WEEK IN REVIEW: March 9, 2025

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

AGRICULTURE

Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODAg) Director Brian Baldridge and Ohio Poultry Association Executive Vice President Jim Chakeres Tuesday briefed the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee on where the state is in addressing Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), also known as bird flu. Baldridge described how bird flu has been present in Ohio since 2022, though there has been a dramatic uptick since late December 2024. Over 15 million birds have been "depopulated" in the state as a result. He also said ODAg had worked with other agencies including the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for around 10 years to prepare for this type of outbreak. Baldridge detailed the work of ODAg's Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (ADDL) in responding to the outbreak as well. Chakeres followed by discussing how Darke and Mercer counties have had the majority of infected flocks and said farmers are in "the fight of their lives" against bird flu. He urged the Legislature to fully fund the ADDL as part of the budget and added the industry needs continued federal support, including on indemnity and development of effective vaccines.

FY24-25 BUDGET

Commercial Activity Tax (CAT) revenue that was expected in February but instead booked in January contributed to a $94 million miss in total monthly tax collections, according to the Office of Budget and Management (OBM). Preliminary revenue figures for February released Thursday showed tax collections of $2.14 billion versus projections of $2.24 billion, a 4.2 percent variance. Of the $93.8 million miss on estimates, more than $53 million is from CAT revenues, which yielded $515.3 million versus expectations of $569 million, a variance of 9.4 percent.

FY26-27 BUDGET

The Ohio Hospital Association (OHA) and Ohio Children's Hospital Association (OCHA) are fully behind Gov. Mike DeWine's executive budget proposal, OHA Senior Vice President for Advocacy Scott Borgemenke and OCHA President and CEO Nick Lashtutka told the House Medicaid Committee Tuesday during proponent testimony on HB96 (Stewart). Borgemenke and Lashutka said both of their boards unanimously voted to support the executive budget proposal as a package. Borgemenke said many hospitals are struggling financially, and much of it is out of their control, pointing to the rates paid by Medicare and Medicaid. He also pointed to the issues with health care workforce.

The committee also heard from Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM) Director Maureen Corcoran, who discussed the administration's Medicaid cost containment measures, saying the proposal would save Medicaid approximately $3.6 billion over the biennium. Corcoran told lawmakers that excluding contract pharmacies from the 340B program will result in more rebates for Medicaid, noting it's more difficult for the department to see transactions involving those entities. She said the single pharmacy benefit manager has allowed Medicaid to see a loss in rebates of about $323 million over the last couple years, and the administration is trying to end those losses.

More than 200 witnesses submitted testimony to the House Education Committee before Tuesday's hearing on HB96 (Stewart), which recessed late in the afternoon and reconvened Wednesday morning. Paul Imhoff of the Buckeye Association of School Administrators (BASA) led several witnesses in mentioning the data HB96 uses to determine a school district's base costs for calculating funding through the Fair School Funding Plan (FSFP). Imhoff said HB96 allows property valuation and resident income data to update each year in calculating school district funding while other formula components remain frozen. Imhoff said simulations from the Legislative Service Commission project 343 school districts (56 percent of Ohio districts) are projected to lose funding this year as a result of the formula in HB96, with 360 (59 percent) losing funding in the second year of the biennium. He added that while enrollment change does play a factor in state aid adjustments, roughly 20 percent of the districts receiving a cut in state funds are actually growing in enrollment compared to last year. He said the resulting imbalance in state and local share will result in an increased reliance on local taxes, further burdening local communities.

The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) presented Tuesday to the Senate Education Committee on the laws governing how and when school districts are obligated to transport students -- both their own and those at nearby private and charter schools. Jennie Stump, policy and legislative affairs chief, reviewed students' eligibility for transportation and alternatives for when a district decides it can't transport students, including payments to parents and use of local mass transit systems. Her presentation followed testimony from DEW Director Steve Dackin on the general priorities of the agency. In answer to a question from Sen. Andrew Brenner (R-Delaware), chair of the committee, Dackin suggested that it's been a long time since anyone took a comprehensive look at the student transportation system.

