Friday, March 24, 2023
ABORTION
Cincinnati Right to Life Monday filed a lawsuit
in the Ohio Supreme Court seeking to block a proposed abortion and reproductive
rights constitutional amendment, arguing that the Ohio Ballot Board improperly
certified the proposal as one issue during its recent meeting and seeking to
divide the issue into multiple petitions. The Ohio Ballot Board had unanimously
approved the proposed issue a week earlier after hearing from two witnesses.
One of those witnesses, John Giroux, along with Margaret DeBlase, filed the
lawsuit.
The campaign to oppose a reproductive rights
constitutional amendment, Protect Women Ohio, announced that Swing State
Strategies President Michael Hartley will serve as campaign manager. Swing
State Strategies Vice President Jordan Ohler will serve as communications
director, while Amy Natoce -- the campaign manager for Attorney General Dave
Yost's 2022 re-election campaign -- will be PWO's press secretary. Nate
Wheeland, a grassroots tactician for Swing State Strategies, will be PWO's political
director.
APPALACHIA
The DeWine administration announced Monday that
four "transformational" projects will receive $50 million in the
first round of the Appalachian Community Grant Program, which will provide a
total of $500 million to support local initiatives revitalizing downtown
districts, enhancing quality of life and rebuilding the economies in Ohio's 32
Appalachian counties. The first round projects include the following:
- Utica
Shale Academy of Ohio will receive up to $2.35 million to create the
Connecting Communities Through Workforce Training project, which will provide
residents with a career pathway for in-demand jobs that allow them to earn a
sustainable living wage. It will expand services at three training centers and
benefit Columbiana, Carroll, Jefferson and Mahoning counties.
- The city
of Athens will receive up to $17.7 million to revitalize 80,000 square feet
of downtown space with rehabilitation of six historic buildings there and in
Coshocton, Logan and Somerset. This is part of the "At Work in
Appalachia" project, which will also provide collaborative regional
programming through a series of public/private partnerships including creation
and expansion of mental health services. It will benefit Coshocton, Hocking, Athens
and Perry counties.
- The Survivor
Advocacy Outreach Program will receive up to $25.8 million to address
social determinants of health challenges in Athens, Glouster, Nelsonville,
Gallipolis and Middleport by establishing a mental health drop-in center and
advocacy trauma center and expanding four New Leaf Recovery Villages. The
program also includes construction of 3D-printed affordable housing, renovation
of downtown buildings and infrastructure to increase walkability and
establishment of workforce development programs focused on transitional job
programs. It will benefit Athens, Gallia and Meigs counties.
- The Outdoor
Recreation Council of Appalachia will receive up to $4.18 million for
tourism efforts related to nature, heritage and art. Those efforts will also
include essential connectivity to workforce development and expanded health
care access. The project will benefit Athens, Meigs and Jackson counties.
ATTORNEY GENERAL
American Cancer Society of Ohio. American
Cancer Foundation of Columbus. United Way of Ohio. These and similar names
sound like nonprofits Ohioans have come to know and support with their
hard-earned pay. However, if they donated to them or a half dozen other fake
charities, they were defrauded. These sham charities, sued by the Ohio Attorney
General's Office, were convicted by the Franklin County Common Pleas Court.
Joining fraudsters in the statewide scam, says Attorney General Dave Yost, are
knock-off profiteers operating as the American Cancer Society of Cincinnati,
American Cancer Society of Cleveland, American Cancer Foundation of Cincinnati,
American Cancer Foundation of Cleveland and American Cancer Foundation of Ohio.
CHILDREN/FAMILIES
The House should reject legislation sponsored
by Reps. Rodney Creech (R-West Alexandria) and Marilyn John (R-Shelby) that
would require courts to presume that a 50-50 parenting plan is in the best
interest of the child, Ohio Judicial Conference (OJC) Executive Director and
former Supreme Court Justice Paul Pfeifer Tuesday told the House Families and
Aging Committee. "It's just a hot mess," Pfeifer said during his
testimony opposing HB14. "You can't fix it, because it begins with the
premise that everything has to be 50-50. That's just unnatural," he
continued. "Just think of yourselves, and people you know -- a 50-50
division of time, when you're talking about different school districts, you're
talking about all the differences that go on. ... [It's] admirable, but almost
impossible in most situations." Pfeifer said HB14 is "all about the
parents," while the welfare of the children involved is secondary.
