Week in Review October 13, 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.

ADDICTION/SUBSTANCE ABUSE

OneOhio Recovery Foundation directors welcomed the nonprofit's new partnership and outreach manager Mackenzie Betts Wednesday and approved its legislative policy and operational budget for 2026, when the agency will work with $40 million in approved funding for second-round grantees.

AMERICA 250-OHIO

The Ohio Commission for the U.S. Semiquincentennial (America 250-Ohio) is inviting planners throughout Ohio to share information about the events they're planning to celebrate the nation's 250th anniversary next year. As America-250 Ohio continues to finalize events statewide in 2026, Executive Director Todd Kleismit announced on Friday that the commission's website is now open to planners of festivals, historic reenactments, art exhibitions, civic conversations or any other events in the works for next year's celebration to share their event with the rest of the state. The America 250-Ohio Events Calendar can be seen HERE, and the event submission form is located at the bottom of the page. During his monthly "Todd Talks" webinar on Friday, Kleismit noted that one such event, the International Freedom Conductor Awards, held last weekend by Cincinnati's National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, will continue to be held annually.

ATTORNEY GENERAL

Attorney General Dave Yost Wednesday warned adult websites that they are not meeting Ohio's new age verification requirements adopted as part of biennial budget HB96 (Stewart). Lawmakers added language that took effect at the end of September that requires websites that host content "obscene or harmful to juveniles" to implement reasonable age-verification measures that block access to minors. These websites must confirm that users are at least 18 years old by reviewing a government-issued photo ID or transactional data, such as mortgage, education or employment records. However, Yost said he had ordered a review of major websites that advertise adult content for compliance, and found only one of the 20 websites included in the review were complying. The attorney general said he is sending "notice of violation" letters to the companies behind noncompliant pornography websites, warning of legal action if they fail to bring their platforms into compliance within 45 days.

Attorney General Dave Yost's office said Friday a trial court approved his settlement with Hebrew Union College in a lawsuit where he accused the institution of breaching its fiduciary duty by seeking to sell rare texts to close deficits. Under the deal, Hebrew Union must provide Yost's office with a complete list of items in its library's Special Collections and Rare Book and Manuscript Collection, including any donor restrictions attached to the items, and must notify Yost's office at least 45 days ahead of time of any attempt to sell or remove items from the collection. Other settlement terms, according to Yost's office, including honoring existing donor restrictions and maintaining a collection management policy consistent with recommendations from the American Library Association, but allowing Hebrew Union to "engage in routine movement of items within its library and system and through interlibrary loans."

FY26-27 BUDGET

The state collected nearly $240 million more than expected in September thanks to over-estimate performance in all three major tax sources, according to preliminary data from the Office of Budget and Management (OBM). Total tax collections reached $2.24 billion in September, 12 percent more than expected. For FY26 so far, collections are ahead by $291.9 million or 4.3 percent. The sales tax brought in $82 million or 9.7 percent more than expected. Within that total, the non-auto sales tax beat estimates by $64.5 million or 9.2 percent, while the auto sales tax was up $18.3 million or 11.8 percent. Income taxes beat forecasts by $117.1 million or 11.4 percent.

CHILDREN/FAMILIES

The Ohio Domestic Violence Network (ODVN) voiced "shock" Tuesday at the 38 percent spike in intimate-partner homicides in the latest reporting year -- their highest in a decade -- over half of which were White. Nearly as many were Black, however, falling well outside normal population percentages. ODVN held its 13th annual update and award ceremony in the Statehouse Atrium, where Senior Director of Policy and Prevention Lisa DeGeeter said 157 died in 108 lethal domestic violence incidents from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025 compared to 114 in the previous one-year period. "More Ohio children were present at these crimes scenes this year. More children and grandchildren were left behind to mourn parents and grandparents. And although there were only two law enforcement officers shot this year, one of those shootings was fatal," she said, acknowledging Morrow County Deputy Daniel "Weston" Sherrer, 31, who died while responding to an intimate partner disturbance on May 26.

Even as Gov. Mike DeWine recently touted the Child Care Cred Program included in operating budget HB96 (Stewart) as a way to make child care more affordable for Ohio's working families, a large majority of Ohio voters say the ability of working parents to find and afford quality child care is either in a "state of crisis" or a "major problem," according to a recent survey from Groundwork Ohio. Nearly 80 percent of those surveyed reflect the above sentiments, according to the survey conducted from Sept. 8-13, 2025, notably before DeWine's recent announcement about the Child Care Cred Program. According to Groundwork Ohio, more than one-third (34 percent) of Ohioans say they or someone they know would consider entering the workforce if quality child care were available. Among Ohio parents who don't work, 56 percent would consider entering the workforce if quality child care were available.

The Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review (JCARR) Monday cleared all of the rules on its regular and no change agenda, including new rules from the Department of Children and Youth addressing payment rates to certain child care providers that opponents say will lead to the closure of child care facilities. According to the CEO Project, a statewide network of more than 300 child care providers that testified in opposition, biennial budget HB96 (Stewart) was amended by the conference committee to change payment rates and procedures for Type A providers, which are larger, center-based settings, and Type B providers, which are single, in-home care providers. Ohio law had allowed a Type A center to be inside a home, and many home-based providers had hired more staff and grown their client base. The budget change eliminated the way a Type A provider is paid, so many of the larger, home-based care facilities that were considered centers will now be reimbursed at the Type B provider rates under the change. CEO Project explained that the change will mean either larger providers will go out of business or have to cut the number of children they care for.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT/URBAN REVITALIZATION

Gov. Mike DeWine's administration announced Wednesday the approval of assistance for five projects expected to create 218 new jobs and retain 1,165 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 $14 million in new payroll and spur over $2.1 billion in investments across Ohio.

EDUCATION

Eligible entities can now apply for funding through the Ohio School Bus Safety Grant Program, Gov. Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) Director Stephen Dackin announced Friday. With a total funding amount of $10 million, the program will provide competitive grants to eligible applicants for the repair, replacement or addition of authorized school bus safety features to school buses in active service or for safety enhancements to the purchase of a new school bus. The money was included in the operating budget, HB96 (Stewart).

The 10th District Court of Appeals won't stop a trial court from moving to freeze the assets of William Lager, the founder of the defunct Electronic Classroom of the Future (ECOT), once Ohio's largest online charter school. Judges Michael Mentel, Shawn Dingus and Laurel Beatty Blunt denied a motion Lager filed to stay the order from Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Kimberly Cocroft authorizing an asset freeze. ECOT closed several years ago after the state began withholding per-student funding because reviews found it could not substantiate large swaths of its enrollment. The school challenged the state's use of student log-in data for the enrollment reviews in a legal battle that ultimately rose to the Ohio Supreme Court, where the state prevailed.

Providing adequate education to an economically disadvantaged student costs thousands more per year than the state K-12 formula provides, according to a recently completed research study mandated in the prior biennial budget bill, 135-HB33 (Edwards). DEW commissioned American Institutes for Research (AIR) to study, per HB33, "the needs of Ohio's economically disadvantaged students, the most effective services for meeting these needs and the cost of implementing those services using Ohio cost data, including all current expenditures and inputs supporting economically disadvantaged students." The law also called for the study to address how to determine student eligibility for services. "Our analyses indicate that Ohio is not currently funding economically disadvantaged students at an adequate level to meet the state's education objectives. Analysis of data collected … indicates that to meet target outcomes in 2023-2024, Ohio would need to invest an additional $3,294 per economically disadvantaged student," the report states.

School-based health centers (SBHCs) are expanding rapidly throughout Ohio, with this summer's operating budget HB96 (Stewart) dedicating $10 million in both FY26 and FY27 for the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) and DEW to collaborate in supporting SBHCs in high-need counties. As the number of SBHCs in Ohio continues to grow, leaders gathered at the Health Policy Institute of Ohio (HPIO) Summit in Columbus on Thursday to assess how the state's SBHCs might grow stronger even as their numbers get larger. According to the Ohio School-Based Health Alliance (OSHBA), in the 2023-2024 school year alone, SBHCs served over 50,000 children ages 0-18 over the course of more than 159,000 visits, including over 20,000 well-child visits and over 21,000 depression screenings.

ELECTIONS

Secretary of State Frank LaRose Monday announced the launch of a new data dashboard that will allow for better analysis of state voter registration information. The dashboard, found HERE, gives the public the ability to view voter registration numbers down to the precinct level, partisan affiliation, demographic information and more. According to the data, as of Monday, there are nearly 7.9 million registered voters in Ohio, out of an estimated 8.9 million Ohioans eligible to vote. There are 218,816 new registrations in 2025. The average age of registered voters is 51, though 38 is the average age of voters who registered this year. About 19 percent of voters are registered as Republicans, 10 percent are registered as Democrats, and 71 percent are unaffiliated.

The Ohio Elections Commission Thursday again delayed a case against former Rep. Sederick Denson (D-Cincinnati) over his campaign finance filings after Denson requested more time to gather the needed records. Denson, who resigned his seat earlier this year to pursue other opportunities appeared before the commission, blaming the issue on former treasurers. Calling the issues with his finance reports a "nightmare," he said he has always relied on someone else to be his treasurer, and when he became aware of the issues with his filings he changed treasurers and began working with them to get all of his filings current. He said he needed a little more time to make sure that there are not gaps and missing records when he does file.

