2025 OH Legislative Scorecard

SB50 changes Ohio's child-labor rules by altering age and schooling certificate requirements and extending allowable work hours for minors under 16—particularly allowing 14- and 15-year-olds to work until 9 p.m. during the school year with parental consent rather than being limited to earlier hours.

The Ohio State Senate passed SB50 on April 9, 2025 by a vote of 24 to 9. We have assigned pluses to the ayes because this bill restores reasonable flexibility for families by allowing parents—not government regulators—to determine whether their 14- or 15-year-old children may work extended evening hours. When employment is voluntary, the state should not impose unnecessary restrictions that interfere with a young person's opportunity to gain experience, develop responsibility, and earn income. Parents have the primary authority over the upbringing and supervision of their children, and that authority is protected by longstanding constitutional principles of due process and freedom of association, which are retained under the Bill of Rights and the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

SB63 prohibits any general or primary election from using ranked-choice voting (RCV), and adds provisions to withhold Local Government Fund distributions from a municipality or chartered county that implements ranked-choice voting through local ordinance or resolution.

The Ohio State Senate passed SB63 on May 14, 2025 by a vote of 27 to 5. We have assigned pluses to the ayes because RCV undermines election integrity and the electorate's ability to choose the best candidate. By design, RCV favors moderate-to-leftist candidates who often fail to uphold the Constitution. This complex, multi-round system can result in winners who lack true plurality support, and imposes ballot-marking requirements that may pressure voters to act against their conscience. States should firmly reject all attempts to implement this unconstitutional voting method.

SB85 would have authorized a new license-plate design supporting the Ohio chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and establishes a related contribution fund to collect and distribute fees from motorists who choose the plate.

The Ohio State Senate passed SB85 on June 18, 2025 by a vote of 32 to 0. We have assigned pluses to the nays because government should not use official state instruments, such as license plates, to advance organizations or Marxist woke ideologies that emphasize identity-based politics. While participation would be voluntary, state endorsement through specialty plates places government in the position of promoting leftist movements that often frame public policy through the lens of race and "equity" rather than equal protection under the law. The Declaration of Independence affirms that "all men are created equal" and endowed with unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, which is further codified by the 14th Amendment. Equality before the law—not equity of outcomes—is the American founding principle. Lawmakers should avoid policies that risk deepening division and instead uphold the constitutional ideal of equal rights for all.

SB172 would amend state law to specify that people who are unlawfully present in the United States "are not privileged from arrest." In practice, SB172 would require state and local officials to allow the arrest or detention of individuals suspected of being undocumented, including in places such as courthouses, schools, and other public settings, even without a judicial warrant—overriding local policies that had limited such arrests.

The Ohio State Senate passed SB172 on June 18, 2025 by a vote of 23 to 8. We have assigned pluses to the ayes because this bill reinforces the rule of law by clarifying that unlawful presence does not grant immunity from arrest. By preventing local governments from shielding individuals from enforcement actions, SB172 strengthens cooperation between state and federal authorities and affirms that immigration laws must be applied consistently. Illegal entry into the United States is a crime, and a sovereign nation has both the authority and the obligation to enforce its borders. Ensuring that state and local officials do not obstruct lawful enforcement actions helps protect public safety, preserve the integrity of citizenship, and uphold constitutional order.

HB335 limits how much revenue local governments and school districts can raise from "inside millage" property taxes without voter approval. It caps the growth in property-tax revenue to the rate of inflation during county reappraisals or updates, directs county budget commissions to adjust inside millage so increases don't exceed an inflation-based factor, and makes related changes to county budget and tax rules.

The Ohio Senate passed HB335 on November 19, 2025 by a vote of 23 to 10. We have assigned pluses to the ayes because this bill restrains the automatic growth of property-tax collections. By limiting revenue increases, the bill curbs unchecked expansion of local government and school-district budgets. Elected officials should focus on reducing spending and easing the tax burden, not relying on reappraisals and technical adjustments to generate more revenue. Taxpayers deserve transparency, accountability, and meaningful limits on government growth.