On Monday, Governor Mike DeWine signed the following bills into law: 

• Senate Bill 33, sponsored by Senators Jay Hottinger and Andrew O. Brenner, modifies the law governing community reinvestment areas and expands the income tax deduction allowed for contributions to Ohio's 529 education savings plans to include contributions to 529 plans established by other states.
• Senate Bill 63, sponsored by Senator Sandra O'Brien, creates the D-9 liquor permit, which authorizes an establishment to sell beer, wine, and mixed beverages for on-premises consumption under specified circumstances; allows a board of county commissioners to authorize a county department of probation to accept payments by credit card; and makes multiple designations.
• Senate Bill 131, sponsored by Senators Kristina Roegner and Rob McColley, requires an occupational licensing authority to issue a license or government certification to an applicant who holds a license, government certification, or private certification or has satisfactory work experience in another state under certain circumstances; specifies that individuals may not register as credit services organizations; specifies that individuals may not be licensed as manufacturers or wholesalers of fireworks; and maintains State Teacher Retirement System membership for certain school psychologists.
• Senate Bill 164, sponsored by Senators Jay Hottinger and Kenny Yuko, revises the law and penalties associated with companion animal cruelty; generally prohibits an animal shelter from destroying a domestic animal by the use of a gas chamber; and authorizes Cuyahoga County to convert its existing cigarette tax to a wholesale tax and levy a new wholesale tax on vapor products.
• Senate Bill 202, sponsored by Senators Bob D. Hackett and Nickie Antonio, prohibits a person's disability from being the basis to deny or limit custody, parenting time, visitation, adoption, or service as a guardian or foster caregiver, regarding a minor; provides that a civil action to challenge a state administrative order issued in a state of emergency be brought in the Court of Claims or an appropriate local court depending on the nature of the action; to makes changes concerning the validity of real property instruments and fiduciary signature errors; makes changes to the law related to the disinterment of bodies buried in cemeteries, presentment of claims against an estate, Guardianship Law, and the Ohio Trust Law; creates the Task Force on Bail; allows a county prosecutor to provide legal services to certain entities; conveys state-owned land in Lucas County; modifies the qualifications for office for judges of municipal courts, county courts, courts of common pleas, courts of appeals, and justices of the Supreme Court; and to converts one part-time judgeship of the Fulton County County Court to a full-time judgeship effective January 1, 2023, until that court is abolished on January 1, 2024.
• Senate Bill 302, sponsored by Senators Bob D. Hackett and Bill Reinecke, makes changes to the Unemployment Compensation Law.
• House Bill 23, sponsored by Representatives Phil Plummer and Thomas West, requires emergency medical service personnel and peace officers to undergo dementia-related training and increases the maximum allowable age for new state highway patrol troopers.
• House Bill 35, sponsored by Representatives Jeff LaRe and Gary Click, permits mayors to solemnize marriages anywhere within Ohio.
• House Bill 66, sponsored by Representative James M. Hoops, revises the tax laws and to makes certain operating appropriations for the biennium ending June 30, 2023, and capital appropriations for the biennium ending June 30, 2024.
• House Bill 107, sponsored by Representative Brian Baldridge, subsequently eliminates licensure of elevator contractors and mechanics in ten years.
• House Bill 150, sponsored by Representatives Brett Hudson Hillyer and David Leland, establishes the Rural Practice Incentive Program; establishes a task force to study Ohio's indigent defense system, and makes an appropriation.
• House Bill 178, sponsored by Representatives Jean Schmidt and Adam C. Miller, limits the water pressure of water features at swimming pools and names this act Makenna's Law.
• House Bill 254, sponsored by Representatives Kristin Boggs and Cincy Abrams, provides for the establishment of domestic violence fatality review boards.
• House Bill 353, sponsored by Representatives Gary Click and Jessica E. Miranda, enacts "The Testing Your Faith Act" to require each state institution of higher education to adopt a policy providing students with religious accommodations.
• House Bill 392, sponsored by Representatives Ron Ferguson and Kevin D. Miller, authorizes ambulance transport of an injured police dog when the dog is injured in the line of duty; clarifies when a person may ride in a moving fifth wheel trailer; and revises the law governing the mounting of a vehicle safety device on the windshield of a motor vehicle.
• House Bill 405, sponsored by Representatives Brian Stewart and Mark Johnson, makes changes to county hospital trustees law; allows the coroner's office to access the Ohio Law Enforcement Gateway; and allows a county treasurer to electronically deliver tax bills.
• House Bill 423, sponsored by Representatives Bill Roemer and Bob Young, designates the All-American Soap Box Derby as the official state gravity racing program and  designates "Eugene 'Gene' F. Kranz Day," "Ohio Burn Awareness Week," "Ohio Public Lands Day," "Pollinator Week," and "Ulysses S. Grant Day."
• House Bill 462, sponsored by Representative Kevin D. Miller and former Representative Rick Carfagna, prohibits swatting,  adds swatting to the definition of an offense of violence, and makes changes regarding exempt employee pay ranges and pay ranges for certain State Highway Patrol officers.
• House Bill 487, sponsored by Representative Tom Young, changes the bidding process for contracts for ballot printing and eliminates the requirement that all contracts for ballots for Ohio elections are rewarded to vendors within the state and printed within the state.