ELECTIONS 2025

Tuesday marked the first day for early in-person and absentee voting for the Tuesday, Nov. 4, General Election. While there are no statewide issues or races on the ballot, there are a number of municipal elections and local ballot issues up for consideration. Early in-person voting hours are as follows:

• Tuesday, Oct. 7-Friday, Oct. 10: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Tuesday. Oct 14-Friday, Oct. 27: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. There are no early voting hours on Monday, Oct. 13, due to the observance of Columbus Day.

• Monday, Oct. 20-Friday, Oct. 24: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Monday, Oct. 27, and Wednesday, Oct. 29-Friday, Oct. 31: 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

• Tuesday, Oct. 28: 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

• Saturday, Nov. 1: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• Sunday, Nov. 2: 1-5 p.m.

Absentee ballot applications must be received by boards of elections by Tuesday, Oct. 28, by 8:30 p.m. Returned absentee ballots must be postmarked by Monday, Nov. 3.

ELECTIONS 2026

A super PAC supporting Republican Vivek Ramaswamy's gubernatorial campaign has spent nearly $4.4 million on advertisements this cycle, according to data provided by national ad tracking and analytics company AdImpact. The vast majority of the spending by the organization, "V-PAC: Victors, Not Victims," took place between the weeks of March 4 and April 1. The advertisements highlighted President Donald Trump's endorsement of Ramaswamy, which occurred shortly after the conservative biotech entrepreneur and author announced his candidacy for governor. V-PAC has spent the most advertising money in the Cleveland-Akron designated market area (DMA), dropping more than $1.3 million on Internet-connected TV ($686,000), broadcast TV ($537,000) and cable TV ($113,00).

Term-limited Sen. Nathan Manning (R-North Ridgeville) announced Tuesday he will run for the 52nd House District in 2026, seeking his former seat that is now currently occupied by his mother, Rep. Gayle Manning (R-North Ridgeville), who is also term-limited. Manning represented portions of the district in the Ohio House from 2015-2018 before moving to the Senate. Previously, he served as North Ridgeville prosecutor and owns the law firm Manning Law, LLC. He graduated from North Ridgeville High School and received his bachelor's degree from Denison University and his law degree from Capital University Law School.

Former Franklin County Common Pleas and U.S. Immigration Judge Colleen O'Donnell Tuesday affirmed her candidacy for the Republican nomination for the Ohio Supreme Court in 2026. In her announcement, she said Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones will serve as her campaign committee chairman. She said her campaign will focus on ensuring that the law -- not politics -- guides Ohio's highest court. "I've seen firsthand the kind of damage lawlessness can do," O'Donnell said. "But thanks to President Trump, there's a new energy coming out of Washington, D.C. Law and order are back in style." She said she credits her time as an immigration judge in Laredo, TX, as shaping her deepest convictions about public service and law and order.

Conservative Republican and Gov. Mike DeWine's Chief Legal Counsel Matt Donahue announced he is running for the Fifth District Court of Appeals. Donahue, a former assistant prosecutor in Meigs County and former section chief in the Ohio Attorney General's Special Prosecutions Section, said in his announcement that he has prosecuted or supervised cases across 55 Ohio counties, targeting killers, drug dealers, sex offenders, and corrupt officials. His work has included death penalty cases, high-profile public corruption cases, and the Pike County murder cases, alongside pioneering strategies to combat synthetic drugs like K2 and bath salts.

The following endorsement was made over the week:

• The gubernatorial campaign of Democrat Amy Acton announced the endorsement of former Ohio Attorney General and Auditor Jim Petro.

EMPLOYMENT/UNEMPLOYMENT

While federal jobs data is delayed due to the federal government’s shutdown, the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) released its September Small Business Economic Trends survey. The NFIB report found that 32 percent (seasonally adjusted) of small business owners reported job openings they could not fill in September, unchanged from August. The last time unfilled job openings fell below 32 percent was in July 2020. Twenty-eight percent have openings for skilled workers (unchanged), and 13 percent have openings for unskilled labor – also unchanged. While state-specific data is unavailable, NFIB Ohio State Director Jared Weiser said, "While job openings among small businesses remain above their historical average, Ohio's small employers have stayed committed to hiring and filling their open positions. The labor market is a consistent challenge for small businesses, and we appreciate the work the Ohio Legislature continues to do to fill the skills gap and strengthen our workforce."

ENERGY/UTILITIES

Internal investigations FirstEnergy launched after the corruption case against former House Speaker Larry Householder emerged can be withheld under attorney-client privilege from shareholders suing the company on fraud allegations, the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday. Judges Jeffrey Sutton, Alice Batchelder and John Nalbandian overruled a U.S. District Court decision that compelled FirstEnergy to turn over records produced in investigations by firms Squire Patton Boggs LLP and Jones Day.

