State Representative Jay Hottinger

In last week’s column I highlighted several House Bills that may not have made the front page of the newspaper, but that still had the ability to improve the lives of every Ohioan. This week I would like to continue that effort, but with the focus on legislation that originated in the Ohio Senate.

One of the more important bills to win legislative approval this year is Senate Bill 17. This legislation, sponsored by State Senator Tim Grendell (R-Chesterland), will allow law enforcement officers to draw blood from DUI suspects with two or more convictions in the preceding six years. This blood can then be tested to conclusively determine whether or not the individual was driving under the influence again. Other provisions in the bill expand the ability of courts to require that a vehicle driven by a person convicted of drunken driving be fitted with an interlock device that measures the alcohol content of the driver’s breath before the car can be started, and the ability of the court to require an offender to wear a continuous alcohol monitoring bracelet. Drunk drivers harm thousands of innocent drivers every year and this bill will help to contain this threat.

Human nature means that everyone makes mistakes from time to time. However, public officials convicted of felony bribery, theft, or corruption charges should understand that such behavior is not tolerated. To that end State Senator Keith Faber (R-Celina) introduced Senate Bill (SB) 3. SB 3 not only ensures that a state official cannot return to their office following the completion of any jail time, but it also strips from them their membership in the state retirement system. While the felon may retain the funds that they personally contributed toward their future retirement, all state matching funds will be stripped from their account, their personal contributions will be returned to them, and they will no longer be allowed to participate in the state retirement program.

Senate Bill 157, sponsored by State Senator Steve Buehrer (R-Delta), will allow adults with a handicapped child who has been declared incompetent to name a guardian for their child. Previously Ohio law did not allow for such a transfer of responsibility, leading to aging parents facing a tough situation as their child grew older and their capacity to provide care for their child diminished. While this is still a difficult time for many families there is now an established legal process to deal with the transfer of legal responsibility.

Cancer is a killer that has probably affected every family, or at least extended family, in the state of Ohio. Many times cancer can be treated using accepted practices, but there are also times when the normal procedures are ineffective and the patient may elect to join a clinical trial of a new treatment regimen. Currently in Ohio the clinical trial pays for the experimental treatment, but the patient is responsible for the general medical costs that accompany such a trial. Under Senate Bill 186, introduced by State Senator Steve Stivers (R-Columbus), the routine care must be covered by the patient’s insurance policy, where previously they were not because experimental cancer treatments are generally not covered under the policy. This placed a huge financial strain on the patient for expenses the insurance policy would have covered in the normal course of treatment.

I was pleased to support these four bills that have the ability to significantly improve the lives of Ohioans. As always, I welcome your questions, comments and input on state government issues. Please feel free to contact me by mail (State Representative Jay Hottinger, 71st House District, 77 South High Street, Columbus, Ohio 43215), by email (district71@ohr.state.oh.us) or by phone (614-466-1482).