September 8, 2026 · Ohio Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review · 1,676 words · 8 speakers · 46 segments
For today's hearing, Representative Lawrence is here for Representative Callender, and Representative Heiner for Representative Santucci. Welcome to committee. Would the clerk please call the roll?
Senator Gavron? Here. Representative Matthews? Here. Senator Lange is excused. Senator Brenner is excused. Senator Craig? Here. Senator DeMora? Excuse. I'm not crying here. Representative Lorenz? Here. Representative Heiner?
Here.
Representative Brennan?
Here.
Representative Brown-Piggo Antonio?
Here.
Quorum is present.
Let the record show. We have a quorum present. Members, on your iPads, you'll find the minutes from the August 24, 2026 JCAR meeting. Are there any corrections or additions to the minutes? Seeing none, let the record show the minutes were approved as presented.
Director, would you please read the no change agenda? Thank you. The no change agenda for this afternoon includes item one, Attorney General, Environmental Background Investigation, one rule. Item 2, Bureau of Workers' Compensation, five rules. Items 3 and 4, Department of Natural Resources, nine rules. Items 5 through 10, Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, 18 rules. Items 11 through 13, Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, Division of Parole and Community Services, eight rules. Item 14, Department of Taxation, one rule. Item 15, Environmental Protection Agency, one rule. Item 16, Ohio Police and Fire Pension Fund, three rules. Item 17, State Highway Patrol Retirement System, three rules. Withdrawn. Item 18, Department of Higher Education, three rules. Item 19, State Medical Board, one rule. This completes the reading of the no-change agenda.
Thank you. Thank you. Are there any questions by members about items on the no-change agenda? Are there any comments from the public? Seeing none, Director, would you please read the regular agenda?
The regular agenda for this afternoon includes item 1, Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board, one rule. Items 2 and 3, Department of Aging, 3 rules. Item 4, Department of Agriculture, Food Safety, 1 rule. Items 5 and 6, Department of Agriculture, Livestock Environmental Permitting, 11 rules. Item 7, Department of Children and Youth, 1 rule. Item 8, Department of Children and Youth, Early Childhood Development and Intervention, 1 rule. Item 9, Department of Children and Youth Licensing and Certification, 6 rules. Item 10, Department of Commerce, Board of Building Standards, Certification rules, 7 rules. Item 11, Department of Commerce, Division of Cannabis Control, 23 rules. Item 12, Department of Development, Business Development, Division 1 rule. Items 13 and 14, Department of Development, 7 rules. Item 15, Department of Development, Historic Preservation Tax Credit Program, 4 rules. Item 16 Department of Development Retention Tax Credit Program 3 rules Item 18 Department of Education and Workforce 11 rules item 18 Department of Job and Family Services division of food stamps two rules item 19 Department of Public Safety one rule item 20 Department of Public Safety State Highway Patrol one rule item 21 Department of Rehabilitation and Correction two rules items 22 through 25 Department of Taxation seven rules item 26 medical marijuana control program forms and methods of administration five rules item 27 medical marijuana control program general general provisions three rules item 28 medical marijuana control program medical marijuana cultivators one rule item 29 medical marijuana control program medical marijuana dispensaries 18 rules item 30 medical marijuana control program patients and caregivers five rules item 31 medical marijuana control program processors one rule item 32 medical marijuana control program testing laboratories nine rules item 33 department of medicaid eligibility one one rule, items 34 through 38, Environmental Protection Agency, 39 rules. Item 39, Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, Public Utilities Nominating Council, eight rules. Item 40, Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, Utilities, 12 rules. Item 41, State Board of Pharmacy, Home Medical Equipment Service Providers, one rule. Item 42, State Board of Pharmacy, Terminal Distributors of Dangerous Drugs, five rules. Items 43 through 47, State Medical Board, 13 rules. and Item 48, State Medical Board Radiologist Assistant Licensing 1 Rule. This completes the reading of the regular agenda.
Thank you, Madam Co-Chair. Thank you very much. Are there questions from members about items on the regular agenda? Madam Chair. Representative Heiner.
Thank you, Chair. I have a question on Item 11. It's Rule 1301.18-4-22 on advertising. Is there anyone here from cannabis control?
