Fireworks
House Bill 226, sponsored by state Reps. Bill Seitz, R-Cincinnati, and Martin Sweeney, D-Cleveland, would go into effect July 1, 2020. The bill would:
• allow Ohioans to buy, possess and use 1.4G fireworks on their own property or others’ property with permission;
• require sellers to give safety pamphlets to buyers;
• impose a 4 percent fee on top of sales taxes to fund firefighter training and fireworks regulation;
• set up a 13-member study committee to consider alternative regulations;
• allow counties, cities and some townships to either ban fireworks or restrict the times and dates they may be used.
Abortion
Outgoing Ohio Gov. John Kasich signed several bills into law restricting abortions, including one that makes it a crime for doctors to perform abortions if the woman wants to terminate her pregnancy because the fetus may have Down syndrome. Other abortion bills are being considered.
During a debate, Governor-elect Mike DeWine said that he would sign a “heartbeat bill” that would ban abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which is often before women realize they’re pregnant.
Gun rights
A “stand your ground” bill passed Ohio’s House but has been debated in the state Senate. It would expand gun rights by relaxing a person’s duty to retreat before using lethal force in self-defense.
Supporters say the bill corrects unjust laws that force crime victims to make a decision between fighting or escaping an assailant, then makes survivors argue their self-defense decision in court instead of being presumed innocent.
Opponents say the bill gives permission for gun owners to shoot anyone they deem dangerous, even if escape is an option.
Child marriage
After the Dayton Daily News reported about kids as young as 14 getting married, House Bill 511 passed on a 78-0 vote. It was sponsored by state Rep. Laura Lanese, R-Grove City, and John Rogers, D-Mentor-on-the-Lake. A Senate version is being considered.
The Daily News investigation found that between 2000 and 2015, 4,443 girls age 17 or younger were married, including 59 who were 15 or younger. In one case, a Gallia County judge allowed a 14-year-old pregnant girl to marry a 48-year-old man in 2002 — and years later, they are still married.
Amusement park rides
In 2017, 18-year-old Tyler Jarrell was killed and seven others were seriously injured when a gondola on the Fire Ball ride snapped off and flung riders into the air and slammed them down onto the pavement in front of spectators.
Aside from allowing fines of up to $500 for failing to keep mandated records, Tyler’s Law — House Bill 631 — would beef up training requirements for ride inspectors and set a minimum number of inspectors assigned to each ride.
Teen drivers
Several deaths among teen drivers in Southwest Ohio helped motivate Ohio lawmakers to look at significant changes in the state’s driver’s license laws,
House Bill 293 would extend the temporary instruction permit phase for new drivers to 12 months, up from six months, meaning new drivers would spend time on the road in each of the four seasons.
The bill would also delay issuance of the first license to 16.5 years of age and set the curfew for unsupervised teen drivers at 10 p.m., two hours earlier than the current law.
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