August 29th, 2024
Overview
Following the passage of the Capital Budget, the state legislature went on summer break and focus on the elections. The Ohio Senate returns in mid-November and the Ohio House has not released their schedule yet, but is expected to follow suit. Before the break, both chambers passed legislation relating to biomarker testing, education, and mental health, among other issues. G2G continues to work with the Statehouse and recently connected with House Assistant Majority Whip Sharon Ray (R-Wadsworth), House Minority Leader Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington), and Rep. Anita Somani, MD (D-Dublin) among others at a variety of events. On the federal level, G2G has continued to meet with Members of Congress and their staff, including Congressmen Troy Balderson (R-OH-12) and Mike Carey (R-OH-15) and Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and JD Vance (R-OH) to address healthcare, technology, and small business issues. More on elections, legislation, business and technology, health, and education is below.
ADMINISTRATIVE UPDATES
Department of Transportation
Director of the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) Jack Marchbanks, PhD will step down at the end of September to return to academia. Governor DeWine nominated Pamela Boratyn, who is the Deputy Executive Director of the Ohio Police and Fire Pension Fund, to serve as the next director. She has worked at ODOT in various capacities for the past 30 years and previously in the Attorney General’s office as General Counsel and oversaw the Transportation Section.
Office of Budget & Management (OBM)
OBM announced July tax receipts added $2.1 billion to the state’s coffers. Director Kimberly said the $10 million growth compared to July 2023 is largely due to auto sales tax collections that brought in $155.3 million, a $9.9 million increase, compared to last July. Also, the personal income tax collections improved by $1.6 million for a total of $743.3 million, while the commercial activity tax fell $2.6 million coming in at $113.3 million. Due to the state’s tax receipts, the upcoming State Operating Budget will likely look like a more typical budget than it has in recent years. G2G is closely monitoring tax revenues as we plan for the State Operating Budget process next year.
STATEHOUSE UPDATES
Elections
As you know, former President Trump selected Ohio Senator J.D. Vance as his running mate for the presidential election, which has brought Vance onto the national stage at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, in rallies across the country, and in TV interviews. Senator Vance, who assumed office in early 2023, previously served in the Marine Corps, graduated from Yale Law School, and is the author of Hillbilly Elegy. If former President Trump wins, Gov. DeWine will select a replacement for Vance’s vacant Senate seat, and Vance will become the fourth person born in Ohio to be vice president. The last vice-presidential nominee from Ohio was former Governor John Bricker, who was Thomas Dewey's running mate in 1944, who lost to Franklin Roosevelt. On the other side, the Democratic ticket of VP Harris and Governor Walz is also getting a lot of attention as they just wrapped up the Democratic Convention in Chicago. Harris-Walz are not expected to be in Ohio much over the next 10 weeks as the state is expected to vote for Trump-Vance, which makes the senate race between incumbent Senator Sherrod Brown (D) and Bernie Moreno (R) too close to call.
Meanwhile on the state level, Secretary of State Frank LaRose confirmed a constitutional amendment to prohibit elected officials from drawing Ohio’s congressional and legislative maps will appear on the 2024 ballot. The amendment was filed with 731,306 signatures, the third highest from a citizen-led initiative in the state’s history. Statewide amendment campaigns must submit at least 413,487 valid signatures – representing 10% of the most recent gubernatorial electorate – for their issues to make the general election ballot. Petitions must also include signatures representing at least 5% of the vote total in at least 44 of the state's 88 counties. Election officials determined the campaign's petitions contained 535,005 valid signatures from 58 counties.
After supporters to increase Ohio’s minimum wage to $15 an hour failed to submit signatures in time to make the November ballot, they have since announced their plan to submit signatures by the end of summer to qualify for the November 2025 ballot. Raise the Wage Ohio, the group behind this initiative, said they collected 600,000 signatures, but did not submit them on Wednesday, July 3rd, the deadline to make the November 2024 ballot, because they did not meet the state's required signatures from 5% of voters who casted ballots in the last gubernatorial election in 44 counties. The group must now obtain 413,487 new signatures to be on the next ballot.
