Week in Review May 5, 2025

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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.

AGING

Eligible Ohioans aged 60 and older will once again have access to $50 in fresh locally grown fruits, vegetables, fresh cut herbs and unprocessed honey in 2025 through the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP), announced recently by the Ohio Department of Aging (ODA). Applications for the 2025 season of the SFMNP are now open. To be eligible for the program, Ohioans must be 60 or older and earn less than 185 percent of the federal poverty level. Ohioans must re-apply every year to continue receiving benefits.

AGRICULTURE

Gov. Mike DeWine hosted U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins in Darke County Monday afternoon to meet with farmers affected by Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Ohio has had the most birds affected by HPAI in 2025. HPAI cases are now trending downward in Ohio, but the virus has infected 76 premises since the end of December, leading to the depopulation of 15.5 million birds. DeWine and Rollins toured Weaver Eggs, Inc. in Versailles, which was affected by HPAI in January. They also hosted a meeting with local poultry producers to discuss Ohio's response to HPAI and how the virus has affected Ohio farmers.

ARTS, SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

A truly unique musical experience returns on Father's Day weekend this year as the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) invites the Columbus Symphony Orchestra to echo and resonate throughout Ash Cave in Hocking Hills when it will perform a variety of musical selections, including light classics. Ash Cave is located at 26400 State Route 56, South Bloomingville, OH 43152. The concert is scheduled for Sunday, June 15 from 3-4:30 p.m. Tickets on now on sale.

The 2025 Ohioana Book Festival, the 19th annual celebration of Ohio's authors and illustrators and their books, will shift this year to a new location in Columbus on Saturday, May 3, 2025 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The festival showcases the original, published works of authors who are residents of Ohio, were born in Ohio or lived in Ohio for at least three years and have published a physical book since the beginning of 2024. The festival offers attendees the chance to meet their favorite authors, make meaningful connections and get their books signed throughout the festival. It takes place at the State Library of Ohio and Ohioana Library, 274 E. First Ave., Columbus, OH 43201, for the first time after being held at the main branch of Columbus Metropolitan Library in years past.

BALLOT ISSUES

State Capital Improvement Program renewal Issue 2 picked up more support this week with endorsements from the Ohio Mayors Alliance and the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. "Our bipartisan coalition of mayors unanimously supports Issue 2," said Keary McCarthy, executive director of the alliance. "That is because this critical bond program ensures that our cities have the resources to rebuild local roads, replace aging pipes, protect public health, and improve economic development opportunities -- all without raising taxes." The Ohio Chamber of Commerce also endorsed passage of Issue 2, encouraging its members and all Ohio voters to support it.

The Ohio Ballot Board Tuesday unanimously approved certifying a proposed constitutional amendment ending qualified immunity for police officers and other government officials as one issue. Backers of the amendment told reporters afterwards that they are aiming to get the proposal on the 2026 ballot. The hearing saw six witnesses testify, though Ballot Board Chair Secretary of State Frank LaRose limited testimony to whether the proposal is one or more ballot issues. Witnesses overall supported the amendment, saying officials should be held accountable for actions they take outside of the law.

FY26-27 BUDGET

The General Assembly would be required to "determine a manner of expanding gaming opportunities in Ohio" by Wednesday, Dec. 31, under language included in the House version of budget bill HB96 (Stewart). The state of Ohio currently allows a wide variety of gambling options, including casinos, video lottery terminals (VLTs) at racinos, traditional Ohio Lottery games, sports betting, fantasy sports contests and electronic bingo. However, there have been calls to further expand gambling in Ohio, such as allowing access to legal casino games and lottery tickets on the Internet.

A collection of school district superintendents urged lawmakers Friday to preserve their power to manage finances and facilities absent "arbitrary" rules like those pending in the most recent version of the state budget bill. The Educational Service Center of Northeast Ohio convened dozens of superintendents for a virtual press conference to share their concerns about several elements of HB96 (Stewart), including the cap on carryover balances, mandates for when vacant or underenrolled buildings must be sold to other schools, and departure from implementation of the Cupp-Patterson formula.

Haslam Sports Group's (HSG) economic projections for the proposed domed Browns stadium and mixed-use development in Brook Park "may be overly optimistic," according to a new report from the Legislative Service Commission (LSC). LSC provided an analysis on Browns stadium funding provisions in the House-passed version of budget bill HB96 (Stewart) in response to a request from Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood). Antonio's office provided a copy of LSC's report Monday. "The proposed funding plan for the new Browns stadium raises serious legal and financial concerns," she said.

House Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) told reporters Wednesday that he hadn't reviewed the recent LSC report, though he was familiar with a news article on it. Huffman continued it was hard to respond to the report given that many reports are based on the questions which were asked and he didn't know what those were. He added that Senate President Rob McColley (R-Napoleon) did him the courtesy of not commenting on various issues while the House was reviewing the budget, so he would be doing the same in return. "We've got a couple months to figure out ... where this all lands, but I'm comfortable with the vote that we took in the House," he continued.

Ohio Elections Commission (OEC) Executive Director Philip Richter told the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday that the lack of funding for OEC in the House-passed version of HB96 (Stewart) would create absolute chaos for the enforcement of Ohio's campaign finance laws. Rather than one statewide body to enforce the laws, Richter said enforcement would be in the hands of 88 separate county boards of elections and the Ohio Secretary of State's office. According to Richter, that could lead to 89 separate applications of the law perhaps decided along party lines, rather than the current bipartisan make-up of the OEC. Sen. Paula Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo) asked about the additional burden that would be placed on local boards of elections if the changes in the House version of HB96 were implemented. Richter said OEC investigates 600-800 referrals from county boards each year, mostly complaints about absent or late campaign finance reports.

Provisions of the House-passed biennial budget HB96 (Stewart) pick up and expand from the transportation budget HB54 (Stewart) signed into law in late March, providing funding for programs and adding language that had been removed from the House-passed version of the transportation budget by the Senate. Among the biennial budget provisions is language re-entering Ohio into the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Compact, which had been adopted in 2002 but repealed in 2013, and earmarks $25,000 in each fiscal year to pay for dues for the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission. The House had added the language to the transportation budget, but it was removed by the Senate as part of the chamber's preference to not spend General Revenue Funds in the transportation budget.

Language in the House-passed version of budget bill HB96 (Stewart) gutting the Ohio Housing Trust Fund (OHTF) would cause significant problems across the state -- particularly in rural areas -- members of the Home Matters to Ohio coalition said Thursday. "These funds flow to all 88 counties in Ohio, and are especially important in rural areas that don't receive federal funding directly for shelters or other types of housing development. The OHTF actually requires that 50 percent of these funds always be spent in these rural communities," Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio (COHHIO) Executive Director Amy Riegel said during a Statehouse press conference. Currently, county recorders are required to send 50 percent of recording fees to the OHTF. Those fees and the investment earnings from those fees are the primary sources of revenue for the OHTF, according to an HB96 analysis by the Legislative Service Commission (LSC). Under the House budget, counties would retain all recording fees, and the portion formerly allocated to the OHTF would be used for housing-related purposes as determined by county commissioners.

The House-passed version of the budget includes several changes to the Welcome Home Ohio (WHO) program overseen by the Ohio Department of Development (DOD), as well as creation of a housing accelerator grant program. Under the House's changes, "qualified nonprofit developers" would be added as eligible applicants for grants to purchase or rehabilitate residential property in the WHO program. The WHO tax credit is also extended from the end of FY25 to the end of FY27, with the total amount of credits to be awarded over the biennium capped at $20 million. The credit amount would additionally be increased from one-third of construction and rehabilitation costs to 90 percent, according to the Legislative Service Commission (LSC) comparison document. The House's changes further raise the income eligibility threshold to purchase WHO-funded properties from 80 to 120 percent of the median income of the county in which the property is located, and increase the price they can be sold at from $180,000 to $220,000. The minimum square footage for WHO-funded units in a multi-unit property would decrease from 1,000 to 800.

CHILDREN/FAMILIES

Gov. Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Children and Youth (DCY) Director Kara B. Wente Wednesday announced the launch of a new initiative aimed at improving birth outcomes and reducing infant mortality rates. Under the Partner for Change initiative, DCY is teaming up with several organizations across the state to take a highly effective model, pioneered by Hamilton County-based nonprofit Cradle Cincinnati, and expand it into new communities throughout Ohio. Cradle Cincinnati's model focuses on bringing parents, caregivers, health care professionals, and community members together to support moms and babies. DeWine's office said the model has played a pivotal role in reducing infant mortality rates in Hamilton County. In 2022, their infant mortality rate was 8.7 deaths for every 1,000 live births. Since then, this number has dropped to 5.5 deaths per 1,000 live births -- a decrease of well over 30 percent in a few years.

