To amend section 5701.11 of the Revised Code to expressly incorporate changes in the Internal Revenue Code since March 15, 2023, into Ohio law and to declare an emergency.
Summary
HB14 updates Ohio’s tax conformity statute, section 5701.11 of the Revised Code, so that references in Ohio law to the Internal Revenue Code and related federal laws will incorporate federal changes made since March 15, 2023. In practical terms, the bill aligns Ohio’s tax code with current federal tax law for the affected provisions, rather than leaving Ohio tied to an older federal snapshot date.
The bill also preserves and clarifies an election mechanism for certain taxpayers with taxable years ending after March 15, 2023, and before the bill’s effective date. For those taxpayers, the bill allows an irrevocable election to apply the federal provisions in effect for that taxable year if they differ from the provisions that would otherwise apply under Ohio law, and it treats filing a return on that basis as making the election. The bill repeals the existing version of section 5701.11 and declares itself an emergency measure so it can take effect immediately, with the stated purpose of reducing compliance costs and avoiding miscellaneous adjustments on 2024 tax returns.
Impact
HB14 would amend Ohio’s statutory conformity date for references to the Internal Revenue Code in Title LVII and certain other sections, thereby updating how Ohio income and related tax laws track federal law. It affects taxpayers subject to Ohio’s corporate franchise, commercial activity-related tax provisions, and individual income tax provisions that rely on federal definitions and rules, as well as the Ohio Department of Taxation’s administration of those laws. The emergency clause would make the change effective immediately upon enactment, reducing the need for retroactive return adjustments and simplifying filing for affected taxpayers.
Sentiment
The available voting history shows strong bipartisan support and no recorded opposition: the bill passed the House committee 11-0, passed the House 93-0, passed the Senate committee 6-0, and passed the Senate 32-0. That pattern suggests broad agreement that updating Ohio’s conformity to the federal tax code was routine and desirable, especially to reduce compliance burdens. No committee transcript excerpts were provided, so there is no recorded floor or committee debate indicating significant controversy.
Contention
No notable substantive contention is reflected in the provided materials. The main policy choice in the bill is the conformity date update and the emergency effective date, but the votes indicate consensus rather than division. The only potentially sensitive issue is the bill’s treatment of taxpayers with returns filed before enactment, since it allows an irrevocable election to use federal rules for the relevant taxable year; however, the text frames this as a compliance simplification, and no opposition to that approach is shown in the record provided.