Ohio lawmakers send several bill to governor's desk
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Ohio lawmakers held hours-long sessions on Wednesday afternoon to move several policies along the legislative process, many of which will land on the governor's desk.
Senate Bill 100 is one of those up for Gov. Mike DeWine's signature. That bill includes provisions to specify fines for repeatedly selling tobacco to underage Ohioans. The core of the bill, though, prohibits someone from knowingly installing a tracking device without the other person’s consent and creates an offense for doing so, and in some cases, it can be a felony.
“I think especially for survivors of domestic violence, for example, stalking cases, etc., a number of reasons why this makes a lot of sense,” Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo (R-Upper Arlington) said. “And Ohio wouldn't be the first state to do this.”
The bill passed from the statehouse with no votes against it.
House Bill 308 is also heading to the governor’s desk. That bill originally was introduced to classify nuclear energy as green energy, but it was amended to increase the lease agreement to frack on state parks from three years to five years.
“I am not anti-fracking,” Rep. Sean Brennan (D-Parma) said. “But I believe when we created our state parks, we created a contract with the people that we would leave our state parks alone.”
“I want you to show me where fracking has occurred and where it has not occurred because I will say this, the process has been refined, worked on, it has been improved,” Rep. Don Jones (R-Freeport) said. “This is something that is going to be good for our state, good for our people, good for our business.”
Senate Bill 58 still needs one more vote in the Senate before it heads to the governor’s desk. That bill, in part, prohibits anyone from being required to have firearm insurance or liability and prohibits government entities from keeping any list of privately owned firearms or owners.
“This bill is not only misguided, it is dangerous,” Ohio House Assistant Minority Leader Dontavius Jarrells (D-Columbus) said. “How many families must bury their loved ones before this body takes gun safety seriously?”
“How many members on this floor have ever used their firearm in self-defense? I have,” Rep. Josh Williams (R-Sylvania) said. “You want me to require insurance for a constitutionally protected provision of owning a firearm? No, thank you.”
Lawmakers attempted to fold in House Bill 51, or the “Second Amendment Preservation Act,” into Senate Bill 58. That bill has been stalled for a year in the Ohio House.
“The Second Amendment protection act stands as Ohio’s response to a federal government that has overstepped its bounds,” the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Loveland), said. “There’s a lot of gaslighting going on about this bill. It’s a good bill.”
However, members like Majority Floor Leader Bill Seitz (R-Cincinnati) said that while there are “large parts of the bill that are worthy of our support,” Wednesday was not the time to pass it.
“I think with just a little bit of craftsmanship, we can get this bill teed up for passage next general assembly,” he said.
The amendment was ultimately tabled, meaning no vote was taken on it.
House Bill 503, which would legalize the shooting of feral hogs, also heads to the governor's desk.
DeWine will have ten days to decide whether he will sign each bill once he gets it to his desk. Those he does sign will go into effect 90 days after he signs them.