Week in Review
Friday, Sept. 24, 2018
ADDICTION/SUBSTANCE ABUSE
More people died of drug overdoses in 2017 than the year
prior, a trend driven by ultra-potent synthetic opioids like fentanyl and their
increased likelihood of being mixed into other street drugs like cocaine,
according to new data from the Ohio Department of Health (ODH). In a press
conference on the topic Thursday, Gov. John Kasich emphasized the report's
findings of fewer deaths linked to prescription opioids and to heroin unadulterated
by fentanyl, saying it shows the payoff from his administration's efforts to
improve drug monitoring technology and institute prescribing guidelines to
reduce patients' likelihood of developing addictions and ability to shop around
for pills.
Ohio Citizen Advocates for Addiction Recovery (OCAAR) will
hold a rally at Huntington Park Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. as part of the
annual "Recovery Month" of September, the organization and Ohio
Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS)
recently announced.
AGRICULTURE
Members of Congress should "put
partisan differences aside" and pass a 2018 Farm Bill that can be signed
into law before the 2014 Farm Bill expires on Sunday, Sept. 30, the Ohio Corn
& Wheat Growers Association (OCWGA) said Tuesday. In a letter to each
member of Ohio's congressional delegation, OCWGA President Jed Bower and OCWGA
Executive Director Tadd Nicholson wrote that such legislation would provide
Ohio corn farmers with some certainty during challenging times for agriculture.
ATTORNEY GENERAL
Ohio Uber drivers will receive more
than $1.2 million or just over 20 percent of Ohio's share from a nationwide
$148 million settlement between the states and the ridesharing company, accused
of dragging its feet for a full year before notifying drivers about a 2016 data
breach. Attorney General Mike DeWine announced the settlement among all 50
states and the District of Columbia Wednesday, saying Uber has agreed to
maintain a comprehensive data security program and strengthen its corporate
governance to protect riders and drivers' personal information. The $1.2
million will allow individual $100 payments to more than 12,000 Ohioans who
drove or applied with Uber at the time of the breach.
BALLOT ISSUES
A group composed of 23 statewide
organizations representing Ohio's justice system, drug treatment community and
business community has come together to oppose Issue 1, the Neighborhood
Safety, Drug Treatment, and Rehabilitation amendment to the Ohio Constitution
on Ohio's November ballot. The committee, "Vote No! Protect Ohio,"
promises to "stage a vigorous campaign to alert Ohioans to the dangers of
Issue 1."
Senate President Larry Obhof (R-Medina) Wednesday
blasted Issue 1, the constitutional amendment that would favor probation over
prison sentences for drug offenders in Ohio. Obhof
told reporters following Wednesday's nonvoting session that the issue doesn't
do what its proponents are promising voters. He said it is his hope and
anticipation that the ballot issue will fail in November.
Fighting off charges
of partisan meddling, the Ohio Criminal Sentencing Commission (OCSC) voted
overwhelmingly Thursday to oppose Issue 1 on grounds that amending the state
constitution is not the proper way to reform low-level drug sentencing, expand
earned inmate credits, and overhaul probation orders. The motion was opposed by
Democratic lawmakers and three representatives of the Ohio Public Defender's
Office, among others, and supported by a long list of attending judges,
prosecutors, peace officers and representatives of the Kasich administration.
Service Employees
International Union District 1199 has launched a six-figure radio ad campaign
in support of Issue 1 that features musician John Legend, a native of
Springfield.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Gov. John Kasich announced Monday the approval of assistance
for eight projects set to create 1,929 new jobs and retain 5,548 jobs
statewide. During its monthly meeting, the Ohio Tax Credit Authority (TCA)
reviewed economic development proposals brought to the board by JobsOhio and its regional partners. Collectively, the
projects are expected to result in more than $100 million in payroll and spur
more than $470 million in investments across Ohio.
