October 28, 2022

UPDATE AT A GLANCE

OHIO POLICE & FIRE PENSION FUND MEETS STATE FUNDING THRESHOLD

The Ohio Police & Fire Pension Fund board sent formal estimates to the Ohio Retirement Study Council this week that say the system is on track to pay down its liabilities in slightly over 28 years. Regardless, the OP&F is still pushing for passage of HB 512, which would increase the contribution amounts that employers must make to the the fund. OML opposes the bill.

LEGISLATIVE SPOTLIGHT: HB445 - CHANGES TO 911 SERVICE

House Bill 445, makes changes to the laws governing 9-1-1 service to help modernize the technology. OML is part of a coalition the sent a memo expressing support for the bill to House and Senate leadership this week. See more below.

LEGISLATIVE SPOTLIGHT: SB23 - SCHOOL BUS SAFETY ACT

Senate Bill 23, designated as the School Bus Safety Act, would impose a civil penalty when a driver who illegally passes a school bus cannot be identified, among other measures. See more below.

HUNDREDS OF BLIGHTED BUILDINGS TO BE DEMOLISHED THROUGH REVITALIZATION PROGRAM

The governor's administration announced today that 825 blighted and vacant structures will be demolished through the Ohio Building Demolition and Site Revitalization Program, which helps local communities tear down buildings and revitalize surrounding properties to attract investments, business, and jobs. Approved Projects

OHIO RECEPTION TO TAKE PLACE AT NLC CITY SUMMIT

The National League of Cities will have its annual City Summit in Kansas City Nov. 17-19. The conference is for municipalities of all sizes and will focus on leading into the future. Be sure to register, and join OML for an Ohio reception on the evening of Nov. 18. More Info

NEIGHBORHOOD REVITALIZATION GRANTS AWARDED

More than $10.6 million in Neighborhood Revitalization and Critical Infrastructure grants were awarded to 20 communities, including the cities of Findlay, Mount Vernon, and Wooster. The grants will go toward assisting neighborhood improvement projects designed to improve the health, safety, and general welfare of residents. More Info

$20 MILLION BEING DISTRIBUTED FOR HOUSING

The Ohio Department of Development will distribute $20 million in funds to 28 communities through the Community Housing Impact and Preservation program, which partners with communities to preserve and improve Ohio’s affordable housing stock through a variety of housing-related initiatives that include home renovation, repair, and rental assistance. Cities receiving the funding include Fairborn, Fostoria, Kent, Medina, and Shelby. More Info

PUBLIC WATER SYSTEMS RECEIVING A COLLECTIVE $2.4 MILLION

Through the H2Ohio initiative, 53 public water systems in 37 counties are receiving a collective $2.4 million. All the applicants are receiving their full funding request of up to $50,000 to help identify and remove lead water lines that remain in their area. More Info

LOCAL COURTS RECEIVE FUNDING FOR CASE BACKLOGS

51 local courts will receive a total of $10.2 million in grant funding to help reduce accumulated backlogs of pending court proceedings. The Ohio Court Backlog Reduction Program is funded through ARPA. Non-county entities receiving awards include the municipal courts in Akron, Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, Delaware, Fairborn, Hamilton, Huron, Lakewood, Lorain, Marietta, Shaker Heights, Struthers, and Youngstown. More Info

WHITE PAPER RELEASED ON THE BENEFITS OF BROWNFIELDS

The Greater Ohio Policy Center released a white paper on “The Benefit of Brownfields” that analyzes the Ohio Department of Development’s awarding of $252 million during the first round of the Brownfield Remediation Fund. The funds went to 58 counties for 115 clean-up projects and 74 assessments. More Info

EMS ELECTRONIC CERTIFICATION PROGRAM NOW AVAILABLE

The Ohio Division of Emergency Medical Services has a new electronic certification program for firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics to access their certification card on their phones. Previously, physical cards have been printed and mailed to individuals. The new process will allow the individual to print his/her own certificate that will reflect all active certifications. Employers will also be able to generate and print a list of all current certificate holders who are affiliated with their agency. More Info

CONTROLLING BOARD APPROVES BROADBAND REQUEST

The Controlling Board, which provides legislative oversight over state operating expenditures, approved a broadband-related request this week. $3 million will be used to create a five-year action plan to allow for a grant program to identify internet service providers to assist in connecting unserved and underserved households, while $1.5 million would be allocated for BroadbandOhio to plan ahead to make Ohio eligible for further capacity grant funding to implement the plan and support projects throughout the state.

LEGISLATIVE SPOTLIGHT: HB 445 - CHANGES TO 911 SERVICE

House Bill 445, makes changes to the laws governing 9-1-1 service to help modernize the technology. OML is part of a coalition the sent a memo expressing support for the bill to House and Senate leadership this week.

It was introduced by former Rep. Rick Carfagna, who left the legislature earlier this session, and Rep. Kent Smith. It has received four hearings in the House Transportation and Public Safety Committee, chaired by Rep. Brian Baldridge, including proponent testimony from OML.

The legislation would fund and construct a statewide next-generation 9-1-1 system (NextGen9-1-1), moving away from a system largely designed for landline phones. Local governments would have five years to join the new system.

The bill seeks an expansion of the current $0.25 fee on wireless phones to apply to all services/devices capable of directly accessing 9-1-1. The fee expansion will provide the funding necessary to build and maintain a statewide core services and emergency services internet-protocol network to serve local 9-1-1 centers. Core services include:

• Call Routing for all 9-1-1 traffic
• Authoritative location information for all 9-1-1 calls
• Policy based routing information
• Integrated text-to-9-1-1 service
• GIS (geographic information systems) integration
• 99.999% reliability

Bill Analysis

LEGISLATIVE SPOTLIGHT: SB23 - SCHOOL BUS SAFETY ACT

Senate Bill 23, designated as the School Bus Safety Act, would impose a civil penalty when a driver who illegally passes a school bus cannot be identified, among other measures.

It was introduced by Sen. Theresa Gavarone and has received three hearings in the Senate Veterans and Public Safety Committee, chaired by Sen. Frank Hoagland. Major provisions include:

• Authorizes cameras to be installed on school buses to provide an image, images, or video of a person illegally passing a school bus.
• Creates a civil enforcement scheme to be used when a school bus camera captures the license plate of a vehicle illegally passing a stopped school bus, but the driver of the vehicle cannot be identified. 
• After receiving a report that someone has illegally passed a stopped school bus, it requires a law enforcement officer to: issue a criminal citation if the driver of the vehicle can be identified; issue a ticket for a civil violation to the vehicle owner, if the driver cannot be identified, provided that the school bus owner has installed school bus cameras on all actively operated buses and the camera captures the necessary information for the ticket; or issue a warning to the vehicle owner if the driver cannot be identified, but the requirements to issue a civil ticket are not met. 
• Creates the School Bus Safety and Education Fund, managed by the Superintendent of Public Instruction, with funds used for student safety on buses and public awareness of bus safety laws.

Bill Analysis