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
Rep. Brian Stewart (R-Ashville) Wednesday
fielded questions for nearly an hour and a half from mostly Democrats on the
House Constitutional Resolutions Committee on his HJR1, a proposal that would
require constitutional amendments gain 60 percent of the vote in order to be
adopted. Meanwhile, the Senate Wednesday introduced its own version of the
measure -- SJR2 (McColley-Gavarone), as well as SB92 (McColley-Gavarone) --
which would clear the way for it to go on an August special election ballot
even though the Legislature eliminated August special elections last year as a
part of 134-HB458 (Hall).
During Wednesday's House hearing, Stewart
argued that the amendment is needed to protect Ohio's Constitution from special
interests, noting the inclusion of specific land parcels in the document for
Ohio casinos, and attempts to alter it for recreational marijuana or to give
former House Speaker Larry Householder a much longer term as speaker. He also
said that it should be as hard to amend Ohio's Constitution as it is to amend
the U.S. Constitution.
CORRECTIONS
The Correctional Institution Inspection Committee
(CIIC) reconvened after 18 months Thursday to name Rep. Jean Schmidt
(R-Loveland) chair. She assumes that role after nearly two years on the
committee. There were no other items on the agenda, though CIIC Executive
Director Chris Albanese said outside the meeting that staff is busy inspecting
detention facilities within the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and
Correction (DRC) and Ohio Department of Youth Services (DYS) systems. CIIC has
visited six prisons this year and will inspect its seventh next week. Albanese
said prisons and DYS facilities are generally inspected twice a year: once
announced and once unannounced.
EAST PALESTINE DERAILMENT
Ohio Department of Public Safety Director Andy
Wilson gave the Senate Select Committee on Rail Safety an overview Wednesday of
the command structure that gathered information and made key decisions in the
immediate aftermath of the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine.
Sen. Bill Reineke (R-Tiffin), chair of the committee, said Wilson was called in
to review the command structure at the request of Sen. Frank Hoagland
(R-Adena), a Navy SEAL veteran who has focused a lot of his questions on
command structure details during the committee's hearings. Wilson said East
Palestine Fire Chief Keith Drabick took command of the hazardous materials
incident under ORC 37337.80, which gives such responsibility to the local fire
chief until he relinquishes it. Drabick has since done so, yielding to the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) unified command as the situation
shifted from emergency response to cleanup and monitoring.
EDUCATION
Gov. Mike DeWine spoke in three cities Thursday
to urge support for his budget proposals on literacy instruction and teacher
training, along the way signing an executive order to promote awareness of the
importance of reading across state government. He shared the stage at a morning
event in Columbus with a former Mississippi education leader who put into
practice many of the approaches DeWine's promoting. Several elements of the
FY24-25 executive budget proposal seek to spread instruction based on the
"science of reading," an approach focused on phonics, phonemic
awareness, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension and writing. Those include state
support to ensure teachers get training in these instructional methods and to
provide districts with high-quality instructional materials aligned to the
science of reading. Ohio Department of Education (ODE) Interim Superintendent
Stephanie Siddens provided an overview of the proposals and other ODE literacy
initiatives following DeWine's morning speech at an event organized by Ohio
Excels, a business coalition focused on education and workforce issues.
With three hearings down and another scheduled
in the House Primary and Secondary Education Committee on a bill proposing
major changes to K-12 governance in Ohio, leadership in the chamber decided to
put the companion Senate measure in a different committee. The issue is salient
to both committees, according to House leadership. The House Rules and
Reference Committee voted to refer SB1 (Reineke) to the House Economic and
Workforce Development Committee, which held sponsor testimony on it Tuesday,
March 21. The House Primary and Secondary Education Committee, however, has
been considering HB12 (Dobos-Jones), which was up for a fourth hearing, also on
Tuesday. Both measures were identified as priorities in the respective chambers
upon their introduction, and the House and Senate education chairs had kept
them closely aligned via adoption of similar amendments over recent weeks of
deliberations.
