SB9

LAW CHANGES-MEDICAL MARIJUANA (HUFFMAN S, SCHURING K) To amend the law related to medical marijuana.

Comments:   

Opposed to removal of program oversight from the Board of Pharmacy and to provision allowing doctors to recommend medical marijuana for any condition. 

• Amended 4/18/23 to retain oversight role for Board of Pharmacy over dispensaries. 

Position:   

Oppose

State Bill Page:   

https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/legislation-summary?id=GA135-SB-9

SB26

MARIJUANA-VEHICLE, WATERCRAFT USE (MANNING N) To change the laws pertaining to operating a vehicle or watercraft while under the influence of marihuana and the admissibility of evidence for purposes of OVI statutes.

Comments:   

Opposed to repeal of per se OVI for marijuana. Would agree to adjustment of the amount of THC that must be in the person's blood or urine. Recommend including analogs of Delta-9 THC.

• Amended 5/9 to keep per se OVI based on presence of 5ng of Delta-9 in a person's blood

Position:   

Oppose

State Bill Page:   

https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/legislation-summary?id=GA135-SB-26

SB37

DRIVER'S LICENSE SUSPENSION CHANGES (BLESSING III L, INGRAM C) Regards driver's license suspension law; financial responsibility

Comments:   

These are discretionary license suspensions. Would prevent a license suspension for a drug addicted offender who could be dangerous on the road. Would prevent license suspension for someone using a vehicle to transport drugs. Judges should retain discretion.

Substitute Bill adopted 4/17/24 that restores judicial discretion to suspend drivers license for drug offense (excluding F4/F5/misdemeanor drug possession) if a vehicle was used in the commission of the offense. 

Position:   

Oppose

State Bill Page:   

https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/legislation-summary?id=GA135-SB-37

SB51

SOS-ELECTION INTEGRITY DIVISION (GAVARONE T) To establish the Election Integrity Division in the Office of the Secretary of State.

Comments:   

Legislation not needed. Authority to investigate the administration of elections laws, frauds, and irregularities already exists.

Position:   

Oppose

State Bill Page:   

https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/legislation-summary?id=GA135-SB-51

SB88

AGGRAVATED MENACING EXPANSION-UTILITIES (SMITH K, CIRINO J) To expand the offense of aggravated menacing to prohibit threatening a utility worker, cable operator worker, or broadband worker with intent to obstruct the operation of a utility.

Comments:   

Opposed to creation of special classes of victim.

Position:   

Oppose

State Bill Page:   

https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/legislation-summary?id=GA135-SB-88

SB100

TRACKING DEVICE PROHIBITIONS (MANNING N, ANTONIO N) To generally prohibit a person from knowingly installing a tracking device or application on another person's property without the other person's consent or failing to remove or ensure removal of such a device or application from another person's property if the other person gave consent and subsequently revokes it.

Comments:   

Amend to (1) better define "tracking application" and "tracking device," (2) prohibit the use of the device "in or on" another person's property, (3) address revoked consent and clarify consent of parents in situations involving different child custody arrangements and (4) enhance to felony under circumstances similar to menacing by stalking.

• Amended 6/6/23 to address these issues. Amendments prohibit installing or using a tracking device on another person or another person's property without their consent, amends provisions regarding revocation of consent to track to provide that consent to track is revoked upon service rather than upon filing of a divorce proceeding or granting of a protection order, clarifies provision regarding parental consent under a joint custody agreement, and enhances the penalty for a violation of tracking from an M1 to an F4 under certain circumstances similar to menacing by stalking. 

Position:   

Support

State Bill Page:   

https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/legislation-summary?id=GA135-SB-100

SB101

DEATH PENALTY ABOLITION, JURY SELECTION (ANTONIO N, HUFFMAN S) To abolish the death penalty and to modify the number of jurors that may be challenged in cases where a defendant may be sentenced to life imprisonment.

Position:   

Oppose

State Bill Page:   

https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/legislation-summary?id=GA135-SB-101

SB109

SEX OFFENSES, MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS (HACKETT R) Regarding sex offenses and individuals regulated by the State Medical Board and to amend the version of section 2305.111 of the Revised Code that is scheduled to take effect October 12, 2028, to continue the change on and after that date.

Comments:   

Concern with "reasonable cause" standard for mandatory reporting under the bill. Could subject other victims or students to criminal liability and possibly chill reporting altogether.

Amended 4/17/24 to remove the 'reasonable cause to believe' from the failure to report a felony involving sexual assault by a medical professional. A report will still be required if there is knowledge of such an offense. Amendments also clarified that the sexual battery portion of the legislation that relates to medical professionals applies only to in-person treatment and consultation. 

