To amend section 3301.0714 and to enact sections 107.26, 2965.01, 2965.02, 3301.0717, 5101.546, 5107.101, and 5162.138 of the Revised Code to require certain agencies to collect and report data concerning the citizenship or immigration status of persons with whom they come into contact.
HB42 would require several Ohio agencies and public entities to collect, maintain, and report data on the citizenship or immigration status of people with whom they come into contact, if that information is available. The bill applies to law enforcement agencies and the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction for people in detention, public schools for students, county departments of job and family services for SNAP and cash assistance households, and the Department of Medicaid for certain Medicaid-related populations. It also requires annual reporting up the chain to state agencies, the governor, and in some cases the General Assembly, with some reports posted publicly on the governor’s website.
For schools, the bill amends Ohio’s education management information system law to add student citizenship and immigration-status counts to the data districts must report, while continuing existing protections against releasing personally identifiable student information. It also adds reporting and potential sanctions for districts that fail to submit required data, including withholding state funds, audits, corrective action plans, and possible license discipline for employees who willfully submit erroneous data. The bill repeals the existing version of section 3301.0714 and replaces it with a broader data-reporting framework that includes these new immigration-related categories.
In the human services area, county job and family services offices would have to track whether households receiving SNAP or cash assistance include citizens, lawful immigrants, or people not lawfully present, and report both counts and the value of benefits associated with households that include lawful noncitizens. Medicaid would be required to report the number of qualified aliens enrolled or applying, and the number of individuals not lawfully present who received alien emergency medical assistance. The bill also directs the governor to compile annual summaries of the reports received from multiple agencies.
The bill’s impact on state law would be significant because it creates new statewide data-collection duties across education, corrections, law enforcement, and public assistance programs, and it expands the Revised Code with new reporting statutes and administrative rulemaking authority. It would not directly change eligibility rules for most programs, but it would require agencies and local entities to gather and transmit immigration-status information where available, and it would create new compliance obligations and penalties tied to reporting accuracy and timeliness.
Overall sentiment in the available record appears neutral to supportive in the sense that the bill was introduced with multiple cosponsors and advanced to the House Government Oversight Committee, but there is no committee transcript or vote history available to show debate or opposition. The main point of contention likely concerns the policy choice to require government entities to collect immigration-status data, especially in schools and public assistance programs, balanced against the bill’s stated privacy protections and reporting limitations. Because no recorded discussion or votes are provided, the extent of support or opposition cannot be determined from the available materials.
HB42 would add new reporting and recordkeeping requirements to Ohio law for law enforcement, corrections, public schools, county human services agencies, and Medicaid. It would amend section 3301.0714 and enact new sections requiring annual collection and reporting of citizenship or immigration-status data, while also creating new oversight, reporting, and enforcement mechanisms, including potential funding sanctions for school districts and administrative rulemaking authority for state agencies.
The bill appears to have been introduced with legislative support, as shown by its multiple cosponsors and referral to committee, but there is no transcript or vote record available to indicate broader debate. Based on the text alone, the measure is framed as a data-reporting and transparency bill rather than a direct eligibility change, though it likely raises concerns among critics about immigration-status tracking in schools and public benefits programs.
The most notable point of contention is the bill’s requirement that agencies collect and report citizenship or immigration-status information, particularly for students, detainees, and public assistance recipients. Supporters would likely emphasize transparency, statewide reporting, and administrative oversight, while opponents may object to privacy, chilling effects, and the use of immigration-status data in schools and benefit programs. The bill also gives the Department of Education and Workforce strong enforcement tools, including withholding funds and sanctioning districts, which could be another source of concern for local school officials.