OHIO LEGISLATIVE SERVICE COMMISSION
Office of Research Legislative Budget
www.lsc.ohio.gov and Drafting Office
S.B. 181 Bill Analysis
133rd General Assembly
Click here for S.B. 181’s Fiscal Note
Version: As Passed by the Senate
Primary Sponsor: Sen. Coley
Effective Date:
Allison Schoeppner, Research Analyst
SUMMARY
 Permits a college or university and employers to establish a workforce-education
partnership program to assist students to graduate from college with no student debt.
 Requires the Chancellor of Higher Education to create a template for workforce-
education partnership programs.
DETAILED ANALYSIS
The bill permits public and private colleges and universities and “employers” to establish
workforce-education partnership programs, and requires the Chancellor of Higher Education to
create a template for colleges and universities and employers to use to establish such
programs. The goal of a workforce-education partnership program is to provide assistance to
students so that they may graduate from a college or university with no student debt. To do
this, participating employers must establish educational assistance programs to provide tuition
assistance to students employed by the employer, and colleges and universities must provide
assistance to students through mentoring, training, and housing stipends. The Chancellor must
address these and other requirements in the template. In creating the template, the Chancellor
must consult with state and local workforce and economic development agencies. 1
The template for the program must include the following:
1. The process for an employer to participate in the program;
1 R.C. 3333.93.
January 15, 2020
Office of Research and Drafting LSC Legislative Budget Office
2. A requirement that, to be eligible to participate in the program, a student be enrolled in
a degree-granting program, at a college or university on at least a half-time basis, as
determined by the Chancellor, and be a paid employee of an employer participating in
the program;
3. The process for an eligible student to enroll in the program;
4. Guidance for the college or university to designate a mentor to assist students within
the college or university;
5. Guidance for an employer to designate a mentor to assist students at the employer’s
workplace;
6. Guidance for the college or university and employers to create a process to make a
housing stipend available to students enrolled in the program;
7. Guidance for the college or university and employers to make life management and
professional skills training available to students enrolled in the program;
8. A requirement that an employer establish an educational assistance program in
accordance with federal law and provide tuition assistance for a student enrolled at the
college or university while working for the employer, up to the maximum amount that
the employer may exclude from the employer’s gross income under that law;2
9. A requirement that the college or university work with students enrolled in the program
to ensure that the students have applied for and are receiving the maximum amount of
financial aid, in the form of scholarships and grants, that the students are eligible to
receive to cover the student’s costs to attend the college or university; and
10. A requirement that the college or university and employers seek out additional sources
of funding to cover any remaining costs to attend the college or university that are not
covered by tuition assistance or financial aid for students enrolled in the program. 3
The bill requires the Chancellor to evaluate the effectiveness of the workforce-
education partnership programs established under the bill to determine whether additional
training and employment programs may use the Chancellor’s template to establish workforce-
education partnership programs.4
As used by the bill, the term “colleges and universities” includes any state institution of
higher education and any private nonprofit or for-profit college or university.5
2 See 26 United States Code 127.
3 R.C. 3333.93(B).
4 R.C. 3333.93(C).
5 R.C. 3333.93(A). See R.C. 3345.011 and 3365.01, neither in the bill.
P a g e |2 S.B. 181
As Passed by the Senate
Office of Research and Drafting LSC Legislative Budget Office
HISTORY
Action Date
Introduced 08-09-19
Reported, S. Higher Education 10-30-19
Passed Senate (33-0) 11-06-19
S0181-PS-133/ec
P a g e |3 S.B. 181
As Passed by the Senate