Chase Brown · February 19, 2018

Statehouse Preview: Week of Feb. 19

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Bill to Reform Ohio’s Child Marriage Laws Gets First Hearing; Legislation to Deter Cities’ Use of Traffic Cameras Set for Vote

Legislation Would Raise the Age of Marriage in Ohio to 18 in Most Cases

SB 198 – a bill amending Ohio’s child marriage laws – is set for a first hearing this week in Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, February 20th @ 10:15 AM in the North Hearing Rm. This bill would raise the legal age for marriage without going through a rigid approval process to 18. Currently, the legal marriage age in Ohio without parental consent is age 16 for females and age 18 for males. SB 198 eliminates this discrepancy and requires juveniles aged 16 to 17 to seek both judicial and adult permission to marry. This bill would also eliminate unconstitutional statutory language banning same-sex marriages from the Ohio Revised Code.

Using Traffic Cameras Would Cause Cities to Forfeit State Funding Under Seitz bill

HB 410 is set for a vote out of the House Government Accountability and Oversight Committee tomorrow @ 1:00 PM in Rm 114. This bill continues the legislature’s attempts to prohibit municipalities from utilizing traffic cameras as a tool to enforce traffic laws. Past attempts have been struck down in court as a violation of Ohio’s constitutional Home Rule provision. Specifically, among other things, HB 410 would inversely reduce a municipalities’ Local Government Fund share from the state by the amount of fines it collects by the use of traffic cameras.

Both Houses Set for Session This Week

Senate Session – Tuesday, February 20th @ 1:30 PM House Session – Wednesday, February 21st @ 1:30 PM