The Ohio House and Ohio Senate wrapped up long voting sessions late Thursday night, with the House votes even running into the early morning hours of Friday.
Although lawmakers passed dozens of bills in the process, several issues still on the table as the legislative session, and the year, draw to a close.
Among the bills lawmakers passed are provisions that would allow a person to carry a concealed knife, permit Ohioans to set off fireworks in July, and expand the opportunity for people who commit a non-violent crime to get treatment for substance abuse.
The late-night House session saw a heated debate over the so-called Stand Your Ground bill, which would remove the duty to retreat before using lethal force in self-defense.
And Republicans voted to close debate on a bill that bans telemedicine for the use of abortion medications, denying opponents an opportunity to speak.
The House also approved the conference committee report for SB310, the capital appropriations bill. The legislation would appropriate more than $2.1B for projects such as $1.25M for the Ohio Theatre Restoration, $16M for FC Cincinnati, $800,000 for the Toledo Zoo and $2.1M for the Bureau of Criminal Investigation in London.
Lawmakers are still discussing what to do with the nuclear power plant bailout, which is linked to a racketeering investigation. A measure to delay the subsidies for nuclear plants for one year is still on the table, other opponents have sought a full repeal of the law created through HB6.
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