Friday, March 21, 2025

ARTS, SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

The Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) will recognize six Ohioans for winning the "Circle of Champions" award during the finals of the 2025 boys state basketball tournament on Saturday, March 22.Those being recognized are basketball player Aaron Craft, swimmer Hunter Armstrong, basketball player Jacy Sheldon, basketball player Kristin Ronai, basketball player Kari Pickens and former basketball official Phil Bova, according to a news release from OHSAA.

FY26-27 BUDGET

The executive budget proposal would reduce funding for foodbanks by $7.5 million per fiscal year even as foodbanks are experiencing "record high utilization," Ohio Association of Foodbanks (OAF) Executive Director Joree Novotny told the House Finance Committee this week as she requested restoration of the funding and an additional $4.93 million per year, for a total investment of $36.98 million per fiscal year in the 2026-27 state biennial budget. Novotny also told Hannah News that her organization has been informed that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is terminating the Local Food Purchase Assistance (LPFA) program, known as "Ohio CAN" in the Buckeye State. Novotny said the program will be terminated in Ohio at the end of FY25. Calling Ohio CAN a "resounding success," she said it has connected small farmers with regional and statewide food hubs, allowing them to grow their markets while providing nutritious food to hungry Ohioans.

BUSINESS/CORPORATE

GE Aerospace announced it will be investing $113 million in its Cincinnati-area operations and $14 million for a West Chester facility as part of a broader investment in its U.S. factories and supply chain. GE Aerospace said the investment will strengthen manufacturing and increase its use of innovative new parts and materials, and the company plans to hire around 5,000 workers in 2025, including for manufacturing and engineering roles. The Greater Cincinnati investment will provide for facility upgrades and additional equipment at sites in the area which produce, test, and assemble many of the company's commercial and military engines.

CHILDREN/FAMILIES

Gov. Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Health (ODH) Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff announced more details Wednesday for the children's dental services pilot program discussed in DeWine's "State of the State" address. Vanderhoff also briefed the House Health Committee on it during budget testimony. In 2023, 64 percent of school-age children on Medicaid did not have a single dental visit all year. Among all Ohio children, 19 percent had at least one untreated cavity during the last school year. Under the proposal, the program would support children in nine counties designated as "Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas" that also lack nonprofit dental facilities providing care to low-income families as a safety net. The program would cover Clinton, Crawford, Gallia, Highland, Hocking, Monroe, Noble, Paulding and Washington counties. The administration has requested $3 million per fiscal year for it.

EDUCATION

Gov. Mike DeWine was on hand in Washington and Senate President Rob McColley (R-Napoleon) issued a statement of praise as President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday to move toward his goal of eliminating the U.S. Department of Education. DeWine was one of multiple GOP governors in attendance. U.S. Rep. Mike Rulli (R-Salem) also was present at the announcement. "After 45 years, the United States spends more money on education by far than any other country, and spends likewise by more money per pupil than any country, and it's not even close. Yet, we rank near the bottom of the list in terms of success," Trump said. Trump said the move would send education policy back to the state and vowed that resources for Pell grants, Title I and children with special education needs would be preserved and "redistributed to various other agencies and departments that will take very good care of them."

Reps. Jim Hoops (R-Napoleon) and David Thomas (R-Jefferson) have introduced legislation to limit the revenue school districts can receive from the 20 mill floor to inflation, which they said will lower the spike of unvoted property tax increases. Both former county auditors, they said they used their backgrounds to craft HB186 (Hoops-Thomas), the "20 Mill Floor Inflation Cap." "Since the pandemic, the perfect storm has arisen," said Hoops. "Due to lack of housing and the increasing costs of building homes, anyone who bought or sold a home found the sale price increased dramatically." Hoops went on to add, "In the past, [HB]920, which was put in place back in the 70s to combat inflation, usually took care of the issue when values were too excessive. However, because of the 20 mill floor rule that was put in place for the schools in the 80s, values have finally caught up with us and as such has made the 920 factor obsolete for those taxpayers that live in school districts who now sit at the 20 mill." Every school district in Ohio is guaranteed to receive 20 mills or 2 percent of their district's property value in tax rate. Roughly 400 of Ohio's school districts have an effective tax rate that is below their guaranteed 20 mill tax rate; 20 mills are still applied to the district's value and as value grows, the taxpayer's burden grows with value causing spikes of unvoted property taxes, the lawmakers said.