After more than two decades, the General Assembly is taking up watershed legislation to overhaul Ohio's domestic law on parenting, custody and best interest of the child based on the 2001 Ohio Task Force on Family Law and Children's final report and years of further reflection. Senate Majority Floor Leader Theresa Gavarone (R-Bowling Green) and Sen. Paula Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo), joint sponsors of SB174, said the long-awaited if unexpected bill would rewrite domestic law to replace shared parenting for divorced Ohioans with "co-parenting" -- the conviction that two parents with equal say constitute a child's best interest. "As the social landscapes of our state continue to change and family arrangements increasingly involve unmarried parents and other guardian relationships, my joint sponsor and I saw a dire need for the Ohio Revised Code to catch up to the times," Hicks-Hudson told the Senate Judiciary Committee.

CITIES

Community leaders told lawmakers about their policing strategies and challenges and the need for a consistent state funding source to support public safety Tuesday, during a luncheon hosted by the Ohio Mayors Alliance in Columbus. Dozens of legislators attended the event at the Athletic Club of Columbus, which featured a panel discussion including Akron Mayor Shammas Malik, Lancaster Mayor Don McDaniel and Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge. The alliance has been lobbying lawmakers to create a dedicated funding source for local public safety efforts.

EAST PALESTINE DERAILMENT

Saying Norfolk Southern failed to fulfill its commitment to reimburse for incurred costs, the East Palestine City School District Board of Education filed a lawsuit against the rail company this week to recover what it said were losses the district incurred as a result of the company's Feb. 3, 2023 train derailment near the village. Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, the lawsuit includes claims of negligence, strict liability for ultra-hazardous activities, breach of contract, and promissory estoppel by Norfolk Southern. The lawsuit argues that Norfolk Southern failed to fulfill its commitment to reimburse emergency response costs, including the use of school facilities by emergency personnel as an incident command center and for housing and transporting residents displaced by the mandatory evacuation orders.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Gov. Mike DeWine's administration announced Monday the approval of assistance for six projects expected to create 699 new jobs and retain nearly 300 jobs statewide. During its monthly meeting, the Ohio Tax Credit Authority (TCA) reviewed economic development proposals brought by JobsOhio and its regional partners. The projects are expected to collectively result in more than $62 million in new payroll and spur more than $835 million in investments across Ohio.

EDUCATION

Three-plus years after the lawsuit on whether EdChoice scholarships are constitutional was filed, the parties were finally in the courtroom Monday to argue their positions before Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge Jaiza Page. Page scheduled a multi-day hearing this week to consider the motions for summary judgment filed by parties, leading off Monday morning with opening presentations by attorneys for the plaintiff districts and their resident families; the state; and two groups of families who use the vouchers and are defending the program alongside the attorney general's office. After opening statements, Page said her plan was to move through all five counts of the complaint, with a chance for each party to speak for up to 30 minutes on each count. Represented by Maria Fair of the firm Weston Hurd, the plaintiffs argued that massive growth in EdChoice use is taking Ohio back to an early 19th century system of exclusive, homogenous schools that constitutional framers meant to end with the famous "thorough and efficient system of common schools" language that drove the DeRolph litigation.

Represented by former Sen. Mark Wagoner of Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, the state said the lawsuit boils down to a policy disagreement that should be pursued at the Ohio Statehouse, and that its key questions were already asked and answered in favor of vouchers by supreme courts of Ohio and the United States more than two decades ago.

More than 45,000 Ohio families had at least $25 in state-created accounts that they could have put toward tutoring, summer camp or other educational activities when the federal government ordered a freeze of the funding. The Trump administration last month froze spending on programs using federal COVID relief funding. That freeze encompassed the Afterschool Child Enrichment (ACE) account program. Ohio lawmakers created the accounts to give families money for the likes of tutoring, museum admissions or other learning supplements amid the big disruptions to K-12 education from pandemic restrictions. Lawmakers originally provided $500 per child for families earning up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level, but later expanded that to $1,000 and 400 percent, respectively. Originally, authority to use the funding was to have expired last year, but the state requested and received an extension to use it through this summer.

Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT) founder William Lager wasted little time in filing his appeal of an asset freeze ordered against him as the state seeks to recoup money paid to his defunct online charter school, and he's asked the trial judge to stay her decision while the case continues. Judge Kimberly Cocroft of Franklin County Common Pleas Court recently adopted the recommendation of her magistrate and ruled that Lager's assets should be frozen.

The Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) on Monday announced the new divisional breakdowns for the upcoming fall sports of golf, girls tennis, soccer and girls volleyball. Then later in the week the association said that the high school girls and boys basketball state tournaments will return to the traditional format of the final four in March 2026, with all state semifinalists converging in the same area in one weekend for the event. The University of Dayton (UD) Arena will continue to host all seven state championship games, along with several semifinal games. However, UD Arena cannot host all 21 games of the state tournament with the new seven-division format in basketball, OHSAA said.