EDUCATION
Columbus City Schools outpace the
rest of the state as part of $12 million in new safety grants awarded by the
Ohio Attorney General's Office Friday to 1,755 schools and school districts
across Ohio. All public school districts and community
schools, chartered nonpublic or private schools, and schools operated by county
boards of developmental disabilities will receive the greater of $2,500 or
$5.65 per student to spend toward programs and training on safety and security.
Career Technical Planning Districts (CTPDs), the organizational units that
oversee regional career tech education (CTE) around the state, vary in
structure and size, and often incorporate many different school districts
across multiple counties. That leads some CTE stakeholders to wonder how best
to evaluate them with a standard report card. At a recent meeting of the Ohio
Department of Education (ODE) CTPD Report Card Workgroup, stakeholders debated whether or not the current CTPD report card accurately
reflects the work being done at these various career and vocational centers
around the state and discussed what adjustments are necessary in light of
upcoming changes in federal reporting requirements.
The current superintendent of Cleveland Heights-University Heights City Schools
will be moving south to lead the state's largest school district as Columbus
City Schools' (CCS) next superintendent/CEO. Columbus' Board of Education voted
unanimously to select Talisa Dixon as the 21st CCS superintendent.
Two school districts filed
arguments in court this week asking for the right to join Ohio's lawsuit
against Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT) founder William Lager, saying
Attorney General Mike DeWine isn't an "adequate representative" of
their interests given his political history with Lager and his office's track
record in other charter school litigation. DeWine's office rebuts the claims,
saying the schools' filing misunderstands charter school case law and that the
attorney general has been "aggressive" in charter enforcement
lawsuits.
East Cleveland City Schools is
suing the state to ward off creation of an Academic Distress Commission, which
is soon set to take operational control of the district after the latest round
of state report cards.
With an overall grade of F on the
report cards earlier this month, East Cleveland got its third strike and
triggered the state law that requires creation of the commission. The
five-member oversight panel is to be named within 30 days of the report card
rating and will hire a CEO who'll take the reins of district operations. The
district is the third to fall under distress commission authority, after Lorain
and Youngtown.
Officials at Whitehall City Schools and Columbus State Community College
explained Wednesday their efforts to more quickly and effectively get students
through remedial coursework and into coursework that can earn them college
credit or work credentials. They told the Joint Education Oversight Committee
(JEOC) that a big part of that effort is use of ALEKS, or Assessment and
Learning in Knowledge Spaces, software from McGraw-Hill Education that adapts
questioning based on student responses, highlights knowledge gaps and
identifies the topics students are most ready to tackle next.
The Ohio Department of Education announced Wednesday that Toledo Early College
High School's Mona Al-Hayani is Ohio's 2019 Teacher
of the Year. Al-Hayani teaches history, advises the
National Honor Society and Women for Change student groups and is a two-time
awardee of the U.S. Department of Education's Fulbright-Hays award. She was
named in August as State Board of Education District 2 Teacher of the Year and
will now go on to represent Ohio at the 2019 National Teacher of the Year
contest sponsored by the Council of Chief State School Officers.
Seeking more
information on the reasons why school related services employees -- individuals
like school nurses, psychologists and occupational therapists -- choose to work
and stay working in schools, the Related Services Personnel Workgroup intends
to conduct an online survey of professionals on their priorities in the coming
months.
ELECTIONS
A coalition of voting rights groups
in Ohio Wednesday urged lawmakers and statewide officeholders to adopt new
reforms including automated voter registration, increased voting opportunities
and improvements to the online voter registration system. The groups said Ohio
has made some improvements to give voters access to the ballot
but it can do much more.
ELECTIONS 2018
Reacting to reports that a record
number of Ohioans suffered fatal drug overdoses in 2017, Democratic
gubernatorial candidate Richard Cordray says that Ohio needs new, innovative
policies to stem the tide of opioid-related overdoses. Speaking on a conference
call with reporters Monday, Cordray said the 20 percent rise in overdose deaths
in 2017 was evidence the state is "losing the fight against the opioid
epidemic."
