Ohio Senate - 4-15-2026

The Senate will come to order. We invite our guests to please rise as we open with prayer. We will be led in prayer by Pastor Brian Hansen from Capital Ministries, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Pastor?

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Senate chamber, Columbus, Ohio, Tuesday, April 14th, 9.30 a.m. Three bills were introduced and said the first time. Eight resolutions were often adopted. On the motion of Senator Reineke, the Senate adjourned until Wednesday, April 15th at 1.30 p.m.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President. I am joined here today with Mrs. Cara Lee Mumfer and friends from Marion and other family members from around the state. We are here to remember the life and legacy of her late husband, Larry Mumfer, who left an incredible impact on the state of Ohio. Senator Mumfer's career in public service began long before he was elected to public office. He had a 30-year teaching career with science, math, chemistry as his major subjects. and he retired in 1992 and coached basketball in cross country as well. His commitment to serving others was further shown when he served on the Marion City Council as president and as a county commissioner before becoming the state senator for the 26th district, which I currently occupy Senator Mumfer served in the Ohio Senate from 1997 through 2008 notably as the chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee and vice chair of the Senate Education Committee. Senator Mumford was active in many organizations in the community including the Ohio National Education Association, Masonic Lodge, NRA, Farm Bureau, Marion Elks, Moose Lodge, VFW Post, Marion Cemetery Board, Republican Club, the YMCA, the Lions Club, and the U.S. Open, just to name a few. His career and passion for public service held much importance, ever more so as being a devoted husband to his wife, Carolee, of 49 years, father to his three children, and grandfather to his four grandchildren. We remember his selfless character, the time and energy given to the community, his family, friends, and the life that he lived displayed what is truly meant to be a public servant, a family man, and an Ohioan. His absence will be strongly felt, and we are happy to have you here today and give you this commendation on his behalf. And President McCauley will be joining us. Thank you.

This is going to be great. You know, from my part of the state, northeast Ohio, I don't get any sports teams that really come down. We have a few that win, but the day it takes them to get there and back, they don't come. And I acknowledge the fact that all the champions that we honor are very worthwhile, but I think I got them all beat. Ladies and gentlemen, I have for you today a two-time Olympic gold and silver medal winner in Katie Moon. This is, please. And those medals are incredibly heavy. She allowed me to hold it and feel it and trust me they heavier than they look and they heavy When you think about it for a second when you could say that you the very very best in the world at anything, that's pretty special. And she's been able to do that many, many times between the Olympics and World Championships. Let me just give you an idea of Katie's accomplishments. And first, thank you, Mr. President, for allowing us to do this opportunity today to recognize the most accomplished track and field athlete in the entire state of Ohio. Today, I'm privileged to represent and present this resolution to Katie Moon in honor of her historic third consecutive World Athletic Championship gold medal. We honored Katie back in 2021 after her Olympic gold medal, so we've done this dance before her and I. Today, she's with us after winning another three World Championship gold medals that were added to her collection. Katie is joined today by her brother Diane and her brother Andy. Family is tremendously important to Katie, and she's frequently credited her success to their steadfast support. You've done well. Katie is the first woman ever to win three consecutive World Athletic Championship gold medals in pole vault, which she's added to her already impressive resume, including silver medals in the 2022 World Indoor Champion, 2019 Pan American Games, and 2024 Paris Summer Olympics in her iconic gold at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics. Katie grew up in Olmstead Township and graduated from Olmstead High School, which she still visits regularly. She continues to give back to her own community, where she's amassed quite the fan base, and even returns to host the Katie Moon Pole Vault Classic at Olmstead Falls High School. I'm honored to have her with us today, so please, ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the Ohio Senate, join me as we acknowledge Katie Moon.

Congratulations, and welcome to the Statehouse. Next, with a point of personal privilege, the chair recognizes Senator Blackshear. You may invite your guests to the well.

Congratulations, ladies, and welcome to the Statehouse. Next, with a point of personal privilege, the chair recognizes Senator Brenner and Senator Liston. You may invite your guests to the well.

Thank you, Mr. President. Members of the Senate, today I, along with Senator Liston, have the great pleasure of recognizing the Worthington Christian Boys soccer team for their Division IV championship win. Each athlete exhibited incredible dedication and commitment in their training, leading up to the performance of the 2025 state championship. A pulse-pounding game, the goal that tied the score, sending the game into overtime, came with just 83 seconds left in regulation, scored by Nolan Schoonover. The winning goal, scored by Max Glick, came just five minutes into sudden victory overtime. The hard-fought win is a perfect example of the hard work and dedication of each of these athletes, as well as their coaches, John Hoskin and Dan Rhodes. The Warriors end their season with an impressive 19-3-2 record. Mr. President, members of the Senate, let us express our sincerest congratulations to the Worthington Christian Boys soccer team for their monumental win. May their accomplishments be just the beginning of what their futures hold. Please join us in congratulating them after remarks from Senator Liston.

