Issues – Elections
May 2012
HB55 CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS (GOYAL J, MURRAY D) To regulate independent expenditures by corporations, labor organizations, and entities the primary purpose of which are to accept corporate or labor organization funds for use in making independent expenditures and to prohibit contributions made for the purpose of influencing a ballot issue from being made to or accepting by an entity that is not subject to campaign finance reporting requirements.
Current Status: 2/1/2011 – Referred to Committee House State Government and Elections
HB76 PROVISIONAL BALLOTS (REECE A) To require a provisional ballot to be remade and counted for the offices, questions, and issues for which the provisional voter was eligible to vote if the election official assisting that provisional voter failed to direct the provisional voter to the correct precinct, and to revise the portion of the provisional ballot affirmation required to be completed by the election official.
Current Status: 4/12/2011 – House State Government and Elections, (First Hearing)
HB159 VOTERS PROVIDE PHOTO IDENTIFICATION (MECKLENBORG R, BLESSING L) To generally require electors who appear at a poling place to vote or who cast absent voter’s ballots in person to provide photo identification, to establish a process for electors who cannot afford photo identification to receive free photo identification and to permit electors with a religious objection to being photographed to vote in person upon the execution of an affirmation to that effect.
Current Status: 6/23/2011 – Bills for Third Consideration
HB194 ELECTION LAW (MECKLENBORG R, BLESSING L) To revise the Election Law.
Current Status: 7/1/2011 – SIGNED BY GOVERNOR; Eff. 9/30/2011
HB203 RECALLING ELECTED OFFICIALS (HAGAN R, FOLEY M) To establish a process for recalling statewide elected officials and members of the General Assembly.
Current Status: 5/3/2011 – Referred to Committee House State Government and Elections
HB210 SCHOOL LEVY CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE CONTRIBUTIONS INCOME TAX CREDIT (RAMOS D) To grant an income tax credit for contributions to school district tax levy campaign committees.
Current Status: 2/8/2012 – House Ways and Means, (First Hearing)
HB224 ABSENT VOTER’S BALLOTS (DOVILLA M, STINZIANO M) To permit uniformed services and overseas voters to request ballot applications and absent voter’s ballots by electronic mail or internet delivery, to specify that a Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot submitted by such a persons may be used as the person’s voter registration form and absent voter’s ballot, to establish emergency election procedures for such persons involved in armed conflicts, troop mobilizations, or other emergencies, and to add daughters-in-law and sons-in-law to the list of family members who may request an absent voter’s ballot on behalf of a uniformed services or overseas voter.
Current Status: 7/27/2011 – SIGNED BY GOVERNOR; Eff, 7/27/2011
HB266 ELECTOR UNDER ISOLATION – VOTE (STEBELTON G) To establish a process to permit an elector who is confined to a health care facility under isolation to vote with the assistance of bipartisan board of elections employees, and to permit elector’s facsimile signature, provided by the hospital, to be used for signature verification purposes.
Current Status: 6/21/2011 – Referred to Committee House State Government and Elections
HB291 ELECTION PROCESS (STINZIANO M, REECE A) To restore local control to Ohio’s election process and increase voter participation by permitting an individual who wishes to vote by absent voter’s ballots to request those ballots via electronic mail, through the internet, if internet delivery is offered by a board of elections or the Secretary of State, by permitting a broad of elections to mail unsolicited applications for absent voter’s ballots, and by requiring the Secretary of State to reimburse boards, for costs incurred in sending unsolicited applications for general elections held in an even-numbered year.
Current Status: 7/12/2011 – Referred to Committee House State Government and Elections
HB315 CAMPAIGN MATERIALS (BAKER N, SEARS B) To increase the penalties for making a false statement in campaign materials related to nomination or election for a statewide office or office of a member of the General Assembly, or in regard to any campaign for or against a ballot question or issue, and to require the person who made the false statement to pay reasonable attorney’s fees.
Current Status: 5/8/2012 – House State Government and Elections, (Second Hearing)
HB318 ELIMINATE MARCH PRIMARY ELECTIONS (BLESSING L, O’BRIEN S) To set two separate primary elections in 2012 for presidential and congressional races.
