Governor’s activity 

Gov. Mike DeWine announced the membership of the Property Tax Reform Working Group, formed in response to his House Bill (HB) 96 vetoes. The work group includes:  

  • Co-Chairman Pat Tiberi, President and CEO of the Ohio Business Roundtable 
  • Co Chairman Bill Seitz, former State Representative  
  • Krista Bohn, Allen County Treasurer 
  • Chris Galloway, Lake County Auditor 
  • Matt Nolan, Warren County Auditor 
  • Steve Patterson, Mayor of Athens 
  • Dr. John Marschhausen, Superintendent, Dublin City Schools 
  • Stephanie Starcher, Superintendent, Fort Frye Local Schools 
  • Denise Driehaus, Hamilton County Commissioner 
  • Gary Scherer, Pickaway County Commissioner 
  • Jeff Chattin, Pike County Commissioner 

The group held their first meeting on Thursday, where they declared their intent to meet biweekly to deliberate potential reforms.  The Governor has asked the working group to issue a report with concrete proposals by September 30. 

House activity  

On Monday, the Ohio House voted 61-28 to override Gov. DeWine’s HB 96 veto of Item No. 66, which restricts political subdivisions, including school districts, from pursuing replacement property tax levies as well as fixed-sum emergency, substitute emergency and combined school district income tax and fixed-sum property tax levies. The veto override now advances to the Senate for consideration, where the override attempt will need 20 votes to be successful. The Senate has not yet scheduled a session to consider this item. 

The House had previously identified two other items for possible vetoes — Item No. 55 (expanding the authority of county budget commissions) and Item No. 65 (revising the 20-mill floor calculation) -- but they did not consider those this week. Lawmakers have until Dec. 31, 2026, the close of this General Assembly, to challenge any of the governor’s other line-item vetoes. 

Recently introduced bills  

  • HB 391 – Introduced by Reps. Jack K. Daniels (R-New Franklin) and Heidi Workman (R-Rootstown), this bill would require tax rates to be expressed as a percentage of true value on tax bills and ballot language. 

Rules activity 

The Department of Education and Workforce has the following draft rules open for public comment:  

  • Chapter 3301-39: Approval of Nonpublic Schools 
    • OAC 3301-39-01: Definitions 
    • OAC 3301-39-03: Procedures 
    • OAC 3301-39-04: Oversight/revocation of charter 

Click here to view the ODEW rules open for public comment. 

The Department of Children and Youth has the following rules packages open for public comment:  

  • Chapter 5180: New Publicly Funded Child Care Authorization and Payment Categories due to Amended Substitute House Bill 96 
    • OAC 5180-2-16-02 → OAC 5180-6-1-02: Application and qualification process for receipt of publicly funded child care benefits 
    • OAC 5180-2-16-06 → OAC 5180-6-1-06: Authorizations for publicly funded child care services 
    • OAC 5180-2-16-10 → OAC 5180-6-1-10: Payment rates and procedures for programs of publicly funded child care services
  • Chapter 5180: Ratio and Group Size Increases in Type A and Type B Homes due to Amended Substitute House Bill 96 
    • OAC 5180-2-13-01 → OAC 5180-4-9-01: Definitions for licensed family child care 
    • OAC 5180-2-13-18 → OAC 5180-4-9-18: Group size and ratios for a licensed family child care provider 
  • Chapter 5810: HB 315 Changes for Entities Interacting with Youth in Foster Care in Residential Facilities, and Other Custodial and Residential Agency Rules 
    • 5180-3-13-90: Information to be provided to children, caregivers, school districts and juvenile courts 
    • 5180-4-5-38: Community engagement plan for residential facilities 
    • 5180-3-13-66.1: Comprehensive health care for children in placement 
    • 5180-4-5-07: Emergency planning and preparedness 
    • 5180-3-13-66: Administrative procedures for comprehensive health care for children in placement 
    • 5180-3-13-65: Caseworker visits and contacts with children in substitute care 
    • 5180-3-13-65.2: Visitation and placement review for children in residential facilities 
    • 5180-4-5-34: Building approval 
    • 5180-4-5-37: Information to be provided by residential facilities 
    • 5180-4-5-38: Community engagement plan for residential facilities 
  • Chapter 5180: Foster Care Licensing Suspension changes due to HB 96 
    • OAC 5180-2-5-07 → OAC 5180-4-1-07: Denial, revocation or suspension of an agency's certificate or certification to perform specific functions; administrative closures 
    • OAC 5180-2-5-28 → OAC 5180-4-1-28: Agency cause for denial, revocation, or suspension of foster home certification 

Click here to view the ODCY rules open for public comment.  

The State Board of Education does not have any rules open for public comment at this time. 

Federal update 

Please click here to read the most recent Federal Advocacy Report, which includes up-to-date information on federal education efforts. Click here to read the most recent Federal Court Report. 

Our partners at COSSBA are hosting a Supreme Court Wrap Up Webinar on July 30 at 3:00 pm. The webinar will discuss the major decisions impacting public education from the recently concluded 2025 Supreme Court term. More information and the link to register can be found here. 

Posted by Malania Birney on 7/25/2025