Criminal Justice

HB 680 prevents judges from mandating that criminal defendants receive substance use disorder or mental health treatment exclusively at for-profit or nonprofit (including faith-based) facilities solely based on the entity's organizational status. It directly affects defendants in court cases involving substance use or mental health treatment requirements. The bill's key provision prohibits judges from requiring treatment at any specific type of provider (for-profit vs. nonprofit) as a condition of their case. This bill is currently in the early stages, having been introduced on February 4, 2026, and referred to committee on February 18.

HB 685 requires bars and clubs with specific permits to offer free or low-cost drink testing devices that detect date rape drugs like GHB, ketamine, and flunitrazepam within five minutes. The bill mandates businesses to post clear notices about the testing service and ensure devices are not expired. It establishes an anonymous, voluntary reporting system for positive test results, with data aggregated and made public for safety analysis - but not used for enforcement actions against businesses. This directly affects hospitality venues and their patrons seeking to verify drink safety.

To amend sections 2305.111 and 2315.18 of the Revised Code regarding childhood sexual abuse and student sexual abuse and to amend the version of section 2305.111 that is scheduled to take effect on October 12, 2028, to continue the change on and after that date.

To amend sections 3796.06 and 3796.99 of the Revised Code to modify prohibitions regarding underage possession, consumption, and purchase of marijuana.

HB 654, titled "Enact Amanda Dean's Law," would amend Ohio's Revised Code (section 2927.01) to increase criminal penalties for the abuse of a corpse. This bill directly affects individuals who commit acts such as desecration, mutilation, or unauthorized handling of a deceased person's body. The key provision raises the severity of penalties for these offenses under existing law. The bill seeks to strengthen legal consequences for violating the dignity of the deceased, as specified in the proposed amendment to section 2927.01.

To amend sections 2929.141, 2929.34, 2935.10, 2935.11, 5120.021, 5120.038, 5589.21, and 5589.211 of the Revised Code to enact the Reagan Tokes and Patrick Heringer Act to require certain warrants to be entered into LEADS, to require GPS monitoring of offenders released from prison, and to modify T-CAP requirements.

To enact section 2709.01 of the Revised Code to require courts to supply electronic notification of hearings to defendants in criminal and traffic cases and to make an appropriation.

To amend sections 2945.37, 2945.38, 2945.39, and 2945.401 and to enact section 5120.101 of the Revised Code to enact the Mental Health and Community Wellness Act to amend the competency to stand trial law, to create the mental health and substance abuse community-based correctional facility pilot program, to require a prosecutor to file for civil confinement of a defendant who is found incompetent to stand trial and who is charged with a felony or a misdemeanor offense of violence, and to make an appropriation.

To amend sections 2151.412, 2151.421, 2151.423, 2151.429, 2151.467, 2151.468, 2903.01, 2903.11, 2919.22, 2929.13, 2929.14, 2941.1426, 5153.122, and 5153.16 and to enact sections 2151.4211, 2151.4235, 2151.89, and 5180.09 of the Revised Code to enact the Child Protection Reform Act.

To amend sections 9.04, 9.07, 120.03, 120.041, 120.06, 120.14, 120.16, 120.18, 120.24, 120.26, 120.28, 120.33, 120.34, 149.43, 149.436, 1901.183, 2152.13, 2152.67, 2301.20, 2307.60, 2317.02, 2701.07, 2743.51, 2901.02, 2909.24, 2929.02, 2929.13, 2929.14, 2929.61, 2930.19, 2937.222, 2941.021, 2941.14, 2941.148, 2941.401, 2941.43, 2941.51, 2945.06, 2945.10, 2945.13, 2945.21, 2945.25, 2945.33, 2945.38, 2949.02, 2949.03, 2953.02, 2953.07, 2953.08, 2953.09, 2953.10, 2953.21, 2953.23, 2953.71, 2953.72, 2953.73, 2953.81, 2967.05, 2967.12, 2967.13, 2967.193, 2967.194, 2971.03, 2971.07, 3901.87, 5101.56, 5120.113, 5120.53, 5120.61, 5139.04, and 5919.16 and to repeal sections 109.97, 120.35, 2725.19, 2929.021, 2929.022, 2929.023, 2929.024, 2929.025, 2929.03, 2929.04, 2929.05, 2929.06, 2945.20, 2947.08, 2949.21, 2949.22, 2949.221, 2949.222, 2949.24, 2949.25, 2949.26, 2949.27, 2949.28, 2949.29, 2949.31, and 2967.08 of the Revised Code to prohibit public funding for and insurance coverage of the use of lethal injection drugs in nontherapeutic abortions and assisting suicide, to abolish the death penalty, and to modify the number of jurors that may be challenged in cases where a defendant may be sentenced to life imprisonment.