By 1812Blockhouse
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine recently affixed his signature to three pieces of legislation that, taken together, reflect a broad and largely bipartisan spirit at the Statehouse. The trio of new laws — House Bills 377, 393, and 462 — touch on subjects as varied as laser clinics, halfway houses, and school nurses scrambling to respond to a child in anaphylactic shock. Though they share no single theme, each bill addresses a gap in current Ohio law identified by lawmakers with firsthand expertise in the subject matter.
Laser Hair Removal Gets a Modern Makeover
For years, Ohio’s rules governing laser hair removal have operated under a rigid framework that critics in the industry said failed to reflect how modern medical practices actually work. House Bill 377, sponsored by State Representative Kellie Deeter (R-Norwalk), changes that.
The bill amends Section 4731.33 of the Ohio Revised Code — the statute governing light-based medical devices — to accomplish several things at once. First, it explicitly authorizes advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) and physician assistants (PAs) to delegate and supervise laser hair removal procedures performed by registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs), bringing these mid-level providers on par with physicians in the delegation chain. Second, under the new law, a nurse who completes a qualifying training and education program may now be supervised off-site by the delegating provider — a significant change from the previous requirement of on-site supervision. Third, HB 377 reduces the maximum wavelength of electromagnetic radiation produced by covered light-based medical devices to 1,064 nanometers or less, tightening a technical standard that had remained broadly defined for decades.
The legislation also reorganizes the supervision-to-delegate ratios, prohibiting a delegating physician from supervising more than five laser hair removal professionals or five RNs/LPNs at the same time — up from the prior cap of two — a change designed to reduce staffing bottlenecks at busy laser clinics.
The Sponsor’s Perspective
Representative Deeter is uniquely positioned to understand the intricacies of this legislation. A certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) and nurse practitioner with a Doctorate in Nursing Practice from Marysville University of St. Louis, she is also the owner of Firelands Medispa in Willard — a business that operates in the exact regulatory space her bill addresses. Deeter, who represents the 54th House District covering most of Huron County and portions of Lorain County, has long argued that Ohio’s healthcare statutes should reflect clinical realities.
Industry voices backed the change. Testimony before the House Health Committee from Milan Laser Hair Removal — a company with multiple Ohio locations — noted that H.B. 377 would “propose needed amendments to Ohio’s laser hair removal statute” and praised Deeter for her leadership on the issue. The bill passed the Senate on May 13, 2026, and was signed into law two weeks later.
Ohio’s $1 billion-plus medical spa and laser aesthetics industry has long operated under a patchwork of rules that, critics argued, created inconsistency and unnecessary administrative friction. By allowing APRNs and PAs to serve in supervisory roles and permitting off-site oversight for trained nurses, HB 377 aligns Ohio with national best practices in aesthetic medicine. For patients, the practical effect may be wider access to services — more clinics able to operate efficiently with appropriately supervised staff. For practitioners, it offers a clearer, more workable legal framework.
A Fresh Start: ID Cards for Inmates Before Release
When an individual walks out of a prison, halfway house, or community-based correctional facility (CBCF), one of the most immediate obstacles they face is something most Ohioans never think twice about: a state-issued photo ID. Without it, a returning citizen cannot open a bank account, apply for most jobs, rent an apartment, or access many social services. The identity document most of us take for granted becomes a towering barrier on the first day of freedom.
Ohio has known about this problem for years. The 135th General Assembly previously enacted a program requiring the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (DRC) and the Department of Youth Services (DYS) to help eligible inmates obtain state ID cards before release. But the program applied only to those in the direct custody of state-level institutions — leaving out the roughly 7,000-plus Ohioans who complete their sentences through CBCFs and halfway houses. House Bill 393 closes that gap.
What the Law Does
Signed by Governor DeWine on May 21, HB 393 requires community-based correctional facilities, halfway house organizations, and related rehabilitation programs to assist eligible individuals in obtaining a state identification card or driver’s license before completing their program. Under the new law, facilities must begin the ID card application process within a reasonable time prior to an individual completing their programming. Facilities will be responsible for verifying identity, providing applications, collecting supporting documentation, and submitting completed materials directly to the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Critically, the new law also waives ID card fees for those who qualify for the program.
An amendment added in the Ohio Senate extended the bill’s reach to halfway houses — a provision that was not in the original House version — broadening its impact significantly.
Bipartisan Credentials
HB 393 stands out as one of the most genuinely bipartisan measures in the 136th General Assembly. It was co-sponsored by State Representative Gary Click (R-Vickery) and State Representative Darnell T. Brewer (D-Cleveland), and it passed the Ohio House with a unanimous vote of 78-0. The concurrence vote in the House — after the Senate added the halfway house amendment — was equally unanimous.
Representative Click, who has championed criminal justice reform measures throughout his tenure, framed the bill in terms of rehabilitation rather than punishment.
“Reducing recidivism begins with equipping people with all the tools necessary for a fresh start. This bipartisan legislation is a common-sense approach to meeting that need,” he said.
In an earlier interview, he acknowledged a human dimension often overlooked in the policy debate:
“A lot of people who are in there don’t even know where they were born. I never thought about that. That’s pretty sad,” he noted, pointing to the challenge some inmates face in obtaining even the underlying documentation — birth certificates, Social Security records — needed to apply for an ID.
