We’re back! After a delay caused by Winter Storm Fern, the Ohio House returned from their holiday recess this week. The Senate is slated to return next week, with both chambers holding regular sessions until mid-June.  

Facts in a Flash is designed to keep you up to date on what happens at the Statehouse each week. It’s published every Friday that the General Assembly is in session.    

House Education Committee 
The committee amended House Bill (HB) 500, sponsored by Reps. Ty D. Matthews (R-Findlay) and Kevin Ritter (R-Marietta). This bill would designate a JROTC program offered by a school district as a career-technical education program. The amendment permits a school district that offers a National Defense Cadet Corps (NDCC) program to designate that program as part of the district's career-technical education (CTE) program. The amendment also requires the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (ODEW) to calculate CTE funding for JROTC and NDCC programs. 

The committee held a second hearing on  House Bill (HB) 189, sponsored by Reps. Thomas Hall (R-Maddison Twp.) and Haraz N. Ghanbari (R-Perrysburg). HB 189 would create a statewide behavioral threat management operational process for public and chartered nonpublic schools. The committee heard proponent testimony on the bill.  

The committee also heard sponsor testimony on a series of bills, including: 

  • HB 523, by Reps. Sean Brennan (D-Parma) and Gayle Manning (R-North Ridgeville), would enact the Future Educators Support Act regarding financial support for student teachers and teaching as an in-demand job. 
  • HB 594, by Reps. Mike Odioso (R-Green Twp.) and Hall, would require school districts to offer, and students to complete, at least one high school computer science course. 
  • Senate Bill (SB) 19, by Sen. Andrew Brenner (R-Delaware), would require districts and schools to develop a mathematics improvement and monitoring plan for each student who qualifies for math intervention services, beginning with the 2025-2026 school year. 
  • HB 661, by Reps. Adam Bird (R-New Richmond) and Odioso, would prohibit a middle or high school athlete from earning compensation from the athlete's name, image or likeness. The representatives hosted a press conference on the new bill earlier in the week, which can be viewed here.  

House Technology and Innovation Committee 

The committee held its third hearing on HB 413, sponsored by Reps. Tom Young (R-Washington Twp.) and Bob Peterson (R-Sabina). This bill would create the Ohio Local Government Expenditure Database, require political subdivisions and state retirement systems to participate in the database and make an appropriation. The committee heard proponent testimony on the bill.  

House Local Government Committee  

The committee held its fourth hearing on HB 113 , sponsored by Reps. Bird and Jonathan Newman (R-Troy). HB 113 would modify the law regarding annexation and residential community reinvestment area (CRA) property tax exemptions. The committee accepted a subbill that gives certain counties the authority to disapprove annexation if a municipality’s population is located mostly in another county (or counties) and removed the bill’s education related provisions, including:  

  • Language that would have required school district approval of residential CRA tax exemption applications instead requiring the county commissioner’s approval for such CRAs. The subbill retains the current waiver and 75%-or-less threshold.  
  • Language that would have required the State Board of Education to transfer territory annexed to a municipal corporation under an expedited type II annexation to the school district that primarily serves the municipal corporation to which the territory was annexed by the first day of July occurring at least 180 days after the annexation’s effective date. 
  • Language that would have required a school district from which territory is transferred due to an expedited type II annexation to permit any student residing in the annexed territory who was enrolled in the district in the 9th grade or higher prior to the annexation to re-enroll in the district until the student completes the 12th grade. 

The committee held its third hearing on HB 520, sponsored by Reps. Thomas and Matthews. HB 520 would establish and convene a Blue Ribbon Committee in each county to review and assess each taxing unit within the county and each county program or department to identify duplication of services and generally to streamline and improve county efficiency and effectiveness. A subbill was accepted that allows a majority vote of the committee to alter the size and composition of the Blue Ribbon Committee. 

House Health Committee   

The committee heard sponsor testimony on HB 561 from Reps. Melanie Miller (R-Ashland) and Monica Robb Blasdel (R-Columbiana). This bill, named the Parental Clarity on Health Options and Information on Conscientious Exemptions or “C.H.O.I.C.E. Act”, would revise the law governing childhood immunizations for public and chartered nonpublic schools, preschool programs and child care providers. 