The Office of Ohio Consumers' Counsel (OCC) said oral argument in In re Application of Duke Energy Ohio Tuesday is the perfect opportunity for the Ohio Supreme Court to overturn its 68-year-old ban on retroactive utility refunds and to establish that decommissioning old utility infrastructure is neither a "cost of service" under R.C. 4909.15(A)(4) nor an investment in "used and useful" property under R.C. 4909.15(A)(1) and therefore not billable to Ohio ratepayers. OCC's dispute with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) and, indirectly, Duke Energy over $17 million in charges to shutter redundant propane caverns is less significant for the money or type of infrastructure involved and more for the application of utility statute and the Supreme Court ruling Keco Industries v. Cincinnati & Suburban Bell Telephone Co. (1957).

FEDERAL

The latest national unemployment numbers for September, originally scheduled for release on Friday, were delayed because of the government shutdown. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which releases federal unemployment numbers on the first Friday of the month, posted a message on its website that the site will not be updated "due to the suspension of federal government services."

GENERAL ASSEMBLY/STATEHOUSE

In addition to the legislation dealing with property taxes HB129 (D. Thomas) which passed 81-16 and HB309 (D. Thomas) which deals with county budget commissions which passed 77-19, the House Wednesday passed the following bills:

• HB170 (Blasdel-Patterson) establishing a state process to regulate carbon capture and storage technology, by a vote of 93-4.

• HB229 (Deeter), which would create a standalone PBM licensing system through the Department of Insurance and allow the superintendent of insurance to audit PBMs and enforce compliance with Ohio laws. It passed 97-0.

• HB260 (Odioso-A. Mathews), updating the state's courts and court procedures, by a unanimous vote.

• HB316 (LaRe) designating a portion of Chillicothe Lancaster Road in Fairfield County as the "MSGT Norman Michael Kilbarger Memorial Highway," by a unanimous vote.

• HB434 (Willis-Lampton), which would exempt certain military related limited term driver's license applicants from the state's driver's education requirements, passed 96-0. An emergency clause was also adopted unanimously.

• HCR21 (Schmidt), recognizing the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Marine Corps.

• HCR22 (Roemer-Daniels), to encourage students grades 1-12 to read the U.S. Declaration of Independence in the classroom during the 2025-2026 school year in celebration of its 250th anniversary.

• HCR23 (Newman-T. Mathews) to recognize the 250th anniversary of the United States Army and the United States Army Chaplain Corps.

  
  

The House Wednesday paid tribute to the late Rep. Jack Cera, passing HR234 in his memory. Cera died earlier this year at the age of 69 after a more than two year battle with cancer. He served in the House from 1983 to 1996 and again from 2011 to 2020. His family was in attendance for Wednesday's session to receive the resolution. Rep. Dan Troy (D-Willowick) noted he came into the Legislature in 1983 with Cera. "They say you make lifelong friends in this General Assembly and I don't think I had a better one than Jack," Troy said, getting choked up at one point. Tributes were also paid by Reps. Juanita Brent (D-Cleveland) and Ron Ferguson (R-Wintersville), who succeeded Cera.

The brevity of Senate session Wednesday belied the importance of two bills addressing mind-altering substances, one legal and one illegal. Members passed SB55 (Manning) to improve detection of marijuana OVI and SB137 (Johnson) to provide all Ohio hospitals overdose reversal kits for patients battling opioid addiction. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Nathan Manning (R-N. Ridgeville) said Ohio OVI laws currently test inactive THC metabolites that may reflect marijuana use within the last 24 hours, week or even month and not necessarily impairment. SB55 passed 28-0. Sen. Terry Johnson (R-McDermott) turned to SB137, which he described as his latest bill addressing opioids and other addictive drugs. He said providing Ohio hospitals naloxone overdose reversal kits free of charge from the newly renamed Ohio Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) is a "gateway to recovery" for patients who may or may not have presented themselves for opioid treatment. They also would receive information on local services including peer counseling and harm reduction strategies. The bill passed. 28-0.

The Senate also passed HB171 (Johnson) to name a section of State Route 28 in Clermont County the "Capt. Louis John Speidel Memorial Highway" and SB189 (Craig) to create the COSI license plate.

Speaker of the House Matt Huffman (R-Lima) spoke Wednesday on HB186 (Hoops-D. Thomas), legislation to limit school district property tax increases which was amended but not reported out of House Ways and Means Committee. He said the chamber will look to pass the bill before the end of October. He also dismissed arguments that passage of the bill will require districts to lay off teachers and potentially send some schools into fiscal emergency. He said that argument is "always made" and the Legislature's job is to make "good policy for the whole state," which can mean being "dispassionate" about it. Huffman also reiterated that "something" needs to be done on property taxes and said districts will be seeing "a deduction from a huge increase in funding."

