Friday, June 27, 2025

ATTORNEY GENERAL

While Attorney General Dave Yost is no longer a candidate for Ohio governor in 2026 -- as he was when the Cleveland City Club extended and Yost accepted the invitation to speak to the club on Friday -- Yost used the opportunity to share his thoughts on several issues in front of his office as well as how leaders may or not may become corrupted while using their power. After conceding that there may be few things less interesting than hearing from a former political candidate, Yost drew on his experiences witnessing abuse and waste in proximity to power during his previous career as a journalist and a county and state auditor and now as attorney general. "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely," said Yost, extending the adage to avenues of money, government and fame. Yost called power morally neutral, though like electricity, it can save your life or kill you. Wind can power a windmill or blow your town off the map, said Yost.

Within a year of his taking office, Attorney General Dave Yost said the number of elder abuse referrals received by his office had doubled from the year before. That number of referrals had tripled by last year. Yost told a meeting of advocates and other professionals gathered for his office's annual World Elder Abuse Day Conference on Monday that the increase is probably due to both the number of older Ohioans increasing as Baby Boomers age, in combination with the prevalence of elder abuse worsening. Elder abuse can involve self-neglect, caregiver neglect and exploitation, cases of which have all increased significantly in recent years. Yost said the number of sexual abuse cases among older Ohioans has also tripled since 2018 -- cases that can go largely underreported among victims of any age group.

BALLOT ISSUES

The Ohio Constitution places significant limits on how much the General Assembly can amend a voter-approved initiated statutes like the adult use cannabis legalization law passed by voters in 2023, according to political and election law expert Derek Clinger. "There has been an assumption that the General Assembly has the complete discretion to change or even fully repeal the initiative. I think this belief really stems from the Ohio Constitution's silence on this issue. It does not address this scenario in explicit terms, leading many to believe that because legislative alterations are not explicitly prohibited, lawmakers must be free to make them," Clinger said during a panel discussion hosted by the Ohio State University (OSU) Moritz College of Law Drug Enforcement ad Policy Center (DEPC). Clinger, a senior staff attorney with the State Democracy Research Initiative at the University of Wisconsin Law School, is the author of "Constitutional Limits on Legislative Overrides of Statutory Initiatives in Ohio," a research paper that is scheduled to be published in the Case Western Reserve Law Review in 2026. However, he commented, "When you look closely at the text, the structure and the history of the Ohio Constitution's statutory initiative petition, it strongly suggests that the constitution places real limits on the General Assembly's power to alter initiated laws."

A proposed constitutional amendment to abolish all property taxes in Ohio will wait another year to get on the ballot, the group announced Thursday. The Committee to Abolish Ohio's Property Taxes said in a release that despite the reception and enthusiasm the effort has received so far, it has decided to continue collecting signatures in order to place the amendment before voters next year, regardless of the number of signatures they may collect before the Wednesday, July 2, deadline in order to qualify for the November 2025 ballot.

FY26-27 PROPOSED BUDGET

The Legislature completed its work on the proposed FY26-27 budget this week, sending the nearly 6,000-page budget bill, HB96 (Stewart) on to the governor for his consideration. In the wee hours of Wednesday, Republican budget negotiators agreed to a biennial spending plan that will institute a flat rate income tax, corral $1.7 billion in unclaimed funds for projects including a new Cleveland Browns stadium, and order property tax cuts in school districts with carryover balances exceeding 40 percent, adopting the conference committee report on a party-line vote. Other provisions in the final budget version include the following:

- The Senate's approach to school funding, which does resemble more closely the Cupp-Patterson model education advocates have rallied around the past several years. But the final budget does not update formula cost inputs. A Senate proposal for performance-based funding was moved outside the formula.

- Expanded state support for private school students with adoption of the House-passed proposal for educational savings accounts for students at non-chartered private schools.

- Maintenance of contingency language that will terminate Medicaid expansion coverage should the federal matching rate drop, and overall spending reductions in the Medicaid program that were added in the Senate version. Also included were new audit provisions related to aged, blind and disabled (ABD) enrollees' eligibility.

