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

The House Primary and Secondary Education Committee will be holding a hearing on HB 12, which would reform the functions and responsibilities of the Ohio Department of Education (ODE), the State Board of Education and the Superintendent of Public Instruction. The hearing will occur on Tuesday, March 21 at 4:00 p.m. and will be accepting opponent testimony.

The House Ways and Means Committee will be holding a hearing on HB 1, tax reform, on Tuesday, March 21 at 2:30 p.m. They will be accepting interested party testimony during this hearing.

State Board of Education
The State Board proposed a resolution regarding the board’s commitment to preserve transparency and public participation in Ohio K-12 Education. The resolution is in response to the legislature’s discussion on the role and responsibilities of the State Board. Click here to read the resolution.

House Finance Subcommittee on Primary and Secondary Education
The committee held testimony on the biennial budget for fiscal years 2024 and 2025. The following individuals provided testimony:

House Finance Subcommittee on Infrastructure and American Rescue Plan 
The committee held testimony on the biennial budget for fiscal years 2024 and 2025. The following individual provided testimony:

The Chair of the subcommittee, Rep. Jamie Callender (R-Concord), indicated that the next subcommittee hearing will focus on Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) dollars.

Senate Education Committee
The committee amended SB 49, sponsored by Sen. Michelle Reynolds (R-Canal Winchester), which would enact the Religious Expression Days "R.E.D." Act and would require school boards to adopt a policy providing students with religious accommodations for up to three days. The amendments make the following changes:

  • Requires a district or school to include in its policy regarding absences for religious expression days to permit students to attend interscholastic events or other extracurricular activities on days the student was otherwise absent due to religious expression;
  • Requires a district or school to include "religious observations" in the nonexhaustive list of major religious holidays and festivals for which a student may be excused under the bill and specifically adds Good Friday and Passover to the nonexhaustive list of major holidays;
  • Adds that excused absences may not be "unreasonably withheld or denied" for any religious holiday, festival, or observation.

The committee held a third hearing on SB 29, sponsored by Sen. Stephen A. Huffman (R-Tipp City), which would enact laws pertaining to technology providers for education records and data. The bill would require school districts to make public certain information regarding the technology providers they use. The bill also limits what school districts can access or monitor on a school-issued device.

House Primary and Secondary Education Committee
The committee held a second hearing on HB 11, sponsored by Reps. Riordan T. McClain (R-Upper Sandusky) and Marilyn S. John (R-Shelby), which would establish the Backpack Scholarship Program to begin operating for the 2023-24 school year and repeal the Educational Choice Scholarship Pilot Program and the Pilot Project Scholarship Program on July 1, 2024. The committee heard from proponents of the bill.

House Ways and Means Committee
The committee held a third hearing on HB 1, sponsored by Rep. Adam Mathews (R-Lebanon), which would modify the law regarding property taxation and income tax rates. The Legislative Service Commission provided an explanation on the HB 920 reduction factors. Click here to read the explanation. Testifying in opposition of the bill was:

The committee also held sponsor testimony on HB 57, sponsored by Reps. Thomas Hall (R-Madison Twp.) and Steve Demetriou (R-Bainbridge Twp.), which would index the homestead exemption amounts to inflation.

Finally, the committee held sponsor testimony on HB 60, sponsored by Rep. Daniel Troy (D-Willowick), which would increase the amount of and expand the income qualifications for the homestead exemption.

House Economic and Workforce Development Committee
The committee accepted a substitute bill on HB 3, sponsored by Reps. Gail Pavliga (R-Atwater) and Lauren McNally (D-Youngstown), which would authorize a nonrefundable tax credit for the construction or rehabilitation of certain federally subsidized rental housing and authorize a uniform method for the tax valuation of most such housing. Click here to read the bill analysis.

Senate Finance Committee
The committee held a third hearing on SB 6, sponsored by Sen. Kirk Schuring (R-Canton), which would prohibit the State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) and School Employment Retirement System (SERS), among others, from making investment decisions for the primary purpose of influencing environmental, social and corporate governance policies. The following individuals provided interested party testimony:

House Criminal Justice Committee
The committee held a second hearing on HB 20, sponsored by Rep. D.J. Swearingen (R-Huron), which would create the crime of electronic computer service interference which prohibits a person from knowingly, and without authorization, gaining access to or permitting access to be gained to a computer, computer system or computer network. Additionally, the bill would create the crime of electronic data theft which prohibits a person from knowingly and without authorization obtaining electronic data and with the intent to either revise or execute any scheme to defraud, deceive, extort, or commit any crime or wrongfully control or obtain property or wrongfully gain access to electronic data, among other provisions.

New Bills Introduced
The following bills were introduced this week:

  • HB 103, sponsored by Reps. Don Jones (R-Freeport) and Tracy Richardson (R-Marysville), which would establish the Ohio Social Studies Standards Task Force to develop new social studies academic standards for use beginning with the 2024-25 school year;
  • HB 117, sponsored by Reps. Gayle Manning (R-North Ridgeville) and Phillip M. Robinson Jr. (D-Solon), which would eliminate retention under the Third Grade Reading Guarantee; expand the grades for which intensive reading intervention is provided; and expand the inclusion of phonics in learning standards.

Federal update
Please click here to read the weekly Federal Advocacy Education Report that includes education related information.

Posted by Nicole Piscitani on 3/17/2023