How to research Ohio bills, laws
This story was originally published by Signal Statewide. Sign up for their free newsletters at SignalOhio.org/StateSignals. Statewide is a media partner of the Toledo Free Press.
Andrew Tobias | Signal Statehouse
Members of the Ohio House of Representatives and Ohio Senate introduce hundreds of bills every two-year legislative session. Here are some tips for learning more about them.
Perhaps Schoolhouse Rock inspires you. Or you are just curious about a proposed law you heard about.
- What exactly is in it?
- Who sponsored the bill?
- Did the bill pass?
- Who voted for it?
The good news is you can find the answers to many of the questions yourself.
How to find a bill
Members of the Ohio House and Ohio Senate introduce hundreds of bills every two-year legislative session. These bills are assigned numbers and listed on the legislature’s website.
Many news outlets make a point of including a bill’s official name in articles to make it easier for interested readers to find more information about them. Here are some examples of bills that have been covered by Signal Statewide and other media outlets recently.
- Ohio Senate Bill 104, restricts the use of certain bathrooms by transgender students at state schools and universities. Gov. Mike DeWine signed the bill into law on Nov. 27.
- Ohio House Bill 296, which increases the amounts local governments must contribute toward police and firefighter pensions. The Ohio House passed the bill in December, but the Ohio Senate failed to act on it before the legislative session ended at the end of 2024. It will have to be reintroduced and approved again if it’s going to pass.
- Ohio House Bill 315, a sprawling bill state legislators passed in the final hours of their December “Lame Duck” session. The bill was a low-profile tweak to state laws governing townships but grew into a “Christmas Tree” bill thanks to a 441-page amendment lawmakers inserted before approving it. (CQ this, since DeWine might veto some or all of it)
If you know the bill’s name, you can easily take advantage of the Legislative Service Commission’s mini-website for each bill. The LSC, as the commission is commonly known, is the nonpartisan research arm for the legislature and the official repository of information about each proposed bill. Its website provides the following information organized under easily identified tabs explained below:
- Summary: This describes the bill’s general purpose, lists its sponsors (including the main sponsors’ pictures) and says what legislative committee is reviewing it.
- Documents: This contains links to the full text of the bill, with updated versions for each time a committee or the full House or Senate make changes. It also contains the analysis the LSC performs for every bill summarizing what it does in relatively plain English. Some bills also have a fiscal analysis, which describes the proposal’s price tag for state or local governments. When bills are changed in preliminary committees, the LSC typically publishes a comparison document or “comp doc” that describes the changes, which officially are called amendments.
- Status: This lists where the bill stands in the legislative process, which has several steps.
For example, when a bill is introduced, it is then referred to a committee. When and if the committee passes it, it then moves to the full legislative chamber from which it originated. If it passes there, then the bill is sent for consideration to the other chamber, which follows the same process.
- Votes: This shows when a bill passed, first in the preliminary committees and in the final vote before the full House or Senate. If you click “breakdown,” you can get a list of which legislators voted for and against it.
- Committee activity: This lists all written, public committee testimony for and against a bill, including listing that person’s name, affiliation and whether they’re for or against a bill. This can give you an idea of what a proposal’s pros and cons are and what special interests are for or against it, although sometimes those interests will lobby privately for a bill, especially if it’s controversial.
If you’re very interested in learning more about the action surrounding a particular bill – we’re using the word action very loosely here – you can visit The Ohio Channel, which is like the C-SPAN of Ohio’s state government. It publishes videos of all legislative committee hearings and full legislative sessions as well as official press conferences and other bonus content.
What if I don’t know the formal name of a bill?
If you can’t find a bill’s formal name in a news article or other source, you can always try Googling it, making sure to include terms that describe what it does. The Ohio Legislature’s website also has a search function that allows users to type in key terms.
But take note. There’s an issue you may run into if you’re researching an older bill. In each new legislative session, the bill numbering system starts over again. The most recent legislative session, the 135th General Assembly, started in January 2023 and ran through December 2024. The 136th General Assembly starts in January and runs through December 2026.
On the state website, make sure the session number lines up with the year the bill you’re researching was introduced or passed.
You can also just ask me and I’ll try to help.
How an Ohio bill becomes law
Time for Schoolhouse Rock, although the process is a little different in Columbus than it is in Washington, D.C.
Every new law begins its life as a bill in some form or another. The most common path one takes is a standalone bill. A lawmaker may propose an idea and ask colleagues to cosponsor it. This might be a response to a constituent concern, a proposal written by a special interest group or a version of a law passed in another state. It also could be a request from the governor, whose only official role in legislation is deciding whether or not to sign it into law but who often plays a key role in making policy proposals.