The Vouchers Hurt Ohio coalition of school districts challenging the constitutionality of the EdChoice program reports that more than 300 local boards of education have now contributed to its effort. The coalition said in an email that two dozen new districts have joined during FY25. The case is now scheduled for a three-day hearing on summary judgment motions from the parties before Franklin CountyCommon Pleas Judge Jaiza Page starting at 9 a.m. Monday, April 28.

ELECTIONS

Secretary of State Frank LaRose this week issued a new directive to county boards of elections codifying a process for boards of elections to regularly review and remove noncitizens from the voter rolls. The directive takes the process from an annual review by the boards to a practice of ongoing maintenance, and outlines the process to remove voter registrants who have self-identified as noncitizens to the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) and who have been verified as noncitizens through the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database. According to the secretary of state's office, boards of elections are directed to remove registrations of individuals who fail to respond to notices sent by the secretary of state's office seeking confirmation of citizenship or cancellation of their voter registration; have submitted documentation self-identifying as a noncitizen to the BMV; and have been confirmed as noncitizens in the federal SAVE database system.

The Ohio Elections Commission Thursday discussed an advisory opinion that would address whether or not lawmakers can spend campaign funds on renting an apartment while in Columbus on official business. The opinion was drafted in response to an inquiry from Rep. Sharon Ray (R-Wadsworth) on whether the funds can be spent on rent. In a draft presented to the commission during Thursday's meeting, Executive Director Phil Richter said it would be allowable under campaign finance law on days when an officeholder is conducting meetings in Columbus. The commission, however, did not act on the opinion after raising concerns over whether it was too broad.

ELECTIONS 2026

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) announced its list of 26 Democrat-held congressional seats it is targeting in 2026, including two members of Ohio's congressional delegation.The 9th Congressional District seat held by U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Toledo) and the 13th Congressional District seat held by U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes (D-Akron) are both seen as "prime pick-up opportunities" by the NRCC. Both seats were also targeted in the 2024 cycle.

Former Ohio Supreme Court Justice Bill O'Neill told Cleveland.com that he is coming out of political retirement to run for Congress in 2026. The 77-year-old O'Neill plans to challenge U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce (R-Mentor). He told the newspaper in an interview that he is running due to his outrage over several actions by President Donald Trump and other Republicans. His last campaign was an unsuccessful bid for governor in 2018.

The following endorsements were made over the week:

- Senate President Rob McColley (R-Napoleon) endorsed the gubernatorial campaign of Vivek Ramaswamy.

- Emily's List endorsed U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes (D-Akron) for re-election.

ENERGY/UTILITIES

The Senate Wednesday unanimously passed sweeping energy policy legislation SB2 (Reineke) that backers said takes advantage of the state's natural gas reserves and reforms the regulatory process in the wake of the 133-SB6 (Callender-Wilkin) scandal. SB2 sponsor Sen. Bill Reineke (R-Tiffin) said his bill was based on four premises -- consumer cost, reliability, reduction of barriers to allow for easier entry into the Ohio market, and consideration of the free market. He gave an overview of the bill, making it clear that generation is separate from transmission; prohibiting any new tangible personal property tax on new generation projects and implementing a reduction on new transportation, transmission, distribution, and pipeline infrastructure; improving turnaround time for regulatory approval from the state; transforming the rate-making process; and providing for the repeal of riders. The Senate Energy Committee had reported the bill out by a unanimous vote of members present on Tuesday. The final version of the bill was supported by the Office of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel (OCC), Ohio Manufacturers' Association (OMA), NRG Energy Inc. and the Ohio Environmental Council (OEC) Action Fund and the Environmental Law and Policy Center (ELPC), among other organizations.