Huffman also addressed the ongoing federal government shutdown, noting that could make it difficult to get a last-minute passport renewal, and that he'd been told by the Northern District of Ohio -- where he practices -- that at some point they'll stop federal court operations, which would affect litigants and attorneys. He also said he hadn't seen any effects of the shutdown on state operations. Asked about reporting that the Trump administration is seeking more federal law enforcement office space in Columbus and 19 other cities around the country -- many of which have Democratic mayors -- Huffman said he wasn't familiar with that topic. He detailed how immigration is specifically within "the realm of the federal government" and if they say they need more space, they should have it. Huffman compared it to the Ohio State Highway Patrol receiving the authority to write speeding tickets in municipalities and how they can respond to emergencies as well.

House Minority Leader Dani Isaacsohn (D-Cincinnati) renewed his criticisms on the current state of the congressional redistricting process while speaking to reporters after Wednesday's Rules and Reference hearing, saying the Ohio Constitution says the governor needs to convene the redistricting commission in October to have "bipartisan negotiations and discussions" and so far that hasn't happened.

Reps. Gary Click (R-Vickery) and Mike Dovilla (R-Berea) Tuesday told the House Education Committee that their legislation to permit teachers in public schools and state institutions of higher education to provide instruction on the influence of Christianity on history and culture would "unshackle" teachers that currently are afraid to teach those topics for fear of being seen as "proselytizing." Click stressed that HB486 (Click-Dovilla) would only permit and not require teachers to instruct on the influence of Christianity. The bill is dubbed the "Charlie Kirk American Heritage Act," after the recently slain conservative influencer, with Click noting the bill "does not create a new law, it clarifies the law."

Hearings featuring invited testimony to the House General Government Committee on occupational license review within state agencies continued on Tuesday as Director Joseph Baker delivered testimony on the work of the Common Sense Initiative (CSI). He explained that CSI operates within a specified part of the rulemaking period. He said the office's goal, under the leadership of Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel, is to iron out issues in the rulemaking process before legislators have to get involved. Baker said CSI has worked with state agencies, with the support of the General Assembly, to modernize outdated Ohio laws and rules, resulting in saving approximately $44 million in taxpayer funds over the next decade by working to update over 100 statutory and 400 regulatory provisions to reflect modern technology and ways of doing business.

Reps. Tex Fischer (R-Youngstown) and Steve Demetriou (R-Chagrin Falls) gave joint sponsor testimony Tuesday on their HB392 to the House Technology and Innovation Committee, with Fischer saying their bill is in response to "legitimate concerns about the safety risks" of artificial intelligence (AI) and how it can potentially affect critical infrastructure in Ohio. He said HB392 would "set the stage for how our state will deal with this emerging technology," establishing needed safeguards while providing "regulatory certainty" for businesses coming to Ohio. The bill also requires anyone who implements or operates AI that interfaces with critical infrastructure facilities to have a strictly outlined risk management policy aligned with federal guidelines.

Reps. Tom Young (R-Washington Twp.) and Bob Peterson (R-Sabina) gave joint sponsor testimony Tuesday on their HB413 to the House Technology and Innovation Committee, with Young saying "key provisions" include an expansion of the Ohio Checkbook program into "a full local government expenditure database." Calling transparency a "big issue today," Young said that will enable taxpayers to easily see how funds are spent. He added it can be a "very difficult process" for citizens to see how "their money" is being spent. HB413 would apply to counties, cities, villages, public libraries, townships, park districts, school districts, regional water and sewer districts, regional transit authorities and state retirement systems.

Ohio should build its online age-verification laws around a system that differentiates between apps that bifurcate the experience of adults and minors to avoid invading privacy and setting up barriers for low-risk apps, a representative of Google told the House Judiciary Committee in testimony Wednesday on HB302 (Workman-Plummer). But Rep. Josh Williams (R-Oregon) argued major players like Google are trying to shift liability to smaller app developers and implement weaker protections for web browsers. Kate Charlet, a director on Google's public policy team focused on cybersecurity, privacy and child safety, said HB302 provides a "balanced" approach that recognizes the need for a team effort among app stores, phone makers and app developers to protect kids.

Family law reform bill SB174 (Gavarone-Hicks-Hudson) will not increase the number of families with 50-50 co-parenting plans, and might actually make the situation worse, shared parenting advocates told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. "Proponents point to the objective of reducing the adversarial nature of decisions about parental responsibilities and encouraging parents to share in the responsibilities of raising their children and courts to maximize the time the children have with each parent. These are fine objectives -- National Parents Organization (NPO) fully endorses the goals of SB174. But we believe that the methods SB174 seeks to employ to achieve these goals are inadequate and, in some cases, counterproductive," said NPO National Board Chair Don Hubin, professor emeritus of philosophy at Ohio State University. Hubin said substituting "designated parent" for "residential parent" is a cosmetic change.

