Week in Review June 29, 2026

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This report reflects the latest happenings in government relations, in and around the Ohio statehouse. You’ll notice that it’s broad in nature and on an array of topics, from A-Z. This will be updated on a weekly basis.

Please feel free to share it with anyone else you believe may find it of interest, as well. Also, please do not hesitate to contact us should you have any questions, concerns or if we can be of any assistance.

AMERICA 250-OHIO

Fourth graders across the state will be able to visit museums and historical sites for free throughout the whole month of July as part of America 250-Ohio's expanded Fourth Grade History Pass program. "Fourth grade is the year Ohio students dive deep into the history of their state and their country, and we've seen firsthand how powerful it is when learning moves beyond the classroom and into the places where that history actually happened," said Todd Kleismit, executive director of America 250-Ohio. "With the Fourth Grade History Pass Plus, we wanted to give families the chance to make July 2026 a month they'll never forget -- exploring Ohio's incredible historic sites together, for free, during the most significant anniversary our nation has ever celebrated."

Spearheaded by Freedom 250, President Donald Trump's organization charged with carrying out events celebrating the nation's 250th birthday, the Great American State Fair officially kicked off this week on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, June 25, running through Friday, July 10.

BALLOT ISSUES

Backers of a proposed constitutional amendment that would ban the construction of new large data centers have turned their attention to the 2027 ballot, saying that making this year's ballot was a lofty goal they will not attain. Conserve Ohio, the group backing the proposed amendment, said on their website late last week they have gathered over 70,000 signatures, which is far short of the more than 413,000 valid signatures the group would need to submit by Wednesday, July 1, in order to make the November ballot.

Backers of two proposed constitutional amendments that would have granted new protections to certain classes of individuals as well as repeal the state's constitutional ban on same sex marriage became the latest to announce the issues will not be appearing on the Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, ballot. An election that had the potential to see numerous issues go before voters in November now will see just one - a proposed constitutional amendment enshrining voter photo identification requirements that was put on the ballot by lawmakers via passage of SJR10 (Gavarone-Timken) before they left on their summer break.

FY27-28 CAPITAL APPROPRIATIONS

While certainly not the largest portion of the state's capital appropriations for FY27-28 approved and signed in SB450 (Cirino), the community projects portion of the proposal garners perhaps the greatest interest because they span, literally, every county in the state. A total of nearly $208.3 million was appropriated for the two years. The complete county-by-county listing of community projects can be found HERE.

CHILDREN/FAMILIES

Ohio has seen marked improvements for the state's children in some metrics measuring family and community as well as economic well-being, according to recently released data from the Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF) comparing U.S. states. Meanwhile, Ohio slid in AECF's education and health metrics, offering clues to which areas state leaders can do more in to address persistent disparities. Ohio ranked 27th in child well-being in AECF's 2026 KIDS COUNT Data Book, which ranked all states and the District of Columbia on a bevy of metrics in the areas of economic well-being, education, health, family and community and comparing those metrics for each state to where it stood in roughly 2018-2019.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT/URBAN REVITALIZATION

The Columbus Partnership announced Monday that CEO Jason Hall is stepping down effective Tuesday, June 30 in order to relocate closer to his parents in the St. Louis metro area. Corrine Burger will be the interim CEO while a search for a permanent successor is conducted, with Hall providing transitional support to Burger after June 30. Burger worked at JPMorganChase and its predecessor Bank One for 34 years before retiring in 2025, holding positions as managing director, site lead in Columbus and chief control officer. She is a member of the Columbus Partnership and served on the One Columbus Board of Directors. Burger is also currently on the boards of Nationwide Children's Hospital, the Columbus Regional Airport Authority, Columbus State Community College and Nationwide.

The Ohio Department of Development (DOD) announced Tuesday it was awarding over $4.8 million in tax credits to support seven production projects across the state -- three television series, two feature films and two Broadway theatrical productions.

The Ohio Chamber of Commerce Research Foundation released Wednesday an update to the "Blueprint for Ohio's Economic Future," which the Ohio Chamber plans to provide both to candidates for governor and legislative leaders as it looks to the 137th General Assembly. The chamber also plans to hold events around the state to promote the new findings. The previous blueprint document was released in 2022, and around 25 percent of its 10-year recommendations have been achieved, Ohio Chamber President and CEO Steve Stivers said in keynote remarks.

