On Monday, Governor Mike DeWine signed the following bills into law:
* Senate Bill 33,sponsored by Senators Jay Hottinger and Andrew O.
Brenner,modifies the law governing community reinvestment areas and
expands the income tax deduction allowed for contributions to Ohio's
529 education savings plans to include contributions to 529 plans
established by other states.
* Senate Bill 63, sponsored by Senator Sandra O'Brien, creates the
D-9 liquor permit, which authorizes an establishment to sell beer,
wine, and mixed beverages for on-premises consumption under
specified circumstances; allows a board of county commissioners to
authorize a county department of probation to accept payments by
credit card; and makes multiple designations.
* Senate Bill 131, sponsored by Senators Kristina Roegner and Rob
McColley,requires an occupational licensing authority to issue a
license or government certification to an applicant who holds a
license, government certification, or private certification or has
satisfactory work experience in another state under certain
circumstances; specifies that individuals may not register as credit
services organizations; specifies that individuals may not be
licensed as manufacturers or wholesalers of fireworks; and maintains
State Teacher Retirement System membership for certain school
psychologists.
* Senate Bill 164, sponsored by Senators Jay Hottinger and Kenny
Yuko,revises the law and penalties associated with companion animal
cruelty; generally prohibits an animal shelter from destroying a
domestic animal by the use of a gas chamber; and authorizes Cuyahoga
County to convert its existing cigarette tax to a wholesale tax and
levy a new wholesale tax on vapor products.
* Senate Bill 202, sponsored by Senators Bob D. Hackett and Nickie
Antonio,prohibits a person's disability from being the basis to deny
or limit custody, parenting time, visitation, adoption, or service
as a guardian or foster caregiver, regarding a minor; provides that
a civil action to challenge a state administrative order issued in a
state of emergency be brought in the Court of Claims or an
appropriate local court depending on the nature of the action; to
makes changes concerning the validity of real property instruments
and fiduciary signature errors; makes changes to the law related to
the disinterment of bodies buried in cemeteries, presentment of
claims against an estate, Guardianship Law, and the Ohio Trust Law;
creates the Task Force on Bail; allows a county prosecutor to
provide legal services to certain entities; conveys state-owned land
in Lucas County; modifies the qualifications for office for judges
of municipal courts, county courts, courts of common pleas, courts
of appeals, and justices of the Supreme Court; and to converts one
part-time judgeship of the Fulton County County Court to a full-time
judgeship effective January 1, 2023, until that court is abolished
on January 1, 2024.
* Senate Bill 302, sponsored by Senators Bob D. Hackett and Bill
Reinecke,makes changes to the Unemployment Compensation Law.
* House Bill 23, sponsored by Representatives Phil Plummer and
Thomas West,requires emergency medical service personnel and peace
officers to undergo dementia-related training and increases the
maximum allowable age for new state highway patrol troopers.
* House Bill 35, sponsored by Representatives Jeff LaRe and Gary
Click,permits mayors to solemnize marriages anywhere within Ohio.
* House Bill 66, sponsored by Representative James M. Hoops,revises
the tax laws and to makes certain operating appropriations for the
biennium ending June 30, 2023, and capital appropriations for the
biennium ending June 30, 2024.
* House Bill 107, sponsored by Representative Brian
Baldridge,subsequently eliminates licensure of elevator contractors
and mechanics in ten years.
* House Bill 150, sponsored by Representatives Brett Hudson Hillyer
and David Leland,establishes the Rural Practice Incentive Program;
establishes a task force to study Ohio's indigent defense system,
and makes an appropriation.
* House Bill 178, sponsored by Representatives Jean Schmidt and Adam
C. Miller,limits the water pressure of water features at swimming
pools and names this act Makenna's Law.
* House Bill 254, sponsored by Representatives Kristin Boggs and
Cincy Abrams,provides for the establishment of domestic violence
fatality review boards.
* House Bill 353, sponsored by Representatives Gary Click and
Jessica E. Miranda,enacts "The Testing Your Faith Act" to require
each state institution of higher education to adopt a policy
providing students with religious accommodations.
* House Bill 392, sponsored by Representatives Ron Ferguson and
Kevin D. Miller,authorizes ambulance transport of an injured police
dog when the dog is injured in the line of duty; clarifies when a
person may ride in a moving fifth wheel trailer; and revises the law
governing the mounting of a vehicle safety device on the windshield
of a motor vehicle.
* House Bill 405, sponsored by Representatives Brian Stewart and
Mark Johnson,makes changes to county hospital trustees law; allows
the coroner's office to access the Ohio Law Enforcement Gateway; and
allows a county treasurer to electronically deliver tax bills.
* House Bill 423, sponsored by Representatives Bill Roemer and Bob
Young,designates the All-American Soap Box Derby as the official
state gravity racing program and designates "Eugene 'Gene' F. Kranz
Day," "Ohio Burn Awareness Week," "Ohio Public Lands Day,"
"Pollinator Week," and "Ulysses S. Grant Day."
