State Lawmakers are Back in Columbus

[September 12, 2019]

Ohio lawmakers are back in Columbus after their summer recess. The Ohio Senate’s next session is scheduled for September 18. Senate President Larry Obhof (R-Medina), who attended the OOA Board of Trustees meeting last month, has said school funding, mental health, and gun violence--in particular Gov. Mike DeWine's proposal--are among the legislative issues to receive consideration.

In the House of Representatives, the OOA is monitoring several new health-related bills that were introduced during the recess, including:

• HB 323 (Psychologists), which authorizes certain psychologists to prescribe drugs and therapeutic devices as part of the practice of psychology; and
• HB 324 (Tort Actions) which raises the limitations on damages for noneconomic loss and punitive damages in certain tort actions based on adjustments for inflation from the year 2005 to 2019.