Week in Review: Feb. 9, 2025

A summary of Ohio's legislative news for the week ending Feb. 7, 2025.

AGING

Ahead of the release of the executive budget proposal of the DeWine administration, the Ohio Aging Advocacy Coalition – comprised of Coalition of Age-Friendly Communities of Ohio, Ohio Adult Day Healthcare Association, LeadingAge Ohio, Ohio Association of Area Agencies on Aging, Pro Seniors, Ohio Health Care Association, Ohio Coalition of Adult Protective Services, Ohio Council for Home Care and Hospice, Ohio Assisted Living Association, Alzheimer's Association and Ohio Association of Senior Centers -- released a blueprint of policy proposals it hopes will guide work on the budget. The blueprint is based on several key principles:

- Ensure sustainability of the home and community-based services (HCBS) system

- Ensure older adults have choices in their care with proper support for HCBS options

- Invest in innovative care models and care coordination

- Support providers in building an HCBS workforce that is paid a livable, family-sustaining wage

- Protect older adults from abuse, neglect and a lack of services, and support greater health outcomes through nutrition

- Increase housing security for older adults

FY24-25 BUDGET

According to preliminary data released Thursday by the Office of Budget and Management (OBM), total General Revenue Fund (GRF) tax receipts came in $172.5 million, or 6.6%, above estimates in January. Non-auto sales tax collections came in $79.3 million, or 7.1%, above the monthly estimate, while auto sales tax collections were $11.4 million, or 7.7%, above the monthly estimate. Personal income tax collections were $37.9 million, or 3.3% below the estimate for the month. The Commercial Activity Tax (CAT) came in $76.8 million, or 150% above the estimate for the month. So far for this fiscal year, total tax revenues are nearly $525.3 million or 3.2% over estimates. A total of $16.9 billion has been collected thus far.

FY26-27 OPERATING BUDGET

Higher taxes on tobacco, sports gambling and adult use cannabis would pay for several new programs in the FY26-27 executive budget proposal, Gov. Mike DeWine announced Monday. The tobacco tax hike would pay for a new refundable child tax credit, while the sports gambling tax increase would help pay for professional sports stadiums and youth sports. The adult use cannabis tax increase would pay for a new marijuana possession expungement program, as well as existing programs such as the law enforcement training program, 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, local drug task force grants and driver training programs. Under the proposed budget, the $1.60 per pack cigarette tax would increase to $3.10 per pack. Other tobacco products would be taxed at 42% of the wholesale price, up from the current rate of 17%. The tax on vapor products would double to 20 cents per milliliter. Additionally, non-combustible non-tobacco products containing nicotine would be taxed at 20 cents per milliliter. The tobacco tax proposal is estimated to increase revenue from $703.5 million in FY25 to $1.11 billion in FY26 and $1.12 billion in FY27.

Overall, the General Revenue Fund (GRF) is currently projected to be just over $30 billion in FY26, which is 2.4% higher than FY25. The GRF is projected to be $30.9 billion in FY27, a 2.8% increase over FY26. The All Funds budget is projected to be $108.6 billion in FY26, a 2.9% increase from FY25. The All Funds budget in FY27 is projected to be $110.7 billion, a 1.9% increase from FY26.

The budget expects total tax revenue to reach $28.44 billion in FY25, increasing by 1.8% over the previous year. "The forecast reflects current law (or 'baseline') revenue amounting to $29.62 billion in FY26, growing by 4.1% from FY25, and amounting to $30.58 billion in FY27 with a 3.2% growth rate from FY26," the Ohio Office of Budget and Management (OBM) FY26-27 Blue Book says. On Medicaid, the caseload is projected to increase from an estimated average monthly enrollment of 2.91 million individuals in FY25 to 2.92 million in FY26 and 2.93 million in FY27.

DeWine's executive budget proposal for FY26-27 follows suit with the prior biennium and would complete the phase in of the new K-12 funding formula, but also proposes to curtail funding guarantees for "phantom students" and does not update cost input data, which formula designers have identified as a top priority. In higher education, the proposal would continue the move toward performance-based funding by starting to have the formula incorporate employment among graduates as a factor, along with other proposals. During a press conference on the budget proposal Monday, Budget Director Kim Murnieks said under the executive proposal the guarantee for districts that have lost students would be cut from 100% to 95% in FY26 and then to 90% in FY27.

