Yesterday, the Ohio General Assembly approved House Bill 197, which was originally introduced as a tax conformity measure and was amended by the Senate to include several emergency measures in response to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. The amended measure passed the Ohio Senate and House of Representatives unanimously. Here are the highlights of what the amended measure does for Ohio:
- Extends the tax-filing deadline to July 15.
- Allows local governments to meet remotely with sufficient provisions for public participation (such as video or telephone communications).
- Waives K-12 testing and allows high-school seniors to graduate.
- Prevents the disconnection of public water service.
- Makes April 28 the new primary (no in-person voting except for disabled voters needing special assistance) and extends mail-in voting period to allow absentee ballots postmarked by April 28 to be counted.
- Extends validity of licenses issued by state agencies and political subdivisions.
- Expands unemployment insurance.
- And more.
View a full summary of the bill amendment here.
Governor Mike DeWine is expected to sign the bill tomorrow. The bill will go into effect immediately.