Legislation that has already passed the House was introduced to the Senate Health Committee on Wednesday to establish Prescribed Pediatric Extended Care (PPEC) centers in Ohio. The sponsors of HB141 (Baker-Abrams) both represent the Cincinnati area, where families from throughout the U.S. and beyond often relocate to procure medical care for children with complex medical needs at the nationally acclaimed Cincinnati Children's Hospital. Witnesses who gave proponent testimony on HB141 in the House Health Committee said that finding suitable day care for their complex-needs children during treatment at Cincinnati Children's meant crossing state borders for a facility in Kentucky at a PPEC facility called Easterseals Redwood.

The Ohio Domestic Violence Network (ODVN) thanked the General Assembly for legislation protecting real and potential victims from domestic violence, including Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood), Senate Majority Floor Leader Theresa Gavarone (R-Bowling Green) and Ranking Minority Member Paula Hicks-Hudson (D-Toledo) of the Senate Judiciary Committee. "By working with policymakers, community leaders, and survivors themselves, we can work to prevent these tragedies to create systems that prioritize safety and justice," Policy Director Maria York said. Gavarone and Sen. Paula Hicks-Hudson received ODVN's Leadership in Policy Award.

In other legislative action, the House Commerce and Labor Committee reported out HB227 (Robb Blasdel-Johnson) to modify excavation requirements; the House Energy Committee reported out SCR2 (Johnson) which urges Congress to address the electric grid; the House Health Committee reported out HB162 (Click) which addresses medical records of minors; and the Senate Transportation Committee reported out road naming bill HB27 (Callender).

GREAT LAKES

A new environmental infrastructure project will connect a planned one-billion-gallon reservoir and replacement raw water main lines that supply water from Lake Erie to the Collins Park Water Treatment Plant, the city of Toledo and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) announced. The project is estimated to cost $13 million and will be constructed in 2029. "This federal partnership between the Army Corps and the city of Toledo once again shows that responsible leaders can work together to improve our environment and infrastructure," U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Toledo) said. "In my role as both senior Democrat overseeing the Army Corps and representative for Northwest Ohio, it is a joy to be able to deliver on partnerships that help move our region forward. I will continue to work with anyone willing at the local, state, federal or any level to ensure safe and clean drinking water and to protect Lake Erie's Western Basin."

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) would be required to reimburse Ohio-incorporated pharmacies that dispense a drug for the amount paid to the drug wholesaler plus a minimum dispensing fee determined by the superintendent of the Ohio Department of Insurance (ODI) under the latest version of HB192 (Barhorst-Fischer). That change is one of numerous provisions included in an amendment accepted by the House Insurance Committee during Tuesday's hearing on the legislation.

HIGHER EDUCATION

The University of Toledo (UToledo) recently announced an initiative granting new students from Michigan in-state tuition starting fall 2026. These students will save $4,680 per semester as opposed to paying full out-of-state tuition, according to the university. Upon acceptance, Michigan students will be granted a scholarship to cover the out-of-state surcharge regardless of whether they are transfer or traditional students. The university will not require additional applications to be filled out specific to residency. Students will also be eligible for additional merit scholarships awarded by UToledo through the application process.

Cleveland State University (CSU) recently announced it will permanently discontinue 22 academic programs. The statement from the university added that it has suspended an additional 14 programs and has reopened admission to another four, some having undergone curricular changes. The decision comes after the university eliminated three of its National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sports programs in wrestling, women's golf and softball earlier this year due to budgetary shortfalls. The statement clarified students currently enrolled in discontinued or suspended programs are able to complete their degrees. The complete list of affected programs can be found HERE.

LOBBYISTS

New government affairs firm, CapSquare Advisors, announced its launch in Columbus this week. Dora Pruce and Rebecca Simon, who worked together at Capitol Partners, founded the firm. They are joined by Rachel Schubert, who will be manager of government affairs, and Greg Bennett, who will be a partner.

MARIJUANA/HEMP

Gov. Mike DeWine on Wednesday issued an emergency order requiring all retailers to remove intoxicating hemp products from their shelves and to refrain from selling intoxicating hemp products beginning on Tuesday, Oct. 14. "Intoxicating hemp is dangerous," DeWine said during a press conference at the Riffe Center, noting the "adulterated" products are being marketed to children and have caused drug poisoning. … When voters chose to legalize marijuana, they voted for a highly regulated market that only allows sales at licensed dispensaries to those 21 and older. Intoxicating hemp completely bypasses these laws, and we must do more to keep these products away from kids." Retailers who continue selling intoxicating hemp could be fined $500 each day the products remain on sale, according to the governor's office.

However, members of the Ohio Healthy Alternatives Association (OHHAA) argue that the governor doesn't have the authority to unilaterally prohibit the sale of intoxicating hemp products, filing a lawsuit in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Thursday. Titan Logistics Group LLC, Fumee Smoke and Vape LLC and Invicta Partners LLC filed the lawsuit, asking the court to issue a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction prohibiting the DeWine administration from implementing and enforcing the executive order that the governor announced on Wednesday.

