Civil Rights Commission reports record filings, asks for steady funding while working to clear case backlog

Angela Phelps White, executive director of the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, told the House Judiciary Committee the commission is facing sharply higher caseloads and is requesting continued General Revenue Fund support to maintain staffing and meet statutory timelines. Phelps White described the commission as Ohio's primary enforcement agency under the Ohio Civil Rights Act (Ohio Revised Code chapter 4112) and said the agency has expanded staffing and technology to respond to growing demand.

Key figures presented to the committee included: the commission secured more than $4,800,000 in monetary relief for victims in fiscal year 2022 and "approximately 10,300,000" in fiscal years 2023 and 2024 combined; the commission received 6,395 case filings in fiscal 2023 (a 54.50% increase from the prior year) and 7,779 filings in fiscal 2024; staff grew from 84 (including commissioners) to 92 and average investigator caseloads dropped from about 240 to about 189. The commission launched a new electronic case management system in June 2023 and said mediation resolves roughly 80% of mediated cases, often within about 45 days.

Budget request and federal partnerships: Phelps White said the executive recommendation for the General Revenue Fund for fiscal year 2026 is $7,464,880 and described a figure of $7,763,235 in materials; she said staffing makes up about 78% of the commission's expenditures and that federal funds remain critical to the agency's budget. "Without these federal reserves or increase in the GRF funds, the Commission would not be able to complete thorough and effective investigations while maintaining the statutory requirement to complete all investigations within a year," she said.

Committee questions and agency responses: Representative Stewart pressed the commission about a constituent's housing case that, he said, sat without action for three years after an election to go to court. Phelps White explained that housing cases have a statutory election process and that once the commission issues a probable‑cause complaint the matter moves to the attorney general's office; she said the commission has been auditing and cleaning up old files and working with the attorney general to resolve delayed transfers. "There are spreadsheets going back and cleaning those cases up," she said.

Members also asked about training and standards for investigators and about an apparent rise in charges classified as "other" in the commission's reporting. Phelps White described a 90‑day training program, use of mediation trainers from Capital University and regular federal training through HUD and the EEOC; she said the "other" category reflects filings that do not neatly fit statutory bases or include multiple alleged bases.

Next steps: The commission said it will continue outreach with legislators and the attorney general's office to address transfer procedures and to seek budget support to hire investigators. No committee vote was taken during the hearing.