June 3, 2026 · Workforce and Higher Education Committee · 3,373 words · 11 speakers · 96 segments
Clerk, please call the roll. Chair Young.
Here.
Vice Chair Ritter.
Here.
Ranking Member Abdullahi.
Here.
Representative Davila is excused.
Representative John.
Here.
Representative Manning.
Here.
Representative Miller is excused.
Representative Pigel Antonio.
Representative Richardson is excused.
Representative Santucci.
Here.
Representative Timms.
Here.
Representative Williams is checked in.
Representative Workman.
Here. We have a quorum, so we'll proceed as a full committee. Please review the May 19th minutes on your iPads. If there are any objections, hearing none, the minutes are hereby approved. I now bring forward HB 319 for its second hearing and recognize Vice Chair Ritter for a motion.
Thank you, Chairman. I move to amend House Bill 319 with Amendment 136-2590.
The amendment is in order. Please explain the amendment.
Thank you, Chairman. Sorry.
The amendment is in order. Please explain the amendment. Thank you.
Thank you, Chairman. The proposed amendment clarifies that the duties required under the bill are to be performed beginning in the next full fiscal year after the bill's effective date.
Thank you. Are there any questions about the amendment? Any objections? Hearing none, the amendment is hereby accepted. Now call Vice Chair Ritter for a motion.
Thank you, Chairman. I move to favorably report House Bill 319 as amended and recommend its passage.
Thank you very much. Clerk, please call the roll. Chair Young. Yes.
Vice Chair Ritter. Yes.
Ranking Member Abdullahi. No.
Representative John. Yes.
Representative Manning. Yes.
Representative Santucci. Yes.
Representative Timms. Yes.
Representative Workman. Yes.
Representative Pickle-Antonio.
With seven affirmative votes and two negative votes, the amendment is hereby accepted. The motion is hereby accepted, sorry. I now recognize the ranking member for a motion.
Thank you.
¶¶ ¶¶ With a vote of 7 to 2, this bill is favorably submitted. Now I'd like to bring up HB 530. I hereby recognize the Vice Chair for a motion.
Thank you, Chairman. I move to amend House Bill 530 with Amendment 136-2135.
Would you please explain it?
Thank you, Chairman. the proposed amendment removes a provision allowing the Long-Term Care Workforce Study Commission to submit interim findings and recommendations to the General Assembly before issuing its final report.
Are there any objections to the amendment? Hearing none, the amendment is hereby approved. I recognize Vice Chair for another amendment.
Thank you again, Mr. Chairman. I move to amend House Bill 530 with Amendment 136-2588.
Would you explain that, please?
Thank you, Chairman. The proposed amendment requires the Senate President and the Speaker of the House to consult with their respective minority leaders when appointing a member of the minority party to the Long-Term Care Workforce Study Commission.
Thank you. Are there any objections to the amendment? Hearing none, the amendment is hereby approved. Now I recognize the ranking member for a motion
Thank you, Chair. I motion to move forward Amendment 2138.
The motion is in order. Please explain the amendment.
This amendment restores in part the makeup of the commission to the as-introduced version. two members of each chamber, one from the majority and one from the minority. This is how we generally structure all commissions that we have done here at the State House. I see no reason why we need to abandon that specific template. The reason why we have defaulted to equal memberships for these commissions is that they're nonpartisan, and having the majority and minority parties on equal footing promotes bipartisanship and allows the commission to get at the real heart of the issue rather than falling back on party line. Talking points.
The chair recognizes Representative Workman.
Thank you, chair. I move that the amendment be respectfully laid upon the table.
The question is, shall the amendment to lay the amendment on the table be agreed to? Will the clerk call the roll? Chair Young? Chair Young?
Yes.
Vice Chair Ritter?
Yes.
Ranking Member Abdullahi?
No.
Representative John?
Yes.
Representative Manning?
Yes.
Representative Santucci?
Yes.
Representative Timms?
No.
Representative Workman?
Yes.
Representative Pickle Antonio?
No.
With a vote of 6-3, the amendment is hereby laid upon the table. With no further questions before the committee, this concludes the fifth hearing for HB 530. Thank you. I now bring forward HB 848 for its first hearing and call on Representative Jerrolds and Representative White for sponsored testimony. Thank you for being here.