* House Bill 462, sponsored by Representative Kevin D. Miller and
former Representative Rick Carfagna,prohibits swatting, adds
swatting to the definition of an offense of violence, and makes
changes regarding exempt employee pay ranges and pay ranges for
certain State Highway Patrol officers.
* House Bill 487, sponsored by Representative Tom Young,changes the
bidding process for contracts for ballot printing and eliminates the
requirement that all contracts for ballots for Ohio elections are
rewarded to vendors within the state and printed within the state.
On Tuesday, Governor DeWinesigned Senate Bill 288, which
significantly strengthens laws in Ohio related to the use of cell
phones and other electronic devices while driving.
The bill, which was initially part of House Bill 283 sponsored by
representatives Cindy Abrams (R-Harrison) and Brian Lampton
(R-Beavercreek), contains several safety measures championed by
Governor DeWine, including a wide ban on using and holding a phone
while driving.
“Signing this bill today is a great honor because this legislation
will, without a doubt, prevent crashes and save lives,” said
Governor DeWine. “Right now, too many people are willing to risk
their lives while behind the wheel to get a look at their phones. My
hope is that this legislation will prompt a cultural shift around
distracted driving that normalizes the fact that distracted driving
is dangerous, irresponsible, and just as deadly as driving drunk."
Also on Tuesday,Governor DeWine signed the following bills into law:
* Senate Bill 16, sponsored by Senator Tim Schaffer, modifies the
law regardingassault or menacing committed or directed against, and
targeting, an emergency service responder, family member, or
co-worker; the offense of unlawfully impeding public passage of an
emergency service responder; prohibits certain sex offenders and
child-victim offenders from engaging in a specified volunteer
capacity involving direct work with, or supervision or disciplinary
power over, minors; makes changes to the offense of voyeurism;
firearms qualification for county correctional officers; the
specification that there is no period of limitations for prosecution
of a conspiracy or attempt to commit, or complicity in committing,
aggravated murder or murder; a political subdivision's emergency
powers when suppressing a riot, mob, or potential riot or mob; the
preservation of rights regarding deadly weapons and firearms during
an emergency; the penalties for the offense of importuning;
additions to the Statewide Emergency Alert Program; the requirement
that county prosecutors annually report all case resolutions to the
board of county commissioners and all fire-related case resolutions
to the State Fire Marshal; and the removal of ankle and leg
restraints from those prohibited for use on a pregnant charged or
convicted criminal offender or a pregnant charged or convicted
delinquent child, and the lowering of the required threat level for
this use of restraints.
* House Bill 279, sponsored by Representatives Richard D. Brown and
Scott Oelslager,revises the law regarding wrongful death claims.
* House Bill 364, sponsored by Representative Thomas F. Patton,
modifies the application process for the waterworks infrastructure
improvement surcharge and to residential PACE lien priority, creates
exceptions to the moratorium on modifications to hazardous waste
incinerator installation and operation permits, and eliminates
public water system asset management program requirements for
transient noncommmunity water systems.
Governor DeWine also vetoedHouse Bill 286, which would havegenerally
changed the venue in which appeal from an agency order is proper to
the local court of common pleas, provided that a civil action to
challenge a state administrative order issued in a state of
emergency be brought in the Court of Claims, and to allowed the
General Assembly and the Governor to retain special
counsel.Governor's Veto Message.
Also on Tuesday, Lt. Governor Jon Husted, Director of the Governor’s
Office of Workforce Transformation, announced that 13 workforce
partnerships located throughout the state will receive a total of
$2.45 million in awards through the Industry Sector Partnership
(ISP) Grant. The program supports local collaborations that help
bring Ohioans into the workforce pipeline while meeting the needs of
job creators and the local economy.
The selected partnerships will focus on multiple in-demand industry
sectors including information technology, manufacturing, healthcare,
transportation and aerospace.
“Those who collaborate best are the ones who win,” said Lt. Governor
Jon Husted. “These partnerships connect educators and businesses and
through that collaboration, a local job training network is created
to help students prepare for the most in-demand careers available in
their communities.”
On Wednesday, Governor DeWine joined President Joe Biden, Senator
Mitch McConnell, Senator Sherrod Brown, Kentucky Governor Andy
Beshear, and former Senator Rob Portman in Cincinnati to celebrate
the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project.
On Thursday,Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed the following bills
into law:
* House Bill 281, sponsored by State Representatives Dontavius L.
Jarrells and Tom Young, updates terminology in the Revised Code
regarding people with mental illnesses and people with disabilities,
changes the name of a commission to the Commission on
African-Americans and modifies the membership of the Commission, and
names this act the Mental Health and Disability Terminology Act.
* House Bill 343, sponsored by State Representative Andrea White,
make changes relative to the rights of crime victims.
* House Bill 501, sponsored by State Representative Thomas Hall,
makes various township law changes, subjects small solar facilities
to local regulation, and makes an exception to the Uniform
Depository Act for the treasurer and governing board that is a
member of the Little Miami Joint Fire and Rescue District for
certain investments of interim funds.
