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Aug 25 2020

2020 Legislative Scorecard: Ohio House of Representatives

Beginning in January of every odd-numbered year, lawmakers come to Columbus to convene the Ohio General Assembly. In the two year session that follows, hundreds of bills are introduced, many of which are signed into law. During the 133rd General Assembly, which began in January of 2019, legislators have grappled with issues ranging from responding to the COVID-19 pandemic to abortion rights, local control of public schools, gun safety to the confederate flag.

With Statehouse activity mostly wrapped up for the term, we’ve compiled the voting record of all 99 State representatives on the most significant proposals they faced for consideration by voters before they head to the polls on November 3.

Check out our Ohio House Scorecard, which lists how all 99 members of the Ohio House of Representatives voted on important proposals in the 133rd General Assembly.

View the Innovation Ohio 2020 House of Representatives Scorecard

Written by Terra Goodnight · Categorized: 2020 Election, Featured Items, Front Page, Legislative Updates, Statehouse Update · Tagged: 2020 election, Candidates, Ohio General Assembly, ohio house, ohio legislature, Scorecard

Jun 22 2020

Lawmakers Mostly Inactive As Summer Break Begins

A photo of the Ohio Statehouse with a blue overlay. Text reads "Statehouse Preview" with Innovation Ohio's logo in an orange box in the bottom center of the image.

We didn’t send an update last week as the House and Senate both began what is likely to be months-long summer break. This week, the Senate returns briefly on Wednesday to vote on bills and hold a handful of committee hearings, the highlights of which we’ll note below. 

The House is not currently scheduled to return until after the November election but has set aside a few “if needed” dates in September.

Newsletters will be infrequent for the next several months – we’ll only send a dispatch if legislative hearings or sessions are scheduled. You can always view the full legislative calendar online.

New Legislation This Week 

Here are the new bills introduced last week that we will be monitoring. You can also view the complete list of bills we’re tracking.

  • House Bill 684 (Hood, Brinkman) – Academic Content – to revise the law with regard to the state academic content standards and primary and secondary education assessments and teacher evaluations, to create the Legislative Office of Education Oversight, and to make other changes regarding the operation of primary and secondary schools.
  • House Bill 687 (Hicks-Hudson, Sweeney) – Election Laws – to make changes to the Election Law.
  • House Bill 693 (Swearingen, Manning) – School Openings – to prohibit, for the 2020-2021 school year only, public and chartered nonpublic schools from opening for instruction prior to the Wednesday after Labor Day and to declare an emergency.
  • House Bill 695 (Becker, Romanchuk) – Legislative Salaries – to enact the “Average Wage Fully Uniform Law (AWFUL)” to set the baseline compensation for General Assembly members equal to Ohio’s median household income. 
  • House Bill 703 (Plummer, Abrams) – Policing Practices – to express the intent of the General Assembly to study and implement professional police practices in Ohio.
  • House Concurrent Resolution 31 (Howse, Crawley) – Racism – to declare racism a public health crisis and to ask the Governor to establish a working group to promote racial equity in Ohio.
  • Senate Bill 320 (M. Huffman) – Education Laws – to require public and private schools to decide whether to be open for instruction in the 2020-2021 school year, to permit parents providing home instruction to determine whether a building in which they provide instruction has adequate safety measures to address COVID-19, to prohibit other public officials from closing schools in that school year, and to declare an emergency.
  • Senate Bill 323 (Antonio, Williams) – Election Law – to modify the law governing absent voting and online voter registration, to make other changes to the Election Law, and to declare an emergency.

Statehouse Meetings and Events

Wednesday, June 24

  • 9:15 am – Senate Judiciary – 13th hearing (all testimony & vote) on SB3 (Drug Sentencing) and 2nd hearing (all testimony) on HB606 (COVID-19 Civil Immunity). Senate Finance Hearing Room or watch online. 
  • 9:30 am – Senate Health, Human Services & Medicaid – 2nd hearing (proponent testimony – written only) on SCR14 (Racism) and 4th hearing (all testimony & possible amendments) on SB311 (Health Orders). Senate South Hearing Room or watch online.
  • 1:30 pm – Senate Session – agenda TBD. Watch online.
  • 2:30 pm or after session – Senate Education – 2nd hearing (all testimony) on SB320 (Education Laws) and 6th hearing (all testimony, possible amendments) on HB123 (School Safety). Senate Finance Hearing Room or watch online.

