dec. 1, 2024

The Ohio legislature returned to the Statehouse on Nov. 12, and the Ohio Senate promptly accepted changes to Senate Bill (SB) 104. This bill makes changes to the College Credit Plus program (CCP) and includes provisions regarding single-sex facilities and accommodations. Gov. Mike DeWine signed the bill on Nov. 26, and it will be effective in 90 days.

SB 104 started as a stand-alone CCP bill that was primarily drafted from a report conducted by the Auditor of the State’s Office (AOS). The AOS report included several…

by Nicole Piscitani • Nov. 3, 2024

The Ohio General Assembly is set to return to the Statehouse the week of Nov. 10. Legislators have been campaigning in their districts since the end of June. With the Nov. 5 general election, all efforts have focused on a handful of tight elections in the Ohio House and Senate. Please note that this report was written before the election. 

As noted in other Legislative Reports, this General Assembly has been historic, never knowing what might or might not happen. The election’s outcome could play a part in the legislature's…