Ticking through financial records of payments
to a Mercedes dealership and an antique boat shop, attorneys for the state
argued Monday before Franklin County Common Pleas Magistrate Elizabeta Saken
that Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT) founder William Lager's assets
should be frozen while the case against him proceeds. Lager's lawyers, however,
said the state can't show evidence linking his finances to fraudulent activity
and argued that courts have rightly set a very high threshold for unleashing the
"nuclear weapon" of litigation.
ELECTIONS
Ohio Friday became the latest state to exit a
multi-state cooperative data effort, with Secretary of State Frank LaRose
saying attempts to "save what could be an unparalleled election integrity
service have fallen short." LaRose announced Ohio's resignation from the
Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) in a letter to the group's
board, saying the resignation is effective 91 days from Friday, March 17. Ohio
joins Louisiana, Alabama, West Virginia, Missouri and Florida in leaving the
organization. He argued that the group "has chosen repeatedly to ignore
demands to embrace reforms that would bolster confidence in its performance,
encourage growth in its membership, and ensure not only its present stability
but also its durability. Rather, you have chosen to double-down on poor
strategic decisions, which have only resulted in the transformation of a
previously bipartisan organization to one that appears to favor only the
interests of one political party. I believe the current actions and inactions
of ERIC will effectively set in motion its demise."
ELECTIONS 2023
Voting for military and overseas Ohioans has
begun for the Tuesday, May 2 primary election, Secretary of State Frank LaRose
said. On Friday, March 17, county boards of elections sent Uniformed and
Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) ballots to servicemembers
stationed abroad and to Ohioans working overseas. The deadline for Ohioans to
register to vote is Monday, April 3, and early voting for all voters begins
Tuesday, April 4.
The state should not hold a special election in
August to vote on a measure making it more difficult to approve amendments to
the Ohio Constitution, House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) said
Thursday. "We just voted to not have those anymore," Stephens told
reporters after session, referring to 134-HB458 (Hall). "The county
election officials I've talked to are not interested in having it,"
Stephens continued. "I'm frankly not interested in having an election in
August, because of the cost to the taxpayers." Ohio Association of
Election Officials Executive Director Aaron Ockerman told Hannah News that his organization hasn't yet taken a formal
position on SB92 (McColley-Gavarone), which would appropriate $20 million for
an August special election in 2023. "We have long supported the
elimination of August special elections for local political subdivisions, but
honestly have never had a conversation about a bill like SB92," Ockerman
said.
ENVIRONMENT
A campaign to improve the use of drop-off
recycling locations in Athens, Hocking, Mahoning, Ottawa, Sandusky and Seneca
counties will benefit more than 190,000 households, according to the Ohio
Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA). To support the campaign, Ohio EPA
is awarding $180,000 to build on curbside recycling projects that began in
2019, the agency said. Ohio EPA is awarding three grants to a strategically and
geographically diverse group of solid waste management districts (SWMDs) that
represent the six counties. The goal is to improve education, outreach, and
participation in drop-off recycling programs around the state.
"Fix a Leak Week," which concludes
Sunday, March 26, has been held by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's
(USEPA) WaterSense program as an annual reminder to check household plumbing
and irrigation systems for water loss, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio
(PUCO), Ohio Environmental Agency (EPA) and Ohio Department of Insurance (ODI)
said in a joint announcement. One out of every 10 homes nationwide wastes up to
90 gallons of water due to leaks, the agencies said, and the average leak can
cost a household nearly 10,000 gallons every year, or the same as 300 loads of
laundry.
Many of the 21 witnesses who testified Tuesday
before the House Finance Agriculture, Development and Natural Resources
Subcommittee urged continued funding of the brownfields program at a $500
million level. Jason Warner of the Greater Ohio Policy Center touted the
success of the program in the current biennium with the assessment and cleanup
of brownfields and the demolition of dilapidated commercial and residential
buildings in 87 of Ohio's 88 counties. However, he noted, 125 projects were
granted assessment dollars in the current biennium but "without additional
funding, these 125 projects will likely remain contaminated and unable to move
into productive economic engines."
GAMING/GAMBLING
Calls to Ohio's Problem Gambling Helpline
increased 227 percent from January 2022 to January 2023, according to state
officials and responsible gambling advocates. That data point is one of several
included in the "State of Problem Gambling in 2023" report from Ohio
for Responsible Gambling, a state initiative run by the Ohio Casino Control Commission
(OCCC), Ohio Lottery Commission (OLC), Ohio State Racing Commission (OSRC) and
Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS). While the
increase is attributed to sports betting legalization becoming effective in
January 2023, the report notes that some of the increase was due to the major
marketing push to raise awareness about the Problem Gambling Helpline.
