by Nicole Piscitani • June 24, 2024
This is the last week that the Ohio General Assembly is scheduled to have sessions and committees before what could be an extended break. It is still unknown when the Ohio House and Ohio Senate will return to the Statehouse in the fall. Both chambers have numerous committees scheduled, and those committees are focused on moving important bills out of the committee to go to the floor for a vote.
An important bill, not only for education but for many organizations from around the state, is the capital budget. The capital budget is passed in even years and provides funding to the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission to help fund the construction and renovation of K-12 school buildings. The statutory minimum is $600 million for the biennium.
The House introduced House Bill (HB) 629, and the Senate introduced Senate Bill (SB) 292 — these two bills are companion capital budget bills. The finance committees in both houses held hearings on the bills and are keeping them identical so that the General Assembly can pass a capital budget quickly this week. The bill contains the statutory minimum funding for school construction. Also included in the bill are one-time Strategic Community Investment Funds that total $700 million. These funds were allocated during HB 33, the biennial budget bill, and are now assigned to specific projects. A few school districts and joint vocational school districts may receive some of the additional funding. Click here for a list of community projects and here for the capital projects by county.
The legislature is expected to pass the capital budget during sessions on Wednesday, June 26.
Along with the capital budget, several other education-related bills could pass and go to Gov. Mike DeWine for his action this week. These bills have already passed out of the originating chamber and are waiting for the second committee and floor votes. The following bills could be enacted this week:
- SB 168, the education deregulation bill, contains numerous changes, including teacher evaluations, teacher licensure and HB 33 cleanup language, among other items. The bill is scheduled for a committee hearing this week and is also scheduled for amendments and a possible vote. The committee chair has been working with the Senate so that if the bill is passed out of the House, the Senate will be prepared to concur on the changes.
- SB 29 would make changes regarding education records and student data privacy. This bill is also scheduled for a committee hearing and could receive additional changes through an amendment. The bill is also scheduled for a committee vote.
- SB 104 would make changes regarding the College Credit Plus Program. Earlier this spring, the House Higher Education Committee heard testimony on HB 219, a bill that closely resembles SB 104. Two weeks ago, SB 104 was heard for the first time in the House Higher Education Committee, and the chair indicated that it is the likely vehicle to move. The bills are mostly similar except HB 219 contains provisions on open-source materials and the sharing of the costs for books as well as language that would require notification when a student drops a course. SB 104 is scheduled for a committee vote this week.
- SB 112 would require that school buildings comply with safety standards. The bill is scheduled for a committee vote.
- HB 147 would make changes regarding teacher licensure revocation, teacher hiring practices and conduct unbecoming to the teaching profession. A seventh hearing is scheduled in the Senate Education Committee, and it is marked for a potential vote.
- HB 214 would require that each public school adopt a policy regarding certain expectations related to the performance of staff members’ professional duties. The bill clarifies that schools cannot require that employees or job applicants offer an opinion about specific beliefs, affiliations, ideals or principles. The bill is scheduled for a potential vote in committee.
- HB 47 would require the placement of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in each public and chartered nonpublic school and each public recreational facility. The bill would also require that the Ohio Department of Health develop a model emergency action plan for using AEDs. The bill is scheduled for a committee vote.
If the above-listed bills pass this week, a full report and analysis for each of the bills will be the focus during the summer and early fall issues of the “Legislative Report.”