To amend sections 4121.12, 4121.121, 4121.13, 4123.44, 4123.52, 4123.54, 4123.57, 4123.66, 4125.07, 4133.10, 4167.01, 4167.10, and 5145.163 and to repeal sections 4167.25, 4167.27, and 4167.28 of the Revised Code to make appropriations for the Bureau of Workers' Compensation for the biennium beginning July 1, 2025, and ending June 30, 2027, to provide authorization and conditions for the operation of the Bureau's programs, and to make changes to the Workers' Compensation Law.
HB81 is the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation biennial appropriations and policy bill for fiscal years 2026 and 2027. It funds the bureau’s operating accounts, safety and hygiene programs, safety grants, health and wellness initiatives, a statewide safety awareness campaign, a workforce safety innovation center, and related oversight functions, including payments to the Attorney General’s Workers’ Compensation Fraud Unit and the Deputy Inspector General for BWC and the Industrial Commission. The bill also authorizes transfers from the State Insurance Fund to support safety and hygiene activities and vocational rehabilitation services through an interagency arrangement with Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities.
Beyond appropriations, the bill makes a broad set of changes to Ohio workers’ compensation law. It revises governance and duties of the BWC board and administrator, updates investment and fiduciary rules for the state insurance fund, and adds or clarifies procedures for claims, medical benefits, and reimbursement. It also amends provisions affecting professional employer organizations and alternate employer organizations, public employee safety enforcement under Chapter 4167, and workers’ compensation coverage and claims for incarcerated workers participating in federal prison industries programs. The bill also repeals several public employee safety-related sections and makes the amendments to certain claims provisions apply to pending claims or claims arising on or after the effective date.
The bill’s impact on state law is substantial because it touches both the funding structure and the administration of the workers’ compensation system. It preserves and expands appropriations for core BWC operations while tightening reporting, disclosure, and oversight requirements for certain employers and program participants. It also reinforces limitations on investment decisions by prohibiting investments made primarily to influence social, environmental, or corporate governance policies, and it clarifies reimbursement and timing rules for medical, prosthetic, and rehabilitation-related claims. In practice, the bill affects the BWC, employers in the state fund and self-insured system, professional employer organizations, public employers, injured workers, incarcerated workers in work programs, and agencies involved in workplace safety and rehabilitation.
The overall sentiment around HB81 appears strongly favorable. The bill advanced through committee and both chambers with overwhelming support, including unanimous or near-unanimous votes at several stages and final passage in both the House and Senate without recorded opposition in the final votes. That voting pattern suggests broad agreement on the need to fund the bureau and maintain the workers’ compensation system’s operations, while also updating administrative and claims rules.
There was little visible public contention in the available record, but the bill’s policy choices indicate likely areas of debate. The most notable substantive issues are the restrictions on investment policy, the changes to claims deadlines and medical payment rules, the treatment of workers’ compensation claims for incarcerated workers, and the new reporting burdens on professional employer organizations and alternate employer organizations. These provisions could draw concern from employers, labor representatives, public-sector stakeholders, or advocates for injured workers, but the available vote history shows no significant recorded opposition at the final stages.
HB81 amends multiple sections of the Revised Code governing the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, the state insurance fund, claims administration, employer coverage arrangements, public employee safety enforcement, and workers’ compensation coverage for incarcerated workers. It also repeals three sections of Chapter 4167 and makes the amended claims provisions in sections 4123.52 and 4123.57 applicable to pending or future claims as specified. The bill appropriates more than $373 million in FY 2026 and more than $381 million in FY 2027 for BWC-related purposes, including safety programs, fraud enforcement, and oversight, and authorizes transfers from the state insurance fund to support those activities.
The bill appears to have enjoyed broad bipartisan support and little visible opposition. It moved through House and Senate committee and floor votes with large margins, including unanimous votes in several stages and only one recorded nay on a House favorable passage vote. The voting history suggests the legislature viewed the bill primarily as a necessary budget-and-administration measure for the workers’ compensation system rather than a controversial policy overhaul.
The main points of potential contention are policy rather than fiscal: the bill strengthens restrictions on how BWC funds may be invested, including a prohibition on investments made primarily to advance social, environmental, or governance objectives; it tightens deadlines and procedures for certain claims and medical reimbursements; it imposes new reporting and disclosure obligations on professional employer organizations and alternate employer organizations; and it creates a specialized framework for workers’ compensation claims by incarcerated workers in prison industries programs. These provisions could concern employers, investment stakeholders, labor interests, or advocates focused on injured-worker access, but the available committee and floor record does not show sustained opposition.