The Ohio Attorney General's Office will proceed with the marijuana conviction expungement program supported by Democrats should the General Assembly approve executive budget funding proposed by Gov. DeWine Monday -- $27 million over two years for a policy priority included in stalled marijuana omnibus 135-HB86 (LaRe) but absent from newly introduced SB56 (S. Huffman). The governor's $727.5 million budget recommendation for the attorney general's office includes $12.5 million in FY26 and $14.3 million in FY27 to purge past convictions for recreational pot from Ohioans' records.

Overall, DeWine's budget proposal recommends a 4% decrease in ODNR's budget from FY25 to FY26, from $725,701,522 to $696,321,656. The department's budget is then recommended to rebound in FY27 to $733,631,989. Among the largest decreases in ODNR's recommended budget from FY25 to FY26 is the amount appropriated for Watercraft Operations, decreasing 11.8% from over $32 million to over $28 million. ODNR is also anticipating a drop in federal funding to plug orphan wells, from an estimate of $25 million in FY25 to just over $22 million in DeWine's budget for FY26. However, the Oil and Gas-Federal line item in DeWine's budget is expected to increase from $154,350 in FY25 to over $20 million in FY26 then remain at that level for FY27.

The DeWine administration's proposed FY26-27 budget was met with skepticism on Tuesday, as members of the House Finance Committee questioned the proposal's reliance on vice tax increases to fund key initiatives. Ohio Office of Budget and Management (OBM) Director Kimberly Murnieks provided a budget overview to the committee, explaining the proposal in more detail following Gov. DeWine's press conference on Monday.

House Finance Committee Chair Brian Stewart (R-Ashville) said transportation budget amendments will be due on Thursday, Feb. 13, with a plan to adopt the transportation budget sub bill on Tuesday, Feb. 18. The transportation budget was introduced Tuesday as HB54 (Stewart). Operating budget amendments are due on Friday, March 14, Stewart said, noting his goal is for the budget to pass on the House floor on Wednesday, April 9. The operating budget has not yet been formally introduced.

Gov. DeWine's executive budget proposal would address a shortfall in State Board of Education (SBOE) funding by appropriating General Revenue Fund (GRF) money to support teacher criminal records monitoring and cutting out a contract expense for evaluation of beginning teachers. The board faced a budget crunch last year following its split from the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) as part of K-12 governance reforms included in the prior budget, 135-HB33 (Edwards). The Controlling Board, however, provided bridge funding for the board to close out the current biennium. In its formal request to the administration for the FY26-27 biennium, the board made three main requests to add funding or cut expenses, and the proposal released Monday appears to address the two with the biggest price tags. The Blue Book proposes to fund the board at $16.3 million in FY26, a 1.7% decrease from FY25, and $16.8 million in FY27, a 3.1% increase.

Ohio would end Medicaid expansion coverage automatically if the federal match falls below 90% under Gov. DeWine's latest budget proposal, Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM) Director Maureen Corcoran told lawmakers Wednesday. Corcoran, who testified to the House Finance Committee on the executive budget proposal, said she'd directed her prepared remarks more to the financial side of Medicaid for the day, since other committees would be reviewing the "clinical" elements in future hearings. Members questioned her on federal uncertainty, spending trends, the wisdom of work requirements, proposed changes to the 340B drug discount program and other topics as she presented the outline of the proposal.

According to House Workforce and Higher Education Committee Chair Rep. Tom Young (R-Washington Twp.), Ohio under former Gov. Jim Rhodes took a "build, build, build" attitude toward higher education, as the state at the time was expecting population growth upwards of 20 million. Ohio's current population stands just shy of 12 million, and higher education enrollment has been declining in the state for at least a decade. However, Young urged the committee on Tuesday that, while tough decisions are going to have to be made in upcoming recommendations to the state's operating budget, he does see an upswing in Ohio's higher education enrollment coming in the next five to six years. The committee heard presentations on the state of higher education in Ohio from representatives of the Legislative Service Commission (LSC). LSC Senior Budget Analyst Ed Millane said ODHE oversees approximately 60 public universities and community colleges throughout the state. Millane said the state share of instruction (SSI) appropriated to universities has moved to an outcome-based model based on degree attainment, as opposed to a previous model that calculated SSI based on inputs like student enrollment.

