Algae? There’s a bill for that

COLUMBUS

The first bills introduced in the Ohio House and Senate each session generally carry symbolic significance.

The leaders of both chambers, in the past at least, designate the first 10 or 15 slots for law changes they deem to be the most important.

That’s still the case this session in the Ohio Senate but not so much in the Ohio House. The Republican head of the latter told reporters last month that his members are pursuing legislation to improve the state’s education, energy, competitiveness and health care policies, and all such bills are priorities for majority party members.

Regardless, it’s still illuminating to review the first bills offered in each chamber. Here’s a quick recap of this session’s first legislation.

Senate Bills

Last summer, the city of Toledo was left without drinking water for a weekend, thanks to a toxic algal bloom.

Lawmakers worked late last year on bills to address such water quality issues, but the resulting bill stalled in the Ohio Senate after the House pumped it full of amendments that senators didn’t support.

Both chambers say water quality is among their top priorities for the session.

The Senate solidified its intent to act by making the issue Senate Bill 1. It includes restrictions on spreading manure and fertilizer on rain-soaked or frozen northwestern Ohio farm fields, among other provisions.

Other initials bills in the chamber included:

SB 2, a standard bill to incorporate federal tax code changes into Ohio’s tax-related laws.

SB 3 is the “school deregulation” bill Senate President Keith Faber, R- Celina, has been discussing for months. It would exempt high-performing districts from certain state rules, enabling them to teach students without dealing with cumbersome mandates.

SB 4 calls for colleges and universities to reduce student costs by 5 percent.

SB 5 would make emergency responders eligible for workers’ compensation benefits to deal with post-traumatic stress.

SB 6 proposes increased tax deductions for college savings contributions to $10,000 annually from $2,000.

SB 7 would prohibit the sale of “pure caffeine” products.

SB 8 calls for a review of public benefits programs.

SB 9 contains provisions aimed at combatting infant mortality.

SB 10 would require the state to identify whether needy Ohioans are eligible for federal military benefits.

House Bills

House Bill 1 proposes a new grant program to provide funding for students who are pursuing degrees or certificates toward in-demand jobs. It’s the latest effort by the state to prompt residents to pursue training and educational coursework in fields with job openings.

HB 2 focuses on charter schools, with language that would shut down poor-performing schools and their sponsors and increase public access to details about charter operations and performance.

Other initial House bills include:

HB 3 would decrease business filing fees to $99 from $125. Comparable legislation also has been introduced in the Ohio Senate by Sen. Larry Obhof, R-Medina.

HB 4 would widen the availability of Naloxone, a drug used to treat people who have overdosed on prescription painkillers and other opioids.

HB 5 calls for increased study of shared- services agreements among local government offices.

HB 6 would increase the statute of limitations on rape and sexual battery, allowing convictions decades after crimes if DNA evidence is available.

HB 7 would prevent certain test scores from being taken into consideration for promotion or demotion of students.

HB 8 includes law changes related to the oil and gas industry, including specifying how reserves are used to determine property taxes.

HB 9 calls for the periodic review of tax deductions and credits.

HB 10, titled the “Private Attorney Contracts Act,” would require increased review of contracts between the state and legal counsel to ensure “that private representation is both cost-effective and in the public interest.”

Marc Kovac is The Vindicator’s Statehouse correspondent. Email him at mkovac@dixcom.com or on Twitter at OhioCapitalBlog.