In April, Ohio and the nation will celebrate the Month of the Military Child, a time to recognize the sacrifices that military service members and their families make for the security and safety of the nation.

Late yesterday afternoon, the U.S. Department of Education issued a new proposed regulation on Title IX and a related fact sheet.

The legislature is on spring recess until Monday, April 17, when the biennial budget process and committee hearings will resume. Please continue reaching out to your legislators as we advocate for a full phase in of the Fair School Funding Plan and updates to the base cost inputs to FY 2022.

New Bills Introduced
The following bills were introduced this week:

Last September, the Ohio School Boards Association issued a bulletin alerting school districts that the General Assembly had amended Ohio Revised Code (RC) 2915.092 to remove a school district’s ability to conduct raffles.

Senate activity
The Senate unanimously passed Senate Bill (SB) 43, sponsored by Sen. Andrew O. Brenner (R-Powell), which would extend the homestead exemption for the surviving spouse of a disabled veteran to spouses of disabled veterans who died before receiving a qualifying disability rating.

Next week’s testimony opportunities
The House Ways and Means Committee will be holding a hearing on HB 1, tax reform, on Tuesday, March 28 at 2:30 p.m. They will be accepting proponent, opponent and interested party testimony during this hearing.

On April 6, the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) may begin issuing two-year reinstatement licenses in accordance with HB 554, which was signed by Gov. Mike DeWine in January 2023. These licenses may be issued to educators whose associate or professional licenses or certificates have expired.

It’s March, meaning we are in one of the peak times for sports. It’s tournament time for basketball, including the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Tournaments. The OHSAA Boys State Basketball Tournament is underway as of the time of this writing, with the OHSAA Girls State Basketball Tournament wrapping up just a few days ago. We all enjoy these traditions, and for many students who play any sport, these are core and formative experiences in their education.

Next week’s testimony opportunities
The House Finance Subcommittee on Primary and Secondary Education will be holding hearings for public testimony on HB 33, the biennial budget, next week. Hearings will occur on Tuesday, March 21, Wednesday, March 22 and Thursday, March 23 at 10:00 a.m.