My joint sponsor, Representative White, is currently in Health Committee talking about hospice care, and so I'm pretty sure she'll be here momentarily, currently actually at the podium. To Chair Young, Vice Chair Ritter, Ranking Member Abdullahi, and members of the Workforce and Higher Education Committee, thank you for allowing us to provide sponsored testimony on House Bill 848, which would designate the month of September as Celebrate HBCU Month. House Bill 848 is about recognizing educational excellence, leadership, and extraordinary impact historically black colleges and universities continue to have on Ohio and this nation. Here in Ohio, we are home to two historic institutions with rich and proud legacies, Central State University and Wilberforce University. These institutions have helped shape generations of teachers, military leaders, engineers, entrepreneurs, scientists, clergy members, public servants, and business professionals who have strengthened the community not only across Ohio, but across this nation. Their graduates are working in our hospitals, our schools, our businesses. They're practicing law. They're running and leading in various offices. And they're caring for families and helping drive our economy forward every single day. And despite often operating with fewer financial resources than many larger institutions, HBCUs continue to outperform expectations in producing black professionals in critical workforce sectors nationwide. HBCUs produce a disproportionate share of black doctors, attorneys, engineers, and educators in the United States. Many black professionals throughout Ohio, including physicians, judges, lawyers, educators, pastors, civic leaders, proudly point to an HBCU as a foundation to both their identity and their success. That legacy matters and deserves to be recognized. House Bill 848 simply designates the month of September as the Celebrate HBCU Month in Ohio, but the significance of this legislation extends far beyond a designation on a calendar. This bill creates an opportunity for Ohio to intentionally highlight institutions that have contributed tremendously to workforce development, higher education, economic mobility, and leadership formation for generations. At a time when many industries are facing workforce shortages, it is important that we continue to uplift institutions with long-standing records of producing talented and capable graduates prepared to contribute to Ohio. And for many students, HBCUs does more than just a degree. They provide mentorship, community. They provide confidence. They provide an environment where students are challenged to lead, excel, and believe in their ability to be great. The impact cannot always be measured in enrollment reports or graduation statistics alone. You see it in the generation of successful alumni who continually give back to their communities for the next generation. Members of the committee, I also wanted to just share that this legislation sends an important message to young people across Ohio. It tells students that excellence can come from many places. It tells students that history and achievement deserves to be honored. It reminds all of us that education remains one of the strongest pathways to opportunity, mobility, and to service. This bill is bipartisan because recognizing excellence matters and celebrating schools that have helped shape generations of leaders, professionals, and public servants matter. Chair Young, Vice Chair Ritter, Ranking Member Abdullahi, and members of the Workforce and Higher Education Committee, thank you again for the opportunity to provide sponsor testimony on House Bill 848. I will turn it over to my joint sponsor. She will be here momentarily, but I'm happy to answer any questions you may have at this time.
Thank you very much, Representative Gerrolds. Representative White is at this moment testifying in committee.
Yes, she is.
So we're grateful for you bringing this bill forward. As always, are there any questions? Ranking Member Abdullahi.
Thank you, Chair. Thank you, Representative, for bringing this bill to us. Can you explain a little bit about the important role that HBCUs have played in expanding access to higher education in Ohio?
Yes. I mean, the reality is when you look at the history of HBCUs, it started with a foundation of they wanted to create these institutions. They wanted to create a space that safe for black folks to really see themselves in any sector of society any industry and do it in a way where and I be honest with this committee history is unfortunate at times because education was not available to everybody And HBCUs created the pathway by which we can truly have safe spaces for black and ultimately all because HBCUs accept everybody But ultimately, black students can have a space where they are safe. They can learn. They can become the best version of themselves and then go back out into states like Ohio and other places across this nation and really impact change in their communities. And so with that, I'll pass it over to my colleague.
Oh, I'm so sorry. Representative White, welcome. You can you can take a breath. We'll pause for like this. We're OK.
