State Board of Education
The State Board of Education voted 14-3 to elect Charlotte McGuire as president. Additionally, the board voted 11-7 to elect Steve Dackin as vice president.

Congressional redistricting
The General Assembly sent Senate Bill (SB) 258 to Gov. Mike DeWine for his approval. The bill establishes the congressional district boundaries. The approved map did not receive bipartisan support, which makes the approved map effective for only four years. Click here to view the congressional map.

House activity
The House passed SB 229 by an 81-2 vote. The bill passed with an emergency clause. The bill would do the following:

  • temporarily extend the deadline to April 30, 2022, for a school district to submit a blended learning model to the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) for the 2021-22 school year and require a school district that implements a blended learning model to submit quarterly reports to ODE;
  • require each district to complete and submit within 90 days a remediation plan to address the learning loss students experience during the COVID-19 pandemic and permit school districts to use an already-submitted extended learning plan or local-use funds plan to satisfy the remediation plan;
  • permit a school district to adopt a resolution that provides remote learning to a student whose parent requests remote learning;
  • permit a school that operates an online learning school to allow a quarantined student in a traditional district school to participate in that online learning school during the period of quarantine;
  • exempt districts from retaining a student under the Third Grade Reading Guarantee for the 2021-22 school year but requires the district to consult with the parent on the decision of a principal and reading teacher as to whether a student should be retained;
  • prohibit the use of the chronic absenteeism measure on the state report card for the 2021-22 school year;
  • add two school district superintendents and a school principal to the state report card review committee but specifies that they must represent urban, suburban and rural school districts;
  • add a representative from a community school to the state report card review committee;
  • require ODE to calculate an adjusted four-year graduation rate for those students who were continuously enrolled in the same district or building in grades nine-12;
  • exempt an online learning school from the current law requirement that school administrators develop an emergency management plan for each building under their control;
  • require a public school to integrate the study of economic and financial literacy into one or more existing social studies credits or into the content of another class for students graduating between 2022-2025;
  • require EdChoice and Cleveland voucher payments to be distributed to a student’s guardian, legal custodian or caregiver if the student doesn’t live with their parent;
  • update the timing of Cleveland voucher payments to match EdChoice voucher payments;
  • make a change to the funding base used to determine state funding to an educational service center.

SB 229 now heads to the Senate for a vote on whether or not to approve the amendments made in the House.

The House passed House Bill (HB) 99 by a 59-33 vote. The bill would expressly state that its intent is to overrule the decision of the Ohio Supreme Court in Gabbard v. Madison Local School Dist. Bd. Of Edn. The bill also would require a school district to provide public notification if the school district authorizes one or more persons to go armed within a school. Additionally, the bill would establish requirements for a person authorized to go armed within a school safety zone and establish training requirements. The bill would allow districts to require additional training if they choose. HB 99 now heads to the Senate for consideration.

The House passed HB 218 by a 58-32 vote. The bill would prohibit a school district from requiring a student or employee to receive a COVID-19 vaccine unless that vaccine has been granted final approval by the federal Food and Drug Administration. The bill would also establish exemptions for students and employees should an approved COVID-19 vaccine be required by a school or employer. Additionally, the bill would prohibit an individual from being required to show proof of vaccination and extends through June 30, 2023, a school district’s civil immunity as it relates to the exposure, transmission or contraction of COVID-19. The bill was amended in the House Commerce and Labor Committee earlier in the week to remove the introduced version of HB 218 and replace it with the similar language of HB 435. Click here to read the comparative synopsis. HB 218 now heads to the Senate for consideration.

The House unanimously passed HB 230. The bill would establish a plan to migrate the state’s information technology systems to the state’s computer center and cloud environment and establish a cybersecurity and fraud advisory board. HB 230 now heads to the Senate for consideration.

Senate Ways and Means Committee
The committee held a fourth hearing on HB 126, which requires school boards to pass a resolution approving a property valuation complaint or counter-complaint prior to filing that complaint. The bill also would require the school board to send written notice to the property owner indicating the intent to file a complaint or counter-complaint. Providing opponent testimony were:

House Ways and Means Committee
The committee held a second hearing on HB 458, sponsored by Rep. Thomas Hall (R-Madison Township), which would eliminate the August special election, except in instances when the August special election is to nominate or elect candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives, and would allow a school district whose entire territory is located within the congressional district that is on the August ballot to put certain levies on the August ballot.

The committee passed HB 45, which would require the state tax commissioner to administer a temporary amnesty program from July 1, 2022, through Aug. 31, 2022, with respect to delinquent state, local sales and use taxes and also certain fees.

The committee held sponsor testimony on HB 482, sponsored by Reps. Al Cutrona (R-Canfield) and Jay Edwards (R-Nelsonville), which would create the temporary Tax Fraud Study Commission to report on state income tax fraud.

House Economic and Workforce Development Committee
The committee amended and passed SB 166, which would establish the student pathways for career success grant program and require the state to create a program that establishes financial incentives for Ohio businesses to provide work-based learning experiences for students enrolled in career-technical education programs. The bill would permit career-technical schools to use remote or digital learning. Additionally, the legislation would require joint vocational school districts to be included in revenue-sharing agreements from a CRA. The amendments include the following changes:

  • a technical correction for the commercial truck driver student aid program;
  • specify that a lead district of a career-technical planning district use career awareness and exploration funds to provide relevant career awareness and exploration programs to all students within the career technical planning district;
  • replace a district's or school's enrolled ADM with the sum of enrolled ADM for all districts and schools within the career technical planning district as a factor in computing career awareness and exploration funds;
  • modify the OhioMeansJobs-readiness seal to include a student completing 250 hours of a work-based learning experience that is either approved by a business advisory council or aligned to the career-technical pathway approved by ODE in which the student is enrolled;
  • make changes to worker compensation as it relates to the Employers Providing Work-Based Learning Pilot Program;
  • make changes to the tax credit for employers participating in the Employers Providing Work-Based Learning Pilot Program.

Senate Health Committee
The committee held a fifth hearing on HB 122, which would establish and modify requirements regarding the provision of telehealth services of school psychologists, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, occupational assistants, behavior analysts and physical therapy assistants, among others.

The committee held a second hearing on HB 281, sponsored by Reps. Dontavius L. Jarrells (D-Columbus) and Tom Young (R-Washington Township), which would change terminology in the Ohio Revised Code as it pertains to people with mental illnesses and disabilities.

House Behavioral Health and Recovery Committee
The committee amended HB 428, which would establish the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study Commission. The amendment would require that one member of the commission be a social worker or a school counselor who has worked with children experiencing violence, abuse and neglect. Additionally, the bill adds two members to the commission: one who is a representative of the Ohio Children's Trust Fund Board and another who must be a certified crisis intervention specialist.

The committee held a second hearing on HB 363, sponsored by Reps. Adam C. Miller (D-Columbus) and Monique Smith (D-Fairview Park), which would require the Director of the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services to adopt rules for services provided in response to a natural disaster, pandemic, mass casualty or fatality incident, mass shooting incident, or declared emergency and to ensure that the procedures address the manner that the services will be coordinated with public and private entities.

House Agriculture and Conservation Committee
The committee held a fourth hearing on HB 397, which would revise the law regarding agricultural leases.

Posted by Nicole Piscitani on 11/19/2021