Speaking after the release of an updated "Blueprint for Ohio's Economic Future,” Ohio Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Steve Stivers told Hannah News the Chamber has identified some areas it hopes will be addressed "more broadly in the future" such as residential and business property taxes; differing municipal income taxes that pose a burden to small businesses; and use of a marginal rate in capital gains taxes. He also discussed how the Ohio Chamber's board voted to oppose full elimination of property taxes should that constitutional amendment effort reach the ballot.

The Ohio Chamber of Commerce hosted a panel of business and education leaders as part of its release of an updated "Blueprint for Ohio's Economic Future,” with discussion on Ohio's successes and future needs related to the blueprint's goals. Kevin Hoggatt, vice president for industry and government affairs at health care technology company AndHealth, voiced support for the blueprint in his comments before the panel. He also discussed how Ohio is working to address health care disparities and the issue of pharmacy deserts. The panel included Ohio State University (OSU) Interim Executive Vice President and Provost Trevor Brown, Fifth Third Senior Vice President Jeremy Gutierrez and Ohio Chamber Research Foundation Economic Development Fellow Kenny McDonald, who previously led One Columbus. It was hosted by Arnold Ventures Executive Vice President of Advocacy Holly Harris.

EDUCATION

The firehose of legislation approved by lawmakers before their summer break included multiple education policy measures spanning topics from math instruction to state testing to the sale of disused school buildings. The General Assembly passed three education omnibus education policy bills, HB455 (Bird-Manning), SB19 (Brenner) and SB276 (Roegner). Some started as broad measures, while others had a narrower focus before snowballing through the committee process.

The state school district for institutionalized youth is graduating more high school seniors than ever as its Ohio Department of Youth Services (DYS) parent agency sets new records for industry credentials and skill certificates. DYS's Buckeye United School District (BUSD) saw 86 students receive diplomas -- a "historic high" -- in addition to 41 GEDs in the 2025-2026 academic year.

According to the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA), eight schools have opted to move up to Division I for the 2026 OHSAA football playoffs, resulting in a number of shifts to the Division I regional assignments that were initially announced on April 23. All eight schools that opted up to Division I had been initially assigned to Division II. There are no changes to Divisions III through VII. The OHSAA does not move schools up a division to replace schools that opt up to Division I. The changes increase Division I to 80 schools (from 72), while decreasing Division II to 98 schools (from 106).

Lawmakers tweaked one school construction program and created a new one when both adopting this cycle's capital budget and cleaning up the most recent operating budget. Neither policy is expected to change how many school districts are served in a given biennium through the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC). In SB450 (Cirino), the capital budget recently signed by Gov. Mike DeWine, the General Assembly provided the typical $600 million to OFCC for its flagship school construction program, in which the state and local districts split the costs of construction and renovation. OFCC expects to serve roughly 15 districts with that amount. The capital budget also launched the Aging School Accelerator Pilot Program for districts that meet several criteria.

ELECTIONS

The Ohio Association of Elections Officials (OAEO) Thursday thanked Gov. Mike DeWine for his veto of HB472 (Salvo), which would have required voters to include photo identification when returning mail-in ballots, while Republican officials expressed disappointment in the action. In the letter, signed by OAEO President LeVera Scott and First Vice President Faith Lyon and sent Thursday, the group said DeWine's veto message "reflects a clear understanding of the realities facing election administrators and voters throughout Ohio. As a bipartisan organization representing election officials and staff from all 88 county boards of elections, OAEO has consistently maintained that Ohio's election system is among the most secure, transparent, and well administered in the nation. We are grateful that your message recognized the important work performed every day by Ohio's election officials and echoed our concerns regarding the practical implications of HB472."

ELECTIONS 2026

Democratic attorney general nominee John Kulewicz said this week that he is launching a "transparency tour" through the state this summer. The tour "will outline his agenda to restore an independent-minded attorney general who will do the right thing for Ohioans and their constitution."

