Rep. David Thomas introduces legislation to lower the government employee insurance costs

Legislation that would save Ohio taxpayers money by allowing local governments to purchase employee insurance at lower costs has been introduced in the state House of Representatives.

The recently introduced bill would give local governments the option to join the State Department of Administrative Services Health Insurance pool, allowing employees to receive insurance at lower costs.

Rep. David Thomas, R-Jefferson, the sponsor of House Bill 746, announced the legislation in a press release and emphasized that access to larger insurance pools for local government employees would save taxpayers money and allow for lower property taxes.

“As I discuss cost savings measures with local governments often the expense of insurance is a common theme for both employees and the taxpayer,” Thomas said in a release. “It is usually our smaller local governments that struggle to keep these costs in check due to less payers in their insurance pool, but even larger local entities would benefit from this arrangement.”

The measure is the latest from Thomas aimed at providing some relief to taxpayers’ wallets.

He previously sponsored legislation designed to lower property taxes, including House Bill 124, House Bill 129, and House Bill 186. All three pieces of legislation were passed by the House and Senate in 2025. Republican Gov. Mike DeWine has signed HB 124 and HB 186, and both take effect on March 20.

HB 124 will require property values to be determined by the local County Auditor, rather than by entities unfamiliar with the circumstances surrounding sales in the area, to ensure accuracy and uniformity. HB 186 will establish an Inflation Cap Credit to limit increases in school district property taxes due to inflation-driven increases in property value, while HB 129 amends current regulations to include fixed-sum levies in the calculation of a school district’s millage floor.

Speaker of the House Matt Huffman, R-Lima, said that HB 186 would save taxpayers $1.7 billion over the next three years in a press release.

Thomas said that the legislation was intended to prevent districts from levying property tax increases without voter approval, in testimony before a House committee. He also said that HB 129 could save taxpayers millions of dollars.

The Republican representative’s most recent bill, HB 746, would also save taxpayers money by reducing the amount local governments spend on employee insurance. The bill would also allow local governments to keep their current health insurance plans and opt out of the state insurance plan in the future.

“The same health insurance we all enjoy should be available for our local government public servants,” Thomas said. “Each entity can decide if it is better for the taxpayer if they would opt into the state plan or stick with their current plan.”

The bill was introduced on March 10 and has not yet been assigned to a committee.