Senate activity
The Senate unanimously passed House Concurrent Resolution (HCR) 35. The bill would invalidate the proposed amendments to rule 3301-35-04 of the Ohio Administrative Code. The Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review recommended to invalidate the rule. Last week, the House adopted HCR 35. The rule is now invalidated.

The Senate unanimously passed Senate Bill (SB) 229, which would do the following:

  • temporarily extend the deadline to April 30, 2022, for a school district to submit a blended learning model to the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) for the 2021-22 school year;
  • require each school to complete and submit within 90 days a remediation plan to address the learning loss students experience during the COVID-19 pandemic;
  • permit a school district to adopt a resolution that provides remote learning to a student whose parent requests remote learning;
  • require a school that operates an online learning school to allow a quarantined student in a traditional district school to participate in that online learning school during the period of quarantine;
  • waive the requirement for the 2021-22 school year that a student be automatically withdrawn from an e-school if that student fails to take a state end-of-course exam;
  • prohibit the use of the chronic absenteeism measure on the state report card for the 2021-22 school year;
  • add a school district superintendent to the state report card review committee;
  • require ODE to calculate an adjusted four-year graduation rate for those students who were continuously enrolled in the same district or building in grades nine-12;
  • exempt an online learning school from the current law requirement that school administrators develop an emergency management plan for each building under their control;
  • require a school district prior to entering into a contract to purchase real property that currently is partially or fully leased to a community school, STEM school, or chartered or nonchartered nonpublic school to obtain written consent from the school approving the purchase.

Earlier in the week, the Senate Primary and Secondary Education Committee accepted a substitute version of the bill. The changes are incorporated in the above bill text. The bill now moves to the House.

House Criminal Justice Committee
The committee accepted a substitute version of House Bill (HB) 99, which would expressly exempt the requirement that peace officer basic training be obtained by certain employees whom a board of education authorizes to be armed in a school safety zone and require that the employee meets or exceeds the training requirements for concealed handgun licensees to be eligible. The substitute bill expressly states that the intent of the bill is to overrule the decision of the Ohio Supreme Court in Gabbard v. Madison Local School Dist. Bd. Of Edn. The substitute bill also requires school boards to provide public notification if they have authorized one or more persons to go armed within a school. Additionally, the bill includes requirements for a person authorized to go armed within a school safety zone and adds various training requirements. Click here to read a comparative synopsis of the substitute bill.

Senate Ways and Means Committee
The committee held a third hearing on HB 51, which would revise the process for adjusting property values due to instances that result in injury or destruction to the property.

The committee amended HB 66, which would require the state’s tax expenditure report to include information on property tax exemptions and require a periodic review of each property tax exemption. The amendment removes the periodic review of each property tax exemption by the Tax Expenditure Review Committee due to the committee being discontinued in HB 110.

Senate Local Government and Elections Committee
The committee amended SB 112, which would require abandoned land to be forfeited to the state, instead of a school district as under current law, if unsold after the first foreclosure sale; and eliminate the requirement to notify a school district upon receiving certification that a property has been offered for sale and is unsold. The amendment requires that the annual report of a county land reutilization corporation include information regarding both the treasurer’s delinquent tax and assessment collection fund and the county land reutilization corporation fund. The amendment also clarifies that nonproductive land for which is both tax delinquent and vacant must only be offered for sale once; extends the timeframe in which an appeal must be filed under the Expedited Foreclosure on Unoccupied Land Law; and reinserts a provision under existing law that requires a property transfer fee to be paid to the county recorder for the transfer and recording of the deed. Additionally, the amendment clarifies that both nonproductive and abandoned lands that have been foreclosed under the Executions Against Property Law, Expedited Foreclosure on Unoccupied Land law and Delinquent Land Law will forfeit to the state if not sold after the first sale.

House Behavioral Health and Recovery Supports Committee
The committee held a second hearing on HB 428, sponsored by Reps. Gail K. Pavliga (R-Atwater) and Jay Edwards (R-Nelsonville), which would establish the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study Commission.

The committee held sponsor testimony on HB 363, sponsored by Reps. Adam C. Miller (D-Columbus) and Monique Smith (D-Fairview Park), which would require the Director of the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services to adopt rules for services provided in response to a natural disaster, pandemic, mass casualty or fatality incident, mass shooting incident, or declared emergency and to ensure that the procedures address the manner that the services will be coordinated with public and private entities.

Senate Financial Institutions and Technology Committee
The committee passed HB 177, which would permit school districts, among others, to use blockchain technology.

Senate Workforce and Higher Education Committee
The committee held sponsor testimony on SB 251, sponsored by Sens. Tim Schaffer (R-Lancaster) and Tina Maharath (D-Columbus), which would allow a person under age 16 to be employed between 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. during the school year if the person has parental or legal guardian consent.

Senate Health Committee
The committee held a third hearing on HB 122, which would establish and modify requirements regarding the provision of telehealth services of school psychologists, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, occupational assistants and physical therapy assistants, among others.

Senate Small Business and Economic Opportunity Committee
The committee held sponsor testimony on SB 242, sponsored by Sen. Louis W. Blessing III (R-Colerain Township), which would require retail merchants to give customers the option to pay by cash.

Posted by Nicole Piscitani on 10/22/2021