Democratic attorney general nominee John Kulewicz Thursday said he has filed a complaint with the Ohio Inspector General questioning what he said was a conflict of interest involving JobsOhio Chair Josh Rubin. The complaint questions the creation of a $100 million fund by JobsOhio for small nuclear reactors (SMRs), including site preparation, workforce training, and incentives for manufacturing and production of the reactors meant to fuel data centers. AEP, which Kulewicz said is a client of Rubin's private lobbying company, CJR Group, is the only utility company so far to express interest in the new technology.

AARP Ohio Thursday released a poll showing Democrat Sherrod Brown leading U.S. Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH) by 3 percentage points in the race for the U.S. Senate, while Democrat Amy Acton leads Republican Vivek Ramaswamy by a similar margin in the gubernatorial race. AARP said the poll shows how important older voters are in this year's elections, with voters ages 50 and over making up an outsized portion of the electorate. It pointed to the 2022 midterm elections, where older voters made up 65 percent of the state's electorate, and data from the latest poll showing 81 percent in the age group are "extremely motivated" to vote, compared to only 62 percent of voters ages 18 to 49.

Emily's List Action, an affiliated organization of the group, said Thursday that it is including Ohio's 10th Congressional District in a seven-figure digital ad and mail program targeting women in key U.S. House races. The group said the ad program will target incumbent U.S. Rep. Mike Turner (D-Centerville) for his vote in support of the "Big Beautiful Bill," which it argues sent health care costs "soaring in order to give tax breaks to billionaires and wealth corporations.” Turner faces Democrat Kristina Knickerbocker on the November ballot.

The following endorsements were made over the week:

• Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder endorsed Jennifer Brunner for re-election to the Ohio Supreme Court, and Democrat Amy Acton for governor, Democrat Allison Russo for Ohio Secretary of State, and Democrat Annette Blackwell for Ohio Auditor of State.

• OEC Action Fund endorsed Democrat Amy Acton for governor.

• The campaign of U.S. Sen. Jon Husted announced the endorsement of more than 80 current and former Ohio mayors.

ENERGY/UTILITIES

State regulators cited opposition by the Office of Ohio Consumers' Counsel (OCC), Ohio Environmental Council (OEC) and Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) staff Wednesday in rejecting FirstEnergy's move to weaken reliability standards for its three electric distribution utilities (EDU): Cleveland Electric Illuminating (CEI) Company, Ohio Edison Company and Toledo Edison Company. FirstEnergy had proposed softer reliability performance standards than those approved by PUCO less than two years ago and following electric grid upgrades normally expected to improve reliability. Analysts, who measure EDU reliability via PUCO's Customer Average Interruption Duration Index (CAIDI) and System Average Interruption Frequency Index (SAIFI), found "frequent power outages" in the company's service territory in 2025.

Rep. David Thomas (R-Jefferson) Thursday responded to Gov. Mike DeWine's veto of his HB173 late Wednesday: "The utilities won today; renters lost. This veto does not give renters anything except more legal gray area and no actual law to protect them. Governing by vague Supreme Court rulings, with guaranteed lawsuits coming, is no way to regulate an industry. I look forward to working with Ohio's next governor to protect these customers. Had anyone in the administration raised a red flag during the year and a half we worked on this, perhaps this could have been avoided." However, Ohio Consumers' Counsel Maureen Willis issued the following statement, "We appreciate Gov. DeWine's veto of HB173. Ohio consumers should not have different utility rights simply because of where they live. We appreciate the General Assembly's attention to this important issue. OCC will continue advocating for equal utility consumer protections for all Ohioans."

ENVIRONMENT

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA) recently announced that nearly $1 million is being distributed to help Ohio communities reduce chloride pollution caused by road salt during harsh winter weather. This protects Ohio's waterways while maintaining public safety on the roads. Ohio EPA said this latest round of H2Ohio chloride reduction grants of more than $975,000 goes to support 15 projects across the state. H2Ohio is Gov. Mike DeWine's statewide initiative focused on improving Ohio's water quality. Grants of up to $75,000 help municipalities purchase equipment or improve salt storage facilities.

