CAPITOLCREATIVE

Ohio Alliance of YMCAs

40 West Long St, Columbus, OH 43215 BRIEFNAME May 2016 www.ohioymcas.org

A legislative newsletter for CEOs, CVOs, Staff, and Partners of the Ohio Alliance of YMCAs

SALES TAX REPEAL IN THIS ISSUE Sales Tax Repeal Passes House PASSES HOUSE FLOOR, Floor, Sees Testimony in Senate Committee

SEES TESTIMONY IN Tsvetkoff Testifies in Support of SENATE COMMITTEE Diabetes Bill Federal Grant Rules Set to We are making substantial progress on our sales tax repeal initiative! On Change in 2017 May 18, the House passed HB 334, (Buchy, R-Greenville), which would repeal the sales tax on nonprofit fitness memberships. The vote was 87- Husted Appeals Federal Court’s 2, with Reps. Louis Terhar (R-Cincinnati) and Louis W. Blessing III (R- Golden Week Ruling Colerain Township) voting against. After the affirmative vote, we picked up several more co-sponsors, bringing our co-sponsor total to 50 (out of Religious Freedom Bill Unveiled 99). in Ohio

As you recall, in February, the House Ways and Means Committee Federal Judge Blocks Law unanimously moved HB 334. The vote was 17 committee members in Defunding Planned Parenthood favor, and two abstentions (Reps. Ryan and Driehaus). Medical Marijuana Bill Awaits The Senate also saw first steps on the HB 334 companion, which is SB Governor’s Action 211 (Beagle, R-Tipp City). Also on the 18th, the Senate Ways and Means Committee held sponsor testimony for the Senate bill. Legislature Adjourns Until End of the Year While the legislature is on break for the summer and November election, we must keep up our momentum. If your region has not already ENJOY THIS ISSUE? scheduled a legislative breakfast or lunch for September or October, please pick a date for that event! These events are incredibly important Feel free to share this newsletter to our work on the sales tax, as the momentum to introduce the bills last with anyone who you think may year began at the regional event held at the Sidney/Shelby County YMCA. find it useful.

If you have questions about scheduling and hosting a regional event, we QUESTIONS, are here to guide you through the process. COMMENTS, IDEAS? Thank you for your continued involvement and support! We could not Contact Beth Tsvetkoff at make progress without you. If you have any questions or concerns, [email protected]. including about the legislative events, please contact Beth Tsvetkoff at [email protected] or 614-325-8149. Also follow Beth on Twitter at www.twitter.com/BethTsvetkoff,

or at www.ohioymcas.org.

