Marathon Session at Statehouse Results in Over 50 Passed Bills; Capital Budget Allocates Billions; Primary Date for General Assembly Candidates Officially Set
It was a lengthy, but consequential day at the Ohio Statehouse yesterday. Both the House and Senate conducted longer-than-usual sessions to pass legislation before going home to campaign in their districts for their primary races, which finally have a date. A Federal Court panel ordered that Ohio must conduct a special primary election on August 2 to determine Ohio House and Senate candidates for the general election in November. Using the third set of district maps drawn by the Ohio Redistricting Commission – which were previously found to be unconstitutional by the Ohio Supreme Court – legislators finally have both a date and a district to center a campaign around to secure their party’s nomination.
Before returning home, legislators convened hours-long sessions of the Ohio House and Ohio Senate to pass over four dozen bills, including a $3.5 billion State Capital Budget aimed at improving school safety, upgrading state parks, various local community projects, and most substantially: over $1 billion in incentives toward the Intel semiconductor plant coming to Central Ohio.
Also passed by both chambers was HB 377, which details spending of an additional $942 million. HB 377 establishes the Appalachian Community Grant Program, Governor DeWine’s funding initiative for Appalachian communities, and allocates $500 million towards the program. This bill also includes over $400 million in additional disbursements of federal Coronavirus Relief Funds to small municipalities and townships that have not received COVID relief money directly from the federal government. Additionally, $20 million to local boards of elections to conduct the upcoming August 2 special primary. (See page 2 for a more detailed breakdown of spending).
Not all the legislation that saw action yesterday was without controversy. The Ohio House amended HB 151 to include a provision geared toward preventing transgender girls from competing in female sports in schools across Ohio. The proposal would require transgender female athletes to join male or co-ed teams. If a student's biological sex is called into question, they must get a signed statement from a doctor verifying it. HB 151 was passed out of the House but has yet to go through the Senate. Lawmakers are not expected back in the Statehouse until after the November election.
Other high-profile bills shared the spotlight last night, as well. The House sent an education omnibus bill, HB 583, to Governor DeWine’s desk that changed dozens of provisions in the education space. Sen. Roegner’s SB 156, which recognizes knives as “arms” that are constitutionally protected and provides uniform laws throughout the state regarding the ownership, ultimately passed the House by a vote of 57-32, and is headed to Governor DeWine’s desk.
HB 99, which allows education staff to carry firearms in schools, passed the Senate by a vote of 23-9. The day before the bill passed the Senate, the Senate Veterans and Public Safety Committee accepted a substitute bill that implemented scenario-based training protocols after Governor DeWine called for such measures to be added to the legislation in May. DeWine issued a statement after the legislation was passed to express his support.
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Capital Bill and HB 377 - Spending Breakdown
- $1 billion in initial incentives for the Intel Semiconductor Project
o $600 million grant to offset the cost of building the plant domestically
o $300 million for a water reclamation plant
o $101 million for increasing water and sewer capacity
o $95 million for road work
- $100 million towards school safety grants
- $200 million for upgrades to state parks
o Around $137 million for various facilities (cabins, restrooms, campgrounds, etc.)
o $50 million to water systems operated by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources
o $15 towards new and improved trails
- $403 million for prisons and jails
o Money will go towards window replacements, HVAC upgrades, shower upgrades, security upgrades
o $103 million to the Department of Youth Services for various projects
o $50 million to county jails
o $6 million towards construction of community-based correction facilities
- $20 million to county boards of elections to conduct August 2 primary
- $500 million for the creation of the Appalachian Community Grant Program
o Gov. DeWine has previously stated he envisions this money going towards for downtown redevelopments, increased broadband access, workforce development, and student wellness and addition treatment
- $191 million for local communities
o Local projects such as parks, theatres, and other attractions are eligible for funding
o $32 million of this will be set aside for mental health facilities across the state
For a full breakdown of spending, please follow this link to view a complete summary of the Capital Bill, and this link to view a complete summary of HB 377.