Governor Signs Bills Into Law

(COLUMBUS, Ohio)?Ohio Governor Mike DeWine today signed the following bills into law during private ceremonies:

H.B. 9, introduced by Representative Kyle Koehler (Springfield), prohibits retailers from selling a drug containing dextromethorphan to anyone younger than 18 without a prescription. While safe if used appropriately, misuse of it has increased in recent years among adolescents and young adults.

H.B. 5, introduced by Representative Gayle Manning (North Ridgeville), creates two pathways to become a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor II. This type of counselor works with those who have substance use disorders and will help fill the shortage of these counselors in Ohio.

S.B. 49, introduced by Senator Jay Hottinger (Newark) and Senator Vernon Sykes (Akron), established a payment assurance program for registered design professionals, including architects, landscape architects, engineers, and surveyors.

S.B.3, introduced by Senator Kristina Roegner (Hudson), enters Ohio into the Nurse Licensure Compact on January 1, 2023, which allows nursing professionals to obtain from their home state a multistate license which allows the nurse to practice in other states who are members of the compact.

S.B. 6, introduced by Senator Kristina Roegner (Hudson) and Senator Steve Huffman (Tipp City) allows Ohio to enter into the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact to help physicians licensed in Ohio get expediated licensure in compact member states.

H.B. 252, introduced by Representative Andrea White (Kettering) and Representative Phil Plummer (Dayton), enters Ohio into the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact that allows professionals to practice under their home state license in member states.

H.B. 137, introduced by Representative Terrence Upchurch (Cleveland) and Representative Willis Blackshear (Dayton), establishes March 29^th as Ohio Tuskegee Airmen Day in Ohio.

H.B. 222, introduced by Representative Shane Wilkin (Hillsboro) and Representative Terrence Upchurch (Cleveland), specifies that a nonprofit formed or acquired by a county hospital or joint township district hospital is a separate entity from the hospital.

H.B. 82, introduced by Representative Jon Cross (Kenton) and Representative Don Jones (Freeport), permits parents of high school students to opt them out of the state administration of the ACT or SAT. In addition, the measure reduces the number of rated components of the new report card from six to five for the 2021-2022 school year. Senator Andrew Brenner (Delaware) introduced companion legislation in the Ohio Senate.

H.B. 106, introduced by Representative Jon Cross (Kenton), designates January as Radon Awareness Month in Ohio. The measure is also known as the Annie Cacciato Act, recognizing an individual diagnosed with lung cancer after she was exposed to radon at her workplace.

S.B. 80, introduced by Senator Theresa Gavarone (Bowling Green) and Senator Jerry C. Cirino (Kirtland), requires political party affiliation to be listed on general election ballots in judicial elections increasing transparency. Representative D.J. Swearingen (Huron) and Representative Brian Stewart (Ashville) introduced companion legislation in the Ohio House.

H.B. 201, introduced by Representative Jason Stephens (Kitts Hill), prevents local governments from limiting the use of natural gas and propane and ensures individuals access to distribution services or retail natural gas services. Senator George Lang (West Chester) and Senator Michael Rulli (Salem) introduced companion legislation in the Ohio Senate.

S.B. 40, introduced by Senator Tim Schaffer (Lancaster), revises the way cigarettes' wholesale minimum sale price is calculated by referring to the manufacturer's gross invoice cost as the basis of a wholesaler's cost.

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