HB 434: Exempt military driver's license applicants from driver's ed
```html An act amends several sections of Ohio Revised Code to introduce tax credits for transformational mixed-use development projects. Key points include: - Defines "development costs" as expenditures by property owners in completing certified projects. - Specifies "eligible expenditures" as those incurred after certification, including construction and architectural fees. - Establishes criteria for a "transformational mixed use development," requiring economic impact and integration of at least two uses like office, residential, retail, hotel, or recreation. - Requires applicants to submit detailed plans, financial data, and evidence that the project will not proceed without tax credits. - The director of development must consider factors such as job creation and revenue generation before certifying projects. - Projects must demonstrate a projected increase in tax collections exceed…
| Nov. 25, 2025 | Effective Emergency Act; Appropriations effective 11/25/25; Amendments to R.C. 2303.201 effective March 30, 2026 |
| Nov. 25, 2025 | Signed By The Governor |
| Nov. 18, 2025 | Sent To The Governor |
| Nov. 05, 2025 | Concurred in Senate amendments |
| Oct. 29, 2025 | Passed |
AN ACT
To amend sections 122.09, 122.636, 123.282, 123.283, 126.67, 319.304, 1901.26, 1907.24, 2303.201, 2501.16, 4507.21, 4513.60, 4513.61, 4513.66, 5101.98, 5119.89, and 5747.01 and to enact section 5101.546 of the Revised Code and to amend Sections 209.30, 221.10, 221.30, 221.40, 229.40, 237.10, 265.10, 265.110, 265.215, 291.20, 307.10, 307.70, 317.10, 317.20, 381.410, 423.10, 423.220, and 755.20 of H.B. 96 of the 136th General Assembly and Sections 221.15 as subsequently amended, 357.10, 363.10 as subsequently amended, 387.10 as subsequently amended, and 387.13 as subsequently amended of H.B. 2 of the 135th General Assembly to make corrections related to the transportation and main operating budgets, to make appropriations, and to declare an emergency.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Ohio:
Section 1.
That sections 122.09, 122.636, 123.282, 123.283, 126.67, 319.304, 1901.26, 1907.24, 2303.201, 2501.16, 4507.21, 4513.60, 4513.61, 4513.66, 5101.98, 5119.89, and 5747.01 be amended and section 5101.546 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:
Sec. 122.09.
(A) As used in this section:
(1) "Development costs" means all expenditures paid or incurred by the property owner in completing a certified transformational mixed use development project including acquisition costs and all costs incurred before the project is certified by the director of development.
(2) "Eligible expenditures" means certain expenditures paid or incurred by the property owner in completing a certified transformational mixed use development project after the project is certified by the director of development, including architectural or engineering fees, due diligence costs, hard and soft construction costs, paid or incurred in connection with the project and architectural and engineering fees and due diligence costs incurred before the date the project is certified by the director of development under division (C) of this section.
(3) "Property owner" means a person or persons holding a fee simple or leasehold interest in real property, including interests in real property acquired through a capital lease arrangement, and a person or persons in contract to acquire real property with the only remaining contractual contingency being receipt of an award under this section. "Owner" does not include the state or a state agency, or any political subdivision as defined in section 9.23 of the Revised Code. For the purpose of this division, "fee simple interest," "leasehold interest," and "capital lease" shall be construed in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.
(4) "Transformational mixed use development" means a project that consists of eligible expenditures for new construction or the redevelopment, rehabilitation, expansion, or other improvement of vacant buildings or structures, or a combination of the foregoing, and that, inclusively:
(a) Will have a transformational economic impact on the project site;
(b) Integrates at least two of the following uses into one mixed use development:
(i) Office;
(ii) Residential;
(iii) Retail, which may include restaurant space;
(iv) Hotel and hospitality;
(v) Recreation.
(c) Satisfies one of the following criteria:
(i) If the project site is located within ten miles of a major city, the project includes at least one new or previously vacant building that is fifteen or more stories in height or has a floor area of at least three hundred fifty thousand square feet, or after completion will be the site of employment accounting for at least five million dollars in annual payroll, or includes two or more buildings that are connected to each other, are located on the same parcel or on contiguous parcels, and that collectively have a floor area of at least three hundred fifty thousand square feet;
(ii) If the project site is not located within ten miles of a major city, the project includes at least one new or previously vacant building that is two or more stories in height or has a floor area of at least seventy-five thousand square feet or two or more new buildings that are located on the same parcel or on contiguous parcels and that collectively have a floor area of at least seventy-five thousand square feet.
A "transformational mixed use development" does not include a project located wholly or partially in a transformational major sports facility mixed-use project district as defined in section 123.28 of the Revised Code.
(5) "Increase in tax collections" means the difference, if positive, of the amount of state and local taxes estimated to be derived from economic activity occurring within the project site, but excluding any other phases of the development project for developments completed in phases, during the completion period minus the amount of such taxes that are estimated to be derived from such economic activity in that site during the same period if the transformational mixed use development project were not certified by the director of development and completed.
(6) "Completion period" means the time period beginning on the day after a transformational mixed use development project is certified by the director of development and ending on the fifth anniversary of the day the project is completed.
(7) "Contribute capital" means to invest, loan, or donate cash in exchange for an equity interest in an asset, or a debt instrument.
(8) "Major city" means a municipal corporation that has a population greater than one hundred thousand.