- Elimination of the Joint Medicaid Oversight Committee, instead directing the Legislative Service Commission to assist standing committees of the House and Senate that deal with Medicaid on program oversight. Also abolished is the Correctional Institution Inspection Committee (CIIC), duties of which would be transferred to the attorney general's office.

- Alignment of language from the marijuana legalization initiative giving dispensary host communities 36 percent of marijuana tax revenues but delaying distribution of any of that money, pending a deal on overall marijuana policy.

- Claiming of $1.7 billion worth of older unclaimed funds accounts, and appropriation of $1 billion of it -- $600 million for the Browns, and $400 million that could be available for other sports and cultural facilities projects. The remaining $700 million remains in the escheatment fund created to collect the unclaimed funds money. Unclaimed funds monies that pass the threshold of sitting with the state for more than 10 years will automatically roll into the sports and cultural facilities fund on an ongoing basis including interest.

- Transition of the 19-member State Board of Education to an all-appointed body with five members respectively representing urban, suburban and rural school districts, charter schools and chartered private schools. Current elected board members will see their seats eliminated as their terms end, or earlier if they leave for other reasons. The first three appointees to leave or have their terms end also will have their seats eliminated.

- Revamp of the State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) Board of Trustees to lower the number of elected members and add appointees. Rather than five contributing members of STRS and two retirees, the board will have two of the former and one of the latter. Meanwhile, the chancellor of the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE) or their designee will gain a seat, and the number of appointed investment experts will double. The state treasurer and governor will have two appointees apiece instead of one. The House speaker and Senate president will have one appointment apiece, rather than one shared appointee as in current law.

- In higher education, reduction of the pool of public college and university funding made contingent on SB1 (Cirino) compliance from $100 million to $75 million.

The conference committee report was accepted by both the House and Senate later on Wednesday with Republican votes only, sending it on to the governor who has until the start of FY26 on July 1 to consider any possible line-item vetoes. The House accepted the report on a vote of 59-38, picking up “no” votes from Republicans Reps. Tim Barhorst (R-Ft. Loramie), Levi Dean (R-Xenia), Ron Ferguson (R-Wintersville), Scott Oelslager (R-North Canton) and Michelle Teska (R-Centerville). The Senate accepted the conference committee report by a vote of 23-10 with Sen. Louis Blessing (R-Cincinnati) joining the Democrats in opposition.

DISABILITIES

Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD) Director Kim Hauck Thursday announced her retirement, effective Friday, June 27. Assistant Director Lyndsay Nash becomes interim director. In an email to Hannah News, Gov. Mike DeWine said, "Director Hauck has dedicated her career to serving Ohioans with developmental disabilities and their families. During her time as director, she has been a dedicated champion for accessibility improvements across the state and has worked faithfully to give those with developmental disabilities the opportunity to live up to their full potential. He noted Nash will serve as interim director until a permanent director is named. Hauck has been DODD director since Jan. 1, 2022, when she replaced Jeff Davis in the role.

EDUCATION

Ohio's EdChoice scholarship violates the state constitution's mandate for lawmakers to provide a "common" school system and its prohibition on giving control of education funding to religious sects, a Franklin County judge ruled Tuesday at the height of budget negotiations. However, in recognition of the seismic effects of such a decision on broader school funding questions and the certainty of appeals, Judge Jaiza Page stayed her ruling. A coalition of school districts and some resident families sued the state in 2022 to challenge EdChoice, arguing it violates the requirement in the Ohio Constitution for a "thorough and efficient system of common schools" and the prohibition on giving control of education funding to religious sects. They also argued it contributed to segregation of schools and violates equal protection guarantees.

