Monthly Updates

April 2008 - Update
March 2008 - Update

Topics of Interest

Education · State Programs Funding · Older Adults · Child Welfare · Transportation
· Health Care

Ohio S.B. 98, 127th General Assembly - Autism Diagnosis Education Program

Enacts section 3701.135 to create Autism Diagnosis Education Pilot Program and to provide funding for the Pilot Program by making an appropriation for the biennium beginning on July 1, 2007.

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Ohio Am. Sub. S.B. 311, 126th General Assembly- Ohio Core Curriculum and Parental Involvement

Establishes the Ohio Core curriculum of 20 specified units of study as the minimum curriculum required for high school graduation from all school districts, community schools, and chartered nonpublic schools, beginning with the Class of 2014.

The act applies the requirement to adopt a parental involvement policy to community schools.  It also directs the State Board of Education to adopt recommendations for the development of parental involvement policies by districts and schools.  The State Board must consult with the National Center for Parents at the University of Toledo in developing its recommendations.

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Federal H.R. 3419, 110th Congress - Reducing Barriers to Learning

To establish an Office of Specialized Instructional Support Services in the Department of Education and to provide grants to State educational agencies to reduce barriers to learning.

Reducing Barriers to Learning Act of 2007 - Amends the Department of Education Organization Act to create an Office of Specialized Instructional Support Services within the Department of Education to improve specialized instructional support services in schools.

Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish a Reduced Barriers to Learning program authorizing the Secretary of Education to award competitive matching grants to states to: (1) establish or expand specialized instructional support services and programs at the state level that are designed to provide technical assistance, coordination, and support to specialized instructional support services and programs that address barriers to learning within local educational agencies and individual schools; and (2) to hire and support specialized instructional support services coordinators to provide such assistance, coordination, and support.

Replaces pupil services and pupil services personnel with specialized instructional support services and specialized instructional support personnel.

Defines such services as those provided by school counselors, social workers, psychologists, and other qualified professionals that provide assessment, diagnosis, counseling, educational, therapeutic, and other necessary services as part of a comprehensive program to meet student needs.

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Ohio S.B. 331, 127th General Assembly - Evaluations of Community Schools and Community School Teachers

To require regular on-site evaluations of community schools, to require certain community school teachers to be "highly qualified," and to make other changes regarding public schools.

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Ohio H.B. 341, 127th General Assembly - Healthy Farms and Healthy Schools Grant Program

Creates the Healthy Farms and Healthy Schools Grant Program, to be administered by the Director of Agriculture, to provide grants to public and private schools with kindergarten programs to educate kindergarten students and their families about choosing healthy, locally grown or produced foods and to increase awareness of Ohio agriculture. 

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Ohio Sub. S.B. 273, 127th General Assembly - Classroom Facilities Assistance Funds

Requires the calculation of an alternate ranking of school districts for FY 2008, based on open enrollment net gain for the previous year, for purposes of determining school districts' eligibility for assistance under the Classroom Facilities Assistance Program (CFAP) and their local shares in FY 2009.

Requires the recalculation of the local share of a current project under CFAP for certain districts that had a net gain in open enrollment when they became eligible for assistance under the program.

Requires the calculation of an alternative ranking, based on a one-year adjusted valuation per pupil, for FY 2009 funding under CFAP and the Exceptional Needs School Facilities Assistance Program for certain districts with large one-year reductions in tax valuation.

Specifies the local share of new CFAP projects for school districts that previously received assistance under CFAP or the Exceptional Needs Program within the prior 20-year period.

Increases from 2% to 3% the percentage of classroom facilities appropriations in FY 2008 that may be used for assistance to joint vocational school districts.

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Ohio H.B. 517, 127th General Assembly - Committee to Study per Pupil Cost for Public Education

To enact section 3317.018 of the Revised Code to establish a committee to study the actual per pupil cost of educating students in public schools and make recommendations regarding the funding of public schools.

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Ohio H.B. 519, 127th General Assembly - Require Parents to Volunteer in Schools

To amend sections 109.57, 5733.01, 5733.98, and 5751.98 and to enact sections 124.1311, 3313.88, 3321.30, 5733.54, 5747.124, and 5751.54 of the Revised Code to require parents of students enrolled in school districts to perform volunteer service for the district, to grant state employees paid leave to participate in a child's educational activities, to allow a nonrefundable credit against the corporate franchise or commercial activity tax for employer-paid leave enabling employees to participate in school-related activities, and to require school districts to establish mentoring programs for students.

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Ohio S.C.R. 18, 127th General Assembly - Changes to the State Academic Accountability System

Approves the Department of Education's proposed changes to the state academic accountability system (1) to implement a growth model as another option for school districts and school buildings to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) and (2) to establish a uniform minimum subgroup size of 30 students for calculating the proficiency rate component of AYP.

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State Programs Funding

Ohio H.B. 119, 127th General Assembly - Operating Appropriations

To make operating appropriations for the biennium beginning July 1, 2007 and ending June 30, 2009, and to provide authorization and conditions for the operation of state programs.

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Older Adults

Ohio S.B. 5, 127th General Assembly - PASSPORT, assisted living, residential supplement-revise laws

The main budget bill of the 126th General Assembly (Am. Sub. H.B. 66) includes a mechanism through which individuals on a waiting list for the PASSPORT program who are admitted to a nursing facility may instead participate in PASSPORT, even if the participation causes the program to exceed enrollment limitations (Section 206.66.44).  This provision expires June 30, 2007.
The bill makes this provision permanent with some changes, by making it part of the Revised Code, extends the provision to the state's Residential State Supplement (RSS) program, and expands eligibility for the Assisted Living Program.