Current Status: 10/21/2011 – SIGNED BY GOVERNOR; Eff. 1/20/2012
HB319 CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT BOUNDARIES (HUFFMAN M) To establish Congressional district boundaries for the state based on the 2010 decennial census of Ohio.
Current Status: 9/26/2011 – SIGNED BY GOVERNOR; Eff. 9/26/2011
HB324 APPORTIONMENT PLANS FOR G.A. MEMBERS (CLYDE K, LETSON T) To specify that plans of apportionment for members of the General Assembly must include or be accompanied by a district map and corresponding list of census blocks, to specify a time when plans must be ready.
Current Status: 9/14/2011 – Referred to Committee House State Government and Elections
HB343 DRUG TESTING FOR ELECTED OFFICIALS (HAGAN R) To establish a controlled substance testing requirement for statewide elected officials, members of the General Assembly, the Supreme Court, the board of directors of JobsOhio, and recipients of Troubled Asset Relief Program money and to establish a process for recalling statewide elected officials and members of the General Assembly.
Current Status: 11/9/2011 – Referred to Committee House Health and Aging
HB347 NONCHARTERED VILLAGE (ANIELSKI M) To authorize the legislative authority of a statutory nonchartered village to be composed off five instead of six members and to authorize the terms of office to be nonstaggered.
Current Status: 3/21/2012 – Referred to Committee Senate State & Local Government & Veterans Affairs
HB358 PRIMARY ELECTIONS (CARNEY J) To require all candidates for nomination to office in 2012 to appear on the ballot at the June 12, 2012, primary
election, to eliminate the requirement that Ohio conduct two primary elections in 2012, to eliminate the appropriation that would pay for the second primary election in 2012, and to declare an emergency.
Current Status: 11/9/2011 – Referred to Committee House State Government and Elections
HB369 CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT BOUNDARIES (HUFFMAN M) To establish Congressional district boundaries for the state based on the 2010 decennial census of Ohio, to eliminate the requirement that Ohio conduct two primary elections in 2012, to eliminate the appropriation that would pay for the second primary election in 2012, to eliminate the requirement of mailing an election notice to each registered elector prior to the March 6, 2012 primary election, to establish a single primary election on March 6, 2012, for the purpose of nominating all candidates for election in 2012,
and to declare an emergency.
Current Status: 12/15/2011 – SIGNED BY GOVERNOR; Eff. 12/15/2011
HB370 NEW COMMUNITY AUTHORITY LAW (COMBS C) To make changes to the New Community Authority Law.
Current Status: 11/29/2011 – House Economic and Small Business Development, (First Hearing)
HB391 2012 PRIMARY ELECTION (HUFFMAN M) To eliminate the requirement that Ohio conduct two primary elections in 2012, to eliminate the appropriation that would pay for the
second primary election in 2012, to eliminate the requirement of mailing an election notice to each registered elector prior to the March 6, 2012, primary election, to establish a single primary election on May 22, 2012, for the purpose of nominating all candidates for election in 2012, and to declare an emergency.
Current Status: 12/14/2011 – Bills for Third Consideration; Pending Committee Report
HB451 INSPECTOR GENERAL’S OFFICE (PILLICH C) To change the appointing process for the Inspector General, to clarify the offices over which the Inspector General has authority, and to prohibit partisan political activity by the Inspector General and employees in the office of the Inspector General.
Current Status: 2/15/2012 – Referred to Committee House State Government and Elections
HB486 POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS (MILKOVICH Z) To change the age at which an individual may make a political contribution, to reduce the amount of political contributions that may be made by a contributor, and to similarly reduce the amount of contributions that political entities may accept.
Current Status: 3/20/2012 – Referred to Committee House State Government and Elections
HCR14 LEGISLATIVE CODE OF ETHICS (BLESSING L) To adopt the Legislative Code of Ethics for the members and employees of both chambers of the 129th General Assembly, employees of any legislative agency, and candidates for the 130th General Assembly.
Current Status: 5/17/2011 – ADOPTED BY SENATE; Vote 30-0
HCR24 OHIO CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS (BATCHELDER W) To delegate to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives authority to designate groups of members to prepare arguments for and against amendments to the Ohio Constitution proposed by
the General Assembly, a person or persons to prepare an argument for any law, section, or item submitted to the electors by referendum petition, and a person or persons to prepare an argument against any constitutional
amendment proposed by initiative petition.
