Week in Review 6-22-26

Week in Review > Week in Review 6-22-26

Posted by Buckeye Association of School Administrators on June 22nd, 2026

FY27-28 CAPITAL APPROPRIATIONS

Gov. Mike DeWine Monday signed the $3.7 billion FY27-28 capital budget bill, SB450 (Cirino) – his last. In a statement, he said, “The projects outlined in this budget will improve our parks, county fairgrounds, and historical sites; upgrade schools and classrooms to support the future workforce; promote safe and independent living for Ohioans with disabilities; continue building the mental health care system; and more. This capital budget impacts all Ohioans today and for the future.” Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel added, “This capital budget is about investing in the things that make strong communities possible. It reflects our commitment to creating opportunities for Ohio families in every aspect. From schools to workforce development, to local infrastructure and community spaces. These investments will serve Ohioans for years to come.”

While lawmakers and the administration have officially inked this cycle’s capital appropriations budget, one significant category of construction project funding is still on ice because of pending court action, and could remain so well into 2027. Finance committee leaders of the House and Senate at one point contemplated running parallel legislation alongside the capital budget process to appropriate $400 million in sports and cultural facilities money set aside in the operating budget. But the funding source for those projects — unclaimed funds sitting with the state for at least a decade — is now tied up in a lawsuit before Judge Julie Lynch of Franklin County Common Pleas Court. Two men with unclaimed funds listed in the state’s database, John Reid and Steven Ling, filed a lawsuit in December to challenge the provision of the operating budget, HB96 (Stewart), allowing unclaimed funds to escheat to the state and be directed to stadium projects. They are represented by the law firm of former Attorney General Marc Dann.

ELECTIONS 2026

Democratic gubernatorial nominee Amy Acton raised more money than Republican gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy in the latest campaign finance reports, but Ramaswamy has nearly quadrupled her spending after launching an advertising blitz earlier this year. Friday was the deadline for 2026 candidates to file their post-primary campaign finance reports disclosing activity from April 16 through June 5. According to reports filed with the secretary of state’s office, Acton reported $5.36 million in contributions, $2.23 million in expenditures, and $8.1 million on hand. Ramaswamy reported nearly $4.6 million in contributions, $8.6 million in expenditures, and $26.77 million on hand. He has also lent his campaign $25.65 million.

In other statewide races, Auditor Keith Faber reported $149,002 in contributions, $77,664 in expenditures, and $2.54 million on hand in his campaign for attorney general. His Democratic opponent, John Kulewicz, reported $224,709 in contributions, $129,205 in expenditures, and $393,889 on hand. Secretary of State Frank LaRose reported $84,001 in contributions, $52,009 in expenditures, and $876,348 on hand in his state auditor campaign. Opponent Democrat Annette Blackwell reported $67,417 in contributions, $20,121 in expenditures, and $140,986 on hand. Treasurer Robert Sprague reported $376,864 in contributions, $867,777 in expenditures, and $632,011 on hand in his campaign for secretary of state. Opponent Rep. Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) reported $171,509 in contributions, $96,357 in expenditures and $147,862 on hand. Former Rep. Jay Edwards (R-Nelsonville) reported $41,642 in contributions, $680,304 in expenditures, and $41,457 on hand for his state treasurer campaign. Democrat Seth Walsh reported $52,757 in contributions, $136,351 in expenditures, and $28,394 on hand.

Ad spending in support of Democratic challenger Sherrod Brown is closing the gap with spending in support of U.S. Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH) ahead of the November election. Since the beginning of May, Brown’s campaign has spent nearly $6.5 million on broadcast, cable and desktop/mobile advertising in markets blanketing the state, led by $1.67 million in the Cleveland-Akron market alone. The campaign has also spent over $1 million combined in the Columbus market on broadcast, cable and CTV ads combined and over $866,000 among all media in the Cincinnati market.

While the Brown campaign is the largest spending entity by far since May, numerous PACs in support of Husted have nearly kept pace in the same timeframe. The next four highest-spending entities buying ad time in the Brown-Husted race are pro-Husted, according to data from AdImpact, which tracks political ad spending. Since May 1, that includes the Husted Victory PAC ($2,088,675), Americans for Prosperity Action ($1,162,769), the Husted for Ohio Senate campaign ($800,432) and the Ohio Flyer PAC ($229,019).

Democratic attorney general nominee John Kulewicz Wednesday released an internal poll that suggested a statistical tie in the race. The poll was conducted from Tuesday, June 2, through Thursday, June 4, by Tulchin research among 600 likely voters. In a matchup with Republican attorney general nominee and current Auditor of State Keith Faber, both candidates earn 34 percent with 32 percent of respondents undecided.

ETHICS

Charged with ensuring that government business in Ohio is conducted with impartiality and integrity, the Ohio Ethics Commission (OEC) has issued its 2025 Annual Report, highlighting the hundreds of written opinions and advisory requests the agency handled during the past year at all levels of government and public institutions throughout the state. Among the main accomplishments that OEC brought attention to was its clarification of the definition of “domestic partner” and associated recusal requirements pertaining to “family hire” restrictions in the Ohio Revised Code. The full OEC 2025 Annual Report can be found HERE.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY/STATEHOUSE

While the House and Senate took action on dozens of bills on the way out the door for the General Assembly’s summer break, a few notable bills did not make it over the finish line. The House is expected to take up a concurrence vote soon upon its return on Senate amendments to school bus safety bill HB3 (Willis-C. Thomas), which among other provisions would allow school districts to use stop-arm cameras to catch drivers who illegally speed pass a stopped school bus. House Clerk Brad Young told Hannah News that the message from the Senate did not arrive until after the chamber had adjourned. No other House bills are awaiting concurrence, but a number of Senate bills reported out of committee have yet to go to the full House floor, including SB318 (Cutrona) to authorize a law enforcement agency to provide school resource officer services to a chartered nonpublic school, which was reported out by the House Education Committee.

They differ in the extent of their backup plans, but both the House and Senate have penciled in just four confirmed voting sessions for the remainder of 2026, all in the lame duck period. If-needed dates are much more of a factor in the Senate, which has allowed for the possibility of sessions Wednesday, Sept. 16, Wednesday Sept. 23 and Wednesday, Oct. 7, all with if-needed committee meetings set for the preceding Tuesdays. Otherwise, the Senate is expected to return for committees Monday, Nov. 9 and session Tuesday, Nov. 10. Hannah’s schedule can be found HERE.

GOVERNOR

Gov. Mike DeWine said Tuesday that the legislative priorities in the final half-year of his administration will focus on securing initiatives that he believes have been successful and improving public safety. Addressing other priorities, DeWine said he would continue to draw attention to initiatives he supports to demonstrate the value of their lasting beyond his time in office. He mentioned specifically the OhioSEE program, which he proposed to bridge the gap between children identified as needing attention in routine school vision screenings and those who actually end up getting an eye exam and glasses. Part of Ohio’s grant award through the federal Rural Health Transformation Program will go to expanding the program statewide.

The governor signed the following bills:

– SB262 (Blessing) to require a public authority or other party to a construction contract to note variations from an industry standard form. Eff. in 90 days.

– SB263 (Roegner) to make changes regarding the treatment of professional employer organizations and alternate employer organizations under the Unemployment Compensation Law. Eff. in 90 days.

– SB273 (Koehler) to enact the Keep Them Safe Act and to make an appropriation. Eff. immediately.

– HB359 (C. Thomas-Gross) to clarify the statewide emergency alert system in cases of missing autistic or developmentally disabled children and to name the alert the Joshua Alert. Eff. in 90 days.