ELECTIONS 2026

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton recently released the first campaign video of her campaign, a nearly three-minute online video in which she says she became a doctor because she refused to look away from people who are struggling, "and I refuse to look away now." The video outlines her history, growing up in a difficult childhood in Youngstown, and her work as the director of the Ohio Department of Health during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Then on Wednesday, Acton appeared at a forum of the Cleveland City Club, saying she is a lifelong public servant, not a politician. She said she would be as unscripted as she was when she appeared with Gov. Mike DeWine during daily updates during the COVID-19 pandemic. Acton discussed her background, her campaign, and criticizing state lawmakers for their version of the budget, HB96 (Stewart). "I am running for governor because people in Ohio are struggling, and we continue to go backwards on every measure because of bad actors and special interests in the Statehouse," she said.

Having lost a tight race to U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Toledo) last year by 4,382 votes, former state Rep. Derrek Merrin announced Monday that he will again seek to unseat Kapur next year. In addition, Rep. Josh Williams (R-Oregon), who is in his second term in the Ohio House, announced he, too, is running for Kaptur’s seat. He joins Merrin and U.S. Air Force veteran Alea Nadeem who announced her candidacy in April in seeking the Republican nomination.

Former Rep. Scott Lipps (R-Franklin) announced Monday that he will seek the Republican nomination for the 7th Senate District in 2026. The seat is currently held by term-limited Sen. Steve Wilson (R-Maineville). Lipps previously served as mayor of Franklin, on Franklin City Council, and as the state representative for the 62nd District for eight years before term limits prevented him from running again. He also owns and manages a small business in Warren County.

Timothy Grady, an independent who ran for governor in 2022 as a write-in candidate, said this week he will again run for governor in 2026. A native of Richland County, he said he has worked on state and local political campaigns, including most recently as the chair of the Ohio Forward Party before he resigned in January. He said in his announcement that his campaign will take aim at "corruption, stagnation, and the failures of both major parties."

EMPLOYMENT/UNEMPLOYMENT

Ohio's unemployment rate in May was 4.9 percent, the same as in April, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) said Friday. Employment decreased 6,500 over the month to 5.7 million. The May unemployment rate compares to a lower rate of 4.2 percent a year earlier. The national rate of unemployment in May was 4.2 percent, compared to 4 percent a year earlier. The number of unemployed workers in Ohio in May was 294,000, up from 291,000 a month earlier. The number has increased by 45,000 over the past year.

ENERGY/UTILITIES

Ohio's largest electric utility accuses state regulators of dodging the Ohio Supreme Court's seminal ruling in Wingo v. Nationwide Energy Partners (NEP) striking down the state's administrative test for "public utility," claiming the submetering company meets that statutory definition by performing all functions of an electric distribution utility (EDU). NEP counters that it merely "facilitates" electric service as an "agent" for submetering landlords -- a non-utility relationship affirmed in a century of case law. American Electric Power (AEP) of Ohio and NEP squared off in oral arguments this month as part of a long-simmering dispute over "big business" submetering at multi-family dwellings dating back at least to 2016, when current Ohio Chancellor Mike Duffey introduced legislation as a House member and revived the debate in the following General Assembly.

The Office of Ohio Consumers' Counsel (OCC) got its long-awaited opportunity to question former FirstEnergy CEO Steven Strah Monday as part of the state's investigation into bribery-plagued 133-HB6 (Callender-Wilkin). The consumers' counsel and Ohio Manufacturers' Association (OMA) probed his knowledge of tens of millions of dollars in utility payments to dark-money group Partners for Progress in 2019, when now-indicted Chuck Jones and Mike Dowling were still CEO and SVP of external affairs, respectively, and Strah was chief financial officer. Strah became president in May 2020 and CEO five months later after Jones, Dowling and former SVP of Product Development and Marketing Dennis Chack were fired on the same day that a onetime advisor to former House Speaker Larry Householder and a former FirstEnergy lobbyist pleaded guilty to federal racketeering charges.

