✅ Law #1: Senate Bill 1 — Advance Ohio Higher Education Act

• Statute / Bill: S.B. 1 (136th General Assembly, Ohio) (Wikipedia)

• Effective: June 27, 2025 (Wikipedia)

📝 What it does

• Overhauls how state universities and colleges operate under the new “Advance Ohio Higher Education Act.” (Wikipedia)

• Bans diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) based hiring and enrollment in state higher ed institutions. (Wikipedia)

• Prohibits faculty strikes in public colleges or universities. (Wikipedia)

💰 Cost to taxpayers / state budget

• State might save or redirect funds used for DEI programs / enforcement; possible costs for implementing compliance and monitoring.

• Potential legal costs (if lawsuits over DEI ban or related claims arise).

👥 Who it helps / affects

• Helps: Those who prefer policies focused on merit/hiring without DEI; institutions that opposed DEI mandates.

• Affects: DEI offices, faculty/staff whose work involves DEI; students who may be impacted by enrollment or support changes.

⚙️ Who sponsored / who opposed

• Sponsor: Sen. Jerry R. Cirino (and others) (Wikipedia)

• Opposition: Advocates for diversity/higher education, civil rights groups.

✅ Pros & ❌ Cons✅ Pros:

• Simplifies/harmonizes higher ed policy; may reduce administrative burdens relating to DEI compliance.

❌ Cons:

• Many argue DEI helps underrepresented students; removing it may reduce access or support.

• Potential reputational / accreditation / litigation risk.

🗳️ The Ballot Beacon Takeaway
As of June 27, 2025, Ohio’s SB 1 reshapes higher education by removing DEI hiring/enrollment policies and banning public college faculty strikes — a major shift, with trade-offs in diversity and institutional flexibility.

• Statute / Bill: H.B. 96 (136th General Assembly) (Wikipedia)

• Effective: Signed June 30, 2025; most provisions effective September 30, 2025 (Wikipedia)

📝 What it does

• Sets the state operating budget for FY 2026-2027. (Wikipedia)

• Merges in the “Innocence Act,” which requires age verification (ID or another proof) to access adult content websites. (Wikipedia)

💰 Cost to taxpayers / state budget

• Budget allocates funds for state programs; cost is what’s appropriated.

• Compliance for websites with “Innocence Act” provision may impose operational / verification costs on site operators, not directly state cost.

👥 Who it helps / affects

• Helps: State programs funded under this budget; proponents of youth protection online.

• Affects: Businesses/websites that host adult content (they’ll have to verify age); citizens’ access to content may change.

⚙️ Who sponsored / opposed

• Sponsored by Ohio Legislature and signed by Governor Mike DeWine. (Wikipedia)

• Opposition likely from privacy advocates, internet industry or free-speech interests.

✅ Pros & ❌ Cons✅ Pros:

• Ensures protection of minors from viewing explicitly adult content.

• Provides stability through the budget cycle for state operations.

❌ Cons:

• Adult content providers have extra compliance burden.

• Could raise questions about free speech and privacy.

🗳️ The Ballot Beacon Takeaway
Ohio’s HB 96 becomes law Sept 30, 2025: funding for state operations plus rules requiring age verification for adult content sites via the “Innocence Act” — balancing youth protections with free speech concerns.

• Statute / Bill: HB 8 (136th General Assembly) (Axios)

• Effective: April 9, 2025 (Ohio Secretary of State)

📝 What it does

• Requires schools to notify parents of substantial changes to a student’s health, well-being, or identity requests (e.g. gender identity) if different from biological sex. (Axios)

• Mandates that students be allowed to attend private religious instruction during school hours. (Axios)

💰 Cost to taxpayers / state budget

• Minimal direct state cost; school districts need to update policies.

• Some administrative cost for implementing policy changes and communication.

👥 Who it helps / affects

• Helps: Parents who want to be informed; those supporting religious instruction rights.

• Affects: School districts; potentially students whose privacy around identity is sensitive; education staff.

⚙️ Who sponsored / opposed

• Supported by proponents of parental rights and religious liberty.

• Opposed by LGBTQ+ advocates concerned about student privacy and inclusion.

✅ Pros & ❌ Cons✅ Pros:

• Enhances transparency and involvement for parents.

• Recognizes religious instruction preferences.

❌ Cons:

• Could create tension around student privacy and identity.

• Some say puts parents in unequally strong position over children’s rights.

🗳️ The Ballot Beacon Takeaway
Effective April 9, 2025, Ohio’s Parents’ Bill of Rights (HB 8) requires schools to inform parents of changes in a student’s health or identity and allow religious release time — increasing parental say, raising debates around privacy.

• Statute / Bill: Part of new laws going into effect 2025 per news summaries (WKYC)

• Effective: Schools must adopt cell phone / electronic device policies by July 2025, ahead of 2025-26 school year. (WLWT)

📝 What it does

• Requires all public schools to have written policies limiting or prohibiting student use of cell phones or similar devices during school hours. (WLWT)

• Ohio Department of Education will provide a model policy schools may use. (WLWT)

💰 Cost to taxpayers / state budget

• Very minimal. Mostly policy drafting and training for school staff.

👥 Who it helps / affects

• Helps: Teachers & students (reduces distractions); parents who believe devices disrupt learning.

• Affects: Students who use phones; schools that must enforce policy.

⚙️ Who sponsored / opposed

• Supported by education stakeholders looking for consistency. Some opposition or concern from students / parents who believe phones have legitimate uses (e.g. emergencies, education apps).

✅ Pros & ❌ Cons✅ Pros:

• Helps reduce distractions; may improve academic focus.

• Establishes clear rules and consistency across schools.

❌ Cons:

• Enforcement could be uneven; students may push back or find ways around rules.

• Some use of phones in instructional or emergency settings might be restricted.

🗳️ The Ballot Beacon Takeaway
Starting July 2025, Ohio public schools must have cell-phone policies in place for the 2025-26 year — limiting student use in class, with model policy support; small admin cost, big impact on daily school life.