Ohio bills we're watching during the lame duck season

• Anything not passed by then must start over next term, spurring late-night legislating and dealmaking between the two chambers.

What we're watching: Bills we're following with help from the Statehouse press corps:

🚻 Bathroom bill: Gov. Mike DeWine signed a GOP bill prohibiting transgender students from using bathrooms and locker rooms aligned with their gender identities.

🏫 GOP-led school reforms: A proposed "Parents' Bill of Rights," already passed by the House, would require parental notification of instructional materials involving "sexuality content."

• Lawmakers may require school districts to allow off-campus religious instruction such as LifeWise Academy.
• They're still debating higher ed changes, already passed by the Senate, to prohibit mandatory diversity training and keep universities from endorsing "any controversial belief or policy."

❌ Delta-8 ban: A bill would ban sales of "intoxicating hemp products" sometimes consumed by children, the Ohio Capital Journal reports.

• DeWine supports it, as do children's health organizations.

💵 Abortion restriction: A bill would financially penalize local governments that support those seeking "elective" abortions with transportation or other help, the Toledo Blade reports.

🏈 NIL changes: OSU backs a bill that would let universities directly compensate student athletes for name, image, or likeness deals, the Statehouse News Bureau reports.

• This would codify a DeWine executive order and also allow students to hire agents.

🗳 Infrastructure spending: Legislators eye a May 2025 statewide ballot item asking voters' approval to issue $2.5 billion in bonds to fund local infrastructure projects, the Dayton Daily News reports.

Death penalty: A bipartisan effort to end the practice may come up short again, Ideastream reports.