Written by Terra Goodnight · Categorized: 2020 Election, Democracy, racial justice, Statehouse Update · Tagged: 2020 election, Lame Duck, ohio house, Ohio Senate, Statehouse, statehouse update, terra goodnight

May 19 2020

At The Statehouse: Lawmakers Look To Grant Business Immunity

Both chambers are working on legislation to limit the ability for businesses to be sued for liability during the COVID pandemic emergency. A Senate committee will hold a third hearing and vote on that chamber’s version of the bill (SB308) while the House plans two hearings this week to consider the House Bill (HB606). 

Lawmakers last week introduced new legislation (SB311) to rescind current health emergency orders and limit the power of the Director to enact new orders. 
The House and Senate have session scheduled for Wednesday with an additional meeting of the House penciled in for Thursday if necessary.

New Legislation This Week

Several new bills were introduced last week that we will be monitoring. You can also view the complete list of bills we’re tracking.

  • House Bill 633 (Boggs) – Workers Compensation – To make COVID-19 contracted by specified types of employees an occupational disease under the Workers’ Compensation Law under certain circumstances and to declare an emergency.
  • House Bill 634 (Denson, Upchurch) – Marijuana – To allow for the cultivation and possession of marijuana, to modify possession and cultivation penalties, and to allow for the expungement of certain marijuana convictions.
  • House Concurring Resolution 27 (Russo) – Health Insurance – To urge the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to immediately issue a special enrollment period through HealthCare.gov for uninsured Ohioans who may be unable to access COVID-19 testing and treatment.
  • Senate Bill 311 (McColley, Roegner) – Health Orders – To rescind certain orders of the Director of Health regarding COVID-19, to require the approval of the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review for Department of Health orders to be effective for more than fourteen days, to require statewide Department of Health orders to include the Governor’s signature, to modify the Department’s rulemaking authority, to allow in-person high school graduation ceremonies, and to declare an emergency.

Statehouse Meetings and Events

Tuesday, May 12

  • 9 am – House Criminal Justice – 7th hearing (all testimony, possible amendments & vote) on HB3 (Domestic Violence). Statehouse Room 017. Watch online at ohiochannel.org.
  • 10 am – House Insurance -1st hearing (sponsor) of HCR27 (Emergency Health Insurance Enrollment), HB571 (Occupational Diseases), and HB579 (COVID Testing). Statehouse Room 116 (overflow in Room 114 for social distancing). Watch online at ohiochannel.org. 
  • 10am – House Rules and Reference – meeting to set agenda for May 20 House session. Statehouse Room 018 (overflow in 017). No broadcast.
  • 1 pm – House Finance – 8th hearing (all testimony, possible amendments & vote) on HB388 (Out of Network Care) and 2nd hearing (all testimony) on SB310 (Federal Funds). Statehouse Room 313. Watch online at ohiochannel.org.
  • 1:30 pm – Senate Finance – Invited testimony from Buckeye Association of School Administrators, Ohio School Boards Association, Ohio Education Association, and Ohio Federation of Teachers on re-opening of K-12 schools for 2020- 2021 school year. Senate Finance Hearing Room. Watch online at ohiochannel.org.
  • 2 pm – Gov. DeWine Briefing on COVID-19. Watch online at ohiochannel.org.
  • 3 pm – House Civil Justice – 3rd hearing (all testimony) on HB606 (Civil Immunity) and SB175 (Firearms Immunity). Room 121 (overflow in Room 122). Watch online at ohiochannel.org. 
  • 3 pm – House Higher Education – 1st hearing (sponsor) on SB40 (Campus Speech). Statehouse Room 116 (no overflow). Watch online at ohiochannel.org.