The House Finance Committee Wednesday heard details of budget proposals from Ohio Department of Children and Youth (DCY) Director Kara Wente and Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) Director Matt Damschroder. Wente went into detail about the agency's major goals for the upcoming biennium and its requests for additional dollars, while Damschroder reviewed his department's requests for largely administrative changes.

Ahead of a fuller discussion about her agency's budget needs, Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Director Mary Mertz presented to the House Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday about ODNR's operations, successes and challenges. Mertz gave the committee a "60,000-foot level view" of each of ODNR's 11 divisions, including the most visible and most staffed divisions -- the Division of State Parks and Watercraft and the Division of Wildlife, which oversees hunting and fishing -- to more operational and administrative divisions, including the Division of Geological Survey and both divisions of mineral resources management and water resources management. Mertz said the department's statutory duty is to maintain a balance between the wise use and the protection of the state's natural resources. Mertz noted that in 2024, ODNR hosted over one million overnight stays on its properties. She said Ohio ranks third in the country among states for overnight cabins at state parks, fourth for the number of state park lodges, and fifth for the number of registered boats, all of which fall under the ODNR's purview.

While the DeWine administration bills its partial reduction of school funding guarantees as ensuring the state doesn't pay for empty desks, multiple House Finance Committee members said Thursday some local superintendents tell them they'd lose money despite seeing enrollment growth. Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) Director Steve Dackin testified to the committee on Gov. DeWine's budget proposal, fielding questions on guarantees, the overall funding formula, federal uncertainty and other topics. Speaker Pro Tem Gayle Manning (R-North Ridgeville) estimated there are 30-some districts set to lose money even though they're gaining rather than losing kids. Rep. Jamie Callender (R-Concord) said some of those school systems are in his district. Committee Vice Chair Mike Dovilla (R-Berea) said in his district, Strongsville City Schools has seen enrollment growth the past two years but is facing reduced funding, adding that many suburban areas face a similar situation.

Gov. DeWine's executive budget proposal puts an emphasis on preparing Ohio's higher education system to be more accessible to a wider range of Ohio students, then tracking the relevance of those students' education as they move into the workforce. Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE) Chancellor Mike Duffey told the House Finance Committee on Thursday the plan is designed to help young people in Ohio prepare for citizenship and position themselves better for what comes after high school. A major part of that plan is continuing efforts to shift Ohio's higher education system to a performance- or outcome-based model. In his testimony, Duffey described using advancements in wage outcome data and employment outcomes for Ohio's graduates in the state's performance-based funding system to more closely align financial incentives for colleges and universities with the goals of students and families. Duffey described the approach as "results-based budgeting."

Director Annette Chambers-Smith of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (DRC) told House members Thursday she has implemented a long list of prison safeguards to address the Christmas Day murder of Officer Andy Lansing at Ross Correctional Institution (RCI), but Reps. Jean Schmidt (R-Loveland), chair of the Correctional Institution Inspection Committee (CIIC), and Mark Johnson (R-Chillicothe), who represents RCI, questioned the adequacy of DRC policies to prevent such incidents.

Chambers-Smith appeared before the House Finance Committee on behalf of the governor's $2.6 billion DRC budget in FY26 and $2.8 billion in FY27, of which $2.5 billion and $2.6 billion are General Revenue Funds (GRF). The director said her administration has taken many steps to increase safety -- body-worn cameras, K9 units, short-barreled rifles, upgraded body armor, 300 new prison staff and more -- and to decrease drug contraband, including drone detection, tip lines, improved fencing, digital forensic investigators, partnerships with the Ohio Department of Public Safety (DPS) and U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), screening of "adulterated," i.e. drug-saturated letter stationary, and other measures. Chambers-Smith said the FY26-27 executive budget supports equipping officers with Taser 10s as well as hiring another 400 correction officers.

