February 16, 2026 Legislative Update
Legislative Update
February 16, 2026
Jan Lanier, JD, RN
Weather closings affected Ohio’s General Assembly
Like so many Ohioans (and people across the country) the state’s elected officials were sidetracked by the snow and cold that forced postponement of their return to Columbus in mid-January. However, February has allowed a return to business as usual at the statehouse. Prior to the unplanned shutdown, legislative leaders hoped to be able to complete their business by the middle of March so lawmakers could return home to participate in spring holiday activities and primary election campaigns. Meeting that goal may mean lots of committee hearings with select bills receiving quick action in a slightly compressed time frame.
The chairs of the senate and house health committees have signaled what their committees will focus on.
According to committee chair Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Loveland), the house health committee has 32 bills on its docket with 15 awaiting a first hearing. (Source: Kano , K. (1/28/26) House health chair eye low-opponent plans for swift advancement). State affairs. Gongwer-Ohio.).
The committee is scheduled to meet for the first time in 2026 on February 4th. One of the bills, on the agenda is HB 479 sponsored by Rep. Schmidt. It would allow a radiologist assistant to administer contrast under the remote supervision of a radiologist. It also allows RNs, radiographers, radiation therapy technologists, and nuclear medicines technologists to administer contrast under direct or general supervision of a physician.
This bill is also a priority for senate health committee chair Sen. Steve Huffman MD (R-Tipp City) because it aligns with information Ohio included in its application for federal Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) dollars. ( Ibid.) According to Sen. Huffman, the senate committee focus will be on advancing legislation that ensures Ohio’s RHTP funds will be used to the fullest extent possible. Ohio received $202 million through the initial competitive bidding process overseen by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS. ) Established by the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act (BBBA), RHTP is an attempt to make up for federal funding cuts to Medicaid that were predicted to have a significant negative impact on access to care in rural areas. Ohio’s Medicaid program is expected to lose an estimated $33 billion due to these cuts over the next five years. RHTP dollars were an attempt to mitigate the impact on rural hospitals and other programs intended to improve access to care across the country.
Ohio’s RHTP application included a promise to advance several policies favored by the Trump Administration including the expansion of pharmacists’ authority to provide additional services labeled “test to treat care.” (Source: Kano, K. (1/16/26) Federal rural health dollars to guide senate health committee. State Affairs, Gongwer-Ohio.) The senate health committee held one hearing on a proposal (SB 230) sponsored by Sen. Mark Romanchuk (R-Ontario) that would allow pharmacists to conduct screenings, order and administer laboratory and diagnostic tests, evaluate the results of the screenings and administer and provide treatment for influenza, pharyngitis, COVID-19 and RSV. (For more information see the January 1, 2026, Bill Tracking document at ANA-Ohio.org under the advocacy tab). The bill’s sponsor, in response to concerns expressed by physician- senators Huffman, Terry Johnson (R- McDermott) and Beth Liston (D-Dublin) said he was open to amendments and would defer to the physicians. The concerns raised included the possible need for age restrictions, whether pharmacists would be required to complete additional training, and be able to recognize co-occurring conditions. Both the state medical board and pharmacy board along with committee chairman Huffman agreed additional parameters should be included such as demonstration of competency. A second hearing is scheduled for February 18th.
The house will see a similar bill (HB 629) sponsored by representatives Tim Barhorst (R-Fort Loramie) and Jennifer Gross (R-West Chester). According to the sponsors, this bill is not a companion to SB 230. It “allows pharmacists to treat minor health conditions such as colds and permits reimbursement for those services. “ (Source: Kano, K. (1/23/26) Representatives release own plan for test-to-treat pharmacy care. State Affairs. Gongwer-Ohio). Rep. Barhorst said his goal was to “have more access points in rural health care” not to get into a “huge scope of practice fight.” (Ibid.)
More rural health care access proposals—Increasing reach “without expanding scope of practice”
SB 324 sponsored by Sen. Steve Huffman would allow a general X-ray machine operator (GXMO), who completes a 6-8 week course preparing them only to X-ray extremities, to work under a certified nurse practitioner or a physician assistant. X-ray technicians, unlike X-ray operators, complete a 2-year degree and can perform a variety of X-rays. Operators, on the other hand are used in urgent care centers and chiropractor’s offices because there is a shortage of technicians; however, under current law, they can work only under a physician, podiatrist, mechanotherapist, or chiropractor. These individuals often are not available to supervise X-ray operators in a rural area because it is not cost effective for them to do so. The bill has sponsor testimony on February 11th.
Also mentioned as a way to increase access to health care in rural areas is HB 508 that would allow APRNs to practice without a collaborating physician and HB 398 that allows EMTs to perform certain medical services outside of a hospital’s emergency room.
(Source: Kano, K. (November 24, 2025) X-ray operator law tweak aimed at bringing health care to rural Ohio. State Affairs Gongwer-Ohio).