Wednesday, May 13

  • 9 am – House Civil Justice – 4th hearing (all testimony, possible amendments, and substitute) on HB606 (Civil Immunity). Statehouse Room 116 (overflow in 114). Watch online at ohiochannel.org.
  • 9:15 am – Senate Judiciary – 3rd hearing (all testimony, possible amendments, and vote) on SB308 (Civil Immunity). Senate South Hearing Room. Watch online at ohiochannel.org.
  • 11 am – Senate Rules and Reference – meeting to set agenda for May 20 Senate session. Senate Majority Conference Room. No broadcast.
  • 11:45 am – House Rules and Reference – meeting to set agenda for May 21 House session. Statehouse Room 017 (overflow in Room 018). No broadcast.
  • 1 pm – House Session – agenda TBD. Watch online at ohiochannel.org.
  • 1:30 pm – Ohio Senate – agenda TBD. Watch online at ohiochannel.org.
  • 2 pm – Gov. DeWine Briefing on COVID-19 – Watch online at ohiochannel.org.
  • 3 pm – Senate Local Government – 2nd hearing (all testimony, possible amendments & vote) on HB242 (Plastic Bag Ordinances). Senate South Hearing Room. Watch online at ohiochannel.org

Thursday, May 14

  • 1 pm – House Session – agenda TBD. Watch online at ohiochannel.org.
  • 2 pm – Gov. DeWine Briefing on COVID-19 – Watch online at ohiochannel.org.

Friday, May 15

  • 2 pm – Gov. DeWine Briefing on COVID-19 – Watch online at ohiochannel.org.

Written by Terra Goodnight · Categorized: coronavirus, Higher Education, Ohio State Budget, Statehouse Update · Tagged: Budget Cuts, coronavirus, hb606, hb633, hb634, hcr27, Mike DeWine, ohio house, Ohio Senate, ohio statehouse, sb308, sb311, state, State Budget, Statehouse

Apr 27 2020

DeWine to Announce Reopening Plan

Statehouse Preview

Week of April 27, 2020

Statehouse work continues online this week (see below), but House Speaker Larry Householder has informed House staff to return for in-person work beginning next week.

The House has scheduled sessions on May 5 (if needed), 6, 7, 13, 14, 19 and 21st, and plans tor resume committee meetings in some of the larger hearing rooms with accommodations made for social distancing.

The Senate, for its part, has a session scheduled for Wednesday but is widely expected to cancel it in favor of a meeting date later in May. The chamber and its leader, Senate President Larry Obhof, have not indicated when or if they plan to resume business as usual. 

Today, Governor DeWine will continue his series of daily COVID-19 briefings with a much-anticipated update about the state’s plans to allow the limited resumption of certain businesses and activities. Briefings are expected to continue daily.

The House of Representatives’ Economic Recovery Task Force will continue to hear from (mostly) business owners about their economic hardships. Only one representative of workers has appeared before the panel in its three weeks of almost daily hearings.

Also today, the state Controlling Board, a panel of legislators empowered to approve spending outside the normal legislative process will consider proposals from the DeWine administration’s Office of Budget and Management and Department of Job and Family Services related to the state’s COVID-19 response. The hearing will also be streamed online.

Statehouse Meetings and Events

Monday

  • 10 am – Economic Recovery Task Force – Speakers include representatives from Stark County Minority Business Association, Mechanical Contractors Association of Ohio, Chillicothe Fireworks, Brumbaugh of Garner Trucking, cityBRANDS Holdings, LLC, Lake Erie Shores & Islands, Allen Company, Lakota Sports Organization, BASEC Management, Inc., DBA Wendy’s and Body Alive Fitness. Virtual meeting streamed live online at ohiochannel.org. 
  • 12 pm – Controlling Board – Senate North Hearing Room and streamed live online at ohiochannel.org.
  • 2 pm – Gov. DeWine Briefing on COVID-19 – streamed live on ohiochannel.org.

Tuesday

  • 2 pm – Gov. DeWine Briefing on COVID-19 – streamed live on ohiochannel.org.

Wednesday

  • 1:30 pm – Ohio Senate (if needed) – stream lived on ohiochannel.org.
  • 2 pm – Gov. DeWine Briefing on COVID-19 – streamed live on ohiochannel.org.

Thursday

  • 2 pm – Gov. DeWine Briefing on COVID-19 – streamed live on ohiochannel.org.

Friday

  • 2 pm – Gov. DeWine Briefing on COVID-19 – streamed live on ohiochannel.org.

Written by Terra Goodnight · Categorized: coronavirus, Legislative Updates, Statehouse Update · Tagged: Amy Acton, Business, Controlling Board, coronavirus, COVID19, dewine, Economic Recovery Task Force, Governor, householder, obhof, ohio house, Ohio Senate, Speaker Larry Householder

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