Latest news from the Ohio Statehouse Janice Lanier JD RN Liaison Public Policy Committee
Legislative activity
While there has been lots of activity around the statehouse, the focus has been on moving bills that could be politically useful in the coming general election. Adding to the mix are the ongoing conflicts within the House republican caucus involving Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima) and House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) over who will lead the House in the next (136th) General Assembly. Read More
Legislative Update Janice Lanier JD RN Liaison Public Policy Committee
Political activity
The General Assembly has been on its primary election break, which means there has been little official business taking place for the past month. All of that is expected to change when lawmakers return to Columbus in April. What they will actually accomplish remains to be seen. The battles within the Republican Party, that are likely to be a harbinger of what to expect in the months ahead, continue as the primary election results are being interpreted in a variety of ways, depending on one’s perspective. Further, the expected battle for the Speaker of the House position between current Senate President, Matt Huffman (who will win a seat in the Ohio House in November), and current House Speaker Jason Stephens will heat up and affect what the chambers decide to focus on and how business will be conducted for the next few months.
Read the latest 135th General Assembly Bill Tracking as of March 1, 2024
Legislative activity Money, how to make it and how to spend it, has been uppermost in the minds of Ohio's lawmakers in the early months of 2024
Making money Two bills were introduced in late January, one in the house and the other in the senate, to eliminate the state income tax. Although both bills have the same goal to eliminate Ohio's state income tax by 2030, SB 216 (senators George Lang (R-West Chester) and Steve Huffman (R-Tipp City) & HB 386 sponsored by representatives Adam Mathews (RLebanon) and Brian Lampton (R-Beavercreek) vary in the approach taken to achieve their mutual goal. Both bills were referred to the ways and means committees of the respective sponsors’ legislative chambers; however, no hearings have been held yet.
The ANA-Ohio Board of Directors approved the following statement at its December 11, 2023, board meeting.
Members of the ANA-Ohio Public Policy Committee are reviewing HB 285 very carefully. (The bill would in part establish nurse patient ratios in Ohio law). Neither the committee nor the association has taken an official position on the proposal yet, largely because the issue is very complex, and the bill bears scrutiny. We encourage nurses to read the bill very carefully and to contact ANA-Ohio with specific questions or concerns. It is not an easy read so please feel free to reach out.
As for a general update the bill was introduced October 2, 2023, and referred to the House Health Provider Services Committee on October 3, 2023. It has not been scheduled for a hearing yet. The bill has bipartisan co-sponsors, including Rep. Beth Liston (D-Dublin) a physician who is also on the health committee that will be hearing the bill. Neither of the nurses in the General Assembly (Rep. Rachel Baker (D-Cincinnati) nor Jennifer Gross (R-West Chester) has signed on to co-sponsor; nor did physician Rep. Anita Somani (D-Dublin) ranking member on the committee. Both nurses are also members of the committee. Bill sponsor, Rep. Haraz Ghanbari (R-Perrysburg) described the bill as a work in progress, and said he was working with hospitals to make it "workable" for them. The bill is also sponsored by Rep. Elgin Rogers (D-Toledo).
As of January 15th, the bill had not been scheduled for a committee hearing. Given the very limited time the House is likely to be meeting prior to the March 19th primary, we continue to believe the bill will not receive serious scrutiny for some time. There remains time to do a thorough review and develop an equally thorough response.
View PDF Statement
Response to Israel-Gaza ConflictSubmitted by Jan Lanier, JD, RN
ANA-Ohio believes the statement issued by the International Council of Nurses (ICN) Board of Directors on November 8, 2023, thoughtfully reflects the concerns of nurses throughout the world with respect to the ongoing conflict in Israel and Gaza. A link to the statement is provided below.
State legislators began their holiday break in mid-December and will return to Columbus in mid-January. Originally, the return was scheduled for the week of January 22nd, but the house pushed the date up in response to Governor Mike DeWine's veto of the HB68, the controversial bill dealing with health care restrictions for transgender youth.
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The ANA-OH Board of Directors approved the following statement at it's December 11, 2023 board meeting. View statement here
The statehouse has been anything but quiet since the November 7th election results were announced. While committee action was sparce, lots of conversations were occurring on both sides of the aisle. Committee hearings and house and senate sessions are going to go full 8lt before lawmakers leave Columbus for the holidays. The calendar for the week before Thanksgiving is full, and it is likely early December will be busy as well.
Legislative Update Janice Lanier, JD, RN Liaison Public Policy Committee
Late September, early October were busy months at the Ohio statehouse as both the senate and house standing committees held hearings on multiple bills. However, meetings of the full house have been rare, so much work remains to be done as 2023 come to a close. Of course, there’s always 2024, but legislators’ schedules will reflect competing priorities in the weeks ahead. They will likely take time to process the results of the November 7th general election that will decide the fate of two statewide issues and many other local races and proposals. Holiday time will slow activity before the looming March primary election takes center stage.
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