HB 88 Ohio House · 136th Legislature (2025-2026)

Regards drug trafficking, human trafficking, and fentanyl

HB 88 increases penalties for drug trafficking above specific quantities and prohibits organized human trafficking. It requires all Ohio schools and colleges to implement fentanyl awareness education and prevention policies. The bill also designates August as "Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Month" to promote public education. These provisions directly affect drug traffickers, educational institutions, and the general public through heightened penalties and prevention efforts. The law amends multiple sections of the Ohio Revised Code to enact these specific policy changes.

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2025

Committee Review

Feb 2026

House Passage

Nov 2025

Senate Passage

Governor

Introduced Feb 11, 2025 Last action Feb 11, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

As Introduced → As Passed by the House · 5 edits · Nov 19, 2025

MODERATE

The bill was amended to modernize its language, remove outdated trafficking definitions, and significantly expand the scope of criminal penalties. Key changes include replacing the term 'organized trafficking of persons' with the broader 'pattern of corrupt activity' to cover a wider range of crimes, adding modern offenses like organized retail theft and animal terrorism, and updating drug trafficking thresholds to specifically target fentanyl-related compounds and larger quantities of other drugs.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from focusing primarily on human trafficking and specific drug amounts to include a broader definition of racketeering-like activity ('pattern of corrupt activity') and new categories of crimes such as organized retail theft and animal-related terrorism.

DEFINITION

Replaced the specific definition of 'organization or operation for trafficking in persons' with the broader term 'pattern of corrupt activity' to encompass a wider variety of criminal enterprises.

Updated the definition of 'fentanyl-related compound' to include a scientific pharmacophore requirement, allowing it to cover new synthetic variants not yet listed by name.

Removed the specific offense of 'trafficking in persons' from the bill's text, likely because it was addressed in a separate legislative measure.

SCOPE

Added 'organized retail theft' and 'animal or ecological terrorism' to the list of corrupt activities that can trigger enhanced penalties.

REQUIREMENT

Adjusted drug trafficking thresholds and penalty structures to impose mandatory prison terms for larger quantities of drugs and offenses committed near schools or addiction treatment facilities.

Floor votes · House Nov 20, 2025

How they voted

71–17

Passed

Total votes 88

Nov 20, 2025

D Democratic25

9 Yea 16 Nay

64% Nay

R Republican63

62 Yea 1 Nay

98% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 11, 2026

Committee

Referred to committee

upper

Nov 25, 2025

Introduced

upper

Nov 20, 2025

House · Passed

House Vote: pass (71-17)

house

Nov 19, 2025

Lower · Passed

Passed

lower

Feb 12, 2025

Committee

Referred to committee

lower

Feb 11, 2025

Introduced

lower

2 primary · 0 co-sponsors