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Rotunda Rumblings Easy money: As lawmakers’ raid on the state’s $4.8 billion unclaimed property fund has spiked public interest in filing claims, two Ohio lawmakers have proposed reforms to make it easier for people to get their money. As Jeremy Pelzer reports, House Bill 480 would, among other things, create a “fast-track” process for claims of less than $1,000 and no longer require probate court documents in some instances for a dead person’s family to get unclaimed funds in their loved one’s name. Behind the bill: We all expect higher electric bills when we crank up the air conditioning. But across Ohio, prices are jumping even when usage stays the same. Anna Staver breaks down what’s driving the price spikes, the why behind your electric bill, and how what happens in New Jersey can impact energy prices in Ohio. Signature move: Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill that would allow public and private schools purchase drug overdose reversal medicine. But the bill was amended by the Senate to also lift the cap on the number of class periods a week a student can go to release time for religious instruction, Laura Hancock reports. Read more Ohio politics stories Got unclaimed cash in Ohio? Legislation could make it easier to get your money DeWine signs bill expanding school released time, allowing drug overdose reversal meds Ohioans’ electric bills spiking; Here’s what’s driving up prices Mapping out the future: Gov. Mike DeWine announced $7.1 million across the state to help students in grades 7 through 12 plan their careers. The grants will create seven regional centers to provide career advising and mentoring, increasing access to career-technical education and strengthening partnerships between schools and employers, Hancock reports. Token efforts: From allowing Ohioans to pay taxes in cryptocurrency to proposed regulations for abandoned crypto, the legislature this session has introduced a handful of crypto bills. But in the Ohio House, GOP and Democratic leaders see red flags, WEWS Morgan Trau reports. Fair game: The Ohio legislature isn’t going to expand into iGaming and iLottery this legislative session, Speaker Matt Huffman recently said. In 2023, the state legalized sports betting and Huffman said that’s been an extraordinary change and no more changes are needed for now, Ohio Public Radio’s Sarah Donaldson reports. Primary challenge: Lindsey Ferreira, a disabled veteran, Muslim woman, parent, activist and small business owner, is challenging freshman U.S. Rep. Greg Landsman of Cincinnati in the Democratic primary, Erin Glynn reports. Ferreira called Landsman “Republican Lite.” What We’re Watching 1. In the Ohio Senate on Tuesday, the Public Utilities Committee has scheduled apossible voteon a bill that would allow natural gas companies to offer carbon offsets; the Finance Committee is expected to hold a first hearing on a bill that would replace the existing school funding system. 2. On Tuesday in the Ohio House, possible votes are set in the Ways and Means Committee on two different property tax bills. In the Small Business Committee, a possible vote is scheduled on a bill that would reduce the amount of time a person must wait to apply for a qualification of employment if they were incarcerated for a felony offense. In the House Judiciary Committee is a possible vote on a bill that would change parts of the recreational marijuana law that voters approved in 2023, including limiting the amount of THC in an extracted product to 70%. 3. The Ohio Senate has set a session for 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday; the House has session the same day at 2 p.m. 4.TheHouse Agriculture Committee has a vote scheduled for Wednesday on a bill offering a tax credit to low-income people who spay and neuter their pets. 5. The Senate Armed Services, Veterans Affairs and Public Safety has a possible vote scheduled for Wednesday on a bill that would create a public notification program when convicts escape. The Senate Transportation Committee may vote on a bill that creates road rules around stationary vehicles in “distress,” such as having a flat tire. On the Move The Ohio Association of Area Agencies on Aging, at its recent annual conference, honored Ohio Department of Medicaid Director Maureen Corcoran for her expansion of the latest generation of MyCare, and state Sen. Theresa Gavarone, a Bowling Green Republican, for securing additional funding for the Senior Community Services Program in the recently passed budget bill. Strategic Public Partners announced Monday that Chris Albanese has joined the team as director of government affairs. Previously, he advised two governors and three Ohio House speakers, most recently as policy director for former Speaker Bob Cupp. Birthdays State Rep. Darnell Brewer State Rep. Cecil Thomas Pat Tiberi, president/CEO of the Ohio Business Roundtable and former U.S. representative Straight from the Source “You don’t pencil it in your calendar. You don’t think that’s really going to take place because it’s been 40 years. Why would you think it’s actually going to happen?” - Paula Lazzari, the sister of Raymond Fife, who was killed four decades ago as a 12-year-old. The Fife family has been waiting for an execution date for one of his killers, Danny Lee Hill, since he was sentenced to death in 1986. Ohio hasn’t executed anyone since 2018. People on both sides of the death penalty debate say the current system is broken, report Haley BeMiller and Stephanie Warsmith for the Dispatch.
