Newly Introduced Ohio Legislation

Ohio House Representatives Dorothy Pelanda and Nicholas Celebrezze introduced a bill last Wednesday that would:

• “permit a court to grant a motion for permanent custody of a child if the child or another child in the custody of the parent has been adjudicated an abused, neglected, or dependent child on three separate occasions,

• require the court to appoint a guardian ad litem in any proceeding concerning an alleged dependent child & require guardian ad litem for an alleged or adjudicated abused, neglected, or dependent child to file any motions and other court papers in accordance with rules adopted by the Supreme Court,

• require foster caregivers to use a reasonable and prudent parent standard when authorizing a foster child to participate in activities & exempt the caregiver from civil or criminal liability that results from a foster caregiver's or agency's decisions made in good faith,

• limit the circumstances under which a child is placed into a planned permanent living arrangement.

and Representative Anthony DeVitis a bill

- To authorize a board of education or governing authority of a school to enter into an agreement with a volunteer who is a current or retired law enforcement officer to patrol school premises to prevent or respond to a mass casualty event, and generally provide a board of education or governing authority of a school and to such a volunteer immunity from civil liability for injury, death, or loss arising from the volunteer’s services, and to provide a tax credit for volunteer service.