Democratic attorney general nominee Steve Dettelbach
released the first television ad of his campaign on Tuesday as part of a media
buy in the Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati markets. The 30-second spot,
titled "Got Your Back," highlights Dettelbach's
work as a federal prosecutor and features law enforcement officials from around
Ohio praising his work.
A new poll released Wednesday by
NBC News/Marist College shows Republican Mike DeWine and Democrat Richard
Cordray tied in the governor's race. The poll of 564 likely voters showed both
candidates getting 47 percent, with 6 percent undecided. The number falls to 44
percent for both when Libertarian Travis Irvine and Green candidate Constance Gadell-Newton are included. In the U.S. Senate race,
Sherrod Brown leads Jim Renacci 52 percent to 39
percent, with 7 percent undecided. Brown's lead
falls to 49 percent and Renacci gets 35 percent when Libertarian Bruce Jaynes is
included.
Republican secretary of state nominee Frank LaRose's campaign Wednesday
proposed three debates with Democratic opponent Kathleen Clyde.
The Ohio
Democratic Party (ODP) said that it has reached a tentative labor agreement
with organizers on its "Campaign for Ohio." If the agreement is
ratified, ODP said it will be the first state party in the nation to finalize
an organizers contract with the Campaign Workers Guild.
While both major party
gubernatorial candidates generally agreed that children's services deserve more
funding and attention from state policymakers during the "Vote for Ohio
Kids Leadership Forum" on Thursday, Democrat Richard Cordray emphasized
the need for a state government culture change to ensure young families and
business leaders choose to make Ohio home.
The following
endorsements were made over the week:
- Cincinnati Nuns on the Bus endorse passage of Issue 1.
- The Columbus Dispatch
endorsed the re-election of U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown and election of Dave Yost
as attorney general.
- Teamsters Local 957 in Dayton
endorsed Zach Dickerson for the Ohio House District 42 seat.
- Vice President Rob Walgate says the American Policy Roundtable opposes passage
of Issue 1.
- The County Commissioners Association of Ohio opposes passage of
Issue 1.
- The National Rifle Association
Political Victory Fund endorsed Mike DeWine for governor and Jon Husted for
lieutenant governor.
- The campaign of Ohio Senate
candidate Louise Valentine announced the endorsement of former U.S. Assistant
Secretary of Education Diane Ravitch.
- LGBTQ Victory Fund endorsed Taylor Sappington for the Ohio
House.
- The Ohio Manufacturers' Association and the Ohio Chamber of
Commerce announced their opposition to Issue 1.
EMPLOYMENT/UNEMPLOYMENT
Ohio's unemployment rate in August
was unchanged from July's 4.6 percent even as the state added 13,900 jobs over
the month, according to data released by the Ohio Department of Job and Family
Services (ODJFS) on Friday. The August unemployment rate for Ohio decreased
from 5.0 percent in August 2017. The U.S. unemployment rate for August was 3.9
percent, unchanged from July, and down from 4.4 percent in August 2017. Ohio is
one of 24 states with an unemployment rate significantly higher than the
national rate.
ENERGY
Appalachian Ohio will become home
to one of the first three solar energy fields approved by the Ohio Power Siting
Board (OPSB) as a "major utility facility," a $150 million project of
Chicago-based Invenergy that is expected to generate 125 megawatts (MW) on
1,950 acres near McArthur in Vinton County.
The Ohio Consumers' Counsel (OCC) asked the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals
Tuesday to stop bankrupt FirstEnergy Solutions from unloading more than $268
million owed to the Ohio Valley Electric Corporation's (OVEC) redundant coal
plants on the state's other regulated utilities, and ultimately on millions of
Ohio ratepayers who are "captive" to OVEC subsidies.