Unregulated intoxicating hemp products are causing the reported increase in pediatric cannabis poisonings, according to the Ohio Cannabis Coalition (OHCANN). "Products like Delta-8 and Delta-10 THC are sold openly in gas stations and smoke shops without testing, labeling, child-proof packaging or age restrictions. These high-potency compounds reach children in alarming numbers, and it's not by accident. Often disguised as candy or snacks, these products are marketed directly to children," OHCANN said. A recent study led by Dr. Eric Ligotski of Akron Children's Hospital found that calls to Ohio's Poison Control Center for cannabis intoxication have risen sharply from Jan. 1, 2018 to Dec. 31, 2024. In November 2023, Ohio voters approved a ballot measure legalizing cannabis for adults age 21 and older. However, the study -- "Temporal Association between Cannabis Legalization and Pediatric Intoxications in Ohio -- didn't differentiate between regulated cannabis products and unregulated cannabis products.

MEDICAID/MEDICAID REFORM

A provision included in operating budget HB96 (Stewart) would have triggered the end of Medicaid expansion in Ohio if the federal contribution to Medicaid fell below a certain percentage. And while that contribution percentage was debated prior to the passage of federal HR1 ("One Big Beautiful Bill"), ultimately HR1 did not trigger cuts in Ohio. However, HR1 will reduce federal Medicaid spending nationally by approximately $1 trillion over 10 years, mostly through cuts to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) expansion. Ohio is expected to lose more than $33 billion in federal Medicaid funding compared to the baseline over the next decade, according to an analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) compiled by the Health Policy Institute of Ohio (HPIO).

NATURAL RESOURCES

Athens Conservancy (AC) and the Nature Conservancy (NC) recently announced their partnership to conserve nearly 3,000 acres of forested land in the Appalachian Mountains in Southern Ohio; the initiative marks one of the largest private land-protection initiatives by nonprofit organizations in the state's history. The land was donated by Betty Lowe, whose family has owned the land for a century. AC will establish a natural area on the property open to the public as the "Joy Valley Nature Preserve," located in Athens and Morgan counties. The property sits within the unglaciated Appalachian Plateau of Southeastern Ohio.

NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS

The City Club of Cleveland recently presented a forum where panelists discussed the current climate of free speech in America. The forum was moderated by Nick Castele, government reporter for Signal Cleveland, and featured panelists including Andrew "Andy" Geronimo, director of the First Amendment Clinic at Case Western Reserve University School of Law, and Peter Koritansky, director of the Center for Civics, Culture and Society at Cleveland State University. The discussion began with a question concerning the recent death of Charlie Kirk: panelists were asked for their reaction on the matter, given their roles on university campuses in Ohio. Calling Kirk a "martyr of free speech," Koritansky said it was a "point of irony" that he was assassinated on a college campus, a place where "free speech should flourish more than really any other place in American society."

PENSIONS

Many of former Secretary of State Ken Blackwell's claims about the State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) in a recent Fox News article have no basis in reality, according to Reps. Adam Bird (R-Cincinnati) and Sean Brennan (D-Parma). "I thought that the Kenneth Blackwell article overtly and implicitly stated some things that I just thought were fantastical and likely untrue," Bird said during the Ohio Retirement Study Council (ORSC) meeting on Thursday, noting he and Brennan decided to tour the STRS facility to investigate Blackwell's claims. While Blackwell accused STRS of spending taxpayer dollars on "luxurious" perks at the facility, Bird called the building "run of the mill commercial real estate in downtown Columbus."

Attorney General Dave Yost argues in recent court filings that no jury needs hear his case against STRS Board Chair Rudy Fichtenbaum and former trustee Wade Steen because he's no longer seeking monetary damages. But Fichtenbaum and Steen argue that Yost cannot sustain his argument that they violated their fiduciary duty to the pension system without showing monetary loss. Yost sued the two men in 2024 to allege fiduciary breach related to their interactions with investment firm QED, an outfit tied to a former state treasury official that pitched STRS on making large investments. The two have strongly denied the allegations.

PEOPLE

The Ohio Center for Law-Related Education (OCLRE) named Warren High School teacher Jason Johnson of Washington County its 2025 winner of the Lori Urogdy Eiler Award for Mock Trial Coaching Excellence. Warren High School's mock trial advisor, Johnson received the award during OCLRE's annual conference at the Ohio Supreme Court.

The Ohio Manufacturers' Association (OMA) Thursday announced Dave O'Neil as its new director of communications and marketing. In this role, O'Neil will serve as the primary media contact and lead strategic efforts to highlight member success stories and the role manufacturing plays in Ohio's economy. He succeeds Tom Evans who has joined the office of U.S. Sen. Jon Husted as his deputy state director.

