Week in review: September 14, 2025

A summary of Ohio’s legislative news for the week ending Sept. 12, 2025

FY26-27 BUDGET

State tax collections netted $52.1 million more than expected in August, as strong Commercial Activity Tax (CAT) revenue offset a drop in the auto sales tax, according to preliminary figures from the Office of Budget and Management. August tax revenues beat estimates by 2.1%, yielding a total of $2.57 billion.

IT’S IN THE FY26-27 BUDGET

Gov. Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Health (ODH) Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff Friday announced the details of a new children's eyesight program, OhioSEE. The program is the result of deliberations by the governor's Children's Vision Strike Force, which he created in 2024 to come up with a solution to the gap in Ohio students' vision care. The group found that only about one-fourth (26%) of Ohio students who need additional vision care actually receive it -- a need that this recommendation from the strike force is intended to address.

Besides its name change from the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS), operating budget HB96 (Stewart) will give the newly formed Ohio Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) a new approach in the flexibility it affords to local boards in overseeing Ohio's statewide system for addressing mental health, addiction and gambling prevention, treatment and recovery support.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT/URBAN REVITALIZATION

The Columbus metro area was named as first in the nation for Site Selection Magazine's 2025 "Global Groundwork" index, measuring how business growth and public infrastructure investment advance together. This followed the region's third-place finish in 2024.

EDUCATION

U.S. Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH) visited Eastland Career Center in Groveport last week to talk with students involved in programs related to welding, manufacturing, aviation and electrical work, and to promote legislation that would help students from households receiving nutrition assistance to avoid losing benefits if they earn money from work-based learning. Ahead of the tour, Husted introduced the FEED Act, which stands for Food Eligibility for Education and Development. The legislation would change Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) rules so students ages 18 to 21 can earn money through a career-technical program without their earnings counting against their or their families' eligibility for SNAP benefits.

The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) is offering schools guidance on statutory changes to the laws on truancy and absenteeism included in HB96 (Stewart), coincidentally taking effect at the end of Attendance Awareness Month, observed in September. The new budget repeals a framework established under 131-HB410 (Rezabek-Hayes), which required establishment of an absence intervention team for each student who missed enough school to qualify as a habitual truant. Maintained from HB410, however, is the general prohibition on using student absences as the basis for suspensions or expulsions. Under HB96, schools now must work with their local juvenile court to establish an absence policy meeting specified criteria.

Survey and interview data compiled by research group RAND for the 2024-2025 academic year show that chronic absenteeism remains a post-pandemic issue in schools, with higher rates in urban districts. RAND used data from a survey of 245 K-12 public schools, interviews with 14 school leaders and surveys of youth aged 12 to 21, all gathered in the winter and spring of this year. The report from RAND estimates that about 22% of students were chronically absent - meaning they missed 10% or more of school days -- in the 2024-2025 academic year, compared to an estimated 19% in the prior school year.

State Board of Education staff is meeting goals for timely issuance of licenses and made progress toward cutting down the volume of misconduct cases that last more than two years, Superintendent Paul Craft told board members Monday during a review of FY25 activities. Craft set metrics for the staff as part of an overall goal for the board to conduct its duties in a timely and professional manner so as to build trust with stakeholders.

Eighth grade science and 12th grade math and English results on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), aka the Nation's Report Card, dropped from 2019 to 2024, according to data released Tuesday by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Tuesday's results are based on assessments given in the spring of 2024 to 23,000 eighth graders in science, 19,300 12th graders in math and 24,300 12th graders in reading.

Applications for grants to help schools defray bus transportation costs for field trips to the Ohio Statehouse and its museum will open next week, according to the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board (CSRAB) and the Capitol Square Foundation (CSF). CSRAB and CSF said 81 schools will be awarded transportation grants for the 2025-26 academic year. The online application will open on Monday, Sept. 15, at 9 a.m. and remain open until 11:59 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 22.

Some of Ohio's public broadcasters may not recover from cuts to funding this summer from both the national and state levels. At Thursday's meeting of the Broadcast Educational Media Commission (BEMC), Kitty Lensman of Ohio Educational Telecommunications said the loss of funding for the state's public broadcasters is significant following cuts in the recissions package passed by Congress in July and additional cuts in state operating budget HB96 (Stewart).

