SB 83 Opponent Hearing
Senate Workforce & Higher Education Committee
Wednesday, April 19 at 4:00 pm
South Hearing Room (2nd Floor), Ohio Statehouse

This coming Wednesday, opponents to Senate Bill 83 will have an opportunity to submit testimony. Technically, the hearing is for all testimony, including proponents, opponents, and interested parties.

What can you do to help?

1) Submit testimony: If you are submitting testimony–whether written-only or you plan to testify in-person–you must email the testimony and your completed witness slip to the chair’s office at jake.dowling@ohiosenate.gov no later than Tuesday, April 18 at 4:00pm (testimony must be received 24 hours in advance of the hearing).

Witness Slip
Testimony Template

2) Show up early for Senate session: Senate session will take place at 1:30 pm. We will have stickers with the image in this article to hand out, and we are hoping to have SB 83 opponents pack the Senate session to be visible to all Senators.

3) Pack the hearing and overflow rooms: Help us pack the hearing room and fill up overflow rooms to show how strongly this bill is opposed. Plan to arrive before 4:00 pm to get situated prior to the start of the hearing.

4) Call Senate offices on Wednesday: Call Senate President Matt Huffman and the Republican members of the committee with a simple message: “Hello, I am a professor at [your institution] and I am calling to let [Senator] know that I oppose Senate Bill 83, and I ask that they stop this bill from advancing.”

President Matt Huffman: 614-466-7584
Chair Jerry Cirino:614-644-7718
Vice Chair Michael Rulli: 614-466-8285
Senator Bill Reineke: 614-466-8049
Senator Michele Reynolds: 614-466-8064

You will either speak to an aide or have to leave a voice message. Keep it short and courteous.

5) Attend the press conference: That morning at 11:00 am, OCAAUP will participate in a press conference in the Ladies Gallery at the Statehouse with other organizations and students to discuss our opposition to SB 83.

6) Use and share our Action Network link: Click here to access our Action Network page, which allows people to easily send messages opposing SB 83 to Ohio Senators. Share it with colleagues, friends, and family!

Parking: The best parking option is the Columbus Commons Parking Garage, and there also are many metered spots in the area that accept credit cards or allow you to use the “ParkColumbus” mobile app.

Finally, we wanted to make you aware that there is now companion legislation (a bill introduced with the same language) to SB 83 in the House: House Bill 151. So far, HB 151 has been introduced, but has received no further activity. We expect that the bill will be referred to the House Higher Education Committee, but we are not sure whether the House will decide to hold hearings on HB 151 or whether they will wait for SB 83 to pass the Senate.

Now is the time to stand up and defend higher ed! Thank you for all that you are doing to push back on SB 83!

Please join our partners at Save Ohio Higher Ed for a statewide forum to learn about SB 83–what’s in the bill and how it could impact student learning, academic freedom, tenure, faculty evaluations, diversity initiatives, and more.

The last segment of the forum will feature a testimony workshop for anyone who is interested in submitting oral or written testimony on the bill. This is a great way to learn how to format testimony, get on the witness list, and be effective with your message.

Click here to register. Feel free to share this opportunity with anyone who opposes SB 83. The above graphic should be downloadable and can be shared. This is an all hands on deck effort!

In January, the Ohio Conference AAUP Board interviewed and subsequently endorsed Pat Davidson, a candidate for the State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) Board. We believe that he is a much-needed addition to the board to advocate for responsible change to the pension system.

Pat Davidson is a member of the Ohio Federation of Teachers (OFT)/American Federation of Teachers (AFT). He is a 22-year business and computer teacher in the Berea City School District. For the majority of his career, he has taught Personal Finance to high school students.

Pat is running for STRS board because he has seen and heard how the 2012 and 2017 STRS reforms have dramatically affected both active members’ and retirees’ personal financial plans.

He has served on the OFT Retirement Committee for seven years. As a Retirement Committee member, he has engaged in civil discussions with STRS staff about actions STRS has taken and how they drastically affected members. He pledges to continue to pursue those types of constructive conversations as an STRS board member.

Pat believes that board members should challenge the system to address the needs of active and retired members without risking the system’s stability. If elected, he pledges to work toward restoring the promises that were made to current and retired teachers and to increase STRS transparency.

Ballots will be mailed to all active educators in the STRS system in early April. Members will have the ability to vote by mail, phone, or online. We strongly recommend voting either by phone or online.

There are two ways you can take action to fight SB 83:

1) Attend SB 83’s First Hearing

What: SB 83 First Hearing

Date: Wednesday, March 22

*New* Time: 11:30 am (arrive by 11:00 am)

Where: North Hearing Room (2nd Floor), Ohio Statehouse, Columbus

For this first hearing of SB 83, we are going to pack the committee room with people to show just how strongly this bill is opposed. We will be joined by allies from other unions and organizations that would be affected by SB 83 or simply want to show their support. Wear AAUP clothing or a pin, if you have it.

This hearing is for sponsor testimony, meaning that only the bill’s sponsor will be delivering testimony. This is the not the opportunity for the public to testify.

There also is a first hearing on HJR 1–the resolution that would make it harder to amend the state constitution–at 9:00 am the same day in Hearing Room 017 (Ground Floor) of the Statehouse. Join us for that, too, if you are able!

Parking beneath the Statehouse likely will be full. The next best option is the Columbus Commons Parking Garage, and there also are many metered spots in the area that accept credit cards.

2) Write to State Senators

We have created this Action Network page through which you can easily send emails to the State Senator who represents you, as well as members of the Senate Workforce and Higher Education Committee (the committee hearing the bill) to tell them you oppose SB 83. For your convenience, there is a sample letter, but you can edit it as you see fit.

To read about SB 83, click here.