Rep. Josh Williams

Maddy summaryHB 485, titled the Baby Olivia Act, requires Ohio public schools to include human growth and development instruction within health education courses. This policy change directly affects K-12 students and school districts by mandating specific curriculum content. The bill amends several education-related sections of the Revised Code and adds new Section 3313.6034 to implement this requirement. The key provision is the inclusion of age-appropriate human growth and development education as part of standard health curriculum.

Maddy summaryHB 486, the Charlie Kirk American Heritage Act, changes Ohio state education laws to allow teachers in public schools and state colleges to teach about Christianity's influence on U.S. history and culture. It amends specific sections of the Revised Code to explicitly permit this curriculum content in classrooms. The bill directly affects public school educators and faculty at state universities by expanding allowable teaching topics. This policy change modifies current restrictions on classroom instruction regarding religious influences in historical and cultural contexts.

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 656 would create a new criminal offense for negligently assaulting a peace officer in Ohio. It directly affects individuals who unintentionally cause harm to officers through careless actions, such as accidentally hitting an officer while driving recklessly. The bill amends existing Ohio law (sections 2903.14 and 2927.15) to add this specific offense, distinguishing it from intentional assault. This change would establish a clear legal category for careless harm to officers, separate from other assault charges.

Maddy summaryHB 655 would create a new criminal offense in Ohio law for "neglect of parental duties" under section 2919.24 of the Revised Code. It would make it a crime for a parent or guardian to willfully fail to provide basic care, supervision, or necessities for a child under their responsibility. This bill directly affects parents or legal guardians who do not meet fundamental care obligations for their minor children. The key provision establishes specific legal consequences for this failure, moving it from a potential civil or child welfare issue into a criminal matter. The bill is currently in committee review after its introduction in January 2026.

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 section 3313.5321 of the Revised Code to enact the Student Athlete Mobility (SAM) Act regarding student petitions to participate in team sports at neighboring public schools.

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.