State Lawmaker Proposes Bill to Reimburse Fines and Expunge Records for Ohio Businesses

The Ohio Star ^ | February 20, 2021 | Jack Windsor

[CheshireTheCat]

State Representative Derek Merrin (R-Monclova) introduced a bill Wednesday that would both expunge the records of businesses cited for COVID violations and return fines and penalties paid.

Upon its introduction, House Bill 127 was assigned to the House State and Local Government Committee on Thursday.

HB127 does not contain an emergency provision, which means if it is passed in both the House and Senate and were approved by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine – or if it passes both chambers and is vetoed by DeWine but then overridden with supermajority votes in the General Assembly – the bill would go into effect 90 days later.

The meat of the measure is twofold:

expunges the records of all businesses whose files reflect violations of codes, orders or rules enacted by state agencies or local boards of health related to the State of Ohio COVID response; returns to businesses penalties and fines paid for violations.

The expungements and refunds reach back to March 14, 2020 and will extend forward.

“Our businesses have suffered enough. Punitive fines accomplish nothing at this time. Orders are ambiguous and constantly changing – it’s unfair to hold businesses to these orders,” Merrin said during a phone interview with The Ohio Star....

[CheshireTheCat]

Sounds like we might have a good candidate for higher office here.

[CheshireTheCat]

For your consideration.

[CommerceComet]

Take the reimbursements out of the governor’s budget.

[Revel]

How about a bill to pay landlords who can’t collect the rent and are coming to financial ruin? The government is depriving them unconstitutionally of there right to there property.

[RC one]

Ohio used to be considered a swing state. I'm not so sure that's the case anymore-not when you consider that Trump beat Biden by 20,685 more votes than he beat Clinton despite there being 511,604 more votes cast in 2020 and we picked up a Republican state senate senate seat in a district that has been reliably Democrat for over 50 years. This is only the second time in over 50 years that a Republican senator has won Ohio Senate District 32 and t has been 30 years since a Republican has won this district.

This looks more like a reliable red state than a purple state.

Trump beat Clinton by 454,983 votes out of 5,322,395 votes cast.

Trump beat Biden by 475,669 votes out of 5,833,999 votes cast.

[Lowell1775]

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State Lawmaker Proposes Bill to Reimburse Fines and Expunge Records for Ohio Businesses
The Ohio Star ^ | February 20, 2021 | Jack Windsor
Posted on 2/20/2021, 2:34:39 PM by CheshireTheCat