The natural gas utility for over half of Ohio's counties faces an imminent rate cut instead of the $212 million bill increase it originally proposed for 1.2 million customers in the state's busy northeast quadrant and other regions. The average residential ratepayer will see a modest $1 monthly decrease instead of the $8 sought by the Office of Ohio Consumers' Counsel (OCC) and Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) staff. Commissioners granted $26.3 million in savings to customers of Enbridge Gas Ohio, formerly Dominion Energy Ohio, Wednesday based on a rate of return (ROR) of 6.6 percent calculated against a rate base of more than $4 billion and total required revenue of $883.4 million. "An ROR of 6.6 percent is fair and reasonable under the circumstances of this proceeding and is sufficient to provide Enbridge with just compensation and return on its property that is 'used and useful' in the provision of natural gas distribution services," they said.

FEDERAL

The federal budget reconciliation bill, HR1, legislation referred to as the "One Big Beautiful Bill" (OBBB), would strip health care and food assistance from millions of people across the country to help pay for tax cuts for wealthy households and corporations, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) said during a press conference Wednesday amid ongoing budget debates in Ohio. After U.S. House Republicans passed the OBBB in May, Senate Republican members are advancing with a version of the bill the CBPP considers to be "even more destructive and harmful" than the House version. Sharon Parrott, president of CBPP, said the bill will negatively affect access to federal health care and food assistance programs for many people across the country.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY/STATEHOUSE

Rep. Dani Isaacsohn (D-Cincinnati) was officially elected House minority leader on Tuesday. During a brief session where no bills were considered, the House voted 94-3 to approve House Democrats' new leadership team. Joining Isaacsohn in leadership are Rep. Phil Robinson (D-Solon) as assistant minority leader, Rep. Beryl Brown Piccolantonio (D-Gahanna) as minority whip and Rep. Desiree Tims (D-Dayton) as assistant minority whip. Those voting against the House Democrats' leadership team were Reps. Beth Lear (R-Galena), Ron Ferguson (R-Wintersville) and Michelle Teska (R-Centerville). Rep. Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) announced she was stepping down as House minority leader earlier this month.

In addition to acting on the HB96 conference committee report, the Senate unanimously passed the following bills on Wednesday:

- HB80 (Stewart), the Industrial Commission FY26-27 budget.

- HB51 (Klopfenstein-King), designating a portion of U.S. Route 33 in Auglaize County as the "Lt. James A. Kirkendall Memorial Highway."

- SB182 (Patton), designating a portion of State Route 10 in Cleveland as "John E. Gallagher Way."

- SB212 (Timken), creating the "Play Golf Ohio" license plate.

House Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) said Wednesday he found "curious" the timing of a Franklin County Common Pleas Court ruling that determined the EdChoice school voucher program is unconstitutional just before legislative conferees agreed to a final budget package that included public and private school funding questions addressed in the decision. But he credited the judge for staying her own ruling immediately given how many students rely on the program. "The concept of lawfare by many of these folks has played out yesterday, clearly," Huffman said, comparing the EdChoice litigation to a nascent lawsuit challenging the budget bill's use of unclaimed funds for stadium projects.

On the same day both chambers of the General Assembly agreed to the conference report on HB96 (Stewart), which includes $600 million for the economic development project in Brook Park associated with the Cleveland Browns, two former elected officials have promised to challenge the move's legality in court. Former state Rep. Jeffrey Crossman (D-Parma) and former Attorney General Marc Dann, both now private attorneys, announced Wednesday they had a draft class action lawsuit ready to file in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, pending HB96 being signed into law, if the state funding for the Brook Park project is not vetoed. The suit is on behalf of three Cuyahoga County residents and all others with funds held in the Unclaimed Funds Trust (UFT), from which HB96 will draw funds for the Brook Park project.

Ohio Athletic Commission (OAC) Executive Director Chuck Haskell blamed a changeover in directors, the COVID pandemic, and a lack of the latest software for a failure to file any rule updates for the commission since at least 2019. The Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR) had summoned Haskell to testify during its meeting Wednesday, with members calling the failure to file required rule updates and changes serious and concerning. JCARR Chair Rep. Jamie Callender (R-Concord), who made the "special request" for leaders of the commission to appear before the committee to explain why they have gone six consecutive years without filing their five-year rule updates, told Haskell that he hopes the director is aware of the severity of a lack of actions, which he said could lead to possible litigation against the commission. "This is not a minor thing."