Well, thank you so much. It's an honor to be here today before your esteemed committee. I just completed testimony. Everything is stacked together today, right? So ran down here as quick as possible. I'm glad I caught you. So thank you, Representative Octavius-Darrolls, for including me in this bill. Chair Young, Vice Chair Ritter, Ranking Member Abdullahi, and esteemed members, I'm really glad to be here today to honor two longstanding pillars and institutions in our state and to recognize Ohio's two historically black colleges and universities, Central State University and Wilberforce University. And I want to make this recognition a habit. And so that's why I was really thrilled to join on to this bill to encourage the General Assembly to pass House Bill 848 to designate September as Celebrate HBCU's Month. Historically black colleges and universities, as I'm sure you've already heard from Rep. Gerald's, You know, they are colleges and universities established before 1964 with the principal mission of educating black Americans. HBCUs have a combined enrollment of over 300,000 students, and today there are over 100 accredited HBCUs in the nation, including our two important institutions. HBCUs' cost of attendance is an average 28% less than an equivalent non-HBCU institution. These colleges and universities award 25% of all African American STEM degrees, and an HBCU graduate earns an average of 56% more over the course of their life time when compared to an average non-HBCU graduate. One in three HBCU students who started at the bottom, 40% of income earners transitioned to the top, 60% post-graduation. Today, 40% of all black engineers, 50% of all black lawyers, 70% of all black doctors, and 80% of all black judges are HBCU alumni. On average, 85% of undergraduate HBCU students were awarded federal, state, local, or institutional grant aid during the 21-22 academic year, and I'm sure it's higher. We have some great programs that have been added in Ohio. So these are a pipeline for many students that an education at the higher ed level would be out of reach. And many of Ohio's under-resourced students take advantage of this. Roughly half of the nation's 105 HBCUs have a freshman class where three-fourths of the students are from low-income backgrounds, while just 1% of 676 non-HBCUs serve as high of a percentage. There's a lot of stats there. Bottom line is these are great institutions. We need to preserve. Yes. and protect them and help them continue to attract and retain and build their student base. So I'm very honored to be able to talk to you about this. There's some more stats about the economic impact that they do in Ohio. But I just want to let you know, these are impacting generations. So I urge you to pass House Bill 848 and celebrate HBCU Month with us in September. Thank you very much.
and thanks for being able to get here from your testimony. I know it's been a hard day. Any questions from the committee at all? Yes, Representative Thames.
Thank you, Chair. Not really a question, but just wanted to say thank you for bringing this bill. A lot of people don't know Central State University and Wilberforce are essentially across the street from one another, and the founding of those institutions served as refuge because they're on the Underground Railroad. It was a hub for both formerly enslaved black Americans and also biracial Americans who were the children or offspring of southern plantation owners because it was illegal for black people to read and be educated. And so these two universities have a very rich history, and we're fortunate to have them here in Ohio. and I often have to remind people in other states that we also have historically black colleges and universities in Ohio with a very deep, rich history. So thank you for bringing this as we try to continue to uplift our institutions and universities around the country. Thank you.
Thank you so much for bringing that up.
Thank you, Representative Timms. Any other questions? I do have a comment. I love the fact that you're bringing this forward. It's so important, especially celebrating 250 years in Ohio. We need to keep this in front of all of our citizens. I would at some point just like to say to you that the 150 years in Ohio that Central State University was not acknowledged as a land-grant college is something that has always bothered me. And we see them working very, very hard, and they deserve the respect and dignity that every public university has in Ohio. And with your help and raising the consciousness here, perhaps we can tell that story. And so are there any other questions on this?
Thank you very much.
Thank you, Chair.
Thank you, committees.
At this point, I'd just like to make a comment before we close. I've spoken with Auditor Faber, and I've requested to him, we've had a discussion, that we will do, I will be asking him to do an audit of the University of Toledo's Med2 model, FTEs, clinical teaching subsidy from a period of time that we will discuss when I send a letter to him. I've also asked him to review the admission policies for all the public medical schools that have non-Ohio students and also public universities and colleges audits on their policies for graduate students as well. With that said okay I see I will continue the hearing but I wanted to get that out there We now bring forward HB 793 for the second hearing, calling Corey Outerback to provide testimony. Thank you.