CHILDREN/FAMILIES

Reps. Lauren McNally (D-Youngstown) and Erika White (D-Toledo) are proposing increased state enforcement of child labor laws and educator reporting obligations of evidence of unsafe minor employment, saying exploitation of young people is not a solution to Ohio's workforce issues. They said their legislation, labeled the "Clock Out Kids Act," would push back against a trend spreading across states to roll back decades' old protections for children in the workforce. McNally said the legislation represents proactive pushback against the type of policies proposed in SB50 and 135-SB30, which would allow youth under age 16 to work later in the day. She said the policies in their legislation were initially proposed as amendments to other legislation but were not accepted, sparking their move to introduce standalone legislation.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT/URBAN REVITALIZATION

The Ohio Economic Development Association (OEDA) recently touted the performance of Ohio and some of its cities in Site Selection Magazine's rankings for 2024, saying that reaffirms "the state's reputation as a premier destination for business investment and job creation." Ohio has been the only state consistently ranked in the top five for both total projects and per capita rankings every year for 10 straight years, OEDA continued, and it was third in 2024 with 565 total projects and a top-three per capita investment ranking.

EDUCATION

The Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR) Monday heard from representatives of the Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) on rules implementing the college, career, workforce and military readiness (CCWMR) measure on state report cards. JCARR Chair Rep. Jamie Callender (R-Concord) explained to the committee that the presentation is the result of a new provision enacted by the Legislature that requires DEW to come before JCARR any time it proposes changes to the state report cards. He said the committee will likely take action on the proposed rules at a future meeting. Presenting were DEW Chief Legal Counsel Tony Palmer and Chief Integration Officer Chris Woolard, who told the committee that the component was created by 134-HB82 (Cross-Jones), which included it in the six components to the state report cards. They said the CCWMR measure has not been rated in the last three years, but the data has been collected and released as DEW received it.

President Donald Trump's proposed cuts to the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) are "basically robbing Peter to pay Elon," American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten said Tuesday. "We are fighting to keep that funding for kids. And the effect of not having it -- whether it's going to a block grant or taken directly for tax cuts -- means that, for a local school board or local school to keep it, they would have to increase property taxes," Weingarten said during a Zoom press conference, joined by Ohio Federation of Teachers (OFT) President Melissa Cropper, National Education Association (NEA) President Becky Pringle, and other education leaders. The speakers said Trump's proposal would harm low-income children, children with disabilities and first-generation college students, English language learners, and others.

DEW leaders delved into detail Thursday on some of the policy proposals in Gov. Mike DeWine's executive budget proposal, HB96 (Stewart), including a continued focus on the literacy topics that DeWine emphasized in his previous budget proposal. DEW convened its every-other-month public hearing Thursday, an outgrowth of its separation from the State Board of Education meant to provide transparency of operations. More of the agency's decision-making on rules and policies had happened during public board meetings when the two were combined. Jennie Stump, chief of policy and legislative affairs for DEW, said the administration wants to require a common diagnostic assessment across school districts to track literacy progress.

DEW leaders also discussed their proposal to align Ohio's technology learning standards for students with those of the International Society for Technology Education (ISTE). Sherry Birchem, administrator in the Office of Academic Success, said when the department was soliciting public feedback on updating the standards, 79 percent of comments expressed approval for adopting ISTE standards in Ohio.

ELECTIONS 2026

Former Rep. Craig Riedel (R-Defiance) told the Crescent-News that he will run in 2026 for the 1st District Ohio Senate seat now held by Senate President Rob McColley (R-Napoleon), who is term-limited at the end of this General Assembly. Riedel made unsuccessful bids for Congress in 2022 and 2024 for the 9th District U.S. House seat, both times falling short of the nomination in the GOP primary. He served three terms in the Ohio House.