The National Governors Association (NGA) announced Thursday that Executive Director Bill McBride will retire and leave the organization at the end of the year. McBride has served as the NGA Executive Director since 2019. He guided the organization through the COVID-19 pandemic, built bipartisan bridges on major initiatives and modernized NGA's reach and impact across all 55 U.S. states, commonwealths, and territories.

POLITICS

U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) will deliver the keynote speech at the Ohio Democratic Party's (ODP) Ohio Rising Annual Dinner this month. The dinner will be held from 5:30-8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11, in Columbus. ODP said additional speakers at the dinner will include former U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton, and Ohio Dems Chairwoman Kathleen Clyde.

STATE GOVERNMENT

The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) has asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) to retract its request for information on state laws, regulations or policies that adversely burden interstate commerce and business activities in other states. Through the request, the DOJ is seeking to find out which state laws should be preempted by a federal agency and the enabling congressional legislation that would permit those state laws to be preempted, NCSL said. DOJ is asserting that the request is pursuant to President Donald Trump's Executive Order "Protecting American Energy from State Overreach." NCSL argued that the executive order promotes the idea that state laws are responsible in part for burdening inter- and intrastate commerce, which in turn creates an economic strain on the American people and harms markets nationwide. "The Department of Justice's position that certain state regulations may negatively affect interstate commerce, along with its stated intent to preempt state laws and regulations where feasible, raises concerns regarding collaborative federalism and the 10th Amendment. This approach also appears to overlook principles outlined in Executive Order 13132 on Federalism, exceeds the established bounds of federal authority according to Supreme Court precedent, and does not adequately respect the state-federal relationship. As such, NCSL urges the Department of Justice to withdraw this Request for Information," NCSL said in comments to DOJ.

TAXATION

The House Wednesday passed two bills that address issues with property tax language passed as part of biennial budget HB96 (Stewart) but vetoed by Gov. Mike DeWine. In one bill, lawmakers incorporated a recommendation from the panel of local officials and business leaders DeWine convened to study property taxes after he line-item vetoed provisions from the budget. In another bill, lawmakers looked to fix an unintended consequence of the override of one of those vetoes. HB129 (D. Thomas) would include fixed-sum levies in the 20-mill floor for school districts, a change that would affect about a third of the state's districts. It was amended earlier in the day by the House Ways and Means Committee before clearing the committee unanimously. Sponsor Rep. David Thomas (R-Jefferson) said the amendment addressed the General Assembly's override of a DeWine veto on similar language in the budget, saying now when a levy expires, there is no means for a school to ask for the same amount in a renewal form. He said the amendment says levies will not be moved into the 20-mill floor calculation until re-valuation, and also creates an ability for schools to seek a fixed sum levy, a one-time renewal of the current revenue from an emergency sum that will also be eligible for rollbacks adopted by the General Assembly. Thomas said they wanted to meet schools half-way and give them the ability to levy a fixed amount in certain circumstances such as fiscal distress while looking at a long-term fix.

TECHNOLOGY/AEROSPACE

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) selection of NASA Glenn Research Center to lead development of nuclear power technologies to support lunar bases could result in billions of dollars being invested in the Northeast Ohio region, Greater Cleveland Partnership (GCP) President and CEO Baiju Shah said Friday. "These are technologies that could also power factories and data centers right here on Earth," Shah said during a City Club of Cleveland forum.

TREASURER OF STATE

Treasurer Robert Sprague announced that his office will be launching a new program later this month that will offer reduced interest rate loans to certain Ohio businesses. The Buckeye Business Advantage program will be offered to Ohio businesses with 150 employees or fewer. Following the same "linked deposit" model used for existing programs like Ag-LINK and Ohio Homebuyer Plus, Buckeye Business Advantage offers reduced interest rates on loans to account holders who deposit money at participating banks or credit unions, the treasurer's office said.

WORKERS’ COMPENSATION

The owner of a water removal and restoration company has been ordered to pay nearly $16,000 in restitution to the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation (BWC) following a fraud investigation, BWC announced. The investigation opened after BWC's Compliance Department received an allegation that FloodStar Restoration operated with lapsed BWC coverage.

WORKFORCE

Observing that "finding a job can be a challenge, and for certain groups, it can be even harder," the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) reminds employers that the Work Opportunity Tax Credit is a federal tax credit available to employers for hiring an individual from certain groups who consistently face significant barriers to employment. The credit is available until Dec. 31, 2025, for employers that hire workers who are qualified as part of the following groups such as SNAP recipients, recipients of long-term family assistance or formerly incarcerated individuals, for example. To claim the credit, an employer must first get certification that an individual is certified as a member of one of the groups listed above. To do this, the employer submits IRS Form 8850, Pre-screening Notice and Certification Request for the Work Opportunity Credit, to their state workforce agency within 28 days after the eligible worker begins work. Employers should not submit this form to the IRS. They should contact their state workforce agency with questions about processing Form 8850.

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