Legislative Report

by Nicole Pisciani • March 7, 2025

Gov. Mike DeWine’s executive budget, which was introduced as House Bill (HB) 96, primarily focused on the funding components of transportation plus the initiatives developed in the School Bus Safety Workgroup. The introduced bill would increase the minimum state share of transportation to 45.83% in fiscal year (FY) 26 and 50% in FY 27. The current state share is 41.67% and the increased percentages are consistent with the Fair School Funding Plan’s transportation phase-in.

In August 2023, DeWine brought together 13…

by Nicole Piscitani • Feb. 22, 2025

For the past three years, home valuations have been historically high, resulting in homeowners paying higher property taxes. The Ohio General Assembly is set to address this issue through multiple property tax bills. It is likely that at least one property tax bill will pass during the next six months.

The homestead exemption is a reduction program that the legislature can use to address property taxes for certain individuals. Ohio’s constitution allows the legislature to give a property tax credit to homeowners 65 years of age or…

by Nicole Piscitani • Feb. 7, 2025

Gov. Mike DeWine announced his last executive biennial budget on Feb. 3, 2025. The budget is for fiscal years 2026-27 and, due to term limits, DeWine will not seek reelection. The release of the executive budget starts Ohio’s legislative process, and it is important to note that while DeWine’s budget starts the process, the legislature largely crafts the finalized version.

DeWine’s past budgets have focused on kids, as does this one. As it pertains to the school-funding formula, the budget proposal would continue…

by Nicole Piscitani, deputy director of legislative services • Jan. 27, 2025

The Ohio House majority caucus released its priority bills last week, and the School Bus Safety Act, House Bill (HB) 3, was reintroduced and given a spot on the priority list.

Rep. Bernard Willis (R-Springfield) returns as the bill’s sponsor after working diligently in the 135th General Assembly to try to pass it. As a quick refresher on the efforts made in the 135th General Assembly, House Transportation Committee Chair Rep. Riordan T. McClain (R-Upper…

by Nicole Piscitani • Feb. 10, 2025

The 136th General Assembly officially began on Jan. 6, 2025, with the swearing in of the 99 elected state representatives to the Ohio House and 33 elected state senators to the Ohio Senate. Both the Ohio House and the Ohio Senate voted on leadership; the following elected officials will serve in these positions.

Ohio House

• Speaker of the House: Rep. Matt Huffman (R-Lima)
• Speaker Pro Tempore: Rep. Gayle Manning (R-North Ridgeville)
• Assistant Speaker Pro Tempore: Rep.…

The 135th Ohio General Assembly is expected to close its legislative work this week. House Primary and Secondary Education Chair Gayle Manning (R-North Ridgeville) has indicated that the committee will not meet again this year. The Senate Education Committee has one committee hearing scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 17. A few education-related bills are still pending and could receive action this week. 

by Nicole Piscitani • Dec. 1, 2024

The Ohio legislature returned to the Statehouse on Nov. 12, and the Ohio Senate promptly accepted changes to Senate Bill (SB) 104. This bill makes changes to the College Credit Plus program (CCP) and includes provisions regarding single-sex facilities and accommodations. Gov. Mike DeWine signed the bill on Nov. 26, and it will be effective in 90 days.

SB 104 started as a stand-alone CCP bill that was primarily drafted from a report conducted by the Auditor of the State’s Office (AOS). The AOS report included several…

by Nicole Piscitani • Nov. 3, 2024

The Ohio General Assembly is set to return to the Statehouse the week of Nov. 10. Legislators have been campaigning in their districts since the end of June. With the Nov. 5 general election, all efforts have focused on a handful of tight elections in the Ohio House and Senate. Please note that this report was written before the election. 

As noted in other Legislative Reports, this General Assembly has been historic, never knowing what might or might not happen. The election’s outcome could play a part in the legislature's…

by Nicole Piscitani • Oct. 16, 2024

Senate Bill (SB) 168’s main objective was to provide school districts flexibility and improve local control on various areas within education law. From its inception, the bill was known as the Education Deregulation Bill. One area that received multiple modifications was teacher licensure and evaluations.

Teacher licensure has been tweaked and changed several times over the past few years. In June 2023, the biennial budget changed grade bands. During the pandemic, substitute teacher laws were changed to provide school districts…

by Nicole Piscitani • Sept. 23, 2024

In June, the Ohio legislature passed 29 bills in a single day, nine of which impacted the education community. Senate Bill (SB) 168, one of the nine bills passed and later signed by Gov. Mike DeWine, is one of the largest education bills to pass the legislature in the past few years. Due to the multitude of issues addressed in SB 168, this update will focus on a few areas. Future legislative reports will continue additional SB 168 provisions.

District exemptions from certain requirements
…