House activity
The House passed House Bill (HB) 244 by a vote of 97-0. The bill would require K-12 schools to allow military children who are relocating but not yet residents of the district to enroll electronically and participate in technology-based educational opportunities.

Senate Finance Committee
The committee held a seventh hearing on HB 110, which makes operating appropriations for the fiscal year 2022 and 2023 biennium. Testifying in support of the bill were:

House Primary and Secondary Education Committee
The committee amended HB 73, which would reduce the number of end-of-course exams required for graduation from five to four by requiring a new single American history and government exam beginning with the class of 2024; require school districts to form a working group to evaluate the amount of time students spend on testing; eliminate the requirement for 11th-grade students to take the ACT or SAT; and prohibit student retention under the third-grade reading guarantee. The amendment removes the ACT and SAT provisions due to another bill containing the same provisions. OSBA, the Ohio Association of School Business Officials and the Buckeye Association of School Administrators provided interested-party testimony. Click here to read the testimony.

The committee amended HB 105, which would require public schools to provide age-appropriate instruction in child sexual abuse and sexual violence prevention and require in-service staff training in child sexual abuse prevention. The amendment requires parental notification and allows a parent to review the material.

The committee accepted a substitute version of HB 82, sponsored by Reps. Jon Cross (R-Kenton) and Don Jones (R-Freeport), which would eliminate the requirement for 11th-grade students to take the ACT or SAT. The substitute version changes the ACT or SAT to be an opt-out for students.

The committee held sponsor testimony on HB 112, sponsored by Reps. Joseph A. Miller, III (D-Amherst) and Michele Lepore-Hagan (D-Youngstown), which would require one-time performance audits of school districts with a current academic distress commission.

Senate Select Committee on Gaming Committee
The committee held a second hearing on Senate Bill (SB) 176, sponsored by Sens. Niraj Antani (R-Miamisburg) and Nathan H. Manning (R-North Ridgeville), which would legalize, regulate and tax sports gaming; prohibit betting on any sport or athletic event for primary or secondary school students; and require that 98% of profits be used for K-12 education.

House Ways and Means Committee
The committee accepted a substitute version and passed HB 157, which would sunset on Dec. 31, 2021, a provision of law that modifies municipal income tax employer withholding rules for COVID-19-related work-from-home employees and prohibit a municipal corporation from assessing taxes, penalties or interest against an employer for the employer’s failure to properly withhold tax from an employee’s wages. The substitute bill narrows the provision to indicate that beginning Jan. 1, 2021 the temporary rule only applies to tax withholding obligations and not to an employee’s tax liability and limits what documentation a municipality can request from an employer to verify principal place of work.

The committee held sponsor testimony on House Resolution 35, sponsored by Rep. Daniel P. Troy (D-Willowick), which would create the temporary House Select Committee on Property Tax Education and Reform.

The committee held a second hearing on HB 207, sponsored by Troy, which would increase the income qualification for the homestead exemption from $30,000 to $37,500 and adjust the reduction amount for exemption.

Senate Workforce and Higher Education Committee
The committee accepted a substitute version of SB 135, which would require school districts to include in career advising policies information for career fields with an associate’s degree and certificates; provide information on the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps; and require school districts to adopt a policy on free speech that includes a process for a student or teacher to file a complaint due to a violation of the policy. The substitute version of the bill changes provisions related to free speech, among other changes.

The committee held sponsor testimony on SB 131, sponsored by Sens. Kristina D. Roegner (R-Hudson) and Rob McColley (R-Napoleon), which would require an occupational licensing authority to issue a license or government certification to an applicant who holds a license, government certification or private certification or has satisfactory work experience in another state under certain circumstances.

House State and Local Government Committee
The committee held a second hearing on HB 285, sponsored by Rep. Bill Seitz (R-Cincinnati), which would allow the speaker of the House or Senate president to intervene in state and federal court cases that challenge a statute; allow legal representation other than the attorney general; and would require the attorney general to obtain legislative approval before compromising or settling an action in certain circumstances.

The committee held a second hearing on House Concurrent Resolution 13, sponsored by Reps. J. Kyle Koehler (R-Springfield) and Rodney Creech (R-West Alexandria), which urges Congress to enact The Sunshine Protection Act of 2021, which would permanently extend daylight saving time. Paula Crew, superintendent, Tecumseh Local (Clark) provided proponent testimony.

Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee
The committee accepted a substitute version of SB 52, which would create processes for township voters that may approve or reject the placement of certain wind and solar farms and create a township referendum vote on certain wind farm and solar facility certificates. The substitute bill permits a board of township trustees to designate energy development districts and creates a grandfather clause for completed applications. Chad Eisler, superintendent, Madison-Plains Local (Madison) provided opponent testimony.

House Technology and Innovation Committee
The committee held a third hearing on HB 230, which would establish a plan to migrate the state’s information technology systems to the state of Ohio’s computer center and cloud environment and establish a cybersecurity and fraud advisory board.

Senate Health Committee
The committee held sponsor testimony on HB 252, sponsored by Reps. Andrea White (R-Kettering) and Phil Plummer (R-Dayton), which would enter Ohio into the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact that increases public access to audiology and speech-language pathology services by mutually recognizing other member state licenses. The legislation would allow for telehealth services if allowable under other state’s licenses.

The committee held a second hearing on SB 100, sponsored by Sen. Nathan H. Manning (R-North Ridgeville), which would appropriate $70,000 in grants to each ESC to assist with hiring a licensed independent social worker and authorizes a mental health professional to provide a crisis assessment to a suicidal minor without parental consent.

House Health Committee
The committee amended HB 248, sponsored by Rep. Jennifer Gross (R-West Chester), which would require school districts to disclose available exemptions when disclosing required vaccinations. The amendment provides language on the exemption notification process for schools and child care centers, among other changes.

The committee amended HB 253, sponsored by Rep. Al Cutrona (R-Canfield), which would prohibit school districts, among others, from requiring proof of a COVID-19 vaccination. The amendment prohibits a technology company from disclosing or releasing information related to medical history.

House Government Oversight Committee
The committee held sponsor testimony on SB 9, sponsored by Sens. Rob McColley (R-Napoleon) and Kristina Roegner (R-Hudson), which requires the Ohio Department of Education and other state agencies to reduce regulatory restrictions by 30% by 2025.

The committee held sponsor testimony on HB 298, sponsored by Reps. Adam C. Bird (R-New Richmond) and Joseph A. Miller III (D-Amherst), which would change the voting membership of the State Board of Education to consist of only elected members.

The committee held sponsor testimony on HB 294, sponsored by Reps. Bill Seitz (R-Cincinnati) and Sharon Ray (R-Wadsworth), which would make changes to the Election Law, including creating an Automated Voter Registration and Verification System; modify the procedures for voter roll maintenance; and make changes to absent voting.

Posted by Nicole Piscitani on 5/21/2021