And I, too, join Senator Brenner in saying congratulations to all of you. I just wanted to highlight one or two things. First of all, Coach Rhodes, this actually represents, I think, 19 years of coaching and 250 career wins. That's pretty impressive. this team I believe all the seniors who are here have played in three years in a row in the state title games and I'm told that they all mentor the middle school students at Worthington Christian so that they're taking their talents and sharing them with the next generation I'm sure ensuring success at Worthington Christian soccer to come many of them told us that they are planning on continuing in soccer. I heard specifically that senior Max Glick is going to pursue his academic and soccer career at Mount Vernon Nazarene College, and Ian St. John will be attending Finley University to pursue track and field, and I heard others discussing future plans that I'm sure will make us proud in Ohio. So join us in congratulating this amazing team on their impressive state win.

Congratulations and welcome to the Senate. Next, the chair recognizes Senator Brenner for another point of personal privilege. You may invite your guests to the well.

Thank you again Mr President and members of the Senate I have the great privilege today again of recognizing an extremely accomplished young woman in Delaware County Please join me in welcoming Meadow Tan, champion of the 2025 Ohio High School Athletic Association D1 Girls Golf Tournament. She's a senior at Olentangy High School. Meadow personified sportsmanship and determination in the face of tough competition, bringing pride to her coach and community. Under the leadership of her head coach, Micah Conley, Meadow scored her first state title and the first title for her program, firing a four-under par 66 in the final round to finish a one-under 139 for a one-shot win over second place. While we will miss her in Ohio, Meadow has signed on with the University of Illinois to continue her golf career, for which we are greatly excited for her and her continued success. Mr. President and members of the Senate, I have overwhelmed with pride in the accomplishments of Meadow Tin and have not only for her, but her entire girls' golf program for Olentangy High School. I have no doubt she will go on and do great, incredible things. Please join me in congratulating her for her state championship.

President McCauley with a point of personal privilege.

As is natural with the progression of time, we say goodbye to many of our beloved staff members here in the Senate. Andrea Hofer, this one is maybe the second or third time I've had to say goodbye to you from service in the State House. Andrea actually was one of my first legislative aides way back in the House of Representatives. and despite my admonitions not to do this, she went to law school and became an attorney, a very bright attorney who's had her own law career before she joined us here in the Senate and separate from us here in the Senate and decided to come and serve us here in the Senate over the last year, year and a half or so. And she's done admirably in that position, but she is off to greener pastures as we all like to see happen with our staff members as they grow in their careers and then in their own lives. And so I would like to thank her for her service to the state of Ohio, her service to the Ohio Senate, and wish her the best in her future endeavors. So thank you to Andrea Hofer. Please rise and offer her congratulations.

Next, with a point of personal privilege, the chair recognizes Senator Kaler.

Next, with a point of personal privilege, the chair recognizes Senator DeMora.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. President. and I also rise today to introduce my special guests. If Graham Oldham and dad could stand, David Oldham, I think the only thing more meaningful than being a state senator is the ability to share it with somebody else. And so I have a young constituent here, Graham Oldham, who's also in eighth grade. He goes to Grove City Christian Academy. I met him just last week at the CCV Gala and found out that they are both related to Stephanie McLeod, which is the former chief of staff for Governor Mike DeWine and the current administrator of our Bureau of Workers' Compensation. I am so proud of Graham because he just got back from a D.C. trip, and he earned amongst his peers the opportunity to be able to lay the wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier, which is super, super cool. And he is interested in a career in public service and potentially wants to be a state senator. So welcome. Please join me in a warm Senate welcome for the Oldhams.

Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you. I would like to welcome a group of fourth graders from St. Hillary School in Akron. Would you please stand up? All right. A big group of fourth graders. They are here today. They heard the Civil War reenactment, which I think we all heard some of earlier today. And they are here to learn about government, so it's a great opportunity to see a Senate session. Thrilled to have them down here today. Please join me in giving them a warm Senate welcome.

Thank you, President McCauley. I just want to remind everybody, and Senator, I almost took my thunder, that the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board, who does awesome public education programs, as we all know, they're having the revolutionary encampment out on the West Lawn today. I was out there talking to some of them. Boy, if you get a chance before 3 p.m., if we can make it out here before 3, run out there and talk to some of those reenactors the volunteers and there are hundreds of school kids You are probably all out there having a great time learning about Ohio and American history especially this year in the 250th anniversary of our country founding So thank you Mr President I urge everybody to run out there and learn something today.

