COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Ohio legislators are proposing a bill to protect elected officials' seats if they are ordered to active military service.
State Reps. David Thomas (R-Jefferson) and Ty Mathews (R-Findlay) said House Bill 823, the Military Service Elected Office Protection Act, would allow elected officials to continue in their roles if they are deployed by the military. Thomas and Mathews said the bill was inspired by issues concerning a deployed Parma City School Board member who could not attend meetings virtually under state law.
"When our service members deploy, they carry the responsibility of protecting this country," Mathews said. "The least we can do is protect their place in the communities they were elected to serve."
The bill also aligns with Secretary of State Frank LaRose's deployment. LaRose, a Green Beret, returned from an overseas deployment with his unit on Wednesday after nearly a month away. During his absence, the assistant secretary of state assisted with some duties, although LaRose maintained many duties and fulfilled them remotely. As part of the Army Special Forces, details of his deployment are not public.
Current law protects county and township officers in active military service, but H.B. 823 would extend to all elected officials. Although school boards could conduct virtual meetings during COVID-19, state legislators revoked virtual attendance flexibility for some elected officials in April 2025.
For the past year, public officials have not been allowed to attend meetings virtually if the meeting includes a major expenditure, vote or tax issue. Officials must also attend in person to establish a quorum or vote.
If passed, H.B. 823 would offer exceptions to state laws about all public officials' attendance if the official was called up to active military duty. The bill also allows deployed elected officials to attend meetings remotely.
Parma School Board Member Ashley McTaggart is currently deployed on full-time military orders, according to NBC4 sister station Fox 8. Her absence from recent school board meetings has been the subject of debate around Parma. The school board held several special meetings to determine if McTaggart’s absences violated state laws and should result in her removal from her duties.
Tammie Sebastian, president of the Parma City School Board, said the district had to consider legal compliance and consistency with the law. The district has not yet taken action on McTaggart’s seat and said it would await further information on H.B. 823 before making a call.