Note: This list includes actions taken by the governor on Senate bills, including bills that have been subject to whole or partial vetoes. Selecting the bill will display the text of the final version of the bill and also allow you to view all versions of the bill and related documents, including an analysis of the bill, a fiscal impact statement, and the bill's sponsors and co-sponsors.

SB 1 EDUCATION STANDARDS (Robert Gardner). Am. En. & Rep. 307, 3301, 3302, 3313, 3314, 3317, 3319, 3321, 3324 & 3365. Implements recommendations of the Governor's Commission for Student Success.  Signed June 12, 2001 - Effective September 11, 2001 (Certain provisions on July 1, 2003)

SB 3 SEX OFFENDER REGISTRATION (Hottinger) Applies the Sex Offender Registration Law to persons adjudicated delinquent children for committing sexually oriented offenses and clarifies that sex offender registration information held by a county sheriff is a public record.  Effective: January 1, 2002

SB 4 "PROMPT PAY" (Mumper) Revises the "prompt pay" statutes applicable to third-party payers.  Signed July 24, 2001 - Effective: October 23, 2001 (Sections 1 & 2 on July 24, 2002)

SB 5 ANNEXATION (Wachtmann) Revises the laws governing municipal annexations.  Effective: October 26, 2001

SB 8 E-MAIL ADS (Amstutz) Regulates the transmission of electronic mail advertisements. Signed: August 1, 2002 - Effective: November 1, 2002

SB 9 SEXUAL EXPLOITATION (Spada) Am. & En. 2907 & 4732. Enacts the offense of "sexual exploitation of a mental health client or patient," prohibits in specified circumstances mental health professionals from engaging in sexual conduct or having sexual contact with their mental health clients or patients, provides for notice to the regulatory entity with authority over a mental health professional who is charged with or convicted of those activities, modifies the laws regarding the State Board of Psychology, and modifies the laws governing psychologist misconduct. Signed: February 12, 2002 - Effective: May 14, 2002

SB 11 FOREIGN STEEL (Hagan) Modifies the criteria regarding the use of foreign steel products for public improvements, authorizes the director of Administrative Services to investigate and the Attorney General to enforce the prohibition against impermissible use of foreign steel, establishes a civil penalty for violation of this prohibition, and declares an emergency.  Signed March 29, 2001 - Effective March 29, 2001

SB 15 LIME MINING WASTE (Mumper) Requires the chief of the Division of Mineral Resources Management to adopt rules governing the beneficial use of lime mining wastes.  Effective: October 8, 2001

SB 16 BICENTENNIAL BRIDGE (Carnes) Designates Blaine Hill Bridge in Belmont County the state's Bicentennial Bridge.  Signed December 14, 2001 - Effective: March 15, 2002

SB 17 DEAN MARTIN DAY (DiDonato) En. 5. Designates the seventh day of June as Dean Martin Day.  Effective: September 26, 2001

SB 21 HIGHWAY NAMING (DiDonato) Designates a portion of state route number seven within Columbiana County as the "Melvin E. Newlin Memorial Highway."  Signed December 14, 2001 - Effective: March 15, 2002

SB 24 SOVEREIGN IMMUNITY EXPANSION (Johnson) Includes as a governmental function under the Political Subdivision Sovereign Immunity Law the operation of a recreational area or facility, including a bicycle motorcross, bicycling, skating, skate boarding, or scooter riding facility, rope course or climbing walls, or an all-purpose vehicle facility.  Effective: January 1, 2002

SB 27 ADOPTION BACKGROUND NOTICE (Mumper) Modifies the law regarding child support for a child who is adopted by foster parents; modifies the law regarding the information that must be provided to prospective adoptive parents about the child's background; requires a psychological examination prospective adoptive children; extends the permissible time period between psychological exams for certain prospective children; requires the Director of Job and Family Services to create a task force to study methods to assess behaviors of children in the foster care and adoption systems and to amend the version of section 2151.36 of the Revised Code that is scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1, 2002, to continue provisions of this act on and after that effective date.  Signed December 14, 2001 - Effective: March 15, 2002