Backers of a solar farm planned for Gov. Mike DeWine's backyard say denying an Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) application due to public opposition empowers local governments to "veto" state policy goals for power generation. Opponents counter that lawmakers have delegated those policy decisions to OPSB under the "public interest" standard of siting board statute R.C. 4906.10(A). The Supreme Court heard arguments last week In the Matter of the Application of Kingwood Solar I, LLC, which chronicles the battle between Texas-based Vesper Energy's 1,200-acre project proposed for Miami, Xenia and Cedarville townships in Greene County -- home to the historic site of DeWine's Whitelaw Reid House -- and area residents, trustees and commissioners, respectively. After the county and three townships submitted formal resolutions and overwhelming sworn testimony opposing a project nearing a half million solar panels in largely rural Ohio, OPSB rejected the application and denied rehearing. The project and Kingwood's appeal are opposed by the Senate Majority Caucus, Greene and Columbiana county commissioners, Columbiana County Soil and Water Conservation District, and Citizens for Greene Acres, while the Senate Minority Caucus, Ohio Independent Power Producers (OIPP), Ohio Chamber of Commerce, Ohio Farm Bureau Federation (OFBF) and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) support it. "This has significant policy implications for Ohio. All of Ohio's energy infrastructure will be affected by today's decision. This approach by the board doesn't just apply to wind and solar. It's going to apply to natural gas-fired electric generation plants, gas pipelines and electric transmission lines," attorney Michael Settineri of Vorys, Sater, Seymour & Pease said, calling the Court's potential precedent-setting decision for OPSB "devastating" to Ohio's energy future. He quoted the siting board's own words in its rejection of Kingwood: "We conclude that the unanimous opposition of every local government that borders the project is controlling."

ENVIRONMENT

More than $24 million in bond financing has been approved to support two Southwest Ohio projects aimed at improving air quality, revitalizing underutilized properties and increasing economic benefits to local communities, the Ohio Air Quality Development Authority (OAQDA) announced recently. The projects involve the installation of energy efficiency and solar technologies for two businesses -- one in Cincinnati and one in West Carrollton. Economic benefits are expected to be realized through five local permanent jobs and related construction jobs. Business tenants of Trojon Real Estate LLC in West Carrollton and housing tenants of 2443 Auburn LLC in Cincinnati are expected to benefit from lower utility bills with the cost savings achieved from the OAQDA-financed projects.

GAMING/GAMBLING

Ohio's four casinos and seven racinos earned more revenue in January 2025 than they did in January 2024, according to data provided by the Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) and Ohio Lottery Commission (OLC). During the same time period, Ohio's sports betting revenues were down. The state's casinos made $77.9 million in January 2025, up from $75.2 million in January 2024. Ohio's sports betting operators brought in significantly less revenue in January 2025 compared to January 2024 despite accepting more money in bets (handle). Sports betting companies reported $81.1 million in revenue in January 2025, compared to $113.8 million in January 2024. Sportsbooks reported $1.01 billion in handle in January 2025, compared to $810.7 million in January 2024.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY/STATEHOUSE

Aside from passing higher education overhaul SB1 (Cirino) and concurring with Senate changes to the transportation budget, HB54 (Stewart), the House Wednesday unanimously passed the following bills:

- SB24 (Johnson-Huffman), to designate the 1905 Wright Flyer III as the official state plane.

- HB38 (Fowler Arthur), to designate part of Rt. 87 in Geauga County as "Dr. Steven Takacs Memorial Highway."

- HB50 (King), to designate part of Rt. 47 in Darke County as "PFC John Wayne Richard Memorial Highway."