1

TSVETKOFF TESTIFIES IN Continued from left column SUPPORT OF DIABETES BILL For example, Ohio YMCAs offer the YMCA's Diabetes Prevention Program, which helps those at This month, the Ohio Alliance testified in the Senate Health and Human high risk adopt and maintain Services Committee in support of SB 287 (Hite, R-Findlay), which would healthy lifestyles and reduce their require certain state agencies to assess the incidence of diabetes in Ohio chances of developing type 2 and establish goals and plans to reduce that incidence. The bill also diabetes. would require the Executive Director of the Office of Health Transformation to submit biennial reports to the General Assembly that The YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention summarize assessment results and recommend legislative and fiscal Program is based on the policies related to diabetes prevention, treatment, and management. landmark Diabetes Prevention Program funded by the National Below is Beth Tsvetkoff’s testimony: Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and “On behalf of Ohio’s YMCAs, I would like to express our support of SB Prevention (CDC), which showed 287. Helping Ohio’s health agencies to gather data around diabetes and that by eating healthier, determine strategic next steps to addressing diabetes is a critical step in increasing physical activity, and protecting the health of Ohioans. losing a small amount of weight, a person with pre-diabetes can The YMCA has long been an organization dedicated to improving the prevent or delay the onset of type health of our communities. For the last ten years and with the support 2 diabetes by 58%. and commitment from our national office (YMCA of the USA), YMCAs across the country, including many in Ohio, have turned their focus to In a classroom setting, a trained policy, systems, and environmental changes in their communities. Out of lifestyle coach helps program that work, YMCAs and their partners across the country helped institute participants change their lifestyles over 39,000 population health strategies impacting over 73 million by learning about healthy eating, people. Examples include healthy corner stores, Safe Routes to School physical activity, and other implementation, and zoning that promotes biking and walking. behavior changes over the course of 16 one-hour sessions. Topics As part of this commitment to improving care and lowering cost, YMCAs covered include nutrition, getting embraced evidence-based chronic disease prevention programs like the started with physical activity, YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program. Ohio Ys also began offering overcoming stress, staying Enhance Fitness, an evidence-based wellness program for older adults, motivated, and more. After the and LiveStrong for cancer survivors. initial core sessions, participants will meet monthly for up to a year Working in the healthcare space is critical for community-based health for added support to help them organizations like the Y because to achieve better health outcomes, the maintain their progress. community must be engaged. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s County Health Rankings show us that 80% of factors impacting health outcomes The YMCA's Diabetes Prevention are occurring outside the clinical setting. Program is exceeding its’ health outcome goals years after and Thus, the community is essential in impacting health outcomes. When after, and growing access to and quality of care are impacting only 20% of health outcomes, nationwide. Eleven YMCA BUT strategies in the community can influence 80% of health outcomes, associations offer the program in we have to move into our neighborhoods to make a difference. over 88 communities throughout Ohio. (Akron Area YMCA, YMCA of To do that, we must support interventions that improve health behaviors, Central Ohio, YMCA of Greater integrate community into clinical care, and work to improve physical, Cleveland, YMCA of Greater social, and economic environments that lead to low health outcomes. Cincinnati, YMCA of Greater Dayton, YMCA and JCC of Greater Yet, Ohio’s health outcomes still woefully lag behind the majority of other Toledo, Lima Family YMCA, Ohio states. Ohio must invest in what works to help Ohioans beat chronic Valley YMCA, Putnam County diseases like diabetes. SB 287 would be a great first step to identifying YMCA, Sidney-Shelby County Ohio’s health gaps, and finding strategies to fill those gaps. YMCA, and YMCA of Youngstown.)” Continues right column