State Auditor Keith Faber told the House Finance Committee Thursday Ohio's smallest government jurisdictions and school districts will face a major increase in audit costs if the Legislature fails to restore agency dollars which Gov. DeWine shifted to the Local Government Fund (LGF). Faber addressed the Auditor of State's (AOS) executive budget of $118 million for FY26 and $120.3 million for FY27, including $76.5 million/$77.7 million in dedicated purpose dollars and $41.6 million/$42.6 million in General Revenue Funds (GRF) -- an average 10% increase in GRF over FY25. The auditor said his submitted budget proposes an increase from $41 to $42 per audit hour for local jurisdictions, schools and other government subdivisions in FY26 and $42 to $43 in FY27. State agencies and post-secondary institutions come in much higher at $90 per hour, said Faber. Without $6 million in the first year and $10.7 million in the second from Local Government Audit Support Funds (LGASF) and GRF transferred by the executive budget to LGF, he said, local costs per audit hour will jump to $50 in FY26 and $56 in FY27.

FY26-27 TRANSPORTATION BUDGET

If gas tax revenues continue to come in at the current rate, recommended transportation projects for later this decade will cost more than projected revenues, Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) Director Pamela Boratyn told the House Transportation Committee Tuesday. Boratyn appeared before the committee for a first hearing on the transportation budget, introduced officially Tuesday as HB54 (Stewart), outlining a proposed $10 billion spending plan. That is a drop from the $13 billion requested in the last transportation budget, passed as 135-HB23 (Edwards), which she noted included initial appropriation authority for the Brent Spence Corridor project, as well as increased federal money under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. She said that for FY26 and FY27 ODOT expects to receive approximately $1.6 billion per year in State Motor Vehicle Fuel revenue. In addition, ODOT receives miscellaneous income like petroleum activity tax (PAT), interest income, oversize/overweight permit fees, prior year savings, and revenue from highway blue signs. That income is around $300 million per year and includes just over $20 million each year for electric vehicle registrations.

The Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission and the Ohio Rail Development Commission testified Thursday before the House Transportation Committee on their portions of HB54 (Stewart), speaking to the implementation of a new toll collection system for the former, and various safety initiatives and passenger rail for the latter.

Ohio Department of Development (DOD) Director Lydia Mihalik appeared before the House Transportation Committee Thursday to discuss the department's items in the transportation budget, HB54 (Stewart). She described how economic development requires collaboration by DOD, local officials and the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT). Regarding the Roadwork Development Grant program, Mihalik explained how that helps communities widen roads, pave streets and enhance right-of-way infrastructure such as water and sewer to support new business projects that create jobs and attract investment.

ELECTIONS

Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced that daily voter registration data can be accessed through a new online portal as part of his office's implementation of the DATA Act. The portal provides daily updates of voter registration changes across Ohio's 88 counties, including new registrations, updates, and removals from voter rolls, according to the secretary of state's office. Under Ohio law, each board of elections is required to create a prescribed daily record or "daily snapshot" of its voter registration database as of 4 p.m. each day.

ELECTIONS 2026

Just more than a week after officially launching his campaign for governor, Attorney General Dave Yost reported that he raised more than $1 million in the last half of 2024 and has the most funds of any active gubernatorial candidate. Friday was the deadline for candidates who were not on the 2024 ballot to file an annual campaign finance report. The report covers activity in the last six months of 2024. According to the secretary of state's office, Yost raised $1.04 million, spent $109,171, and has nearly $2.5 million on hand.

Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague Wednesday announced he was running for secretary of state in 2026, dropping his bid for governor and endorsing Vivek Ramaswamy instead. Sprague announced his support for Ramaswamy in a video he posted on social media. Saying "Ohio is built for more," Sprague said Ohio is not broken, but there are areas that need to be fixed in Columbus. He said the income tax needs to be eliminated "once and for all," people need to be lifted out of poverty, and Ohio's energy policy needs to be reformed. "There is one man that shares this vision of turning our state around and creating a renaissance in the state of Ohio, and that man is Vivek Ramaswamy," Sprague said. Ramaswamy, however, has not yet formally announced a campaign for governor.

Secretary of State Frank LaRose continued the carousel of statewide officeholders making moves towards 2026, declaring Thursday that he will seek the Republican nomination for state auditor, becoming the first candidate in that race. LaRose's announcement follows AG Yost's gubernatorial campaign launch, Auditor Keith Faber's attorney general campaign, and Sprague's secretary of state campaign. He said in a video announcement that as auditor he plans to bring the same kind of transparency, efficiency and accountability to every government office that he did to the secretary of state's office.

