MICHAEL D.

DOVILLA
7TH DISTRICT
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POLICY AND LEGISLATIVE OVERSIGHT,
CHAIRMAN

FINANCE & APPROPRIATIONS

HIGHER EDUCATION SUBCOMMITTEE

MILITARY & VETERANS AFFAIRS


VERN RIFFE CENTER
77 SOUTH HIGH STREET, 13
TH
FLOOR
COLUMBUS, OH 43215-6111
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T: (614) 466-4895
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F: (614) 719-6957
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REP07@OHIOHOUSE.GOV


Ohio General Assembly
House of Representatives
Columbus
For Immediate Release: Contact: Chris Ventura
May 21, 2014 (614) 466-4895

Dovilla Applauds Passage of Higher Education Legislation
Measure expands tuition guarantee programs, creates group to study financial aid

COLUMBUSState Representative Mike Dovilla (R-Berea) has announced the Ohio House
of Representatives concurrence in Senate amendments to House Bill 484, legislation that
modifies laws regarding the states colleges and universities.

As a member of the House Finance Subcommittee on Higher Education and an adjunct
professor at Baldwin Wallace University, I believe strongly in the value of lifelong learning
and its positive impact on career development, job satisfaction, and an engaged citizenry,
said Dovilla. The important reforms contained in this legislation will continue to make
higher education more accessible and affordable for Ohioans seeking to advance their
careers and remain in our great state.

One of several bills included in the Mid-biennial Budget Review (MBR), House Bill 484
authorizes community colleges to create a tuition guarantee program, where schools
establish a tuition level for incoming freshmen with the promise that the cost will not
increase over the course of the students time at the college. This bill includes new
performance-based funding formulas for both Ohio Community Colleges and Ohio
Technical Centers that are based on student outcomes and attainment.

Additionally, the bill creates the Higher Education Student Financial Aid Workgroup to
examine the range of student financial aid in Ohio and submit recommendations to the
Governor and the General Assembly by the end of this year. The workgroup will consist of
the Chancellor of the Board of Regents, members from several associations representing
universities and community colleges, state legislators, and representatives from the Ohio
Department of Veterans Services and the Ohio Association of Student Financial Aid Officers.

HB 484 also repeals outdated enrollment limits for the central campuses of Bowling Green
State University, Kent State University, Miami University, Ohio University, and The Ohio
State University.

Finally, the legislation requires each state university, as well as the Northeast Ohio Medical
University (NEOMED), to issue a report of its faculty workload policy and practices, and to
submit recommendations to the Chancellor of the Board of Regents on potential
modifications of those policies by June 30, 2017.

House Bill 484 now awaits Governor Kasichs signature.


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