Legislative Report

by Nicole Piscitani • Feb. 9, 2026

The final property tax bill that the legislature passed and Gov. Mike DeWine signed is House Bill (HB) 186. This bill primarily caps revenue growth for districts on the 20-mill floor. However, there are a few additional provisions.

The Ohio Revised Code (RC) requires that school districts levy at least 20-mills of local property taxes to receive state funding. The Ohio Constitution has a provision commonly referred to as HB 920, which requires that property tax millage be reduced as property valuations increase to…

by Nicole Piscitani • Jan. 12, 2025

County budget commissions (CBC) began in Ohio in 1911 and have evolved over the past century, with the most recent changes occurring in House Bill (HB) 309. Before detailing the changes, it is important to understand who sits on a CBC and its primary responsibility. The county auditor, county treasurer and prosecuting attorney make up the CBC. These three positions obtain the seat because they don’t levy any property taxes, essentially avoiding any conflict of interest. CBCs are mandatory in each county, and they primarily are responsible…

by Nicole Piscitani • Dec. 11, 2025

The Ohio General Assembly passed a quartet of property tax bills on Nov. 19, but Gov. Mike DeWine received them on Dec. 9. He has 10 days, excluding Sundays, to either sign or veto the bill. If he doesn’t act on the bill, it becomes law without his signature. However, it is extremely rare for a governor to not act on a bill. A bill goes into effect 90 days after a governor signs it. Keeping the required timings in mind, the delay in sending these bills to DeWine could impact the ability of county auditors and treasurers…

by Nicole Piscitani • Dec. 7, 2025

The Ohio General Assembly ramped up the final weeks of its legislative calendar to pass and send numerous bills to Gov. Mike DeWine. Among those bills are four property tax bills, all sponsored by Rep. David Thomas (R-Jefferson), that not only received various changes in the Senate but also bipartisan support.

The Ohio House has completed its legislative work for 2025 and does not plan to return to Columbus until late February. The Senate plans to briefly return on Dec. 9 to vote on a noneducation…

by Nicole Piscitani • Nov. 10, 2025

The fall legislative calendar is quickly moving towards a close, and the House Education Committee has indicated that several bills could move out of committee before Thanksgiving. One bill in particular — House Bill (HB) 455, an education deregulation bill — is expected to move not only out of committee but potentially could receive consideration on the House floor.

The Senate Education Committee is also working on an omnibus education bill, Senate Bill (SB) 311, but HB 455 is further in the legislative process. If HB 455 passes…

by Nicole Piscitani • Oct. 27, 2028

Although the fall legislative session has been mostly dominated by property tax discussions, other bills have seen movement. The Senate Education Committee has advanced several bills and more are expected to move forward before its winter break.

House Bill (HB) 57
Gov. Mike DeWine signed HB 57, which requires any public or nonpublic school that elects to keep a supply of an overdose reversal drug for emergency use to adopt and implement a policy regarding the supply’s maintenance…

by Nicole Piscitani • Oct. 12, 2025

The Ohio Legislature returned to Columbus and has continued working on several property tax bills. Both chambers have six session days planned in October and November and one potential session day in December. Property tax bills are due in early 2026, and the legislature is pushing to move legislation before the end of October to potentially impact the 2026 tax collection.

Below is a summary of what’s taken place since legislators returned to the Statehouse.

Senate votes to override item 66 — School district property…

by Nicole Piscitani • Sept. 21, 2029

The Ohio Legislature passed House Bill (HB) 96, the biennial budget, and sent it to Gov. Mike DeWine on June 27. He signed it on June 30 and issued 67 line-item vetoes. Legislators in both the Ohio House and Senate left Columbus for their traditional summer legislative break that follows the finalization of a budget every two years. Traditionally, they return to the Statehouse mid-September.

While legislators are back in their legislative districts, they still work with legislative staff and the Legislative…

by Nicole Piscitani • Sept. 7, 2025

The summer recess is almost over, with the Ohio legislature returning for committees the week of Sept. 15. The fall legislative calendar looks similar in both the Ohio House and Ohio Senate, with eight session days scheduled during October and November. Both the House and Senate have also scheduled some if-needed sessions in September and December. While it isn’t clear what the legislative priorities are, there are a few issues to watch.

Property taxes
The Ohio legislature included several property tax items in…

by Nicole Piscitani • Aug. 8, 2025

The biennial budget is legislation that allocates state dollars over a two-year fiscal period. However, the biennial budget always includes policy changes, and House Bill (HB) 96 is not an exception. Several policy changes require that school boards adopt policies on a variety of issues.

Cellphone policy
School boards may need to update their cellphone policies based on changes passed in HB 96. School boards previously adopted policies that fit their local communities’ views on using cellphones during the school…