2

FEDERAL HUSTED APPEALS FEDERAL GRANT RULES COURT’S GOLDEN WEEK RULING

SET TO Secretary of State Jon Husted this month has appealed a federal judge’s CHANGE IN order to restore “Golden Week,” the overlap period between the end of voter registration and the beginning of early voting. 2017 The appeal in the case of Ohio Democratic Party v. Husted was made with YMCAs and other nonprofits the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals two days after U.S. District Court across the country will soon be Judge Michael Watson said the elimination of “Golden Week” in 130- dealing with changes to federal SB238 violated the U.S. Constitution and the Voting Rights Act. Watson rules governing said the week, which allowed some voters to register and cast an grantmaking/contracting practices absentee ballot at the same time, would disproportionately affect African that have the potential to affect Americans who prefer to vote in-person and were more likely to cast a the costs and operations of ballot during that week. nonprofit organizations, particularly those that have Husted said that “Golden Week” had become an administrative problem government grants and contracts. and a voter integrity issue. He said out-of-state voters were illegally registering to vote and casting ballots during the week, and eliminating it Starting in 2017, government reduced the “growing potential for voter fraud.” Watson said, in his grants rules from the Office of opinion ordering the restoration of “Golden Week,” that instances of voter Management and Budget fraud were rare, and those that were discovered did not have the ballots impose new procurement ultimately counted. procedures that dictate the steps that nonprofits (and other The Secretary of State also said the elimination of the week had a broad entities) must take when using coalition of bipartisan support, citing a settlement decree his office grant funds that originally came reached with the NAACP and the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio, as from the federal government to well as a vote by the Democratic-controlled House in the 128th General purchase goods and services Assembly. Democrats, however, overwhelmingly voted against 130- (e.g., buying printers or laptops). SB238 last session. Both sets of rules are expected to increase costs of many nonprofits “To ensure we were fulfilling our goal of making it easy to vote and hard with few options for raising to cheat, we expanded weekend and weekday hours for in-person additional revenues to cover absentee voting as part of a compromise for the reduction in hours that them. came with the elimination of Golden Week,” Husted said. “The judge’s ruling breaks the compromise that had been forged to balance voter Working with our colleagues at access and election integrity, and as such, we are appealing the decision.” the National Council of Nonprofits, we encourage local Ys Both legislative leaders responded to news of the repeal. House Cliff with nonprofits with government Rosenberger (R-Clarksville) commented, “I’m fully supportive of Secretary contracts and grants at any Husted and his efforts to appeal the recent court ruling ... It is the level (local, state, tribal, or General Assembly’s responsibility to create and approve election law in federal) to participate in a this state and the most recent court decision is another example of a National Survey. The short federal judge stepping out of bounds to stall a bill that was passed by survey is designed to help us Ohio’s legislature through an open and transparent process.” develop data that supports better policies and solutions to potential Senate President Keith Faber (R-Celina) also commented on the 28 days adverse consequences of the of early voting, adding that "every voter can vote in the comfort and pending reforms. Take the convenience of their own home by mail for any reason during this time Survey! period. We support Secretary Husted’s appeal, and I am confident the appeals court will consider those 28 days serve every Ohio voter equally and fairly."

Reported by Hannah News Service

3

RELIGIOUS Continued from left column FREEDOM BILL "We refuse to support legislation that carves out exceptions for people that are often the most vulnerable and stigmatized,” Wurm continued. UNVEILED IN “We will not sacrifice the rights of transgender people in our work for full legal equality." OHIO Alana Jochum, managing director of Equality Ohio, said the organization A new bill introduced by Rep. Bill will never support a bill that leaves out the transgender community. "We Hayes (R-Granville) would make need to show that Ohio is truly welcoming to all LGBTQ Ohioans. The bill housing or employment represents a complicated attempt to a solve a problem that could be discrimination based on sexual resolved simply by adding protections based on sexual orientation and orientation illegal, but also would gender identity and expression throughout Ohio’s existing provide protections for the nondiscrimination code. I look forward to working with Rep. Hayes and religious expression of those who our legislators to work together for a law in Ohio that protects the entire believe homosexuality is wrong. LGBTQ community," Jochum said.

HB 537 would allow government "While we appreciate Rep. Hayes’ desire to address discrimination against officials to decide to stop lesbian, gay, and bisexual people in Ohio, this attempt is simply a non- performing marriages altogether starter," said Sarah Warbelow, the legal director for Human Rights to avoid marrying two people of Campaign. the same gender. However, if an official chooses to continue Reported by Hannah News Service performing marriages, he or she would have to carry them out for everyone entitled to a marriage FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS LAW license under the law. DEFUNDING PLANNED The bill’s language states that PARENTHOOD ministers and religious societies cannot be forced to be affiliated Federal Judge Michael R. Barrett this month issued a temporary with gay marriages. It also offers restraining order blocking the state law defunding Planned Parenthood employment protections for from going into effect that day, representatives of Planned Parenthood people to express religious or said in a news release. Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio and Planned moral beliefs in the workplace as Parenthood Southwest Ohio Region had filed a lawsuit earlier this month long as they are "reasonable, challenging the new law because of violations against free speech and due non-disruptive, and non- process guarantees in the Constitution. harassing," unless they are in conflict with essential business- The law remains blocked until June 6 while the court considers Planned related interests of the employer. Parenthood’s request for a preliminary injunction.

