Buckeye Briefs: Parking for pregnant women could come in the future

Audio By Carbonatix

(The Center Square) – Pregnant women in Ohio could find public parking a little easier.

A bill in the House of Representatives would allow pregnant women to apply for a special removable windshield placard to allow parking in accessible spaces during pregnancy and the first few months after giving birth.

The placard would be good for one year and nonrenewable. However, a woman could apply for a new one during subsequent pregnancies.

An applicant would have to submit an application to the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles that includes a prescription from a health care provider that states the due date of the expected child.

House Bill 450 is in the Children and Human Services Committee. It has yet to have its first hearing.

School bus safety

The state of Ohio is using $10 million in taxpayer funds to create a new program focused on school transportation safety.

The money will provide grants for repair, replacement and additions to school bus safety features or safety upgrades on a new bus.

The new program comes after the Ohio School Bus Safety Working Group released a 2024 report that said opportunities were available to make school buses safer.

The group recommended the state create a program to offer funding for districts to make safety improvements.

Fighting overdose

Ohio is taking advantage of a new law to bypass normal procedures and exempt drug testing tools from the definition of drug paraphernalia.

Authorities believe the change, created by an executive order from Gov. Mike DeWine, could prevent drug overdoses. The Ohio Board of Control can now adopt a rule to exempt xylazine, medetomidine, nitazenes, benzodiazepine, and related compounds from the definition of drug paraphernalia.

“Items such as test strips have been shown to reduce the risk of overdose, and these items are important in Ohio’s overall strategy to lower overdose deaths,” DeWine said.  “We are removing barriers for communities to access tools that prevent overdose and save lives.”