State Representative Mark Romanchuk (R-Ontario) has announced that the Ohio House of Representatives voted to pass legislation that would enhance the safety of children while at school. The legislation, House Bill 215, is known as the Law Officer Volunteers in Education (LOVE) Program.
The legislation allows current or retired law enforcement officers to volunteer in schools and patrol the premises in order to prevent or respond to a mass casualty event.
“Protecting the young people in our schools should be paramount,” Rep. Romanchuk said. “House Bill 215 allows for one more option that schools can consider when putting safety plans in place.”
Participation of officers in the LOVE Program would be on a volunteer basis only, with each participant undergoing a criminal records check every five years at the officer’s own expense. County sheriffs will maintain a list of current and retired officers who qualify.
House Bill 215 also provides the officers with a nonrefundable personal income tax credit of $2 for each hour that they volunteer, not to exceed $500 in a year.
The bill will now move to the Ohio Senate for further consideration.
In addition, the Ohio House of Representatives passed Amended Substitute Senate Bill 206, legislation to modernize Ohio’s Medicaid program and require the implementation of certain Medicaid revisions, reforms and program oversight.
Am. Sub. S.B. 206 maintains a focus on accountability, cost effectiveness, and improved health outcomes for Ohioans. According to the legislation, the Office of Health Transformation and the Department of Medicaid would:
-Adopt strategies to prioritize employment as a goal for individuals participating in government programs providing public benefits.
-Institute cost-sharing requirements that do not disproportionately impact the ability for Medicaid recipients with chronic illnesses to seek care.
-Limit the growth in per member per month (PMPM) cost by improving the physical and mental health of recipients, provide services in a cost-effective and sustainable manner, implement fraud and abuse prevention, and reduce health disparities, among other duties.
“This legislation makes wise changes that will save on costs and help Medicaid to run more smoothly in Ohio,” Rep. Romanchuk said. “These changes are long overdue.”
The legislation calls for the creation of a Joint Medicaid Oversight Committee (JMOC)—which would consist of five members of the Ohio House of Representatives and five members of the Ohio Senate—to oversee the new accountability measures.
Am. Sub. S.B. 206 will move back to the Senate for concurrence.