The House also passed HB28 (A. Mathews-T. Hall) which eliminates the authority to levy replacement tax levies by a vote of 62-30 after it was reported out of the House Ways and Means Committee earlier Wednesday morning.

Ashley Frustaci is the new executive director of the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR), legislative leaders said Friday. Frustaci's experience includes a long stretch as senior legal counsel for JCARR from 2012 to 2021. Most recently, she has been serving as deputy chief legal counsel for the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, and before that she was associate general counsel for the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities. Frustaci has a political science degree from John Carroll University and a law degree from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. Longtime Deputy Director Greg Fouche has been serving as interim director since former director Ian Dollenmayer left.

People who want to share their thoughts on legislation at Senate committee hearings will now upload their testimony directly via the chamber's website. Meeting notices for committee hearings arrived with new instructions for witnesses, who are directed to the www.ohiosenate.gov website to upload testimony. The Senate site includes pages for each committee, and on those pages are links to scheduled hearings. Included on those individual hearing pages is now an "Upload Testimony" button.

Rep. Desiree Tims (D-Dayton), who is president and CEO of Innovation Ohio, told Hannah News that she became interested in politics around the time when then-U.S. Sen. Barack Obama started running for president. She said she never saw herself running for office or getting involved beyond public school issues. However, she explained that when she got to college, she “did not feel prepared” and it was the unfairness of how investment in public schools works for inner city school students versus those who live in wealthier districts that propelled her to become more involved in politics.

In other action, the Senate Education Committee reported out HB43 (Fowler Arthur-D. Thomas) which waives minimum instructional hours for Ashtabula Lakeside High School due to damage from a winter storm; and the Senate Workforce Development Committee reported out SB50 (Schaffer) which addresses working by teens under age 16 and SCR3 (Schaffer) which urges Congress to revise the Fair Labor Standards Act regarding those under age 16.

GOVERNOR

Gov. Mike DeWine said he will "probably" sign controversial higher education legislation SB1 (Cirino) if the General Assembly sends the bill to his desk, the governor told reporters Friday. "I think I'll probably sign it. I always reserve the right to look at the last rendition of the bill, and I will do that, and then I'll make a final decision," DeWine said outside the Ohio Beef Expo at the state fairgrounds. The governor also said that U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins is likely to visit Ohio soon to talk with farmers about the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) situation. [Editor’s Note: SB1 cleared the Ohio House this week and is awaiting concurrence to some changes by the Ohio Senate before being sent on to the governor.]

Judicial appointment made during the week includes the following:

Gov. Mike DeWine Wednesday announced the appointment of Katherine Terpstra to the Clermont County Municipal Court. Terpstra, of Cincinnati, will assume office on April 7, 2025, and will be taking the seat formerly held by Judge Jason Nagel. Terpstra will serve the remainder of the unfinished term and will need to run for election in November 2025 to retain the seat. Terpstra began her law career in 2013 as an assistant prosecuting attorney for the Clermont County Prosecutor's Office and has been serving as the senior assistant prosecuting attorney since 2019.

Additional appointment made over the week includes the following:

Gov. Mike DeWine Tuesday announced the reappointment of Linda S. Bailiff of Granville (Licking County) as director of the Ohio Public Works Commission (OPWC) for a term beginning March 19, 2025, and ending March 18, 2029.

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

With a measles outbreak ongoing in Texas and New Mexico, Ohio Department of Health (ODH) Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff Tuesday called a decline in vaccination rates among Ohio children "alarming" as numbers continue to go down. Vanderhoff held a virtual press conference to discuss the decline and to urge parents to keep up with their child's vaccinations. Then on Thursday, he announced that an unvaccinated individual from Ashtabula County has been infected with measles. This is the first case of measles reported in Ohio in 2025. Ohio had 90 cases of measles in 2022, when an outbreak centered in Central Ohio totaled 85 cases. The state had one measles case in 2023 and seven in 2024.

