Applications for Ohio Farm Bureau Health Plans now available
Members have three ways to apply: contacting a certified agent, calling 833-468-4280 or visiting ohiofarmbureauhealthplans.org.
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At the end of June, Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill that will invest $2.2 billion from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 into Ohio’s future. House Bill 168 addresses some of the most fundamental responsibilities that we share as public servants — the health of our children and the economic strength of our state,” DeWine said.
The largest expenditure item, $1.5 billion, will be used to pay off the state’s Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund loan to the federal government. By doing so, DeWine said Ohio businesses “won’t experience large increases in their federal unemployment payroll taxes, and instead can focus on investing this money in their businesses and employees.”
The signing of this legislation was welcome news for farmers and agribusinesses, according to Brandon Kern, senior director of state and national policy for Ohio Farm Bureau.
“This bill will help employers avoid costly increases in payments into the unemployment compensation fund to help pay off our state’s federal debt,” Kern said. “Now we need to focus on solving the structural shortcomings of the fund to avoid this situation in the future.”
The bill was sponsored by State Reps. Mark Fraizer (R-Newark) and Mike Loychik (R-Bazetta). DeWine also signed House Bill 75, which appropriates budget funding for the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation over the 2022-2023 biennium.
House Bill 168 includes the following:
- Invests $84 million in a pediatric behavioral health initiative administered by the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. Funds will increase Ohio’s capacity for youth behavioral health services and increase access and quality of care across all regions of the state.
- Invests $250 million to establish a water and sewer quality program administered by the Ohio Department of Development. The program will provide grants to identify and invest in Ohio’s most critical infrastructure needs.
- Invests $422 million in more than 2,000 local governments in Ohio that have yet to receive direct funding from the federal government to support recovery from the pandemic.
- Repays a loan of approximately $1.5 billion to the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund that was needed during the pandemic to pay unemployment benefits. Prompt repayment of this loan will prevent Ohio businesses from experiencing large increases in their federal unemployment payroll taxes.
My first recommendation in your journey is to start out with a local farming friend or mentor along with joining an organization like Ohio Farm Bureau.
We’re just so thankful for the Farm Bureau and the foundation for helping put this together. And of course, the Boyert family for the vision they had with this grant. It’s jumping us forward 10 years. It’s unbelievable.
I could not have done it without the resources I have found through Farm Bureau.
It wasn’t until I joined the Wilmington College Collegiate Farm Bureau that I truly saw how my passion could translate into leadership, advocacy and a career.
The issue of property taxation remains as one of the biggest challenges our members face today. Ensuring agricultural property is valued for its agricultural potential and not development is critical to the continued success of Ohio agriculture.
Through the Select Partner program, we became educated in farm insurance and weren't just selling policies. It became more and more clear why farmers need an advocate like Ohio Farm Bureau.
So many of the issues that OFBF and its members are advocating for are important to all Ohioans. I look at OFBF as an agricultural watchdog advocating for farmers and rural communities across Ohio.
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