The following endorsement was made over the week:

- The gubernatorial campaign of Dave Yost announced the endorsement of former Secretary of State Ken Blackwell.

ENERGY/UTILITIES

"Heavy lift" in the Ohio Legislature generally refers to a watershed policy objective requiring the compromise of numerous and disparate stakeholders to succeed. It well describes Sen. Mark Romanchuk's (R-Ontario) attempts in both chambers to repeal legacy "electric security plans" (ESP) in energy omnibus 127-SB221 (Schuler) and coal plant subsidies in 133-HB6 (Callender-Wilkin) and may finally pay off in House and Senate legislation to replace ESPs with competitive market-rate offers (MRO) and end ratepayer guarantees to the Ohio Valley Electric Corporation (OVEC). With Sen. Bill Reineke's (R-Tiffin) SB2 still in its infancy as a two-page placeholder, Rep. Roy Klopfenstein (R-Haviland) delivered sponsor testimony Wednesday on legislation that had drawn little Republican support in the last decade but is now poised in HB15 -- if the sponsor and Chairman Adam Holmes (R-Nashport) of the House Energy Committee are right -- to radically alter the utility landscape in Ohio with "ratepayer-focused" energy policy, as the chair stated earlier. "The purpose of this legislation is clear and aligns with Chairman Holmes' mission for this committee to ensure reliable, affordable and available energy for all Ohioans," Klopfenstein told members. "This will be achieved by repealing the ESP statute, requiring all [utility] standard service offers (SSO) to be market-based. ... Furthermore, this bill seeks to foster competition across the energy sector by permitting competitive intrastate transmission, eliminating the OVEC subsidies that have already cost Ohioans $670 million since 2017, and repealing the Ohio Solar Generation Fund." In addition to consolidated billing and new bonding and transparency requirements on competitive retail electric (CRES) and natural gas services (CRNGS), he said HB15 would bar utilities from owning generation facilities and at the same time attract new power producers to the state by eliminating the tangible personal property (TPP) tax on electric plants.

Citing the need to prevent electricity shortages or outages that could start in the state as soon as 2027, the Ohio Business Roundtable (OBRT) released Wednesday a list of recommendations for state policymakers to shore up the state's energy grid for the near-term and to allow room for Ohio's further economic growth. OBRT President and CEO and former Ohio and federal legislator Pat Tiberi said that Ohio's leaders have put the state on good footing for its current energy needs, specifically crediting the administrations of Gov. Mike DeWine and his predecessor, John Kasich. But Tiberi added that Ohio may not have enough energy for the future given the influx of companies setting up energy-intensive operations in advanced manufacturing and artificial intelligence (AI), including Intel, AWS, Anduril, Microsoft, Meta, Google and several automotive manufacturers. OBRT reports that Ohio currently has 1.2 GW of operational data center capacity, with the potential for demand to grow to 15 GW by 2034. That compares to the U.S. in total with 17 GW of the same capacity, with an additional 25 GW in development. Ohio is also on the same interstate electrical grid, PJM, as Virginia, which includes the energy-intensive data center operations in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY/STATEHOUSE

Legislation conforming Ohio's tax law to the federal tax law unanimously passed the House on Wednesday. Lawmakers voted 93-0 to approve HB14 (Roemer-Workman), which incorporates into Ohio law recent changes to the Internal Revenue Code. The House also unanimously voted to add an emergency clause to the bill. House Ways and Means Committee Chair Bill Roemer (R-Richfield) said the most significant change in HB14 is language excluding qualified disaster relief payments resulting from the East Palestine train derailment from a taxpayer's gross income. The House Ways and Means Committee had reported the bill earlier in the day after hearing from two proponent witnesses -- Greg Saul of the Ohio Society of CPAs and Tim Lynch, the policy director at the Ohio Department of Taxation.

In other action on the House floor Wednesday, the chamber voted 93-0 to adopt SCR4 (Reineke), the legislative code of ethics of the General Assembly. The Senate adopted the resolution on Jan. 29.

After session, House Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) told reporters that Reps. Roemer, Jim Hoops (R-Napoleon), David Thomas (R-Jefferson) and a "couple others" are working on bills to address property taxes. Huffman said he would prefer that lawmakers address property taxes outside the operating budget. "Often, when everything gets shoved in a budget, we figure out later how it's interacting with each other. This problem with property taxes has been created over decades, much like other problems that we have," Huffman said. "The concept of, we're going to peel the onion apart a little bit at a time ... that's the preferred method."