Legislation
Given the House and Senate will not return until later this year, both chambers passed several bills before the summer break that G2G is tracking that include:
Biomarker Testing
House Bill 24, which requires health plans and Medicaid coverage of biomarker testing in a manner that limits disruptions in care, passed the House after being unanimously voted out of the House Insurance Committee. Biomarker testing is a laboratory method that uses a sample of tissue, blood, or other body fluid to check for certain genes, proteins, or other molecules that indicate signs of a disease or condition. This bill was sponsored by Rep. Andrea White (R-Kettering) and has not been assigned to a Senate committee.
Education
The following bills were sent to Governor DeWine to sign:
House Bill 147, sponsored by Rep. Sarah Fowler Arthur (R-Ashtabula) and Rep. Adam Miller (D-Columbus), in its finalized form contains several policy changes. This bill bars schools from establishing different prices for attending school events based on payment method, allows a student who was the victim of abuse or various criminal acts to transfer athletic eligibility to another school, and allows the use of virtual services for recipients of the state's Autism and Jon Peterson Special Needs scholarship.
Senate Bill 29, sponsored by Sen. Stephen Huffman (R-Tipp City), prevents schools and technology providers from tracking student activity on school-issued devices and prohibits using student data for advertising. This bill was amended to allow schools or districts to monitor a device to prevent a threat to life or safety.
Senate Bill 112, sponsored by former Sen. Michael Rulli, requires school buildings to comply with national life safety standards and requires an annual inspection of protective door assemblies in school buildings. Although all House Democrats voted for the bill, some voiced they do not believe the bill goes far enough to protect students and would prefer the bill include an appropriation, but the lack of funding was not enough to warrant a "no" vote.
Mental Health
Senate Bill 60, which establishes licensure by the State Medical Board for certified mental health assistants, passed the Senate after receiving a near unanimous vote of passage from the Senate Workforce and Higher Education Committee. This bill, sponsored by Sen. Theresa Gavarone (R-Bowling Green), would create new licensures for certified mental health assistants for the purpose of addressing a mounting mental health crisis in Ohio exacerbated by a lack of a mental health workforce. This bill has not been assigned to a House committee.
Resignations and Appointments
Following Sen. Al Cutrona’s (R-Canfield) appointment to Congressman Mike Rulli’s former state Senate seat, Rep. Tex Fischer was chosen as Cutrona’s replacement. Rep. Fischer is the co-founder and partner of the H&F Strategies LLC political consulting firm and the Mahoning County Republican Party vice chairman. He was chosen from seven Republican candidates for the state House seat. Rep. Fischer will also be on the ballot to maintain his House seat in November.
Business & Tech
Broadband Infrastructure
Lawmakers have expressed frustration at the lack of spending for pole installations to expand broadband access statewide. Although the State Operating Budget contained over $50 million for the Broadband Pole Replacement and Undergrounding Program, only $11,000 has been spent according to Controlling Board documents. House Finance Chairman Jay Edwards (R-Nelsonville) questioned whether there needed to be changes so the program can work effectively while Sen. Shane Wilkin (R-Hillsboro) said broadband access is a major issue in his district and noted the lack of communication between pole owners and internet service providers (ISPs). Peter Voderberg, Chief of Broadband Ohio, said although pole permits are taking longer than anticipated, they are working with pole owners and ISPs to continue the progress.
Childcare Ranked Top Issue for Ohio Small Businesses
New survey data indicated the lack of access and affordability to childcare is one of the most cited reasons impacting small business’ ability to find and retain qualified employees. This survey was released by the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Voices that included 120 Ohio small businesses. Some 83% of small businesses said it has been difficult for working parents to afford high quality childcare with 66% saying it was very difficult and 17% saying somewhat difficult. More than half said there are not enough childcare programs that are both high quality and affordable in their area and more than a third said employees have cut hours or forgone work entirely because of childcare. In addition, 84% of businesses said they want to see increases in federal funding programs that improve access and affordability while 68% support legislation increasing tax credits for businesses that want to locate or provide childcare for their workforce.
Recreational Cannabis Sales
Recreational cannabis is officially legal to purchase at licensed dispensaries across Ohio. Currently, 98 dispensaries are licensed to sell cannabis although not all are open yet. This comes as Ohioans voted in favor of Issue 2 last November, which allows cannabis use for non-medical purposes for adults 21 and older. Ohio is the 24th state that legalized the recreational use of marijuana although medical marijuana has been legal since 2016. A 10% tax will be imposed on all cannabis purchases statewide, which will be spent on administrative costs, addiction treatment, municipalities with dispensaries, and social equity and job programs supporting the industry itself.
