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*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:*
January 2, 2025




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*Dan Tierney: 614-644-0957
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Governor DeWine Signs Bills Into Law, Issues Line-Item Vetoes

(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed the following bill into law: 


* House Bill 173 [ [link removed] ], sponsored by State Representative Dan Troy (D-Willowick), which requires hospitals to publish certain price information and designates "Ohio Black Media Week," "Hindu Heritage Month," and "Older Ohioans Month."

Governor DeWine also signed the following bills while issuing line-item vetoes:


* Senate Bill 54 [ [link removed] ], sponsored by State Senators Michele Reynolds (R-Canal Winchester) and Vernon Sykes (D-Akron), which creates the Ohio River Commission and the Ohio Ireland Trade Commission, broadens the types of national or international competitions eligible for a sports site selection grant, supports state employee compensation, reimburses county boards of elections for certain costs of the May 6, 2025, primary and special election, supports soil and water conservation districts, supports suicide prevention in schools, modifies certain appropriations for fiscal year 2025,  modifies certain capital appropriations and reappropriations for the biennium ending June 30, 2026, and makes appropriations.
* Line-Item Veto Boxed Text (PDF) [ [link removed] ]
* Line-Item Veto Message (PDF) [ [link removed] ]

* House Bill 315 [ [link removed] ], sponsored by State Representatives Thomas Hall (R-Middletown) and Bill Seitz (R-Cincinnati), which make various changes to township and other local and state government law, names a portion of the act Madeline's Law, names a portion of the act the Homebuyer Protection Act, and makes an appropriation.
* Line-Item Veto Boxed Text (PDF) [ [link removed] ]
* Line-Item Veto Message (PDF) [ [link removed] ]

In addition to his line-item veto message, Governor DeWine issued the following statement regarding public records provisions in House Bill 315:

"I strongly support the public’s–and the news media’s- right to access public records. The language in House Bill 315 doesn’t change that right.

"Law enforcement-worn body cameras and dashboard cameras have been a major improvement for both law enforcement investigations and for accountability. However, I am sensitive to the fact that this changing technology has affected law enforcement by often times creating unfunded burdens on these agencies, especially when it comes to the often time consuming and labor-intensive work it takes to provide them as public records.

"No law enforcement agency should ever have to choose between diverting resources for officers on the street to move them to administrative tasks like lengthy video redaction reviews for which agencies receive no compensation–and this is especially so for when the requestor of the video is a private company seeking to make money off of these videos. The language in House Bill 315 is a workable compromise to balance the modern realities of preparing these public records and the cost it takes to prepare them. Ohio law has long authorized optional user fees associated with the cost of duplicating public records, and the language in House Bill 315 applies that concept in a modern way to law enforcement-provided video records  

"It is good that the language in House Bill 315 does not include a mandatory fee, but instead it is optional at the discretion of the agency. It is also good the user fees are capped and directly related to the cost of production.

"If the language in House Bill 315 related to public records turns out to have unforeseen consequences, I will work with the General Assembly to amend the language to address such legitimate concerns."

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