The American Civil Liberties Union Barrett wrote that the law, if enforced, would be “depriving thousands of (ACLU) of Ohio criticized the bill Ohioans of high-quality, affordable health care services and education for leaving out transgender programs.” He pointed to how Planned Parenthood affiliates “conduct Ohioans and for its silence on approximately 50 percent of the STD tests in the state of Ohio each year” discrimination in public and how “officials in Canton have reported that they have not been able accommodations, such as being to locate a replacement for PPGOH under this [HIV Prevention Program].” refused entry or access to stores, restaurants, parks, hotels, Jerry Lawson, CEO, Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio, issued the doctor’s offices, and banks. following statement: “This ruling is a victory for the tens of thousands of "When we say that everyone Ohioans that rely on Planned Parenthood for care each year. Our state deserves protection from legislators want to ban abortion across the board, and they were willing to discrimination, we mean decimate access to preventive care in the process. But this isn’t about everyone," said Lisa Wurm, policy politics for our patients, it’s about their health and their lives. If you have manager for the ACLU of Ohio, in a lump in your breast or need an HIV test, lawmakers should be making it a news release. easier, not harder, to get the care you need.”

Continues right column Continues on page 5

4

Continued from page 4 MEDICAL MARIJUANA BILL Ohio Right to Life President Mike AWAITS GOVERNOR’S ACTION Gonidakis commented in a release, "If 'choice' is so Medical marijuana legalization is headed to Gov. John Kasich's desk after important to Planned Parenthood, HB 523 (Huffman, R-Tipp City) cleared its last major hurdles this month why do they and their allies with narrow votes for approval in the Senate. refuse to let Ohio voters choose how their tax dollars are spent? The measure cleared the Senate Government Oversight and Reform Through their elected leaders, Committee on a 7-5 vote in the morning after a final round of changes. pro-life voters have determined The full Senate voted 18-15 to approve it later in the day, followed by the need for a fiscal policy that House concurrence with amendments on a vote of 67-28. does not come at the cost of human lives. Elections matter - Both the Senate's floor and committee votes split the Republican and one special interest's Democratic caucuses in the chamber. dissatisfaction with the consequences doesn't give them Remarks on the Senate floor reflected many lawmakers' hesitant embrace the power to compel taxpayers of medical marijuana, referencing the compelling stories of suffering into a business partnership they Ohioans and the need to head off the competing ballot initiative, but also don't want." concerns of law enforcement and the relative paucity of medical research

verifying the drug's clinical benefits. Also responding was Speaker of the House Cliff Rosenberger (R- "I will reflect the will of my constituents, even though I remain a skeptic Clarksville) who said, "I am on the subject," said Sen. Dave Burke (R-Marysville), a pharmacist who deeply disappointed by today's led Senate work on the measure. court ruling to block a bipartisan- sponsored proposal that would Sen. Bill Coley (R-West Chester), who chairs the Government Oversight have provided federally-qualified and Reform Committee, said the bill is needed to prevent the "travesty" health centers and pregnancy of a ballot initiative. He said while he's unhappy to be in this position, help clinics with a greater ability he's confident lawmakers designed a system to prevent the "wink-of-the- to serve women, children, and eye, say-no-more" situation other states have seen of recreational drug families. use masquerading under medical pretenses.

Today's action also stalls a critical "I don’t like this bill. I wish the FDA would do its job," Coley said. component of the law that addressed ways to reduce our On the other hand, Sen. Kenny Yuko (D-Richmond Heights), a consistent state's high infant mortality rate. supporter of medical marijuana, spoke strongly in favor of passage. Yuko

and Burke had led a statewide listening tour on the issue earlier this year, As an unabashed pro-life and Yuko recalled many of the families who'd testified there and in the advocate, I do not believe that Senate, particularly those with children suffering from seizure disorders. taxpayer dollars should be used to support abortions. But "We know with these seizures, the very next one this child has could regardless of where you stand on cause permanent brain damage or could cause death. ... No parent should that particular issue, today's have to go through this. They just shouldn't. We've got the ability to action whereby an unelected change that," he said. federal judge overstepped his authority in order to thwart a law "They opened up their hearts to us so that we could open up our hearts to that would have helped women them," Yuko said. and families is shameful.”

