Dozens of new laws take effect in Ohio — here are some that may impact you - fox8.com

Dozens of new laws take effect in Ohio — here are some that may impact you - fox8.com

OHIO -- State lawmakers were very busy in Ohio last year. Just in the past month, they've passed more than 50 new laws.

They affect anything from minimum wage and abortion to how you keep your chickens and drive around bikes.

Here's a list of many of those bills that will go into effect in 2017:

Education
Senate Bill 3: Local schools now don't have to get state education approval about how they make up snow days.
House Bill 410: Students can no longer be expelled or suspended for missing an excessive number of school days.

Health
Senate Bill 127: This bill prohibits abortion when gestational age is 20 weeks or more.

Firearms
Senate Bill 199: This bill allows Ohioans to now carry concealed firearms in places like daycare centers, public areas of airports and in school safety zones. It gives colleges and universities the authority to allow weapons on their campuses. Privately-owned businesses can still issue bans in their facilities. Ohioans will also be able to keep their guns in their cars, regardless of the location of the vehicle.

Minimum wage
Senate Bill 331: This bill prohibits political subdivisions from establishing minimum wage rates different from the rate required by state law. The state minimum wage will increase by 5 cents to adjust for inflation. Officials say non-tipped workers must be paid an hourly wage of at least $8.15 beginning Jan. 1, 2017. Tipped workers are slated to receive a minimum of $4.08 an hour — a bump of 3 cents.

Animals
Senate Bill 331: Cities will not be able to limit where pet stores can buy dogs for adoption. This gets rid of a law in Grove City, Ohio, that tried to prevent pet stores from using so-called puppy mills. 
Senate Bill 331: Cockfighting now is considered a felony.

For motorists
House Bill 154: Motorists now have to give cyclists a three-foot clearance while passing.
House Bill 154: Drivers can now go through a stop light if it malfunctions and doesn't detect your vehicle coming to a stop. The law says after a reasonable amount of time, motorists can proceed through the stop as long as the coast is clear.
House Bill 300: A person convicted of killing someone with a car will have their license suspension begin after they get out of prison rather than during their prison sentence.

For a complete list of laws that go into effect in Ohio this year, click here. 

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