As Vivek Ramaswamy coalesces support behind his gubernatorial campaign, a recent poll shows him as the early favorite among Republican primary voters in 2026. Ramaswamy's latest support comes from lobbyist Aaron Baer, the president of the Center for Christian Virtue (CCV), who wrote a column for the Washington Examiner published Thursday titled "Ohio Christians should rally behind Vivek Ramaswamy." In addition, the poll showing Ramaswamy's very early lead comes from Bowling Green State University's (BGSU) Democracy and Public Policy Research Network. Among prospective Republican primary voters, Ramaswamy is backed by 61 percent of respondents, while Attorney General Dave Yost receives 24 percent, and Heather Hill receives 6 percent. The poll noted that it was conducted before President Donald Trump endorsed Ramaswamy for governor.

ENERGY/UTILITIES

Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) member Lawrence Friedeman will remain in his seat for another five years, pending Ohio Senate confirmation, after Gov. Mike DeWine reappointed him Friday. Friedeman, a Democrat who first joined the commission in 2017 as an appointee of Gov. John Kasich and was re-appointed by DeWine in 2020, is an attorney with a background in energy and utility matters. Friedeman's new term would begin Friday, April 11.

Ohio manufacturers double-clutched Tuesday as the Senate Energy Committee accepted a heavily amended version of SB2 (Reineke) that backtracks on customer refunds and adopts the three-year rate case and annual adjustments floated by utilities last week in lieu of the modified, existing five-year model of the introduced bill. The Office of Ohio Consumers' Counsel (OCC) joined the Ohio Manufacturers' Association (OMA) in opposing the substitute version and its return to "rider"-like charges originally targeted for repeal. The committee heard from eight witnesses including, among others, OMA, OCC, Electric Power Supply Association (EPSA), Ohio Energy Group (OEG), Ohio Energy Leadership Council (OELC) and Reliability First Corp., one of six regional entities with Federal Power Act authority delegated by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC). OMA Energy Counsel Kim Bojko of Carpenter Lipps LLP said she regretted to inform the Senate that, contrary to her submitted testimony, Ohio manufacturers could no longer support SB2. "We believe that words matter," she said, instructing members to "ignore" her proponent remarks.

FEDERAL

The Columbus Metropolitan Club recently heard from Ohio Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Steve Stivers and Columbus Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Derrick Clay on topics such as how the state and local business community is affected by federal actions on trade, immigration and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). The discussion was moderated by 10TV Anchor Clay Gordon. Stivers raised concerns about "headwinds" in the overall economy, particularly tariffs. There are good reasons for some tariffs on China, he continued, but international trade shouldn't be treated as "a bar fight where we punch everybody in sight." He also told Gordon his group is generally opposed to tariffs but does support the ones on China as it is violating trade rules, manipulating its currency and dumping goods in the U.S.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY/STATEHOUSE

School officials appeared before the Senate Ways and Means Committee Tuesday to oppose legislation that would change the calculation of a school district's 20-mill floor, which they said raises significant legal concerns and would not bring any tax relief to a number of property owners in districts around the state. SB66 (O'Brien-Lang) would alter the 20-mill floor calculation by including income taxes, emergency levies, substitute levies, and all inside millage. Katie Johnson, executive director of the Ohio Association of School Business Officials (OASBO), told the committee that those revenue sources have historically been excluded from the 20-mill floor calculation "for sound constitutional and practical reasons." She argued that the tax calculations would be applied retroactively to previously approved levies, and would reduce the benefit of voter approved levies, limit revenue growth that voters explicitly authorize, and force districts to return to voters sooner and more frequently for additional funds.

Senators Wednesday voted 29-3 to pass SB33 (Wilson), legislation allowing businesses to post labor law notices online. This applies to notices on the minor labor law, minimum wage law, civil rights law, prevailing wage law, workers' compensation law, and the public employment risk reduction law. Currently, notices on these laws must be physically posted conspicuously in the employer's facility. Sens. Catherine Ingram (D-Cincinnati), Beth Liston (D-Dublin) and Kent Smith (D-Euclid) voted against it.