Sen. Bill Seitz (R-Cincinnati) said he was lukewarm about the bill but said Information from Ohio Right to a compelling reason for a conservative Republican to vote for it is to Life indicated that Planned support state sovereignty and challenge the federal government's policy Parenthood would have lost of maintaining marijuana on Schedule I. approximately $1.3 million for health care and education efforts if the law had gone into effect.

Continues on page 6 Reported by Hannah News Service

5

Continued from page 5

Seitz continued, "Nobody with a straight face could actually say that marijuana is more harmful than cocaine, yet marijuana is on Schedule I while cocaine is on Schedule II. Uncle Sam should not be controlling everything, and in this bill we're calling on Uncle Sam to get out of the way and let states be innovators in this area."

Sen. Jay Hottinger (R-Newark) said while everyone has compassion for the suffering children whose stories have been central to the debate, he's still looking for compelling medical evidence of the drug's value. He said he's been contacted regularly by law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and anti-drug activists with concerns about HB 523.

Senate President Keith Faber (R-Celina) didn't give a floor speech but, during a break in the session, said he had too many concerns about the bill to vote for it, and had likewise heard concerns from his district, particularly from law enforcement officials.

As a gesture to his colleague's longtime support of the issue, Faber allowed Yuko to preside briefly over the chamber to order the roll call and announce the bill's passage.

The floor vote found Burke, Coley, Seitz, and Yuko in favor, joined by Minority Leader Joe Schiavoni (D- Boardman) and Sens. Kevin Bacon (R-Minerva Park), Troy Balderson (R-Zanesville), Bill Beagle (R-Tipp City), Edna Brown (D-Toledo), Randy Gardner (R-Bowling Green), Bob Hackett (R-London), Frank LaRose (R-Copley), Peggy Lehner (R-Kettering), Gayle Manning (R-North Ridgeville), Scott Oelslager (R-Canton), Tom Sawyer (D- Akron), Charleta Tavares (D-Columbus), and Cecil Thomas (D-Cincinnati).

Joining Faber and Hottinger to vote against the bill were Sens. Capri Cafaro (D-Hubbard), John Eklund (R- Chardon), Lou Gentile (D-Steubenville), Cliff Hite (R-Findlay), Jim Hughes (R-Columbus), Shannon Jones (R- Springboro), Kris Jordan (R-Powell), Larry Obhof (R-Medina), Tom Patton (R-Strongsville), Bob Peterson (R- Sabina), Mike Skindell (D-Lakewood), Joe Uecker (R-Loveland), and Sandra Williams (D-Cleveland).

The final version of the bill saw many changes from the House version and previous Senate versions, including the following:

 The final version grants oversight of dispensaries to the Board of Pharmacy, oversight of recommending physicians and power to add new qualifying conditions to the State Medical Board, and oversight of cultivation and processing to the Department of Commerce. The House-passed proposal created a Marijuana Control Commission housed within the Commerce.  The advisory board the Senate proposed to provide expertise from numerous other stakeholders would be in existence for five years in the new version, instead of three as in the previous version.  The final version also reversed the House’s more stringent requirements for qualifying pain conditions, specifying pain must be chronic and severe or intractable, instead of chronic, severe, and intractable.  The final bill also restored a program to provide medical marijuana to veterans and the indigent, as well as a toll-free hotline for patients, caregivers, and health care professionals.  Additionally, dispensaries would no longer be required to have a pharmacist on staff as the House proposed.  The final version partially rolled back an attempt to jumpstart cultivator licensing, setting the deadline for implementing rules at eight months from the bill's effective date, compared to six months in the previous Senate version and one year in the House-passed version.  The final bill also included permissive authority for Commerce to develop a "closed-loop payment system" meant to address concerns about money laundering and handling large amounts of cash - outgrowths of banks' leeriness about doing business with marijuana enterprises because of federal prohibition.  The final version specified that those involved in approved FDA clinical trials are exempt from the bill's requirements.  The final bill also specified that medical marijuana cannot be grown on federal land.