On Tuesday, Governor DeWine signed Senate Bill 288, which significantly strengthens laws in Ohio related to the use of cell phones and other electronic devices while driving.  

The bill, which was initially part of House Bill 283 sponsored by representatives Cindy Abrams (R-Harrison) and Brian Lampton (R-Beavercreek), contains several safety measures championed by Governor DeWine, including a wide ban on using and holding a phone while driving.

“Signing this bill on Jan 6th, is a great honor because this legislation will, without a doubt, prevent crashes and save lives,” said Governor DeWine. “Right now, too many people are willing to risk their lives while behind the wheel to get a look at their phones. My hope is that this legislation will prompt a cultural shift around distracted driving that normalizes the fact that distracted driving is dangerous, irresponsible, and just as deadly as driving drunk." 

Also on Tuesday, Governor DeWine signed the following bills into law:

• Senate Bill 16, sponsored by Senator Tim Schaffer, modifies the law regarding assault or menacing committed or directed against, and targeting, an emergency service responder, family member, or co-worker; the offense of unlawfully impeding public passage of an emergency service responder; prohibits certain sex offenders and child-victim offenders from engaging in a specified volunteer capacity involving direct work with, or supervision or disciplinary power over, minors; makes changes to the offense of voyeurism; firearms qualification for county correctional officers; the specification that there is no period of limitations for prosecution of a conspiracy or attempt to commit, or complicity in committing, aggravated murder or murder; a political subdivision's emergency powers when suppressing a riot, mob, or potential riot or mob; the preservation of rights regarding deadly weapons and firearms during an emergency; the penalties for the offense of importuning; additions to the Statewide Emergency Alert Program; the requirement that county prosecutors annually report all case resolutions to the board of county commissioners and all fire-related case resolutions to the State Fire Marshal; and the removal of ankle and leg restraints from those prohibited for use on a pregnant charged or convicted criminal offender or a pregnant charged or convicted delinquent child, and the lowering of the required threat level for this use of restraints.
• House Bill 279, sponsored by Representatives Richard D. Brown and Scott Oelslager, revises the law regarding wrongful death claims.
• House Bill 364, sponsored by Representative Thomas F. Patton, modifies the application process for the waterworks infrastructure improvement surcharge and to residential PACE lien priority, creates exceptions to the moratorium on modifications to hazardous waste incinerator installation and operation permits, and eliminates public water system asset management program requirements for transient noncommmunity water systems.

Governor DeWine also vetoed House Bill 286, which would have generally changed the venue in which appeal from an agency order is proper to the local court of common pleas,  provided that a civil action to challenge a state administrative order issued in a state of emergency be brought in the Court of Claims,  and to allowed the General Assembly and the Governor to retain special counsel. Governor's Veto Message. 

Also on Tuesday, Lt. Governor Jon Husted, Director of the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation, announced that 13 workforce partnerships located throughout the state will receive a total of $2.45 million in awards through the Industry Sector Partnership (ISP) Grant. The program supports local collaborations that help bring Ohioans into the workforce pipeline while meeting the needs of job creators and the local economy.

The selected partnerships will focus on multiple in-demand industry sectors including information technology, manufacturing, healthcare, transportation and aerospace.

“Those who collaborate best are the ones who win,” said Lt. Governor Jon Husted. “These partnerships connect educators and businesses and through that collaboration, a local job training network is created to help students prepare for the most in-demand careers available in their communities.”

On Wednesday, Governor DeWine joined President Joe Biden, Senator Mitch McConnell, Senator Sherrod Brown, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, and former Senator Rob Portman in Cincinnati to celebrate the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project.