Among the slew of bills sent to the governor just before lawmakers took their break for summer was HB170 (Robb Blasdel-Peterson), legislation proposing a set of state regulations on carbon capture and storage. The House agreed unanimously to Senate amendments to the bill during its first session in June, with changes largely consistent with the framework established by the House for sequestration of carbon dioxide in injection wells, according to the bill's co-sponsor Rep. Monica Robb Blasdel (R-Columbiana)

GENERAL ASSEMBLY/STATEHOUSE

While all rule submissions on the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR) regular and no change agendas cleared the committee without questions or public comment, Monday's hearing saw extensive questions to Ohio Board of Pharmacy (OBP) Director of Policy and Communications Cameron McNamee on a guidance document regarding natural kratom. The questions included many from House JCARR Co-Chair Jamie Callender (R-Concord). Near the end of that discussion, Callender requested a review of OBP's synthetic kratom rule that previously cleared JCARR. JCARR Director Ashley Sylvester told reporters JCARR co-chairs can call a rule back for five-year review early under certain statutory criteria which she was reviewing in regard to that rule. Scheduling re-review of it wouldn't affect its being currently in effect, she added.

GOVERNOR

Gov. Mike DeWine issued vetoes late Wednesday for submetering regulations in HB173 (D. Thomas) and new voter ID requirements for absentee ballots in HB472 (Salvo), as well as a provision of budget corrections measure HB479 (Schmidt). He also signed seven other bills into law, his office announced. In his veto message for HB472, DeWine said Ohio has a strong track record of administering secure elections, and thus he believes "a very compelling case" is needed to justify further changes beyond those he's already signed into law. "HB472 does not make that compelling case," he said. DeWine said lawmakers did commendable work on HB173, including provisions on consumer protection, but argued the legislation is "fundamentally flawed" because of it doesn't let submetered customers participate in energy choice or assistance programs for low-income people. DeWine signed HB479 but vetoed language that he said would terminate previously approved funding for the Baileys Trail System.

The governor signed the following bills:

• SB19 (Brenner), regarding academic intervention.

• SB52 (Schaffer), an omnibus road naming and license plate bill.

• SB106 (Reineke), regarding electric vehicle charging stations.

• SB179 (Johnson), to require prisons and jails to verify the veteran status of inmates.

• SB219 (Landis), regarding oil and gas wells.

• HB170 (Robb Blasdel-Peterson), regarding carbon capture and storage.

• HB268 (Humphrey-Click), regarding certificates of qualification for employment.

Judicial appointments made during the week includes the following:

• MaryBeth Kiah to the Portage County Municipal Court. Kiah, of Aurora, will assume office on Tuesday, July 14. She will take the seat formerly held by Judge Mark K. Fankhauser, who died earlier this year. She will serve the remainder of the unfinished term and must run for election in November 2027 to retain the seat.

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Ohio Department of Health (ODH) Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff promoted safety advice for Ohio residents as summer officially begins on Sunday, June 21, particularly around sun and heat, water and food precautions.

The Ohio Nurses Association (ONA) recently released its 2026 Workforce Safety Report: Ohio's Health Care System in Crisis. The report summarizes data and findings from a statewide survey sent to all nurses and health care workers licensed by the Ohio Board of Nursing; State Medical Board of Ohio; Ohio Counselor, Social Worker and Marriage and Family Therapist Board; Ohio State Chiropractic Board; Ohio Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Athletic Trainers Board; Ohio Board of Pharmacy; Ohio Board of Psychology; Ohio Speech and Hearing Professionals Board; and Ohio State Dental Board. The results - which reflect analysis of 2,484 validated survey submissions - highlight "alarming conditions across health care sectors," the report states.

Last summer's passage of HR1 ("One Big Beautiful Bill") made several changes to the federal Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), including tightened eligibility restrictions based on age and citizenship and the shifting of food benefit costs from the federal government to individual state governments beginning in October 2027. But according to data released recently by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), SNAP enrollment has already started to decline in most states even before all the changes to SNAP from HR1 take full effect.

Ohio is within sight of a payment error rate low enough to avoid new federal cost-sharing requirements for food benefits, according to new data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Under federal HR1, aka the One Big Beautiful Bill, states will be required beginning in the fall of 2027 to cover a share of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for the first time if their payment error rates exceed 6 percent for either FFY25, which ended last fall, or FFY26, which ends this fall. USDA released FFY25 error rate statistics Wednesday, showing Ohio's rate was 6.76 percent.

