House Republicans put their stamp on Ohio’s operating budget (H.B. 96), passing the legislation, 60 to 39, after making substantial amendments to Governor DeWine’s budget proposal. Five Republican members joined the entire...more
Significant energy legislation in both chambers of the Ohio General Assembly recently passed important procedural milestones. On March 26, 2025, the Ohio House passed House Bill 15 (Klopfenstein) by a vote of 90 to 3. The...more
On Tuesday, February 11, 2025, Senate President Pro Tempore Bill Reineke (R-Tiffin) unveiled the Senate’s energy legislation, S.B. 2. As expected, there are similarities to H.B. 15, introduced by Rep. Roy Klopfenstein...more
2/18/2025
/ Clean Energy ,
Coal Industry ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Energy Projects ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Policies ,
Public Utility ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Renewable Energy ,
Renewable Energy Incentives ,
State Legislatures ,
Utilities Sector
On February 3, 2025, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine unveiled the initial details of his final two-year state budget proposal. The “budget” actually refers to four different pieces of budget legislation: 1) transportation; 2)...more
Ohio legislators just unveiled a plan to address forecasts that Ohio could face an energy shortfall in the near future. Introduced on Thursday, January 23, 2025. H.B. 15, sponsored by Rep. Roy Klopfenstein (R-Haviland),...more
1/30/2025
/ Clean Energy ,
Electricity ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Projects ,
Energy Sector ,
Infrastructure ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Renewable Energy ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures ,
Utilities Sector
Although Ohio is no longer a critical swing state for presidential politics, national eyes were still trained on Ohio where control of the U.S. Senate potentially hinged on the outcome of the race between three-term...more
The Commonwealth of Kentucky held its 2024 General Election alongside the rest of the nation on Tuesday, November 5. Nationally, Republicans enjoyed strong performances across the board. President Trump will be returning to...more
Last week, the Supreme Court of Ohio announced the adoption of increased judicial campaign contribution limits beginning with the 2025 election cycle...more
The Commonwealth of Kentucky held its 2024 Primary Election on Tuesday, May 21. While there were no surprises in the Presidential Primaries, the night did feature several races for open seats caused by retirements or...more
Ohio’s campaign finance reporting deadlines were updated for 2024, please find the latest deadlines and other campaign finance compliance information on the chart here....more
4/23/2024
/ Campaign Contributions ,
Deadlines ,
Federal Elections ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Lobbyists ,
Local Elections ,
PACs ,
Political Campaigns ,
Political Candidates ,
Reporting Requirements ,
State Elections
Ohio held its Primary Election on Tuesday, March 19, 2024. Featuring several crowded races and many incumbents facing challengers, election night yielded some interesting results with fairly low voter turnout of about 1.1...more
During the Ohio Ethics Commission's first meeting of 2024, the Commission reviewed staff reports on its activity in 2023. Ohio Ethics Commission staff issued 163 written opinions to provide guidance on complying with Ohio...more
In the second half of 2023, the 135th Ohio General Assembly returned after its summer recess, initially set to focus on the state legislative redistricting process. The legislature spent most of the fall campaigning on...more
1/23/2024
/ Congressional Investigations & Hearings ,
General Elections ,
Insurance Industry ,
Marijuana ,
Minimum Wage ,
Natural Gas ,
Presidential Elections ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Recreational Use ,
Redistricting ,
State Legislatures ,
Tobacco
On December 13, 2023, the Ohio House Public Utilities Committee adopted a substitute version of H.B. 197 making several amendments to the proposed legislation that authorizes community solar programs in Ohio. The substitute...more
The 2023 Kentucky General Election featured Governor Andy Beshear (D) seeking his second term in office, as well as contested races for the Commonwealth’s other statewide executive offices. While the Democratic Governor...more
The 2023 Ohio General Election reached an unusually high turnout for an odd-numbered election year, thanks to two statewide ballot issues. Issue 1 garnered national attention, as Ohio became the latest state to enshrine...more
11/9/2023
/ Constitutional Amendment ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Election Results ,
General Elections ,
Local Elections ,
OH Supreme Court ,
Political Candidates ,
Political Parties ,
Recreational Use ,
Reproductive Healthcare Issues ,
State and Local Government ,
State Constitutions ,
State Elections
As summer turns to fall, like most Ohioans, you start looking ahead to football season. Whether you’re a diehard OSU fan or cheer on the Bengals or Browns, no doubt you’ll be getting in some tailgating this season....more
The primary property tax abatement used by renewable energy projects in Ohio is the Qualified Energy Project (QEP). Originally passed in 2010 (128-SB-232), the QEP program enables qualifying projects to receive an abatement...more
7/6/2023
/ Climate Change ,
Deadlines ,
Electricity ,
Energy Projects ,
Energy Sector ,
Energy Tax Incentives ,
Governor DeWine ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) ,
Internal Revenue Code (IRC) ,
Renewable Energy ,
Tax Abatement ,
Wage and Hour
On Monday, June 6, 2023, State Representatives James Hoops (R-Napoleon) and Sharon Ray (R-Wadsworth) introduced legislation, House Bill 197, which establishes a community solar pilot program and an Appalachian-focused solar...more
In its 2022 Annual Report, the Ohio Ethics Commission provides statistics and lists on several of the Commission’s activities for the year including a breakdown of the top five categories for investigations last year....more
On Tuesday, November 8, 2022, Ohioans, like the rest of the country, cast ballots in the 2022 General Election.
Ohioans voted on all statewide constitutional offices, one U.S. Senate seat, and several important statewide...more
On October 18, 2022, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that prosecutors don’t need to wait for an investigation by the Ohio Ethics Commission before prosecuting a public official charged with violating Ohio’s ethics laws....more
Ohio held the state’s second Primary Election on August 2, 2022, featuring partisan primaries for State House and Senate candidates and also central committee seats for state political parties. As expected, turnout was...more
In its 2021 Annual Report, the Ohio Ethics Commission provides statistics and lists on several of the Commission’s activities for the year including a breakdown of the top five categories for investigations last year....more
As the world emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic and returns to the new normal, in-person conferences have also returned from their hiatus. Accordingly, it is an appropriate time to review ethics laws regarding public...more