 I am greatly honored to represent Ohio's 80th House District, covering Miami and southern Darke counties. If you are ever in Columbus, please feel free to call and schedule a visit at The People's Office of District 80.
A Historic All-Night House Session
 But wait, this isn’t Lame Duck?
We recently had an all-night session to pass 31 bills including historic actions to defend the unborn, restrict legal marijuana use, and reform property tax. There are too many to highlight here, so over the upcoming weeks I will give you information on important legislation passed by the House. House Members will not be back in session in Columbus until early 2026.
We Passed The Baby Olivia Act Protecting The Unborn
I was a Co-Sponsor on Sub H.B. 485, “The Baby Olivia Act,” which was passed by the Ohio House this week. This is a huge move toward greater protection of the unborn requiring public school to teach prenatal development of the unborn to grades 5-12. This includes showing the Meet Baby Olivia video or something similar, and a 4-D ultrasound video, all aimed teaching students the value of life beginning at conception, that the unborn isn’t a meaningless clump of cells but a human being with full personhood.
Now we pray for the Ohio Senate to pass the bill and get it to the Governor to be signed into law. Thank you to Representative Melanie Miller for her sponsorship of this important bill! Read more here.
Historic Property Tax Reforms Made
The Ohio House recently voted to concur on Senate amendments to House Bills 129, 309, 186, and 335 – four initiatives championed by House Republicans that work to curb spikes and provide direct property tax relief to Ohioans, totaling more than $2.4 billion in savings.
House Bill 186 saves Ohio property owners nearly $1.7 billion over the next three years by establishing a new Inflation Cap Credit that prevents increases in school district property taxes from exceeding the rate of inflation. The initiative also includes an appropriation holding Ohio school districts harmless for actual losses over this appraisal period compared to their current property tax collections, which will help schools that are not up for reappraisal or reevaluation this year offset any actual revenue losses.
This legislation will help protect homeowners from surprise hikes in their property tax bills when they live in a district that is on the 20-mill floor.
Members of the House also approved changes in the bill that would update the owner-occupied tax credit, a move that will provide more than $800 million in relief to Ohio homeowners over the next four years by phasing out the nonbusiness credit – except for agricultural property owners – and expanding the owner-occupancy tax credit.
House Bill 335 caps increases in inside millage collections to the rate of inflation. The bill requires county budget commissions to adjust the rate of each inside millage levy so that it does not grow by more than the sum of the three previous years of inflation. This happens during the county’s sexennial reappraisal or triennial update. The net effect of this provision totals between $621 million and $763 million in property tax relief over the next three years.
House Bill 129 implements a check on tax hikes by counting emergency, substitute, incremental growth, conversion levies and the property tax portion of combined levies toward the 20-mill floor – closing loopholes and slowing tax spikes. This measure ultimately lifts 237 districts off the 20-mill floor over the next four years.
House Bill 309 slashes unnecessary collections by expanding the County Budget Commission’s authority to modify levies and trim unnecessarily high millage rates, shielding Ohioans from overly excessive tax bills.
House Approves Conference Report on Legislation Updating Ohio’s Marijuana Laws
The Ohio House recently approved legislation updating Ohio’s marijuana laws and addressing the issue of intoxicating hemp.
Senate Bill 56 preserves the legal, adult-use marijuana provisions approved by voters in Issue 2 in 2023, while also adding needed protections for Ohio’s children. The bill was finalized through a conference committee made up of members from the House and Senate.
Clarifying Ohio’s Marijuana Law
Senate Bill 56 includes multiple provisions that clarify the state’s adult use marijuana law, including:
- Permitting a person who was convicted of – or pled guilty to – a marijuana possession offense involving amounts now legal to possess under the law to have their conviction or guilty plea expunged.
- Combining the marijuana adult use and medicinal use provisions in the same section of the Ohio Revised Code.
- Maintaining the current tax rate of 10% on adult use marijuana.
- Clarifying the adult personal use of marijuana on residential parcels, rather than just inside a residence.
- Eliminating the cannabis social equity and jobs fund and program.
- Maintaining home-grow allowances in current law but prohibiting the cultivation of home-grown marijuana in halfway homes, recovery houses, and childcare centers.
- Providing the Division of Cannabis Control (DCC) necessary authority to regulate marijuana from cultivation to sale without allowing undue burdens on these Ohio businesses.
Host Community Revenue The bill allocates 36% of revenue from the marijuana excise tax to the Host Community Cannabis Fund, in perpetuity, to be distributed to local communities that are home to dispensaries.
Promoting Public Safety
Senate Bill 56 includes multiple provisions that will protect children and promote public safety, including:
- Prohibiting public smoking and intoxication.
- Prohibiting marijuana products from using packaging or advertising that is attractive to children, or which mimics other legal products that are consumed by children.
- Requiring ads to be at least 500 feet from schools and churches.
- Expressly clarifying marijuana OVI prohibitions, including passengers smoking in the vehicle, without enhancing criminal penalties.
- Reducing THC potency levels for marijuana to 70% for extracts as other legalization states have done, while maintaining the 35% threshold for plant material.
- Continuing to permit an employer to prohibit use of marijuana and make appropriate employment actions based on an employee’s use, possession, or distribution of marijuana.
Intoxicating Hemp & THC Beverages Senate Bill 56 adheres to new federal law changes made recently to prohibit intoxicating products from being available outside of a licensed marijuana dispensary.
Senate Bill 56 also adheres to recent federal law changes by establishing a 13-month period wherein drinkable cannabinoid products (DCPs) may be manufactured, distributed, and sold within the state of Ohio, until December 31st, 2026. During this period, the bill authorizes the sale of DCPs at grocers, retailers, bars, and restaurants licensed under Ohio’s liquor permitting laws.
- Beverages may include up to 5mg of THC per serving.
- Requires disclosure of THC amounts on the can of each beverage.
Upon adoption of the conference report by the Senate, Senate Bill 56 will go to the Governor for consideration.
My First Bill Passed In The House
This week, my very first bill I introduced passed through the Ohio House.
H.B. 297 works to provide and increase in funding for veterans organizations to supplement Memorial Day expenses. The bill increases the discretionary appropriation level by county commissioners ensuring the proper honoring of members of the military who paid the last full measure defending our nation and God given liberties.
Representative Kevin Ritter (R-Marietta) were joined by fifty-three co-sponsors as our bill was passed the House unanimously.
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