New Ohio law requires employers to provide a pay stub to workers

Ohio employers will soon be required to give their workers pay stubs due to a law Gov. Mike DeWine signed Wednesday.

House Bill 106, also known as the Pay Stub Protection Act, aims to increase transparency and fairness in the workplace. Ohio was one of only nine states that did not ensure employees received pay stubs prior to the bill's signing.

HB 106 was one of many bills DeWine signed Wednesday including House Bill 8 also known as the 'Parent's Bill of Rights' and House Bill 531 or 'Braden's Law' that criminalized sextortion.

“For too long, Ohio was one of the few states where workers lacked a fundamental protection — the right to receive a pay stub,” state Rep. Dontavius Jarrells, D-Columbus, said in a press release. “With this new law, every hardworking Ohioan will have the documentation they need to verify their wages, hours, and deductions without the burden of legal battles. This is a game-changer for working families.”

Jarrells also said in the release that not receiving pay stubs led to challenges in disputing wage discrepancies. The bill received bipartisan support and was sponsored by Jarrells and Rep. Scott Lipps, R-Franklin. The new law will take effect in 90 days on April 8.

This legislation was originally introduced in 2019 by late State Rep. Brigid Kelley who died in March. That bill passed through the House but did not make it out of committee in the Senate.

Donovan Hunt is a fellow in the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism's Statehouse News Bureau.