To amend section 2945.21 of the Revised Code to enact the Fair Trial Protection Act to create a process for objecting to a peremptory challenge on the basis that the challenge is based on the prospective juror's race, color, religion, sex, military status, national origin, disability, age, or ancestry.
To amend sections 4112.01 and 4112.05 of the Revised Code to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity or expression, to add mediation as an informal method that the Ohio Civil Rights Commission may use, and to uphold existing religious exemptions under Ohio's Civil Rights Law.
To amend sections 3314.03, 3326.11, and 3328.24 and to enact section 3319.48 of the Revised Code to enact the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act to prohibit discrimination by a public school against an individual based on hair texture and protective hair styles.
To amend sections 3314.03, 3326.11, 3328.24, and 4112.01 and to enact section 3313.6612 of the Revised Code to enact the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act to prohibit discrimination against an individual based on hair texture and protective hair styles.
HB 370, the Ohio Prenatal Equal Protection Act, would ban abortion in Ohio by defining "person" to include preborn children from conception, making abortion a criminal offense under homicide laws. It directly affects pregnant people seeking abortions, healthcare providers offering abortion services, and individuals who may pressure someone to terminate a pregnancy. Key provisions require that abortion-related acts be treated as homicide or assault under existing laws, with exceptions only for life-saving procedures on the pregnant person (when reasonable steps to save the fetus are taken) or spontaneous miscarriages. The bill repeals current legal provisions that permit abortion or "prenatal homicide" and mandates due process protections for those subject to the law.
HB 588 would apply Ohio's Civil Rights Law anti-discrimination protections to unpaid interns by amending two sections of the Revised Code. Currently, these protections do not cover unpaid interns, but the bill would extend them to include unpaid interns under the same employment anti-discrimination rules as paid employees. This change directly affects unpaid interns and their employers across Ohio, requiring equal treatment in hiring, assignments, and workplace conditions. The key mechanism is the explicit amendment of state law to include unpaid interns within the scope of the Civil Rights Law's employment provisions.
SB 139 designates May 13 as "Judge Nathaniel R. Jones Day" in Ohio. The bill creates a ceremonial observance to honor Judge Nathaniel R. Jones, a civil rights attorney, judge, and law professor born on that date in Youngstown, Ohio. It does not create new legal requirements or affect any individuals or policies. The bill is purely commemorative, recognizing Jones' contributions to civil rights. The designation would be added to Ohio's Revised Code as section 5.295.
To amend section 2927.12 and to enact sections 2749.01, 2749.02, 2749.03, 2749.04, and 2927.121 of the Revised Code to enact the Hate Crime Act to prohibit hate crimes and to create a civil remedy for a person who is terrorized by another because of specific characteristics or beliefs.
To amend sections 2927.12 and 4112.01 and to enact section 4112.20 of the Revised Code to define antisemitism for the purpose of investigations and proceedings by state agencies and to expand the offense of ethnic intimidation to include the offenses of riot and aggravated riot committed by reason of the race, color, religion, or national origin of another person or group of persons.
To amend sections 2903.01, 2929.01, 2929.12, 2929.14, and 2929.22 and to enact section 2941.1428 of the Revised Code to create new aggravated murder offenses for political motivation and political victims, to create a mandatory prison term for politically motivated offenses of violence, and to add political motivation to sentencing factors for felonies and misdemeanors.
