The Ohio House and Ohio Senate have a busy week ahead with both chambers in session and 19 standing committees meeting. The Ohio Chamber Government Affairs team will also be busy actively tracking 25 bills that are scheduled for a hearing. Among the bills set for a possible committee vote this upcoming week are SB 9 and HB 447, which both made our Top 10 Legislative Priority List for Winter 2022.
Senate Bill 9 will reduce the number of regulations by 30 percent before June 30, 2025, and House Bill 447 creates a new standard for when work from home employees are eligible for workers’ compensation benefits.
In the House Energy & Natural Resources Committee this week, House Bill 430 is receiving its third hearing with possible amendments and a possible vote. House Bill 430 creates safety communications between property developers/owners and pipeline operators when new land use or property development is planned near a transmission pipeline.
Likewise, the House Public Utilities Committee is hearing two bills that the Ohio Chamber is currently monitoring, HB 317 and HB 450. Both are expected to adopt substitute bills. House Bill 317 attempts to eliminate electric security plans and pushes electric distribution utilities toward a hybrid-approach of ratemaking. House Bill 450 will allow the PUCO to certify up to 2,000 megawatts of community solar projects with an additional 1,000 megawatts in distressed areas.
We are awaiting HB 126 to be brought to the House floor for a concurrence vote since the Ohio Senate made several positive changes to the bill after it passed from the House last April. The enactment of HB 126 is a key part of the Ohio Chamber’s push to improve the state of Ohio's current D+ grade from the Council on State Taxation’s Property Tax Administration Scorecard.