HIGHER EDUCATION

Researchers surveying wildlife will now be able to estimate species that go undetected in the field, thanks to a new method developed by scientists from the University of Toledo (UToledo), the U.S. Geological Survey Great Lakes Science Center and Wittenberg University. In effort to minimize the challenge of identifying all species in a habitat, researchers conducted a study proposing a new data model offering "a more powerful statistical method" to estimate present species, both seen and unseen, according to UToledo.

The University of Dayton (UD) appointed Corinne Daprano dean of the university's School of Education and Health Sciences (SEHS). Daprano assumed her new position June 1. Having served as the school's interim dean this past academic year, Daprano's knowledge of the school and the university, commitment to the university's mission and leadership experience has positioned her well to carry out the responsibilities of the dean's office, according to Darlene Weaver, UD provost and executive vice president for academic affairs.

According to recently published research from the University of Toledo (UToledo) and the University of Missouri (UM), goldfish in both oligotrophic and eutrophic waters can cause stark ecological consequences over time, including rapidly collapsed water quality and the decline of native species, regardless of how nutrient-rich the water may be.

Touting the successes of SB1 (Cirino) just days before its one-year anniversary, Sen. Jerry Cirino (R-Kirtland) held a press conference Wednesday to rebut predictions made by the bill's opponents and unveil new legislation he said closes loopholes limiting the intended authority of Ohio's five academic civic centers, SB461 (Cirino).

HOUSING/HOMELESSNESS

Ohio home sales increased by 2.9 percent in May, while the median sales price increased by 4.8 percent, compared to activity a year ago, according to Ohio Realtors. Sales activity rose from 11,928 sales in May 2025 to 12,278 last month. Prices rose from a median of $265,000 a year earlier to $278,000 last month. Active listings of 37,052 in May represented a 4.9 percent increase from a year earlier.

IMMIGRATION

Ahead of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Temporary Protected Status (TPS), the Catholic Conference of Ohio issued a statement Monday from the state's bishops calling the immigration status conflict affecting Haitian residents "a moral and social failure unfolding before our eyes" and reflecting on American history of welcoming refugees as the nation approaches the 250th anniversary of its founding.

Thousands of Haitian immigrants in Springfield and other Ohio cities may soon be subject to deportation after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Thursday in favor of the Trump administration's appeal of a federal court ruling that had at least temporarily prevented the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from revoking the Temporary Protective Status (TPS) that enabled Haitians to remain in the U.S. because of poor conditions in their home country. Gov. Mike DeWine has long supported the state's Haitian population in Springfield and other cities, in the past calling the potential revocation of TPS "a mistake." "Today's decision is a legal decision. As I have stated in the past, the policy to remove these individuals from this country is a mistake," said DeWine on Thursday in a release following the ruling's announcement. "As a result of today's ruling, the over 10,000 Haitians who have been living in Ohio (mostly in the Springfield area) legally through TPS will now be here illegally and will be subject to immediate deportation. This also means that while these Haitians were working and contributing to our community and economy yesterday, today it is now illegal to employ them." DeWine said the current situation in Haiti "could hardly be much worse."

JUDICIAL

State ethics advisors are modifying their 2020 opinion approving trade names over lead-partner surnames in firm communications to allow the omission of "LLP," "LPA," "LLC," "Inc.," "Co." and the like from marketing or "fictitious" names or DBAs and their complete removal from law firm signage. Going forward, the Board of Professional Conduct says firms may omit entity designations from a trade name, style or symbol registered with the Ohio Secretary of State's Office so long as they include them with their full, legal name in a footer, address block or letterhead, or in contact information within the same communication medium, including websites.

PENSIONS

The top lobbyist for the State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) presented to trustees Thursday on potentially seeking legislative authority to target cost-of-living increases to specific groups of retired educators based on their loss of purchasing power or relative benefit amount. Alex Strickmaker, who recently succeeded Marla Bump as government relations director for STRS, noted recent comments from Ohio Retirement Study Council (ORSC) leaders Rep. Adam Bird (R-Cincinnati) and Sen. Mark Romanchuk (R-Ontario) indicating that major action on pension reform is not likely to happen in this session of the General Assembly. Because of that Strickmaker said he will be looking for opportunities to have introduced as standalone legislation some of the priorities STRS presented to Romanchuk for potential inclusion in his SB69, a placeholder pension reform measure.