ENVIRONMENT
Six Ohio organizations will receive
environmental education mini grants totaling $27,000, the Ohio Environmental
Protection Agency (Ohio EPA) announced Tuesday. The projects focused on habitat
restoration, storm water management and environmental careers, the agency said.
FEDERAL
In a jointly signed letter, Gov. John Kasich and Colorado Gov.
John Hickenlooper, a Democrat, called on U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to pursue a "forward looking" trade
policy rather than current tariffs that are creating uncertainty and damage to
their respective states, with Kasich tweeting further that "this
administration's trade war is holding our nation back from true economic
prosperity." The letter acknowledges the desire for "updated, fair
and equitable trade agreements" but calls on Lighthizer
and his team to not close markets, impose tariffs or enact government
regulations that could negatively affect manufacturers, agricultural producers
and businesses and rural communities that are heavily reliant on them.
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
celebrated the expected passage of what he said were two major legislative
victories Wednesday, one that would expand health care options for babies
affected by opioids and another that would end "gag orders" on
pharmacies that prevent them from informing consumers of cheaper avenues of
purchasing medications.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY/STATEHOUSE
Dominic Paretti,
a long-time Democratic staffer in the Ohio House of Representatives and aide to
Rep. Janine Boyd (D-Cleveland Heights) as well as a sitting Columbus School
Board member, abruptly resigned both positions Friday amid reports that two
female House co-workers filed sexual harassment complaints against him. He is
accused of sending graphic text messages to the two women on two separate
weekends in June and August.
Senate President Larry Obhof (R-Medina) said Tuesday
the GOP caucus is now taking applications for the 20th District seat recently
vacated by Troy Balderson, the victor in August's
special congressional election. The district covers Fairfield, Guernsey,
Hocking, Morgan and Muskingum counties and parts of Athens and Pickaway
counties. Applications, including a resume, letters of recommendation and other
supporting material applicants feel relevant, are due by 4 p.m. Friday, Nov.
16.
The Senate unanimously passed SB259 (Hackett) addressing physician assistants
while HB353 (Reineke), addressing exemptions under
the Unclaimed Funds Law passed with Sens. Mike Skindell
(D-Lakewood) and Charleta Tavares (D-Columbus) voting
against it. Also passing was HB405 (Perales), legislation that creates an
offense of counterfeiting and includes counterfeiting within the definition of "corrupt
activity" under the Corrupt Activities Law.
After Tuesday's session, Senate
President Larry Obhof (R-Medina) said "how long
or how intense lame duck will be" is partly dependent on the outcome of
the November election. He said he expects they will be working on unemployment
compensation and energy issues.
Senate President Larry Obhof (R-Medina) Wednesday told reporters following
Wednesday's nonvoting session there is a "good chance" the Senate
will take up a veto override of SB221 (Uecker), which
addressed agency rule-making and legislative review. He said he believes they
could have a bipartisan vote to override Gov. John Kasich's veto.
Rep. Sarah LaTourette
(R-Chesterland) told attendees of the Legislative Cancer Caucus' Wednesday
meeting that she is confident in passage of HB286, her bill to create
palliative care programs, before the end of the term as it is a top priority for
her, and a personal one. The bill passed the House in November and is currently
in the Senate Health, Human Services and Medicaid Committee. LaTourette said
she's discussed it repeatedly with committee chair Sen. Dave Burke
(R-Marysville), who is also hoping to see the bill pass before year's end.
In other legislative action, the
Senate Health, Human Services and Aging Committee reported out SCR18 (Yuko)
which urges Congress to amend the Americans with Disabilities Act and adopt an
international symbol of access.
GOVERNOR
Appointments made during the week include the following:
- Mary E. "Beth" Hammond of Findlay (Hancock County)
reappointed to the Owens Community College Board of Trustees for a term
beginning Sept. 22, 2018 and ending Sept. 21, 2024.
- Barbara Mattei-Smith of Newark
(Licking County) to the Early Childhood Advisory Council for a term beginning
Sept. 21, 2018 and continuing at the pleasure of the governor.
