Ohio House Concurs with Senate on House Bill 493, Sends Legislation to Governor

The Ohio House of Representatives today concurred on amendments made by the Ohio Senate to legislation that revises Ohio’s child abuse and neglect reporting law. Included among the changes made by the Senate was language from House Bill 69, otherwise known as the Heartbeat Bill.

The bill, originally sponsored by Representative Scott Ryan (R-Granville Twp.) and former Representative Barbara Sears (R-Monclova Twp.), permits multiple medical providers to submit a single report in the instance of suspected child abuse or neglect. The change provides protections for health care providers and aligns the current practices with care coordination, clarifying and updating the child abuse and neglect reporting law.

Through the Senate legislative process, House Bill 69, originally sponsored by Representatives Christina Hagan (R-Alliance) and Ron Hood (R-Ashville), was incorporated in the legislation. The provisions prohibit a person from knowingly performing an abortion with the intent of causing the termination of the life of a fetus whose heartbeat has been detected. Violation of this prohibition is considered a fifth degree felony under the bill. House Bill 69 was previously passed by the Ohio House earlier this year.

“The language included in both House Bill 493 and House Bill 69 serve one ultimate goal, to protect our most vulnerable population, our children and the unborn,” said Representative Tim Ginter, who spoke on behalf of the amendments during session today. “As chairman of the House Community and Family Advancement Committee, it has been a focus of mine and of this assembly to not only improve the quality of life in Ohio, but to also prevent loss of life where we can.”

Amended Substitute House Bill 493 will now be under consideration by the Governor.