Ohio Legislation and Documents

Bill Analyses and Status Report of Legislation are both publications of the Legislative Service Commission (LSC) and are available as part of this web site. A Bill Analysis is detailed narrative description of each bill that is scheduled for a hearing in committee, and is updated as the bill moves through the legislative process. LSC also tracks the status of each bill introduced during the General Assembly. The Status Report of Legislation is published weekly during periods in which the General Assembly is in session. The report lists all bills and resolutions introduced in the General Assembly as of the date of issue and their progress through the legislative process as of the end of the preceding week. It lists the dates on which any legislative action was taken on each bill or resolution.

LSC performs a fiscal analysis of each bill and prepares a Fiscal Note based on this analysis. Fiscal notes estimate the effects of proposed legislation on state and local government revenues and expenditures. Local impact statements, which are included in fiscal notes, are required for bills that could result in a net additional cost to school districts, counties, municipalities, or townships.

The only official publication of the activities of the Senate and House are the Journals of each chamber. The Senate Journals and House Journals are updated at the end of each session. This is the only publication setting forth amendments as introduced and voted upon the floor. The Journals are available on-line, and can be picked up in paper form at the LSC Copy Center on the ground level of the State House.

A supplemental document to the Journals is the Bulletin published by the General Assembly and available in the Senate Bill Room. The Bulletin is a condensed version of the Journal, providing information organized by bill number, and breaking out information such as ORC and Constitutional sections to be modified, summarized content of the bill itself, actions taken on the bill, etc. For questions concerning the Bulletin, please call the Senate Clerk's Office at (614) 466-4900.

The complete text of the 1851 version of the Ohio Constitution is also available through this website. It includes all amendments through 2010.

Laws of Ohio, a publication of the Secretary of State's office issued at the end of each General Assembly, is the only official publication of the enactments of the General Assembly. (Enactments are the bills passed by the Senate and House and sent to the Governor for his signature or veto.) This publication contains all the laws passed by the General Assembly, including the ones vetoed by the Governor, as well as the uncodified laws (those laws which are not permanent in nature and not codified in the Revised Code.) The acts filed with the Secretary of State's office are the actual statutory law of Ohio. The Ohio Revised Code, whether in book for or on-line is only a reference and not the official record. For more information on the Laws of Ohio, contact the Secretary of State's office.

You can access the Ohio Revised Code on-line. It contains the codified sections of acts signed by the Governor.

Administrative rules, written statements of law adopted by an administrative agency pursuant to authority granted by the General Assembly to carry out the policies and intent of a statute enacted by the General Assembly, are codified in the Ohio Administrative Code once they are adopted. For proposed rules, search the Register of Ohio.