Current Status: 8/15/2011 – ADOPTED BY SENATE
SB33 SAMPLE BALLOT PROHIBITION (TAVARES C) To prohibit the use of a sample ballot as campaign materials if the ballot would mislead voters into believing a candidate has received a party endorsement.
Current Status: 3/16/2011 – Senate State & Local Government & Veterans Affairs, (First Hearing)
SB148 ELECTION LAW (WAGONER M) To revise the Election Law.
Current Status: 6/1/2011 – Referred to Committee House State Government and Elections
SB217 MARCH PRIMARY ELECTIONS (FABER K) To eliminate March primary elections in presidential election years by requiring all primary elections to be conducted on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in May, and to declare an emergency.
Current Status: 9/20/2011 – Referred to Committee Senate Government Oversight & Reform
SB225 CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT BOUNDARIES (SAWYER T) To establish Congressional district boundaries for the state based on the 2010 decennial census of Ohio.
Current Status: 9/20/2011 – Referred to Committee Senate Government Oversight & Reform
SB227 ABSENTEE VOTING (TAVARES C, TURNER N) To restore local control to Ohio’s election process and increase voter participation by permitting an individual who wishes to vote by absent voter’s ballots to request those ballots via electronic mail, through the internet, if internet delivery is offered by a board of elections or the Secretary of State, by permitting a board of elections to mail unsolicited applications for absent voter’s ballots, and by requiring the General Assembly to appropriate funds, and requiring the Secretary of State to reimburse boards, for costs incurred in sending unsolicited applications for
general elections held in an even-numbered year.
Current Status: 9/21/2011 – Referred to Committee Senate Government Oversight & Reform
SB238 ETHICS LAW STATEMENTS (LEHNER P) To require persons who are elected or appointed to, or who are candidates for, an office of a township with a population of five thousand or more to file statements under the Ethics Law.
Current Status: 4/17/2012 – Referred to Committee House State Government and Elections
SB241 NEW COMMUNITY AUTHORITY LAW (COLEY W) To make changes to the New Community Authority Law.
Current Status: 11/9/2011 – Referred to Committee Senate Ways & Means & Economic Development
SB284 SPECIAL ELECTIONS (JORDAN K) To eliminate the ability to conduct special elections in February and August.
Current Status: 3/28/2012 – Senate Government Oversight & Reform, (Third Hearing)
SB295 ELECTION LAW (COLEY W) To repeal the versions of sections of the Revised Code amended or enacted by Sections 1 and 3 of Am. Sub. H.B. 194 of the 129th General Assembly, to repeal the repeal of sections of the Revised Code by Sections 2 and 4 of Am. Sub. H.B. 194 of the 129th General Assembly, and to repeal Sections 5, 6, 7, and 8 of Am. Sub. H.B. 194 of the 129th General Assembly, to continue in operation the provisions of the Election Law currently in effect.
Current Status: 5/8/2012 – Bills for Third Consideration
SJR2 CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION (COLEY W) Applying to the Congress of the United States pursuant to Article V of the United States Constitution to call a constitutional convention for proposing amendments.
Current Status: 12/13/2011 – Senate Finance, (First Hearing)
SJR3 REFERENDUMS (CAFARO C) To restrict the General Assembly’s authority to amend, enact, or repeal sections of law that are the subject of a pending referendum, to restrict the General Assembly’s authority to amend or repeal a law enacted by initiative during the two years following the vote on that initiative, to prohibit the General Assembly from reenacting provisions of law that were rejected by the voters in a referendum during the two years following the vote on that referendum, and to extend the time for gathering signatures for a referendum petition if the right to refer a particular law is challenged and a court determines that the law is subject to referendum.
Current Status: 11/29/2011 – Referred to Committee Senate Government Oversight & Reform
SJR4 REDISTRICTING PROCESS REVISION (SAWYER T, LAROSE F) To revise the redistricting process for General Assembly and Congressional districts.
Current Status: 3/14/2012 – Referred to Committee Senate Government Oversight & Reform