Mifepristone continues to be under the watchful eyes of federal and state lawmakers
Ohio lawmakers in Washington and at the statehouse continue to advocate for a policy that would end the mail-order dispensing of mifepristone. HB 324 Sponsored by Adam Mathews (R-Lebanon) and Meredith Craig (R- Smithville) prohibits the sale and distribution of drugs causing “ severe adverse effects” including over the counter drugs. Although mifepristone is not mentioned by name in the bill, it would likely be included because of the bill’s definition of “high risk drugs”. The bill passed the house in a party line vote late in 2025 and is now before the senate. (For more information see the December 1, 2025, Legislative Update).
“In a letter to Robert F. Kennedy, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Martin Makary, Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, 175 republican representatives asked, ‘that the deleterious and grossly underreported effects on women of the drug mifepristone be aggressively investigated and decisive action taken to protect women from harm.’” (Source: Kano, K. (11/28/25) Congressional delegation targets mifepristone. State Affairs Gongwer-Ohio). A similar letter was sent by the senate and signed by 51 senators including both Ohio senators Bernie Moreno and Jon Husted. Of Ohio’s ten republican congressional representatives, only U.S. Reps. Dave Jones (Chagrin Falls) and Max Miller (Rocky River) did not sign.
Even if the Trump Administration were convinced to restrict the availability of mifepristone the sponsor of Ohio’s HB 324 believes there is still a need for this bill because its provisions would also apply to opioids.
Another bill, SB 309 called the Abortion Pill Provider Liability Education (APPLE) Act is sponsored by Sen. Kyle Koehler (R-Clark County). It was introduced in late October and referred to the senate health committee. Sponsor testimony was heard in mid-November and proponents testified February 11th. Witnesses included Ohio Coalition of Pregnancy Centers, National Right to Life, Center for Christian Virtues, and others. The bill establishes informed consent requirements (except for medical emergencies) and includes civil penalties for health care providers and facilities that violate the bill’s requirements. Democrats on the committee Sens. Beth Liston (Dublin) a physician and Catherine Ingram (Cincinnati) questioned the constitutionality of the bill because it singles out abortion medications. They also raised concerns about a story one of the witnesses shared about “Rebecca” who took an abortion pill at home when she was 15 weeks pregnant. She lost consciousness and was rushed to the hospital. Sen. Liston noted that the situation was outside normal complications and question how the provisions in the bill would have changed the outcome for Rebecca. She also challenged testimony from Ohio Right to Life that was based on a report that is not reproducible nor accepted as genuine research. (Source: Kano, ,K. (2/11/26) Senate democrats push back on mifepristone proposal. State Affairs Gongwer-Ohio). “Data from the Ohio Department of Health in Ohio for 2024 said there were a total of 21,829 induced abortions in the state. Of those (based on a required post-abortion care report for complications) 196 had complications, less than 1% of all abortions”. (Source: Tebben, S. (2/13/26) Bill to require liability statement for Ohio abortion providers gets praise in committee hearing. Ohio Capital Journal).
Other bills of interest include HB 561 sponsored by Reps. Melanie Miller (R-Ashland) and Monica Robb Blasdel (R-Columbiana). It was introduced in Late October and is now before the house health committee where it had its first hearing 2/4/26. According to sponsor testimony, the bill intends to ensure parents are fully informed of their existing rights under current Ohio law with respect to opting out of vaccinations being required for attendance at public and non-public charter schools and day care centers. The bill also states that schools cannot exclude healthy unvaccinated children from attendance solely based on a disease outbreak if the student has a lawful exemption. The bill is dubbed the Parental Clarity on Health Options & Information on Conscientious Exemptions (Parental CHOICE Act).
Health committee member Rep. Brian Stewart (R-Ashville) noted that according to the Ohio Department of Health the MMR vaccination rate is 91.5%. “Despite what people believe, MMR vaccines are not controversial. Folks who want to send their kids to school are generally aware of what exemptions exist. Why should 700 school districts have to bend over backwards and proactively handhold. Leave it alone and let parents do their own due diligence.” (Source: Kano, K. (2/4/26) Vaccine exemption transparency bill draws questions. State Affairs Gongwer-Ohio). Sponsors disagreed with Stewart’s assertions and characterized the bill as a “transparency measure”. Rep. Jennifer Gross (R-West Chester) believes parents have difficulty finding information about exemptions (Ibid) Committee democrats expressed concerns about prohibiting schools from denying admission to unvaccinated children during a disease outbreak.