In other action, the Senate unanimously passed SB27 (Johnson), which would designate March 20 as "Ameloblastoma Awareness Day." The Senate also voted 32-0 to pass SB39 (Johnson-Craig), which requires the Department of Commerce (DOC) to create a veterans' benefits and services poster. DOC would be required to provide an employer with a copy of the poster at the employer's request, and allows the employer to display it on the employer's premises.

After session, Senate President Rob McColley (R-Napoleon) told reporters that his caucus generally agrees that local governments should receive the tax revenue that voters approved as part of adult use marijuana legalization initiative Issue 2.

In the House, legislation allowing Ohio seniors to get their discounted hunting and fishing licenses one year earlier passed unanimously Wednesday. Under HB64 (D.Thomas-Deeter), the discounts would apply beginning at age 65 rather than 66. Rep. David Thomas (R-Jefferson), sponsor of the bill alongside Rep. Kellie Deeter (R-Norwalk), said a constituent contacted him on his first day in office after learning the discount did not apply to those age 65. Thomas said he looked into it and found that of the nine discounts afforded to Ohio seniors, eight apply at age 65, with this senior sportsman license being the exception.

Also passing the House unanimously Wednesday was HB13 (Pizzulli), which would recognize Nov. 5 as "Roy Rogers Day," in honor of the Ohio native born in Cincinnati and raised in Portsmouth.

After the session, Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) addressed President Donald Trump's comments during an address to the nation Tuesday night in which he called for repeal of the CHIPS Act, federal legislation that provided money toward Ohio's major Intel development project. "If the CHIPS Act as it currently stands goes away, does that mean all the money? There's not some other way to support this, support the effort? Obviously Intel's very important to Ohio," he said.

Regarding SB1 (Cirino), the sweeping higher education legislation that he had supported in the prior session as Senate president, Huffman said he foresees "fairly swift action" on the bill. On the other hand, he said, while the issues in SB1 have been debated for years at this point, he still has a couple dozen members he needs to bring up to speed on the subject. "I've been involved in this, they have not, so we're doing a lot of educating ... but I think this is something that's going to happen fairly quickly," he said.

As lawmakers consider various changes to the recently approved marijuana legalization initiated statute, Huffman expressed hesitancy to revise the distribution of revenue to local governments. "I think it's difficult to change the rules in the middle of the game on the local governments," he said. He said other elements of the revenue distribution are "egregious" and in need of change.

The Ohio Statehouse will feature a series of 60-minute presentations Tuesdays at noon in March in the Atrium in honor of Women's History Month. Each session will include a Q&A with the speaker or performer. All programs are free and open to the public. The presentations, which will be livestreamed, include the following:

- March 11: The History of Women's Basketball in Columbus presented by the Columbus Metropolitan Library.

- March 18: Florence Harding: First Lady of Consequence presented by Sherry Hall from the Warren G. Harding Presidential Sites.

- March 25: People, Stories, and Art: A Portrait of My Life and Work presented by artist Leslie Adams who reveals the inspiration behind her portraits displayed at the Ohio Statehouse, and shares the introspective nature of her monumental self-portraits.

The Ohio Legislative Black Caucus (OLBC) held a press conference this week to announce their priorities for the 136th General Assembly, with OLBC President Rep. Terrence Upchurch (D-Cleveland) saying those priorities are aimed at not only affecting the quality of life for the Black community, but all Ohioans he said who have been left behind and feel that they have not been heard by the Legislature. "We have a range of bills that encompass and address health disparities, criminal justice, housing and tax issues, health and safety, education, and several other concentrations," Upchurch said.

