Latest news with #HouseBill29
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Ohio waives $8.4 million in fees for drivers. Find out why
Ohio reinstated licenses for thousands of drivers and waived $8.38 million in fees under a new law. Legislators adopted House Bill 29 in 2024 to make it harder to lose your driver's license for non-driving issues, such as unpaid parking tickets. The law took effect in April 2025. So far, 170,500 drivers have had suspensions and/or vehicle registration blocks removed and nearly 7,100 got their licenses reinstated. Another 24,400 drivers had suspensions removed and may be eligible to take a driving test to restore their licenses. Under previous law, Ohio drivers could lose their licenses for more than 30 reasons, many of which are not related to dangerous driving. Under the new law, license suspensions are largely limited to convictions that are related to dangerous driving. "We're trying to reduce the connection between not being able to pay a fine and being allowed to drive, which is pretty essential in this state," said Zack Eckles of the Ohio Poverty Law Center, which lobbied for the new law. Reinstatement fees can ramp up quickly, starting at $15 and maxing out at $650. Roughly 60% of license suspensions each year are for debt-related reasons. In Ohio, roughly three in four workers drive to work and 30% of jobs require a driver's license, according to a report from the Ohio Poverty Law Center issued in May 2023. Driving is so essential that most people with suspended licenses continue to drive anyway. People are automatically notified by mail if they're eligible to have their suspension removed. Drivers can check their driving record and update their current address with the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles to expedite the notification process if they are eligible to have their license reinstated. State government reporter Laura Bischoff can be reached at lbischoff@ and @lbischoff on X. This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: New Ohio law reinstates drivers and forgives millions in fees
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Ohio bill that would require free feminine hygiene products in prisons moves forward
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A bill that would require Ohio prisons to offer incarcerated women free feminine hygiene products has taken a step toward becoming law. The Ohio House unanimously passed House Bill 29 on Wednesday, which would require all jails and prisons in the state that house women to provide an 'adequate supply' of free pads and tampons in a 'variety of sizes.' The bipartisan legislation, sponsored by Reps. Latyna Humphrey (D-Columbus) and Marilyn John (R-Richland County), would also require facilities to allow at least one shower a day for inmates who are menstruating. Under the bill, correctional institutions could not deny an inmate feminine hygiene products and would have to implement formal policies surrounding the distribution of the products. Before passing the House, the bill went through four hearings where 13 people testified in its support, with nobody publicly opposing it. Zachary Miller with the Office of the Public Defender spoke at an April hearing, stating that feminine hygiene products are not a luxury but a necessary healthcare item. 'Scarcity of these products could cause the women to use the products for longer than recommended, leading to negative health outcomes or encourage them to barter for these products, opening the door for potential abuses of power,' Miller said. Multiple former female inmates also testified at the hearings, many of which shared stories of facing limited access to sanitary products and resorting to using socks, toilet paper or other items as makeshift pads and tampons. Some recalled negative health outcomes as a result of a lack of readily available products. Currently, there is no Ohio law requiring jails and prisons to provide feminine hygiene products. In 2022, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction issued a policy to ensure women receive free and unlimited feminine hygiene products. However, during testimony, multiple people claimed access is not always reliable, and Humphrey pointed out that the policy could be rescinded. There are an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 women incarcerated in Ohio, according to Miller. The department of rehabilitation and correction oversees all 28 prisons in the state but does not operate jails. Last year, the state department spent about $173,500 on feminine products in prisons, according to an analysis of the bill. 'While the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections currently has a policy that requires these products to be provided to the women under its care at no cost, there are other correctional facilities in Ohio where access is not guaranteed,' Miller said. Humphrey introduced a similar bill in the last legislative session that passed the House unanimously but stalled in the Senate. The former bill also did not receive any opponent testimony. SB 29 will now move to the Senate for consideration. If the bill is signed into law, Ohio will join 25 other states that have statutes requiring free feminine hygiene products for incarcerated women. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Ohio House votes to give state's inmates free menstrual products