HB 675 sponsored by Rep. Jason Stevens (R-Kitts Hill) and Kellie Deeter (R-Norwalk) attempts to address challenges facing rural hospitals in the state. Under the bill, counties with populations under 100,000 that rank highest in five categories would receive above-average managed care organization reimbursement payments for two years. The categories include age-adjusted rates of cancer deaths, chronic lower respiratory disease, stroke deaths and unintentional drug overdose deaths, and the percentage of the population at or below 150% of the federal poverty level. Counties ranking one-10 in those metrics would receive 150% of the statewide Medicaid MCO average reimbursement rate, while those ranked 11-20 would receive 125% of the rate. The bill has not yet been referred to a committee. A fiscal impact analysis has also not been released. (Source: Kano, K. (2/6/26) Rural hospitals guaranteed higher reimbursement rates under GOP plan. State Affairs Gongwer-Ohio). A commitment on the part of the majority party to continue to minimize the state’s income tax and to make some adjustments to the property tax in anticipation of a vote in November that would eliminate the property tax has forced lawmakers, including the sponsors of this bill, to be cautious about the future of bills with potentially large fiscal implications. Rep. Stephens hopes the bill will at least get conversations started so the next general assembly can move forward. “The current approach is not working,” he noted. (Ibid)
HB 693 is a far-reaching bill that would, among other things, overturn conversion therapy bans and limit LGBTQ+ support in schools. The sponsors, Reps. Gary Click (R-Vickery and Josh Williams ( R-Sylvania Township) call the bill the “Affirming Families First Act”. It says recognizing or affirming a minor child’s sex cannot be considered abuse, neglect, or contrary to the best interest of a minor child, and does not create an unsafe environment. A minor child is an individual under 18 years of age. Among its many provisions the bill would reinstate conversion therapy where it has been banned and prevent teachers from using a student’s preferred pronouns. Further, parents will not lose custody if they refuse to support their child’s gender identity, and it would prohibit an agency from barring child placement with foster couples who don’t support transgender identities. The bill was introduced 2/10/26 has not yet been referred to a committee. (Source: Trau, M (2/12/26) Ohio bill would overturn conversion therapy bans, limit LGBTQ+ support in schools. Ohio Capital Journal.)
Ibogaine’s uses in treating addiction & PTSD
Whether to consider legislation related to the use of a psychedelic compound to treat addiction and PTSD was included in the state budget bill (HB 96) which established the Ibogaine Treatment Study Committee. Rep. Justin Pizzulli (R- Franklin Furnace) urged creation of the committee and is now its chair. Sen. Steve Huffman is vice-chair. Other members include Sen. Susan Manchester (R-Lakeview), Rep. Jodi Salvo (R-Zoar), Dominic Ciano, legislative officer for the Department of Veteran Services, and Jordan Knipper, Department of Behavioral Health State Opioid Treatment Authority. Democrat input has not been finalized.
Ibogaine is currently classified as a schedule 1 drug. It is reported that 33 of the 750 patients in an ibogaine clinical trial died, which according to Sen Huffman, indicates a risk factor high enough to raise serious concerns about the safety of these trials.
Chairman Pizzulli said the study committee will focus on three questions:” 1) should Ohio pursue further ibogaine-related legislation, 2) If so, what should it look like to maximize benefits and minimize risks, and 3) if not, what are the main concerns, and are there alternative paths to support veterans and people with addiction.” (Source: Kano, K. (1/10/25) Committee to study ibogaine’s is in treating addiction and PTSD. State Affairs. Gongwer-Ohio.) The committee is expected to hold three hearings to receive testimony from medical professionals and researchers, those with lived experiences, and stakeholders. The report is due by January 31, 2027.
Gubernatorial candidates’ approach to health care policy ( Source: Fisher, P. ( 1/29/26) Gubernatorial candidates at odds over health care strategy. State Affairs Gongwer-Ohio)
| Issue | Acton | Ramaswamy |
| Affordability of health care | Health care is unaffordable for too many Ohioans
Solution: Combat skyrocketing insurance premiums, lower prescription drug costs, crack down on predatory billing.
Health care is a top priority given her background as a physician and former director of the Ohio Department of Health under Gov. Mike DeWine |
Health care is unaffordable for too many Ohioans.
Solution: Put more money into Ohioans’ pockets. Thoughtful healthcare reform. Returning money to Ohioans by cutting taxes and reducing regulations to create a competitive environment. Lower insurance costs.
Thoughtful health care reform |
| Medicaid | Medicaid is a vital program millions of Ohioans rely on. It must work better for taxpayers and the people it serves. | It was a mistake to have implemented Medicare & Medicaid without work requirements. |
Comment Period Underway for Proposed Department of Education Rules
As has been widely publicized and broadly criticized (particularly by nurses and nursing organizations) the Federal Department of Education (DOE) released for public comment, proposed rule changes dealing with student loan limitations for some master’s and doctoral degree students. The rule is in response to provisions included in the OBBB, signed into law by Donald Trump in mid 2025. According to DOE, OBBB authorized the development of rules and set out parameters the rules should address. It established new loan limits with DOE’s categorization of graduate students and professional students “intended solely to distinguish those programs that would be eligible for higher loan limits.” Regulators believe the OBBB “simplifies the current broken and confusing myriads of Federal student loan repayment plans by phasing out the existing Income-Contingent Repayment plans and creating a new tiered standard repayment plan option and implementing a new income-driven repayment plan known as the Repayment Assistance Plan. For more information, please see ANA-Ohio’s position statement on this issue (www.ana-ohio.org. at the advocacy tab). The site also includes the process for submitting comments. Responses are due by March 2, 2026. Comments sent after that date will not be accepted.
