The Ohio House and Senate this week passed House Bills 80 and 81, which set the biennial budgets for the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) and the Industrial Commission for fiscal years 2026–27.
HB 80 funds upgrades to the Industrial Commission’s technology for electronic and remote hearings. HB 81 supports BWC operations, extends prosthetic device coverage, renames the ombudsperson office, and reforms processes for injured incarcerated workers and Professional Employer Organization transitions. The bills now head to Gov. Mike DeWine for his signature.
Meanwhile, Republicans in the Ohio legislature seemed to have reached a compromise on Senate Bill 56, which proposed limits on THC, home grows, and tax allocations following the 2023 legalization vote, but the agreement collapsed hours before the scheduled vote.
The Senate version would redirect all marijuana tax revenue to the state’s general fund and impose stricter penalties, including a mandatory jail sentence for sharing, while scaling back home-grow and dispensary counts. In contrast, the House aimed to preserve local revenue shares and oppose harsher penalties.
With more than a dozen last-minute Senate changes, leadership pulled the bill and delayed it until after summer recess. 6/25/2025