State education and medical board leaders outline licensing counts, staffing strains and cash shortfalls during HB 59 review

State officials testified at an informal committee hearing on House Bill 59, an occupational licensing review, describing the volume of credentials, application processes and operational pressures across education and medical licensing.

Paul Craft, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, walked the committee through roughly two dozen educator licenses administered by the State Board of Education, citing counts and fees for several categories: 47,783 educational aides, 188,614 professional teachers, 63,981 pupil-activity permits, and a 7,020 career-technical workforce development educator pool. Craft described application steps (OHID account, educator state ID), recurring background checks, and the RAPBACK monitoring system that alerts the board to arrests and convictions. He said the State Board issues many licenses quickly when applicants provide complete packets but that professional conduct caseloads and staffing remain stretched.

Craft said the State Board manages the largest state licensing effort with about 56 staff and that professional conduct caseloads have increased (from 13,000 referrals pre-COVID to 25,000 last year), producing hundreds of pending investigations; he flagged a backlog of over 200 investigations older than two years.

Stephanie Luca, executive director of the State Medical Board of Ohio, said the Medical Board licenses about 104,000 health professionals and operates entirely on licensure fees. She told the committee the Board's carryover balance has declined from roughly $7–$8 million to about $5.5 million, noting payroll and healthcare cost increases have outpaced revenues. Luca said the Board expects a significant projected deficit and plans to seek fee increases in the next General Assembly; she requested restoration of certain physician assistant and dietitian renewal fees that had been reduced in prior cycles.

Luca described operational metrics: the Board issued more than 7,000 new licenses in the most recent fiscal year (a 32% increase since 2021) while maintaining average licensing timelines around two weeks for straightforward cases; the Board investigates about 6,000 complaints per year and averages about 130 days per investigation. Senators pressed on the carryover balance and investigation timelines; Luca confirmed the roughly $5.5 million current balance and explained the average investigation timeline and staffing constraints.

The hearing concluded with no committee action; staff will use the testimony and written materials to inform further review of HB 59.