Ohio House approves Rulli bill on campaign reports

COLUMBUS — The Ohio House today approved a bill sponsored by state Sen. Michael Rulli of Salem, R-33rd, to permit local candidates to file campaign reports electronically.

The Senate approved the bill last month. It now goes to Gov. Mike DeWine for his signature. It would remove the paper-only filing requirements for individuals who file with local elections boards. It also requires the Ohio secretary of state to make the information in those electronic statements available online.

All the information would then be maintained in a central database. The goals are to streamline filing requirements for all candidates and eliminate the actual paper trail while boosting transparency.