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Read. Follow. Verify.Ohio Prohibits Requiring Labor Agreements on Public Contracts and Restricts State Funds for Charter Localities
Last action · October 15, 2025: Referred to Commerce and LaborSponsors: Thaddeus J. Claggett and 1 other
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What This Bill Would Do
Ohio HB 512 prohibits public authorities from requiring or prohibiting contractors and subcontractors from entering into agreements with labor organizations or requiring employees to join a union or pay dues as a condition of employment. The bill cuts off state funds for charter-form municipal corporations and counties that mandate or forbid such agreements in bid specifications. Additionally, the measure allows interested parties to file a civil complaint in the court of common pleas within two years of contract signing to void violating contracts and recover attorney's fees.
- Project labor agreements (PLAs) are pre-hire collective bargaining agreements negotiated between construction project owners and labor unions that establish terms and conditions of employment for a specific construction project. context
- Home rule charter municipalities and counties in Ohio possess distinct constitutional authority under the Ohio Constitution to govern local matters, which has frequently intersected with state-level procurement mandates. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Public authorities
Public authorities are barred from requiring or prohibiting labor organization agreements in bid specifications and risk losing state funding if they enforce such mandates in charter localities.
Contractors and subcontractors
Contractors and subcontractors gain the right to bid on public improvement projects without being forced to enter into labor organization agreements or mandate union membership for employees.
Municipal corporations and counties with an adopted charter
Charter localities face the loss of state construction funds if their bid specifications mandate or forbid labor organization agreements.
Interested parties
Interested parties, including bidders, subcontractors, associations, employees, and local residents, gain standing to file lawsuits to void violating contracts and recover attorney's fees.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a public authority still award a contract to a company that voluntarily uses a union labor agreement?
What happens to charter municipalities and counties that mandate labor agreements in their public projects?
How long does an interested party have to challenge a public contract that violates these rules?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
2 actions- Oct 15, 2025HouseCommitteeReferred to Commerce and Labor
- Oct 14, 2025HouseIntroducedIntroduced
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Repeal of Section 153.83
The bill explicitly repeals section 153.83 of the Revised Code, shifting the statutory framework governing project labor agreements in public contracts.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legislature.ohio.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy85Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz45Current news / social attention level
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