Thank you, Mr. President. I just wanted to just acknowledge the fact that yesterday we had our second conference honoring, as part of April, which is Minority Health Month, Black Maternal Health Caucus. This caucus was created in 2019 with members of the House, and Senator Ingram and I have continued it on in the Senate. Yesterday we had over 100 participants from around the state, providers of services and advocates, talking about the state of black maternal health in our communities and in our state, and then seeing ways in which we can address this in a very positive and comprehensive way. I want to thank Senator Timken for being part of our press conference because she talked about her bill, and we had other members of the state legislature also having their bills highlighted as well. Special shout-out to the two young women who are not here with us, but who did the lion's share of the work are Senator Ingram and my senior legal legislative assistants, Deja Kidd and Amber Glendon-McClendon. These two young ladies have, over this past year, have helped host virtual monthly meetings with providers throughout the state, talking about things that they are doing within their communities and really helping to provide us with information for us to have positive legislation to, as I said, to move the needle forward. I want to thank you, Mr. President, for allowing me to bring this and heighten it to those. I mean, I'm sure many of you saw that the atrium was filled with people and that there was one little boy who was two years old who the entire time was able to run around the atrium, and his father was on the panel at the end of the program because fathers are just as important as mothers in this process. So we had a panel that highlighted fathers, and this father was someone who, under normal circumstances, the court may not look at to provide legal custody to him, but he was able to get custody of his two-year-old. His two-year-old is thriving. And the love and the affection that all of the participants did as this little kid ran, he lapped the room several times, and it was never anyone giving him, like, oh, sit down or anything like that, but really to support and highlight the fact that in Ohio, We do care about families, but we have to do, at this particular level, a really good job of policies and procedures that will truly help our families and strengthen them. So thank you, Mr. President, for allowing me to highlight to my colleagues that we're not able to see what was going on or didn't really know what was happening.

Thank you, Senator Hicks-Hudson.

Thank you, Mr. President. I rise today to encourage my colleagues to support Senate Bill 320, which upon enactment would join Ohio to the licensure compact for athletic trainers. We've been down this road many times. We've passed many licensure compacts, and as you know, They provide a streamlined, secure mechanism for the interstate practice while maintaining each state's regulatory authority over licensure, discipline, and scope of practice. When I first introduced this legislation into the Health Committee, there were two states so far that had already enacted it. That was South Dakota and Alabama. In the several weeks that we've had this bill in committee, we've had three more states already enact it. That's Kansas, Kentucky, and Virginia, and there's a handful of others that have already introduced it as well. Like the other compacts, it takes seven states to have the compact go live, so we are still in the potential running for that. These compacts, they just make common sense. You know, we have, Ohio's been a leader in these compacts. We've passed a nurse licensure, physical therapy, doctors, occupational therapy, counselors, physician assistants, dentistry the interstate massage cosmetology social workers dieticians psychology audiology speech therapists and more And not only do the patients love it because it increases access to care but it also great for the medical professionals as well So I want to thank Chair Huffman as well as the Senate Health Committee for their unanimous passage. As with the other compacts, there were no opponents, only proponents. And so I appreciate your favorable vote today.

The chair recognizes Senator Liston. Thank you, Mr. President. I am happy to support, as I urge others to do, these common sense compacts that can help people in Ohio have access to health care and can ease any sort of administrative burden on individuals wishing to practice in Ohio.

Thank you, Senator Liston. The question is, shall the bill pass? Will the court please call the roll?

Thank you, Mr. President. I rise today to encourage my colleagues to vote yes on Senate Bill 278. This legislation will allow citizens to seek punitive or exemplary damages against municipalities who enact unconstitutional gun control. As it stands today in Ohio, it is left to the responsibility of our citizens to challenge and repeal these detestable restrictions, often through the judicial process and unfortunately out of their own pockets. If anything, our citizens should feel emboldened to overturn these unlawful regulations without having to face the financial burden of doing what is right. I believe strongly in home rule. Small local government is at the heart of our republic and the American tradition. However, the line must be drawn at anything which violates the Constitution, the enshrining document which supersedes all else within our country. Rights like freedom of speech or due process are seldom tampered with by municipalities. Yet we often find the Second Amendment under constant threat by these local ordinances or rules. The examples are concerning and numerous. Back in 2022, the Columbus City Council passed a couple of ordinances, and in 2023 both of which are still being fought in the courts and should justly be found unlawful citing Ohio firearms uniformity law with the Ohio Supreme Court already affirming that it does not violate the home rule portion of the Ohio Constitution There is currently nothing preventing these municipalities from continually running this gauntlet and restricting the rights for citizens. With this legislation, it is my hope that we will impose potential financial repercussions for these cities and others who so frivolously trample on the rights of the residents. We should allow vigilant defenders of freedom to go through the proper judicial process while simultaneously having financial protection for doing so through the pursuit of punitive or exemplary damages. Senate Bill 278 passed from the Senate Local Government Committee by a 5-2 vote. I would certainly like to thank Chairwoman O'Brien for the urgency and care which she displayed while considering this crucial piece of legislation. and also, of course, my aides, Caleb Stutzman and Brandon Maul. Thank you again for your time and consideration. Again, I urge an affirmative vote on Senate Bill 278.