Yes, the Department of Commerce.
Good afternoon, Chair, Representative.
Can you help me understand the scope of this? This strikes me as a bit Orwellian and seems like this is going to take a lot of time for folks to get ads in place to do this. Can you walk me through the process for approval, what it will look like, and what the structure will look like within cannabis control?
Sure. Yes. Through the chair, to the representative. So you're looking at our advertising rule. Actually, what you're looking at is really nothing new for operators or the division. We have been operating for several years as you know under medical marijuana under very similar advertising rules When issue two was passed we needed to make sure that our rules were streamlined and adopt all of our rules together. So this rule was adopted initially several months ago as the advertising rule for both medical and non-medical marijuana. The rules before you now because we amended it in line with Senate Bill 56. So Senate Bill 56 added a pre-approval process. So the division has to review and approve all advertisements and has 21 days to do so and either approve, deny, ask for changes, that kind of thing. So that pre-approval process is also not new for our operators or us in the medical world. So we were already doing that under medical marijuana, and that is continuing now under Senate Bill 56 and under this rule.
Okay. Thank you. The 21 days was what I was looking for.
Thank you. You're welcome.
Are there any further questions for Division of Commerce?
Yes, Representative Brennan? Not for Division of Commerce, Madam Chair. This is for DJFS.
Okay. If you can fill out a witness slip, that would be great. Thank you very much. And JFS?
Rachel Johanson.
Rachel Johanson?
Good afternoon.
Good afternoon. Proceed with your question.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you for being here today. So regarding, I think it's well known, my stance on the 60 to 64-year-olds and how I feel that the state took a pretty draconian interpretation of the federal law when that rule was approved a couple months ago. I'm very happy to see that we're not going to be treating 60 to 64-year-olds in that draconian manner and doing it more in line of the states that had a more, what I feel, is compassionate approach. But my question is, I'm concerned about the folks that may have been thrown off of SNAP because of the change in the rule. And I'd like to know what is being done to re-onboard those folks, what kind of outreach is being done, and how can we as a state make those folks whole that may have lost out on a month or more of benefits.
To the chair and to Representative Brennan, thank you so much for the question Representative So per USDA rules we have to notify folks of a change like that in writing and then verbally as well Normally that might be an appointment but because of the change between the time someone might be at the JFS we notified them in writing and then also did a robocall to them, to their cell phones, to let them know as well. So we have been trying to get the word out. We didn't necessarily want to do a broader messaging because it is such a small portion, and we didn't want to, like, overload the county JFSs or something like that by letting all 1.4 million people on SNAP know about every detail of some things that are changing. However, we have let everyone know, and those folks are coming back into the JFS, and we can work with them moving forward.
Follow-up, Madam Chair?
Follow-up.
Thank you. Do we have any idea of how many folks were affected and how many we've been able to bring back on board? And again, my other question was, what can we do as a state to make sure these folks are kept whole? I mean, even one month of benefit could mean devastation for some Ohio families.
Absolutely. It can be very difficult for folks. I don't have the exact number. It would be in the thousands, but I can work in getting that to you, Representative. And then in terms of filling that back months amount or what have you, I don't know of a mechanism to do that, but just because it's a federal program and the feds provide the money directly to the customer, and that's the way our policy was until we received the additional guidance from USDA in mid-June. So I'm not aware of a mechanism to do that.
Final question, Madam Chair.
One second.
Sure.
Would you be able to provide that information to the Chair as well?
Absolutely. Thank you very much.
Perceive with your question. So, I mean, I'm assuming that the money has been allocated to the state of Ohio. It's just that we had a more strict interpretation of the rule than other states did. So would it be the case that we've got the money and we've just got to figure out how to get it to people?
To the Chair, the Representative, actually the dollars for SNAP don't come through the state budget. It's directly from U.S. Treasury to the cards themselves, so they're not sitting at OVM or at JFS, those dollars.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Are there any further questions from JFS?
Thank you very much.
Are there any further questions from members? Any comments from the public? All right. The next JCAR meeting is scheduled for Monday, October 5, 2026, in this room, the finding and hearing room at 1.30. Is there a motion to adjourn?
Move to adjourn.
We are hereby adjourned.