I'd like to thank Chairman Young, Vice Chairman Ritter, ranking member Abdullahi. I'm so sorry. Thank you for extending me this opportunity to contribute to the discussion about the Governor's Merit Scholarship offered through the Ohio Department of Education. I have a graduating high school senior this year, my oldest. I should begin to look at schools more closely last summer. We were aware of the Governor's Merit Scholarship. And obviously, it's a fantastic award for high-achieving students in Ohio. And it capitalizes on the research showing that college students often settle in their original home regions or near the region of their undergraduate studies. It's a strong bet on Ohio's top demonstrated students settling long-term in Ohio. I think we can largely agree that over 30, 50, 70 years, financial aid offices within colleges and universities have become more sophisticated. The revenues and ramifications of tuition have exponentially increased over the decades, and with sophistication comes strategy, and the definition of strategy is to serve an interested outcome. The reason for my original call to Representative Thomas' office was my concern that colleges, when they are aware that students have external, non-institutional scholarships, may adjust downward their institutional support or allowance for any given student. Let's say a particular profile of a student without any external scholarship would need to pay $21,000 for tuition, room, and board at College X, according to College X's package formula. If that student then or concurrently receives a $5,000 governor's merit scholarship and College X is aware of it, does it affect what will or would be the institutional support from College X? In other words, would the student still pay $21,000 where the GMS is $5,000, essentially replaces $5,000 of the institutional support. To me, that's not the student benefiting from the scholarship. That wholly benefits the institution. As you can surmise, I generally believe that the awards earned by students externally should never affect offers from institution. In the case of the Ohio Governor's Merit Scholarship, that ethic feels should run much more deeply because of the obvious tax basis of the government holdings where this incentive is meant wholly for the student. It seems antithetical to the spirit of the award for its monies to act simply as a replacement of what could have been institutional awards. It was argued to me that the institution might be adjusting its award relative to formulas for expected family student contributions relative to the FAFSA. However, I reminded that voice that this award is called the Governor's Merit Scholarship. A vast majority of other scholarships, private scholarships, are financially based, and that is a prerogative of those private givers, but this really is not. And I fear that without a greater confidentiality of award and or certainty that colleges will not tend toward institutional dollar replacement or without penalties for doing so, that colleges may feel more safe to engage in this kind of shell game. The reason why I contacted the representative's office in the first place was that I was told by my friends in higher education, financial aid offices, that different aid offices have different ways of formulating this aid relative to external scholarships and even relative to the GMS. It's difficult to know, of course, and without whistleblowing, nearly impossible to prove if this is happening and to what degree. And I have there a reference to financial aid offices and their expectations according to, ethical expectations, according to the National Association of Student Aid Administrators, and those expectations, maybe combined with government oversight, can ensure fairness to recipients. And I'm happy to answer any questions of the committee. Thank you.
Thank you very much for coming forward. Representative Manning.
Thank you. Thank you, Chair. And thank you for coming in. And congratulations to your daughter for winning that. And close to 70% of the people that go to college in Ohio stay in Ohio. And I think that's it. So hopefully she decides to stay in Ohio. I assume she is going to college in Ohio. and my accolades to Rep. Thomas because I have heard from other people that this is a problem. So do you think his bill goes far enough and will fix the problem, or do you have any suggestions of making it better?
Well, you know, my view, it's difficult for me, you know, not being uniquely in the legislative process and or a member of government, to know, I think, what is best when it comes to, you know, whether it's the signed commitments of university to proper usage of the scholarship or auditing processes or the like. I think those who work in the process of oversight, I mean, you're kind of the experts in that process. So for me to comment on that is maybe out of my lane. My concern was just hearing that there may be possibilities where universities were moving money institutionally when knowing that this tax-supported scholarship was arriving or kind of making those trades in terms of how that money is defined. As per the example I used with College X there, which is, I think, the easiest way of laying it out.
Thank you.
Follow-up? Good. Any further questions? Hearing none. Hey, thank you very much for coming today.
Thank you.
Thank you. With no further business for the Workforce and Higher Education Committee, it is hereby adjourned. Thank you.