Typically, bills are first assigned to a legislative committee in the chamber where they originated. They are reviewed or changed and then sent to the full House or Senate for a full vote. If a bill passes there, it heads to the other chamber, where the process starts again.
If the House and Senate end up passing different versions of the same bill, sometimes they’re sent to what’s called a conference committee, where each chamber appoints a few members who are tasked with coming up with a compromise. The bill then goes back to the full House and Senate for approval.
The governor’s role in the bill process
Once a bill is passed by both chambers of the legislature, it heads to the governor’s desk for a signature. If signed, it becomes law. If the governor does nothing, it becomes law automatically within 10 days. If the governor vetoes it, the legislature can overturn the veto if it can get votes from three-fifths of members in each the House and the Senate.
An approved bill becomes law after 90 days. But lawmakers can attach an emergency clause that causes them to take effect immediately, although that requires a two-thirds vote from each the House and the Senate.
What kind of weird stuff can happen?
Sometimes, the process is as previously described. But sometimes changes to bills are introduced in committee hearings or at the last minute via amendments. And each two years, the state passes a budget bill that funds basic state operations, but that also contains thousands of pages of law changes.
So it might look like a bill you’re researching never passed. But maybe it just got mashed up with a different bill. This is hard to figure out, and this is generally why we try to list bill numbers in our stories.
Signal Statewide is a nonprofit news organization covering government, education, health, economy and public safety.
Springfield Splash rings in new year
HOLLAND – As light snow fell amid a wind chill of only 23 degrees, dozens of people, mostly in shorts and many shirtless, gathered at the edge of the pond at Homecoming Park on New Year’s Day.
As it neared 1 p.m., the “splashers,” as Springfield Township trustee Andy Glenn affectionally calls them, waited in anticipation for him to give the signal that it was time to descend into the frigid water.
Then, at exactly 1, Glenn exclaimed “Happy New Year,” raised his arms in celebration and joined the pack as they rushed in and out of the pond to kick off the 5th annual Springfield Splash, an event which lasted about five minutes.
After the brisk plunge, the splashers, wrapped in blankets and towels, mingled for about 30 minutes with family and friends to share their experience of what it was like to dive into extreme cold pond water on the first day of the new year.
One of those splashers was Springfield Township resident Butch Boulton, joined in the water by his grand-dog, Grizzy, a female chocolate lab.
Boulton said this was his fourth time to partake in the splash so he now considers it a tradition, and that it “cleanses the old year and brings in the new year. And it’s cold!” he added with emphasis.
Wrapped in a fluffy white blanket, Brenna Koback described her fifth Springfield Splash as “exhilarating,” and a good example of mind over matter.
“Think of when you say you can’t do things and then when you do, you’ve over-accomplished,” she said, feeling quite accomplished.
Glenn said he started jumping into the Maumee River on New Year’s Day in 2011, but after several cancellations and site relocations of Waterville’s historic polar plunge over the years, Glenn made the decision that Springfield needed their own polar plunge so he founded the Springfield Splash in 2020.
“It’s been awesome and it’s growing every year,” he proclaimed. “I think it’s a great event, and we want to do more things with it next year, like tie in either a charity or scholarship fundraiser. We’re still talking about all that, but yeah, we want to grow this into a big event for Springfield.
“Listen, I hate being cold,” he added. “I never thought I’d be doing anything like this in my life, but I’m telling you that if you do it once – you’ll be back the next year to do it again.”
Another Springfield Township trustee who braved the splash was Tom Anderson, Jr., who agreed that in future years the splash will be a great way to raise money for a scholarship or the swim team.
“It’s a good, fun way to get the community together,” he said.
“It’s really a good time. As you can see,” he added as he gestured to those still milling around, “everybody was smiling and laughing and that’s what it’s about. Happy New Year!”
Toledo Museum receives grant for free visitor parking
TOLEDO – The Toledo Museum of Art announced it will offer free parking beginning Thursday, Jan. 2.
To honor Julie Taylor, the Taylor Automotive Family provided the “generous” grant to save museum visitors $10. Parking was always free for members.
“Free parking is the amenity visitors request most often, and we’re excited to make it available to everyone,” said Jennifer McCary, chief culture and brand experience officer at the museum.
“It aligns with TMA’s long-standing commitment to free museum admission, honoring the vision of our founders, Edward Drummond and Florence Scott Libbey, and creating more opportunities for TMA to integrate art into the lives of others.”
Money Matters: 3 steps to aid retirement transition
As the year winds down and a new one begins, it’s easy to plan for transition here in Northwest Ohio. The leaves have fallen and everyone knows it is time to get ready for the next season.
