House Bill 609, a bipartisan proposal, would amend the Ohio Open Meetings Act to give residents the right to speak before officials vote on agenda items.
Ohio lawmakers have introduced legislation requiring all public bodies across the state to allow residents to speak before officials take formal action on any agenda item.COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio lawmakers have introduced legislation that would require public bodies across the state to allow residents to speak before officials take formal action on any agenda item.
The law would apply to state boards, county and township boards, city councils, school districts and other political subdivisions. The bipartisan bill has five cosponsors, including Democratic Reps. Sean Brennan of Parma and Chris Glassburn of North Olmstead. The driving issue behind the legislation was an 8-2 Canton City Council vote that eliminated the “public speaks,” portion of meetings last month, lawmakers toldIn Canton, council Majority Leader John Mariol said that the public comment section of meetings had “increasingly devolved into an unproductive and often hostile spectacle,” The Canton Repositoryrequires public bodies conduct official business in meetings open to the public. They also must provide notice of meeting times and locations. But state law does not explicitly mandate time for public comment. In other words, the public has the right to attend and observe meetings, but not an automatic right to participate or comment on the meeting. Practices vary, with some bodies providing extensive opportunities for citizen input, while others limit or exclude it. The new bill would formalize what has been an optional practice into a legal requirement. Under the proposed legislation, public bodies would be prohibited from voting or acting on any matter without first allowing public testimony. Officials would be able to impose ‘reasonable restrictions’ on the length and nature of the commentary but could not require residents to register or obtain advance approval before speaking. However, the bill allows public bodies to request a speaker’s name and contact information before granting permission to speak. The legislation would continue existing exemptions for circumstances where privacy would be necessary – including grand juries, certain regulatory proceedings and child fatality review boards. It would also not affect executive sessions, or a private portion of a meeting, dealing with subjects such as personnel matters, pending litigation, or property transactions. Any person could sue public bodies that violate this law. Courts could issue injunctions and order violating bodies to pay a $500 civil penalty plus court costs and attorney fees. Additionally, public officials who knowingly violate court injunctions could be removed from office. The legislation was introduced in the House last week and still must go through committee hearings before reaching the House floor and possibly going to the Senate for consideration.Mary Frances McGowan is a political reporter for Cleveland.com. Prior to joining the team in 2025, McGowan was most recently a staff correspondent at National Journal, where she covered political campaigns for...
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