State lawmakers pass several bills before recess

By Marc Kovac | May 23, 2016 at 12:00a.m.

COLUMBUS

State lawmakers capped several hefty sessions last week, acting on nearly three dozen bills in what likely will be the final days before they break for the pre-election summer recess.

The Ohio House and Senate have voting sessions scheduled through this week, with several if-needed days possible in June.

That could mean a couple of busy session days ahead. Last week, representatives and senators voted on 35 separate bills and a handful of resolutions.

Some are headed to either the House or Senate for further consideration or concurrence on amendments. Some are headed to Gov. John Kasich’s desk for final enactment.

Among the bills approved were:

House Bill 421 allows pharmacists to administer certain injections.

HB 240 makes a number of changes to state laws related to coroners, including allowing county commissioners to contract for related services with another county’s coroner and requiring coroners to “deliver a deceased person’s firearm” to the police chief or sheriff where the body is found, with a procedure for relatives to request the firearm’s return. The legislation passed the Senate on a unanimous vote and awaits concurrence in the House.

HB 305 allows certain nonteaching employees at the University of Akron to join the Public Employees Retirement System. Currently, those employees participate in the School Employees Retirement System, and the university is the only four-year state school whose nonteaching employees join STERS instead of PERS. The legislation awaits a concurrence vote in the House.

HB 334 exempts from sales tax memberships to gyms or other recreational facilities operated by nonprofit, charitable groups. The bill passed on a 92-2 vote in the Ohio House and heads to the Senate for further consideration.

HB 5 allows state and local offices to request that the state auditor conduct studies to determine ways to operate more efficiently, including whether sharing services with other agencies would save money. The bill passed the Senate on a vote of 30-0 and heads back to House for concurrence on amendments.

HB 63 would increase penalties for people who try to sell children, with increased review in cases where parental rights are granted via documents other than court orders, grandparents’ power of attorney or caretaker authorization affidavits. The bill passed on a vote of 96-0 and heads to the Ohio Senate for further consideration.

Lawmakers also moved, on unanimous votes, several bills creating new license plates or establishing awareness days or weeks.