COLUMBUS (December 29, 2006) - Governor Bob Taft today signed the following bills, which will be filed with the Secretary of State's office.

Substitute Senate Bill 126, sponsored by state Senator Lynn R. Wachtmann (R-Napoleon), modifies the laws governing county hospitals and licensed practical nurse duties and exemptst a state agency or agency of a political subdivision from the requirement that it disclose or give notice of unauthorized access to personal information if the agency is a covered entity under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. The bill goes into effect 90 days after it is signed by the Governor and filed with the Secretary of State.

Substitute Senate Bill 137, sponsored by state Senator David Goodman (R-Columbus), increases the penalty for a failure to make a mandatory report of abuse or neglect of a child from a misdemeanor of the fourth degree to a misdemeanor of the first degree. The bill goes into effect 90 days after it is signed by the Governor and filed with the Secretary of State.

Senate Bill 277, sponsored by state Senator Jeff Jacobson (R-Butler Township), creates the National Statuary Collection Study Committee to recommend an individual to replace Governor William Allen as one of Ohio's representatives in the National Statuary Collection in the United States Capitol.
The bill goes into effect 90 days after it is signed by the Governor and filed with the Secretary of State.

Substitute Senate Bill 279, sponsored by state Senator Steve Stivers (R-Columbus), exempts the Ohio Insurance Guaranty Association from being obligated to pay more than a single three hundred thousand dollar claim for injury or death to any one person and a claim of an insured whose net worth exceeds fifty million dollars and to exempt certain reciprocal insurers from participation in the Ohio Insurance Guaranty Association. The bill goes into effect 90 days after it is signed by the Governor and filed with the Secretary of State.

Substitute House Bill 71, sponsored by state Representative Jimmy Stewart (R-Athens), permits a member of the Public Employees Retirement System, State Teachers Retirement System, School Employees Retirement System, or State Highway Patrol Retirement System to purchase military service credit for duty in the Ohio National Guard or reserves and to authorize school boards to grant high school diplomas to women who left high school to support their families or the war effort during World War II, the Korean Conflict, or the Vietnam Conflict. The bill goes into effect 90 days after it is signed by the Governor and filed with the Secretary of State.

Amended Substitute House Bill 79, sponsored by state Representative Tom Raga (R-Mason), makes changes to the laws and requirements governing educators in the state. The bill goes into effect 90 days after it is signed by the Governor and filed with the Secretary of State.

Substitute House Bill 80, sponsored by state Representative Geoffrey C. Smith (R-Upper Arlington), prohibits a state agency from awarding a public improvement contract unless its terms require the contractors and subcontractors to participate in a specified drug-free workplace program. The bill goes into effect 90 days after it is signed by the Governor and filed with the Secretary of State.

Substitute House Bill 141, sponsored by state Representative John R. Willamowski (R-Lima), gives parole officers, prosecuting attorneys in most cases, assistant prosecuting attorneys, and certain correctional and youth services employees the same options as peace officers with respect to confidentiality of certain personal information; to expand the materials excluded from the definition of "public record" to also include a photograph of a peace officer who holds a position or has an assignment that may include undercover or plain clothes positions or assignments as determined by the peace officer's appointing authority; and to eliminate the exclusion from the definition of "public record" that currently applies to a record that identifies a person's occupation as a peace officer, firefighter, or EMT and is not related to the Campaign Finance Law. The bill goes into effect 90 days after it is signed by the Governor and filed with the Secretary of State.

Substitute House Bill 187, sponsored by state Representative Stephen Buehrer (R-Delta), implements recommendations of the Civil Service Review Commission and to make other changes to the civil service laws. The bill goes into effect 90 days after it is signed by the Governor and filed with the Secretary of State.

House Bill 236, sponsored by state Representative John J. White (R-Kettering), creates the "Donate Life" license plate. The bill goes into effect 90 days after it is signed by the Governor and filed with the Secretary of State.

Substitute House Bill 241, sponsored by state Representative Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green), adopts the Criminal Sentencing Commission's recommendations regarding revision of the Forfeiture Laws. The bill goes into effect 90 days after it is signed by the Governor and filed with the Secretary of State.

Amended Substitute House Bill 276, sponsored by state Representative Jimmy Stewart (R-Athens), repeals section 3319.227 of the Revised Code with respect to school policies prohibiting harassment, intimidation, or bullying; to expand in-service training in child abuse prevention that school districts and community schools must provide. The bill goes into effect 90 days after it is signed by the Governor and filed with the Secretary of State.

Substitute House Bill 285, sponsored by state Representative John R. Willamowski (R-Lima), prohibits parole officers of the Adult Parole Authority from being required to use private vehicles for certain purposes during the course of their employment. The bill goes into effect 90 days after it is signed by the Governor and filed with the Secretary of State.

Substitute House Bill 293, sponsored by state Representative Sally Conway Kilbane (R-Rocky River), authorizes boards of county commissioners to establish property tax payment linked deposit programs to assist senior citizens and permanently and totally disabled citizens in paying property taxes on their homesteads, and to change who pays sales or use taxes when employment service personnel are supplied by the purchaser to a third party as an employment service. The bill goes into effect 90 days after it is signed by the Governor and filed with the Secretary of State.

Substitute House Bill 371, sponsored by state Representative Stephen Buehrer (R-Delta), creates the Fuel Production Task Force to study opportunities and barriers to increasing fuel production in Ohio. The bill goes into effect 90 days after it is signed by the Governor and filed with the Secretary of State.

Substitute House Bill 487, sponsored by state Representative Chris Widener (R-Springfield), makes changes to the laws and requirements of property owners regarding home construction contracts. The bill goes into effect 90 days after it is signed by the Governor and filed with the Secretary of State.

Amended House Bill 671, sponsored by state Representative Shawn N. Webster (R-Hamilton), revises the laws on the employment of school district and educational service center treasurers.
The bill goes into effect 90 days after it is signed by the Governor and filed with the Secretary of State.

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Contact: Mark Rickel, Press Secretary, at (614) 644-0957.

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