A new bill is progressing through the Ohio House‘s Commerce and Labor Committee that could change how workers with disabilities are paid.

In today’s Morning Briefing, we tell you more about the bill and how some workers with disabilities are now making less than minimum wage. We also track the progress on the cyberattack at Kettering Health, where many patients are struggling to reschedule appointments.

If you have thoughts or feedback on this newsletter or other news tips, please let me know at [email protected].

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The newsletter should take about 4 minutes, 16 seconds to read.

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Bill would make Ohio employers pay people with disabilities minimum wage

As the federal government weighs the future of a program that allows some employers to pay workers with disabilities less than minimum wage, a Dayton area lawmaker has proposed phasing out the practice in Ohio.

• What they are saying: “We have a workforce that needs to be paid a same level, at least the minimum wage, as everyone else,” said state Rep. Tom Young, R-Washington Twp.

• House Bill 225: It is a revival of previous efforts in the Ohio House to make changes to Ohio’s participation in the federal 14(c) program.

• Section 14(c): It is a part of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, which permits employers to pay subminimum wages to workers whose disabilities impact their productivity for the specific work performed, but only if the employers hold a special certificate under the U.S. Department of Labor’s hours and wages division.

• Federal certificates: In Ohio, 41 certificates have been issued to organizations like community rehabilitation programs.

• Advocacy groups: The 14(c) program has been criticized by advocacy groups for paying people with disabilities, at some establishments, significantly less than the federal minimum wage.

Kettering Health bringing certain systems back up as tech outage continues

As the ongoing technology outage at Kettering Health continues, the hospital organization is seeing progress getting its systems back up online.

• Cyber threat: The hospital system confirmed on Friday it believes the attack was a ransomware attack, but administrators said they had no direct contact with the perpetrators.

• Kettering Health: The health network has 14 area medical centers and more than 120 outpatient locations throughout western Ohio, as well as Kettering Physician Network, which includes more than 700 board-certified providers.

• What should patients do? Kettering Health is reminding all of its patients they should come to their scheduled appointments or surgeries unless one of its clinical teams calls to reschedule.

• What patients are saying: “I was informed somebody would get back to me in the next couple of days or so to reschedule,” said David Foubert, who was still waiting for a call to reschedule after five days.

• Progress: Kettering Health has been able to start using its radiation oncology equipment called linear accelerators again.

• Hospitals vulnerable: “Hospital companies have a very vast, what we call, an attack surface. They have a lot of outdated and unpatched systems. A lot of them are running on Windows 7 or very legacy systems, so they’re vulnerable,” said JP Castellanos, director of threat intelligence at Binary Defense, a cybersecurity company in northeast Ohio.

What to know today

• One big takeaway: The Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals has affirmed a ruling by the district court to deny a petition from Ryan Widmer, who is serving 15 years to life in prison for murdering his wife of four months, Sarah Widmer, in their bathtub in Warren County in 2008.

• Tip of the day: Try eccentric training if you want to switch up your workout routine.

• Big move of the day: Henderson Development is seeking to build more than 100 single-family houses in Franklin.

• Person to know today: Kathy Anderson. The owner of boutique fitness studio, My Pilates Studio, is celebrating 20 years in business in Washington Twp.

• Dayton Food & Dining: Springboro resident Fernando Cubas is sharing the taste of Peru through a new Peruvian sandwich shop with sides, desserts and more to come.

• Quote of the day: “This is the biggest residential development in the city in a number of decades,” said Kettering City Planner Ryan Homsi about a proposed 264-unit apartment complex called VC Flats.

• Schools: Dayton Public Schools says changes to busing won’t come next year.

• Dayton Flyers: Tai Bell, a 6-foot-3 point guard is the first 2028 recruit to receive an offer from UD.

• Community Gems: The Dayton Daily News Community Gems initiative highlights people who give their time and effort to improve the lives of their neighbors and community. Do you know someone like this in your community? Follow this link to nominate them.

• Thing to do: The Dayton Arcade is hosting an inaugural First Friday event on June 6 featuring 15 local vendors in the North Arcade’s first-floor concourse.

• Photo of the day: In 2024, Centerville City Council approved a nearly $50,000 enhancement plan for Stubbs Park, which allocated funds for new statues, brick work and more. These updates were the centerpiece of the city’s Memorial Day ceremony, which unveiled a monument dedicated to the U.S. Space Force. Read the story here.