ELECTIONS 2025

With less than a week to go of early voting before the Tuesday, May 6 primary election, less than 84,000 votes have been cast, according to statistics from the secretary of state's office. The only statewide issue on the ballot is Issue 2, the renewal of the State Capital Improvement Program. Ohioans will also be weighing in on municipal elections and school issues. Overall, close to 91,000 absentee by mail ballots have been requested, and 39,857 have been returned, according to the secretary of state's dashboard Monday afternoon. Another 43,442 early, in-person ballots have been cast, for 82,299 overall ballots returned. The majority of the 134,301 absentee ballots requested, including mail and in-person, were requested by voters over the age of 65, with 58,000 voters in that age group having cast their ballots. Only 1,000 ballots have been cast by voters ages 18-24.

Early, in-person voting will continue this weekend on the following schedule:

• Saturday, May 3, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• Sunday, May 4, 1-5 p.m.

  
  

Secretary of State Frank LaRose said Tuesday that turnout ahead of the Tuesday, May 6 primary election has been sparse. Ohio voters will only weigh in on one statewide issue -- state infrastructure bonding measure Issue 2 -- though there are a number of local issues and races on the ballot. LaRose told reporters that less than 1 percent of Ohio voters have taken advantage of early voting to this point. "We're hoping that those numbers will continue to go up this weekend, with weekend voting and evening voting this week, and then of course, on Election Day," he said. LaRose said there will be enough poll workers to handle duties in all 88 counties, and he expects there will be very few, if any, lines at the polls, "so there should be no reason for people to skip voting."

ELECTIONS 2026

Alea Nadeem is the first Republican candidate to announce she will seek the congressional seat held by U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Toledo) in 2026. Kaptur's seat is considered one of the most competitive Democratic-held seats in the country after President Donald Trump has won the district multiple times. However, Kaptur has held off challengers in the past two elections, narrowly defeated state Rep. Derek Merrin last year. Nadeem, a U.S. Air Force veteran, told the Toledo Blade that she doesn't believe Northwest Ohio or blue-collar families are being represented in Washington, D.C. She told the newspaper she believes Trump has turned Republicans into the party for the working-class.

The following endorsements were made over the week:

• The campaign of U.S. Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH) announced the endorsements of the Montgomery and Williams county Republican parties.

• The congressional campaign of Republican Kevin Coughlin announced the endorsement of Sen. Jane Timken (R-Canton).

  
  

ENERGY/UTILITIES

Accolades poured from all quarters Wednesday after the Senate passed and the House concurred on legislation roundly referred to as "21st century energy policy" for Ohio. HB15 (Klopfenstein) topped a short list of bills in the upper chamber as the consensus vehicle for energy/utility reform, companion to SB2 (Reineke) which previously passed the Senate. After four substitute bills and additional amendments, HB15 hit the Senate floor with legislators having exhausted most of their comments over months of committee hearings. Chairman Brian Chavez (R-Marietta) of the Senate Energy Committee said House and Senate bills had slowly merged like two converging parabolas to be "substantially the same" in the end. "HB15 contains huge wins for consumers that had been scarred by the HB6 scandal," Chavez's ranking minority member, Minority Whip Kent Smith (D-Euclid), added, thanking the chair for his leadership and Sens. Mark Romanchuk (R-Ontario) and Shane Wilkin (R-Hillsboro) for carrying the torch of utility reform over several General Assemblies. The House bill drew unanimous support from all 33 senators. The House, meanwhile, concurred 94-2 with Senate changes to HB15. Reps. Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) and Don Jones (R-Freeport) dissented. Rep. Roy Klopfenstein (R-Haviland), sponsor of the legislation, summarized key additions and revisions and said the bill will address looming power shortages flagged by PJM Interconnection. It now heads to the governor for his consideration.

ENVIRONMENT

On the count of three, five assistants in white lab coats and personal protective equipment dumped liquid nitrogen clocking in at around -300 degrees Fahrenheit onto their supply of water, sending the main atrium of COSI in downtown Columbus into the clouds. The activity capped a series of demonstrations and activities on Friday presented by the state agencies behind the H2Ohio initiative, including the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODAg) and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA). In celebration of Earth Day on Tuesday, April 22, representatives of H2Ohio flooded COSI with information for the kids about the initiative's mission to improve water quality throughout the state.