Legislators this week reintroduced legislation that will ban arrest and ticket quotas for law enforcement officers, saying the quotas undermine public trust and hinder the primary goal of improving public safety. Reps. Bride Sweeney (D-Cleveland) and Kevin Miller (R-Newark) were joined at a Statehouse press conference by Sen. Tom Patton (R-Strongsville), who has introduced companion legislation SB114 (Patton) to HB131 (Sweeney-K. Miller). The bills are a reintroduction of 135-HB333 (Sweeney-K. Miller), though Sweeney said the effort to ban quotas has been around for the last six years. Patton said the legislation was brought to lawmakers by law enforcement.

The newly formed House Arts, Athletics and Tourism Committee is setting out to highlight the various cultural touchstones that invite people to visit and hopefully relocate to Ohio. In its first meeting on Tuesday, Chair Rep. Melanie Miller (R-Ashland) said the committee will not separate tourism and economic development as its members travel the state to learn more about the state's arts, athletics and other tourist draws. Miller invited the committee's members to think about the features in their home districts that they would like to highlight. The first witness was Sarah Wickman, state tourism director for the Ohio Department of Development and head of TourismOhio. Wickman reported that in 2023 alone, tourism in Ohio generated $56 billion in visitor spending, supporting 436,000 jobs and generating $4.6 billion in state and local tax revenue.

House Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) told the Ohio Oil and Gas Association's (OOGA) annual meeting Thursday that budget bill HB96 (Stewart) will be on the House floor during its Wednesday, April 9 session, and indicated that they will be removing proposed tax increases on cigarettes and gambling from the bill. Huffman spoke for about 15 minutes, thanking attendees for helping to defeat redistricting Issue 1 last fall. Huffman spent much of his remarks discussing energy bill HB15 (Klopfenstein). He said the bill is designed to increase energy production in the state, adding that there are those who are going to want to build a gas-powered electric generation plant in the near future, potentially to service a data center or other large energy users.

In other actions, the Senate Armed Services, Veterans Affairs and Public Safety Committee reported out SR22 (Schaffer) which urges the federal government to take prompt action on processing veterans claims.

HANNAH NEWS’ MEET THE FRESHMEN

Levi Dean's rise to the Ohio House of Representatives is a family affair not unlike his career with Dean's Plumbing and his close ties to other small businesses owned by siblings, a disposition to honest labor and self-determination that informs his right-to-work philosophy. One of 10 children of former Rep. Bill and Pamela Dean, the younger Dean attended his brother-in-law three-time Rep. Ron Hood's swearing-in as a young boy and his father's a decade later. Meanwhile, he got his feet wet on Xenia City Council when not plumbing and advanced to council vice president before taking over the 71st House District this year. He recognized with his father's election in 2016 that he would term out in eight years, giving the younger Dean time to build on his campaign experience with a number of well-known Republicans including former state representative and three-time Hamilton County candidate Tom Brinkman. Dean also had worked on Brinkman's congressional run a decade prior at the tender age of 10.

Rep. Karen Brownlee (D-Cincinnati) said she's always been interested in politics and policy, but their effect really hit home after she became a social worker and was working in low-income and underperforming schools. She said she was working with children who were suffering with their mental health, and she realized after the Federal Poverty Guidelines had been released that year how much state and federal policy can have an impact on the mental health of communities. As a legislator, she said the health and safety of all citizens is a top priority. She points to the benefits cliff as a serious problem she said does not allow people to attain financial stability. In her personal life, Brownlee said she is an identical twin. "Rep. [Jean] Schmidt and I have something in common," she said.

HIGHER EDUCATION

Ohio State University's (OSU) Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) and some of its services were eliminated on Friday, OSU President Ted Carter announced in a message to students, faculty and staff. Carter said the university took the action due to policy developments at the federal and state levels, as Republicans seek to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in higher education. The Senate recently passed SB1 (Cirino), which would significantly alter the operations of Ohio's higher education institutions, including by prohibiting DEI policies. Attorney General Dave Yost, a Republican gubernatorial candidate, discussed his views on DEI during a recent House Finance Committee meeting.