SB 31 VEHICLE REGISTRATION (Oelslager) Am. 4503. Prohibits the display of Social Security numbers on motor vehicle certificates of registration. Signed June 21, 2001 - September 19, 2001

SB 32 SECURITIES LAW (White) Makes revisions in the Securities Law.  Effective: October 8, 2001

SB 33 AWARENESS MONTH (White) Designates March as "Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month."  Signed April 10, 2001 - Effective: July 11, 2001

SB 40 EMERGENCY SERVICES PERSONNEL (Jordan) Identifies certain persons as "emergency facility personnel," extends the offenses of disrupting public services and misconduct at an emergency to activities of emergency facility personnel, increases the penalty for disorderly conduct if committed in the presence of an emergency facility person performing duties in an emergency facility, and specifies that "pattern of conduct" in menacing by stalking includes actions obstructing an emergency facility person's performance of authorized acts.  Signed October 26, 2001 - Effective: January 25, 2002

SB 59 VEHICLE TITLING (Amstutz) Makes changes in the titling processes for motor vehicles, watercraft, outboard motors, off-highway motorcycles, and all-purpose vehicles.  Effective: October 31, 2001

SB 65 DRINKING WATER STANDARDS (Mumper) Specifies that if a water supplier that acquires ownership of an existing water system enters into a written agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency to bring the system into compliance with drinking water standards within a specified period of time and then does so, the water supplier has certain civil immunities concerning the system's previous failure to meet those drinking water standards and confers other qualified immunities from tort liability upon a water supplier. Signed March 18, 2002 - Effective: June 18, 2002

SB 74 COMMERCIAL CODE (Blessing) Am., En. & Rep. 111, 317, 1301, 1302, 1303, 1304, 1307, 1308, 1309, 1310, 1311, 1317, 1321, 1329, 1336, 1548, 1701, 4503, 4505 & 4519. Adopts revisions to the secured transactions portion of the Uniform Commercial Code that were recommended by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws and makes related changes in the Uniform Commercial Code and the Revised Code and declares an emergency. Signed June 21, 2001 - Effective: July 1, 2001

SB 76 MORTGAGE BROKERS (Harris) Revises the laws governing mortgage brokers and loan officers.  Effective: May 2, 2002

SB 77 ENGINEERING SERVICES (Coughlin) Modifies professional ownership and management requirements a business entity must satisfy to obtain a certificate of authorization to provide professional engineering or surveying services.  Effective: October 8, 2001

SB 80 BOATING SPEEDS (Harris) Limits the prohibition against operating a vessel at greater than idle speed or at a speed that creates a wake within three hundred feet of certain dock and harbor areas to vessels operating on Lake Erie or the Ohio River.  Effective: October 26, 2001

SB 83 MINERAL MINING (Carnes) Revises the statutes governing the surface and in-stream mining of minerals other than coal. Signed December 14, 2001 - Effective: March 15, 2002

SB 85 RHODES HIGHWAY (Austria) Designates the portion of State Route 72 from its intersection with Interstate 70 in Clark County to the boundary of Clark and Champaign counties as the "Governor James A. Rhodes Memorial Highway." Signed December 18, 2001 - Effective: March 19, 2003

SB 93 UNCLAIMED FUNDS (Coughlin) Exempts wages of $50 or less from coverage under the unclaimed funds law.  Signed May 30, 2002 - Effective: August 29, 2002

SB 97 VEHICLE INSURANCE (Nein) Revises the Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverages Law.  Effective: October 31, 2001

SB 99 UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION (Nein) Modifies procedures for applying for determination of unemployment compensation benefits and claims for those benefits, modifies the procedures for appealing decisions relative to unemployment compensation benefits, requires that the information currently submitted by employers in two separate quarterly reports be merged into one report, and correspondingly modifies the threshold parameters for forfeiture penalties for late and improper filing of quarterly reports.  Effective: October 31, 2001