Thank you, Mr. President. I rise in opposition to Senate Bill 278. This spiteful nanny state complete overreach will hurt our communities financially, and much more importantly, it will not help with the gun violence epidemic. Columbus homicides have dropped quite significantly in 2025, with 84 homicides, a 33% decrease from 2024 at this point in time of the year. Despite the rate of homicides dropping, the rates of gun-related deaths have risen. Since 1995, every year, gun-related suicide has been a leading form of firearm death in this country. Gun violence is not only a public health crisis in urban areas like Franklin County, but is a crisis in every rural, suburban municipality across this country. Senate Bill 278 is anti-common sense, anti-local control, and will make cities pay for needless lawsuits rather than focus on legislation that actually befriends gun violence. In 2019, I'm sure we all remember that horrific day in Dayton where nine people were killed and 17 others were wounded in a horrific shooting. Many of you served in this legislature. I don't have to remind anybody that the governor came out and said we have to do something, and both chambers and members of both parties said they agreed. But naturally, the legislature did nothing, so our cities and towns have taken it upon themselves to protect their constituents since the legislature won't. Which brings us here today where, because local governments across the state have given up on us and tried to fix the problem themselves, we're going to actually preempt them and say, no, you can't fix this problem either. In fact, we're going to allow individuals to get punitive or exemplary damages for municipalities trying to pass common sense gun legislation. Of course, neither of those terms is defined in this bill. Black's Law Dictionary defines exemplary damages as, and I quote, Exemplately damages are damages on an increased scale where the wrong done to him was aggravated by circumstances of violence, oppression, malice, fraud, or wanton and wicked conduct on the part of the defendant and are intended to solace the plaintiff for mental anguish, laceration of his feelings, shame, degradation, or other aggravations of the original wrong or else to punish the defendant for his evil behavior and to make an example of him. Senate Bill 278 characterized gun violence prevention efforts by local officials as wicked conduct. and dismisses local officials' proactive efforts to advance gun safety legislation. When the General Assembly is unwilling to act on creating laws that target gun violence, cities must step in to protect their communities, and if the General Assembly will come on board, the least we should do is get out of their way. I urge a no vote. Thank you, Mr. President.

Thanks very much, Mr. President. Mr. President and members of the Senate, I rise in opposition to Senate Bill 278 because of the constitutional problems that it has I would say both federally and in the state constitution and it seeks to punish those who are charged with solving the problems of gun violence This legislation is similar to punishing the lifeguard for saving the drowning child caught in the riptide. It is unconstitutional because it violates the home rule provision of the Ohio Constitution, which is Article 18, Section 7. and ignores the fact that it is cities and local communities that must address the problem of gun violence. Why would the Ohio General Assembly pass legislation that gives individuals the ability to pursue punitive damages against a municipality that seeks to enact or enforce common-sense gun safety measures? In my view, the day that the gun violence debate changed here in Ohio, which was alluded to by Senator DeMora, was August 4th, 2019. In the very early morning hours on Sunday, August 14th, 2019, in the Oregon district of downtown Dayton, a gunman fired at least 41 shots in 32 seconds, and 26 people were wounded and nine would perish. Dayton area Republican Congressman Mike Turner credited the quick action of the Dayton Police Department, and he would reveal later that his own daughter was in the Oregon District at the night of the shooting. Following the tragedy, Governor DeWine went to Dayton, and during his remarks, he was shouted down by the crowd who chanted, do something, do something. About a month later, Capitol Square reporter Darrell Rowland would write a story about the volume of calls, emails, and letters that Governor DeWine received following the Dayton shooting. Of the 3,098 emails sent to the governor's office, 2,595 wanted new firearm restrictions in Ohio. That's over 83%. So why would we punish those who are trying to prevent these tragedies, which is exactly what Senate Bill 278 would do? Our failure to fix the gun violence epidemic is a failure of leadership. Gun manufacturers write legislation to drive up their profits regardless of the human cost and lives lost. The Second Amendment has been manipulated and distorted to counteract a possible outbreak of sanity that might prevent another mass shooting, another accidental gun negligence fatality, or another veteran suicide. From what I know about the Founders' vision of launching a nation-state of actively engaged citizen leaders informs me that their view of the Second Amendment was not to give the passive permission that mass slaughter was acceptable. The contemporary context of the Second Amendment matters. When it was written, guns could only fire one round per minute. On August 4, 2019, the mass shooter in Dayton fired more than one bullet per second, and he struck 26 people. Many constitutional scholars argue that the Second Amendment is not an unlimited right, and the government has a compelling interest of citizen public safety so that Americans and Ohioans can safely participate in civic life and our nation's economy. Only with gun violence do we respond to repeated tragedies by saying mourning is acceptable, but discussing how to prevent more tragedies is unacceptable. The U.S. has about 5% of the world's population, but nearly half of its world's privately owned guns, and because of that, we are the location of about 1%. third of the world's mass shootings. Can we stop saying that guns actually make us safer? Every single day, 110 Americans are killed with guns and more than 200 are shot or wounded. Guns are the leading cause of death among children and teens in the United States. In the words of Amanda Gorman, it takes a monster to kill children, but to watch monsters kill children again and again and do nothing is not just insanity, it's inhumanity. There's no other nation on earth where this happens. Since the Dayton mass shooting, the Ohio General Assembly has passed some legislation on this topic, but it has hardly been helpful, Mr. President. In 2021, Governor DeWine signed the shoot first bill, allowing Ohioans to use deadly force in self-defense in public places without first trying to retreat. In 2022, the governor signed a bill to permit permitless carry, which meant Ohioans no longer had to take an eight-hour training course and have a background check to carry a concealed weapon. Also in 2022, we armed teachers but reduced their firearm training requirement from 700 hours down to 24. And now, with this bill in 2026, we would be stealing tax dollars from the city governments that are trying to reduce gun violence. Let me make a few public policy suggestions that I actually think could be helpful. First, let's ban the firearm accessory called bump stocks that basically turns high-capacity rifles into machine guns. Machine guns are essentially illegal in the United States, and maybe we should ban the thing that turns guns into machine guns. Following the Vegas Music Festival mass shooting, even President Trump wanted to ban bump stocks. Let's enact red flag laws or extreme risk protection orders for the temporary removal of firearms from individuals deemed to be a danger to themselves or others, which has been shown to be effective in preventing suicides and mass shootings. Let us adopt safe storage laws, which have been shown to significantly reduce accidental shootings and youth suicides. Research indicates that households locking both firearms and ammunition have a 78% lower self-inflicted firearm injury rate among children. And finally, how about universal background checks, which are supported by over 90% of the general public so that only law-abiding citizens can legally purchase firearms? If you are too dangerous to fly on a plane, maybe you shouldn't possess a semi-automatic weapon of war. These laws are already on the books in other states, and they are working. It is estimated that if Ohio were to adopt these common-sense gun safety policies, Ohio could save 11,300 lives over the next decade. For those reasons, Mr. President, while I do believe we should do something, I do not believe the answer is Senate Bill 278, and I urge a no vote. Thank you very much, Mr. President.