Administrators at Ohio's 14 public universities should do more to protect diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs on campus, the Ohio Student Association (OSA) wrote in a letter to the state's university presidents and boards of trustees. "Anticipatory and gratuitous compliance to unjust politicized mandates is cowardly and morally reprehensible," OSA said. "Higher education is under attack. We call on you to stand up and fight back." The group said Ohio's public universities should commit to equitable access for students of color, LGBTQ+ students, women students, veteran students, students with disabilities, first-generation students, international students and other students who are underrepresented. "By undoing the programs that have allowed all students to thrive, our universities are choosing to appease politicians at the cost of their students' dignity and wellbeing," OSA said.

The House Workforce and Higher Education Committee Tuesday began hearings on Sen. Jerry Cirino's (R-Kirtland) long-debated higher education reform bill, SB1 (Cirino). While the controversial legislation went through nearly a dozen iterations before ultimately dying in the House during the 135th General Assembly, Cirino signaled he may not be as open to changes this time around. Near the end of the at-times contentious committee hearing, Ranking Member Rep. Beryl Piccolantonio (D-Gahanna) asked if Cirino is still open to modifications to the bill. Cirino did not respond directly, but voiced his frustration with the process during the last General Assembly. "We had a dash 11 version of this bill, it sat in the House for over a year, and other than the chairman and I talking about the bill there was no feedback on the bill," he said. "We will endeavor to make some things more clear in response to the chair's office, but, you know, this bill is long-in-the-tooth already, and it's been out there for two and a half years."

Ohio State University is joining 14 other leading research institutions in a partnership with OpenAI to advance research and education in AI. "Ohio State is at the forefront of a multidisciplinary approach to the benefits of AI, significantly impacting both research and education," said Peter Mohler, Ohio State's executive vice president for research, innovation and knowledge. "We are excited to join OpenAI and this elite research partnership, which will enable us to drive even more groundbreaking discoveries and advancements in medicine, manufacturing, computing, and beyond." According to Brad Lightcap, OpenAI chief operating officer, "NextGenAI will accelerate research progress and catalyze a new generation of institutions equipped to harness the transformative power of AI." NextGenAI's mission is to support the next generation of research breakthroughs, the next generation of leaders and the next generation of universities with AI.

INTEL

Intel's Ohio operations, initially projected to come online this year but since delayed for various reasons, now are projected to start producing computer chips in the next decade. Intel's Naga Chandrasekaran, executive vice president and general manager of Intel Foundry Manufacturing, sent a message Friday to Ohio Intel employees laying out a new timeline. According to the message, the first of two New Albany facilities is now expected to finish construction in 2030 and begin producing chips that year or the next. The second facility is expected to complete construction in 2031 and start production in 2032.

The Senate Democratic Caucus sent a letter to Gov. Mike DeWine Thursday urging him "to continue your steadfast support of the CHIPS and Science Act," following comments made by President Donald Trump in his Tuesday address to Congress where he said the CHIPS Act should be eliminated. Trump called the act "a horrible, horrible thing" and told U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), "You should get rid of the CHIP Act." Ohio's Senate Democrats cited those comments in their letter, requesting DeWine clarify his past and future steps "to ensure the successful realization of this vital project." Columbus Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Derrick Clay also issued a statement of support for the CHIPS Act Thursday, saying it represents "a transformational opportunity" for the region and would strengthen the economy, bolster national security and create thousands of "high-quality" jobs.

JUDICIAL

Gov. Mike DeWine Monday announced the appointment of Dennis Barr to the Canton Municipal Court. Barr, of Canton, will assume office on Monday, March 10, and will be taking the seat formerly held by Judge Curt Werren, whom Gov. DeWine appointed to the Stark County Court of Common Pleas, Probate Division on Jan. 10. Barr will serve the remainder of the unfinished term and will need to run for election in November 2025 to retain the seat.

