A $4.2 billion state capital spending bill, several education reforms, and a proposed change to the way state ballot issues are numbered were among the numerous bills passed by the Republican-dominated Ohio General Assembly on Wednesday, just before lawmakers began a months-long summer break.
Other proposed law changes included making it easier to appeal local judges’ orders freezing controversial state laws, toughening penalties for stunt driving, and allowing victims of human trafficking to expunge their criminal records.
At the last minute, House Bill 301 was changed to include language enabling Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost to appeal local judge orders immediately, preventing state laws from going into force while they are being contested in court.
The Republican-authored bill comes after judges in Democratic counties stayed the implementation of several contentious GOP-backed state laws while they heard legal challenges. These laws included the state’s “heartbeat” abortion restrictions in 2022 and a ban on transgender medical treatment for minors and transgender athletes in women’s sports in April.
The same approach is not applied by HB 301 to appeals that block the implementation of local ordinances. For instance, a judge’s decision to temporarily halt a municipal gun ban would not be appealable right away.
In a another case, Republican Yost from Columbus claimed that a judge “effectively vetoes a policy judgment that voters have entrusted to their lawmakers” when they temporarily stop the enforcement of a legislation. Though he has made the same case on behalf of the state before the Ohio Supreme Court, his most recent legal argument supported the city of Columbus’ attempt to appeal a ruling that was halting the implementation of a municipal ordinance.
Just before the House passed the bill late on Wednesday, state representative Dani Isaacsohn, a Democrat from Cincinnati, spoke out against it, stating that giving the attorney general a “expedited approach to the court system” is “not fair.” Additionally, he cautioned Republican lawmakers that if Democrats regain control of state government in the future, their change might backfire on them. “To put it simply, it’s a two-edged sword,” Isaacsohn remarked. “What feels strategic and good now might not feel that way in ten years.”
Another bill that Ohio lawmakers approved on Wednesday makes it illegal to engage in “stunt driving,” which includes doing wheelies, burnouts, drifting, letting passengers ride outside the car, and planning covert “street takeovers” that block public roads.
The two new offenses would each be first-degree misdemeanors, punishable by up to 180 days in jail and a $1,000 fine, if House Bill 56 is passed into law. In addition, violators risk having their driver’s license suspended for up to three years and receiving six points.
The bill language states that anyone “rendering assistance” to street racing, stunt driving, or street takeover may face “equally charged as the participants.”
