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135th General Assembly – Lame Duck Enactments with Effective Dates
This summary includes only the title information for these Acts. Several of these Acts were amended extensively during lame duck and contain changes that may not be described below. For more detailed information refer to the OPAA Enactment Memo sent to the membership on December 20, 2024.

House Bill 37 (OVI Penalties) Effective April 9, 2025 – Modifies the laws related to OVI offenses and in particular aggravated vehicular homicide. The legislation also authorizes law enforcement to collect an oral fluid sample from a person arrested for OVI and authorizes testing for that sample for the presence of a drug of abuse or a metabolite of a drug of abuse.

House Bill 111 (Domestic Violence Penalties) Effective March 20, 2025 – Increases the sentencing range for third degree felony domestic violence and creates a presumption in favor of a prison term for the offense.

House Bill 322 (Criminal Grooming) Effective April 9, 2025 – Creates the offense of grooming and makes it a first- or second- degree misdemeanor, except under specified circumstances in which the offense becomes a felony.

House Bill 531 (Sexual Extortion) Effective April 9, 2025 – Creates the offense of sexual extortion and adds factors that a sentencing court must consider indicating that the offender’s conduct is more serious than conduct normally constituting the offense. Requires a provider of an electronic communication service or of remote computing service operating in Ohio to comply with any court-issued search warrant or interception warrant, regardless of whether user data is held at a location within Ohio or at a location in another state.

Senate Bill 109 (Sex Offenses, Medical Professionals) Effective March 21, 2025 – Makes changes to sex offenses and individuals regulated by the State Medical Board of Ohio.

Senate Bill 100 (Tracking Device Prohibitions) Effective March 20, 2025 – Prohibits a person from knowingly installing a tracking device or application on another person’s property without the other person’s consent. Specifies fines for repeated violations of the prohibitions against selling tobacco to underage persons and selling tobacco products without checking the consumer’s identification.

House Bill 366 (Fight Organized Retail Crime Act) Effective April 9, 2025 - Enacts the Fight Organized Retail Crime and Empower Law Enforcement Act to create the Organized Retail Theft Advisory Council and an investigative task force, the crime of theft of mail, and modify theft offenses and penalties related to retail property.

House Bill 289 (SORN Law Compliance) Effective March 20, 2025 - Provides that if a Tier I or Tier II sex offender/child-victim offender fails to comply with duties under the SORN law, the period of time that the offender has a duty to comply is tolled during the time of the failure. Repeals R.C. 2930.071, enacted by HB 343 (134th General Assembly), that established procedures relating to a subpoena of victims' records.

House Bill 77 (Drone Operation Requirements) Effective April 9, 2025 - To establish requirements and prohibitions governing the operation of unmanned aerial vehicles in Ohio and to establish a process by which an abandoned or derelict aircraft may be sold.

House Bill 234 (Alford Pleas - Genuine Remorse) Effective March 20, 2025 - Prohibits a court imposing a sentence on an offender for a felony or misdemeanor from considering whether the offender who entered an Alford plea shows genuine remorse for the offense, revises the law relating to the suspension of a local official charged with a felony and makes changes to sealing and expungement eligibility.

House Bill 29 (Driver’s License Suspensions) Effective April 9, 2025 - Makes changes to the laws governing driver's license suspensions and to the laws governing penalties for failure to provide proof of financial responsibility.

House Bill 265 (Public Records Law) Effective April 9, 2025 – Revises the public records law.

House Bill 497 (County Law Omnibus) Effective April 9, 2025 - Makes various changes regarding county law, extends the Erie county municipal court's territorial jurisdiction, modifies educational requirements for public children services agency caseworkers, extinguishes a land use restriction and release an easement in Montgomery County, and authorizes the conveyance of certain parcels of state-owned real property in Knox county.

House Bill 315 (Township Law Omnibus) Effective April 3, 2025 - Makes various changes to township and other local and state government law.

House Bill 331 (Village Dissolution) Effective April 9, 2025 - Modifies the law regarding village dissolution, and modifies official public notice requirements for asset forfeiture.