Speaking with reporters earlier after the House Rules and Reference Committee, the speaker discussed various elements of the next operating budget while telling Hannah News he hoped that will pass the House before their Easter break over the weeks of April 14 and April 21. "Our goal is to have [the budget] out before that," Huffman said. He also discussed how around a dozen House committees will be taking budget testimony and making reports, rather than the subcommittee method used in the past, saying that should "help move the timeline along." Huffman's office said they hope the budget will be introduced as a bill this week or early next week.

Regarding budget funding for public schools and its proposal for changes to the guarantees, Huffman detailed the complexity of the current system and said it "needs to be taken apart" with elements that are successful being retained. He also said Rules and Reference Committee meetings will move from Hearing Room 119 to the House Chamber to better enable public attendance and because they will now be livestreamed and recorded on the Ohio Channel. Presentations of congratulatory resolutions on the House floor will be limited to five a day at session and they can be held at the end of rules committee meetings, Huffman continued.

House Minority Leader Allison Russo (D-Columbus) told reporters Wednesday her caucus is still reviewing what Gov. Mike DeWine's budget proposal would mean as far as public school guarantees being phased out. She added the proposal doesn't include updates to the cost inputs for the school funding formula, something Democrats hope will happen and which could "mitigate" concerns on the loss of guarantees. Regarding vice tax increases in the budget proposal, she said it would mean "making a lot of money off of people's vices" and questioned how sustainable that was, as well as "is that something as a government we want to continue to encourage? I think it speaks to the larger point of, we have a very unbalanced, unfair tax system here in the state of Ohio," Russo said. She continued that rolling back income taxes would also be part of "a very regressive tax structure that tends to make people who don't make as much money pay more of their income in taxes."

The chair of the House Education Committee said Tuesday at the panel's first meeting of the 136th General Assembly that she's hoping to find ways to provide flexibility to Ohio schools. Rep. Sarah Fowler Arthur (R-Ashtabula) said in recent decades the state's education system has become "weighed down with bureaucracy and red tape," sometimes as a result of laws and rules that stemmed from good intentions. "But we have the opportunity to change this," she said, noting the potential for a new direction in federal policy under the Trump administration and its Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative. Fowler Arthur called out the educational expertise present on the committee, including multiple former teachers and three past chairs of the committee - Reps. Adam Bird (R-New Richmond), Don Jones (R-Freeport) and Gayle Manning (R-North Ridgeville).

The name of the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) may change to the Ohio Department of Behavioral Health, Director LeeAnne Cornyn told the House Children and Human Services Committee Tuesday. The name change is proposed in Gov. DeWine's FY26-27 budget, Cornyn said. A department survey found stigmas attached to words like "addiction" and "mental illness" that could limit people's willingness to pursue treatment, she said, adding that more than half of states have updated their terminology to focus on "behavioral health." As budget discussions begin, Cornyn and Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) Director Matt Damschroder appeared before the committee to provide an overview of their agencies' budgets.

GOVERNOR

Gov. Mike DeWine Tuesday issued Executive Order 2025-01D, which orders all state employees to return to their offices no later than Monday, March 17. The order notes that it is "in the best interest of the citizens of Ohio for state of Ohio employees to complete a return to a physical office or facility to best serve the public and maximize the use of state-owned assets and facilities." In actuality, this order affects approximately 35% of the state's 50,000 employees, according to Department of Administrative Services (DAS) spokesman J.C. Benton. He told Hannah News in a Tuesday email that "65% of state employees are currently fully in-office and were never remote due to the nature of the duties they perform ..." - a fact noted by the governor in the executive order: "... the majority of state of Ohio employees never worked remotely due to the nature of their positions, including state hospital and direct care employees, correctional and law enforcement officers and others ...."