SB 105 ENVIRONMENTAL CIVIL ACTIONS (Hottinger) Establishes a five-year statute of limitations for actions for civil or administrative penalties brought under certain environmental laws and exempts certain activities involving the dispensing of diesel fuel from the state fire code. Signed: April 23, 2002 - Effective: July 23, 2002

SB 106 SCHOOL SOVEREIGN IMMUNITY (Hottinger) Includes as a governmental function under the Political Subdivision Sovereign Immunity Law the design, construction, reconstruction, renovation, repair, maintenance, and operation of any school athletic facility, school auditorium, or gymnasium and the designation, establishment, design, construction, implementation, operation, repair, or maintenance of railroad quiet zones; expands the motor vehicle operation liability of political subdivisions to include liability for harm caused by negligent operation other that upon public roads; limits a political subdivision's obligation to defend an employee to acts or omissions that occur while the employee is both acting in good faith and not manifestly outside the scope of employment or official responsibilities, and; makes changes proposed by Am.Sub.HB350 of the 121st General Assembly to the Political Subdivision Sovereign Immunity Law. Signed: January 8, 2003 - Effective: April 9, 2003

SB 107 TORT LAW (Armbruster) Am. 2307. Enacts changes made to the tort law that were enacted by Am.Sub.HB350 of the 121st General Assembly and amended by Sub.HB547 of the 122nd General Assembly and by Sub.HB294 of the 123rd General Assembly. Signed: March 28, 2002 - Effective: June 28, 2002

SB 108 TORT LAW (Jacobson) Revises tort law and declares an emergency. Effective: July 6, 2001 (Certain sections on other dates)

SB 109 BONDING REQUIREMENTS (Nein) En. 9. Prohibits and agent of a public authority, in issuing an invitation for bids or a request for proposals for a contract with the public authority, from requiring that any bond under the contract be furnished by or acquired from a particular surety or other company or a particular agent or broker. Effective: May 16, 2002

SB 110 SHAREHOLDER RIGHTS (Johnson) Restricts shareholder removal of directors on a classified board of directors of issuing public corporations to removal for cause, requires in addition to existing law's requirements that an amendment to declassify such a board be with the approval of a majority of the shares held by voting disinterested shareholders, and confirms the authority of directors to redeem options. Signed: November 21, 2001 - Effective: February 20, 2002

SB 115 FIRE SERVICES (Hottinger) Revises the laws governing the state's waiver of immunity, provides certain limited civil immunity for the State Fire Marshal's Office and certain employees of the State Fire Marshal, provides that the State Fire Marshal's Office is a fire department for purposes of allowing it to assist with local fire suppression and emergencies, allows the State Fire Marshal's Office, townships, and municipal corporations to appeal a decision of the State Board of Building Appeals to the court of common pleas, otherwise revises the laws governing the State Fire Marshal's Office, provides for paid leave for service as a volunteer firefighter or emergency medical services worker; makes changes to the law governing the Volunteer Fire Fighters' Dependents Fund, and statutorily authorizes the State Fire Commission's maintenance of the Ohio Fire Services Hall of Fame. Signed December 18, 2001 - Effective: March 19, 2003

SB 116 REGENTS AUTHORITY (Robert Gardner) Exempts from regulation by the State Board of Proprietary School Registration any accredited institution operated by a for-profit corporation that grants on the effective date of this act baccalaureate and master's degrees approved by the Board of Regents. Signed: November 21, 2001 - Effective: February 20, 2002

SB 117 MEDICAL GASES (Austria) Establishes requirements for devices containing medical gases and requires the State Board of Pharmacy to establish a medical gases safety program.  Signed December 14, 2001 - Effective: March 15, 2002

SB 119 PUBLIC RETIREMENT (Austria) Permits multiple transfers of service credit and contributions between Ohio's state retirement systems and requires employers of peace officers to make reports to the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission. Signed: November 21, 2001 - Effective: February 20, 2002