After proponents on SB118 (Lang) earlier this month told the Senate Local Government Committee that housing providers statewide are increasingly burdened by policies that are neither fair nor sustainable, opponents on Tuesday told the committee that provisions in the bill would increase utility costs for municipal water customers statewide. Tyler Converse, president of the Association of Ohio Drinking Water Agencies (AODWA), said Ohio's public utilities are already under enormous financial pressure due to issues including aging and failing infrastructure and ever more stringent and onerous laws and regulations. While such pressures have already caused utility rate increases to outpace inflation, Converse said SB118 would burden all users of municipal utility systems, as opposed to property owners where renters may accumulate delinquent bills.

GOVERNOR

Gov. Mike DeWine announced the delay of three executions on Friday due to ongoing problems involving the willingness of pharmaceutical suppliers to provide drugs to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (DRC), pursuant to DRC protocol, without endangering other Ohioans. The following individuals received reprieves to dates occurring after DeWine leaves office.

- Timothy Coleman, who was scheduled to be executed on Oct. 30, 2025. The new date of execution is Sept. 13, 2028.

- Kareem Jackson, who was scheduled to be executed on Dec. 10, 2025. The new date of execution is Oct. 11, 2028.

- Quisi Bryan, who was scheduled to be executed on Jan. 7, 2026. The new date of execution is Nov. 15, 2028.

Ohio Department of Public Safety Director (ODPS) Director Andy Wilson "has been in contact with people who we think might be potentially vulnerable" following the U.S. military's air strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran over the weekend, Gov. Mike DeWine said Monday. "The first thing we're concerned about immediately is in Ohio, something that we can do something about," DeWine told reporters following a "Faces of Resilience" event on the Ohio State University (OSU) campus. Asked who is vulnerable, DeWine said, "I don't have to spell things out. We always are concerned about any kind of retaliation."

A judicial appointment made during the week includes the following:

Gov. Mike DeWine Thursday announced the appointment of Michele Henne to the Montgomery Court of Common Pleas. Henne, of Oakwood, will assume office on Wednesday, July 30, taking the seat formerly held by Judge Skelton, who retired. She will serve the remainder of the unfished term and will need to run for election in November 2026 to retain the seat. Henne began her law career in 2005 as a clerk for Judge Langer of the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas. Starting in January 2006, she served as an extern for Judge Rose of the United States District Court, Southern District of Ohio. Later that year, she began her role as an assistant prosecuting attorney for the Montgomery County Prosecutor's Office. Henne is currently serving as an assistant prosecuting attorney for the Greene County Prosecutor's Office.

GREAT LAKES

The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODAg) and the Nature Conservancy have received grants to engage farmers and provide nutrient management technical assistance in the Western Basin of Lake Erie, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has announced. Nutrient runoff from agricultural land is the leading cause of harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie, USEPA said. ODAg will receive a $1 million grant to employ four conservation agronomists within Ohio's Maumee River watershed. The Nature Conservancy will get a $784,000 grant to facilitate a farmer-led network of conservation advocates to directly engage 200 other farmers in peer-to-peer learning opportunities across Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. The Nature Conservancy will deliver technical training to 60 conservation professionals and will partner with Ohio State University to create new training and engagement materials.

HANNAH NEWS’ MEET THE FRESHMEN

With a background in local government and community volunteering and more time on his hands amid retirement, Rep. Mark Sigrist (D-Grove City) felt he was well-suited to represent the interests of House District 10 in southwest Franklin County. "I was retired, had a long career. My children are pretty self-sufficient, adult, married children, and I didn't have a lot of irons in the fire and thought maybe I could help our city and be a public servant," Sigrist told Hannah News during an interview at his office. "I was already very involved in the community with a lot of different volunteer-type things." Sigrist served on Grove City's council before his election to the Statehouse. Before his time in government, Sigrist had a career at Honda, which started in accounting but saw him take on roles in IT, planning, strategy and as a "jack of all trades" who moved to Japan to facilitate the work of an American engineering cohort who transferred there temporarily to learn the process of developing new vehicle models.

