Sub. S.B. 243*

127th General Assembly

(As Reported by H. State Government and Elections)

Sens. Schaffer, Gardner, Jacobson, Boccieri, Carey, Harris, Seitz, Smith, Goodman, Faber, Cates, Grendell, Niehaus, Buehrer, Fedor, Mumper, Spada, Wagoner, Wilson

BILL SUMMARY

· Adopts the tomato as the state fruit.

· Adopts the pawpaw as the state native fruit.

· Designates the month of January as "Fibromyalgia Awareness Month."

· Designates February 6 as "Ronald Reagan Day."

· Designates the calendar week including the eighth day of February as "Ohio Boy Scout Week."

· The bill designates February as "Black History Month" to honor and recognize the contributions that African-Americans have made in the history of Ohio and the United States (R.C. 5.2235).

· Designates May as "Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month."

· Designates May as "Nurses Month."

· Designates June 19 as "Juneteenth National Freedom Day."

· Designates the third Saturday in August as "Brothers and Sisters' Day" to honor and recognize siblings (R.C. 5.2241).

· Designates the first Saturday following the first Monday in September as "Lithopolis Honeyfest Day."

· Designates September as "Ohio Preparedness Month" to highlight the importance of preparedness on the part of all Ohioans in the event of an emergency (R.C. 5.2241).

· Designates the month of September as "Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month."

· Designates the month of September as "Brain Aneurysm Awareness Month."

· Designates the month of September as "Childhood Cancer Awareness Month" to increase public awareness of childhood cancer.

· Designates October 22 of each year as "U.S.S. Hocking Day."

· Designates the Saturday before Thanksgiving as "Adoption Day."

· Designates the month of November as "Omega Psi Phi Month."

· Designates November of each year as "Epilepsy Awareness Month."

· Designates each December 21 as "Homeless Persons' Memorial Day."

· "Ohio Save for Retirement Week" is designated during the same week as "National Save for Retirement Week" is designated by federal law.

· Designates calendar year 2008 as the "Year of the Veteran."

· Makes persons who served in the armed forces of the United States in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom or in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom and who are on active duty or are honorably discharged veterans eligible to apply for and receive veterans license plates that currently are available to veterans of other military actions and wars.

· Creates "Sickle Cell Anemia Awareness" license plates and requires the $10 contributions paid by persons who obtain the license plates to be paid to the Ohio Sickle Cell and Health Association.

· Requires the Ohio Sickle Cell and Health Association to use the contributions it receives under the bill to help support educational, clinical, and social support services for adults who have sickle cell disease.

· Creates "Multiple Sclerosis Awareness" license plates and requires the $15 contributions paid by persons who obtain the license plates to be paid in equal amounts to the Northwestern Ohio, Ohio Buckeye, and Ohio Valley chapters of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

· Requires the three Ohio chapters to use the contributions they receive under the bill to assist in paying the expenses they incur in providing services directly to their clients.

· Creates "In God We Trust" license plates.

· Creates "Thank You U.S. Military" license plates and requires the $10 contributions paid by persons who obtain the license plates to be paid to the Thank You Foundation.

· Requires the Thank You Foundation to use the contributions it receives under the bill to assist it in paying for the charitable activities and programs it sponsors in support of United States military personnel, veterans, and their families.

· Creates Historically Black Fraternity-Sorority license plates, available to members of nine specific historically black fraternities and sororities.

· Designates a portion of Interstate Route 270 located within Franklin County between mile marker one and mile marker three as the "Trooper Wendy G. Everett Memorial Highway."

· Designates a portion of United States Route 62 located within southwestern Franklin County between mile marker one and mile marker two as the "Patrolman Jerry R. Neff Memorial Highway."

· Designates the portion of Interstate Route 270 located within Franklin County between mile markers 45 and 47 as the "Trooper Jody S. Dye Memorial Highway."

· Designates the bridge that is part of U.S. Route 50 West and spans the North Fork Creek at Slate Mills in Ross County as the "Deputy Lawrence Barnes Memorial Bridge."

· Designates the bridge that spans the Scioto River in Chillicothe in Ross County and that is part of the connector portion of State Route 207 as the "Don E. Carnes Bridge."

· Permits the Director of Transportation to erect suitable markers along the highways and on the bridges or their approaches indicating their names.

· Designates the bridge spanning the Conneaut Creek, located in the municipal corporation of Conneaut in Ashtabula County and that is part of United States Route 20, as "The Ohio Veterans Memorial Bridge."

· Permits the Director of Transportation to erect suitable markers on the bridge or its approaches indicating its name.

· Designates the portion of Interstate Route 275 located within Clermont County only as the "S. Sgt. Matt Maupin Veteran's Memorial Highway" and authorizes the Director of Transportation to erect suitable markers along the highway indicating its name.

· Designates the portion of State Route 800 located within the municipal corporation of Mineral City in Tuscarawas County only as the "Sergeant Jeremy D. Barnett Memorial Highway" and authorizes the Director of Transportation to erect suitable markers along the highway indicating its name.

· Designates the portion of U.S. Route 23 commencing at the boundary of Franklin and Delaware counties and extending northward to the city of Delaware as the "Branch Rickey Memorial Highway" and authorizes the Director of Transportation to erect suitable markers along the highway indicating its name.

· Designates the portion of Interstate 90 located within the municipal corporation of Willoughby Hills in Lake County only as the "Cpl. Joshua Harmon Memorial Highway" and authorizes the Director of Transportation to erect suitable markers along the highway indicating its name.

· Designates the portion of State Route 2, running in an easterly and westerly direction within Cuyahoga County only, as the "Carl B. Stokes Memorial Highway" and authorizes the Director of Transportation to erect suitable markers along the highway indicating its name.

· Designates a portion of United States Route 50 as the "LCPL Nicholas B. Erdy Memorial Highway."

· Designates the portion of State Route 334 located in Clark County as the "Lance Cpl. Kevin S. Smith Memorial Highway."

· Authorizes the Director of Transportation to erect suitable markers along each highway indicating its name.

· Designates the Lake Milton bridge, located in Mahoning County and that is part of Interstate Route 76, as the "Peter J. Delucia Memorial Bridge."

· Permits the Director of Transportation to erect suitable markers upon the bridge or its approaches indicating its name.

· Designates the portion of State Route 66, commencing at the boundary of Shelby and Miami counties and extending in a southeasterly direction to the intersection of that state route and Washington Avenue within the city of Piqua in Miami County, as the "Cpl. Samuel F. Pearson Memorial Highway."

· Permits the Director of Transportation to erect suitable markers along the highway indicating its name.

· Designates the portion of Interstate 90 located within the municipal corporation of Rocky River in Cuyahoga County only as the "LCPL Danny Scherry Memorial Highway" and authorizes the Director of Transportation to erect suitable markers along the highway indicating its name.

HISTORY

ACTION	DATE
Introduced	10-18-07
Reported, S. State & Local Government & Veterans Affairs	11-15-07
Passed Senate (31-0)	02-05-08
Reported, H. State Gov't & Elections	---

s0243-rh-127.doc/kl

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* This analysis was prepared before the report of the House State Government and Elections Committee appeared in the House Journal. Note that the list of co-sponsors and the legislative history may be incomplete.