COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- An Ohio bill introduced last month aims to increase transparency in ticket sales and curb deceptive practices by third-party resellers. House Bill 563, sponsored by Rep. Mark Hiner (R-Howard), would require ticket sellers and online marketplaces to disclose the total cost of tickets, including fees and surcharges. The legislation also prohibits [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Ohio law enforcement may begin issuing emergency alerts when children with developmental disabilities go missing, under a proposal working its way through the statehouse. The Ohio House unanimously passed House Bill 359, sponsored by Reps. Cecil Thomas (D-Cincinnati) and Jennifer Gross (R-West Chester), on Nov. 12. The legislation would establish Joshua [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Ohio Rep. Josh Williams (R-Sylvania) urged lawmakers this month to support three bills that would give employers tax credits for offering bonuses tied to childbirth, marriage and fertility treatment coverage -- proposals that drew questions over how much they would cost the state. Williams presented sponsor testimony on Nov. 5 before [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – This week on the Sunday Briefing: “It was completely unnecessary,” Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) said. “I think they let the American people down, and there will be consequences from that,” Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio 3rd District) Hear from Ohio lawmakers who remain divided on the deal to fund the government and [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Ohio House Democrats have introduced legislation that would require landlords to notify tenants of rent defaults before filing for eviction, a proposal its sponsors say would give struggling renters a fair chance to stay in their homes. House Bill 553, introduced in October by Reps. Ismail Mohamed (D-Columbus) and Terrence Upchurch (D-Cleveland), would [...]

If the department can bring in the best-case scenario of 120 new officers next year, the department will still not be at full capacity, city data shows.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Ohio lawmakers are weighing a proposal that could add a constitutional right to hunt and fish, a measure supporters say would preserve part of the state's economy and heritage. Senate Joint Resolution 8, introduced in October by state Sen. Steve Huffman (R-Tipp City), seeks to amend the Ohio Constitution to recognize [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Ohio might soon regulate the use of drones by law enforcement, ensuring that Fourth Amendment rights remain protected even as surveillance technology rapidly advances. House Bill 251, sponsored by Rep. Bernard Willis (R-Springfield) was passed by the House of Representatives on Wednesday and sent to the Senate for consideration. It would require [...]

The bill would prohibit medical debt from appearing on credit reports, ban wage garnishment and cap interest at 3%, down from the current 8%.

The Locks received partial benefits on Thursday, before a later announcement that Ohio would restore full benefits for the month of November soon.

The largest chunk of the budget, about $825 million, goes towards funding public safety, the police department, the fire department and violence prevention programs.

According to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, recipients will get their benefits next week, regardless of their usual issuance date.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A new Ohio bill would make it easier for parents to send their children to school without vaccines, even during outbreaks. Co-sponsored by Reps. Melanie Miller (R-Ashland) and Monica Robb Blasdel (R-New Waterford), House Bill 561 protects parents' rights to not vaccinate their children. Named the Parental Clarity on Health Options [...]

Ohio Senate Bill 50 recently passed the Ohio House after passing in the Ohio Senate back in April with a party line vote.

The bill would prevent the unregulated sale of intoxicating hemp-based or hemp-derived products, including Delta-8.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- The nation's longest government shutdown ended Wednesday night after a short-term spending bill passed the House. After 43 days, the shutdown ended with the passage of a bill to fund military construction, veterans' affairs, the Department of Agriculture and the legislative branch through Sept. 30, 2026, and the rest of the [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Ohio legislators are considering changes to minor labor laws, including letting teens work later on school nights. Ohio legislators sent Senate Bill 50 to the governor's desk last week. The bill would adjust child labor laws to allow 14- and 15-year-olds to work until 9 p.m. on school nights with parent [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- On Christmas Day last year, Andrew Lansing, an officer at Chillicothe’s Ross Correctional Institution, was assaulted and killed by inmate Rashawn Cannon. Now, Andy’s Law, a bill under consideration at the Ohio Statehouse, would institute new policies that lawmakers hope will keep correctional officers safe. “We have corrections officers that are [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- By this time next year, Ohio will have chosen a new governor. Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, is term-limited, so Ohio's top seat is an open race. Gathering the most support are Republican Vivek Ramaswamy and Democrat Amy Acton, who both declared early in 2025 and have hit the campaign trail [...]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Advocates behind a proposed constitutional same-sex marriage amendment in Ohio said their campaign will press on, even after the U.S. Supreme Court declined on Monday to revisit the 2015 decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. The court's action left intact Obergefell v. Hodges, the landmark ruling that originated in Ohio and [...]