May 29—The Ohio House approved a bipartisan bill this week that would require all Ohio correctional facilities to provide menstrual products to inmates free-of-charge. House Bill 29, passed Wednesday by a vote of 91-to-0, now heads to the Ohio Senate for further consideration. If it makes its way into law, the bill should have no substantial impact on the prisons run by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections, as it's already the ODRC's policy to offer free tampons and pads to inmates. The impact of H.B. 29 could come, however, at the county level. The state's nonpartisan Legislative Budget Office found that many county jails already provide these products for free. Those jails that don't can expect costs to increase based on how many female inmates they have, the lengths of their stay, and the costs of products provided. Dayton Democrat and first-term legislator Rep. Desiree Tims told this outlet that she voted for the bill "because it will ensure some form of dignity for women menstruating while incarcerated." An identical bill passed the Ohio House 92-0 in 2024 before stalling out in the Ohio Senate under the leadership of then-President Matt Huffman, R-Lima, who now leads the Ohio House. He said the bill's fate in his former chamber wasn't an indicative of a lack of support. "I don't think it will have any problem getting passed in the Senate," Huffman told reporters Wednesday. Current Senate President Rob McColley, R-Napoleon, however, said he doesn't have a personal opinion on the bill and said his caucus has not yet discussed the bill. When asked for her stance, Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio, D-Lakewood, said feminine hygiene products were akin to toilet paper and asked posed a hypothetical about a Statehouse without T.P. "It would not be healthy, it would not be hygienic, and the same thing is true of feminine products. They should be provided absolutely everywhere without cost to the people who are using them." ------ For more stories like this, sign up for our Ohio Politics newsletter. It's free, curated, and delivered straight to your inbox every Thursday evening. Avery Kreemer can be reached at 614-981-1422, on X, via email, or you can drop him a comment/tip with the survey below.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
New Ohio law eliminates some debt-related driver's license suspensions
Apr. 16—A new law now in effect eliminates some debt-related driver's license suspensions to make it easier for Ohioans to get back on the road legally. Courts have until May 9 to notify the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles whether a suspension should be lifted due to House Bill 29, which Gov. Mike DeWine signed into law in January. It removes license suspensions for failure to pay a court fine or fee, without reinstatement fees. According to the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio, about one million drivers (just over 10%) have a suspended driver's license. Of those, about 60% are for reasons other than dangerous driving, "House Bill 29 is smart, practical policy that will enable Ohioans to reinstate their licenses, drive to work, take their children to school and participate more fully in their communities," said Patrick Higgins, policy counsel for the ACLU of Ohio. "A person's ability to pay should not determine whether they are free to drive." Clerk of Courts Marty Gehres of Dayton Municipal Court called the bill a "great first start" but cautioned: "What this bill doesn't do is release people of their obligation of their fine and court costs." The BMV was tasked with sending tens of thousands of suspensions to court jurisdictions across the state. Gehres and Rob Scott, clerk of courts for Kettering Municipal Court, both said their courts do not do forfeiture suspensions for people with unpaid fines and fees. Instead, they offer payment plans and have had amnesty programs and driver's license clinics to help people get back on the road legally. "We're very flexible working with people, trying to work with them making them valid," Scott said. The suspensions their offices reviewed were older, from cases in the 1990s and 2000s, they said. "We had roughly about 500 license forfeitures for us to check," Gehres said. Kettering court staff had a little over 200 to check on the list, Scott said. Both clerks said they already have forwarded the information to the BMV. Individuals will be notified by mail if the BMV removed a failure-to-pay suspension. If a person is eligible to reinstate their license, the letter will include information on what steps to take, said Lindsey Bohrer, assistant director of communications for the Ohio Department of Public Safety and BMV spokeswoman. Those with questions about whether a suspension was lifted should contact the court where it was ordered. People can view their reinstatement requirements online at any time, but until courts communicate which suspensions will be removed, the BMV will not be able to provide eligibility information in accordance with HB 29, Bohrer said. Even if a debt-related suspension is lifted, there may be other roadblocks to getting reinstated. "It's not a solution to every issue people are experiencing with license suspensions in Ohio," Gehres said. For example, if someone whose license was suspended for a debt-related reason was pulled over