To amend sections 113.70, 113.71, 113.72, 113.73, 113.74, 113.75, 113.76, and 5501.521; to enact new section 113.77 and sections 113.80, 113.81, 113.82, 113.83, and 113.84; and to repeal section 113.77 of the Revised Code to create the Ohio Local Government Expenditure Database and require political subdivision participation, to require the state retirement systems to participate in the Ohio State Government Expenditure Database, and to make an appropriation.
HB413 would expand Ohio’s public-government spending transparency framework by creating a new Ohio Local Government Expenditure Database and strengthening the existing Ohio State Government Expenditure Database. The bill requires the Treasurer of State, working with the Office of Budget and Management and the Department of Administrative Services, to establish and maintain a searchable, downloadable public database covering state expenditures and revenues, and it adds state retirement systems to the reporting structure. It also requires state entities to link to the database from their websites and allows the database to include additional public information beyond the minimum required disclosures.
The bill separately creates a local-government database that political subdivisions must feed with expenditure and revenue information. Covered local entities include counties, cities, villages, townships, school districts, public libraries, park districts, regional water and sewer districts, and regional transit authorities. The local database is also required to be publicly accessible without charge and to support search, filtering, and downloads. The bill directs the Treasurer to adopt rules for implementation and states that political subdivisions must comply using existing resources.
HB413 also revises the state database to include more detailed data elements, such as amounts, dates, suppliers or revenue sources, and the state entity involved. It adds a searchable database of state and school-district employee salary and employment information, to be supplied by the Department of Administrative Services or the Department of Education and Workforce. The bill includes confidentiality protections, stating that neither database may disclose information that is confidential or not a public record under Ohio law, and it shields the Treasurer, state entities, political subdivisions, and their employees from liability for such disclosures.
In addition, the bill amends the Department of Transportation’s grant and loan reporting law so that DOT can rely on information already submitted to the expenditure database when preparing reports to legislative leaders. The act appropriates $5 million from the General Revenue Fund in fiscal year 2026 for the Treasurer’s “Ohio Checkbook” item to cover creation and maintenance costs for the local database, with authority to reappropriate unused funds into fiscal year 2027.
The overall sentiment reflected in the available voting history appears generally favorable, with the bill advancing on House re-referral votes, including a unanimous 11-0 vote on March 18, 2026. The main point of contention is likely the administrative burden on political subdivisions and state entities, since the bill mandates participation while also requiring compliance using existing resources. Another possible concern is the breadth of the reporting requirements, especially the inclusion of salary and employment data and the expansion of public financial disclosure, balanced against the bill’s transparency and accountability goals.
HB413 would amend multiple sections of the Revised Code to create new statewide transparency systems for public spending and revenue reporting, while also repealing and replacing the existing Ohio Checkbook-related provisions. It would impose new reporting, website-linking, and data-sharing obligations on state entities, state retirement systems, and political subdivisions, and it would authorize rulemaking by the Treasurer of State to implement the local database. The bill also makes a direct appropriation of $5 million for database creation and maintenance, affecting state budget law and administrative operations.
The available legislative history suggests the bill has a positive reception in committee, as shown by its advancement through House re-referral votes and a unanimous 11-0 vote on one of those actions. No committee transcript is available, but the structure of the bill indicates a transparency-focused measure that may attract broad support. Any opposition appears limited or procedural at this stage, likely centered on implementation costs, workload, and data-reporting obligations for local governments and state agencies.
The most likely areas of contention are the mandate that political subdivisions provide expenditure and revenue data, the requirement that they comply using existing resources, and the expansion of public disclosure to employee salary and employment information. Local governments and affected agencies may object to the administrative burden and potential compliance costs, while supporters are likely to emphasize public accountability and easier access to government spending data. Confidentiality and public-record limitations are also important, because the bill tries to balance transparency with protections for nonpublic information.