Position:   

Monitor

State Bill Page:   

https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/legislation-summary?id=GA135-SB-109

SB165

USED CATALYTIC CONVERTER SALES (JOHNSON T) Regarding the sale of used catalytic converters, and to make an appropriation.

Position:   

Support

State Bill Page:   

https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/legislation-summary?id=GA135-SB-165

SB185

PUBLIC SERVICE WORKERS-RECORDS EXEMPTION (LANDIS A) To exempt redaction request forms, affidavits, and the records of the work schedules of designated public service workers from disclosure under public records law.

Position:   

Monitor

State Bill Page:   

https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/legislation-summary?id=GA135-SB-185

SB186

PROPERTY TAX REQUIREMENTS, PROHIBITIONS (BLESSING III L, INGRAM C) To require payment of property taxes and assessments when a lot is split or transferred and to generally prohibit tax-delinquent property owners from purchasing tax-foreclosed property.

Position:   

Support

State Bill Page:   

https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/legislation-summary?id=GA135-SB-186

SB193

DRUG OFFENSES-TABLET SPECIFICATIONS (HOAGLAND F, JOHNSON T) To add drug offenses committed by a major drug offender to the definition of "specified offenses" used in terrorism offenses, to modify the offense of terrorism, to prohibit possession of an encapsulating or tableting machine, and to create the pill press mold, encapsulating machine, and tableting machine registry.

Comments:   

Possession of a pill press can already be an F5 possession of a criminal tool. Most if not all MDOs will violate the terrorism piece of the bill. Do not need another registry.

Position:   

Oppose

State Bill Page:   

https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/legislation-summary?id=GA135-SB-193

SB217

AI TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS, PROHIBITIONS (BLESSING III L, JOHNSON T) To require AI-generated products have a watermark, to prohibit simulated child pornography, and to prohibit identity fraud using a replica of a person.

Comments:   

Definition of simulated child pornography needs clarification and simulated child pornography should be prohibited under R.C. 2907.321, .322, and.323.

Position:   

Amend

State Bill Page:   

https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/legislation-summary?id=GA135-SB-217

SB223

ENACT FORCE ACT-ORGANIZED RETAIL THEFT (LANG G, RULLI M) To enact the Fight Organized Retail Crime and Empower Law Enforcement (FORCE) Act to create the Organized Retail Theft Advisory Council and an investigative task force, to modify theft offenses and penalties related to retail property, and to make an appropriation.

Comments:   

Generally support the legislation. Concerns with (1) Requirement that the prosecutor provide written notice to a retailer of a decision not to prosecute, (2) Provision regarding theft of mail potentially precluding more serious charges, and (3) consequences for repeat theft offenders - the bill may not improve criminal justice outcomes without harsher penalties.

Position:   

Amend

State Bill Page:   

https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/legislation-summary?id=GA135-SB-223

SB226

EXTENDING PROPERTY PROTECTION LAWS (JOHNSON T) To extend the law that prohibits certain governments, businesses, and individuals from acquiring agricultural land to certain other property and to name this act the Ohio Property Protection Act.

Position:   

Monitor

State Bill Page:   

https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/legislation-summary?id=GA135-SB-226

SB241

EXPEDITED REMOVAL-RENTAL OCCUPANTS (HUFFMAN S, BRENNER A) To provide for the expedited removal of unauthorized occupants of residential property and to prohibit the use and sale of fraudulent deeds.

Comments:   

Issues with the conditions that must be satisfied for removal and who the work will be responsible for determining things like whether the requesting person is the record owner, whether the record owner has the "right to occupy" the premises "to the exclusion of others," and whether there is any pending litigation related to the property. The legislation is also a problem in that it creates the possibility of a lawsuit against he sheriff and the county for wrongful removal. Will result in frivolous actions by squatters.

Position:   

Amend

State Bill Page:   

https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/legislation-summary?id=GA135-SB-241

SB263

ENACT BRADEN'S LAW (BRENNER A) To enact Braden's Law to prohibit sexual extortion and aggravated sexual extortion and to allow family of certain victims of aggravated sexual extortion to receive compensation from the crime victims compensation fund.

Comments:   

Amend to allow victim compensation regardless of the sextortion victim's age, replace references to "great bodily harm" with "serious physical harm," replace reference to "causing" harm to "results in" harm, create presumption of a violation if death or harm occurs within a certain amount of time of the extortion.

Position:   

Support

State Bill Page:   

https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/legislation-summary?id=GA135-SB-263

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