SB104 (full bill here)
SB104 – Regarding College Credit Plus, Bathroom Policy was signed into law this morning by Governor DeWine. In recent weeks, SB104 has received national attention with the amendment requiring individuals in all primary, secondary, and institutions of higher education to use the bathroom and other facilities that aligns with the sex assigned at birth. Numerous statehouse democrats opposed the bill as this amendment has added “very controversial language” to a “bipartisan and noncontroversial issue with College Credit Plus,” Sen. Catherine Ingram (D-Cincinnati) said.
Changes to College Credit Plus were largely unsurprising after the bill passed the senate. SB104 will address the lack of qualified CCP educators within high schools by establishing an alternative credentialing process to certify teachers. SB104 has changed the application deadlines to both April 1 and November 1. Formerly, students were only allowed to apply in April. SB104 will require consistent parental notification forms throughout the state in an effort to increase awareness. Additionally, SB104 will require colleges and universities to provide uniform orientation process for students entering the CCP program.
Speaker of the House
Matt Huffman (R-Lima) was unanimously elected as the Speaker of the House. Current Speaker of the House, Jason Stephens, will hand over the gavel in early January. While there is a lot of speculation about the details of a Huffman-led house, we can know that Huffman has been a longstanding supporter of spending state tax money on private schools. Huffman is speculated to support education savings accounts for students so they may use those funds on private schools.