LOBBYISTS

High Bridge Consulting announced Markee Osborne has joined the firm as vice president of government relations. Osborne brings more than a decade of experience working on state policy, regulatory, and political issues. Most recently, she was the state manager of government affairs for American Electric Power (AEP), responsible for all state legislative policies impacting the Ohio electric utility market.

With Sean Dunn joining U.S. Sen. Jon Husted's (R-OH) office full time as senior advisor and counsel, Sean P. Dunn & Associates has announced a new name -- Statehouse Impact Group -- to reflect new leadership. Statehouse Impact Group LLC will be led by President Lisa Dodge and Vice President Dave Salisbury. Jimmy Wolf, Allison Lawlor, Reese Gallagher, and Kim Bebout will continue in their existing roles, ensuring a seamless transition, the firm said.

MARIJUANA/HEMP

Legislation introduced by Rep. Brian Stewart (R-Ashville) makes a number of changes to Ohio's adult-use marijuana law, but retains the voter-approved initiated statute's tax and home grow provisions. Stewart announced the introduction of HB160 (Stewart) during a Statehouse press conference on Thursday, saying it includes "reasonable reforms" to Ohio's cannabis program. "HB160 respects the will of the voters by preserving the core, adult-use marijuana features of Issue 2 while adding reasonable protections for Ohio children and addressing intoxicating hemp products that violate the spirit of that ballot initiative," Stewart said. Under the bill, the excise tax on adult-use marijuana would remain at 10 percent. Senate Republicans had proposed to increase the rate to 15 percent in SB56 (Huffman) before removing all tax provisions from its bill to consider during budget deliberations. Gov. Mike DeWine has proposed to increase the tax rate to 20 percent to pay for various initiatives. Later Thursday, House GOP spokesperson Olivia Wile told reporters that leaders have not yet decided which committee will consider HB160.

MEDICAID/MEDICAID REFORM

The Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM) Friday officially submitted its proposal to institute work requirements for people who receive Medicaid benefits as part of the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA) expansion population. Lawmakers mandated submission of this proposal in the most recent biennial budget, HB33 (Edwards). The DeWine administration had already signaled its intent to follow through with a notice of intent to apply and public comment period in December. Ohio previously was granted authorization to institute work requirements by the first Trump administration, but the Biden administration withdrew the approval after taking office. The provision of HB33 requiring re-application mandated it be submitted in February of this year, timed to the start of a new presidential term, although the outcome of the 2024 election was yet to be determined when HB33 passed.

MENTAL HEALTH

Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) Director LeeAnne Cornyn Tuesday provided the House Community Revitalization Committee an overview of her department, its scope and work, telling Committee Chair Rep. Gary Click (R-Vickery) that what she found most surprising when she became director was the breadth of the agency's reach. Noting the 2,800 staff, she said they work with a lot of passion and heart. Following her overview, many of the committee's questions dealt with the department's interface with the corrections system -- both the state Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (DRC) and local jails since so many offenders have mental health issues. Questions around the state's applying for an 1115 waiver to help cover the cost of services – which the Legislature had directed the administration to do -- were raised by a number of members with Cornyn going into greater detail about the services her department does provide to DRC inmates. She said there are staff in all 26 prisons and there is work done with local jails to link folks to local resources through forensic navigators.

A suicide prevention model used in K-12 schools nationwide, including 84 schools in Ohio, has been found to reduce suicide attempts by 29 percent, according to a study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Sources of Strength model was designed to build peer social networks to create healthy norms and culture to prevent suicide, violence, bullying and substance misuse. The program trains diverse student opinion leaders in a multidimensional framework for healthy coping, along with skills to disseminate those coping norms and practices through their social networks. The results of the CDC study show the program's effectiveness for teens from diverse backgrounds, including different genders, races and ethnicities. A cautious interpretation of the study, however, suggests the Sources of Strength model may not prevent suicide attempts among students who have recently experienced sexual violence, highlighting the need for additional intervention support for those high-risk individuals.