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Rep. Josh Williams (R-Oregon) said Thursday he's pursuing legislation to allow state employees to buy GLP-1 weight-loss drugs directly from manufacturers and apply to the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) for a rebate, after cost concerns led DAS to drop coverage of the drugs for weight loss. Williams said this model of purchasing from manufacturers will sidestep pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) "middlemen" who are driving up the drug cost.

HIGHER EDUCATION

Backers of an effort to repeal higher education reform bill SB1 (Cirino) confirmed Thursday afternoon that it has fallen short. The law will take effect on Friday, June 27. The referendum effort was launched by a group of Youngstown State University professors. On Thursday, they said that despite their best efforts, they had only collected about 194,981 signatures, short of the 248,092 valid signatures needed in order to put the referendum on the November ballot.

Muskingum University President Susan S. Hasseler announced earlier this month she will retire at the conclusion of the 2025-2026 school year. Hasseler became the 21st president of Muskingum in 2016, and her retirement will close "a decade of transformative leadership marked by institutional growth, innovation, and a steadfast commitment to student access and success," per a release from the university.

IMMIGRATION

President Donald Trump should consider granting immigration enforcement relief to manufacturing businesses in addition to the agriculture industry, Gov. Mike DeWine said Monday. "I thought it was significant that the president made, a week ago or so, some comments in regard to people who are in agriculture, and maybe pulling that back -- in other words, a realization of the fact that these are individuals who are essential to our economy," DeWine told reporters following an event Monday on the Ohio State University (OSU) campus. The president had discussed exempting farms from immigration raids, but has reportedly flipped back and forth on that idea several times in recent days, and it's unclear if the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will offer any relief to farmers.

INSURANCE

The Ohio Attorney General has joined the state insurance director and police and fire organizations in accusing the Thin Blue Line (TBL) Benefit Association of failing to secure an Ohio license and welching on members' medical bills. The AG sued the company in Franklin County Tuesday for a permanent injunction against the rogue insurer and an order naming former Ohio Supreme Court Justice Judith French, head of the Ohio Department of Insurance (ODI), as conservator of TBL to preserve its remaining assets. Thin Blue Line operated illegally in Ohio for a single year before it began to face administrative and financial troubles. The Franklin County Common Pleas Court granted the restraining order Wednesday and named French conservator.

JUDICIAL

Total bankruptcy filings in Ohio rose by over 16 percent in the preceding 12-month period from March 2024 to March 2025, according to data released recently by U.S. courts. Nationally, bankruptcy filings regardless of chapter rose 13.1 percent for the period ending March 31, 2025, a similar rate of acceleration as the 12-month period ending Dec. 31, 2024. Total filings nationally fell steadily after reaching a 12-month high of nearly 1.6 million filings in Sept. 2010 to a low of 380,634 in the 12-month period ending in June 2022. But filings have increased each quarter since then, though they remain far lower than historical highs.

Former attorney Edd Kenneth Wright is responsible for $100,000 in state restitution to a single client in Tuscarawas County whose funds he misappropriated. Wright resigned from the practice of law in Ohio with discipline pending on April 18, 2022. The Lawyers' Fund for Client Protection (LFCP) also issued another $26,000 for lawyers' failure to perform services and/or return unused fees in the cases of three deceased attorneys and two suspended attorneys.