Thank you very much, Mr. President. Ladies and gentlemen of the Senate, I, um, it's difficult to me to try to recant, and I won't. Um, much has already been said. But I sit here, and I simply could not, uh, could not just sit here and not say something. regarding this issue. Because living in Columbus even on my street where I live even when I had to go to funerals and look in a casket at a 14 or 15 year old I simply could not sit here because of this issue And in Columbus, when those, and I know that this issue, many of those that struggled with this issue on council and the mayor's office because these positions were not taken lightly. I certainly want to protect the Second Amendment and those that possess firearms, but simply to do nothing with regard to this issue and these high suicide and homicide rates in the city to do nothing was simply unacceptable. And so I would just say the reason why I'm standing, I came home one night where around my house there were the yellow tape because they were looking for shells because a young man had been shot and killed. And so with regard to this legislation and the city of Columbus and other municipalities that have the sworn duty to protect our children and our families in a responsible way with common sense gun legislation, it's important to act. Thank you very much, Mr. President.

Thank you, Mr. President. I rise and urge the passage of Senate Bill 278. The U.S. Constitution is the supreme law of the land, which includes the Second Amendment. The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. It is axiomatic, therefore, that municipalities and governmental entities may not be permitted to infringe upon our constitutional rights. Now, some of my colleagues have said that this bill is a nanny state overreach. Others have, I would say, some have said, according to them, I'm arguing that according to them, municipalities can violate our constitutional rights whenever they so choose. The issue of the nanny state and home rule has already been decided in this state. In fact, the Ohio General Assembly passed the Ohio Firearms Uniformity Act, which was then challenged. And our Ohio Supreme Court has already upheld that law. And most importantly, it says that these laws are within the purview of the General Assembly, not municipalities. And additionally, the Supreme Court said that the General Assembly could authorize the award of specific types of damages in these types of cases. Unfortunately, as municipalities around the state of Ohio continue to enact legislation and ordinances that infringe upon our constitutional rights, individuals then have to challenge them in court at a cost to them And as such these citizens bear those costs of standing up for their constitutional rights As such I argue that this is a simple bill that upholds the law in the state of Ohio as it stands today And I stand here to support the constitutional right of the Second Amendment. I urge a yes vote.

