HB 20: Prohibit harassing or impeding an emergency service responder - Ohio

As Passed by the Senate → As Enrolled · 3 edits · Jul 7, 2026

MINOR

This bill updates the text of HB 20 to reflect its final enrolled version, correcting formatting and section numbering while preserving the core policy of increasing penalties for obstructing emergency service responders and menacing probation officers. The substantive legal provisions remain unchanged, but the text now includes proper legislative signatures and effective date placeholders required for official enactment.

Scope change

No change in scope or applicability; the bill continues to apply to obstruction of emergency service responders and menacing of probation officers.

TECHNICAL

Removed page headers, line numbers, and 'As Passed by the Senate' labels; added 'As Enrolled' formatting and signature lines for the Speaker, President, and Governor.

Corrected section numbering and paragraph structure to conform to final enrolled legislative standards.

Added placeholders for filing date, effective date, and official signatures required for the bill to become law.

As Passed by the House → As Passed by the Senate · 3 edits · Jun 3, 2026

MINOR

The bill was amended to clarify that heightened penalties for obstructing official business apply when the victim is a probation officer, in addition to emergency service responders. The Senate version also reorganized the text to explicitly define 'emergency service responder' and 'probation officer' within the statute and updated the penalty tiers to ensure consistent application for both groups.

Scope change

The scope of the bill was expanded to explicitly include probation officers as protected victims under the same heightened penalty provisions previously reserved for emergency service responders.

ELIGIBILITY

Added probation officers to the list of protected victims who trigger heightened penalties for obstruction of official business.

DEFINITION

Reorganized and clarified definitions of 'emergency service responder' and 'probation officer' to ensure they are consistently applied across the bill.

ENFORCEMENT

Adjusted penalty tiers and text structure to clearly distinguish between standard obstruction and obstruction involving an emergency service responder or probation officer performing legal duties.

As Introduced → As Passed by the House · 4 edits · Jun 18, 2025

MODERATE

The bill was amended to expand protections for emergency service responders and probation officers by broadening the definition of protected individuals to include their family members and co-workers. Additionally, the bill corrected a statutory citation error, changing the referenced section from 2927.31 to 2921.31 to ensure the correct obstruction of official business law is amended. These changes strengthen penalties for harassment and obstruction when victims are emergency responders or related individuals.

Scope change

The scope of protection was expanded to include family members and co-workers of emergency service responders, whereas the original version only covered the responders themselves.

DEFINITION

The definition of 'emergency service responder' was updated to explicitly include probation officers, clarifying who is protected under the new harassment and obstruction laws.

SCOPE

The bill now protects family members and co-workers of emergency service responders from harassment and obstruction, expanding the circle of protected individuals beyond just the responders.

TECHNICAL

A critical statutory citation was corrected from section 2927.31 to section 2921.31 to ensure the bill amends the correct Ohio Revised Code section regarding obstructing official business.

ENFORCEMENT

The bill added a provision stating that a prosecution under this new section does not prevent a separate prosecution for other crimes committed during the same incident.

Prohibit harassing or impeding an emergency service responder

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