Columbus-based Mission America and other Christian organizations are planning a call for prayer and action during the month of October, when some public schools observe LGBTQ+ History Month. Mission America is asking students, teachers and churches to "commit to a month of prayer during October as reckless, deceptive events roll out in many schools featuring rainbow radicalism, obscene library selections, drag queens as special speakers/assemblies, in-class lessons and more," according to a news release from the organization.

ELECTIONS 2026

The Ohio Republican Party's State Central Committee Friday endorsed in one Ohio Supreme Court race while declining to endorse in another. Unanimously getting an endorsement was Ohio Supreme Court Justice Dan Hawkins, who is running again next year for a full term to his seat after winning a race to fill out the remaining term of Joe Deters last year. Deters ran and won a full term to a different seat held by former Supreme Court Justice Melody Stewart after being appointed to replace Sharon Kennedy when she was elected chief justice. The state party, however, did not endorse in the other 2026 race for current Justice Jennifer Brunner's seat.

Rep. Juanita Brent (D-Cleveland) appears headed to the November ballot in a Cleveland City Council race after Tuesday's unofficial primary results for the city. Brent earned just over 30% of the vote in a five-way race for Ward 1 of the council. She trailed incumbent Joe Jones, who received over 60%. The top two finishers advance to the Tuesday, Nov. 4 general election.

The following endorsements were made over the week:

- The gubernatorial campaign of Republican Vivek Ramaswamy announced the endorsement of the Central Midwest Regional Council of Carpenters.

- The U.S. Senate campaign of Democrat Sherrod Brown announced the endorsement of the Central Midwest Regional Council of Carpenters.

- The gubernatorial campaign of Democrat Amy Acton announced the endorsements of Montgomery County Commissioners Judy Dodge and Carolyn Rice; Montgomery County Auditor Karl Keith; Trotwood Mayor Yvette Page; Dayton City Commissioner Matt Joseph; Trotwood Councilwoman Martha Clark; Dayton School Board members Joceylyn Rhynard, Karen Wick, and Vice President William Bailey; Dayton Municipal Clerk of Court Marty Gehres; and Riverside City Councilwoman Sarah Lommatzch, among others from the Dayton area.

EMPLOYMENT/UNEMPLOYMENT

The nation added only 22,000 jobs in August and the federal unemployment rate rose slightly to 4.3%, the highest since 2021, according to figures posted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Friday. Meanwhile, BLS revised June's unemployment figures downward by 27,000 jobs, with that month now showing the nation shedding 13,000 jobs rather than adding 14,000 jobs as BLS had originally reported in July. It is the first time since the pandemic that a report showed a net job loss over a month.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY/STATEHOUSE

The House Rules and Reference Committee Wednesday approved the referral of a slew of bills and resolutions introduced between June 17 and Sept. 9, as well as seven Senate-passed bills. It also introduced and referred two pages of new resolutions and concurrent resolutions. However, the referrals are not official until they are offered on the House floor with the next session set for Monday, Sept. 15. The list of referrals is HERE.

The Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board (CSRAB) announced tickets for this year's Ohio Statehouse haunted tours are now on sale. The historical tours will take place Friday, Oct. 17; Saturday, Oct. 18; Friday, Oct. 24 and Saturday, Oct. 25 at the state Capitol. Tickets to attend the event must be pre-ordered. Tickets can be purchased online at http://statehouseshop.com; in-person at the Statehouse Museum Shop on the ground floor of the Ohio Statehouse; or over the phone by calling 614-728-9234.

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Monday was 988 Day, a national day of awareness and action to promote the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, "a vital resource that connects Ohioans experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis with free, confidential support 24/7," the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) noted.

While cancer researchers at some of Ohio's largest universities and medical facilities continue to make strides in the medical and technological aspects of treating cancer, some of those researchers also focused on efforts to improve patient access to those treatments during a panel at the Statehouse on Tuesday. Dr. Electra Paskett, professor of cancer research at Ohio State University, noted that social determinants of health like housing, transportation and the availability of food can pose challenges in addition to procuring health care in the rural and Appalachian areas in which she works.

