Ohio lawmakers are rushing to pass bills during the lame-duck session

For the next month, Ohio lawmakers are rushing to pass all the remaining bills they want before the end of the year. It’s a race to the finish.

“There needs to be a sense of urgency to get this done,” Gov. Mike DeWine said.

Any remaining bill that is not passed during the lame duck session dies. For the bill to pass, lawmakers would have to go through the same process starting next year.

The most immediate priority is DeWine.

“Tweaked cannabis is being sold at gas stations across Ohio,” the governor said. “There is no age limit.”

For months, he has been calling on lawmakers to regulate or outright ban the utilize of delta-8 – what he calls “intoxicating cannabis.” Right now, anyone can legally purchase this low-potency marijuana in convenience stores. There are bills in each chamber regulating this issue.

The next priority is SJR 4, a recent constitutional amendment. House Majority Leader Bill Seitz (R-Cincinnati) explained that this would renew Ohio’s authority to issue bonds to finance public infrastructure capital improvement projects at the local level.

“We intend to put this bond issue on the May ballot,” Seitz said.

Next is some bill focusing on property taxes. House Minority Whip Dani Isaacsohn HB 645 is held up on all sides.

“There is a bipartisan bill… I am proud to be one of the sponsors that would create a circuit breaker that would provide a credit or rebate of up to $1,000 to both renters and homeowners with property taxes,” Isaacsohn (D- Cincinnati) said .

There is also HB 7, which is stuck in the Senate. This bill would expand access to prenatal, postnatal, and infant and toddler services and supports.

“This appears to be a bill that seeks to address the infant and maternal mortality crisis that has plagued Ohio for years… It is really about helping our unborn and born children, their parents and our families, so they can live and thrive , reaching their full God-given potential, giving them the best start in life,” said State Representative Andrea White (R-Kettering).

And while all of this legislation has been bipartisan so far, Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood) explained that Democrats are trying to defend themselves on multiple levels.

“I don’t want any Ohioan to have their rights taken away,” she said.

One such bill considered troubling to Democrats was Senate Bill No. 104banning transgender students from using the bathroom of their choice. This bill was sent to Gov. Mike DeWine’s desk for his signature after being approved by the Ohio Senate on Wednesday.

There are hundreds of other bills, but it’s up to lawmakers to decide which ones pass and which ones will have to go through the entire consideration process again in the next General Assembly.

This is also happening in a lame duck — the leadership of the next General Assembly will be elected, particularly the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

This article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and are published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication on other news outlets because it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland.