This vote is to elect Rep. Derek Merrin as the Speaker of the House of Representatives for the 135th General Assembly, over Rep. Jason Stephens. Selection of Speaker plays an enormous role in the direction of policy. Support is The Club For Growth Foundation''s position as Rep. Merrin''s previous voting record and stated political beliefs make him the most likely candidate to lead the House in advancing limited government principles.

This bill establishes a new health insurance mandate which prohibits the daily cost-sharing requirement for occupational therapists, physical therapists, and chiropractors from being more than the cost-sharing requirement for an office visit at a primary care physician. Oppose is The Club For Growth Foundation''s position as each and every health insurance mandate or price control on co-payments prevents an individual from selecting a plan with just basic or customized coverages to fit their specific needs. As a result, health insurers are forced to only offer costly plans loaded with coverages that most individuals do not need. This can result in lower-income or younger individuals choosing to purchase no insurance plan at all due to the high cost.

This bill prevents state agency employees and officers from downloading or accessing TikTok, or any other application or service owned by a company located in China, on agency devices or networks. Support is The Club For Growth Foundation''s position as the installation of such systems poses a significant and unnecessary threat to state and federal networks. Additionally, state employees should not be utilizing government equipment to access entertainment apps such as TikTok.

This motion tables (defeats) the Troy amendment to amendment #1165 to a bill providing property tax relief. The Troy amendment expands eligibility for property tax and manufactured home tax reductions for individuals who are disabled or 65 or older, or their surviving spouse, by increasing the maximum income from $30,000 to $45,000. The amendment also increases the amount of property value that is used to calculate the reduction. Support is The Club For Growth Foundation''s position as, while the intent of this amendment is noble, all state and local tax codes should be constructed in a broadly applied manner with the lowest rates possible for everyone. Providing a property tax reduction for one set of individuals inevitably results in tax burdens being shifted to other property owners not favored by government.

This bill expands the Prompt Pay Act to require property owners to pay contractors within 30 days of receiving a written request for work or materials pursuant to a contract. If not paid within 30 days, the bill requires 18% interest be added. The bill specifically exempts certain agreements related to oil and natural gas and well or mine services. Oppose is The Club For Growth Foundation''s position as it is not the proper role of government to interfere in the private contracting agreements between private parties absent cases of fraud or criminal activity. Such payment arrangements should be made privately, with courts available to solve any breach of contract. Furthermore, this bill fails to account for the fact that property owners are already incentivized to make timely payments to contractors in order to avoid construction delays.

This bill prohibits school districts from asking current or prospective job or student applicants to provide a statement on "political movements" or "ideology." School districts also may not use such statements to evaluate students or employees. Finally, school districts are required to make policies and training materials on these and similar topics publicly available. Support is The Club For Growth Foundation''s position as this measure helps protect taxpayer funds from being utilized to promote politicized DEI efforts which sow division amongst Americans and are intended to further grow the role of government.

The Hoops amendment to amendment #0373-2 to the FY 2024-2025 Transportation Budget. The Hoops amendment lowers competitive bidding requirements for certain county engineer projects, such as construction of bridges and pipes. This accomplished by replacing the monetary threshold with a scope of work threshold. Oppose is The Club For Growth Foundation''s position as this amendment weakens competitive bidding, which helps ensure the maximum return and value for taxpayers.

This bill, the Senate version of the FY 2024-2025 appropriations bill, includes The Ohio Education Enhancement Act, which prohibits public institutions of higher education (colleges and universities) from requiring programs or training on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), as well as providing or requiring training for any employee which conveys that one race is inherently superior to another, or that a person is responsible for past actions of others due to their sex or race. The bill also prohibits asking current faculty or students or prospective job or student applicants to provide a statement on "a given ideology or political stance" or providing an "advantage or disadvantage to faculty, staff, or students on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, or sex in admissions, hiring, promotion, tenuring, or workplace conditions." Additionally, the bill prohibits public institution of higher education employees from striking. Finally, the bill also prohibits local governments from imposing additional regulations or bans on tobacco and alternative nicotine products. Support is The Club For Growth Foundation''s position as this bill helps combat politicalization and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives across the state''s institutions of higher education.

This bill enacts the Saving Ohio Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act and the Save Women''s Sports Act. The SAFE Act prohibits children under 18 years of age from receiving sex-reassignment procedures or puberty blockers until they reach the age of consent and prohibits Medicaid (government-provided healthcare) from covering such services for minors. The Save Women''s Sports Act requires schools to designate athletic teams as either male, female, or co-ed. The bill defines "sex" as the biological distinction between male and female based on reproductive biology and genetic make-up and requires all participants of a female team to be of the same sex. Finally, the bill prohibits courts from denying or limiting "a parents'' parental rights and responsibilities or parenting time" because the parent chooses to "raise the child in a manner consistent with the child''s biological sex" or does not consent to the child receiving gender transition services or counseling to affirm the child''s gender dysphoria. Support is The Club For Growth Foundation''s position as it is a role of government to protect children from abuse and physical harm. Irreversible decisions such as sex-reassignments should not be made until an individual reaches the age of consent. Additionally, this measure protects the competitiveness of women''s sports by ensuring females are not forced to compete against biological men. This requirement represents one of many restrictions (including height, weight, and age requirements) to ensure fair competition between public and private schools competing across the state. Furthermore, strong parental rights are a critical element of a free society.

This bill generally prevents municipal water, sewer, and disposal utilities from placing a lien on a property for unpaid services by a tenant who is not the property owner. The bill establishes a rebuttable presumption that the property owner is only responsible for the "termination amount." As a result, there is more pressure on utility companies to shut-off services for non-payment. Support is The Club For Growth Foundation''s position as this bill strengthens property rights by protecting landlords from being responsible for tenants'' unpaid water bills.

This resolution amends the state Constitution to require signatures from at least 5% of the electorate in each county for a citizen-led initiative to amend the state Constitution. Current law only requires signatures to be collected from 5% of the electorate residing within 44 of any of the state''s 88 counties. Additionally, any proposed constitutional amendment must be approved by 60% of voters. Current law only requires a majority of voters approve a proposed amendment. Support is The Club For Growth Foundation''s position as this measure helps protect the constitutional amendment process from abuse by special interests and other groups that seek to grow the size and scope of government.