The fourth meeting of Gov. Mike DeWine's working group on banning the use of food benefits for sugary beverages won't take place until just before its reporting deadline. The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, which has been hosting the working group meetings, announced the meeting planned for 10 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 11 will instead happen at noon Thursday, Sept. 25 on the 32nd floor of the Rhodes State Office Tower in Columbus.

HIGHER EDUCATION

The Ohio Chamber of Commerce recently announced it has entered into a partnership with Western Governors University (WGU), making the higher education institution its “preferred online education provider.” The chamber said that reflected its commitment to supporting workforce readiness and career advancement.

JUDICIAL

Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Sharon Kennedy focused her annual "State of the Judiciary" on judicial independence Thursday, saying she believes that they have the opportunity to demonstrate to the public what that means. Speaking at the Ohio Judicial Conference's annual meeting, she told judges in attendance that they take steps to preserve judicial independence every day, and it is that "independence and ingenuity" that drive Ohio courts to meet people where they are by developing unique specialized dockets, by giving second chances to youth through community partnerships, "and by ensuring not simply that the courthouse doors are open, but we have a meaningful opportunity to be heard."

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Chief Justice Sharon Kennedy appointed a special body of three retired judges Wednesday to consider whether to suspend from office Bryan Davis, a Scioto County commissioner who was indicted recently alongside his wife on charges of public corruption. Auditor of State Keith Faber announced in August that Davis is facing 13 felony counts addressing corrupt activity, theft in office, money laundering, theft, evidence and records tampering, receiving stolen property, forgery, obstructing justice and filing bad returns. Lorinda Davis faces 10 counts, many overlapping.

MEDICAID/MEDICAID REFORM

The Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM) this week filed notice of appeal of the recent trial court ruling that shielded from release a consultant's report on pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) pricing practices that the agency tried to release seven years ago. In August, Judge Andrew Miller of Franklin County Common Pleas Court determined that specified information in a report from Health Plan Data Solutions constituted trade secrets and should not be released by the ODM.

MILITARY AFFAIRS

Gov. Mike DeWine announced late Wednesday that he had agreed to a request made by U.S. Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll to extend the Ohio National Guard's support of the D.C. National Guard through Sunday, Nov. 30. DeWine first sent 150 military police (MP) members of the Ohio National Guard to Washington, D.C. in August.

PEOPLE

The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) announced Monday that Jared Weiser is its new state director for Ohio. Weiser succeeds Chris Ferruso, who is now the state government relations director for JPMorgan Chase. In his new role, Weiser will be responsible for all aspects of the organization's state advocacy, operations, political engagement, communications, and programming on behalf of NFIB's over 20,000 members across the state, NFIB said.

The Ohio Hospital Association (OHA) announced Wednesday that Aaron Crooks has joined the organization as senior vice president of advocacy, effective Monday, Sept. 8.

Lindsay Rich Steinmetz, an experienced environmental lawyer, has joined Shumaker's Toledo office as an associate. Her practice includes helping clients maintain compliance with environmental laws such as the Clean Air Act (CAA), Clean Water Act (CWA), Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) as well as advising on the environmental components of real estate and business transactions.

PUBLIC SAFETY

The Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) will work side-by-side with the Cincinnati Police Department (CPD) to carry out crime reduction operations under a new agreement signed by the state and the city, Gov. Mike DeWine and Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval announced Tuesday. "These joint operations will be data-driven, using information from the Cincinnati Crime Gun Intelligence Center," DeWine said during a press conference at Cincinnati City Hall. "By focusing on hotspots where we know crime is high, teams will be targeting the worst of the worst offenders."

REDISTRICTING/REAPPORTIONMENT

Members of the public have submitted more than 50 maps on how they think lawmakers should draw Ohio's new congressional lines since legislative leaders launched an online portal for submissions last week. Senate President Rob McColley (R-Napoleon) and House Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) announced the launch of the portal last week. The Ohio Constitution under Article. XIX, Section 1(H) requires an avenue for members of the public to submit proposed congressional district plans, giving the task to the General Assembly to provide by law the manner in which members of the public may do so. As of Monday afternoon, 52 plans had been submitted, though a number of plans were submitted by the same individuals. Plans came from individuals on both sides of the aisle. Some sought to increase the number of Democrat-leaning seats to seven, while others sought to get the number of Republican-leaning seats up to 13 or in one case, 14.