HIGHER EDUCATION

House Republicans made final tweaks to sweeping higher education bill SB1 (Cirino) and blocked Democratic amendments to remove collective bargaining restrictions and other provisions Wednesday before sending the bill back to the Senate for concurrence. The legislation cleared committee along party lines, and the full House passed it on a vote of 58-34. The Senate adjourned before the House finished debating SB1, but President Rob McColley (R-Napoleon) said after session the chamber plans to concur with the House-passed version. Before taking proponent testimony, the House Workforce and Higher Education Committee adopted one amendment apiece from Reps. Gayle Manning (R-North Ridgeville) and Josh Williams (R-Oregon). Manning said her amendment, AM0231-2, specifies diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) prohibitions do not prohibit compliance with laws on services for people with disabilities, and exempts students from the required civics course if they have three credit hours from an American history or government course. Williams said his amendment, AM0269-2, lets institutions ask the chancellor for an exemption from prohibitions on DEI orientation and training requirements if necessary to comply with state and federal laws, professional licensing requirements or accreditation. Williams said this responded to opposition testimony from students who feared their degree programs would lose accreditation under SB1.

The University of Toledo (UT) Board of Trustees approved merging four of its colleges into two this month. UT announced the mergers last year. Under the plan, the College of Nursing and College of Health and Human Services will merge into one college, and the College of Arts and Letters and the Judith Herb College of Education also are merging. The goal is for the mergers to be completed by the start of the 2025-26 academic year.

Central State University (CSU) earlier in March inaugurated its 10th president, Morakinyo A.O. Kuti. He said his vision for the university centers on creating a "destination learning environment" where students, faculty and staff can be in an environment that fosters success, innovation and integrity. He stressed the values of the university's motto, "Veritas et Lux" (Truth and Light) and "Recta et Honor" (Straight and Honor), and discussed how they would serve as guiding principles in his leadership moving forward. Kuti attended CSU in 1982 as an international undergraduate student from Nigeria; he graduated from the university in 1985 earning a Bachelor of Science. He later earned a master's degree in business administration from St. Thomas University. In 1992, Kuti joined the CSU staff and served as vice president for research and economic development and director of land grant programs. He eventually pursued a Ph.D. in nonprofit management in 2017 which further motivated his dedication to educational leadership, the university noted.

HOUSING/HOMELESSNESS

The House Community Revitalization Committee Tuesday heard from several officials in the Portsmouth area supporting HB58 (Pizzulli-Jarrells), which would create a certificate of need program for recovery housing residences. They detailed issues with the large number of recovery housing properties in their area, including a higher rate of emergency responses due to overdoses. Scioto County Prosecuting Attorney Shane Tieman described how Scioto County was "ground zero" for the opioid epidemic and the rise in treatment programs there. He said Scioto County has some of the best treatment providers and recovery housing opportunities, but there are also "bad actors." That has alarmed neighbors, drained first responders' resources, discouraged businesses and cost the area potential economic development opportunities, Tieman continued.

HUMAN SERVICES

New bipartisan legislation introduced this week would require Ohio's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to transition to chip-enabled electronic benefit (EBT) cards in an effort to cut down on theft and fraud. Reps. Kellie Deeter (R-Norwalk) and Tristan Rader (D-Lakewood) teamed to introduce HB163 (Deeter-Rader), dubbed the "Enhanced Cybersecurity for SNAP Act of 2025." The sponsors said the bill will work to protect SNAP recipients from electronic theft and fraud.

JUDICIAL

A ban on providing puberty blocks and hormone treatments to minors for gender transition violates the Health Care Freedom Amendment to the Ohio Constitution, appellate judges ruled Tuesday. Attorney General Dave Yost quickly announced plans to take the case to the Ohio Supreme Court. The 10th District Court of Appeals sent a lawsuit on 135-HB68 (Click) back to the trial court with an order to impose a permanent injunction on enforcement of the restrictions on puberty blockers and hormones. In late 2023, lawmakers passed HB68, which imposed restrictions on providing gender transition services to minors and also barred transgender girls and women from participating in girls' and women's school and college sports. Gov. Mike DeWine vetoed the law, but the General Assembly overrode him. The constitutional amendment cited in the ruling, approved by voters in November 2011, says no law "shall prohibit the purchase or sale of health care or health insurance" nor "impose a penalty or fine for the sale or purchase of heath care or health insurance."