* House Bill 504, sponsored by State Representative Mark Johnson and
former Representative Rick Carfagna,increases the penalty for
"disturbing a lawful meeting" when committed with the intent to
disturb or disquiet an assemblage for religious worship or to
prevent, disrupt, or interfere with a virtual meeting or gathering
for religious worship.
* House Bill 509, sponsored by State Representatives Marilyn John
and Sarah Fowler Arthur, revises and streamlines the state's
occupational regulations, extends the authorization for two boards
set to expire under Sunset Review Law, and amends the version of
section 4723.481 of the Revised Code that is scheduled to take
effect on September 30, 2024, to continue the change on and after
that date.
* House Bill 545, sponsored by State Representatives Cindy Abrams
and Brian Baldridge, allows for privileged testimonial
communications between a peer support team member and an individual
receiving peer support services or advice from the team member.
* House Bill 554, sponsored by Representatives Mary Lightbody and
Adam Bird, requires the State Board of Education to issue temporary
educator licenses to applicants with expired professional teacher's
certificates and professional educator licenses, with regard to the
composition of the Educator Standards Board and its subcommittees,
STEM school classroom facilities project funding, full-time
equivalency for students enrolled in certain community schools for
the 2022-2023 school year, the provision of intervention services
under the Autism Scholarship Program, children of military families
participation in the college credit plus program, high school
graduation requirements for transfer and chartered nonpublic school
students, and regarding the education of children experiencing
developmental delays and state operating funding for districts and
schools educating them; expands where multiple community school
facilities may be located under a community school sponsor contract;
and permits state universities to develop a policy regulating
student organizations' use of university logos.
* House Bill 558, sponsored by State Representatives Bill Roemer and
Kris Jordan, modifies the laws governing the drug repository program
for donated prescription drugs and the laws governing access to
overdose reversal drugs, authorizes a pharmacist to modify a
prescription to include a drug delivery device, registers pediatric
transition care programs, designates March as "Bleeding Disorders
Awareness Month," and designates the fourth Wednesday of February as
"Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Awareness Day."
* House Bill 567, sponsored by State Representatives Brian Stewart
and Richard D. Brown, regards records kept by the clerk of the court
of common pleas, court of common pleas court orders made out of
court, and common pleas court clerk maintenance of court materials,
and provides immunity to clerks of court who post online a case
document with personal identifiers; provides that documents
received, created, or converted by the clerk of court in electronic
format are considered the official version of the record; revises
the duties of the board of county commissioners in relation to the
clerk of the court of common pleas; amends the law regarding
notaries public; allows the Tiffin-Fostoria municipal court and the
Seneca County court of common pleas to continue to exercise
concurrent jurisdiction in operating a drug addiction recovery
program indefinitely; and exempts peace officers from the notary
application criminal records check, and makes changes to the
notarization requirements for motor vehicle and watercraft
certificate of title documents when a licensed motor vehicle dealer
is involved in the transfer of title.
* House Bill 569, sponsored by State Representatives Adam Holmes and
Andrea White, authorizes institutions of higher education to
establish Ohio Hidden Hero Scholarship Programs.
* House Bill 575, sponsored by State Representative Al Cutrona,
modernizes fraternal benefit society solvency regulation and
oversight.
* House Bill 578, sponsored by State Representative Bill Roemer,
creates and amends various specialty license plates and designates
and amends various memorial highways and bridges.
Governor DeWine also vetoed House Bill 513, regardinglocal
regulation of tobacco products and alternative nicotine
products.Governor's Veto Message.
Also on Thursday, Lt. Governor Husted, who serves as Director of the
Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation, announced the results
of November’s round of TechCred, in which349 employerswere approved
for funding, providing the opportunity forOhioans to earn 4,466
tech-focused credentials.This most recent round marks the 17th
application period of the program with manufacturing topping the
list of industries applying for tech-infused credentials.
"TechCred continues to grow and becomea powerful tool for Ohio
businesses and our workforce,’ said Lt. Governor Jon Husted. “The
numbers speak volumes about how TechCred is succeeding in growing
our workforce and upskilling Ohioans in today’s tech-infused
economy.”
On Friday,Governor DeWinesigned the following bills into law:
* House Bill 45, sponsored by State Representative Bill Roemer and
former Representative Thomas West,makes appropriations and provides
authorization and conditions for the operation of state programs.
* House Bill 458, sponsored by State Representative Thomas Hall,
modifies the lawgoverning voter identification and absent voting and
other aspects of Ohio’s election laws and makes changes regarding
driver's licenses and state identification cards.
* House Bill 507, sponsored by State Representative J. Kyle Koehler,
revises specified provisions of agriculture law, defines green
energy, excludes natural gas from receiving renewable energy
credits, revises the law governing environmental health specialists
and environmental health specialists in training, allows conservancy
district police departments to take specified actions regarding the
towing and storage of motor vehicles.
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