Nearly one million pounds of food are estimated to end up in Franklin County landfills each day, meaning families in Central Ohio may be spending as much as $2,000 per year on food that ends up going to waste. Learning how to make sense of best-by and use-by dates and practicing proper freezing and storage techniques are simple ways to combat food waste in the home. But as part of the recent National Food Waster Prevention Week, the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO) launched a new initiative to help residents and restaurants alike reduce the amount of wasted food they're throwing away. "Our food waste team continues to provide practical ways for residents and businesses to reduce food waste in our landfill and save money," said SWACO Executive Director Joe Lombardi. "Wasting food is expensive and has a larger economic impact when you consider the cost of the resources that went into growing, processing, and transporting the food." SWACO's Fresh Takes initiative offers tips for households including putting over-ripe fruits and vegetables to use instead of throwing them away or making the most of stale bread.

FEDERAL

U.S. Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH) Friday announced the openings of new offices in Northeast, Central, Southwest and Northwest Ohio.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY/STATEHOUSE

All 33 senators approved SB86 (S. Huffman-Wilkin) which restricts sale of hemp and cannabinoids to licensed dispensaries and SB114 (Patton) which prohibits law enforcement quotas on tickets and arrests.

The House on Wednesday honored the memory of the late Rep. Ron Hood, who died earlier in April by adopting a resolution in his memory, HR118. Legislators also welcomed his family to the floor of the chamber and heard speeches recounting his service.

Also passing the House Wednesday were the following bills:

• HB166 (Lawson-Rowe-Williams), to designate March 10 as "Harriet Tubman Day," on a 96-0 vote

• HR13 (Demetriou-Santucci), to recognize the sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus, on a 91-2 vote

• SB14 (Reynolds), to designate Sept. 28 as "Speaker Jo Ann Davidson Day," on a 92-0 vote.

  
  

After session, House Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) said he expects "a full throttle effort in the month of May" to address marijuana, THC and hemp issues. "I think there's some genuine disagreements, but I do not think any of the problems are unsolvable," he said. "So it's certainly my hope that we would do it by June 30 … [b]ecause I think it has to [get done] for a whole variety of reasons."

House Minority Leader Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) told reporters Wednesday she wasn't surprised by a recent Legislative Service Commission (LSC) report and Office of Budget and Management (OBM) memo on the Cleveland Browns' stadium proposal, saying they found "the estimates were likely generous and overestimates." "In the last two decades of public funding for stadium projects all across the country, this is pretty consistent. I don't know why we think Ohio is an exception, or the Browns' stadium is an exception to that," she continued. Russo also said that members of her caucus have "huge concerns," but added she believed Republicans in the House also have concerns and that speaks to the need to vet this proposal.

Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers discussed potential issues with "Property Protection Act" HB1 (King-Klopfenstein) during Tuesday's House Public Safety Committee hearing. Rep. Haraz Ghanbari (R-Bowling Green) said he is concerned about the bill's possible effect on green card holders serving in the U.S. military. "It's my understanding that there's about 45,000 legal permanent residents serving in our military here in 2025. That's something that I'm going to need more clarity on -- how we would make sure that we're not disproportionately affecting those that are raising their right hand and serving in our military," Ghanbari said. "I was deployed to Afghanistan back in 10 and 11, and one of the things that really left an impact on me was the fact that we have individuals that aren't American citizens that had decided to serve in our military and deploy, and were in many instances prepared to give their life."

The House Local Government Committee heard testimony Wednesday from several supporters of HB113 (Bird-Newman), which would change the laws regarding annexation and require school district approval of residential community reinvestment area (CRA) property tax exemptions. Miami County Commissioner Wade Westfall said the current annexation process, particularly Type 2 and 3 expedited annexations, "cuts counties and townships out of the conversation."

Numerous proponents testified before the House Local Government Committee Wednesday on HB92 (Johnson-McClain), saying the bill would help address financial challenges landlords face in covering unpaid water bills from their tenants. Gary Cassady, president of the Mid-Ohio Real Estate Investors Association (REIA), described various scenarios he's encountered as a landlord in Columbus and Mansfield including tenants who refused to leave during eviction proceedings, running up water bills and damaging the property.

In other action, the House Education Committee reported out HB57 (Jarrells-Williams) which addresses school policies on the administration of overdose reversal drugs; the House Transportation Committee reported out HB3 (Willis-C. Thomas), the “School Bus Safety Act”; the Senate Energy Committee reported out SCR2 (Johnson) which urges investment in electric grids to protect against natural and man-made threats; Senate General Government Committee reported out SB63 (Gavarone-DeMora) which prohibits ranked choice voting; the Senate Addiction and Community Revitalization Committee reported out SB138 (Johnson) which revises laws governing ADAMH boards; and the Senate Transportation Committee reported out highway naming bills SB148 (Cirino) and SB95 (Reynolds-Craig).