SB 120 CIVIL LIABILITY (Johnson) Modifies the law regarding the apportionment of liability in specified civil actions. Signed: January 8, 2003 - Effective: April 9, 2003

SB 121 NEWBORN SCREENING (Blessing) Revises the law regarding required screening of newborn children for genetic, endocrine, and metabolic disorders, the Wellness Block Grant Program and the Children's Trust Fund and designates September as "Sickle Cell Anemia Awareness Month." Signed December 18, 2001 - Effective: March 19, 2003

SB 122 LEGAL COMPETENCY (Oelslager) Relative to the determination of a defendant's competency to stand trial and whether or not there is a substantial probability that the defendant will become competent to stand trial if provided with a course of treatment. Signed: November 21, 2001 - Effective: February 20, 2002

SB 123 TRAFFIC LAWS (Oelslager) Adopts, effective January 1, 2004, the Ohio Criminal Sentencing Commission's Traffic Proposals, with modifications, and related changes in the traffic laws and makes an appropriation. Signed: August 5, 2002 - Effective: January 1, 2004 (Certain sections November 1, 2002)

SB 124 INFORMED CONSENT (Jordan) Relative to sanctions for a health care facility's violations of licensing requirements and quality standards, injunctions to enjoin such violations, informed consent compliance requirements for ambulatory surgical facility physicians, expanded health care facility rule making authority of the Director of Health, and implementation of requirements applicable to trauma centers. Signed: June 18, 2002 - Effective: September 17, 2002

SB 129 INSURANCE PRODUCERS (Nein) Adopts the Insurance Producer's Licensing Act. Signed: March 28, 2002 - Effective: Sept. 1, 2002, certain sections effective June 28, 2002

SB 131 HOUSING SHELTER IMMUNITY (Austria) Confers two distinct qualified immunities from tort liability upon a shelter for victims of domestic violence and its directors, owners, trustees, officers, employees, and volunteers for harm that family or household members cause to victims of domestic violence on the shelter's premises, or on premises other than the shelter's premises, under specified circumstances. Signed: May 15, 2002 - Effective: August 14, 2002

SB 134 OPF RETIREMENT (Blessing) Provides for the establishment of the Ohio Police and Fire Pension Fund deferred retirement option plan. Signed: April 23, 2002 - Effective: July 23, 2002

SB 136 RETAIL FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS (Wachtmann) Modifies the laws pertaining to the administration and enforcement of food safety programs; requires each board of health to have a member who represents the activities licensed by boards of health and declares an emergency. Signed: November 21, 2001 - Effective: November 21, 2001

SB 138 INSURANCE DOCUMENTS (Nein) Relative to the circumstances under which the Department of Insurance and the Divisions of Financial Institutions and Securities may share confidential documents and information with, and receive such documents and information from, other specified regulators and officials, or otherwise disclose these documents and information and to modifications of the Securities Law with respect to investment advisers, application for a securities dealer's license, license renewals and fees and consent to service of process. Signed March 18, 2002 - Effective: June 18, 2002

SB 143 TAX SIMPLIFICATION (Blessing) En. 5740. Enacts the Simplified Sales and Use Tax Administration Act. Signed: March 22, 2002 - Effective: March 22, 2002, certain sections effective June 21, 2002, August 1, 2002 & July 1, 2003 - certain sections vetoed [See Ohio Report No. 59, March 27, 2002 for story]

SB 144 ETHANOL (Mumper) Creates the Ethanol Incentive Board, creates a tax credit against corporation franchise or income tax liability for investments in ethanol plants whose business plans have been approved by the Board, provides that ethanol plants are air quality facilities eligible for Ohio Air Quality Development Authority financing, declares that it is not an unfair or deceptive consumer sales practice to fail to disclose a blending of ethanol into gasoline, and declares an emergency. Signed: March 21, 2002 - Effective: March 21, 2002

