Ohio legislative leaders expect execution protocol

COLUMBUS (AP) — A proposal to shield the origin of Ohio’s execution drugs could see legislative action by the end of the year, top lawmakers said today.

The Republican leaders of the Legislature said they’ve been working with prosecutors and the state’s attorney general on a plan, though they offered few details about it.

Senate President Keith Faber of Celina said the measure would likely shield the identities of drug makers that create specialty doses of execution drugs.

“I think the general idea is to the let the Department of Corrections acquire those things in private and not to have to disclose publicly who they’re buying their drugs from,” Faber said. “Who they buy their drugs from, I don’t think, is necessarily relevant to what their mission is.”

Executions are on hold until February because of challenges to the state’s two-drug lethal injection method, which has resulted in prolonged executions in Ohio and Arizona.