HANNAH NEWS’ MEET THE FRESHMEN

While Rep. Meredith Craig (R-Smithville) is a new legislator this session, she holds extensive experience around Capitol Square including work as a legislative staffer, former assistant director of government affairs at the Ohio Department of Insurance (ODI) and director of health care policy for the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. She told Hannah News her acceptance into the Legislative Service Commission (LSC) Fellowship Program "kick-started" that career, and Craig went on to serve as a senior legislative aide to former House Speaker Pro Tem Ron Amstutz (R-Wooster). He'd known her parents through Sunday school, and Craig said Amstutz remains a mentor for her to this day. She also attended the Jo Ann Davidson Leadership Institute in 2015.

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

The number of measles cases in Ohio has risen to 34, with outbreaks in Ashtabula and Knox counties, according to the latest data from the Ohio Department of Health (ODH). The ODH infectious disease dashboard says there are 16 cases in Ashtabula County, 14 cases in Knox County and one case each in Allen, Butler, Holmes and Montgomery counties. ODH announced the first measles case of 2025 in late March, which led to an outbreak in Ashtabula County.

HIGHER EDUCATION

Ohio University Chillicothe's (OUC) Dean Roberta Milliken is set to retire at the end of June, according to an announcement from the vice provost of regional higher education and partnerships at Ohio University, Lewatis McNeal. Milken's career in higher education has lasted over 29 years. Starting at Ohio University as a student, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in French and a Master of Arts in English Literature. She eventually earned a doctorate degree in philosophy in medieval language and literature from the University of Toledo. Prior to her time at OUC, Milliken spent 24 years at Shawnee State University in Portsmouth where she served in several roles including professor of English, founding director of the Women's Center, chair of the English and Humanities Department and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Baldwin Wallace (BW) University recently started offering a new science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) education certificate program, designed to foster creativity and engagement through hands-on, project-based learning in STEAM, according to the university. The program, funded primarily through the Choose Ohio First Grant awarded to BW by the state in December, is tuition-free for Ohio residents and consists of a three-course, credit-earning sequence. Each of the three courses will be presented in hybrid format; three in-person meetings are required per course with additional coursework completed online. Two cohorts are set to begin in June and October.

JUDICIAL

"Did marijuana metabolites impair a man's driving, injuring a state trooper?" The Ohio Supreme Court will attempt to answer that query following recent oral arguments, which examined whether it is not one but actually two questions: Did the General Assembly intend cannabis metabolites vs. actual THC above the statutory limit to "reasonably" infer impairment; and do metabolites alone supply the "proximate cause" needed to prove OVI-aggravated vehicular assault. At the heart of State v. Balmert is the difficulty establishing marijuana impairment behind the wheel, on the job or in other prohibitive settings at a time of legalized adult use, and often in public.

The law prohibiting the use of puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender minors will remain in effect following a decision from the Ohio Supreme Court on Tuesday. Justices granted Attorney General Dave Yost's emergency motion to stay a ruling from the 10th District Court of Appeals that would have blocked the state from enforcing minor gender-affirming care ban 135-HB68 (Click). The 10th District had ruled that the law was unconstitutional, saying it violated the Health Care Freedom Amendment and parents' rights to direct the health care of their children under the "due course of law" protections in the Ohio Constitution. That court sent the case back to the trial court with an order to impose a permanent injunction on the enforcement of the restrictions on puberty blockers and hormones but the court had not acted.

A woman who bore three children by artificial insemination with the support of a female partner before Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) says the other woman is now asking the Ohio Supreme Court to recognize common-law marriage for the first time and award her full parental rights. The former partner maintains they tried to wed in a same-sex-marriage state pre-Obergefell, making her a parent rather than a shared custodian. The Court heard In re L.E.S., N.S., L.S. after the Hamilton County Juvenile Court granted the second woman, Carmen Edmonds, custodial but not parental rights.

University of Akron tops February's bar exam with 35 successful candidates, followed in a distant second by Capital University's 17 passing scores and in third and fourth by Cleveland State University (14) and University of Toledo (12), respectively. The success rate was 43 percent for all test takers and 65 percent for first-timers. Pending bar members represent 35 Ohio counties led by Cuyahoga (23), Franklin (22), Summit (19), Hamilton and Lucas (9) and Stark (6).

