Fellow Ohioans,
It is an honor to serve as your State Representative for Summit County. Over the past couple of months, we began committees, budget hearings, and session for the 136th General Assembly.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to my office. We are happy to assist you.
Sincerely,
Bill Roemer
State Representative
District 31
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LEGISLATION
House Bill 14 - Incorporate Internal Revenue Code Changes Into Ohio Law
State Representative Heidi Workman and I announced that House Bill 14 passed out of the Ohio Senate with unanimous support and now heads to Ohio Governor Mike DeWine for his signature. This was the first bill from the 136th General Assembly to be sent to Governor DeWine to sign. The legislation will ensure consistency between Ohio tax law and federal tax law by incorporating recent changes to the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) created by the Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2023 into state law. Most importantly, this legislation will ensure that the East Palestine train derailment settlement will be tax free for those who received a settlement from the incident.
 *Pictured above, right, Rep. Roemer, left, Rep. Workman
House Bill 41 - Establish Child Care Grant Program
This legislation will provide a new state grant, training program, employer
toolkit, and a 'Design Learning Lab', to help employers partner with child
care providers, non-profits, government, and community organizations to
expand affordable, quality on-site or near-site child care options to meet their workforce needs. H.B. 41 will help solve a human problem and an economic problem. Our partners in the business community have increasingly acknowledged the need for quality child care for our workforce. We in the Ohio General Assembly need to continue to do our part to advance innovative solutions to the child care crisis and this creative approach to addressing the individual needs of specific communities is a good place to start. With this legislation, we are diligently working to create a space where families can afford child care without leaving the workforce all together. If the imbalance of wages to child care costs remains, our workforce will continue to see shortages. We don’t want to negate the work Ohio has done to become a business-friendly state with numerous job opportunities for families to thrive. We must continue to work with parents and businesses to establish affordable on-site and near-site child care facilities.
The Ohio House of Representatives unanimously passed House Bill 54 – the House’s version of the State Transportation Budget. The bill allocates funding for Ohio’s extensive transportation system, prioritizing efforts to keep Ohio moving forward.
Included in the bill is the E-Check Ease Act, legislation I am sponsoring along with Representative Steve Demetriou that will work to reduce the administrative and financial burden on Ohio drivers. The measure will create an alternative, parallel system where an owner of a motor vehicle may comply with the E-Check program by obtaining an alternative emissions certificate.
Ways and Means Committee Update
Over the last month, I've heard several great testimonies from the following:
- Donna Oklok – Executive Director, Accountancy Board of Ohio
- Kathleen Crowley – Executive Director, Ohio Board of Tax Appeals
- Kimberly Murnieks – Director, Ohio Office of Budget & Management
- Patricia Harris – Commissioner, Ohio Department of Taxation
- Kathleen Madden – Director, Ohio Department of Administrative Services
CONSTITUENCY
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A group of students from Cuyahoga Valley Career Center visited my office as part of their legislative day here in Columbus. I had the chance to discuss the importance of a career technical education in Ohio, highlighting how it positively impacts their lives while equipping them with the skills needed to be workforce ready upon graduation. |
I also had students from the Four Cities Compact School visit the Statehouse and stop in during the Ways and Means Committee to briefly introduce themselves. Click the button below to watch the full clip on the Ohio Channel. |
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EVENTS
I had the honor of attending the 50th Mobile BMV Kiosk unveiling at the Cuyahoga Falls Discount Drug Mart. Ohio remains at the forefront of innovation by simplifying everyday activities, like taking a trip to the BMV, making them convenient and less time consuming for Ohioans. Additional information about Mobile BMV Kiosks in Ohio can be found, here.
 I was also a panelist at the Ohio Chamber where I discussed the ongoing and emerging items in the property tax and housing space. The Ohio House is committed to taking action this year and addressing property tax increases in Ohio.
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