Education
Science of Reading
A report is out that details the progress schools are making toward fully implementing the “science of reading,” which is a House provision within the most recent State Operating Budget that is part of a statewide effort to encourage improved literacy skills by implementing the curriculum in K-12 schools. The science of reading refers to research that has been conducted for decades by scientists and literacy experts demonstrating there is an actual science behind learning to read and certain skills need to be taught, including phonics. This report, released by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, noted the four key takeaways of progress so far:
- Ohio has kept notoriously weak English and language arts (ELA) curricula off its state-approved list.
- Just one-third of Ohio districts have been using core ELA elementary curricula fully aligned to new state requirements.
- More than half of Ohio’s lowest-performing districts, based on third grade reading proficiency, will be undertaking curriculum changes.
- Districts and charter schools that previously used nonaligned curricula received more state financial support for new materials.
The report also noted suggestions from the Institute on how to further the progress of the science of reading, which included continuing state investments that support the science of reading, pushing hard for rigorous implementation in low-performing schools, and increasing transparency about which ELA curricula districts and individual schools are using.
Health
Growing Rent and Wage Gap
A report indicated the gap between rent and wages in Ohio continues to widen. This report was created by a joint effort between the National Low Income Housing Coalition and the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio (COHHIO). The report indicated a 9% increase in housing costs since last year while noting Ohioans must make at least $20.81 per hour to afford a two-bedroom apartment, though few jobs in the state pay that much. Furthermore, of the ten professions with the most employees in Ohio, only two earn more than the statewide housing wage: general operations managers, the most common job, and registered nurses, the fourth most common. The report also highlighted how increased rent is connected to rising housing insecurity as there were 108,000 eviction cases last year, which was than any year since 2015. Although wages have increased since the pandemic, the skyrocketing cost of rent has erased wage gains.
Opioid Recovery Toolkit
The Ohio Chamber of Commerce updated its online toolkit for businesses to learn how to alleviate the opioid crisis in the workplace. The revised toolkit contains eight new online module courses that include lessons on complying with regulation, assisting employees who are in recovery, and how the opioid crisis effects the workforce. The modules also outline strategies for creating supportive and uplifting workplaces while detailing the high cost associated with businesses that do not institute recovery-friendly work environment. The toolkit’s informational modules are a great resource for businesses to recognize the importance of mitigating the opioid crisis.
Events
Members of Congress at Local Events
G2G attended a small business information session organized by Congresswoman Joyce Beatty to discuss FinCEN’s Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) Reporting Rule. This rule seeks to prevent bad actors from using shell companies to launder and hide illicit funds by imposing a federal requirement to identify the beneficial owners of certain companies. The discussion brought together a powerful group of small business owners in central Ohio to address concerns from the business community and provide feedback on avenues for effective implementation.
G2G also saw Congressman Max Miller in Peninsula, Ohio where he participated in a tour of the Girl Scouts of North East Ohio’s STEM Center of excellence, which is under construction. Congressman Miller shared his support of girls and women increasing their involvement in STEM fields.
Roundtable Events
G2G attended a roundtable discussion on childcare hosted by the Akron-Canton Advocacy Alliance. The event focused on defining and addressing the many problems surrounding childcare such as access, affordability, and the struggling workforce. Rep. Andrea White (R-Kettering) and Rep. Bill Roemer (R-Richfield) stated their desire to see the legislature introduce stronger, robust legislation to alleviate the common burdens associated with childcare across the state.
G2G attended Rep. Darnell Brewer’s (D-Cleveland) health roundtable event, which included featured speaker Angela Dawson, the Director of the Ohio Commission on Minority Health. Director Dawson spoke about the need for government, nonprofits, and other entities to collaborate with one another to address the health of often forgotten-about communities to ensure adequate health for all Ohioans. She also shared opportunities the state, country, and local community offer to organizations involved in the health space can utilize for a myriad of purposes.
G2G attended an educational roundtable at The Childhood League Center on neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). NAS is a withdrawal syndrome of infants after birth caused by in utero exposure to drugs of dependence, most commonly opioids. The event brought legislators, healthcare workers, nonprofit leaders, and university professors together to discuss the importance of tackling NAS given the ongoing opioid crisis. Increased funding for screening and intervention, paying service providers, changing and introducing policy, and reducing stigma were noted as key solutions to mitigating future cases of NAS.