The committee amended HB 437, sponsored by Reps. Tristan Rader (D-Lakewood) and Jean Schmidt (R-Loveland). HB 437 would alter existing requirements regarding youth cardiac monitoring. The amendment allows youth sports organizations to keep a record that the youth athlete received a physical examination without keeping the original copy of the physical examination form. Written proponent testimony on the bill was accepted.  

House Ways and Means Committee 

The committee held its seventh hearing on HB 22, sponsored by Reps. Brian Lorenz (R-Powell) and David Thomas (R-Jefferson). This bill would authorize a full homestead exemption for surviving spouses of members of the uniformed services killed in the line of duty. The committee accepted a substitute version of the bill that:  

  • Reduces the amount of the enhanced exemption, exempting only $59,300 in the homestead’s value (for tax year 2026); then allows the exemption amount to increase annually in alignment with the increase in inflation per the GDP deflator. 
  • Limits the exemption to surviving spouses of members of the armed forces: the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force and Coast Guard. 
  • Allows the exemption to continue in the case of cohabitations. The exemption continues through the year in which the surviving spouse dies or remarries. 

House Workforce and Higher Education Committee  

The committee held its fourth hearing on HB 25, sponsored by Reps. Dontavius Jarrells (D-Columbus) and Sharron A. Ray (R-Wadsworth). The committee accepted a substitute version of the bill, renaming it the “Fostering School Success Act”. A comp doc outlining the new bill language can be found here.  

Rules activity  

The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce has the following rules open for public comment:  

  • Chapter 3301-8: Payment of Debt Service Charges  
    • OAC 3301-8-01: Payment of debt charges under the state credit enhancement program  
  • Chapter 3301-19: School District Expenditure Flow Reports 
    • OAC 3301-19-01: Definitions 
    • OAC 3301-19-02: Purpose 
  • OAC 3301-19-03: Procedures for submitting data and presenting information 
    Chapter 3301-44: Adult Diploma Pilot Program  
    • House Bill 96 enacted by the 136th General Assembly eliminated the existing Adult Diploma Pilot Program and created a new program, the Competency-Based Educational Program. The proposed rules below, in OAC Chapter 3301-44, support this program.  
      • OAC 3301-44-01: Purpose 
      • OAC 3301-44-02: Definitions  
      • OAC 3301-44-03: Provider application 
      • OAC 3301-44-04: Provider requirements 
      • OAC 3301-44-05: Enrollment 
      • OAC 3301-44-06: Requirements to earn a high school diploma 
      • OAC 3301-44-07: Provider funding 
      • OAC 3301-44-08: Contracting educational services 
      • OAC 3301-44-09: Standards for competency-based education 
  • Chapter 3301-45: Adult High School Diplomas  
    • The Department recommends rescinding this Chapter. House Bill 96, enacted by the 136th General Assembly, eliminated the Twenty-Two Plus Adult Diploma Program, which was supported by OAC Chapter 3301-45. 
  • Chapter 3301-51: Education of Students with Special Needs 
    • OAC 3301-51-11: Preschool children eligible for special education 
  • Chapter 3301-92: Distribution of State Aid  
    • OAC 3301-92-02: Capital improvement and maintenance fund  
    • OAC 3301-92-04: Reporting five-year projections  
    • OAC 3301-92-05: Certification of adequate revenue  
  • Chapter 3301-3: Data Acquisition Sites  
    • OAC 3301-3-01: Scope and definitions 
    • OAC 3301-3-02: Qualifications for information technology centers and user entities 
    • OAC 3301-3-03: Information technology center permit eligibility and application 
    • OAC 3301-3-04: Information technology center permit validity and revocation 
    • OAC 3301-3-05: Responsibilities of the department 
    • OAC 3301-3-06: Responsibilities of an information technology center and a user entity  
    • OAC 3301-3-07: Performance standards 

Click here to view the ODEW rules open for public comment. 

The Ohio Department of Children and Youth has the following rule packages open for public comment:  

  • Supporting America’s Children and Families Act Changes to Bridges rule 5180:5-50-01 
  • FYR and Renumber of OAC Rule 5180:2-38-08 Child’s Education and Health Information 
  • Five-Year Rule Review and Renumbering of Chapter 9 Residential Facility Rules 

Click here to view the DCY rules open for public comment. 

The State Board of Education does not have rules open for public comment at this time.  

Federal update  

Please click here to read the most recent Federal Advocacy Report, which includes up-to-date information on federal education efforts. Click here to read the most recent Federal Court Report. 

Posted by Malania Birney on 2/6/2026