(9) "Project site" means the land, and improvements thereon, upon which a transformational mixed use development will be constructed, which consists of a single parcel or multiple parcels that are contiguous with one another, including parcels separated only by a publicly dedicated road.
(B) The property owner of one or more parcels of land in this state within which a transformational mixed use development project is planned may apply to the director of development for certification of the development project and preliminary approval of a tax credit in an amount up to ten per cent of the estimated eligible expenditures. Each application shall be filed in the form and manner prescribed by the director and shall, at minimum, include a development plan comprised of all of the following information:
(1) The location of the project site and an indication of whether it is located within ten miles of a major city;
(2) A detailed description of the proposed transformational mixed use development project including site plans, elevations, construction drawings, architectural renderings, or other means sufficient to convey the appearance, size, purposes, capacity, and scope of the project;
(3) A viable project budget supported by construction hard cost estimates, organized by line item, that estimates the development costs and eligible expenditures that have been or will be incurred in the completion of the project;
(4) A viable financial plan showing both (a) at least fifty-one per cent of the needed funding secured, as evidenced by commitment letters, letters of intent, or terms sheets and third party equity verification, and (b) a strategy for obtaining any needed but not yet secured funding;
(5) An estimated schedule for the progression and completion of the project;
(6) An assessment of the projected newly created economic impact of and from the project based upon the projected increase in tax collections during the completion period at the project site, excluding economic activity existing at the time of or before certification of the development project and preliminary approval of a tax credit, prepared by an economic impact consultant with experience performing economic impact studies in Ohio and reviewed by an independent third party reviewer retained by the director of development to ensure accuracy, uniformity, consistency, and fairness;
(7) Evidence that the increase in tax collections during the completion period will exceed ten per cent of the estimated eligible expenditures reported under division (B)(3) of this section;
(8) The portion of any tax credit issued that the applicant would like issued to the property owner or to an insurance company, financial institution, or other person based upon capital contributions that have been made or will be made to the project;
(9) Evidence that, but for the applicant's receipt of the credit, the project will not be completed. If any portion of the project the applicant seeks certification and preliminary approval for has commenced construction, excluding brownfield remediation and demolition, or the project has closed on construction financing, this division's standard is not met and the project is not eligible for certification and preliminary approval.
(C)(1) In determining whether to certify a project that is the subject of an application submitted under division (B) of this section, the director of development shall consider the potential impact of the transformational mixed use development on the project site in terms of architecture, accessibility to pedestrians, retail entertainment and dining sales, job creation, and revenue from sales, income, lodging, and property taxes. The director shall not certify a project unless it satisfies the following conditions:
(a) The project qualifies as a transformational mixed use development project and satisfies all other criteria prescribed by this section or by rule of the director;
(b) The estimated increase in tax collections from the project site during the completion period exceeds ten per cent of the estimated eligible expenditures for the project reported under division (B)(3) of this section;
(c) The applicant will not be able to (i) close on construction financing, (ii) commence construction, excluding any brownfield remediation or demolition that may have already been performed, and (iii) complete the project unless the applicant receives the credit;
(d) If the project site is located within ten miles of a major city, the estimated eligible expenditures to complete the project exceed fifty million dollars.
In making a determination of whether or not to approve an application, the director may conduct an interview of the applicant.
(2) If the director of development approves an application, the director shall issue a statement certifying the associated transformational mixed use development project and preliminarily approving a tax credit. The statement shall stipulate that issuance of a tax credit certificate is contingent upon completion of the transformational mixed use development project as described in the development plan for the project. The statement shall specify the estimated amount of the tax credit preliminarily approved and the amount of credit preliminarily approved for each person identified in the application pursuant to division (B)(8) of this section, but state that the amount of the credit is dependent upon determination of the actual eligible expenditures attributed to the project.
The amount of the credit shall not exceed the amount applied for in the application approved by the director.
(3) The total estimated amount of the tax credit shall equal up to ten per cent of the estimated eligible expenditures for the project as reported in the project development plan pursuant to division (B) of this section. The estimated credit amounts may be reduced by the director of development as a condition of certifying the project if such a reduction is necessary to comply with the limitations on the amount of credits that may be preliminarily approved as prescribed by division (C)(5) of this section. The estimated credit amounts shall not be adjusted after the statement described in division (C)(2) of this section has been issued, except as provided by division (G) of this section.
(4) If the director of development denies an application, the director shall notify the applicant of the reason or reasons for such determination. The director's determination is final, but an applicant may revise and resubmit a previously denied application in a future year.
(5)(a) The director of development may not preliminarily approve more than one hundred twenty-five million dollars of new estimated tax credits in each of fiscal years 2026 and 2027. The director shall not preliminarily approve any dollar amount of new estimated tax credits under this section in any fiscal year after fiscal year 2027 unless specifically authorized by an act of the general assembly.
Tax credits preliminarily approved under this section in preceding fiscal years and for which preliminary approval was rescinded in the fiscal year immediately preceding the current fiscal year shall be available for preliminary approval under this section in the current fiscal year. Credit amounts available due to such rescission do not apply towards the one hundred twenty-five million dollar limit prescribed in this division.
(b) Except as provided in division (C)(6) of this section, not more than eighty-five million dollars of estimated new tax credits, plus an amount equal to two-thirds of any credits for which preliminary approval was rescinded in the preceding fiscal year, may be preliminarily approved in connection with projects that are located within ten miles of a major city in the current fiscal year.