Updated April 15, 2020
Ohio COVID-19 Response Bill Passes
Acting in a swift and bipartisan fashion, the Ohio General Assembly on March 25 passed a sweeping disaster response bill to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill addresses a number of issues individuals and families have been concerned with over the past two weeks.
Below, we provide a summary of a number of the changes that have been enacted in this emergency legislation that will take affect as soon as Governor DeWine signed the bill, which is expected to happen on Friday, March 27.
Education
For school districts that are providing meals to students who are home while schools are closed, the bill gives the director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture the authority to provide an exemption from “food processing” requirements so those entities can focus on providing food to children that depend on these services.
The bill also permits districts and schools to make-up any number of days or hours necessary due to the COVID-19 outbreak through distance learning. Schools may amend an existing plan or adopt one to make up those days or hours. (Current law only allows for no more than 3 days to be made-up through distance learning).
Elections
Because the March 17 primary election was put on hold due to the COVID-19 outbreak, lawmakers have opted to move the primary “date” to April 28, 2020. There will not be in-person voting conducted on that date; instead all Ohioans who are already registered to vote will be able to request and submit an absentee ballot which much be postmarked by April 27, 2020. Anyone who voted prior to March 17 will have their vote counted and do not need to request an absentee ballot. Ballot requests must be submitted by April 25.
Taxes
Ohio’s tax filing deadline has been extended from April 15 to July 15, 2020 (this is the same deadline that federal IRS filing have been extended to).
The bill also addresses Work from Home-related issues, suspending the “20-day rule”.
Example: If you ordinarily work in an office in Columbus but reside in Dublin, you pay local income taxes to the City of Columbus. Under the law, if you work from your home in Dublin for more than 20 days, (say 30 days) income taxes for 10 days of work would have to be remitted to the City of Dublin. Under the bill, this will not need to be done.
Utilities
The bill provides the Director of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency authority to direct public water systems to not disconnect, and to restore to homes that have had their water shut off for nonpayment. Many utilities have voluntarily taken this step, and the PUCO has ordered public utilities to do so. This provision ensures all Ohioans will have access to water and sewer services throughout the COVID-19 outbreak.
Unemployment
The bill eliminates the work search requirement during a declared public health emergency, and eliminated the one-week waiting period during a declared health emergency, and allows for benefits paid during a declared public health emergency to be mutualized across employers. These changes had been outlined by Governor DeWine by executive order, but will be placed in temporary law though this legislation.
Licensure Extensions
Under the bill, any license issued by the State of Ohio which will expire between March 27 and December 1, 2020 will be extended until December 1, 2020. This applies a drivers’ license, vehicle registration, teachers license, and all other licenses issued in accordance with the Ohio Revised Code.
Example: If your Driver’s License expires on your birthday, May 1, 2020; under this bill, your license will now expire on December 1, 2020 – providing an additional 7 months to renew your license.
Federal Relief Bill Highlights
Ohio’s COVID-19 response comes at the same time that lawmakers in Washington have moved a step-closer to approving a massive $2 trillion stimulus bill that aims to support families and individuals across the country while at the same time stimulating the economy and aiding state and local governments response to the pandemic.
Personal Income Stimulus
The federal legislation will see individuals and married couples receive checks on a graduated scale:
Families will also receive $500 per child listed as a dependent on their latest tax return.
Small Business and Lending
The bill also create a $367 billion loan program for small businesses, and establish a $500 billion lending fund for industries, cities, and states. That is in addition to $150 billion for state and local stimulus funds and $130 billion for hospitals.
Transit
The package also would send $25 billion to transit agencies across the country who have stepped-up and continue to provide essential services to communities.
Unemployment
It would significantly boost unemployment insurance benefits, expanding eligibility and offering workers an additional $600 a week for four months, on top of what state unemployment programs pay.
While unemployment insurance typically does not cover people who are self-employed – freelancers, contractors and gig workers – the bill comes with a “pandemic unemployment assistance” measure that will extend insurance to those workers.
Student Loans
Student loan borrowers will also have their payments suspended for 6 months, until October 2020, and any interest accrued will be waived. The six-month break is automatic, meaning borrowers won’t need to contact their student loan servicer to request it.
The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to pass the bill later today and the President should sign the federal legislation this weekend.
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This post has been updated to reflect that absentee ballots for the April 28 primary must be postmarked by April 27. A previous version stated the ballot needed to be postmarked April 28. We apologize for the error.