really speak on this bill because I think many of you know how I feel about home rule and local government, but I believe that it's important that aside from the issue about whether it's a constitutional right to bear arms and whether or not citizens individually versus citizens as a collective are able to make decisions that what we're looking at today, and I agree with my colleague that it is an overreach for us at the state level to dictate what is best at a local level. And while there has been case law and decisions that are made by the Supreme Court here in the state of Ohio, the bottom line is this, that we as a state legislature continues to strangle financially many of our local governments due to some of our financial decisions that are being made here. This allows for another way in which our local governments can be strangled financially by allowing an individual who will have the ability to sue and receive damages, but what this does is heighten that level of damages to extraordinary, which as my colleague defined using blacks, which we really don't always use as the end and be all of legal, but it is a basis to start the discussion. But it's important to know that there are remedies that are already on the books. There are ways in which individuals who, if they do sue, are able to recoup those expenses, compensatory as well as any other kind of damages. But when we heighten those damages to triple types of damages. We are also then damaging the ability of local governments to clearly and fiscally cover the interest of the majority of its citizens. So therefore, I urge a no vote on this because of that particular fact that there is a remedy. And if we are really trying to limit government, this bill, I think, expands it even more. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. President. Like my senator from Toledo, I wasn't going to speak either, but it is confusing sometimes. I am a co-sponsor on this bill. I support this bill. I hope this bill passes. Oddly, I think it's an unneeded bill. I don't know why we're having to do this. It's in the Constitution. Second Amendment shall not be infringed. In the Ohio Constitution, it's even laid out even clear about our gun rights and what they are. And I sit in this chamber and often hear, and I hear from constituents, and any time I talk about an issue on abortion, hey, Senator Kaler, don't you realize we have an amendment in the Constitution that says you can't do that? Somehow, that doesn't apply here. So I'm just standing to say we have the Second Amendment enshrined in our U.S. Constitution, we have it enshrined in our Ohio Constitution, and somehow we're having to pass this law. I support this law I don think it needed but I support it because sadly we want to push laws that infringe on our rights and that never happens when we deal with the issue of abortion Thank you Mr President

Will the clerk please call the roll? Antonio. Blackshear. Blessing. Brenner. Chavez. Serino. Craig. No. Catrona. Yes. DeMora. No. Gaviron. Yes. Hicks-Hudson. No. Huffman. Yes. Ingram. No. Johnson. Yes. Kaler. Yes. Landis. Yes. Lang. Yes. Liston. No. Manchester. Yes. Manning. Yes. O'Brien. Yes. Patton. Yes. Reinecke. Yes. Reynolds. Yes. Rogner. Yes. Romanchuk. Yes. Schaefer. Yes. Smith. No. Timken. Yes. Weinstein. No. Wilkin. Yes. Wilson. Yes. President McCauley. Yes.

Bills for third consideration. Substitute House Bill 393, representatives Klik, Brewer, and others to amend sections of the revised code to require that community-based correctional facilities and programs in halfway house organizations assist inmates in obtaining state identification cards prior to release.

Thank you, Mr. President, for allowing me today to speak to House Bill 393. House Bill 393 expands a program created in House Bill 315 in the 135th General Assembly where the Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections and the Department of Youth Services must assist individuals in their custody in applying for state identification cards prior to being released. House Bill 393 expands on that by including community-based correctional facilities, requiring those facilities to provide ID card applications to their inmates and for them to be submitted to the BMV. During this bill's brief period in the Senate, we also added an amendment that expanded the program once again and applied it to residents completing programming in halfway houses. The intent of this bill is to help prepare incarcerated people for a life post-prison with the goal of implementing them back into society. Not having an ID is a recurring challenge for individuals released from incarceration. Making sure those looking to turn their lives around once they have been released have access to the keys to doing so is very critical. This simple barrier can set these individuals down the path to employment and to turn in turn lowering the chance of them re-offending. Data from a report done by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce shows that individuals who are unable to maintain employment experience a recidivism rate of 52 percent over three years post-release whereas individuals who maintain employment for just one year post-release experience a recidivism rate of less than 16 percent. This is a difference and having an idea is a step that can be massively beneficial when finding employment post-incarceration. I would like to thank the members of the Senate Addiction and Community Revitalization Committee for passing this bill swiftly and unanimously, as well as Representative Click and Brewer for introducing this crucial legislation. I'd also like to thank my staff, Susan Whitstock and Parker Dearing, in assisting me in shepherding this through the Senate. Mr. President, members of the Senate, thank you for allowing me to speak today,

Thank you, Mr. President. I rise in support of House Bill 393, a common sense bill that will help those re-entering communities from the criminal justice system. This legislation expounds upon Senate Bill 198 from last General Assembly, which helps inmates obtain ID cards prior to release. This bill adds in those in community-based corrections centers and halfway houses, which were not initially included as part of this effort. As we all know, having a valid ID card is a major necessity to obtain employment and access basic services, and resources. By providing an ID card prior to release, we are making a low-cost investment into the futures of individuals rejoining society. I believe this bill will help lower recidivism and help to empower individuals looking to better their lives. I would like to thank Representatives Brewer and Click for bringing forth this legislation, as well as Chairman Landis for his work during the committee process, and I would respectfully urge passage. Thank you so much, Mr. President. Thank you, Senator Blackshear. The question

Antonio. Yes. Blackshear. Yes. Blessing. Yes. Brenner. Yes. Chavez. Yes. Serino. Yes. Craig. Yes. Catrona. Yes. DeMora. Yes. Gaviron. Yes. Hicks-Hudson. Yes. Huffman. Ingram. Yes. Johnson. Yes. Kaler. Yes. Landis. Yes. Lange. Yes. Liston. Yes. Manchester. Yes. Manning. Yes. O'Brien. Yes. Patton. Yes. Reinecke. Yes. Reynolds. Yes. Rogner. Yes. Romanchuk. Yes. Schaefer. Yes. Smith. Yes. Timken. Yes. Weinstein. Yes. Wilkin. Yes. Wilson. Yes. The clerk will call the name Huffman. Huffman. Yes. President McCauley. Yes.

