College free speech, nursing home visitation now law in Ohio

Gov. Mike DeWine signed nine bills into law earlier this week, including one that ensures students and professors at state colleges and universities retain free speech rights.

Senate Bill 135 allows Ohio college students and professors to speak more freely without fear of punishment. It was part of a wide-ranging post-secondary education bill that passed the General Assembly earlier this month.

The law also addresses student financial aid, workforce development and offers a second-chance voucher system that would provide a pathway for people to return to school and earn a degree.

DeWine also signed into law House Bill 120, which allows compassionate care visits in long-term care facilities during an epidemic, pandemic or other states of emergency.

The law also requires long-term care facilities to develop and implement a visitation policy.

“Substitute House Bill 120 was drafted in response to concerns from residents in my district who could not access their loved ones in nursing homes due to COVID-19 restrictions.” state Rep. Mark Fraizer, R-Newark, said. “This legislation ensures necessary compassionate care access for our most vulnerable population so that the isolation experienced during COVID-19 will never happen again.”

The law takes effect in 90 days.

The other bills signed into law deal with travel insurance, drug tests and drug trafficking, the Agriculture Linked Deposit Program, processes for local governments to contest property value, the agricultural lease law, new specialty license plates, and the alignment of the Ohio EPA’s regulatory authority with federal requirements.