SB 148 OLYMPIC GAMES (Blessing) Establishes the Ohio-Kentucky Olympic Coordination Authority Company in law and enters into the compact with the other signatories legally joining in it.  Vetoed: December 6, 2001 [See Ohio Report No. 235, Dec. 6, 2001 for story]

SB 149 WRONGFUL IMPRISONMENT (Coughlin) Increases the amount that a wrongfully imprisoned individual, in an action brought in the Court of Claims, is entitled to for each year of imprisonment; provides for cost of living adjustments of that amount by the Auditor of State and allows the wrongfully imprisoned individual to recover any cost debts the wrongfully imprisoned individual paid the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction while in its custody or under its supervision. Signed: January 8, 2003 - Effective: April 9, 2003

SB 150 WATERCRAFT EXEMPTIONS (Armbruster) Provides owners of canoes, rowboats and inflatable watercraft with an optional exemption from numbering requirements and makes other changes to the law governing watercraft. Signed: April 5, 2002 - Effective: July 5, 2002

SB 153 MEMORIAL HIGHWAY (Armbruster) En. 5533. Designates a portion of Interstate 71 within Ashland County as the "Trooper James R. Gross Memorial Highway."  Signed: February 12, 2002 - Effective: May 14, 2002

SB 157 SCHOOL FOOTBRIDGES (White) Increases from $1,000 to $15,000 the amount a township can expend on a footbridge across rivers and streams to access public schools. Signed February 28, 2002 - Effective: May 30, 2002

SB 158 ORGAN DONATIONS (Wachtmann) Regarding organ donor designations made by persons over age 18 and use of funds for organ donor awareness programs in schools and declares an emergency. Signed: November 21, 2001 - Effective: November 21, 2001

SB 161 SUPERSEDEAS BOND (Jacobson) Am. 2505. Specifies a maximum allowable amount for a supersedeas bond to obtain a stay of execution during an appeal. Signed: March 28, 2002 - Effective: June 28, 2002

SB 163 HIGHWAY SAFETY LAWS (Austria) Prohibits knowingly dropping or throwing any object at, onto, or in the path of any vehicle on a highway or any vessel on a waterway, prohibits knowingly dropping or throwing any object in the path of a railroad, enacts other new offenses relating to railroad property and operations and railroad grade crossing warning signals and other protective devices; creates the Highway, Bridge, and Overpass Vandal Fence Task Force and makes amendments relative to the use, in a vehicle or watercraft OMVI or OMVUAC prosecution and in a "having physical control of a vehicle while under the influence" prosecution, of the results of field sobriety tests and to clarifications in the watercraft OMVI and OMVUAC law and implied consent law. Signed: January 8, 2003 - Effective: April 9, 2003

SB 164 MILITARY PAY/LAND CONVEYANCE (Jacobson) Provides for the payment of specified compensation to certain public employees called to active duty called for more than 31 days, requires public employers, under group policies, contracts and plans, to continue the health benefit coverage of employees called to active duty; authorizes, in accordance with the act, the conveyance of specified state-owned real estate located in the counties of Butler, Cuyahoga, Delaware, Franklin, Hamilton, Lorain, Madison, Medina, and Ross and declares an emergency. Signed: November 20, 2001 - Effective: November 20, 2001

SB 168 VEXATIOUS LITIGATORS (Oelslager) Am. 2323, 2501, 2503 & 2969. Extends the application of the vexatious litigator law to actions commenced in a court of appeals and excludes the Supreme Court from the laws pertaining to collection of fees from inmates filing civil actions against a governmental entity or employee. Signed: March 28, 2002 - Effective: June 28, 2002

SB 170 CHILD SUPPORT (Harris) Requires each child support enforcement agency to review child support orders to determine whether federal law was complied with regarding state income tax refund intercepts and to apply certain provisions of federal law regarding assigned child support amounts; requires the Department of Job and Family Services to distribute payments consistent with the findings of the reviews and makes an appropriation. Signed October 25, 2001 - Effective: October 25, 2001