Additionally, some bettors called the helpline because they were confused about
ads offering "free" money after bets are placed, the report says.
The Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) has
ordered BetMGM to pay $150,000 for sports gambling advertising violations. The
company is also required to ensure that its personnel and affiliate marketers
are properly trained in all laws, policies and procedures relevant to
advertising and promoting sports betting in the state of Ohio. "BetMGM, or
its affiliate marketer, ran sports gaming advertisements without a conspicuous
message designed to prevent problem gambling and provide information on how to
access resources related to problem gambling, including an approved
helpline," OCCC said in its final order, noting that is a violation of
both the Ohio Revised Code (ORC) and Ohio Administrative Code (OAC).
GENERAL ASSEMBLY/STATEHOUSE
House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill)
confirmed that he had ordered the removal of the portrait of former Speaker
Larry Householder (R-Glenford) from the hallway outside of the speaker's office
after Householder's conviction in a federal racketeering case. Householder, who
served as speaker of the Ohio House from 2001-2004 and again from 2019-2020,
was convicted along with former Ohio Republican Party Chair Matt Borges on
racketeering charges related to the passage of nuclear power plant bailout
133-HB6 (Callender-Wilkin). Householder's portrait hung in the hallway across
from the speaker's office along with other previous speakers, but was recently
taken down with little fanfare. In a statement, Stephens confirmed the removal.
"I had it taken down. It just didn't need to be there," he said.
Congress should pass legislation requiring
railroad companies to inform state and local governments when trains carrying
hazardous materials are traveling through their jurisdictions, according to a
resolution passed by the House on Thursday. Lawmakers voted 94-1 to approve
HR33, a bipartisan measure sponsored by Reps. Monica Robb Blasdel
(R-Columbiana) and Lauren McNally (D-Youngstown). Rep. Bill Dean (R-Xenia) was
the only "no" vote.
Rep. Mary Lightbody (D-Westerville) has been
elected chair of the Ohio Democratic Women's Legislative Caucus (ODWLC) for the
135th General Assembly. The full executive committee also includes vice chair
Rep. Munira Yasin Abdullahi (D-Columbus); policy chair Rep. Michele Grim
(D-Toledo); secretary Rep. Lauren McNally (D-Youngstown); and treasurer Rep.
Rachel Baker (D-Cincinnati)
Freshman Rep. Richard Dell’Aquila (D-Seven
Hills) told Hannah News that during
his 20 plus years in local government he discovered just how much of a
difference government can make in the lives of his constituents. He identified
issues that need to be addressed at the state level, noting that he believes
the homestead exemption needs examining.
In other legislative action, the House Criminal
Justice Committee reported out HB50 (Humphrey-Seitz) which addresses collateral
sanctions on housing; the House Health Provider Services Committee reported out
HB22 (Schmidt-Hall) which deals with stroke care data; the House Transportation
Committee reported out highway naming bills HB75 (Lampton-Dean) and HB81 (Robb
Blasdel-Jones); the House Homeland Security Committee reported out HB29
(Humphrey-Brewer) which revises laws governing driver’s license suspensions for
failure to pay child support; and the Senate Health Committee reported out SB34
(Schaffer) which designates July Sarcoma Awareness Month.
GOVERNOR
Gov. Mike DeWine appointed David Henry to the
Clinton County Municipal Court, succeeding the late Judge Michael Daugherty.
Henry will be on the primary ballot in May. Recently working as a prosecutor or
solicitor in Wilmington, Blanchester and Sabina, Henry has practiced law in the
public sector since 1999, including working as a prosecutor in Miami County
Municipal Court, as law director of Xenia, assistant prosecutor in Clinton and
Highland counties and then as deputy director of professional standards in the
attorney general's office under DeWine.
