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New Ohio Tax Credit for Multifamily and Single-Family Housing

Client Alert

With economic growth ahead, Ohio’s new biennium budget addressed an expected growing demand for housing within the state.

On July 5, 2023, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed the 2024-2025 state budget, which created a state low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) to be overseen by the Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA). The credit has a $100 million annual cap and will be claimed over a 10-year period by eventual recipients. The OHFA expect first reservations to be made in early 2024.

The creation of this credit comes at a time when Ohio is poised for continued economic and job development activity with the notable arrival of an Intel large chip plant in Central Ohio. With this economic growth comes increased demand for affordable housing. The credit itself is expected to be used in tandem with other offered state and federal credits to further extend development dollars and create additional units for Ohioans.

LIHTCs provide tax incentives to construct or rehabilitate affordable rental housing for low-income households. LIHTCs were first offered by the federal government in 1986, with an estimated 100,000 affordable rental units being supported through the federal program each year. While program details still need to be developed by the OHFA, the ability for developers to combine state and federal LIHTCs should incentivize development and growing the availability of affordable, low-income housing.

For questions regarding these new low-income housing tax credits or assistance in securing these credits, please do not hesitate to contact BMD Member Jason Butterworth at jabutterworth@bmdllc.com or Attorney Jacob Davis at jrdavis@bmdllc.com.


Latest Batch of Ohio Chemical Dependency Professionals Board Rules: What Providers Should Know

The Ohio Chemical Dependency Professionals Board recently released several new rules and proposed amendments to existing rules over the past few months. A hearing for the new rules was held on February 16, 2024, but the Board has not yet finalized them.

Now in Effect: DOL Final Rule on Classification of Independent Contractors

Effective March 11, 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has adopted a new standard for the classification of employees versus independent contractors — a much anticipated update since the DOL issued its Final Rule on January 9, 2024, as previously discussed by BMD.  In brief, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) creates significant protections for workers related to minimum wage, overtime pay, and record-keeping requirements. That said, such protection only exists for employees. This can incentivize entities to classify workers as independent contractors; however, misclassification is risky and can be costly.

Florida's Recent Ruling on Arbitration Clauses

Florida’s recent ruling on arbitration clauses provides a crucial distinction in determining whether such clauses are void as against public policy and providers may have the opportunity to include arbitration clauses in their patient consent forms. On March 6, 2024, Florida’s Fourth District Court of Appeals reversed and remanded Florida’s Fifteenth Circuit Court ruling of Piero Palacios v. Sharnice Lawson. The Court of Appeals ruled that the parties’ arbitration agreement did not contradict the Legislature’s intent of Florida’s Medical Malpractice Act (the “MMA”), but rather reflects the parties’ choice to arbitrate claims entirely outside of the MMA’s framework. Therefore, the Court found that the agreement was not void as against public policy.

Corporate Transparency Act Update 3/14/24

On March 1, 2024, a federal district court in the Northern District of Alabama concluded that the Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA”) exceeded Congressional powers and enjoined the Department of the Treasury from enforcing the CTA against the plaintiffs. National Small Business United v. Yellen, No. 5:22-cv-01448 (N.D. Ala.). On March 11, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice appealed the district court’s decision to the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

The Ohio State University Launches Its Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program

In response to Ohio’s nursing shortage, The Ohio State University College of Nursing is accepting applications for its new Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program (aBSN). Created for students with a bachelor’s degree in non-nursing fields, the aBSN allows such students to obtain their nursing degree within 18 months. All aBSN students will participate in high-quality coursework and gain valuable clinical experience. Upon completion of the program, graduates will be eligible to take the State Board, National Council of Licensure Exam for Registered Nursing (NCLEX-RN).