SB 171 INSURANCE OFFICERS (Nein) Relative to the residency of the directors of insurance companies and the provision of copies of late filing notices to governing boards under the jurisdiction of the Department of Insurance, rescinds the statutory requirement that the Superintendent of Insurance annually file a report on insurer investments with the General Assembly, allows the Superintendent to send certain forms electronically to insurers, and provides mechanisms for changes in the number of directors and trustees of insurance companies. Signed March 18, 2002 - Effective: June 18, 2002

SB 175 SEXUAL PREDATORS (Jacobson) Regarding sexual predator hearings for offenders convicted of a sexually oriented offense but acquitted of a sexually violent predator specification, regarding Department of Rehabilitation and Correction employees' immunity for acts under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Law, regarding making certain importuning violations a sexually oriented offense, and declares an emergency. Signed May 7, 2002 - Effective: May 7, 2002

SB 179 PEER REVIEW (Wachtmann) Modifies the law regarding peer review committees of health care entities. Signed: January 8, 2003 - Effective: April 9, 2003

SB 180 VENTURE CAPITAL PROGRAM (Armbruster) Creates the Ohio Venture Capital Program to provide for the direction of moneys of a private investment fund into venture capital investments that are secured by program revenues or tax credits; modifies eligibility for an other terms of the job retention tax credit; prohibits municipal corporations from taxing S corporation shareholders' distributive shares of net profits, requires state and county tax officials to notify local taxing authorities of pending pollution control tax exemption applications, and repeals Section 4 of this act six months after its effective date. Signed: January 8, 2003 - Effective: April 9, 2003

SB 184 TERRORISM (Spada) Creates the offenses of terrorism; soliciting or providing support for an act of terrorism, soliciting of providing support for an act of terrorism; making a terroristic threat and hindering prosecution of terrorism and declares an emergency. Signed: May 15, 2002 - Effective: May 15, 2002

SB 187 SCHOOL BOARD PAY (Nein) Increases the maximum compensation for members of school district boards of education and educational service center governing boards and permits compensation to members for attendance at training programs. Signed: June 21, 2002 - Effective: September 20, 2002

SB 191 MR/DD FACILITIES (Spada) Revises the law governing the licensure of residential facilities for individuals with mental retardation or other development disability; revises the laws governing the authority of MR/DD personnel to perform specified health activities, specifies that individuals with mental retardation and developmental disabilities have the right to self-administer medication; requires MR/DD boards to provide training for their employees and others authorized to implement adult protective services and creates the MR/DD Consumer Information Advisory Council. Signed: December 30, 2002 - Effective: March 31, 2003 [Certain sections December 31, 2003]

SB 192 STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION (Robert Gardner) Abolishes the requirement that the State Board of Education be dissolved and recreated following the creation of new State Board of Education districts; specifies that members of the Board as of the time new districts are created shall represent their assigned districts for the term for which they were originally elected and declares an emergency. Signed March 18, 2002 - Effective: March 18, 2002

SB 193 LINKED DEPOSITS/VENDOR REPORTING (White) Expands the investment authority of the Treasurer of State under the Uniform Depository Act; modifies the authority of the State Board of Deposit to designate public depositories; increases the amount that may be invested in agricultural linked deposits; authorizes the Treasurer of State to establish and maintain a housing linked deposit program and to partner with a municipal corporation or county that has established a housing linked deposit program; eliminates the Depressed Economic Area Linked Deposit Program; and modifies licensed vendor reporting requirements of a county auditor. Signed March 14, 2002 - Effective: June 13, 2002