Bills for third consideration. Substitute House Bill 462, Representative Richardson and others to amend the next section of the Vice Code to authorize the procurement and emergency use of additional types of epinephrine delivery systems by school, school districts, and camps.

Thank you, Mr. President and members of the Senate. Thank you for allowing me to speak on behalf of House Bill 462. Sponsored by Representative Richardson this legislation recognizes the need for students to have a quick response easy treatment for anaphylaxis in schools In 2014, legislation was enacted to allow students to possess and use fnephrin auto-injectors for the treatment of anaphylaxis. At the time, this form of delivery has been the most child-friendly form of delivery. Since 2014, a new form of delivery has been developed. In 2024, the FDA approved the intranasal epinephrine spray as an alternative to autoinjectors. School nurses have already received written approval for this new form of delivery, but cannot allow students to carry it as long as it's not included in the current law. This bill will empower students, parents, and school nurses to access the full range of care when choosing the best way to treat a child's allergies. An amendment was also added in the Senate committee that permits students to possess and use the nasal epinephrine delivery system approved by the FDA. By placing this in the law, we ensure a streamlined system for approval of up-to-date best practices. Thank you, Mr. President and members of the Senate, for allowing me to speak on House Bill 462. I would also like to thank the members of the Senate Education Committee, Bill Sponsor, Representative Richardson, my senior legislative aide, Rachel Tracy, and Goran Babik, our policy staff, for their work in this legislation. And I encourage a yes vote. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr. President. I simply rise in concurrence that this is an excellent bill. It's a no-brainer. and they did that back in 14 with a push for the students to be able to have epinephrine because it's absolutely necessary. To not allow the nasal, that's new technology, would be almost like telling me to go home and use my rotary phone instead of using my cell phone. So I think this is a no-brainer, as I said, and it's important for us to get it done. Thanks very much.

Antonio. Yes. Blackshear. Yes. Blessing. Yes. Brenner. Yes. Chavez. Yes. Sereno. Yes. Craig. Yes. Catrona. Yes. Demora. Yes. Gavron. Yes. Hicks. Hudson. Yes. Huffman. Yes. Ingram. Yes. Johnson. Yes. Kaler. Yes. Landis. Yes. Lange. Yes. Liston. Yes. Manchester. Yes. Manning. Yes. O'Brien. Patton Reineke Reynolds Rogner Romanchuk Schaefer Smith Timken Weinstein Wilkin Wilson President McCauley Pursuant to the rule, the roll will remain open for members who have not yet voted.

Bill's for third consideration. Substitute Senate Bill 162, Senator Blessing and others, to amend section of the revised code regarding the time frame for health insurance recoupment for health care providers The question is shall the bill pass The chair recognizes Senator Blessing Thank you Mr President I rise in support of Senate Bill 162

Thank you, Mr. President. I urge passage.

Thank you very much, Mr. President. I rise in support of Senate Bill 162. I certainly want to thank my dear friend, Senator Blessing, for his work on this legislation and Chair Wilson for shepherding this bill through committee. This legislation, as already stated, makes important comments and updates to how health insurance payment to providers are handled. It aligns payment finality and overpayments recovery timelines with the terms already agreed upon in its contracts. At its core, this bill is about fairness, transparency, and stability in our health care system. I respectfully ask for support of Senate Bill 162. Thank you very much, Mr. President.

Antonio. Yes. Blackshare. Yes. Blessing. Yes. Brenner. Yes. Chavez. Yes. Serino. Yes. Craig. Yes. Catrona. Yes. Demora. Yes. Gaviron. Yes. Hicks-Hudson. Yes. Huffman. Yes. Ingram. Yes. Johnson. Yes. Kaler. Yes. Landis. Yes. Lang. Yes. Lang. Yes. Liston. Yes. Manchester. Yes. Manning. Yes. O'Brien. Yes. Patton. Reineke. Yes. Reynolds. Yes. Rogner. Yes. Romanchuk. Yes. Schaefer. Yes. Smith. Yes. Temkin. Yes. Weinstein. Yes. Wilkin. Yes. Wilson. Yes. President McCauley. Yes.

