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The year 2022 will bring about several changes across the Cincinnati region and Ohio.
Below is a working list of new and notable laws, ordinances and changes coming to the state in 2022.
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Starting Jan. 1, 2022, Ohio’s minimum wage will rise again, with the rate going up for nontipped employees by 50 cents an hour — from $8.80 to $9.30.
Workers who receive tips will get a wage increase from $4.40 an hour to $4.65.
Earlier this year, three Ohio lawmakers, including two from Cincinnati, said they were going to introduce legislation that would raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2027.
For the first time since 2013, a new license plate design is available to Ohioans.
Dubbed “Sunshine in Ohio,” the new design was made available to drivers across the state beginning Dec. 29. You can grab yours throughout 2022.
Golden wheat fields are in the foreground. A flowing blue stream cuts through the fields, with rolling green hills behind it. A bright sun takes up the majority of the background, with large skyscrapers peeking over the hills.
A plane reminiscent of the one first flown by the Wright Brothers in 1903 pulls a red banner atop the plate, with a sign that reads “Birthplace of Aviation.”
Related: BMV admits design error on new Ohio license plate; corrects mistake
Beginning July 1, 2022, Ohioans can now legally set off fireworks — but only on certain holidays.
Consumer-grade fireworks can be used on New Year’s Eve and Day, Chinese New Year, Cinco de Mayo, Juneteenth, days on and around July 4, Labor Day, and the Hindu festival of Diwali.
Under previous law, individuals could purchase consumer-grade fireworks in Ohio but had to transport them out of state within 48 hours. But as residents of many neighborhoods in the state could attest, that requirement was almost universally ignored in practice.
Ohioans will soon be able to gamble on some of the state’s college and professional teams starting sometime in 2022 under new legislation
A sports gaming bill was signed into law, permitting sports wagering in Ohio, under the regulatory authority of the Ohio Casino Control Commission and the Ohio Lottery.
The bipartisan bill creates three types of licenses to be overseen by the Ohio Casino Control Commission, with a start date no later than Jan. 1, 2023. The measure will create licenses governing mobile wagering, gambling in brick-and-mortar operations run by casinos and racinos and by professional sport teams and events, and bars and restaurants with gaming kiosks.
A new law changes the rules for brewing and serving and selling alcohol across Ohio.
Notably, Senate Bill 102 — which was signed into law by the governor — would allow Ohioans who are 18 years or older to legally serve alcohol. The current age for carrying open containers is 19.
Additionally, the new law would ease restrictions on local homebrewers and fermenters, exempting them from certain liquor law permits. The legislation addresses issues some Ohioans have faced when brewing, serving, or hosting events without a valid liquor license, despite the fact it is done in a personal capacity on private property.
Additionally, Senate Bill 102 includes provisions to allow certain liquor permit holders to conduct their own homebrew event. Other changes include:
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill imposing criminal penalties on doctors who fail to give medical care in the extremely rare circumstance when a baby is born alive following an abortion attempt.
The governor signed the measure over the objections of abortion rights groups, which strenuously objected to provisions that they say could lead to two clinics in southwest Ohio shutting down.
The measure further requires physicians to report cases of babies born alive after abortion procedures. The legislation also bars clinics that provide abortions from working with doctors who teach at state-funded hospitals and medical schools — which is the part that threatens clinics in southwest Ohio.
Ohio law already punishes doctors who don’t take efforts to save the lives of babies born alive after abortions. It expands Ohio law by including a new crime of “purposely failing to take measures to preserve the health or life of a child.”
In cases of procedures in abortion clinics, doctors must provide care to a baby born alive, call 911 and arrange transportation to a hospital, under the law.
Instances of babies being born alive after an induced pregnancy termination are extremely rare.
Known as Esther’s law, new legislation will allow residents of nursing homes to install electronic monitoring devices in their rooms to prevent neglect and abuse.
Under the bill, a resident or a resident’s guardian or attorney, in fact, may authorize the installation and use of an electronic monitoring device in the resident’s room.
Elder abuse refers to any knowing, intentional or negligent act by a caregiver or any person that causes harm or serious risk of harm to a vulnerable, older adult. From July 1, 2019, through June 30, 2020, county departments of job and family services received more than 32,000 reports of abuse and neglect for adults age 60 and over in Ohio.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed into law a map of new congressional districts on Saturday that will be in effect for the next four years, despite objections from Democrats and voting rights groups.
The question of whether Ohio’s new congressional map was unconstitutionally gerrymandered to favor the Republicans who controlled the mapmaking process drew strong pushback Tuesday among justices of the Ohio Supreme Court.
Oral arguments in two lawsuits challenging the new four-year map showing boundaries for 15 U.S. House districts were pushed online by a new COVID-19 surge.
Justices asked how the new lines were fair to Democrats and minority voters, why opponents must prove it was gerrymandered “beyond a reasonable doubt” and if Ohio voters’ decision to overhaul the state’s redistricting procedures with a 2018 constitutional amendment effectively overruled legal arguments drawn from the battle over Ohio’s current map, drawn in 2011.
Ohio and other states were required to redraw their congressional maps to reflect results of the 2020 census, under which Ohio lost one of its current 16 districts due to lagging population.
Read more here. Challenges to Ohio’s new congressional map reach high court
Aftab Pureval will take over as Cincinnati’s 70th mayor when he’s sworn into office on Jan. 4.
The 39-year-old will replace longtime mayor John Cranley, who is term-limited from running again this year.
Pureval said the city should expect “bold action” within his first 100 days in office.
He said he intends “to shape not just the next four years, but the next four decades for our city.”
Pureval referred to the past two years as difficult for city leadership as a result of the pandemic and the federal corruption indictments that stained the image of city hall.
“We need to take a fresh look at the structural and environmental challenges that have held so many Cincinnatians back and take the necessary steps to ensure our local government works for not just some of us, but for all of us,” he said.
His transition team called him “the complete package.” Descriptive words such as intelligent, energetic, collaborative and compassionate were used.
Pureval wants City Hall to pour forth “deliverable results” by early April. “What people can expect in our first 100 days is bold action,” he said.
Pureval defined that as specific legislation on economic recovery with racial equity, affordable housing, public safety and climate action.
Once newly-elected lawmakers replace the current lame-duck Council, the sticker price for that “bold action” will be front and center.
Read more: Mayor-elect Aftab Pureval says Cincinnati should expect ‘bold action’ within his first 100 days
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