• Age Extension for Medicaid Buy-In for Workers with Disabilities (MBIWD) Program – This was an OCC-proposed amendment inserted early in the budget process by the Ohio House, which eliminates a benefits cliff forcing able-bodied Ohioans with developmental disabilities to retire prematurely at age 65. Lifting this age cap will now allow disabled Ohioans 65 and older to continue working and earning a living, while paying a monthly amount to receive their needed Medicaid coverage. Additional enacted measures for which the Ohio Chamber successfully testified and lobbied re- peatedly during the budget process include: • Pole Replacement and Undergrounding Program - Our state’s ongoing investments in broadband expansion are noteworthy, but in many areas this deployment is dependent upon replacement of outdated poles, construction of new poles, and assorted other make-ready costs involved with accommodating this infrastructure along utility routes. The budget contains a measure the OCC pushed for, an appropriation of $50 million to create the Ohio Broadband Pole Replacement and Undergrounding Program. These funds are critical, as the size and scope of this needed work is delaying broadband construction in many areas. In our conversations with assorted broadband providers, the Ohio Chamber has learned that at least one has identified 57,000 poles in need of work with an average cost per pole of $3,500 – so there is much work still left to do. • All Ohio Future Fund - Replenishing Ohio’s inventory of large sites will bring economic opportunities to more areas. Site development costs to bring roadways, water, sanitary sewer, electric, natural gas, telecommunications, and broadband access are steep, but significantly enhance the marketability of communities outside of our metro regions while bringing immediate spillover benefits to residents and businesses in those areas. Governor DeWine’s initial budget proposed $2.5 billion to prepare infrastructure for economic development sites and to ensure all Ohioans reside within commuting distance of at least one such site. This figure was ultimately reduced to $667 million in the final budget. • Post-Secondary Financial Aid - The “Governor’s Merit Scholarship” is a new, targeted measure to keep our brightest students in-state while equipping them with the financial means to continue their learning pathways. The awards involve individual merit- based scholarships of $5,000 per academic year to students in the top 5% of their high school’s graduating class, for up to four academic years at a public or private institution of higher education. This type of financial assistance, combined with the increases to Ohio College Opportunity Grant (OCOG, which is the state’s need-based tuition assistance tool), place Ohio on a trajectory to compete with Michigan and Indiana, both of which offer robust financial aid to grow their talent bases. • Municipal Net Profits Tax Safe Harbor - This was another standalone bill the OCC had been working on (House Bill 121), which allows businesses with remote/hybrid employees or owners to elect to use a modified apportionment formula. It provides the following: when an employee or owner works at a remote workstation, the business may elect to apportion any property, payroll, or sales (gross receipts) attributable to that employee or owner to a designated location owned or controlled ether by the business or one of its
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