On Thursday, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed the following bills into law:

• House Bill 281, sponsored by State Representatives Dontavius L. Jarrells and Tom Young, updates terminology in the Revised Code regarding people with mental illnesses and people with disabilities, changes the name of a commission to the Commission on African-Americans and modifies the membership of the Commission, and names this act the Mental Health and Disability Terminology Act.
• House Bill 343, sponsored by State Representative Andrea White, make changes relative to the rights of crime victims.
• House Bill 501, sponsored by State Representative Thomas Hall, makes various township law changes, subjects small solar facilities to local regulation, and makes an exception to the Uniform Depository Act for the treasurer and governing board that is a member of the Little Miami Joint Fire and Rescue District for certain investments of interim funds.
• House Bill 504, sponsored by State Representative Mark Johnson and former Representative Rick Carfagna, increases the penalty for "disturbing a lawful meeting" when committed with the intent to disturb or disquiet an assemblage for religious worship or to prevent, disrupt, or interfere with a virtual meeting or gathering for religious worship.
• House Bill 509, sponsored by State Representatives Marilyn John and Sarah Fowler Arthur,  revises and streamlines the state's occupational regulations, extends the authorization for two boards set to expire under Sunset Review Law, and amends the version of section 4723.481 of the Revised Code that is scheduled to take effect on September 30, 2024, to continue the change on and after that date.
• House Bill 545, sponsored by State Representatives Cindy Abrams and Brian Baldridge, allows for privileged testimonial communications between a peer support team member and an individual receiving peer support services or advice from the team member.
• House Bill 554, sponsored by Representatives Mary Lightbody and Adam Bird, requires the State Board of Education to issue temporary educator licenses to applicants with expired professional teacher's certificates and professional educator licenses, with regard to the composition of the Educator Standards Board and its subcommittees, STEM school classroom facilities project funding, full-time equivalency for students enrolled in certain community schools for the 2022-2023 school year, the provision of intervention services under the Autism Scholarship Program, children of military families participation in the college credit plus program, high school graduation requirements for transfer and chartered nonpublic school students, and regarding the education of children experiencing developmental delays and state operating funding for districts and schools educating them; expands where multiple community school facilities may be located under a community school sponsor contract; and permits state universities to develop a policy regulating student organizations' use of university logos.
• House Bill 558, sponsored by State Representatives Bill Roemer and Kris Jordan,  modifies the laws governing the drug repository program for donated prescription drugs and the laws governing access to overdose reversal drugs, authorizes a pharmacist to modify a prescription to include a drug delivery device, registers pediatric transition care programs, designates March as "Bleeding Disorders Awareness Month," and designates the fourth Wednesday of February as "Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Awareness Day."
• House Bill 567, sponsored by State Representatives Brian Stewart and Richard D. Brown, regards records kept by the clerk of the court of common pleas, court of common pleas court orders made out of court, and common pleas court clerk maintenance of court materials, and provides immunity to clerks of court who post online a case document with personal identifiers; provides that documents received, created, or converted by the clerk of court in electronic format are considered the official version of the record; revises the duties of the board of county commissioners in relation to the clerk of the court of common pleas; amends the law regarding notaries public; allows the Tiffin-Fostoria municipal court and the Seneca County court of common pleas to continue to exercise concurrent jurisdiction in operating a drug addiction recovery program indefinitely; and exempts peace officers from the notary application criminal records check, and makes changes to the notarization requirements for motor vehicle and watercraft certificate of title documents when a licensed motor vehicle dealer is involved in the transfer of title.
• House Bill 569, sponsored by State Representatives Adam Holmes and Andrea White,  authorizes institutions of higher education to establish Ohio Hidden Hero Scholarship Programs.  
• House Bill 575, sponsored by State Representative Al Cutrona, modernizes fraternal benefit society solvency regulation and oversight.
• House Bill 578, sponsored by State Representative Bill Roemer, creates and amends various specialty license plates and designates and amends various memorial highways and bridges.

Governor DeWine also vetoed House Bill 513, regarding local regulation of tobacco products and alternative nicotine products. Governor's Veto Message.

Also on Thursday, Lt. Governor Husted, who serves as Director of the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation, announced the results of November’s round of TechCred, in which 349 employers were approved for funding, providing the opportunity for Ohioans to earn 4,466 tech-focused credentials. This most recent round marks the 17th application period of the program with manufacturing topping the list of industries applying for tech-infused credentials.

"TechCred continues to grow and become a powerful tool for Ohio businesses and our workforce,’ said Lt. Governor Jon Husted. “The numbers speak volumes about how TechCred is succeeding in growing our workforce and upskilling Ohioans in Jan 6th’s tech-infused economy.”

On Friday, Governor DeWine signed the following bills into law: 

• House Bill 45, sponsored by State Representative Bill Roemer and former Representative Thomas West, makes appropriations and provides authorization and conditions for the operation of state programs.
• House Bill 458, sponsored by State Representative Thomas Hall, modifies the law governing voter identification and absent voting and other aspects of Ohio’s election laws and makes changes regarding driver's licenses and state identification cards.
• House Bill 507, sponsored by State Representative J. Kyle Koehler, revises specified provisions of agriculture law, defines green energy, excludes natural gas from receiving renewable energy credits, revises the law governing environmental health specialists and environmental health specialists in training, allows conservancy district police departments to take specified actions regarding the towing and storage of motor vehicles.