MARIJUANA/HEMP

In a few years, the state of Ohio should stop restricting the cultivation of cannabis, Sen. Steve Huffman (R-Tipp City) said Wednesday. "Not in this bill, but I believe in several years -- the next General Assembly or the one after that -- I think we should totally deregulate marijuana in the state of Ohio, in the sense that ... if we're capitalists, we should let other people have more grow space, if they can do it under the current regulations with the number of cameras and security and all that stuff, which would drive down the price," Huffman told the House Judiciary Committee during sponsor testimony on his SB56, responding to a question from Rep. Jamie Callender (R-Concord). Callender said he was concerned that SB56 eliminates the level three cultivator licenses created in the adult-use marijuana legalization initiated statute because it could keep prices high, driving consumers to other states and the illicit market.

MILITARY AFFAIRS

The House Veterans and Military Development Committee met Monday at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton and toured Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) afterward, part of their plan to visit military and federal installations in Ohio and learn more about the groups there. Their Monday event included presentations from the 88th Air Base Wing at WPAFB, the Ohio National Guard's 178th Wing in Springfield, the museum, and community organizations. Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) attended part of the hearing and spoke as well. Huffman said he'd spoken with Chair Tracy Richardson (R-Marysville) about what the state can do for its military and federal installations toward the goal of having the federal government think first about Ohio compared to states such as Florida, Texas and California. He added the effort reflects a desire to improve the lives of base personnel and compared it to Ohio's private sector outreach. Responding to a question from Hannah News, he also said one reason for these hearings is "to avoid being victim of any BRAC [Base Realignment and Closure] in the near or long-term future," though he hasn't received any information about the process being held again.

PENSIONS

The chair of the Ohio Retirement Study Council (ORSC) took the unusual step Wednesday of calling a brief press conference to announce the agenda for next week's meeting, which will include a subcommittee session focused on educator pension governance across the nation. Rep. Adam Bird (R-Cincinnati), who was recently elected to chair the council, said the council's subcommittee on the State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) will hear presentations on how other states' teacher pension boards are constituted from the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) and RVK, the investment consulting firm that has generally advised the council on Ohio pension system performance in recent years.

POLLS

A new poll released by Bowling Green State University's (BGSU) Democracy and Public Policy Network Tuesday finds Vivek Ramaswamy holding a wide lead for the 2026 Republican nomination for governor, but all potential Republican candidates defeat potential Democratic candidates in hypothetical head-to-heads. The poll also found President Donald Trump's net approval has slipped among respondents as he hits his 100-day mark in office. The web-based poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.08 percent.

Ramaswamy is the top choice among 64 percent of those surveyed, followed by Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel with 14 percent, Attorney General Dave Yost at 13 percent, and Heather Hill at 4 percent. Though he has not declared an intention to run for governor in 2026, the poll included Tressel as a prospective candidate.

The poll also found Trump's net approval down 7 percentage points from a February BGSU poll, going from a plus 6 favorable rating (50 percent approval to 44 percent disapproval), to a -1 unfavorable (47 percent approval to 48 percent disapproval.) When asked to evaluate his first 100 days, 44 percent of respondents said it has been worse than expected, 32 percent better than expected, and 24 percent indicate it has been about what they expected. Forty-five percent of respondents say they are personally more anxious with Trump as president and 36 percent are less anxious. Nearly half of respondents (49 percent) believe the country is less respected with Trump as president, while 42 percent say the country is more respected.

PUBLIC SAFETY

With about two weeks to go before the federal government requires U.S. travelers to have a Real ID compliant identification card in order to board domestic flights and access certain federal facilities, only about 56 percent of Ohioans are compliant. The federal government will no longer accept standard driver licenses and identification cards as sufficient forms of identification for air travel beginning Wednesday, May 7. "Passengers who present a state-issued identification that is not REAL ID compliant and who do not have another acceptable alternative (e.g., passport) can expect to face delays, additional screening and the possibility of not being permitted into the security checkpoint," the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said.

Two years after a new "phones down" law took effect, the Ohio Department of Transportation and the Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) said crashes and injuries are continuing to drop, as has cellphone usage. The agencies recently announced the latest numbers as part of National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. Despite the data showing positive results, they said distracted driving remains a significant concern in the state. According to OSHP, the average number of crashes in Ohio has dropped by 8 percent, injuries are down 3 percent, and traffic fatalities have declined by 4 percent since 134-SB288 (Manning) took effect. OSHP also said data from Cambridge Mobile Telematics (CMT) continues to show about a 10 percent drop in cellphone use in Ohio among drivers who share their device data as part of employer-based safety programs or in exchange for insurance discounts. CMT estimates the law has saved Ohio at least $337 million in economic damages.

