133rd General Assembly Adjourns

[December 2020]

The 133rd Ohio General Assembly has officially concluded. During the two-year session, OOA tracked nearly 100 bills that impact the health care community and lobbied for and against many pieces of critical legislation. These include:

HB 412 was signed into law and establishes the Rare Disease Advisory Council. Awareness of rare disease is expected to increase because the bill requires periodic reports detailing incidence of specific rare diseases within Ohio.
OOA position: Support

SB 252 prohibits the use of “fail first” drug coverage policies for stage four advanced metastatic cancer patients. It takes effect March 2021.
OOA position: Support

HB 606 was signed into law in September. It makes changes related to qualified civil immunity for health care and emergency services provided during a government-declared disaster or emergency and for exposure to or transmission or contraction of certain coronaviruses.
OOA position: Support

HB 177 would expand the scope of practice for APRNs. The bill was on the House Health Committee agenda eight times, and listed as a possible vote several times—but never received one!
OOA position: Oppose

HB 253 would revise fireworks law to allow broad-based consumer use. The as-introduced version did not pass but a similar bill is expected to resurface again early in the next General Assembly which begins in January. Throughout the legislative process HB 253 was amended.
OOA position: Oppose initial version; Neutral on substitute