The legality of non-judges making changes to signed judicial orders would appear to be a non-question. The Board of Professional Conduct, however, received a query on whether this "unilateral" practice is permitted in Ohio. The answer is a decisive no based on at least five rules of the Code of Judicial Conduct, the board says. "An internal practice that permits court staff to unilaterally make changes, even if well-intentioned or minor, to a judicial decision or entry after judicial approval risks the introduction of unauthorized or unreviewed changes that may misrepresent, alter or even change the meaning of a judge's decision," states Advisory Opinion 2025-03. "Substantive or even minor edits or changes made to a decision or entry during the drafting process are part of the core judicial decision-making process and are ultimately the judge's responsibility," the board continues. "If court staff unilaterally alters the substance of a signed decision and entry after approval by the judge and without his or her further review, the judge is ostensibly ceding a judicial function, contravening the requirement that the judge personally decide a matter.”

LOBBYISTS

Cugini Law recently announced the hiring of Ben Weber as an associate attorney as it gears up to expand into government affairs. Before joining the firm, Weber served at the trial court-level as a legal extern to the Hon. Judge Dan Hawkins on the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas. He also served at the appellate-level at the Supreme Court of Ohio as a legal extern to Chief Justice Sharon L. Kennedy and Justice Pat DeWine. Prior to working at the court, Weber served as a legislative aide in the Ohio General Assembly for several lawmakers. He has additional technical experience working as a legislative and policy staffer at a Fortune 200 publicly traded corporation, as well as at a large state agency in Ohio.

MARIJUANA/HEMP

Legislation addressing cannabis and intoxicating hemp will not pass until Fall 2025 at the earliest, House Finance Committee Chair Brian Stewart (R-Ashville) said Tuesday. "It's not going to end up in the budget. We are going to push pause -- we're going to take the summer and come back in the fall and potentially take another crack at it," Stewart told reporters after session. "We have a lot of different ideas on marijuana within the Republican Caucus, which I think kind of mirrors the rest of Ohio. We're going to take some more time to work on it, and hopefully come back and resume some of those discussions," he added.

MEDICAID/MEDICAID REFORM

The Joint Medicaid Oversight Committee (JMOC) heard from one of its originating legislators Thursday at what will be one of the panel's final meetings after late-breaking budget changes shifted ongoing oversight duties to standing committees of the General Assembly. But leaders of the current joint committee said its work will continue under the new format. The conference report on HB96 (Stewart) abolishes JMOC but directs the standing Medicaid committees of the House and Senate to meet jointly for oversight purposes with the Legislative Service Commission to provide the needed staff support. "It's not the end of JMOC," said Sen. Mark Romanchuk (R-Ontario), longstanding member and current vice chair of JMOC and chair of the Senate Medicaid Committee. "It's kind of a reform effort. We already have standing committees in both chambers, Medicaid committees. Those committees will pick up the duties of JMOC. There's no reason those standing committees can't do exactly the same thing we've always done here at JMOC," he said. "With the right chairs of those committees, this kind of activity can continue."

The main topic of Thursday's JMOC hearing was Ohio's experience with a single pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) under Medicaid, a change instituted alongside the overall managed care reforms of the DeWine administration. Sean Eckard, pharmacy director for ODM, said based on an analysis by actuarial firm Milliman, ODM estimates savings of $140 million in the program's first two years. Sen. Beth Liston (D-Dublin) asked about the duration of ODM's contract with single PBM vendor Gainwell Technologies, and at what point the department would anticipate re-bidding the contract. Eckard said the contract can be renewed in two-year intervals through FY29, at which point he would expect re-procurement.

NATURAL RESOURCES

Public comment is now being accepted until Wednesday, July 9 regarding the revised waterfowl hunting zones for the 2026-2030 seasons. The Ohio Wildlife Council received proposals for the new zones in late April 2025. In the new proposal, Zone A is in Northwest Ohio, Zone B is in Northeast Ohio with some areas in Northwest Ohio, and Zone C comprises the remainder of the state. A map of the proposed zones can be seen HERE. Both a description of each zone and the form to submit comments are available HERE.

