Committee hears sponsor testimony on bill allowing civil-service exemptions for lateral hires and local training

House sponsors presented testimony on House Bill 44, which they said would permit police departments to fill certain vacant civil-service positions without holding a competitive exam when a department can show the competitive component is unnecessary and the applicant has exceptional qualifications. Sponsors told the Senate Armed Services, Veterans Affairs and Public Safety Committee the change would align statutory cities with charter cities that already can make immediate lateral hires and said the measure aims to speed hiring of trained officers and reduce costs associated with posting positions and scheduling testing.

Sponsors also described amendments that would allow municipal police chiefs to run training schools for prospective officers consistent with Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy standards and permit localized new-chief training at approved regional facilities rather than requiring attendance in Columbus. The sponsors said the bill’s language is permissive ("may" rather than "shall") and includes an 8-hour maximum exemption for newly appointed chiefs who submit evidence of prior training in exempted topics.

During questions, Senator Wilson asked whether law-enforcement organizations (including the FOP and troopers) had weighed in. A sponsor replied that stakeholder concerns about internal promotions and supervisory testing had been addressed and that major organizations — including Buckeye Sheriffs and, they said, the attorney general’s office — were supportive. Sponsors noted the bill previously passed House committees unanimously and the House floor by a 95–1 margin.

Chair Jerry Johnson thanked the House sponsors for bringing the bill to the Senate committee and concluded the first hearing on HB44. No committee amendments or votes on HB44 occurred during this session.