COLUMBUS, Ohio — While many bills are on their way to the governor's desk for his signature, others fell to the wayside early Thursday morning as the Ohio legislature heads into a break.
What You Need To Know
- Among those that didn't pass included bills that would give DeWine more power overseeing K-12 education and a ban on transgender student-athletes in girls sports
- However, the legislature did pass a sweeping criminal justice bill
- Those that failed could come up again in the new session
At around 2:30 a.m., the bills involving DeWine's oversight on education as well as the transgender athlete ban effectively died, but they could be taken up again in the next session.
Republican Gov. Mike DeWine had voiced support for overhauling education oversight but had questioned the need for banning transgender student-athletes, saying that matter is best handled by leagues and athletic associations.
That part of the legislation says no school or athletic conference “shall permit individuals of the male sex to participate on athletic teams or in athletic competitions designated only for participants of the female sex.”
However, the legislature did approve a sweeping criminal justice bill. If signed by DeWine, the legislation would allow inmates to earn more time off prison sentences, make it easier to keep some criminal records out of the public eye and allow people to be stopped by police solely for holding or using a cellphone while driving.
The following bills were in hearings Wednesday, but were not voted upon:
- House Bill 353. It's referred to as the "Testing Your Faith Act." This would provide students with religious accommodations in an educational setting.
- Sub. H.B. No. 392, which would authorize ambulances to transport police dogs injured in the line of duty.
- House Bill 558, which involves a repository for donated prescription drugs.
- House Bill 66, which includes a revision to require reporting and review of property tax exemptions.
The lame-duck session is set to continue before the Christmas holiday.