Dear Neighbor,
It's an honor to serve as your State Representative for the 63rd Ohio House District.
I invite everybody to read more about what I'm working on at the Statehouse by visiting my webpage here, or checking out my previous newsletters here.
God Bless,
Adam Bird
State Representative
Ohio's 63rd House District
|
House Bill 144 - Keith's Law
The Ohio House of Representatives on Wednesday passed House Bill 144 - Keith's Law - legislation to enhance first responders’ ability to assist individuals with special needs during emergencies. Representative Bird is a co-sponsor of this bill.
House Bill 144 will establish a voluntary statewide database for special needs individuals to share relevant and vital information with first responders in advance of a crisis. This information will be shared with each county 9-1-1 system which will be required to provide appropriate information to first responders when dispatched to provide services, ensuring responders are best prepared to provide potentially life-saving assistance to the person in need.
The database will be administered by Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities in partnership with the Ohio Department of Public Safety.
Keith’s Law awaits consideration from the Ohio Senate.
House Bill 184 - Protect Student-Athletes’ Name, Image, and Likeness Rights
The Ohio House of Representatives passed House Bill 184, legislation that marks a major advancement in protecting the rights and futures of Ohio’s student-athletes. The bill, which focuses on the regulation of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) contracts and the conduct of athlete agents, sets a new standard for fairness and accountability in collegiate athletics. Representative Bird is a co-sponsor of this bill and voted in support of the legislation to pass.
In addition to NIL protections, the bill introduces key accountability measures for athlete agents. It promotes financial transparency by preventing an agent from entering into a NIL contract with a student athlete if the contract extends beyond the student-athlete’s eligibility period, providing long-term protections in the event that their career continues beyond college.
The bill comes in response to rapid changes happening in college athletics and the impact of NIL contracts. Through this legislation, Ohio continues to be a leader in navigating the complexities of NIL agreements by ensuring that there is clarity in the law for all parties involved.
House Bill 184 will now go to the Ohio Senate for further consideration.
Senate Concurrent Resolution 5
Representative Bird voted in support of Senate Concurrent Resolution 5 – urging President Trump to support the Ohio Department of Medicaid’s pending request to implement work requirements for Medicaid expansion recipients.
This request was made by the Ohio Department of Medicaid to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in February this year.
Should this request be approved, starting January 1, 2026, to be enrolled in Medicaid Group VIII services, an individual must satisfy at least one of the following criteria:
- Be at least fifty-five years of age
- Be employed
- Be enrolled in school or an occupational training program
- Be participating in an alcohol and drug addiction treatment program
- Have intensive physical health care needs or serious mental illness
By encouraging employment and education, this would reduce reliance on Medicaid services over time, helping fill jobs and helping Ohioans prosper.
Currently in Ohio, there are 144,792 jobs available and 93,389 of them have over a $50,000 salary.
The resolution is now adopted, and the Ohio Department of Medicaid awaits a decision from the Federal Government to approve or deny the waiver.
House Bill 114 - Age Requirement for Kindergarten Student Admission
Representative Bird is pleased to announce that his bill, co-sponsored by Representative Kevin Ritter, was voted out of committee and will soon be on the House floor for consideration.
This bill would require Ohio public schools to admit any child who will be five years old to kindergarten or, if the child has not completed first grade, six years old, by the first day of instruction of the school year of admittance.
For more information about the bill, click here.
|