Similarly, it is often at the end or beginning of the year that many people choose to retire. If you are wondering if you can retire and what the steps to success are, the process isn’t always easy as planning for the weather.
Here are three simple steps to help guide the transition:
Step 1. Create a financial inventory. This will be helpful in gathering a clear picture of the current situation. This summary should include financial assets, debts and insurance coverages. Then identify the income sources.
This would include social security, pension, annuity and any other work income if one spouse plans to continue to work. Clarify the income goals for retirement. Think in terms of minimum monthly income needs, plus discretionary spending on travel and hobbies, and then add 20 percent for unknown expenses.
Step 2. Stress test the current plan. Using a tool called a Monte Carlo simulation will tell the possible outcomes of retirement success. This tool will be helpful to identify issues on why the plan could fail, such as a major market decline, higher taxes, or a long-term health care crisis.
If the outcome is 90 percent probability of success or higher, that is great news. If below 90 percent, to increase the probability of success, review how to make retirement dollars work harder, consider different retirement spending strategies, or look at ways to optimize income.
Step 3. Write down a summary of the observations. As someone who has guided hundreds of retirees, I often identify opportunities and threats when I go through steps one and two. To get organized and everything accomplished, create a written checklist of the items to work on.
Break down those observations into tax strategies, estate planning, asset protection, and money management. For example, if the plan is to retire before the age of 65, reviewing affordable healthcare should be put on the checklist. This is now the working blueprint on getting retirement ready.
By following these three steps, you will have a foundation to get through retirement with relative ease. This clarity and checklist can help reduce the stress of retirement and turn it into the next exciting season of life.
For more information about America’s Retirement Headquarters, tune in every Saturday at 12 PM on 1370 WSPD or visit www.arhq.com. Investment Advisory Services are offered through The Retirement Guys Formula, LLC. Securities are offered through PEAK Brokerage Services LLC., Member FINRA / SIPC. America’s Retirement Headquarters and Retirement Guys Formula is not an affiliate of PEAK Brokerage Services LLC. The office is at 1700 Woodlands Drive, Suite 100, Maumee, OH 43537. 419-842-0550
JC’s Comics a superhero for 4 decades
Story and photos by Stephen Zenner
Standing underneath black KISS masks dangling from the ceiling and surrounded by thousands of sequential art stories, Jaymz Collins, or JC as he is less formally known, talked about his legacy as an artist who runs the oldest comic book store in Toledo.
Collins has amassed a treasure trove of visual details unleashed on his customers when they walk through the doors of JC’s Comics N’ More: Your Pop Culture Super-Store. The few hundred square feet of commercial real estate is filled to the brim with varying merchandise, from comic books, magazines and posters to action figures and games. There is so much that it truly could not be called anything less than a “super-store.”
“You gotta’ do at least two laps of the place, and even then you’re not guaranteed to catch everything,” said Oak Harbor resident Greg Fillmore as he rummaged through a box of comics. “This is where I come to get my Godzilla fix.”
Each nook and cranny of the store is leant to an expressive image, a unique story or any variety of curiosities Collins would be more than happy to obsess over with anyone who finds their way into his shop, located at St. James Plaza on Central Ave. in Toledo.
Collins took over the previous comic store on Hill and Reynolds in 1985. The 23-year-old, fresh out of the Navy, mortgaged his inheritance to make a downpayment on the store.
The ultimate personality hire, Collins let his love of comic books run wild, and lends a bit of his own expert fandom to each customer who enters his store.
“I think stores like this thrive on relationships,” said Jacob McPhail, who was a fairly regular customer before he started working for Collins. McPhail has since gone on to get a “big-boy job,” but said they have maintained a strong friendship.
“He’s real,” McPhail said. “If you ask him, he’s gonna’ give you the truth. He’ll give it to you straight and I think people appreciate that.”
It is common for Collins’ customers to form a long-lasting relationship with him. After all, his super store will celebrate its 40th anniversary in September.
But recently, Collins has been upfront about the financial difficulties he’s been having at the store as he tries to make ends meet.
“I guess I am theoretically rich,” quipped Collins, referencing the merchandise in his store. “But my bank account? Not so much.”
Collins explained that his business thrives off of disposable income, and with the cost of necessities rising, people are slowly cutting comics and the paraphernalia he provides out of their budget.
But plenty of people still wander into Collins’ store with lighthearted expectations, which McPhail affectionately calls “one-sie, two-sies,” based on how many times they may come back to the store.
