Week in Review 03-26-2021

CORONAVIRUS

Gov. Mike DeWine on Tuesday vetoed SB22 (McColley-Johnson), legislation that curtails emergency powers he’s used during the pandemic, but lawmakers successfully mustered the three-fifths majority vote needed in both chambers to override him Wednesday. DeWine had made one last attempt at convincing lawmakers to back down, sending them a five-page letter Monday that outlined his concerns the legislation would blunt the ability to handle future crises involving Ebola, food-borne illness and other threats. House Clerk Brad Young announced that the bill was officially filed with the Ohio Secretary of State’s Office on Wednesday, meaning the bill becomes effective in 90 days. Asked whether the administration would take legal action to block SB22’s implementation, DeWine spokesman Dan Tierney said, “Too early to tell if there will be legal action yet. The governor will review with legal counsel.”

EDUCATION

Ohio Office of Budget and Management (OBM) Director Kimberly Murnieks announced Friday that the Ohio Public Facilities Commission (OPFC) in partnership with OBM’s Capital Markets Team completed the sale of $597 million of Common Schools and Higher Education bonds. The sale supports capital projects at K-12 schools, colleges and universities around Ohio. The transaction included a $148 million refinancing of debt issued in 2011 and 2013 and will produce $46 million of cash flow savings between FY21 and FY33, OBM noted in a release.

State academic testing for the spring kicked off Monday just days after state leaders finalized the details for how testing will proceed this spring given the pandemic and the federal government’s refusal to bless a blanket testing cancellation like the one granted last year. Gov. Mike DeWine signed HB67 (Koehler-Bird) on Saturday after last week’s votes in the House and Senate.

GOVERNOR

Answering a range of questions in what retired journalist Tom Beres called “a random interrogation,” Gov. Mike DeWine appeared at the City Club of Cleveland Friday for a discussion on the past year under COVID-19 restrictions, what the coming months will look like and the current political climate in Ohio. Regarding the leadership of President Joe Biden, DeWine told Beres he thought the Biden administration “has done a good job” in regard to the pandemic and that this should not be viewed through a political lens, praising the work of the Trump administration as well. He discussed the FEMA mass vaccination site at Cleveland State University as an example that has “worked out exceedingly well.”