- David L. Cox of Middletown
(Butler County) reappointed to the State Board of Registration for Professional
Engineers and Surveyors for a term beginning Sept. 25, 2018 and ending Sept.
24, 2023.
- Barbara A. Turner of Liberty
Township (Butler County) to the Cincinnati State Technical and Community
College Board of Trustees for a term beginning Sept. 25, 2018 and ending Aug.
31, 2022.
- Lee A. Alexakos of Sandusky (Erie County) and Ellen A. Grinsfelder of Logan (Hocking County) reappointed to the TourismOhio Advisory Board for terms beginning Sept. 28, 2018, and ending Sept. 27, 2021.
GREAT LAKES
Citizens and organizations can now
directly invest in the Erie P Market, the Great Lakes Commission (GLC)
announced. For each credit purchased through the Erie P Market, one pound of
phosphorus will be prevented from entering the lake, GLC said. The commission
announced the water quality trading initiative in July 2016 and performed a "soft
launch" of the program earlier this summer.
GUNS
Gov. John Kasich signed a pair of executive orders Monday to make "permanent"
his National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) workgroup and to
shore up gaps in NICS reporting on mental health adjudications, felony
indictments, arrest warrants and protection orders. The second order implements
emergency rules requiring participating agencies to enter all relevant data
into Ohio's Law Enforcement Automated Data System (LEADS) for reporting to the
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Throughout October, the Health Policy Institute of Ohio (HPIO)
will be holding five regional forums on behalf of the Ohio Department of Health
seeking input for the 2019 State Health Assessment (SHA) and State Health
Improvement Plan. HPIO is inviting stakeholders from a variety of backgrounds,
including local health departments, hospitals, health insurance plans, local
government, criminal justice, education, nonprofits and job and family services
departments to attend.
HIGHER EDUCATION
The Ohio Department of Higher
Education (ODHE) this week launched a new campaign aimed at helping high school
students through the college application process ahead of Ohio College
Application Month, which begins on Monday, Oct. 1. The "3 to Get Ready"
campaign highlights the process of applying for financial aid, submitting
applications and selecting an institution to attend.
Ohio State University (OSU) could
save more than $6.4 million annually with some simple optimization and
efficiency improvements, according to a performance audit released by Ohio
Auditor Dave Yost's office Tuesday. The 181-page audit shows that small
improvements regarding the use of printers and copiers, hiring practices and
computer server location can add up to significant savings.
While community colleges are
increasingly in demand due to their affordability compared to public four-year
institutions, Ohio's community college system fared poorly in a recent study by
personal finance site WalletHub. The
study, which did not rank eight states, placed the Buckeye State as fifth-last
out of 42 states and ahead of only South Carolina, West Virginia, Louisiana and
Pennsylvania. The top five states were South Dakota, Minnesota, Montana,
Arkansas and New York.
The estate of a deceased Youngstown
State University (YSU) alumnus has donated $1.9 million to create a scholarship
for students attending YSU's Beeghley College of
Education. Ned Kaufman earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees from YSU
and taught English in local schools for over 20 years before passing away in
February 2018 at the age of 89. The Donald and Ann Kaufman Scholarship, named
in honor of Ned's parents, will provide $80,000 a year in assistance to YSU
students.
Wright State University (WSU) has
received over $500,000 in state funds to purchase virtual reality equipment to
be used to train students using 3D, walkable simulations. The workforce
development grant totaling $538,562 will allow students at WSU to see and
interact with things like the inner workings of automobiles or human anatomy.
The Ohio Department of
Higher Education (ODHE) Thursday launched a new online tool allowing university
staff and students, researchers and the business community to freely access
publications, patents and other resources from some of Ohio's largest research
universities. The Ohio Innovation Exchange can be accessed at https://www.ohioinnovationexchange.org/.
