Governor activity
Gov. Mike DeWine signed into law House Bill (HB) 597, which provides capital reappropriations, including approximately $442.8 million for local school construction through the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) that received prior conditional approval.

General Assembly activity
The General Assembly sent HB 126 to DeWine for his approval. The bill modifies the board of revision process. Prior to the House and Senate passing the bill, a conference committee met and accepted an amendment. HB 126 will now do the following:

  • Prohibit boards of education (BOE) from filing residential and agricultural complaints.
  • Permit BOE to file commercial complaints only when the property was sold in the year before the tax year for which the complaint was filed and the sale price was at least 10% and $500,000 more than the auditor’s value. The $500,000 value will be indexed to inflation each year after tax year 2022.
  • Require BOE to provide notice and pass a resolution for each parcel, with the notice going to the tax address and mailing address.
  • Require BOE to give notice to property owners at least seven days in advance when they plan to vote on a resolution authorizing a valuation challenge.
  • Eliminate notice to BOE by county auditors for counter-complaints. Districts will have to file counter complaints within 30 days of the date the owner files the original complaint. However, property owners must still receive notice of BOE complaints and have 30 days from receipt of that notice to file a counter-complaint.
  • Ban private-pay settlement agreements entered into after the effective date of the legislation.
  • Provide that the BOR must dismiss a case if it is not decided by the BOR within one year of its filing.
  • Prohibit BOE from appealing a BOR decision.

The General Assembly sent HB 95 to DeWine for his approval. The bill appropriates $338 million in fiscal year 2022 to the federal school lunch program. The bill also allows a municipal corporation to concurrently exempt improvements to the same parcel through both an incentive district tax increment financing (TIF) arrangement and a subsequent individual parcel TIF or urban redevelopment TIF if the ordinances authorizing the concurrent exemptions were adopted before March 1, 2022.

The General Assembly also sent Senate Bill (SB) 135 to DeWine for his approval. The bill would require school districts to include in career advising policies information on career fields with associate degrees and certificates and the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. The bill also requires the state superintendent of public instruction, chancellor of the Ohio Department of Higher Education and director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services to develop a statewide apprenticeship program for high school students. Lastly, the bill modifies an existing property tax exemption for qualified renewable energy facilities to require coordination with JVSDs and career-tech centers, among others, to train individuals for careers in wind or solar energy.

Finally, the General Assembly sent HB 397 to DeWine for his approval. The bill revises the law regarding agricultural leases, among other provisions.

House Primary and Secondary Education Committee
The committee held a second hearing on HB 117, sponsored by Rep. Thomas E. Brinkman Jr. (R-Mount Lookout), which would establish a school district territory transfer process for townships, cities and villages that contain the territory of two or more school districts.

The committee passed HB 333, which would require the state to recommend a job description for school counselors. The bill also would require public schools to consider those recommendations when preparing job descriptions and assigning duties for school counselors. Additionally, HB 333 would require the designation of a school counselor liaison at the Ohio Department of Education (ODE).

The committee also held sponsor testimony on HB 554, sponsored by Reps. Mary Lightbody (D-Westerville) and Adam C. Bird (R-New Richmond), which would require the State Board of Education to issue two-year temporary educator licenses to applicants with expired professional teacher's certificates and professional educator licenses as long as certain requirements are met.

Finally, the committee held sponsor testimony on HB 606, sponsored by Adam C. Bird (R-New Richmond) and Catherine D. Ingram (D-Cincinnati), which would require public and chartered nonpublic schools to create an individualized seizure action plan for each enrolled student who has an active seizure disorder diagnosis. The bill also would require each school to have at least one employee trained on implementing seizure action plans and would require students to receive age-appropriate instruction on seizure disorders.

Senate Primary and Secondary Education Committee
The committee held sponsor testimony on HB 583, sponsored by Bird and Don Jones (R-Freeport), which would extend the current temporary flexibility for school districts regarding the educational requirements of substitute teachers until June 30, 2024. The bill also would establish a study committee to examine the substitute teacher shortage and would appropriate $338 million in fiscal year 2022 to the federal school lunch program.

The committee held a fourth hearing on SB 240, which would establish a process that would allow the merger of one or more community schools and nonprofit operators into a community school network. The bill also would allow two or more schools, instead of four or more under current law, to form a network and specify that new schools joining a network must go through the chartering process and have a sponsor. Eric S. Gordon, superintendent, Cleveland Municipal, provided opponent testimony.

The committee held a second hearing on SB 306, sponsored by Sen. Andrew O. Brenner (R-Powell), which would establish a voluntary tutoring and remedial instruction program that public schools and chartered nonpublic schools may choose to participate in by notifying the state superintendent of public instruction. The bill would require the ESC of Central Ohio to employ tutors and coordinate placement of tutors in participating schools. The bill also would require 16 regional ESCs selected under the bill, in conjunction with the ESC of Central Ohio, to administer the training program for tutors in their regions. Click here to read the bill analysis. Dr. Tom Goodney, superintendent, ESC of Central Ohio, provided proponent testimony.

Senate Ways and Means Committee
The committee held a fifth hearing on HB 123, which would modify community reinvestment areas (CRAs) by increasing the threshold to exempt school district approval from 50% to 75%. The bill also would establish a revenue-sharing agreement for income over $2 million and annually index the amount to inflation. Additionally, the bill would allow limited home rule townships to use CRAs. Testifying in opposition of the bill were:

House Insurance Committee
The committee held sponsor testimony on HB 601, sponsored by Lightbody and Adam C. Miller (D-Columbus), which would increase State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) and School Employees Retirement System employer contributions from 14% to 18%. The increase would be phased in over eight years. The bill also would require the STRS Board to annually institute a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) and would prohibit the STRS Board from reducing COLA below 1% for certain contribution levels. Finally, the bill would eliminate a requirement that an STRS member be at least age 60 to be eligible for an unreduced retirement benefit.

The committee held sponsor testimony on HB 562, sponsored by Reps. Paula Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo) and Jessica E. Miranda (D-Forest Park), which would require STRS to reinstate the COLA beginning July 1, 2022.

Senate Judiciary Committee
The committee amended SB 288, which would update employment laws as they pertain to Head Start agencies along with other changes. The amendment pertains to modifications to judicial release during a state of emergency declared by the governor and adds a five-year waiting period before someone convicted of first-degree misdemeanor domestic violence is eligible to seal their record.

House State and Local Government Committee
The committee amended and passed HB 203, which would require an occupational licensing authority to issue a license or government certification to an applicant who holds a license, government certification or private certification or has satisfactory work experience in another state under certain circumstances. The amendment made changes to provisions regarding specialty contractor licenses and made technical corrections.

House Commerce and Labor Committee
The committee held a fourth hearing on HB 181, which would require a licensing authority, including ODE, to issue an occupational license to an applicant who completes a registered apprenticeship program and prohibit the licensing authority from requiring an examination or higher passing score if not required for other applicants.

Senate Local Government and Elections Committee
The committee held a third hearing on SB 260, which would expand political subdivision joint purchasing authority to expressly include purchases for construction services.

House Civil Justice Committee
The committee held a third hearing HB 508, which would revise the allocation of parental rights and responsibilities to grant equal time and responsibility for a child.

Posted by Nicole Piscitani on 4/08/2022