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
State government support could make pro
football player Damar Hamlin's recovery from on-field cardiac arrest in Cincinnati
a more commonplace outcome rather than a miracle, a Cincinnati doctor told a
House budget subcommittee Tuesday. Among numerous witnesses testifying to the
House Finance Health and Human Services Subcommittee was Dr. Justin Benoit, a
University of Cincinnati physician and chair of the Ohio Cardiac Arrest
Registry to Enhance Survival (CARES). Benoit explained Ohio CARES works to
collect and analyze data to help to ensure strong links in what the American
Heart Association calls the "chain of survival" than enables a person
to recover -- a bystander who recognizes the signs of cardiac arrest and starts
CPR, another person who goes to find an AED, the first responders who arrive at
the scene. Benoit said the organization covers about 46 percent of Ohioans now
thanks to private donations and state support for data software, but is
requesting help in the state budget to reach the entire population. A $300,000
annual budget would allow the hiring of part-time paramedic coordinators to
enroll organizations, a full-time statistician and a full-time director,
support software costs and help the organization teach "Resuscitation
Academies."
Much of the testimony Wednesday before the
House Finance Health and Human Services Subcommittee on the proposed budget in
HB33 (Edwards) addressed the difficulty of finding direct service providers
(DSPs), starting with the day's second witness, Justin Martin, and then his
mother, Jackie Martin. With a mixture of passion and anger, Justin Martin
described what it is like to be solely dependent on someone else, describing
for the subcommittee a time when he had a "well-paid team of direct
support professionals" so he "could get up and go to bed whenever I
needed to. I could make plans with friends on the spur of the moment rather than
four weeks in advance or never -- I could go out to eat, go to the movie
theater, attend meetings and classes and internships regardless of when or
where they were. My world, which used to be colorless and narrow, was now
impossibly wide and impossibly bright."
HIGHER EDUCATION
Ohio University (OU) has named Lori Stewart
Gonzalez, a native of the Appalachian region, as its 23rd president, effective
July 1, 2023. Gonzalez will become the institution's first female president.
She succeeds President Hugh Sherman, who had agreed to serve a two-year term
with plans to retire at the end of this academic year. The selection of
Gonzalez comes after a national search that began in fall 2022. Gonzalez comes
to Ohio University from the University of Louisville, where she currently
serves as executive vice president and university provost; additionally, she
served as interim president for more than a year during a presidential
transition. Prior to her time in Louisville, Gonzalez was the vice chancellor
of academic, faculty and student affairs at the University of Tennessee Health
Science Center in Memphis. Her career also includes serving as the provost and
executive vice chancellor at Appalachian State University and dean of the
College of Health Sciences at the University of Kentucky.
Lourdes University, located in Sylvania,
recently announced that William J. Bisset has been named its 12th president,
effective July 1, 2023. Bisset is currently vice president for enrollment
management and student affairs at Marymount University, where he has served
since 2020. Following a national search, the Lourdes Board and the Sisters of
St. Francis of Sylvania unanimously approved the appointment on March 9.
Lourdes University is a Catholic and Franciscan institution established in 1958
by the Sisters of St. Francis.
Ohio's public universities added $67.8 billion
in income to the state's economy in FY21-22, Inter-University Council of Ohio
(IUC) President and CEO Laura Lanese said Wednesday. That finding is one of
several highlights former Rep. Lanese shared with the House Higher Education
Committee ahead of IUC's release of a new economic study conducted by
Lightcast. The report will be released in April, she said.
"Expressed in terms of jobs, the
universities' impact supported 860,603 jobs. For perspective, the activities of
the universities and their students support one out of every eight jobs in
Ohio," Lanese added.
Sens. Jerry Cirino (R-Kirtland) and Catherine
Ingram (D-Cincinnati), chair and ranking member, respectively on the Senate
Workforce and Higher Education Committee, Wednesday previewed the debate around
legislation that would make significant changes to operations at Ohio's public
colleges and universities. In the first hearing on his SB83, Committee Chair
Cirino said the legislation is "all about students" and is a
"much needed course correction for our institutions of higher learning. …
This course correction is needed now so that we do not end up with institutions
that are more focused on social engineering rather than true intellectual
diversity of thought and the teaching of useful analytical skills," he
said. The bill prohibits mandatory programs or training courses on diversity,
equity, and inclusion (DEI) topics at state institutions of higher education.
Among other notable requirements in the bill are the following:
- Prohibits college faculty from striking in
contract disputes.
- Requires that state colleges and universities
"seek out intellectual diversity in invited speakers."