PENSIONS

Sen. Mark Romanchuk (R-Ontario) is looking to set stronger standards for pension fund health and is asking the five Ohio public retirement systems for the tools they'd need to meet those standards. Romanchuk recently introduced SB69, which now simply includes placeholder language declaring the General Assembly's intent to enact pension reform. The longstanding statutory requirement is that Ohio systems be on track to pay down their unfunded accrued liabilities within 30 years. Romanchuk said he'd prefer something closer to 20 or 15 years, an option the Ohio Retirement Study Council has discussed recently.

Ohio retirees with time in both public and private sector employment should soon start seeing changes to their Social Security benefits following last year's repeal of federal laws that reduced those benefits for people earning public pensions. The U.S. Social Security Administration said that starting last week, it began to pay retroactive benefits to those due them. Under the Social Security Fairness Act, signed by former President Joe Biden at the tail end of his administration, the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) were repealed. The new law was retroactive to the beginning of 2024, meaning some Social Security beneficiaries are due retroactive payments. Because Social Security benefits are paid a month behind, the administration said beneficiaries will begin receiving their newly adjusted amounts in April for their March benefits.

POLITICS

The Ohio Democratic Party's Executive Committee adopted a change to party bylaws over the weekend that calls for the committee to remain neutral in statewide Democratic Party primary contests when no incumbent is running. "Previously, the bylaws required the executive committee to meet and consider endorsements in all races," spokesperson Katie Seewer wrote in an email. Also at Saturday's Executive Committee meeting, the party elected Athens County Treasurer Taylor Sappington as secretary to replace Chillicothe Mayor Luke Feeney, who resigned in order to run for a judicial post. The committee also voted to endorse Issue 2, which will reauthorize bond funding for the Ohio Public Works Commission's State Capital Improvement Program.

TRANSPORTATION/INFRASTRUCTURE

Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) Director Pam Boratyn returned to the Senate Transportation Committee Tuesday to raise concerns over House amendments to the transportation budget, including a reduction in administrative funding for the agency. Boratyn previously appeared for an informal hearing on HB54 (Stewart) before the committee as the House had been putting the finishing touches on the transportation budget. On Tuesday, she reappeared to take more questions from committee members, as well as address some of the House changes. She said an amendment that reduced ODOT's administrative line by $58.3 million over the biennium could affect various functions of ODOT, including payroll for the human resources, information technology, finance, communications, legal and legislative services divisions.

Two senators said Wednesday that they are working on an amendment to transportation budget HB54 (Stewart) to have ODOT start working on a corridor connecting U.S. 23 and I-71 in northern Ohio while calling ODOT's analysis on reducing congestion between Toledo and Columbus "bogus." Sen. Paula Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo) testified to the Senate Transportation Committee Wednesday to advocate for the creation of a connection between U.S. Route 23 and I-71. She noted that the route had been cited in ODOT’s recent Strategic Transportation Development and Analysis Report. Sen. Bill Reineke (R-Tiffin) said he supports Hicks-Hudson on the project, saying businesses in Northwest Ohio have been pleading for a route with access through the state without going through 37 traffic lights. He said he has talked with ODOT about this issue, and said their report "is bogus."

WORKERS’ COMPENSATION

Private employers across Ohio will pay less in workers' compensation premiums following approval by the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation (BWC) Board of Directors on Friday of a rate cut that the bureau says will average 6 percent statewide. "Ohio's low and steady rates are a result of businesses adopting a culture of workplace safety," said Gov. Mike DeWine. BWC estimates the rate cut will save Ohio's private employers nearly $60 million in premiums in the fiscal year after taking effect July 1, 2025. The average rate levels that Ohio's employers will pay in workers' compensation premiums are at their lowest in 60 years. BWC reports that private employers' rates have decreased 70 percent since 2011.

Provided by Hannah News Service