HANNAH NEWS’ MEET THE FRESHMEN

Having returned to the House after an eight-year absence, Rep. Mike Dovilla (R-Berea) told Hannah News he plans to focus on areas of economic competitiveness, high-quality education and government reform. He made similar comments in an interview during the campaign. Dovilla had previously served in the House from 2011 to 2016, rising to majority whip in his third term. He said he plans to introduce legislation in those areas soon, adding that was "in development" and that he sees a "comprehensive energy policy" and additional tax reform as important parts of improving Ohio's economic competitiveness. Dovilla further noted the focus on property tax changes and said he wants to take a closer look at how the Common Sense Initiative is doing and the work of JobsOhio. Given his new position as vice chair of the House Finance Committee, Dovilla also discussed the budget at length and how he expects that to be "leaner" than in recent years.

HIGHER EDUCATION

The Ohio State University (OSU) Department of Athletics was $37.8 million in the red during the last fiscal year, according to the university's FY24 financial report filed with the NCAA. The department reported $254.9 million in revenue and $292.7 million in expenses in FY24, the report says. OSU said the Department of Athletics made $279.5 million in revenue in FY23.

The University of Toledo (UToledo) announced it has recruited its first executive vice president for health affairs to lead the institution's clinical enterprise. Dr. Charles "Chuck" Callahan, a clinical psychologist and experienced health care CEO, joined UToledo Feb. 3. Callahan spent much of his career in administrative roles at Memorial Health in Springfield, IL, including serving as president of the five hospital Memorial Hospital Group and president and CEO of the 500-bed Springfield Memorial Hospital, as well as chief operating officer and chief quality officer.

OSU head football coach Ryan Day has agreed to a new seven-year contract, the OSU Department of Athletics announced Thursday. The contract, which would keep Day as coach of the Buckeye football team through the 2031 football season, reportedly makes Day the second-highest-paid college football coach behind only University of Georgia coach Kirby Smart. "Terms of the contract, which add three years onto his current agreement, must be approved by the OSU Board of Trustees once the entire contract is completed," the university said. "Valued at $12.5 million in total annual compensation, with a base salary of $2 million per year, the contract comes just over two weeks after Ohio State celebrated winning the 2025 College Football Playoff national championship after a spectacular and never-before achieved run of four playoff wins in 31 days." Day is one of only three current college football head coaches with a national championship win, along with Smart and University of Clemson coach Dabo Swinney.

LOBBYISTS

Brittney Colvin, who was chief of staff under former House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill), is joining lobbying firm Hicks Partners as senior director of government affairs, the firm announced Monday. Prior to her time as chief of staff, Colvin worked in a variety of roles at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Ohio Department of Education and the Ohio Senate. Colvin has a bachelor's degree from Ohio State University, management essentials certification from Harvard Business School and is a graduate of the Jo Ann Davidson Leadership Institute.

MEDICAID/MEDICAID REFORM

The House Medicaid Committee heard a presentation Tuesday on the state's Medicaid program from Trevor Carlsen and Kaitlyn Finley, visiting fellows with the Opportunity Solutions Project (OSP), with Carlsen saying Ohio faces a "Medicaid crisis" and offering recommendations. In introducing them, Chair Jennifer Gross (R-West Chester) identified OSP as a lobbying arm of the Florida-based Foundation for Government Accountability. Finley explained the history of Medicaid nationally, including how it expanded in the 1980s to apply to parents and caretakers of those with disabilities as well as pregnant women. She also detailed how the 2010 Affordable Care Act, or "Obamacare," subsequently allowed anyone under a certain economic threshold to qualify regardless of whether they had a medical condition. Finley added Medicaid didn't change to operate like other "welfare programs as short-term assistance."

POLITICS

The Ohio Republican Party announced that Mitch Tulley has been named executive director of the Ohio Republican Party, succeeding Cameron Sagester. Tulley previously served as political director of the state party for two years, and deputy political director before that. He is a graduate of Miami University.

STATE GOVERNMENT

Monday's Controlling Board meeting was cancelled, with the Office of Budget and Management (OBM) saying it has been rescheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 4 p.m. in the Senate Finance Hearing Room. A spokesman for OBM told Hannah News that the decision was made to move the meeting as to not conflict with Gov. Mike DeWine's roll out of his proposed executive budget. The board is set to hear 83 items, including an extension of the liquor contract with JobsOhio, an additional appropriation for the Ohio Department of Commerce's Division of Cannabis Control to perform responsibilities under the adult-use recreational marijuana program, and funds for cybersecurity efforts at the secretary of state's office.

Provided by Hannah News Service