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Ohio S.B. 74, 127th General Assembly - Kinship Permanency Incentive Program

To amend Section 206.67.08 and Section 206.66 of Am. Sub. H.B. 66, 126th General Assembly

To increase the TANF block grant earmark for the Kinship Permanency Incentive Program by $50 million in FY2007 and to make an appropriation.

The Department of Job & Family Services will prepare reports about the stability and permanency outcomes for children for whom Kinship Permanency payments are made. They will also prepare reports about the total amount of Kinship Permanency payments, patterns of expenditures made per child, and cost savings due to kinship placements rather than out-of-home placements.

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Ohio Sub. S.B. 87, 127th General Assembly - Emergency Alert Program

The bill creates the Statewide Emergency Alert Program to aid in the identification and location of missing persons with mental impairment or who are 65 years of age or older.  The missing persons to be aided by the program must be temporary or permanent residents of Ohio or be believed to be temporary or permanent residents, must be at a location that cannot be determined by an individual familiar with the person, and must be incapable of returning to their residences without assistance. 

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Ohio S.B. 272, 127th General Assembly - Areas Served by the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE)

Federal law permits a state to include in its Medicaid program a component known as the Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). Under the PACE component, the state agency administering the PACE component and the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services enter into an agreement with a provider under which the provider, directly or by contract with other entities, provides medical services to individuals enrolled in the PACE component.

Current law does not specify the areas of the state to be covered by the PACE component.  The bill requires that the PACE component be available to eligible residents of Cuyahoga, Franklin, and Hamilton counties and eligible residents of other counties, or parts of other counties, the Department of Aging selects.

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Child Welfare

Ohio H.B. 181, 127th General Assembly - Student Records of Children Reported Missing and Alternative Placement Caregivers Presenting Evidence at Certain Hearings

Allows a law enforcement agency that takes a missing child report to notify the public or nonpublic school in which the missing child is or was most recently enrolled that the child is the subject of a missing child report and that the child's school records are to be marked.

Requires each public and nonpublic school to mark the records of a pupil currently or previously enrolled in the school when the school receives notice from a law enforcement agency that the pupil has been reported to be a missing child and to notify that law enforcement agency whenever it receives a request for a copy of or information regarding that pupil's records.

Requires a law enforcement agency that took a missing child report and receives notice that the missing child has returned to the home of, or to the care, custody, and control of the child's caregiver, has been released if the missing child was the victim of a specified offense, or otherwise has been located to promptly inform any school that was notified under the bill's provisions that the minor no longer is a missing child.

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Ohio Sub. H.B. 247, 127th General Assembly, As Reported by the House Juvenile and Family Law Committee - Civil Protection Orders and Domestic Violence Law

To amend sections 2151.23, 2903.214, 2919.25, 3113.31, and 3113.33 of the Revised Code to allow a court to issue a civil protection order to a child who has had or has a dating relationship with the respondent if certain offenses are alleged and to include foster parents under the scope of the domestic violence laws.

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Transportation

Ohio H.B. 480, 127th General Assembly - Membership in Regional Transit Authority

This bill creates a procedure for subdivisions to join a regional transit authority that levies a property tax and that includes a county having a population of at least 400,000 and to allow a subdivision that is a member of such a regional transit authority to withdraw from the authority.

Any county, municipal corporation, or township may adopt a resolution or ordinance proposing to join a regional transit authority. In its resolution or ordinance, the political subdivision may propose joining the regional transit authority for a limited period of three years or without a time limit.

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Ohio S.B. 300, 127th General Assembly - Public Transit Funding Task Force

To create the Public Transit Funding Task Force to study Ohio's public transportation funding and issue a report by June 30, 2008.

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Ohio H.B. 249, 127th General Assembly - Modification of Medicaid Reimbursement Rate for Medical Transport Services

To increase the Medicaid program's reimbursement rate for medical transportation services.

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Ohio H.B. 540, 127th General Assembly - Create a Public Transit Funding Task Force

To create the Public Transit Funding Task Force to study Ohio's public transportation funding and issue a report.

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Health Care  

Ohio S.B. 13, 127th General Assembly - Commitment to Deliberation on Improvement of Health Care in Ohio

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Ohio Sub. S.B. 147, 127th General Assembly - Physician, Dentist, and Nurse Loan Repayment Program

Permits the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction to establish a loan repayment program for recruitment of nurses or dentists for the physician's agreement to provide services to inmates of correctional institutions administered by the Department.

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Ohio H.B. 186, 127th General Assembly - Establish and Operate the Ohio Health Care Plan

To enact sections 3922.01 to 3922.15, 3922.21 to 3922.28, 3922.31, 3922.32, and 3922.33 of the Revised Code to establish and operate the Ohio Health Care Plan to provide universal health care coverage to all Ohio residents.

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Ohio S.B. 61, 127th General Assembly - Door-to-Door Health Checks in Traditionally Underserved Areas

To require the Director of Health to establish pilot programs in seven counties for the purpose of providing door-to-door health checks by nurses or other health professionals in neighborhoods or areas that have traditionally lacked access to health care providers or services and to make an appropriation for the biennium beginning on July 1, 2007.

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