Ohio University (OU)
President M. Duane Nellis Thursday announced the
creation of the new Ohio University Capital Internship Program, to be based in
Washington, D.C., starting in Spring 2019. This program seeks to provide
students who have an interest in government and public policy with the
opportunity to participate firsthand in public service by observing and
contributing to the legislative process.
JUDICIAL
The media
battle over official records in the 2016 Pike County mass murder has produced
little new information in the latest Ohio Supreme Court victory for major
newspapers around the state. Following Wednesday's ruling that preliminary autopsy notes and coroner's photographs
in the Rhoden/Gilley family massacre may be inspected by journalists, Ohio's
major media outlets are reporting only that Christopher Rhoden Sr. was shot
through a door among nine total bullet wounds to his body.
Following 15 months of legal briefs, a divided Supreme Court of Ohio has
decided it will not hear the state's appeal of a 2nd District holding that
students are under police custody and entitled to their Miranda rights when a school safety director who is not a peace
officer detains them with law enforcement present. A case involving a confessed
bomb threat, In re L.G., was originally filed with the
Court in June 2017 and accepted for briefing last January; on Thursday,
justices moved 4-3 to dismiss the case as improvidently accepted. Chief Justice
Maureen O'Connor, who led the ruling joined by Justices Patrick Fischer, R.
Patrick DeWine and Mary DeGenaro, had dissented along
with Fischer when the case was originally accepted.
Decades of industry practice and a half dozen friends of
court including the Ohio Oil and Gas Association (OOGA) were unable to
convince the Ohio Supreme Court Tuesday that landmen who negotiate mineral
leases are not obligated to hold real estate licenses under the plain language
of R.C. 4735.01. The Court ruled 7-0 that owner Thomas Dundics
of Ibis Land Group had no standing to sue Eric Petroleum Corp. of
Youngstown for unpaid lease
commissions because Dundics was not a real estate
agent as defined by the law.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Columbus Police Chief Kim Jacobs requested the FBI Public
Corruption Task Force take over investigations regarding the division's Vice
Section, saying Thursday that "recent high profile
incidents have brought forward a variety of allegations against the Vice
Section."
NATURAL RESOURCES
The
Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) marked Friday's effective date of
SB257 (Uecker-O'Brien) with a news conference
Thursday, saying the new law would bolster the "customer service"
side of the hunting and fishing licensing process and generate additional
revenue for the department through attracting additional participants to the
sports.
OHIO HISTORY
A Native American site to be
acquired by the Ohio History Connection and opened to the public for viewing
could become the state's first World Heritage site, of which there are
currently only 23 in the United States. The U.S. Department of the Interior
announced in spring that the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks, including the
Octagon Earthworks, will be nominated as a World Heritage site once it is fully
open to public and research access, putting it among the world's greatest
cultural wonders, including the Taj Mahal, Great Wall of China and Statue of
Liberty. Worldwide, there are a total of 1,092 World Heritage sites.
PEOPLE
The Ohio Air Quality Development
Authority (OAQDA) Board Wednesday announced that it hired Christina O'Keeffe,
the current director of energy and air quality at the Mid-Ohio Regional
Planning Commission (MORPC), as the authority's new executive director.
Attorney Sophia Chang was hired by
the Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation (OLAF) this week, where she'll work with
the Supreme Court, state and metro bar associations and other groups to grow
pro bono legal resources in Ohio. Chang comes to OLAF from the Ohio Court of
Claims, where she served as a staff attorney and then a magistrate. She
previously worked as an attorney with American Electric Power.
Bill Stanley of
Grandview Heights has been named state director of the Nature Conservancy (TNC)
in Ohio. Stanley has served as the environmental organization's assistant state
director and director of conservation for the last 10 years, TNC Ohio said in a
news release. Previously, he directed TNC's climate change program out of its
Arlington, VA headquarters. He has been with the organization for nearly 20
years.