The state reimbursed $229,950 to a dozen victims of attorney theft, defrauded by members of the Ohio bar according to the following latest list from the Board of Commissioners for the Lawyers' Fund for Client Protection.

LOBBYISTS

Lobbying firm Pappas & Associates announced Monday the hiring of Kwafo Adarkwa, who will work on business development and client support in the Columbus office, while also supporting clients of partner firm Kelley Cawthorne in Michigan. Adarkwa most recently was director of public affairs for ITC, an independent electric transmission firm with operations in Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Wisconsin. His career also includes experience as a public utilities engineer at the Michigan Public Service Commission. He is an electrical engineer with a bachelor's degree and MBA from Michigan State University.

MARIJUANA/HEMP

Intoxicating hemp products purchased at smoke shops in Central Ohio were found to contain pesticides, heavy metals and other contaminants, according to Chris Lindsey, director of state advocacy and public policy for the American Trade Association for Cannabis and Hemp (ATACH). Lindsey was among several witnesses testifying before the Senate General Government Committee on Tuesday in favor of SB86 (Huffman), which would generally require intoxicating hemp products to be regulated like adult-use marijuana.

MEDICAID/MEDICAID REFORM

The Kasich administration's top health care adviser told lawmakers Thursday that Medicaid expansion adds relatively little to program costs and is not the driver of spending growth, urging them to consider something more nuanced than the expansion "kill switch" introduced in Gov. Mike DeWine's budget proposal. Greg Moody, who was director of the Office of Health Transformation for former Gov. John Kasich, testified to the Joint Medicaid Oversight Committee (JMOC) about the former administration's management of Medicaid and decision to pursue expansion coverage. Moody said while Ohio's state-share spending on Medicaid expansion is $838 million, the net fiscal effect on the budget is $283 million when taking into account managed care tax revenues, drug rebates and the more favorable matching rate that expansion provides for programs that would otherwise by paid for on less favorable terms. Under the introduced version of HB96 (Stewart), Medicaid expansion would terminate automatically if the federal government reduces its share of funding below the current 90 percent. Moody said withdrawing expansion coverage would end coverage for hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of mental health and addiction services. "I wonder how the administration was pushed into adding a kill switch for one of its priorities," he said.

NATURAL RESOURCES

As the spring season sets in across Ohio and begins to thaw much of the state, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) announced the release schedule of approximately 85,000 rainbow trout at 90 locations around Ohio chosen to give as many anglers as possible a chance to catch them in March, April and May. Trout are sensitive to warm temperatures and typically don't survive until late spring, so ODNR advises the best time to catch trout is within a few weeks of their release. The fish are raised at Ohio's coldwater state fish hatcheries, and measure 10-13 inches at the time of their release into larger bodies of water.

The number of deer that tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD) during the 2024-25 white-tailed deer hunting season remained mostly consistent with what ODNR reported from its same survey during the 2023-24 hunting season. CWD is a neurological disease that is fatal to white-tailed deer and species including mule deer, elk and moose. CWD doesn't have a known cure, but it is not transmissible to humans. During the 2024-25 deer hunting season, ODNR confirmed that 24 white-tailed deer tested positive for CWD from the 5,783 samples taken. In 2023-24, 27 deer tested positive from 4,812 samples taken. All of the positive deer this past season except for one were taken by hunters in Allen, Hardin, Marion and Wyandot counties. The only other county where a harvested deer was found to have CWD was Morrow County, the first time a deer there has tested positive.