STATE GOVERNMENT

Gov. Mike DeWine announced Tuesday morning that he has nominated Maj. Gen. John C. Harris Jr., current Ohio adjutant general, to replace Maj. Gen. (U.S. Army, Ret.) Deborah Ashenhurst as the new director of the Ohio Department of Veteran Services (DVS). Ashenhurst retired effective May 1. Replacing Harris as adjutant general is Brig. Gen. Matthew Woodruff.

STUDIES

Ohio EdChoice students tracked by Urban Institute and higher education researchers were more likely to attend and graduate from college than their public district school peers. Matthew Chingos of the Urban Institute, David Figlio of the University of Rochester and Kryzsztof Karbownik of Emory University tracked the college enrollment and degree attainment of more than 6,000 students who used EdChoice scholarships from 2008 to 2014 and compared them to the outcomes of more than half a million students with similar demographic and achievement characteristics who attended public district schools. The results: 48 percent of the EdChoice cohort enrolled in college, compared to 32 percent of public school students, and 24 percent graduated. About 1,400 of the studied EdChoice students are old enough to have completed a four-year program. Of those, 23 percent attained a bachelor's degree, compared to 15 percent of district students.

TRANSPORTATION/INFRASTRUCTURE

A bill setting requirements and prohibitions for drone operations that recently took effect also includes provisions on the sale of derelict or abandoned aircraft, completing several years of legislative efforts. The Senate had amended language of 135-SB206 (Hackett) into 135-HB77 (Willis) to make several changes regarding liens on abandoned aircraft. It allows for storage costs to be included in the costs for liens, and specifies the notification procedures that a public use airport director must take to perfect the lien. The applicable county court of common pleas is responsible for enforcing them, a provision which was already in current law. The Legislative Service Commission (LSC) said that under the act, abandoned aircraft are "located on the premises of a public use airport when the owner or operator of the aircraft has not paid any tie-down, hangar, rent, or storage costs for use of the premises for at least 90 consecutive days."

UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION

Ohio's unemployment trust fund is likely to become insolvent within several years even without any recessions in the meantime, Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) Director Matt Damschroder told a House committee Wednesday. If unemployment rates stay relatively steady, the trust fund, now sitting at $1.7 billion, is projected to become insolvent by 2032, Damschroder said in testimony to the House Public Insurance and Pensions Committee. A recession would speed that timetable up considerably, he said. A negative trust fund balance would trigger federal borrowing and higher federal unemployment taxes if the loan is not paid back, he said. In comparison to the current $1.7 billion balance, state law sets a minimum safe level (MSL) of $4.4 billion as the balance needed to endure a moderate recession, while the federal government uses a measurement called average high cost multiple (AHCM) that calls for a $4.1 billion fund, he said. The state has an MSL tax that is triggered when the fund balance is too low, he said; it is currently set at the maximum possible rate.

WORKERS’ COMPENSATION

The Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation (BWC) Board of Directors approved a 10 percent base rate decrease from the Marine Industry Fund during its recent meeting. "Management noted that the small size of this program makes the development of precise estimates of expected results more difficult, but the strong current financial position provided sufficient cushion for the potential variability in actual results," BWC Actuarial Committee Chair Elizabeth Riczko said. According to an email from BWC Chief Actuarial Officer Dan Myers to BWC Administrator/CEO Stephanie McCloud, the change will result in BWC’s collecting about $285,000 in annual Marine Insurance Fund premiums -- approximately $32,000 less than would be expected without the rate decrease.

In other action, the BWC Board voted to make several changes to the outpatient medication formulary, including adding 20 and 40 milligram esomeprazole magnesium delayed release caps. That medication is used for treating stomach and esophagus problems.

During her report to the board, McCloud noted that the open enrollment period for Ohio employers to select a managed care organization (MCO) to oversee medical management for injured workers is open until Friday, May 23. BWC offers MCO open enrollment every two years, she said, noting employers are not required to take any action if they are satisfied with their current provider.

WORKFORCE

While those leaving incarceration formerly faced barriers to finding employment, Sen. Michele Reynolds (R-Columbus) said Friday that times are changing. Instead of the days where an individual would have to go to an employer and ask for a chance, she said there are now more jobs than there are individuals to work them. She also noted the federal immigration crackdown, saying no matter the opinions of how that is being handled, there are a number of people working who have temporary visas who may have to self-deport. Meanwhile, she said there are Americans right now who have criminal backgrounds that can fill those jobs. She said that with the state facing workforce issues, the conversation around employing formerly justice-impacted individuals is changing for the better. "Re-entry is not just a want, but it is a need now," she said.

[Story originally published in The Hannah Report. Copyright 2025 Hannah News Service, Inc.]