“We’re just kinda’ looking,” new customer Conn O’Halloranon told Collins as he snaked his way through the narrow pathways. But O’Halloran, here on vacation from California, ended up purchasing a few comics for himself and a number of other items for his kids.
Collins has mastered the art of piquing curiosities with his selections and making informed recommendations, but, the bottom line is his comics need readers.
McPhail said that “online I can find any issue I want, but there’s a distinct feeling of going through a bin and finding things, that create an experience for the buyer. People can find things cheaper online, but resourceful people come to JC’s.”
Two years ago, Fillmore, a Godzilla fanatic, found an oddly specific Godzilla piece at JC’s, and he and Collins both remember it clearly.
“It was a 62’ Godzilla, the first King Kong vs Godzilla, released in Japan in 62’ and in America in 63’. That’s the one I walked in and I had to have it,” Fillmore recalled. That light-up Godzilla cost around $300, but Fillmore prefers not to dwell on the price of his “habit.”
“I peel the price tags off so the wife doesn’t see them,” he laughed. “He’s got anything you could damn near imagine. That’s what keeps me coming here over and over again.
“Did you have me in mind when you bought that Godzilla,” Fillmore asked Collins, who replied that of course he had Fillmore in mind when he bought the rare piece.
ODOT fleet ready for winter weather
Advice for motorists: ‘Ice and snow, take it slow.’
MAUMEE – In anticipation of today’s forecast of 1-3″ of slushy accumulation and up to 1″ of snow throughout parts of Lucas County, Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) mechanics and drivers at the Lucas County Garage were busy preparing many of their 16 plow trucks for the road.
“Currently here at Lucas (County Garage), we started getting our trucks ready for the possible event that may happen this afternoon and this evening,” said Brian Drewes, transportation manager of the Lucas County Garage. “It’s important we go over all of this stuff so we know we can get through the storm without any issues.
“We also want everybody to keep in mind that our drivers are out and to give them their space so we can get home with our families,” he said.
Safety is a primary concern for ODOT. Last winter, ODOT plow trucks were struck 22 times while engaged in snow and ice operations. Ohio’s Move Over law requires drivers on state highways to move over a lane or slow down when approaching a stationary vehicle with
flashing lights, no matter the season or color of the flashing lights.
As winter weather arrives, snow and ice make roads slippery and dangerous. These conditions increase the chances of a vehicle accident. To make the roads safer, ODOT works tirelessly to stay prepared for winter storms.
Kelsie Hoagland, public information officer for ODOT District 2, discussed during a recent press conference at the Lucas County Garage how ODOT prepares for weather events by keeping the roads clear and salted. District 2 serves Fulton, Henry, Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky, Seneca, Williams and Wood counties in northwest Ohio, and is headquartered in Bowling Green.
“We have mechanics at each of our garages that regularly maintain our vehicles, and we do in-depth snow and ice inspections, where we actually do a deep dive in identifying any miscellaneous problems that might be overlooked,” Hoagland said.
She added that they also send the mechanics to the Bowling Green garage or bring in district garage mechanics from Bowling Green.
Hoagland explained that the garage considers weather conditions and snowfall rates to keep the roads safe, and they take into account the many different types of weather events that can come in, whether it has ice, heavy snow, light snow, winds.
She also discussed the process that takes place before and during a snowstorm. “We have two shifts – A shift and B shift – and then we run those at a rolling 12 hours throughout a winter event. So, if a storm is going to start with rain, we cannot do any pre-treating, but if the temperatures are cold enough that it’s going to start with snow, then we can do things like pre-treat the roads with Brine, which is a saltwater combination.”
She clarified that Brine are the white stripes you see on the roadway before winter events. If a storm is going to begin with rain, it cannot be used because the rain will wash it away. Rock salt is also put on the roads for snow and ice.
Hoagland noted that each county is responsible for monitoring the weather, which is done through checking local news stations and other weather networks. After that, they roll into shifts for pretreatment (if applicable), followed by shifts after the snow begins to fall. Workers stay on 12-hour shifts until the snow is gone and the road is restored to normal conditions.
Hoagland offered advice for how regular drivers can help the ODOT driver.
“’Ice and snow, take it slow.’ That’s one of our slogans. And ‘don’t crowd the plow’ is another one that’s really focused on helping our drivers,” she said.
“It helps the motoring public because when you’re too close to our trucks, they can’t see you, and you are not having the best benefit of their work. You’re not actually getting the protected roadway. So, if you’re actually driving into the salt, it hasn’t had the chance to work yet. Give the room space, the truck space.”
She also recommended motorists keep materials, like a blanket or bottled water, in their vehicles in case they are ever stranded, and keep tires at the correct PSI.