SB 200 TAX LAW ADMINISTRATION (Spada) Amends procedures for determining the amounts of, and hearing challenges to, various tax assessments and refunds, alters the method of adjusting eligibility criteria for the homestead exemption, energy subsidies, the credit for installation of emergency telephone systems, the personal exemption, and the deduction for medical savings accounts, authorizes the release by public officials of certain information relating to vendors, increases the loss carryover period for corporations, changes record-keeping requirements for certain taxpayers, conforms state law to federal law with regard to taxation of mobile telecommunications service, increases protection of tax department employees from assault, and makes other changes relating to the administration of the tax laws by the Department of Taxation. Signed: June 7, 2002 - Effective: September 6, 2002 (Certain sections on January 1, 2003)

SB 212 PASSENGER RAIL COMPACT (Armbruster) Adopts the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Compact. Signed: July 2, 2002 - Effective October 1, 2002

SB 217 PESTICIDES LAW (Mumper) Revises the Pesticides Law. Signed: December 30, 2002 - Effective: March 31, 2003 (Certain sections July 1, 2004)

SB 218 GRAND JURY OATH (Jordan) Modifies the oath administered to members of a grand jury. Signed: December 23, 2002 - Effective: March 24, 2003

SB 219 LAND CONVEYANCE (Oelslager) Authorizes the conveyance of state-owned real estate located in the counties of Athens, Preble, Stark and Summit, and no longer needed by the State Highway Patrol, authorizes the conveyance of state-owned real estate in Scioto County to Shawnee State University, and declares an emergency. Signed: June 7, 2002 - Effective: June 7, 2002

SB 221 COMPANION ANIMALS (Goodman) Prohibits specified acts with respect to a companion animal, establishes a procedure for the care of an impounded companion animal during the pendency of charges against a person who violates the prohibition, requires training for humane agents and provides for the reporting by county humane society agents of abuse or neglect of children. Signed: January 8, 2003 - Effective: April 9, 2003

SB 223 WORKERS COMPENSATION (Wachtmann) Requires payment, under the Workers' Compensation Law, for the costs of conducting medical diagnostic services to investigate whether an emergency worker sustained an injury or occupational disease when coming into director contact with the blood or other body fluid of another person. Signed: December 13, 2002 - Effective: March 14, 2003

SB 226 LOTTERY PRIZE TRANSFERS (Blessing) Permits the transfer of a lottery prize award upon the prior approval of a court and establishes procedures for application for such approval. Signed: June 18, 2002 - Effective: September 17, 2002

SB 227 WORKERS' COMPENSATION (Nein) Modifies the subrogation provisions of the Workers' Compensation Law and increases the workers' compensation funeral expense benefit cap. Signed: January 8, 2003 - Effective: April 9, 2003

SB 231 MOBILITY DEVICES (Goodman) Exempts electric personal assistive mobility devices from the definition of "vehicle" in the traffic laws and permits their operation on sidewalks, bikeways and public streets and highways, subject to certain restrictions. Signed: July 25, 2002 - Effective: October 24, 2002

SB 240 STATE FLAG/PLEDGE (Amstutz) Establishes requirements governing the display and disposal of the state flag, explains the symbolism of the state flag, and adopts an official pledge to the state flag. Signed: August 1, 2002 - Effective: November 1, 2002

SB 242 TOBACCO SETTLEMENT FUNDS (Carnes) Modifies the administration of tobacco settlement funds and makes operating and capital appropriations for the biennium beginning July 1, 2002 and ending June 30, 2004. Signed: June 19, 2002 - Effective: June 19, 2002

SB 245 NURSING DUTIES (Wachtmann) Provides that certain medical physical examinations required by statute may be performed by physician assistants, clinical nurse specialists, certified nurse practitioners, and certified nurse-midwives. Signed: December 30, 2002 - Effective: March 31, 2003 [Certain sections January 1, 2004]