Ohioans for Medical Marijuana, the group leading the charge to put a constitutional amendment legalizing medical marijuana on the November ballot, announced later that week that they are suspending their ballot initiative campaign.

Reported by Hannah News Service

6

LEGISLATURE ADJOURNS UNTIL END OF THE YEAR

Both the House and Senate completed their work for the summer in marathon sessions that saw action on 72 bills, including medical marijuana (see separate story), opiates, abortion regulation, limiting when polling places can be kept open, a mid-biennium review bill, and law enforcement’s authority to use civil forfeitures.

House work In the House, the most impassioned debate came when the chamber debated SB 296 (Seitz, R-Cincinnati), which would set limits on when Ohio judges can extend voting hours on Election Day, and requiring those who ask for the extension to post a bond.

Rep. Robert McColley (R-Napoleon) said the bill will establish much needed civil procedures for lawsuits seeking to extend voting hours. He said the bill does not limit the “generous time” that Ohio currently gives voters to vote, and if a voter gets in line before polls normally close at 7:30 p.m., the bill does not limit that voter’s ability to cast a ballot. He also sought to get ahead of Democrats’ labeling the bond portion of the bill a poll tax, saying it is consistent with current civil rules of procedure.

Rep. Kathleen Clyde (D-Kent) said there are many reasons a judicial process exists to extend polling hours, which can include weather, power failures, running out of ballots, and equipment malfunctions. She asked if the state wants to leave itself without a solution to react to these emergencies. She called SB 296 “another harmful bill with almost no supporters except some Republican elections officials.”

Democrats also said the bill was introduced because of a federal court order keeping polls open in the March primary, but said lawmakers cannot limit federal courts. (See separate story.)

The bill passed on a mostly party-line vote, 61-32.

The House was divided on HB 279 (Henne, R-Clayton), with Democrats complaining that the bill, which generally prohibits individuals who do not maintain statutory minimum levels of automobile insurance from collecting noneconomic damages for harm sustained in a motor vehicle accident, will have a disproportionate impact on low- income Ohioans.

Bill sponsor Rep. Michael Henne said uninsured motorists continue to be a problem in the state, and it is something that all other motorists have to pay for, noting everyone with insurance has uninsured motorist coverage. He said the bill is designed to target the repeat offenders who have been repeatedly pushed to get insured. Rep. Michael Ashford (D-Toledo) said the bill would be “economic class warfare against low-income people.” He said the bill will not encourage anyone financially struggling to “wake up and buy car insurance.”

The debate on HB 347 (McColley, R-Napoleon; Brinkman, R-Mt. Lookout), which addresses civil asset forfeitures, also was divided. McColley said the current system allows the government to take a person’s property without proving that a crime was committed, and asked how that can be allowed to happen. He said the original bill completely disallowed civil forfeitures, and said the sponsors made strides to try to address concerns from opponents.

Rep. Greta Johnson said the General Assembly needs to address the heroin epidemic by assisting law enforcement officials, noting the bill is opposed by the Ohio Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) and Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association. "These are good folks on the front line. They are battling the epidemic at the head of the snake. They are doing every day what we sit and talk about," she said. "This bill puts limitations on their ability to run large-scale trafficking investigations and it limits local agencies from working with the federal agencies on those investigations."

The debate over SB 159 (Hughes, R-Columbus), which has become an omnibus license plate and naming bill, saw a rare floor speech from House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger (R-Clarksville), who said of an amendment the House added to the bill to name Columbus International Airport after former U.S. Sen. John Glenn that he could not think of anyone else more deserving of the honor than Glenn.