- Requires state institutions to post a
complete list of all speaker fees, honoraria, and other emoluments in excess of
$500 prominently on their websites.
- Requires state colleges and universities to
adopt a policy affirming they will not endorse, comment on, or take action as
an institution on "current public policy controversies or controversial
beliefs or policies."
- Requires state colleges and universities to
adopt a policy affirming they will not aid or abet activities such as boycotts,
disinvestments, or sanctions.
HOUSING/HOMELESSNESS
Institutional investors who buy up numerous
single-family homes in cash are pushing the dream of home ownership even
further out of reach for many Ohioans, housing advocates told the Senate Ways
and Means Committee on Wednesday. Port of Greater Cincinnati Development
Authority Executive Vice President Philip Denning and Cuyahoga County Vacant
and Abandoned Property Action Council Chair Frank Ford testified in favor of
SB76 (Blessing-Antonio), which would impose a tax on any landlord who owns 50
or more single, two-family or three-family houses in a single county, among
other provisions.
"Our attention to investor activity in
Hamilton County came out of a conversation with the city of Cincinnati's code
enforcement professionals to identify the most irresponsible landlords and
property owners. Using these entities as a starting point, we completed months
of rigorous research to uncover that over 4,000 single-family homes in Hamilton
County had been purchased by just five institutional investors since
2013," Denning said.
JUDICIAL
St. Edward High School in Lakewood took first
place at the Ohio Center for Law-Related Education's (OCLRE) 40th annual Mock
Trial State Competition. More than 200 high school students representing 21
schools argued a hypothetical court case before a panel of judges. St. Edward's
Gavin Addington also received the competition's outstanding attorney award.
Ohio Mock Trial is the largest non-athletic competition in the state, with
around 3,000 students and more than 1,000 legal professionals volunteering as
legal advisors, case committee members and judges, OCLRE said.
NATURAL RESOURCES
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR)
is accepting submissions for its annual state parks photo contest. Photos must
be taken at an Ohio State Park and taken after Jan. 1, 2022. Visitors can
submit up to five photos in this free contest. Submissions must be made by
Tuesday, April 4 and final winners will be contacted Friday, May 5. Submission
forms and contest rules can be found at https://www.discoverohiostateparks.com/contest1. ODNR accepts photos in the following categories:
- Main Character Moment
- Sidekick Shenanigans
- Homebase Harmony
- Seasonal Surprises
- Hero's
Journey
PARKS/RECREATION
There were more than 2.9 million visits to
Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP) in 2022, the park announced Tuesday. CVNP
was the ninth-most visited national park in 2022, according to the park.
"While the entire national park system
experienced a dip in visitation during the pandemic, CVNP saw a marked increase
in 2020. Visitation numbers this past year have surpassed 2020," CVNP
said. There were more than 2.7 million visits in 2020, and more than 2.5
million visits in 2021.
PENSIONS
Ohio retirement systems are facing losses from
their holdings in banks involved in a recent crisis that triggered federal
intervention, although the effects are very small in proportion to the state
pension assets. In a recent statement, State Teachers Retirement System (STRS)
acknowledged holdings in Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), recently taken over by the
federal government because of its imminent failure. As of Wednesday, March 8,
STRS had 102,000 shares worth about $27 million. As a stock listed in the
S&P 500 and Russell 3000 indices of major companies, SVB was held by many
public pension funds, STRS said. STRS noted that this holding represents 0.03
percent of its total holdings. As of the end of FY22, STRS held nearly $89
billion in assets, making it the second largest Ohio retirement system.
Ohio's five public employee pension funds
appeared before the House Pensions Committee during its first hearing, giving
lawmakers an overview of their functions and operations and taking questions. Committee Chair
Bob Young (R-Green) said he wanted to give members a "high level"
view of the funds.
PEOPLE
The Ohio CDC Association (OCDCA) announced that
it has selected Torey Hollingsworth as its new executive director. The
association said Hollingsworth brings to the OCDCA more than a decade of
experience in community advocacy, having most recently served as the director
of the Office of the Dayton City Commission, where she managed the policy work
and support staff for the city's elected leadership. Hollingsworth will succeed
the current executive director, Nate Coffman, effective Monday, April 3.