Thanks so much, President McCauley and members of the Senate, for the opportunity to bring amended Senate Bill 321 before you today. This legislation will allow special police officers to carry a firearm while on duty at the Ohio Department of Behavioral Health or the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities. These officers are no different than in qualifications or licensure from the police we see on the street every day protecting us. The problem is under current law these special police officers and that an administrative term the word special they are police officers who have gone through APADA the Ohio Police Officer Training Academy and they certified but they don have the normal protections that other law enforcement officers have today. They are currently prohibited from being properly armed, which makes them very vulnerable to attack. This legislation will allow these special police officers to be properly armed while doing the following, escorting a patient or resident outside of the institution, operating a metal detector inside the institution, or patrolling the institution's grounds. Unfortunately, in today's world, officers that wear a badge are always the target and need to be able to properly protect themselves and us. These officers are particularly at risk due to the nature of transporting or escorting some of their individuals who may pose increased risk of escape or violence or even pre-planned ambushes. This much-needed change in law will give our special police officers at DBH and DODD the protections and tools they need to not only keep themselves safe, but also to protect the safety and the welfare of the public and other police officers as well. During the committee process, we took an amendment that was accepted to the bill with the support of DODD and DBHS and the Fraternal Order of Police Ohio. This amendment adds additional firearms training requirements at the request of the two state agencies in addition to the existing OPATA training requirements. This bill gives both state agencies the authority over issuing and approving firearms used by the special police officers and the authority to prohibit a special police officer who is under investigation from carrying or possessing a firearm. The amendment also specifies that the state does not waive its sovereign immunity regarding the possession or use of a firearm by a special police officer. So I'd like to thank Chairman Johnson and the Senate Armed Services and Veterans Affairs and Public Safety Committee for the unanimous vote advancing the Bill 5-0, as well as thank the FOP Ohio for their support of this bill. Additionally, I'd like to thank my staff, Travis Brock and J.T. Batchelor, for their work on the bill as well. And President McCauley, thank you for bringing it to the floor, and I would urge an affirmative vote. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. President. I rise in support of this bill. I thank Senator Schaefer for it. It's a thoughtful, common sense piece of legislation. As my colleague mentioned, these officers are APATA certified. They're trained. This makes sense to keep them safe and, frankly, to keep everyone safe. I appreciated the amendment that they took during the committee process, So I urge my colleagues to vote yes. Thank you.

Antonio. Yes. Blackshear. Yes. Blessing. Yes. Renner. Yes. Chavez. Yes. Serino. Yes. Craig. Yes. Catrona. Yes. DeMora. Yes. Gavron. Yes. Hicks-Hudson. Yes. Hoffman. Yes. Ingram. Yes. Johnson. Yes. Kaler. Yes. Landis, Lang, Liston, Manchester, Manning, O'Brien, Patton, Reinecke, Reynolds, Rogner, Romachuk, Schaefer, Smith, Timken, Weinstein, Wilkin, Wilson, President McCauley. Yes.

Thank you, Mr. President. I rise in support of Senate Bill 364 to rename a portion of U.S. 322 in Cleveland to the Cleveland Police Officer Jameson Ritter Memorial Highway. On July 4, 2024, Officer Ritter responded to a 911 call reporting a violent fugitive. When Officer Ritter arrived, the fugitive attempted to escape on a bicycle while firing four shots as he fled. One shot hit Officer Ritter, fatally wounding him. He was 27 years old. And while this might be somewhat familiar this body on February 17th passed a competency bill and I shared that bill with Senator Manning And the reason that bill was important is that the individual who shot Officer Ritter was about to be released on February 20th if that law was not signed. This is the first public opportunity I've had to thank our governor. Our governor was away at a governor's conference, and knowing that that bill had to be signed, he flew in to Columbus Airport, and while at the airport, the governor signed the bill into law, and we also had a big shout-out to our Secretary of State, Frank Rose, who was there to audit the signature and then allow that to go into effect. Now, this is only halfway there. The gentleman still has to go to trial, but I thought it was important to let you know how supportive during that entire process his parents, Karen and John Ritter, were. And I hope that this is, again, obviously Ritter is survived by those same parents, as well as three siblings in Rochester, New York. and so they made that ride from New York several times to make sure that they helped us convince everybody how important getting that competency extended They have expressed their utmost appreciation to this body for memorializing Jason sacrifice Jason always put community first in his career, and this is our opportunity to say thank you to him and his family. This portion of US-32 stretched from the 3rd District Police Station where Jameson was stationed to East 81st Street where he was killed. his family and I both believe that this is a fitting tribute to Jamison's life and his service to the city of Cleveland and I humbly ask you for your support on this bill and I thank you Mr. President for allowing us to bring this bill to the floor

Antonio? Blackshear? Blessing? Brenner? Chavez? Yes. Serino. Yes. Craig. Yes. Catrona. Yes. DeMora. Yes. Gaviron. Yes. Hicks-Hudson. Yes. Huffman. Yes. Ingram. Yes. Johnson. Yes. Kaler. Yes. Landis. Yes. Lang. Yes. Liston. Yes. Manchester. Yes. Manning. Yes. O'Brien. Yes. Patton. Yes. Reinecke. Yes. Reynolds. Yes. Rogner. Yes. Romachuk. Schaefer Yes Smith Yes Timkin Yes Weinstein Yes Wilkin Yes sir Wilkin Wilson President McCauley With 33 yays and 0 nays the bill is passed and entitled

Thank you, Mr. President. Armed Services will meet at 3.30 in the South hearing room.

Addiction and community revitalization will meet in the finance hearing room at 3.05 p.m.

Mr. President, I move that the Senate, having completed its business, adjourn until Tuesday, April 21st at 9.30 a.m.