while driving to work, to the doctor's office or taking children to school, the resulting citation for driving on a suspended license would still stand under the new law. "We just want to do everything we can here to break that cycle," Scott said. The new law says those whose licenses were suspended for not paying child support can file a motion with the court for limited driving privileges. For the last three years, Montgomery County suspended more residents' licenses for failing to pay child support than any other county in Ohio. The Montgomery County Department of Job and Family Services last year issued 1,961 of the state's 15,841 license suspensions for child support defaults, according to Ohio JFS data obtained by the Dayton Daily News. That's over 12% of the state's suspensions from a county that makes up 4.5% of the state's population. In Ohio, county JFS agencies are responsible for collecting child support payments. Those in default on their payments are able to present evidence that a suspension effectively prevents them from getting current. This new law, however, doesn't require JFS departments to act on that information. Reba Chenoweth, public information officer for Montgomery County Human Services, previously told the Dayton Daily News that driver's license suspension is a discretionary remedy used as leverage to encourage compliance with a child support order for a parent who is not paying at least 50% of their support. Parents have multiple options, such as a short-term payment plan, making a payment of at least 50% of what was owed over the last three months or reporting new employment. HB 29 also eliminates driver's license suspensions for some drug-abuse offenses and school truancy, and reduces the look-back period from five years to one year for those caught driving without insurance.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Ohio bill would mandate free feminine hygiene products for inmates
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Former Ohio inmates and equality advocates are pushing for a bill that would require correctional institutions to provide free feminine hygiene products. House Bill 29 would require all jails and prisons in the state that house women to provide an 'adequate supply' of free pads and tampons in a 'variety of sizes.' Sponsored by Reps. Latyna Humphrey (D-Columbus) and Marilyn John (R-Richland County), the bill also would require facilities to allow at least one shower a day for inmates who are menstruating. 'The absence of a formal policy leaves decisions to the discretion of prison staff, creating inconsistencies and opportunities for abuse,' Humphrey said at the bill's first hearing. 'Some inmates receive hygiene products without issue, while others must beg or face punishment.' The bipartisan legislation, introduced in February, would also ban prisons from denying an inmate feminine hygiene products and require facilities to implement formal policies surrounding the distribution of the products. Humphrey introduced a similar bill in the last legislative session that passed the House unanimously but stalled in the Senate. The bill did not receive any opponent testimony. Kayelin Tiggs, who has led research projects for the U.S. Military, voiced her support for the legislation. 'Can you imagine having to use loose paper, dirty socks, cleaning rags, mattress padding, torn sheets or makeshift pads to prevent accidents, all because you are denied an adequate number of products,' Tiggs said in 2023 testimony. 'This is the reality for thousands of women across the state.' The current bill had its second hearing last week, where a dozen people conveyed their approval of the legislation. Ainslee Johnson-Brown, a representative with the nonprofit Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity, expressed similar concerns about what items inmates may turn to when left without products. 'Lack of access to the necessary products forces menstruating individuals to resort to unhygienic alternatives – leading to infections, discomfort and worse,' Johnson-Brown said. 'Access to menstrual products is a direct extension of Ohio's obligation to maintain humane conditions within its correctional facilities.' Throughout testimony for both the current and former bill, multiple former female inmates detailed how they were often denied products, forced to use makeshift pads and how male guards would 'humiliate' them or request 'favors' when they asked for feminine products. Currently, there is no Ohio law requiring jails and prisons to provide feminine hygiene products. In 2022, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction issued policy to ensure women receive free, unlimited feminine hygiene products. However, during testimony, multiple people claimed access is not always reliable. Humphrey additionally pointed out that a policy is not permanent, and can be rescinded at any time. 'HB30 ensures these protections remain law, safeguarding the dignity and health of incarcerated women regardless of future administrative changes,' Humphrey said. If the legislation were to pass, Ohio would join 25 other states that have laws protecting menstrual products in correctional facilities, according to The Prison Flow Project. The bill awaits possible opponent testimony in the House's Government Oversight Committee. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