McKinley Strategies recently announced that
Mike Peppel has been named its manager of government affairs. Peppel comes to
the firm after serving four years as senior legislative aide to Sen. Michael
Rulli (R-Salem). As an aide to Rulli he was responsible for crafting and aiding
in the introduction of nearly 50 bills, 20 of which were enacted into law.
Peppel also staffed the Senate Small Business and Economic Opportunity
Committee as well as the General Government Committee.
Ohio Department of Administrative Services
(DAS) Director Kathleen Madden has appointed a new chief information officer
(CIO) and chief information security officer (CISO), the department announced
Monday. Anupam Srivastava is serving as CIO, where he is expected to utilize
his IT background and state government expertise. He previously served as CISO
for DAS. Holly Drake is the new CISO, and now leads the DAS Office of
Information Security and Privacy. Previously, Drake served as deputy
cybersecurity strategic adviser for CyberOhio in Gov. Mike DeWine's office.
The Ohio Health
Care Association (OHCA) announced it has contracted with Dr. Jessica Coleman as
consulting medical director. She will consult with association staff on
clinical issues concerning regulations, reimbursement, operations and advocacy
efforts.
The funeral for
Paul Coleman, who served as the assistant director of the Ohio Department of
Public Welfare and then director of the Governor's Office of Recovery Services
in the Celeste administration, was held Friday, March 24. Coleman, 79, died
Saturday, March 11 of heart failure. Coleman also served as president and CEO
of Maryhaven, a behavioral health services provider specializing in addiction
recovery in Columbus, for 25 years before retiring in 2016.
STATE GOVERNMENT
The Ohio Controlling Board Monday approved all
but two requests that were before it during Monday's meeting, with both of
those requests being deferred by the agency. The deferral of one of those
requests, coming from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS)
and proposing to spend more than $20 million to support early childhood
services, was praised by two of the board members, who said they appreciated
the deferral. The other deferred item was a request from Cleveland State
University regarding a $296,000 roof replacement contract. Among the items
approved during Monday's meeting was a request by the Ohio Attorney General's
Office to spend more than $3 million on the appointment of 24 firms as special
counsel for 18 state clients.
TECHNOLOGY/AEROSPACE
Ohio higher education leaders discussed what
they are doing to address the growing national demand for pilots with the House
Aviation and Aerospace Committee Tuesday. The committee also heard from Ohio
University (OU) and Baldwin Wallace University (BW) officials and Ohio State
University (OSU) students. Bowling Green State University (BGSU) President
Rodney Rogers discussed the history of the university's aviation program, which
began in 1978 and has experienced "tremendous growth" since then,
particularly in recent years. It was ranked the fourth-best program in the
country by Flying Magazine and
conducted over 10,000 flights in 2022, with more than 11,000 expected this
year.
TRANSPORTATION/INFRASTRUCTURE
The $13.5 billion transportation budget is
headed to conference committee after it cleared the Senate Thursday morning
with a unanimous vote but then the House subsequently did not concur with the
Senate changes. Sen. Stephanie Kunze (R-Hilliard), the chair of the Senate
Transportation Committee, highlighted the provisions and changes made by the
Senate to HB23 (Edwards), the transportation budget. She said it makes a
historic investment in Ohio's future and recognizes the need for a solid
statewide transportation infrastructure. She said the bill is a product of
bipartisan work from the entire transportation committee. The bill passed on a
30-0 vote. The House did not concur with the Senate's amendments by a vote of
16-79. Those voting to concur were Reps. Tim Barhorst (R-Fort Loramie), Adam
Bird (R-Cincinnati), Bill Dean (R-Xenia), Ron Ferguson (R-Wintersville),
Jennifer Gross (R-West Chester), Marilyn John (R-Shelby), Darrell Kick
(R-Loudonville), Angela King (R-Celina), Beth Lear (R-Galena), Scott Lipps (R-Franklin),
Susan Manchester (R-Lakeview), Riordan McClain (R-Nevada), Jena Powell
(R-Arcanum), Reginald Stoltzfus (R-Minerva), Scott Wiggam (R-Wooster) and
Bernard Willis (R-Springfield). Senate President Matt Huffman told reporters
that among the items he expects to hash out in conference committee are the $1
billion Rural Highway Fund that was added by the House and removed by the
Senate, and the force accounts issue.
