Governor activity
Gov. Mike DeWine signed into law House Bill (HB) 597, which provides capital reappropriations, including approximately $442.8 million for local school construction through the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) that received prior conditional approval.

General Assembly activity
The General Assembly sent HB 126 to DeWine…

Ohio Redistricting Commission
The Ohio Redistricting Commission approved the state legislative district maps by a 4-3 vote. The approved maps did not receive bipartisan support, which makes them effective for only four years. Click here to view the approved maps. Several parties have filed court challenges to the maps and are also urging the Ohio Supreme Court to impose a plan to end the impasse.

State Board of Education
The State Board of Education has reviewed the 29…

Governor activity
Gov. Mike DeWine delivered his State of the State Address and talked about Student Wellness and Success Funds, among other priorities enacted during his first term. DeWine announced new priorities in mental health care, comprehensive investments in Appalachia that may include broadband expansion and workforce training, among other investments. DeWine also announced a potential mentorship and scholarship program for children needing role models and talked about the need to pass…

Senate activity
The Senate accepted a motion, without objection, to insist on its amendments to House Bill (HB) 126 and request a conference committee. The House and Senate will now appoint members to the conference committee.

Ohio Supreme Court
The Ohio Supreme Court ruled 4-3 that the House and Senate state legislative maps approved by the Ohio Redistricting Commission are…

Governor activity
Gov. Mike DeWine signed into law Senate Bill (SB) 9. The bill requires the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) and other state agencies to reduce regulatory restrictions by 30% by 2025. The bill also includes an appropriation of $9 million to assist local boards of elections with administering the May 3 primary election.

DeWine signed into law SB 11. The…

Governor activity
Gov. Mike DeWine signed into law Senate Bill (SB) 181. The bill establishes restrictions on policies that prevent students from wearing religious apparel when competing or participating in interscholastic athletics or extracurricular activities. The bill also permits certain officials to limit the wearing of religious apparel if a legitimate danger to participants is identified but requires an administrator or official to offer all reasonable…

Ohio Redistricting Commission
The Ohio Redistricting Commission voted to approve the state legislative district maps by a 4-3 vote. The approved maps did not receive bipartisan support, which makes the approved maps effective for only four years. Click here to view the approved maps.

Survey on preschool special education rules
The Ohio ESC Association (OESCA) is requesting that school districts work with their ESCs to complete a survey regarding the impact of the new…

Governor activity
Gov. Mike DeWine signed into law House Bill (HB) 51. The bill allows a public body, including a board of education, to temporarily meet remotely until June 30, 2022. It also revises the process for adjusting property values due to instances that result in injury or destruction to the property and includes federal tax law conformity provisions. Both the ability for a public body to meet remotely and the federal tax law provisions took immediate effect.

General Assembly activity
The General Assembly sent House Bill (HB) 51 to Gov. Mike DeWine for his approval. The bill would revise the process for adjusting property values due to instances that result in injury or destruction to the property. The bill also would allow a public body, including a board of education, to temporarily meet remotely until June 30, 2022, and include federal tax law conformity provisions. Both the ability for a public body to meet remotely and the…

Governor activity
Gov. Mike DeWine signed into law House Bill (HB) 93. The bill revises the Address Confidentiality Program and makes changes to county recorder fees. The bill also moves the congressional candidate filing deadline to March 4, 2022; modifies petition requirements; makes changes to candidate filings due to residency and district numbers; and allows the secretary of state to modify administrative deadlines.

Additionally, DeWine designated new boundaries…