House passes revised closing schedule

COLUMBUS (AP) -- Lawmakers approved a bill Wednesday that allows a shorter review period before developmental centers for the mentally retarded are closed than in a version that drew Gov. Bob Taft's veto.
Taft ordered the closing of Apple Creek Developmental Center and Springview Developmental Center in Springfield last year. However, lawmakers responded by creating a commission that would review those and future closings.
The review period is a small part of the bill, which enacted several recommendations of a governor's committee that last year studied ways to protect mentally retarded and developmentally disabled crime victims.
House and Senate lawmakers approved final versions of the bill Wednesday and sent it to Taft, who will sign it, said spokesman Orest Holubec.