OHIO HISTORY

The Ohio Commission for the Semiquincentennial (American 250-Ohio) is launching a new webinar series for history buffs, the organization announced Monday. "Ohio & the Revolution," moderated by America 250-Ohio Executive Director Todd Kleismit, will feature an "in-depth discussion about what the territory that became Ohio looked like, who lived here, what their lives were like and what was happening here during the lead-up to the U.S. declaring its independence from Britain in 1776," the group said. The first episode was March 20. It and the following episodes are free and open to the public, although registration is required to receive a link to join the webinar. Episodes planned for later include the following:

- "The People in Ohio Country, a Focus on Ohio Tribes" (Thursday, May 15)

- "The French and Indian War and Other Conflicts in the Ohio Country" (Thursday, Aug. 21)

- "The Revolution Begins, Lexington and Concord, the Declaration of Independence" (Thursday, Nov. 13)

PENSIONS

Trustees of the State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) approved a legislative strategy this week that continues to seek increased employer contributions but also would encourage legislators to set more stringent funding standards as a condition of future benefit improvements. A legislative request document approved by the system's board responds to Sen. Mark Romanchuk's (R-Ontario) call for Ohio's public employee retirement funds to give him their ideas for how to get on firmer financial footing. Romanchuk recently introduced SB69, which now includes simple placeholder language about reforming the pension systems. He told Hannah News his goal for the legislation is to shorten from 30 to 20 years the period within which systems must be on track to pay down their unfunded liabilities, and to grant system trustees the tools they tell him are necessary to meet that standard. The board's first request is an employer contribution rate increase of at least 4 percent over four years, on the basis that it would be "very difficult" to meet more stringent funding standards absent new revenue.

The STRS Board also reversed course on earlier hesitance to join litigation against retailer Target after hearing additional arguments from Attorney General Dave Yost. Yost had criticized the system in a letter last week for not joining or seeking lead plaintiff status in the lawsuit, which is based on system losses that Yost attributes to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts that led Target into a marketing strategy that caused consumer backlash and loss of stock value. Interim STRS Director Aaron Hood initially said board policies generally advise against participating in cases where system losses are below $10 million. STRS ultimately decided Wednesday to join the case and seek lead plaintiff status, as Yost recommended. “I'm grateful the STRS staff, the board, and our office were able to work through the communication breakdown and after a full consideration of all issues we were able to move forward," Yost said in a statement.

PUBLIC SAFETY

The Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) says fatal crashes fell more than 6 percent and the actual number of deaths nearly 7 percent last year for a total of 1,076 deadly accidents and 1,156 fatalities. Those figures compare to an annual average of 1,182 fatal accidents and 1,276 deaths in the four previous years.

STATE GOVERNMENT

The Office of Criminal Justice Services (OCJS) announced the award of more than $4.5 million in federal Edward J. Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants (JAG) from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for community crime prevention. DOJ funded 147 projects in 65 counties. The largest grants went to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (DRC), Ohio Victim Witness Association (OVWA), Homesafe Inc., Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio, and Community Health Partnerships -- all but one in Franklin County.

TAXATION

Local governments would no longer be able to put replacement property tax levies on the ballot under legislation approved Wednesday in the House. Republican supporters of HB28 (Mathews-T. Hall) said it is necessary to address concerns about transparency and voter confusion. Rep. Bill Roemer (R-Richfield), chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, said many voters mistakenly assume that replacement and renewal levies have the same effect, but the former can actually increase the tax liability because it restores the original millage rate, while the latter continues a levy at the reduced, effective millage rate. Roemer noted the issue was highlighted in the report of the joint study committee on property tax reform that met in the prior General Assembly. Rep. Adam Mathews (R-Lebanon), joint sponsor of the bill with Rep. Thomas Hall (R-Middletown), said voters have been clear about their desire for property tax reform, and this is one method of pursuing that. He said renewal and replacement levies have similar passage rates at the ballot box. The legislation passed 61-31.

Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) said HB28 would not be the last word from his chamber on property tax reform. "There's much more to be done. When you're trying to solve a big problem with lots of parts to it, I think it's best to pass the things that are easiest first, and that are clearest."

The Senate Wednesday unanimously passed transportation budget HB54 (Stewart), and the House concurred with the Senate changes, avoiding a conference committee and sending the $11.5 billion spending plan to Gov. Mike DeWine for his consideration. Senate Transportation Committee Chair Tom Patton (R-Strongsville) told the chamber that HB54 means thousands of jobs for Ohio's construction industry. He also noted what wasn't in the bill, including General Revenue Fund spending, road names and license plates. Overall, he said the bill saw 220 amendments drafted and submitted in the Senate.Sen. Andrew Brenner (R-Delaware) introduced a floor amendment that was approved without objection adding a potential fifth route for the U.S. 23-I-71 corridor between Northwest and Central Ohio for study by the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT). Senators had added language to the bill requiring ODOT to begin work on the corridor.

The Senate Transportation Committee Tuesday had adopted an omnibus amendment to transportation budget HB54 (Stewart). The omnibus amendment added back in a number of House provisions that the Senate had stripped out of the substitute bill, including the creation of a Division of Advanced Air Mobility in the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), as well as allowing ODOT to remove abandoned telecom or utility lines. Not restored is the funding to re-enter Ohio into the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Compact. Patton attributed that decision to Senate President Rob McColley's (R-Napoleon) wishes to keep any General Revenue Fund expenditures out of the bill and to have those discussions as part of biennial budget bill HB96 (Stewart). The omnibus amendment also repealed language from the previous transportation budget 135-HB23 (Edwards) that required the construction of an interchange off Interstate 71 between Brunswick and Strongsville. The House had put repeal language in its version of HB54, but the Senate pulled the language in the substitute version.

Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission (OTIC) Executive Director Ferzan Ahmed will retire and be almost immediately rehired to continue in the position, commissioners decided during their monthly meeting on Monday. According to the resolution approved by OTIC, Ahmed will retire on Friday, April 4 and be reemployed on Monday, April 7. OTIC Chief Engineer Chris Matta will serve as acting executive director during the brief period Ahmed is away from the agency. As a result, Ahmed will collect his pension and continue to earn his current salary of $194,744 after being rehired.

The Ohio Rail Development Commission (ORDC) on Thursday approved $74.4 million in additional state grants for four Ohio Grade Crossing Elimination Program (OGCEP) projects because of the uncertain status of federal grant funding. ORDC previously approved $13.7 million for the four grade separation projects, which address issues in the city of Circleville, city of Hudson, city of North Ridgeville and Delaware County, according to documents from Thursday's ORDC meeting. According to ORDC, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) approved nearly $81 million for these four projects on Jan. 10, 2025. The resolutions approved during the meeting would provide $20 million for the Circleville project, $13.7 million for the Hudson project, $19.7 million for the North Ridgeville project and $21 million for the Delaware County project. "This is purely a precautionary step given the uncertainty regarding the status of federal discretionary grants," ORDC said in meeting documents. "While this is an unusual request, staff believe this is the most prudent approach to ensure that the goals of the grade separation program are fulfilled."

The Reason Foundation's annual ranking of state highway systems has put Ohio in the top 10 for its overall cost-effectiveness and condition. The libertarian leaning group said Ohio's ranking is a seven-spot improvement from its 17th overall ranking in the 2024 report. In 2020, Ohio was ranked 13th. State rankings are determined by rankings in 13 categories including highway expenditures per mile, interstate and primary road pavement conditions, urbanized area congestion, bridge conditions, and fatality rates.Reason said numerous factors -- terrain, climate, truck volumes, urbanization, system age, budget priorities, unit cost differences, state budget circumstances, and management/maintenance philosophies -- all affect overall performance.