STATE GOVERNMENT
The Ohio
Inspector General's Office (IG) issued findings of a "wrongful act or
omission" by three state agencies as part of a $1.3 million government
contracting scheme under the Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and Encouraging
Diversity, Growth and Equity (EDGE) programs and masterminded by a full-time
employee of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.
The
Controlling Board issued blanket approval for all 48 items on the agenda
Monday, as there were no holds or discussion of specific requests. The agenda
included a $2.5 million request from the Bureau of Workers' Compensation to
fund the Opioid Workplace Safety Program.
TRANSPORTATION/INFRASTRUCTURE
The Senate Tuesday passed
legislation that establishes requirements for the use of electric bicycles,
with one senator telling his colleagues that the bill does not address electronic
scooters seen on the streets of Columbus and other cities around Ohio. Sen.
Frank LaRose (R-Copley) said he anticipates the General Assembly will address
regulations for electric scooters at some point, but HB250 (Brinkman) is not
the bill to do that. Instead, it would make Ohio the 31st state to establish
rules for the use of electric bicycles, updating Ohio laws for the low-speed
bikes.
UTILITIES
Dayton Power & Light Company
(DP&L) will double its corporate rate of return and hike its fixed distribution
charge by 65 percent under a settlement agreement unanimously approved by the
Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) Wednesday and joined in full by a
diverse group of stakeholders including the Ohio Consumers' Counsel (OCC), Ohio
Energy Group, Ohio Environmental Council, Ohio Partners for Affordable Energy,
and others. The city of Dayton, Ohio Manufacturers' Association Energy Group,
and Industrial Energy Users-Ohio limited their support as "non-opposing"
parties. DP&L, whose operating income was $23,424,847 for the test period
of June 1, 2015 - May 30, 2016, will increase
distribution rates by $29.78
million annually for a 7.27 percent rate of return. The commission says
DP&L's new rate plan will cost the average residential customer $2.64 more
per month for 1,000 kilowatts of usage.
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) on Wednesday approved this week's
Duke Energy Ohio wholesale auction results, which ultimately will determine
default retail generation rates under its standard service offer (SSO) for June
2019 to May 2022. At the Sept. 25 auction, three suppliers submitted winning
bids for a three-year product at an average clearing price of $47.66 per
megawatt hour for the service period June 1, 2019 to May 31, 2022.
AEP Ohio has filed a
settlement with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) that outlines
$607 million in customer benefits from the tax savings created by the federal
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. AEP Ohio, the Ohio Consumers' Counsel, PUCO staff, and
several groups representing industrial and commercial customers have signed
onto the agreement.
WORKERS' COMPENSATION
More than 5,500 rebate checks
issued to Ohio employers by the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation (BWC)
remain uncashed, the bureau said Wednesday. The checks total $10.8 million and
will expire in October, as part of a $1.5 billion rebate earlier this year.
There are 44 outstanding checks expiring Oct. 3, worth $143,241, BWC said. On
Friday, Oct. 12, 665 checks worth more than $2.2 million will expire, followed
by 782 checks worth more than $1.5 million on Tuesday, Oct. 16; 1,291 checks
worth more than $2.4 million on Thursday, Oct. 18; 1,611 checks worth more than
$3 million on Monday, Oct. 22; and 1,154 checks worth more than $1.5 million on
Wednesday, Oct. 24.
WORKFORCE
The Ohio Business Leadership Network (OBLN) and its national
parent nonprofit organization have worked to promote inclusion of people with
disabilities in the workplace, but that mission wasn't always clear from the
organization's name. Going forward, OBLN is rebranding to put that work front
and center as Disability:IN Ohio, reflective of the
national organization's matching name change.
The Health Policy Institute of Ohio
(HPIO) recently released a report on ways to increase self-sufficient
employment, saying that many Ohioans are not prepared for it and most jobs with
the highest number of openings do not pay self-sufficient wages to cover basic
needs or offer health insurance benefits.