Health-related bills pass Ohio House

State legislators passed several bills as they worked this week to wrap up the 127th General Assembly (Source: “Lame-duck legislature offers plenty of new laws,” Columbus Dispatch, Dec. 18, 2008).

Among the bills not awaiting Gov. Ted Strickland’s signature are:
• House Bill 267, which would allow the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction to create a recruitment program for health care workers in state prisons. The bill would offer student loan repayment as part of employment contracts with physicians, nurses or dentists.

• House Bill 280, which mandates that facilities where abortions are performed post a sign saying that no one can force someone to have an abortion. The measure also toughens penalties for domestic violence when the offender knows the victim is pregnant.

• House Bill 320, which would require automobile booster seats for children who are between 4 and 8 years old and shorter than 4 feet 9 inches tall. If the bill is signed, Ohio would become the 39th state to enact such requirements.