In its 2021 Annual Report, the Ohio Ethics Commission provides statistics and lists on several of the Commission’s activities for the year including a breakdown of the top five categories for investigations last year....more
After failing to meet the Ohio Supreme Court’s ordered deadline for submitting House and Senate district maps, the Ohio Redistricting Commission passed its third version of district boundaries by a 4-3 vote on February 24,...more
While most were watching the Bengals defeat the Titans in the NFL playoffs on January 22, 2022, the Ohio Redistricting Commission adopted new state House and Senate district boundaries. The commission faced a midnight...more
On January 14, 2022, the Ohio Supreme Court invalidated the state’s newly redrawn congressional districts. In a 4-3 vote, mirroring the earlier decision invalidating the State House and Senate Districts, Justice Michael...more
On May 12, 2021, Governor Mike DeWine addressed Ohioans regarding Ohio’s COVID-19 health orders, stating that with the vaccine as a weapon to combat COVID-19, he is confident that it is time to rescind Ohio’s COVID-19 health...more
On November 17, 2020, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced that the administration is issuing a statewide curfew that takes effect on Thursday, November 19, 2020. Under the curfew, individuals are to be at home from 10 p.m....more
On Tuesday, November 3, 2020, Ohioans, like the rest of the country, cast ballots in the 2020 general election. Many counties in Ohio and around the country reported record-breaking early voter turnout. Approximately 3.4...more
On July 23, 2020, Governor DeWine addressed the arrest of Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, the movement to repeal H.B. 6 (the legislation regarding Ohio’s two nuclear power plants at the heart of the allegations against...more
Instead of his traditional press conference, Governor DeWine addressed Ohioans on Wednesday evening, July 15, 2020. He made an emotional appeal to all citizens, imploring them to engage in safe and smart behaviors, such as...more
At Governor DeWine’s July 9, 2020, press conference, he updated the state’s most recent COVID-19 reporting numbers and county alert levels, offered additional guidance for higher education, announced the latest data from the...more
7/13/2020
/ Colleges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Educational Institutions ,
Homeless Issues ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Public Health ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Safety Standards ,
State and Local Government ,
Students ,
Universities
The Bricker & Eckler government relations team has compiled a comprehensive review of Governor DeWine’s latest announcements, including the surprise resignation of Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton, General...more
6/16/2020
/ Administrative Appointments ,
Best Practices ,
CARES Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Event Cancellation ,
First Amendment ,
General Assembly ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Religious Institutions ,
Restaurant Industry ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets ,
Statute of Limitations ,
Virus Testing
RestartOhio, the state’s reopening plan during the COVID-19 pandemic, is in full swing, and Governor DeWine announced reopening dates for restaurants, bars, hair salons, nail salons and barber shops. In addition, the Ohio...more
On May 5, 2020, Governor DeWine announced a reduction of $775 million in General Revenue Fund (GRF) expenditures for the remainder of the 2020 fiscal year. Tax receipts were lagging due to declining economic activity caused...more
On April 30, 2020, Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton signed and extended Ohio’s stay-at-home order until May 29, 2020, called the “Stay Safe Ohio Order.” The order keeps the stay at home order in effect but...more
5/5/2020
/ Business Closures ,
Construction Project ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Operators of Essential Services ,
Retail Market ,
Shelter-In-Place ,
Social Distancing ,
State and Local Government ,
Unnecessary Medical Procedures
Ohio’s primary election cycle concluded on April 28, 2020. Here are election results for the U.S. President, U.S. House of Representatives, Ohio Supreme Court, and key Ohio Senate and Ohio House races....more
On April 16, 2020, Governor DeWine began outlining his expectations for how Ohio may begin to allow nonessential businesses to resume operating when the current stay at home order expires on May 1. ...more
On April 2, 2020, Governor DeWine announced that Ohio’s Stay At Home Order is extended until May 1, 2020. The new order takes effect at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, April 6, 2020. The order is largely the same as the previous order,...more
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ohio Senate amended Substitute House Bill 197 with several provisions including emergency clauses to help Ohio navigate this crisis. The Ohio House approved these amendments, and the...more
As of March 16, 2020, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ohio reached 50 with 14 hospitalizations. The DeWine Administration provides daily updates and has also created a portal for all COVID-19 related updates,...more
3/19/2020
/ Business Closures ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Event Cancellation ,
Government Entities ,
Nursing Homes ,
Primary Elections ,
Restaurant Industry ,
School Closures ,
Small Business ,
State and Local Government ,
Unemployment Benefits
The Ohio Department of Agriculture’s Hemp Program recently announced that it is now accepting applications for hemp licenses for cultivators and processors....more
The Joint Legislative Ethics Committee (JLEC) recently gave guidance that lobbyists and employers must “affirmatively invite” all members of the General Assembly or all members of the House or Senate to qualify as an “all...more
With the start of a new decade, our team wants to share an overview of the past year and a look ahead to the coming months. Please find here a review of relevant legislation that the General Assembly passed in 2019, a summary...more
1/17/2020
/ Appropriations Bill ,
Ballot Measures ,
Credentialing ,
Cybersecurity ,
Energy Efficiency ,
Energy Policy ,
Environmental Policies ,
General Assembly ,
Gun Laws ,
Information Technology ,
Infrastructure ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Nuclear Power ,
OH Supreme Court ,
Power Plants ,
Primary Elections ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Public Utilities Commission ,
Public Utility ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Renewable Energy ,
Sports Gambling ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets ,
Statute of Limitations ,
Water Quality
On November 5, 2019, Ohioans took to the polls for a host of local elections. The 2019 General Election did not feature any statewide ballot issues but featured several interesting local races around the state.
...more
On July 17, 2019, after a 17-day delay, Governor Mike DeWine and the 133rd General Assembly completed work on House Bill (H.B.) 166, the state’s general operating budget for the biennium. It concludes several months of...more
8/2/2019
/ Economic Development ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Income Taxes ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Libraries ,
Peer-to-Peer ,
Public Schools ,
Public Utilities Commission ,
Sharing Economy ,
Small Business ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets ,
State Funding ,
Tax Deductions ,
Tax Revenues ,
Water Supplies
For only the third time in the past 28 years, and for the first time since 2009, the Ohio General Assembly failed to pass a two-year state operating budget by the June 30 Constitutional deadline. The House and Senate passed...more
7/2/2019
/ General Assembly ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) ,
School Districts ,
Small Business ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets ,
State Funding ,
Tax Deductions ,
Tax Policy