Saying they wanted to kickstart congressional redistricting efforts, House and Senate Democrats unveiled their proposed map Tuesday. Based on partisan election numbers from 2016-2024, the map proposes eight solidly-Republican leaning districts, four solidly-leaning Democratic districts, and three districts that lean Democratic but are in the 48 to 52 percent range, making them more toss-up than other districts.

The General Assembly's first crack at drawing a congressional map appears to be starting in less than two weeks after House Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) and Senate President Rob McColley (R-Napoleon) Wednesday announced their appointments to the Joint Committee on Congressional Redistricting. Though details on when and where that meeting will occur were not released, the leaders said the first meeting will be held on Monday, Sept. 22. House members named to the joint committee include Rep. Adam Bird (R-New Richmond) as co-chair, and Reps. Nick Santucci (R-Niles), Brian Stewart (R-Ashville), D.J. Swearingen (R-Huron), House Minority Leader Dani Isaacsohn (D-Cincinnati), and State Rep. Desiree Tims (D-Dayton). Senate members include Sen. Jane Timken (R-Canton) as co-chair and Sens. Steve Huffman (R-Tipp City), Bill Reineke (R-Tiffin), Senate Minority Leader Nickie J. Antonio (D-Lakewood) and Sen. Willis E. Blackshear Jr. (D-Dayton).

House Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) discussed with reporters Wednesday what he expects for the congressional redistricting process, shortly after members of the Joint Committee on Congressional Redistricting were announced. Huffman detailed how the state's redistricting process changed in 2018, including efforts to "ensure more public input into this process." In line with that, the House and Senate majorities intend to have public hearings on the issue that are going to be scheduled in September, and he has spoken with Minority Leader Dani Isaacsohn (D-Cincinnati) about that. "The spirit of what we did in 2018 ... is that the separate political parties would come together in the month of September and attempt to come up with a map that they both could agree on," Huffman said.

TAXATION

Gov. Mike DeWine's property tax working group heard a pitch Thursday for establishment of "residential stability zones," a policy modeled on the existing tax abatement structure that could let jurisdictions target relief to those in need. Franklin County Auditor Michael Stinziano, a former member of the House, and Ed Stockhausen of Cleveland Neighborhood Progress, a former legislative staffer, described the concept, recently introduced as SB42 with bipartisan backing from Sens. Michele Reynolds (R-Canal Winchester) and Hearcel Craig (D-Columbus). The concept would provide a partial property tax exemption to cover increases in assessed home value.

TECHNOLOGY/AEROSPACE

The City Club of Cleveland commemorated "Ohio Space Week" with a Thursday discussion featuring NASA astronauts Sunita "Suni" Williams and Doug Wheelock, who served as moderator. Williams, an Ohio native, was one of the two astronauts who spent nine months aboard the International Space Station (ISS) from June 2024 to March 2025 due to technical issues with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft.

TRANSPORTATION/INFRASTRUCTURE

With the Ohio Rail Development Commission (ORDC) scheduled to vote on Ohio's federally required rail plan at its meeting later this month, a pro-passenger rail group is raising concerns with the role of expanded passenger service in the plan. The rail plan is required to be created by states and updated every four years under federal law and Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) regulations. The plans include details on the current conditions of the rail system in each state as well as plans for the system in the future.

The Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission was recognized by the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA) for its outreach on text toll scams. The commission was one of a number of recipients of IBTTA's 2025 Toll Excellence Awards. "The Ohio Turnpike guarded against smishing by launching a rapid multimedia campaign to combat nationwide text scams impersonating toll agencies -- restoring customer confidence and providing a model for agencies nationwide," IBITTA said in its recognition.

WORKFORCE

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) announced Tuesday that Ohio employers have until Wednesday, Oct. 1 to complete the state's 2025 In-Demand Jobs Survey, used to develop the list of in-demand jobs and align workforce development efforts with those real hiring needs. The survey is HERE.

Provided by Hannah News Service