Late Friday, we received word that House Bill (HB) 126 (BOR Process) and HB 458 (Elimination of August Election) have been scheduled for hearings on Tuesday, Dec. 7. Both bills have been starred for an amendment and possible vote. Please contact your legislators today to express your concerns and opposition to both bills. We have provided additional details to assist in your advocacy below.
HB 126 – BOR Process (Rep. Merrin)
The amendment to be introduced in the Senate Ways & Means Committee has not yet been shared; however, the last amendment essentially eliminated a school district’s ability to file property tax complaints and counter-complaints. If the amended bill is passed out of Committee, it will need to be approved by the Senate, followed by concurrence in the House. In addition to the members of the Senate Ways & Means Committee noted below, please contact your legislators in the House and Senate. Talking points on this legislation are provided in the eAlerts here.
Testimony is due 24 hours prior to the hearing on Tuesday, Dec. 7 at 11 a.m. Please submit testimony and a witness slip in opposition based on the current version of the bill to maria.rimmel@ohiosenate.gov. Click here for HB 126 bill text, LSC analysis and fiscal notes.
- Chair, Senator Blessing, blessing@ohiosenate.gov
- Vice Chair, Senator Roegner, roegner@ohiosenate.gov
- Ranking Member, Senator Williams, williams@ohiosenate.gov
- Senator Antonio, antonio@ohiosenate.gov
- Senator Cirino, cirino@ohiosenate.gov
- Senator Dolan, dolan@ohiosenate.gov
- Senator Hottinger, hottinger@ohiosenate.gov
HB 458 – Elimination of August Election (Rep. Hall)
The elimination of the August election has been proposed in one form or another for the past few General Assemblies. This General Assembly, Rep. Hall introduced HB 458 in late October, with sponsor and proponent testimony scheduled on Nov. 9 and Nov. 16, respectively. Click here for HB 458 bill text, LSC analysis, and fiscal notes.
HB 458 is scheduled for a hearing in the House Ways and Means Committee, chaired by Rep. Merrin, on Tuesday, Dec. 7 at 3:00 p.m. Typically, a hearing would be scheduled for opponent testimony; however, the Tuesday hearing is for all testimony. Like HB 126, HB 458 has been starred for an amendment and possible vote on Tuesday.
The elimination of the August election impacts a district’s ability to raise its local share by removing an opportunity for a community to pass a necessary levy. Further, for districts with an OFCC building project, this would eliminate a chance for a district to raise its local share within the 13-month window to gain approval for a bond issue.
In addition to contacting your House Representative, please submit testimony and witness slip in opposition of HB 458 to Rep. Merrin (Chair of House Ways & Means Committee) by 3:00 p.m. on Monday to Ways&MeansCommittee@ohiohouse.gov.
The hearings and the possible amendments for HB 126 and HB 458 were not announced until Friday evening. With votes scheduled for both bills, these are likely their final hearings. We share your frustration with the short notice and appreciate your hard work in advocating against both bills.
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