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Ohio Board of Nursing seeks flat biennial budget, cites faster licensing and rising complaints
Summary
Ohio Board of Nursing Executive Director Marlene Njalski told the House Health Committee the board seeks $14.4 million for FY2026 and $14.8 million for FY2027, described process improvements that cut licensing turnaround to 1–3 business days, and reported a 22% rise in complaints from 2022–2024 (about 7,200 annually).
The Ohio Board of Nursing asked the House Health Committee for a largely flat operating budget of $14,400,000 for state fiscal year 2026 and $14,800,000 for FY2027, funding the board’s regulation of nearly 300,000 licensees and certificate holders.
"OBN plays a critical role in public protection because nursing touches virtually every person in Ohio," Marlene Njalski, executive director of the Ohio Board of Nursing, told the committee. She said the board is entirely supported by licensure fees deposited into the 4KS90 occupational licensing fund and receives no state general revenue funding.
Njalski described a series of operational improvements the board has implemented to handle increased workload without fee increases: LeanOhio process-improvement events, an electronic case-management system launched in 2024, and a revised background-check upload that reduced monthly staff time by about 50%. She said those changes cut licensing processing times "to anywhere from 1 to 3 business days" in many cases.
Committee members pressed Njalski about program specifics. Representative White asked about the doula certification and Medicaid reimbursement; Njalski said a change enacted through prior legislation (House Bill 238) established a "State of Ohio certified doulas" classification that permits Medicaid reimbursement and requires continuing education for renewal, and the board has published FAQs and shared guidance with the Ohio Hospital Association.
Njalski also addressed complaint volume. She told the committee the board sees approximately 7,200 complaints per year and reported a 22% increase in complaints between 2022 and 2024. She summarized categories: more than 2,700 compliance issues tied to licensure applications, nearly 1,100 practice complaints, roughly 400 drug-and-alcohol complaints and about 323 criminal complaints. Njalski said outreach to employers and law enforcement is intended to improve timely reporting.
She said the board has absorbed new work from the Nurse Licensure Compact (Senate Bill 3), noting more than 43,000 Ohio multistate license holders and thousands of non-Ohio MSL holders practicing in the state. Njalski asked the committee to support a budget line that requires cooperation from licensees and certificate holders in investigations, saying cooperation is "in the best interest of the public." Representatives thanked the board for reducing processing time without fee increases.
The committee did not vote on the budget during the hearing.