Continues on page 8

7

Continued from page 7

House Democratic Leader Fred Strahorn (D-Dayton) said designations are not just “warm fuzzies.” He said people for generations will see Glenn’s name on the airport and wonder who he was, and perhaps research the great things Glenn has done. Strahorn said he hopes Glenn continues to inspire future generations the way he was inspired by Glenn.

The House passed many other bills, including legislation that does the following: addresses advance practice registered nurses (HB 216), requires one-half unit of economic and financial literacy in high school social studies curriculum (HB 383), addresses domestic violence protection orders for victims of dating violence (HB 392), and addresses life support for a relative (HB 451).

Senate work In the Senate, Senators slogged through a lengthy calendar as it wrapped up business for the summer.

One of the biggest surprises was a provision included in HB 390 (Schaffer, R-bfLancaster; Retherford, R-Hamilton) dealing with the state's unemployment compensation debt. Originally, the bill dealt with the sale of natural gas by a municipal gas company and then it became the receptacle for the mid-biennial review (MBR) bill from the Office of Budget and Management (HB 547).

As Hannah News was told, approximately $225 million to $240 million in unclaimed funds will be used to pay off the unemployment compensation debt in September 2016, thus avoiding the 2017 escalation of the penalty on employers that could cost them nearly $400 million. The funds will be recouped by a one-time surcharge on the employers in 2017. In addition, changes are made to how future borrowing will be handled.

Sen. John Eklund (R-Chardon) urged passage of SB 319, the opioid addiction MBR, saying he has come to realize how large a problem are synthetic opiates, and not just as a gateway to heroin. He noted major provisions include pharmacy technician certification, eliminating some organizations' exemptions from the requirement for a terminal dangerous drug distributors license, regulatory changes for suboxone and methadone, expansion of settings that can administer naloxone, and a 90-day cap on supply of opioids a person can be prescribed. The bill passed 33-0.

While most legislation passed easily, a few measures drew substantial opposition.

The chamber voted 23-10 along party lines to pass SB 254 (Uecker, R-Miami Township), which requires abortion clinics to dispose of fetal remains either by cremation or interment, leaving that choice up to the mother. Minority Leader Sen. Joe Schiavoni (D-Boardman) said while supporters argue the bill does not restrict the right to an abortion, it aims to shame women by forcing them to make this disposal decision after making the difficult decision to have an abortion. Sen. Bill Coley (R-West Chester) countered by noting instances where fetal remains were discarded as garbage, saying he wouldn't want future archeologists studying this era of civilization to find aborted babies in landfills.

Pet store regulatory measures SB 331 (Peterson, R-Washington CH) passed 21-11. Arising from two municipalities' attempts to regulate where pet stores buy their dogs, the bill sets a statewide standard on the issue, giving the Ohio Department of Agriculture regulatory authority over the matter. The majority tabled an amendment from Sen. Charleta Tavares (D-Columbus) that would strip language stating the bill will preempt all local ordinances. Sen. Mike Skindell (D-Lakewood) said the rapid process used to pass the bill prevented the ability to fix its problems, saying it's riddled with loopholes. For example, he said current statutory protections that prevent licensure of dog retailers or breeders who've been convicted of animal cruelty or domestic violence in other states are not reflected in SB 331.

The chamber passed a number of other bills as well, including the following: HB 171, which lowers the possession threshold for amounts of heroin that would lea d a person to be charged as a trafficker or major drug offender; HB 60, which strengthens penalties for animal cruelty; HB 113, which incorporates hands-on CPR training into school curriculum; HB 200, which expands the types of locations that can keep nonprescription epinephrine autoinjectors on hand for emergencies; and SB 247, regarding facilities used to serve summer meals to children.

Reported by Hannah News Service

8