PENSIONS

On their way to making elected members of the State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) Board of Trustees a minority of the body, lawmakers also gave the appointing authorities for other board seats greater leeway to swap their selections. The change in the final version of HB96 (Stewart) specifies that appointed STRS board members serve at the pleasure of their appointing authority. Gov. Mike DeWine had argued that was already the case when he tried to sack then-trustee Wade Steen, but the 10th District disagreed, arguing that the law granted Steen a fixed, four-year term. DeWine was dropped as a party to the lawsuit and was unable to appeal, and his appointee to the seat to replace Steen, Brian Perera, did not file one himself. Steen left the board last fall. He is still the target of litigation by Attorney General Dave Yost, who has alleged Steen and current STRS Board Chair Rudy Fichtenbaum breached their fiduciary duty to the system. Both have denied the accusation strongly.

PEOPLE

The Ohio Manufacturers' Association (OMA) announced that its Board of Directors this week elected Scott Corbitt, regional vice president at Anheuser-Busch, as chair. Corbitt previously served as chair of OMA's Government Affairs Committee. He succeeds Jeff Oravitz, CEO of Seal for Life Industries.

REDISTRICTING/REAPPORTIONMENT

Following the passage of Ohio's operating budget for FY26-27 and a summer break, lawmakers will return later this year facing a Nov. 30 deadline to draw a new congressional map. House Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) said this spring that the House and Senate could work on the issue during July and August as Sept. 1 marks the first day either chamber could consider new maps. Huffman told Hannah News in June that redistricting this year would be "substantially different" from 2020 because legislators already have relevant data. Meanwhile, Kelly Dufour of national voter advocacy group Common Cause called the partisan makeup of Ohio's Legislature one of three forces working against voters in Ohio ahead of the redistricting process, in addition to the state's existing electoral maps and the work of Secretary of State Frank LaRose. Dufour said Thursday that Ohio's forthcoming mapmaking process will be a complicated process, though she demurred on speculating what legal challenges may emerge. Dufour said that following voter ID requirements implemented in Ohio in recent years, more than 34,000 voters had to vote provisionally in 2024, up significantly from 2020. Dufour specifically drew attention to SB153 (Gavarone-Brenner), which requires verification of an elector's citizenship before the elector may vote and modifies procedures regarding voter registration, voter roll maintenance, absentee voting and election petitions.

TRANSPORTATION/INFRASTRUCTURE

While Ohio has seen improvements to its road safety record in the past several years thanks to a push by Gov. Mike DeWine, the state has a long way to go, according to Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) Director Pam Boratyn. Boratyn joined other transportation leaders from around the world Monday for a webinar to commemorate the kickoff of the International Bridge, Tunnel & Turnpike Association's (IBTTA) second annual global road safety week. IBTTA, which dubs itself as a global association for the owners and operators of toll facilities and the businesses that serve them, held the webinar to spotlight people and policies behind roadway safety progress. The discussion was moderated by Ohio Turnpike Executive Director Ferzan Ahmed, who serves as IBITTA's second vice president. Other participants included New Jersey Transportation Commissioner Francis O'Connor, and Maryland Deputy Secretary of Transportation Samantha Biddle.

Gov. Mike DeWine and ODOT this week announced funding for 26 transportation projects in 19 counties to support ongoing economic development across the state. The $8.9 million in Transportation Improvement District Program funding is being awarded through ODOT's Office of Jobs and Commerce. According to the agency, the roadwork projects will provide access to developable land, create easier access to existing businesses, and alleviate traffic congestion around commercial areas. The projects are expected to support more than 19,400 jobs and more than $3 billion in private sector capital investments.

WORKERS’ COMPENSATION

The Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation (BWC) recently announced that a study of workers' compensation rates in all 50 states and the District of Columbia showed Ohio had the fifth-lowest premium rates that were in effect as of Jan. 1, 2024. The study was conducted by the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services. Ohio had been ranked fifth-lowest in another 2022 study, but the new one found Ohio's premium index rate had gone down even more, from 83 cents per $100 of payroll in 2022 to 68 cents in 2024. That contrasted from 2008, when Ohio was ranked third-highest for premiums nationwide. Including Ohio, only four states are the exclusive provider for workers' compensation coverage in their state. Ohio ranked second in that group behind North Dakota, which had the lowest overall rates.