Previous reports on Ohio laws can be seen in the player above.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – 2023 was an eventful year in state governance – if not particularly fruitful.
With just over a dozen bills passed, Ohio politics was marked more by contentious policy debates, significant elections and court cases than new legislation. In the new year, several major policy proposals affecting everything from access to firearms to cannabis will take center stage in the statehouse.
Many bills introduced, few became law
Of the more than 550 bills introduced in the Ohio House and Senate in 2023, just 15 made it to the governor’s desk, including four budgetary bills necessary for the government to operate. By noon Wednesday, only a dozen had been signed into law.
One of the most prominent pieces of legislation awaiting Gov. Mike DeWine’s signature or veto is House Bill 68, which bans certain medical care for transgender minors and prohibits trans girls from participating in female athletics.
Republican lawmakers have argued HB68 is necessary to protect children on multiple fronts, including from “experimentation” and harm to chances for athletic success. Prominent activists, including former collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines, came to the statehouse to support the bill.
Over several marathon committee hearings, hundreds of opponents, including trans people, LGBTQ+ and civil rights organizations and medical professionals, testified that the bill was both necessary and harmful to trans youth who rely on gender-affirming care, like puberty blockers and hormones. And as medical experts noted, no gender-affirming surgeries are performed on minors in Ohio.
DeWine has until Friday to sign or veto HB68.
At least two laws the General Assembly passed have wide-reaching implications beyond their original intent. Senate Bill 16, passed as an emergency measure in June, was meant to shield people from liability for donating expired goods to food pantries. But a last-minute amendment to the bill impacting victim rights law, referred to as Marsy’s Law, is now used by law enforcement agencies across the state to shield the identities of officers who use deadly force.
In one of the last acts by the legislature before the end of the year, both chambers passed House Bill 201, intended to prohibit local governments from restricting the sale of cars based on power source – like banning the sale of gas-powered vehicles to curb carbon emissions. A hefty amendment added to the bill the day before its passage allows gas companies to tack on up to $1.50 to customers’ monthly bills to fund the construction of pipelines to “megaproject” development sites.
HB201 awaits DeWine’s signature or veto.
Other bills enacted into law include:
- House Bill 35: The Scout’s Honor Law, allowing survivors of sexual abuse at the hands of Boy Scouts of America leaders to recoup the full settlement amount they’re owed
- House Bill 191: Reforms bail policy, including by favoring pretrial release for defendants and requiring courts to establish bail schedules
- Senate Bill 43: Expands eligibility for the homestead exemption for surviving spouses of disabled veterans
- Senate Bill 21: Allows people to file appeals against state agencies in their county of residence, rather than in Franklin County
What the new year may bring
House Speaker Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) told NBC4 that House Bill 51, or the Second Amendment Preservation Act, may receive a House vote in January. The bill, which prohibits the enforcement of federal gun laws that conflict with the state’s laws, still needs tweaking to ensure it complies with existing laws, he said.
Democratic gun control proposals, including safe storage requirements and red flag laws, do not have enough support in the legislature to pass, Stephens said.
There are dozens of bills that have passed one chamber and await review in the other, including House Bill 161, which would end spousal immunity for rape, sexual battery and other sex crimes. The bill passed nearly unanimously in the House in November, when it received its first floor vote in the nearly 40 years since lawmakers have tried repealing the spousal rape loophole.
A contentious piece of legislation awaiting a floor vote is Senate Bill 83, or the Higher Education Enhancement Act. After garnering the most opposition testimony in legislative history, the bill, which prohibits most mandatory diversity and inclusion trainings and requires universities to prioritize “intellectual diversity,” was reported to the House in early December.
Stephens told reporters that the bill likely didn’t have the votes to pass, while Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima) said if it fails to become law, it will be introduced again without “all of the concessions” in the current version. After undergoing significant changes, including the elimination of a ban on faculty strikes, it will need to be reexamined by the Senate before heading to DeWine’s desk.
Lawmakers will also likely consider changes to the state’s new adult use cannabis law, passed by voters in November. The Senate and House failed to come to a consensus on changes before Issue 2’s Dec. 7 enactment date, leaving open some questions about how the law will work in practice.
Ohioans currently cannot buy cannabis in the state without a medical card. Lt. Gov Jon Husted criticized lawmakers’ lack of movement on cannabis regulations, saying in an interview that they “just walked away” from their responsibility.