Insights

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Jan 3, 2023 | Ohio Supreme Court Restores the Presumption of Regularity for Executive Session Deliberations

Public bodies rejoiced over the Ohio Supreme Court’s opinion in State of Ohio ex rel. Christopher Hicks v. Clermont County Board of Commissioners this past holiday season. The largely contentious case drew statewide attention and hinged upon one cruc...

Jun 3, 2022 | State Issues Set for November Ballot

Ohio voters will have the opportunity to weigh in on two constitutional amendments on the ballot this November. HJR 2 and HJR 4 cleared the Ohio legislature yesterday during marathon sessions as the General Assembly worked to wrap up loose ends pr...

May 4, 2022 | Primary Election Recap

The Highlights: Trump-backed J.D. Vance emerged victorious in a crowded Republican primary field for U.S. Senate. Vance will face U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan in November. Former Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley won the Democratic primary for governor, while in...

Feb 16, 2022 | Broadband Access Ohio Formed to Promote High-Speed Internet Across Ohio

A new association established to promote communities' role in broadband access officially launched this morning. Broadband Access Ohio will advocate for access to high-speed, secure internet across the state.   Communities across the state have st...

Feb 11, 2022 | The Return of Virtual Open Meetings

The virtual public meeting option available last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic will return with the recent passage of Sub HB 51.  The Ohio Open Meetings Act requires public bodies, including Boards of Education, municipalities and other publi...

Jan 12, 2022 | Ohio Supreme Court Rules State Legislative Districts Unconstitutional

The Ohio Supreme Court struck down the recently adopted state legislative maps in a 4-3 decision announced late this afternoon.  The Court has ordered the Ohio Redistricting Commission to reconvene and adopt new maps.  Given the looming election f...

Dec 10, 2021 | Ohio Votes to Legalize Sports Betting

Ohio lawmakers have reached an agreement that will legalize sports betting for those 21 and older. House Bill 29, which was passed by the Ohio House of Representatives and Senate on December 8 and is expected to be signed into law by Governor DeWine...

Nov 19, 2021 | House Passes Build Back Better Act

By: Julianna Moyer & Galen L. Schuerlein Early Friday morning, the U.S. House of Representatives approved President Biden’s sweeping social and climate spending proposal known as the Build Back Better Framework. Key provisions in the approximately...

Nov 8, 2021 | H.R. 3684: Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

On November 5, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a $1.2 trillion infrastructure spending bill that will make historic investments in core infrastructure priorities including roads and bridges, rail, transit, ports, airports, the electric gri...

Jul 7, 2021 | New Funding, Mandates for K-12 Schools in Ohio’s Operating Budget

Ohio’s FY 22-23 Operating Budget: Overall Policy Implications for K-12 Schools The following document provides an overview of changes to law affecting Ohio’s K-12 schools which are contained in Substitute House Bill 110 (“HB 110”), the State of Oh...

Mar 24, 2021 | Legislature Limits Governor’s Emergency Powers, Overriding Veto on SB 22

The Statehouse hosted its first veto override votes of 2021 on Wednesday, when the House and Senate gathered to override Governor DeWine’s veto of Senate Bill 22, which amends the powers of the executive branch in an emergency, making virtually all e...

Mar 11, 2021 | The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021

Update: President Biden signed The American Rescue Plan Act on March 11, 2021 On Wednesday afternoon, Congress passed The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, a broad, comprehensive policy response to the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemi...

Mar 3, 2021 | Ohio Legislature Drops Multi-Billion Dollar COVID Relief Plan

The Ohio Legislature dropped a multi-billion dollar COVID relief plan on Tuesday afternoon intended to improve public health and provide support to entities disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. The $2.15 billion proposal is part of the Stateh...

Feb 24, 2021 | Federal Government Makes Unexpected Announcement: States Must Administer Statewide Assessments in 2020-2021 School Year

Given the havoc that COVID-19 has wreaked on our educational system, should schools be mandated to administer statewide summative assessments during the 2020-2021 school year?  Nationwide, state legislatures have invited testimony, debated possibl...

Feb 10, 2021 | Governor Mike DeWine Announces Home Relief Grant Program

On Tuesday, February 9, 2021 Governor Mike DeWine announced the Home Relief Grant program. This program includes $100 million to help low-income Ohioans who do not own their own home pay for housing costs, to include rent, mortgage, water, sewer, was...

Dec 11, 2020 | Ohio Unveils New Data Website as Part of a Transparency Initiative

Lt. Gov. Jon Husted rolled out DataOhio, fulfilling Gov. Mike DeWine’s campaign pledge to provide open, secure access to data to the public, media and policy makers. The technology platform, found at data.ohio.gov, will display datasets, facilitate r...

Nov 20, 2020 | HB 404 Addresses Virtual Meetings, Virtual Learning, and Excess CARES Funding

Update: Governor Mike DeWine signed HB 404 into law on November 23, 2020 In March, the General Assembly made temporary changes to Ohio’s Open Meetings Act, which governs the practices of public bodies.1  House Bill 197 allowed such bodies (includi...

Nov 4, 2020 | GOP Expands Statehouse Dominance in 2020 Election

Election Day is now behind us. Though voters had been repeatedly cautioned to be patient, Ohioans need not wonder who will control the Ohio Statehouse come January. Republicans saw resounding victories, picking up seats in both the Ohio Senate and th...

Oct 14, 2020 | Public Employee Loses First Amendment Retaliation Claim After Publicly Posting a Racial Slur on Facebook That Caused Sufficient Workplace Disruption

The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, in Bennett v. Metro. Gov’t of Nashville, recently addressed the issue of whether a public employee’s use of a racial slur when discussing politics on Facebook is sufficiently protected by the First Amendment to out...

Sep 16, 2020 | Civil Immunity for Schools, Businesses, and Healthcare Providers Related to Coronavirus

Ohio House Bill 606 (“HB 606”) provides civil immunity to schools, businesses, and healthcare providers that unknowingly spread coronavirus. HB 606 specifies that the definition of person “includes a school, a for-profit or nonprofit entity, a govern...

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