Educators convened an online mock legislative hearing Thursday to express their frustration with lawmakers' inaction on a measure to unwind changes to pension board representation that could diminish their ability to influence makeup of the body but are currently tied up in court. In the biennial budget, HB96 (Stewart), the General Assembly adopted changes to the State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) Board of Trustees to grow the ranks of appointed members, phase out seats filled by votes of active and retired educators, and restrict system beneficiaries' ability to serve in board leadership. The changes are now on hold thanks to a lawsuit filed by educator unions. On Thursday, the Ohio Public Pension Coalition virtually brought together representatives of public school teachers, university faculty and retirees to lament the last-minute nature of the budget amendment that added STRS restructuring to HB96, and lawmakers' decision not to call a hearing before the summer break for supporters to testify on HB719 (Hoops), which would reverse the restructuring.

POLLS/STUDIES

As American and Iranian officials negotiate a further agreement to end the months-long military conflict in the Persian Gulf following a recent memorandum of understanding to reduce tensions in the region, a majority of Americans think the U.S. military action against Iran was not worth it, according to the results of a Quinnipiac Poll released Wednesday. Regardless of party affiliation, 60 percent of registered voters polled think U.S. military action wasn't worth it, while 34 percent think the military action was worth it. Democrats in the poll responded that U.S. military action was not worth it by a margin of 93-4 percent, and independents thought similarly by a 66-29 percent margin. Republican voters thought U.S. military action was worth it by a margin of 75-17 percent.

PUBLIC SAFETY

The Ohio Emergency Management Agency (Ohio EMA) is joining with the National Weather Service (NWS) and Ohio Committee for Severe Weather Awareness (OCSWA) to promote Lightning Safety Awareness Week, Sunday, June 21 through Saturday, June 27. A division of the Ohio Department of Public Safety (DPS), Ohio EMA says lightning is a leading cause of weather-related injuries and deaths in the U.S., claiming roughly 30 fatalities and many long-term injuries each year.

The Ohio Emergency Management Agency (EMA) is launching a pilot project in Jefferson County to improve state preparedness in a terrorist or large-scale emergency. A division of the Ohio Department of Public Safety (DPS), Ohio EMA is implementing the pilot in conjunction with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to better maintain essential medical functions during a prolonged power outage, including the refrigeration of medications and operation of medical devices.

TAXATION

The Ohio Supreme Court affirmed Wednesday appellate rulings in 47 cases regarding local school districts' challenges to property valuations, following its decision in May in a related case. Last month, justices ruled that school districts could not use the general appeals statute to challenge valuations for properties they do not own after lawmakers generally prevented them from doing so at the county board of revision or state Board of Tax Appeals.

TECHNOLOGY/AEROSPACE

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ruled 2-1 to reverse federal Judge Algenon Marbley's decision blocking Ohio's Social Media Parental Notification Act in 135-HB33 (Edwards), deciding on an appeal filed by then-Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost in August. Judge Eric Clay delivered the lead opinion with concurrence and a separate opinion from Senior Judge Alice Batchelder, while Judge Kevin Ritz dissented. Clay said the 2-1 majority of the panel found plaintiff NetChoice, a tech lobbying group, failed to show the provisions were facially unconstitutional and that he believed permitting NetChoice to challenge the facial validity of the act based on the First Amendment rights of children using social media would be "imprudent." Clay also said the act survived the strict scrutiny component and that NetChoice lacked third-party standing to assert rights of its minor users.

TRANSPORTATION/INFRASTRUCTURE

Nearly 60 road designations and license plate provisions were rolled into an omnibus bill before lawmakers went on summer break last week. Sen. Tim Schaffer's (R-Lancaster) SB52, which designates two separate roadways as the "Congressman David Hobson Memorial Highway," became the vehicle for the omnibus legislation when amended by the House Transportation Committee.

WORKFORCE

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) Bureau of Labor Market Information has added new categories to its Data Hub website, which launched in 2025 with county-level data on labor markets. The expansion now provides that information for Ohio metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) and JobsOhio regions of the state.

[Story originally published in The Hannah Report. Copyright 2026 Hannah News Service, Inc.]