Architypes Fall 2025 – Government Affairs Update

The Ohio General Assembly is in its Summer Recess, due to return with a tentative Session schedule.  The initial return date of September 23^rd was cancelled both by the House and Senate.  The full legislature is scheduled to return for a full week of floor Sessions on October 14^th.  Committees continue to meet for specific legislation testimony.

On the Session agenda is to consider override of the Governor’s line-item vetoes of Property Tax legislation included in the Budget Bill.  The Republican House already overrode one veto, now pending in the Senate. The Governor appointed the Ohio Property Tax Working Group, with a September 30^th deadline for 20 recommendations for the Governor to consider.

The next big Construction initiative will be the Capital Appropriations Bill in the Spring, 2026, to be finalized no later than June 30^th for the next biennium.  All state agencies, colleges, universities, and local schools submit their requests for consideration.  The prior construction appropriation totaled $4.2 billion for capital improvements.  Of concern is any inclusion of substantive construction law changes in the fiscal legislation, as the legislature did with the recent Budget.

Politically, the 2026 General Election will feature open seats for all Ohio statewide offices, including Governor and United States Senator at the top of the ticket.  Republicans will back Vivek Ramaswamy for Governor.  Born in 1985 in Cincinnati, Ohio, he currently resides in Columbus.  Dr. Amy Acton has declared for the Democrats as a candidate for Governor.  Current incumbent U.S. Senator Jon Husted, Republican, will face former U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown, Democrat.

All State Representatives and half of State Senators are up for re-election.  Thus, any pending legislation will be addressed prior to the 2026 Summer Recess, when legislators return home to campaign for re-election.

House Bill 246 to require construction industry employers to use E-Verify, and House Bill 288 to enact prompt-pay in private-sector prime contracts, are likely to see activity in the New Year.  Senator Bill Blessing (R, Cincinnati) recently introduced Senate Bill 262, to require identification of any changes to the AIA Standard Form Contracts.

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