Rep. Rodney Creech

To enact sections 3301.96 and 3333.89 of the Revised Code to establish the Foster-to-College Scholarship Program, to require the Department of Education and Workforce to hire a full-time school foster care liaison, and to make an appropriation for the Foster-to-College Scholarship Program.

Maddy summaryHB 578 requires healthcare providers and laboratories to report diagnosed tick-related diseases and conditions to Ohio's Department of Health. This bill amends Ohio Revised Code Section 3701.23 to establish a mandatory reporting requirement for specific illnesses transmitted by ticks, such as Lyme disease. The key mechanism is creating a standardized process for health officials to collect and track these cases statewide. This policy change directly affects medical facilities that diagnose and treat tick-borne illnesses, aiming to improve public health data collection.

To amend sections 3314.03, 3326.11, 3328.24, 3701.132, and 3715.60 and to enact sections 3313.8110, 3345.88, 3715.601, 3715.602, 3715.603, 3715.604, 3715.605, and 5101.548 of the Revised Code to regulate imitation meat and egg products.

To amend section 1345.032 and to enact section 5901.10 of the Revised Code to govern the practice of providing veterans claim consulting assistance for compensation and to establish requirements for soliciting a fee for providing a copy of a military discharge record.

To amend sections 955.01, 955.024, and 955.11 and to enact sections 305.87, 955.025, 955.111, and 955.25 of the Revised Code to establish regulations regarding wolfdog hybrids and to allow a board of county commissioners to abate certain animal nuisances.

Maddy summaryHB 672 exempts vehicles towing farm machinery from standard vehicle size limits on public roads in Ohio. It directly affects farmers and agricultural transporters who move equipment like tractors or harvesters. The bill adds two conditions for this exemption: the towing vehicle must meet size limits without the machinery, or the operator must hold permits covering the combined dimensions. This change simplifies transporting large farm equipment without requiring special permits for routine movements.

To amend sections 5104.015 and 5104.04 and to enact sections 5104.044, 5104.303, 5104.304, and 5104.361 of the Revised Code to require video surveillance of child care centers, to establish an online portal for tracking child care center attendance, to require investigations of waste, fraud, and abuse allegations relating to providers of publicly funded child care, and to name this act the Child Care Fraud Prevention Act.

Maddy summaryHB 662 increases penalties for disrupting religious gatherings at tax-exempt places of worship or virtual religious meetings. It raises the offense from a fourth-degree misdemeanor to a first-degree misdemeanor (felony) when someone intentionally disturbs a physical religious service at a tax-exempt location or disrupts a virtual religious gathering using electronic means like video conferencing. The bill specifically targets acts that obstruct meetings, make disruptive gestures, or utter words that outrage the group, but only in these defined religious contexts. This change directly affects individuals who interfere with religious assemblies, both in person and online, by imposing stricter legal consequences.

To enact sections 3373.01, 3373.02, and 3373.03 of the Revised Code to prohibit a middle or high school athlete from earning compensation from the athlete's name, image, or likeness.

To amend sections 1716.01 and 5747.01 and to enact sections 1716.22 and 3333.96 of the Revised Code to enact the Health Care Sharing Ministries Freedom to Share Act.