Schmidt Highlights Legislation Reported out of House Committees

COLUMBUS – Legislation to improve care for stroke patients was passed out of the Ohio House Health Committee this week, announced State Representative Jean Schmidt (R-Loveland). 

Schmidt and her joint sponsor, State Representative Beth Liston (D-Dublin), aim to codify a stroke registry database in Ohio with House Bill 431. 

“I’m very pleased by the Committee’s support for this bill,” said Schmidt. “Stroke is the fifth-leading cause of death and a leading cause of disability among Americans. Ohio’s stroke healthcare providers must have a reliable database to help combat the threats posed to an individual’s health.” 

Ohio’s current version of such a database is the Ohio Coverdell Stroke Program. While the program provides valuable resources and information, it is not always guaranteed due to reliance on funding from the CDC. The bill would ensure that the Ohio Department of Health has the necessary time to utilize a stroke registry database and create a new one in the future if necessary.

An additional focus for Schmidt has been the fight against human sex trafficking in Ohio, which led her to sponsor House Bill 276 with State Representative Jena Powell (R-Arcanum) as a joint sponsor. 

“I’m excited to report that H.B. 276 was unanimously voted out of Health Committee on Thursday,” said Schmidt. “Studies show that there is an estimate of 1,032 known minor and young adult victims and 4,209 at-risk individuals of being trafficked. It’s this body’s responsibility to better protect those individuals.” 

Current law makes it difficult to charge pimps and traffickers because they are not physically present at the scene where prostitution is occurring. H.B. 276 would eliminate this loophole by prohibiting an individual from knowingly receiving money or anything of value from a prostitute that was exchanged for sexual activity. 

Should the measure be signed into law, accepting such profit would be considered a third degree felony. If the prostitute is a minor, the penalty would increase to a second degree felony. 

Both H.B. 431 and H.B. 276 now await referrals to the House Floor.