September 11, 2025 Legislative Update
Legislative Update
September 11, 2025
Jan Lanier, JD, RN
Introduction
The members of the General Assembly are returning to Columbus the week of September 15th with a full agenda. Many of the bills introduced during the summer recess have been assigned to standing committees in anticipation of hearings starting as early as next week. One newly introduced bill is the long-awaited revision to the nurse practice act that addresses a priority of Ohio’s advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs). SB 258 called the Better Access to Health Care Act, is sponsored by republican senators George Lang (West Chester) and Mark Romanchuk (Ontario). It modifies the laws governing APRN practice including provisions allowing APRNs to practice without a standard care agreement if requirements to do so are met.
Other bills on ANA-Ohio’s watch list are:
SB 209 a companion bill to one of the substitute versions of HB 12 dealing with the use of drugs for off label purposes. The senate bill is sponsored by republican senators Al Cutrona (Canfield ) and Michelle Reynolds (Columbus). ANA-Ohio has been working with the house bill’s sponsor Rep. Jennifer Gross (R-West Chester) to add nurses to the list of affected providers who are expressly immune from liability and regulatory board action when acting in accordance with the bill’s provisions. These efforts will continue as the bill is addressed in the senate.
SB 227 sponsored by Sen. Hearcel Craig (D-Columbus) would cap cost sharing for insulin drugs.
HB 271 sponsored by republican Reps. Jean Schmidt (Loveland) and Josh Williams (Sylvania Township) expands insurance and Medicaid coverage and removes cost sharing for supplemental and diagnostic breast cancer screenings. The bill was referred to the house insurance committee where it had two hearings prior to the general assembly summer recess. Proponents of the bill say it supports early detection and increases the likelihood of patient follow-through while reducing care barriers and stress.
HB 281 sponsored by Rep. Josh Williams was introduced May 20th and referred to the public safety committee the next day. It had no hearings before the legislature recessed. The bill requires hospitals to develop a policy to address how they will comply with provisions in the bill that require hospitals to allow DWHS/DHS, federal law enforcement or state/local law enforcement agencies assisting them to access hospitals to arrest, interview, or collect evidence regarding the immigration status of patients.
HB 370 Ohio Prenatal Equal Protection Act sponsored by republican Reps. Jonathon Newman ( Troy) and Levi Dean (Xenia) would criminalize abortion by recognizing fertilized embryos as persons with equal protections under the law. Under this premise, abortion equates with homicide except when the life of the mother is at risk. It has been referred to the house judiciary committee.
HB 406 would legalize the sale of raw milk in Ohio. It is sponsored by republican Reps. Kellie Deeter (R-Norwalk) and Levi Dean. Rep. Deeter stated in a press release that she was “not a raw milk advocate, but a liberty advocate.” The bill includes some regulatory requirements that would require buyers to sign liability waivers and the testing of raw milk products. Sellers would be required to hold a license. Supporters describe raw milk as a “super food” while scientists and public health professionals state there is no scientific evidence to support that claim and drinking non-pasteurized milk can lead to significant illnesses and even death. The bill was referred to the house agriculture committee.
HB 410 sponsored by republican Reps. Jean Schmidt (Loveland) and Adam Mathews (Lebanon) would prohibit using Medicaid funds to pay for activities undertaken by an entity that also provides funding to abortion providers. The bill bases its language on the federal budget reconciliation act passed in July that largely targets Planned Parenthood. If enacted it could further reduce access to reproductive health care services, patient education and counseling, and access to preventive services. The bill was referred to the house Medicaid committee.
(Sources: Gongwer-Ohio (8/18/25) Plan to legalize raw milk sales returns. Gongwer News Service.
Hendrickson, S. (9/3/25) Still a matter of debate. Columbus Dispatch USA Today Network.
Gongwer-Ohio (9/10/25) Report from house rules and reference committee. Gongwer News Service.
Tebben, S. (8/21/25) Anti-abortion facilities get Ohio grants as funding for other women’s health facilities slashed. Ohio Capital Journal).
Redistricting in anticipation of the 2026 elections
Taking center stage in September, and likely lingering until later in the fall, is the need to redraw Ohio’s Congressional District map. The first deadline facing legislators is September 30th when both the house and senate must approve a redrawn map by a super majority that also includes “yes” votes from the minority party. If this is not accomplished, the state’s redistricting committee becomes the primary actor, at least until the end of October. If there is no agreement by the committee that includes at least one minority member’s “yes” vote, the issue returns to the general assembly for another try. To meet election deadlines the map issue must be resolved by the end of November.
Historically, the redraw is required because the current map that was adopted in 2022 did not have bipartisan agreement. When that happens, the accepted map is valid for only four years rather than ten. Although the Ohio Supreme Court struck down that map, it remains in place. Currently, of Ohio’s 15 Congressional districts, republicans hold 10 seats (66%) although Donald Trump received only 55% of the total statewide vote in the 2024 election. Democrats believe the maps should more fairly reflect the true breakdown of republican to democratic voters in the state.
Because the redistricting process also includes public participation, House Speaker Matt Huffman (Lima) and Senate President Rob McColley (Napoleon) launched a website through which members of the public can submit maps. As of September 2nd , ten maps had been submitted. In addition, Ohio democrats introduced a redistricting proposal SB 259 and HB 442 on September 10th. (Interestingly, neither bill was referred to a committee even though many referrals were announced by the house rules and reference committee). The democratic map would create eight republican districts and seven democratic districts which is a 53%-47% ratio of Rs to Ds.
The map looks like this.
House Speaker Huffman called the map “gerrymandered” and said the process was “off to a bad start”. He also indicated that he wasn’t sure the general assembly would meet its September deadline. There is support in some quarters for republicans to propose a new map that further favors republicans 11-4.
As required by the state’s Constitution, the house speaker and senate president named the members of the Joint Committee on Congressional Redistricting this week. The co-chairs are Rep. Adam Bird (R-New Richmond) and Sen. Jane Timken (R-Canton). Members include Rep. Brian Stewart (R- Ashville), Rep. D.J. Swearingen (R-Huron), Rep. Nick Santucci (R-Niles), House Minority Leader Dani Isaacsohn (Cincinnati), Rep Desiree Timms (R- Dayton), Sen. Theresa Gavarone (R-Bowling Green), Sen. Steve Huffman (R-Tipp City), Sen. Bill Reineke (R-Tiffin), Senate minority leader Nickie Antonio (Lakewood) and Sen. Willis Blackshear (D-Dayton). Please note the geographic composition of the joint committee. What is obviously missing?
(Source: Gongwer-Ohio (9/10/25) Sparing over Congressional redistricting begins. Gongwer News Service.)