SB 247 RETIREMENT BENEFITS (Blessing) Creates in the State Teachers Retirement System (STRS), School Employees Retirement System and Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) the option of receiving retirement benefits as a partial lump sum followed by a reduced monthly allowance, makes other changes to the law governing STRS, makes changes to the Ohio Police and Fire Pension Fund (OP&F) cost of living increase, eliminates a health maintenance organization requirement for public pension system retirees, permits certain PERS reemployed retirants to elect resumption of a retirement allowance, makes permissive the redeposit of contributions previously withdrawn from OP&F by firefighters and police officers returning to the same employer after a period of absence, and alters provisions governing the PERS defined contribution retirement plan. Signed: July 2, 2002 - Effective: October 1, 2002

SB 250 CREDIT CARD NUMBERS (Spada) Prohibits the recording of more than the last five digits of a credit card account number, or recording the expiration date of a credit card, on an electronically printed receipt provided to a credit cardholder and provides civil remedies for a violation of the act and enforcement by the Attorney General. Signed: January 2, 2003 - Effective: July 1, 2004

SB 255 RIGHTS-OF-WAY (Blessing) Revises certain statutes governing the use of public ways and declares an emergency. Signed: July 2, 2002 - Effective: July 2, 2002

SB 258 FIREFIGHTERS/PUBLIC RECORDS (Austria) Permits background checks on firefighters and EMT's and exempts from the Public Records Law specified residential and familial information of a member of a fire department and makes changes in the Hotel Law. Signed: January 8, 2003 - Effective: April 9, 2003

SB 261 TAX INCREASE/BUDGET (Carnes) Increases the rate of tax on cigarettes; requires corporations and individuals, in computing franchise or income tax liability, to add back some of the depreciation bonus permitted under federal law; makes budgetary modifications; and makes an appropriation. Signed: June 5, 2002 - Effective: June 5, 2002 [Four items vetoed]

SB 262 AUCTION RECOVERY FUND (Mumper) Creates the Auction Recovery Fund, establishes criteria and procedures for using it to reimburse persons who have sustained losses involving an auctioneer who violated the Auctioneers Law, delays the effective date of specified provisions until July 1, 2003, and makes an appropriation. Signed: January 8, 2003 - Effective: July 1, 2003 [Appropriation section immediately; some sections on other dates]

SB 265 ADMINISTRATIVE RULES (Hottinger) Regulates incorporations by reference in administrative rules and permits emergency rules to be readopted as such during the legislative review carry-over period. Signed: June 18, 2002 - Effective: September 17, 2002

SB 266 PROPRIETARY SCHOOLS (Robert Gardner) Makes changes to the oversight of career schools by changing the name of the State Board of Proprietary School Registration to the State Board of Career Colleges and Schools, directs the Board to establish the period of time that a career school must maintain a surety bond, alters the structure of the Board by adding an additional member with a background in career school management and by making the student representative a nonvoting member, establishes a fixed rate of compensation for Board members, eliminates the requirement that the Ohio Board of Regents recommend whether to approve applications for the issuance or renewal of program authorizations for associate degree programs, makes the legislative members of the Student Tuition Recovery Authority nonvoting ex officio members; specifies that students are eligible for reimbursement of prepaid tuition losses only in the event of a school closure, pays reimbursements for prepaid tuition losses from the career school's surety bond beginning July 1, 2003, and makes other revisions to the oversight of career schools, enables students enrolled in eligible institutions prior to July 1, 2000, to receive student workforce development grants, and permits the Chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents to grant Capital Scholarships to students enrolled in public and private institutions of higher education for their participation in Kent State University's Columbus Program in Intergovernmental Issues. Signed: January 2, 2003 - Effective: April 3, 2003 (Some sections July 1, 2003)

SB 281 MALPRACTICE CLAIMS (Goodman) Relative to medical claims, dental claims, optometric claims and chiropractic claims. Signed: January 10, 2003 - Effective: April 11, 2003

SB 290 ABDUCTED CHILDREN (Coughlin) Creates the statewide emergency alert program to aid in the identification and location of abducted children, establishes activation criteria for the implementation of the program, creates the Ohio Emergency Alert Advisory Committee, and declares an emergency. Signed: January 8, 2003 - Effective: January 8, 2003