Policymaking at the Statehouse hangs in limbo as House Republicans struggle to reach a consensus on who should be the next speaker. However, lawmakers are continuing to hear bills in committee and the fate of several pieces of legislation are up in the air.
Eleven bills are before the House Criminal Justice Committee, including a measure that expunges criminal records for certain human trafficking victims and the so-called Reagan Tokes bill, which revamps sentencing and parole.
The so-called Stand Your Ground bill, which makes it easier to use lethal force as self-defense, could get a vote out of committee and might move out of the House before summer break. The bill, as well as Gov. John Kasich’s slate of gun-control provisions, is scheduled for another hearing but likely won’t get a vote this week.
Bills to increase penalties for assaulting a police dog and to better define public records laws for police body cameras are both scheduled for a vote out of committee as well.
