Lawmakers left town late Wednesday without tweaking a voter-approved law legalizing the recreational use of marijuana.
Bills to renumber ballot issues and aid trafficking victims – and a plethora of other policies – are heading to Gov. Mike DeWine's desk following legislative action Wednesday.
Legislation to license mental health assistants and repeal a controversial transportation budget provision were among a host of items advancing following a four hour-plus Senate session Wednesday.
Following a morning report that a marijuana-related amendment was floating around the Statehouse, one of the Senate's negotiators said in a Tuesday afternoon interview that the issue was unlikely to advance before summer break.
Over the next two days, state lawmakers have packed their schedules with well over a hundred bill hearings – around 60 of which may result in a vote, including the $6 billion capital budget – setting themselves up for lengthy final sessions Wednesday before they leave for summer break.
The House's point person on marijuana issues is not optimistic that lawmakers will reach an agreement on matters related to the legalization of the drug before breaking for summer next week.
Lengthy hearings on a bill crafted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic has some lawmakers contemplating how Ohio is preparing for the next public health emergency and whether it should be a component of the discussions.