The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT)
kicked off the 2023 construction season this week, saying it expects to invest
a record $2.5 billion into more than 1,000 projects this year. ODOT said about
95 cents of every dollar spent this year is being invested back into preserving
existing roads and bridges.
With the Ohio Turnpike's modernized toll
collection system expected to go live in July 2023, Ohio Turnpike and
Infrastructure Commission (OTIC) General Counsel Jennifer Monty Rieker
discussed the agency's plan for collecting unpaid tolls. "There will be
those that travel the turnpike and inadvertently or mistakenly use the E-ZPass
lanes when they do not have a valid E-ZPass account," Monty Rieker said
during Monday's commission meeting. There will be a $10 threshold for sending
the first invoice, she said, noting the total administrative cost related to
invoicing is approximately $3.77, not including postage and costs for internal
staff.
Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT)
Director Jack Marchbanks discussed the department's work with the House
Transportation Committee Tuesday, detailing the funding and usage of Ohio's
roadway system and saying the state's "location at the crossroads of
America" was a major component to Intel, Ford and Honda's decisions to
invest in Ohio manufacturing. The network of roads, bridges and highways are
Ohio's "most valuable physical asset" at $116 billion in total value,
according to Marchbanks, and it has the sixth-highest number of vehicle miles
traveled. He said the freight system transported goods worth over $1 trillion
in 2018, and Ohio's active rail line mileage is fourth-largest in the country.
While traffic deaths have increased 14 percent since 2010, Marchbanks added
that serious injuries decreased by 29 percent and total crashes decreased by 18
percent. ODOT's two largest revenue sources are state and federal gas taxes, he
explained, and total funding is around $1.8 billion in federal funds and $1.5
billion in state funds. That is divided, with $970 million to operations costs
such as payroll, debt service, land and buildings, equipment, snow and ice
service and maintenance. The capital expenses for pavements, bridges, safety
efforts and local programs cost $2.33 billion.
The Ohio Rail
Development Commission (ORDC) Thursday voted unanimously to authorize ORDC
staff to apply for federal funding to study expanding Amtrak service on two
proposed corridors through the state. The action comes after Gov. Mike DeWine
last month directed ORDC to seek the funding to study expanding passenger rail
service in the state. ORDC Secretary/Treasurer Megan McClory told the
commission that applications for the first step in expanding passenger service
are due on Monday, March 27. Under a program through the Federal Railroad Administration
(FRA) funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, states can seek funding in
three phases to expand passenger rail. The first phase, which she said would
give states $500,000 per corridor in seed money to start studying expanding
passenger rail, is 100 percent federally funded, with no state match required.
The Ohio
Department of Transportation (ODOT) said this week that it is now accepting
public comments on the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) for
2024 to 2027. The program identifies the multi-modal transportation improvement
projects that are scheduled for some phase of implementation throughout the
state over the next four years. The draft documents will be available for
public review and comment online during the review period through Monday, April
10, 2023. The documents can be found at www.transportation.ohio.gov/programs/stip. Any comments concerning the Statewide Transportation Improvement
Program may be submitted online, by email to Natasha Turner at Natasha.Turner@dot.ohio.gov, or postal mail to Deputy Director Tim McDonald, Division of Planning,
Ohio Department of Transportation Mail Stop # 3260 1980 West Broad Street
Columbus, Ohio 43223. Written comments must be received by the close of
business on Monday, April 10, 2023.
WORKERS' COMPENSATION
The House Insurance Committee voted unanimously
to report out the Bureau of Workers' Compensation (BWC) budget, HB31 (Edwards),
Wednesday with an amendment that changes the name back to BWC instead of the
Department of Workforce Insurance and Safety. BWC Administrator/CEO John Logue
had previously testified in support of the change as better reflecting the
agency's work and aligned with other state departments. Ranking Member Jessica
Miranda (D-Cincinnati) had questioned the practicality and cost, which Logue
said would be around $1 million.
WORKFORCE
Lt. Gov. Jon Husted announced Monday that 345
employers were approved for funding in the January round of TechCred, which
will enable Ohioans to earn 4,237 tech-focused credentials. It is the 18th
round of the program and manufacturing was again at the top of industries which
applied. Husted's office also noted the 19th round is currently open and will
close at 3 p.m. on Friday, March 31.