Ohio Bill Aims for Transparency on Property Tax Levies

  In November 2018, the Sylvania School District placed a property tax levy on the ballot. Information shared in the media and other advertisements said the 0.9 mill levy would cost the owner of a $100,000 home about $2.63 per month. But the ballot language read: “An additional tax for…

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Ohio House Approves Criteria to Ease College Transfers, Grant Associate Degrees

  The Ohio House passed a bill to make transferring colleges easier, but not without first adding more details on the criteria for doing so. Substitute House Bill 9 also adds provisions for determining if students who have left school without a bachelor’s degree are eligible for an associate’s degree…

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Business Groups Oppose Ohio Bill Allowing Anonymous Wage Discrimination Complaints

  Should employees in Ohio be able to make anonymous complaints about wage discrimination? Two members of the House believe so, but the lack of details over how such complaints would be handled may doom their current legislation. House Bill 221 is co-sponsored by Representatives Janine Boyd (D-9) and Erica…

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Ohio House Bill Aims to Streamline College Transfers, Help Students Graduate On Time

  A new bill in the Ohio House aims to make it easier for college students to transfer schools and graduate on time. State Reps. Don Jones (R-95) and Bride Rose Sweeney (D-14) are sponsors of House Bill 9, the Higher Education Degree Attainment Reform bill. They say it contains common…

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Ohio Bill Allowing Plastic Bags Runs Into ‘Home Rule’ Issue

  The issue of home rule was center stage Wednesday as a House committee debated a ban on taxing plastic bags and containers. House Bill 242 would create a state-wide law allowing the use of “auxiliary containers” and prohibiting any local government from imposing a tax, fee or charge on…

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Ohio House Approves PTSD, Citizenship Question in Workers’ Compensation Budget Bill

  The Ohio House passed a $645 million Bureau of Workers’ Compensation budget Wednesday, including new coverage for post-traumatic stress disorder for first responders and a citizenship question for claimants. The two-year budget passed by a vote of 56 to 38, after adding an amendment to require citizenship information on the…

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The ‘Other’ Work of the Ohio General Assembly

  Should Dunkleosteus terrelli be Ohio’s official fossil fish? Should the sugar cookie be the official cookie of the state? What about the Monarch Butterfly?  Should it become the official butterfly for Ohio? The Ohio Senate believes the answer to the first question is yes. Senate Bill 123 was unanimously passed…

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State Senator Calls for Study on African Americans in Ohio

  An Ohio senator is calling for a study that examines the “progress and challenges of African Americans in Ohio.” State Senator Sandra Williams (D-21) introduced Senate Bill 71, which would create and fund a 30-member committee to examine the contributions of, and issues facing, African Americans in the state.…

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Ohio Lawmakers Urged to Eliminate ‘Redundant’ and Costly Motor Vehicle Repair Board

  Since The Buckeye Institute first started publishing its Piglet Book in 2005, it’s recommended eliminating Ohio’s Motor Vehicle Repair Board. The Buckeye Institute, an independent think tank whose mission is to advance free-market public policy, issues a regular Piglet Book that analyzes “Ohio’s proposed biennial budget and offers savings for…

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Ohio Bill Would End ‘Right of First Refusal’ for Schools of Choice

  For nearly eight years, charter and community schools in Ohio have had an advantage: first dibs on any public school property that was for sale. It’s a process called a right of first refusal. House Bill 43 will eliminate that advantage. Right now, if a school district wants to sell…

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The Ohio Department of Education Asks Sunset Review to Eliminate Four Committees

  The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) is asking the Sunset Review Committee to eliminate four of its committees. The committees, which reviewed the state’s academic standards for English language arts, math, science and social studies, completed their work in 2016. As a result, they are no longer needed. “These…

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