Representative Brewer echoed those sentiments, highlighting how vital documents are foundational to successful reintegration and reducing the risk that someone returns to incarceration.
The Bigger Picture
Research on prisoner reintegration consistently identifies identification as one of the single most important resources a returning citizen can possess. Without it, accessing housing, employment, and healthcare — the three pillars of successful reentry — becomes vastly more difficult. Ohio’s own recidivism data underscores the stakes: around 18,000 people were released from Ohio’s prisons in a single year, with another 75,000 released from jails. The Ohio Supreme Court’s Reentry Task Force has repeatedly recommended that the state improve access to essential documents at the point of release.
The ACLU of Ohio, which supported the bill, noted that “more returning community members will be better equipped to access the necessities critical to their reentry” as a result of HB 393. Jason Varney, vice president of correctional programs for a CBCF in Tiffin, testified that the bill “would promote best practice standards across the state,” offering a consistent and reliable ID program across Ohio’s diverse network of reentry facilities
Nasal Spray in the Nurse’s Office: A Lifesaving Update
For parents of children with severe food allergies, every school day carries a measure of anxiety. Anaphylaxis — the sudden, potentially fatal immune reaction triggered by allergens like peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, or bee stings — can escalate from first symptoms to life-threatening crisis in minutes. According to the CDC, approximately 8% of children suffer with severe allergies. A study examining food allergy reactions found that among school-age children with food allergies, a meaningful percentage of anaphylactic events occur during school hours, underscoring the critical importance of having effective treatments on hand.
Until now, Ohio law authorized students to carry and self-administer one type of treatment: epinephrine auto-injectors, commonly known as EpiPens. That was the approved tool. But medicine does not stand still, and in August 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved an entirely new class of treatment.
The FDA’s Needle-Free Breakthrough
On August 9, 2024, the FDA approved neffy (epinephrine nasal spray), manufactured by ARS Pharmaceuticals, for the emergency treatment of severe allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, in adults and children weighing at least 30 kilograms (about 66 pounds). A 1-milligram formulation was subsequently approved for younger, smaller children weighing 15 to under 30 kg.
Neffy represents the first significant innovation in epinephrine delivery in more than 35 years and the first needle-free option for patients and families managing severe allergic reactions. FDA studies found that neffy produced epinephrine blood concentrations comparable to approved injection products — the same critical increases in blood pressure and heart rate that make epinephrine effective in stopping anaphylaxis.
The significance of needle-free delivery cannot be overstated, particularly for children.
“Anaphylaxis is life-threatening and some people, particularly children, may delay or avoid treatment due to fear of injections,” said Dr. Kelly Stone of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “The availability of epinephrine nasal spray may reduce barriers to rapid treatment of anaphylaxis.”
What Ohio’s New Law Does
Despite the FDA approval, Ohio’s statute did not list nasal spray devices as a permissible form of epinephrine for students at school. School nurses were already receiving written physician approvals for the nasal spray prescription — but under previous Ohio law, they could not legally allow students to carry it. That legal disconnect is precisely what House Bill 462 corrects.
Signed by Governor DeWine on May 27, 2026, HB 462 — sponsored by State Senator Tracy M. Richardson (R-Marysville) — amends the Ohio Revised Code to include nasal epinephrine delivery devices as an approved method for students to possess and administer at school. The amended version of the bill, passed in May 2026, goes further than the original: it now permits students to possess and use not only EpiPens and nasal delivery devices, but also any future FDA-approved epinephrine delivery system — a forward-looking provision designed to prevent Ohio law from falling behind medical innovation again.
The law extends existing school protections — including qualified immunity from civil liability — to cover actions related to the procurement, maintenance, and use of the new devices. It also expands coverage beyond traditional public school settings to include community schools, STEM schools, college-preparatory boarding schools, chartered nonpublic schools, residential camps, and child day camps.legislature.
The Sponsor’s Record
Representative Richardson, who represents the 86th House District encompassing Union and Marion counties, is serving her fourth term in the Ohio House. A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and a veteran of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm — earning a Bronze Star Medal — Richardson has built a legislative record focused on practical, safety-oriented reforms. Her district includes Marysville, where she and her husband have lived since 1998 and where Honda’s North American manufacturing headquarters employs thousands of Ohioans.
HB 462 earned unanimous support in both chambers of the General Assembly, reflecting the bill’s commonsense, nonpartisan nature. “Adding nasal epinephrine devices to Ohio law is a simple but vital change that will help save lives and give families greater peace of mind,” Richardson said upon the bill’s Senate passage.
Three Laws, One Legislature
Taken together, these three bills illustrate the range of issues that reach a state legislature in a single week — and the ways in which lawmakers with professional backgrounds and community ties translate lived experience into public policy.
A nurse practitioner and medispa owner streamlines healthcare regulations that affect the industry she works in. Two representatives from opposite sides of the aisle, focused on the same human problem, pass a reintegration bill without a single dissenting vote. A West Point graduate and four-term lawmaker updates Ohio’s schools for a 21st-century emergency treatment that was approved by federal regulators only 20 months earlier.
None of these laws will generate headlines for long. But in the hallways of Ohio’s correctional facilities, the treatment rooms of its laser clinics, and the nurses’ offices of its schools, they will make a measurable difference.
