Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

OHIO LEGISLATIVE SERVICE COMMISSION
                                              Office of Research                              Legislative Budget
         www.lsc.ohio.gov                       and Drafting                                        Office
                              H.B. 374                              Bill Analysis
                  134th   General Assembly
                                                                     Click here for S.B. 374’s Fiscal Note
Version: As Introduced
Primary Sponsors: Reps. Howse and Hicks-Hudson
Effective Date:
Alyssa Bethel, Attorney
                                                         SUMMARY
                    Establishes the Loving State Index Commission and requires the Commission to:
                             Establish the “Loving State Index” system to evaluate and rank municipal
                              corporations regarding critical supports vital to student academic success to identify
                              gaps in opportunities for low-income individual and minority individuals;
                             Evaluate 24 specified factors related to education, health services, public services,
                              safety, housing, and wages;
                             Submit to the General Assembly an annual report containing the Commission’s
                              evaluation, rankings, scoring strategy, data, and analysis.
                                                DETAILED ANALYSIS
Loving State Index Commission and Loving State Index
        The bill creates the Loving State Index Commission and requires the Commission to
establish the Loving State Index, a system to evaluate and rank municipal corporations
regarding critical supports that are vital to student academic success. The purpose of the Index
is to identify gaps in opportunity for low-income individuals and minority individuals. The
Commission must establish criteria to evaluate the following factors as part of the Index: 1
                    Early childhood education participation;
                    Preschool suspension alternatives;
                    Gifted classes offered for kindergarten through 8th grade;
1 For factors regarding schools, the Commission must use data from the primary or largest school district
in a municipal corporation where multiple school districts exist.
                                                                                                             September 20, 2021
Office of Research and Drafting                   LSC                             Legislative Budget Office
       Suspension and expulsion alternatives for kindergarten through 12th grade;
       Advanced high school curriculum;
       Advanced placement curricula;
       Anti-bullying;
       School-to-prison alternatives;
       Well-resourced schools;
       Experienced teachers;
       In-school support staff;
       Economically integrated schools;
       Access to health insurance;
       Prenatal health services;
       Access to mental health services;
       Access to healthy food;
       Clean air environments;
       Access to parks;
       Youth safety;
       Access to public transportation;
       Affordable housing;
       Livable wages;
       Civic participation;
       Banking.
        The bill requires political subdivisions2 to provide data to the Commission upon request
unless the data is exempt from disclosure under the Public Records Act.3
2 For purposes of the bill, this includes counties, townships, municipal corporations, school districts,
community schools, STEM schools, college-preparatory boarding schools, city or general health districts,
alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services boards, and any other bodies corporate and politic
responsible for government activities in a geographic area smaller than the state.
3   R.C. 149.43, not in the bill.
P a g e |2                                                                                        S.B. 374
                                                                                            As Introduced
Office of Research and Drafting                 LSC                          Legislative Budget Office
    Report
       Beginning July 1, 2022, the Commission must publish an annual report containing the
Commission’s evaluation and ranking of municipal corporations and information regarding the
Commission’s scoring strategy, data, and analysis. The Commission must submit the report to
the members of the General Assembly and must make the report available on the websites of
the Departments of Education, Health, Commerce, Natural Resources, Environmental
Protection Services, and Transportation, JobsOhio, and the Governor’s Office of Faith-Based
and Community Initiatives.
    Membership
           The Commission consists of the following eight members or their designees:
      1. The Superintendent of Public Instruction;
      2. The Director of Health;
      3. The Director of Commerce;
      4. The Director of Natural Resources;
      5. The Director of Environmental Protection;
      6. The Director of Transportation;
      7. The Chief Investment Officer of JobsOhio; and
      8. The Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Faith-Based and Community
         Initiatives.
       The Commission must select one of its members to serve as chairperson. The members
serve without compensation but are reimbursed for their actual and necessary expenses.4
                                           HISTORY
                             Action                                        Date
Introduced                                                 07-12-21
H0374-I-134/ts
4   R.C. 182.01.
P a g e |3                                                                                    S.B. 374
                                                                                        As Introduced