To enact section 701.11 of the Revised Code to create the State and Municipal Government Commission.
HB912 creates a new State and Municipal Government Commission within Ohio law. The commission is designed to study and report on state and municipal policies that affect municipal home rule authority, improve coordination between state and local leaders, and make recommendations on municipal authority, policy, funding, revenue sharing, and grant programs. It would also review proposed state policies for their impact on cities and other municipal corporations and provide recommendations aimed at preserving or restoring local authority.
The commission would have 13 members, including the director of development or designee, appointed mayors from both larger and smaller municipalities, and legislative and executive appointees from both chambers and both parties. Members would serve two-year terms, the commission would meet at least twice a year, and its meetings would be public and broadcast. The bill also requires the commission to submit a report to the General Assembly every odd-numbered year summarizing its recommendations, legislative actions affecting home rule, and proposals for future action. Initial appointments would be due by June 30, 2026.
If enacted, HB912 would add a new section to the Revised Code and create an ongoing advisory body focused on state-local relations and municipal home rule. It would not directly change tax rates, funding formulas, or local authority by itself, but it would establish a formal process for reviewing legislation and policies that may limit municipal powers and for recommending changes to state law. The bill would affect the Department of Development, the Governor, legislative leaders, mayors, and other municipal executives by assigning appointment and administrative responsibilities, and it would create a recurring reporting requirement to the General Assembly.
The bill appears generally supportive of municipal interests and collaborative state-local policymaking, based on its stated purpose of preserving home rule authority and improving communication between state and municipal leaders. Because there are no committee transcripts or recorded votes provided, there is no direct evidence of debate, amendments, or partisan division in the available record. The structure of the commission, however, suggests an effort to balance representation across parties, chambers, and municipal sizes, which may have been intended to make the proposal broadly acceptable.
The main likely point of contention is the bill’s focus on municipal home rule authority, which can be politically sensitive in Ohio because it may be viewed as a response to state laws that preempt or limit local control. Another possible issue is whether the commission would meaningfully influence policy or simply add another advisory layer without binding authority. The bill also builds in approval thresholds requiring support from multiple political and municipal members before issuing recommendations, which may reflect concern about partisan or city-state imbalance and could itself be a point of discussion among legislators and local officials.