New Ohio Laws Sparking Debate as DEI is Eliminated, Trans Bathroom Bans Enacted and SNAP Cutbacks Approaching

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio has enacted sweeping legislative changes in 2025, with new laws affecting higher education, parental rights, police transparency, transgender students, and public safety. Among the most significant, Senate Bill 1, the “Advance Ohio Higher Education Act,” took effect June 27, 2025, banning Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) offices and programs at public colleges and universities. The law emphasizes intellectual diversity and warns that institutions could lose state funding if they fail to comply. “This law is designed to ensure that universities focus on academic rigor rather than political ideology,” lawmakers stated in legislative records.

House Bill 8, known as the Parents’ Bill of Rights, became effective April 9, 2025, requiring schools to notify parents before discussing topics such as gender identity or sexual orientation and allowing parents to opt students out of related lessons. Students may also leave class for religious instruction with parental consent.

Gender-affirming care for minors remains a contentious issue under House Bill 68, the SAFE Act, which was set to take effect in April 2024 but was blocked by court order on March 18, 2025. The bill would have prohibited all gender-affirming treatments for those under 18, including hormone therapy and surgeries. Physicians violating the law could have lost their medical licenses.

A new law affecting police transparency, House Bill 315, imposes fees of up to $750 for processing requests for police body-camera footage. Critics have argued that the fee structure reduces public access to records. In schools, Senate Bill 104, signed in November 2024, now mandates that transgender students use restrooms corresponding to their biological sex at birth, with limited gender-neutral options permitted.

Several other measures have gained traction this year. Senate Bill 114, also known as Leonard’s Law, signed in July 2025, bans law enforcement ticket quotas after officers reported being pressured to issue citations. House Bill 250, passed in 2024, requires school districts to implement cell phone restrictions by July 1, 2025, with a near-total ban during instructional hours taking effect statewide by January 2026.

In transportation, new driver licensing requirements for 18–20-year-olds will take effect in September 2025. Applicants must complete 24 hours of classroom instruction, eight hours of driving with an instructor, and 50 hours of supervised driving.

A federal measure, the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," signed on July 4, 2025, imposes work requirements of at least 80 hours per month for able-bodied adults to maintain SNAP and Medicaid benefits. Eligibility verification is tightening, with reduced federal matching funds phased in by 2028. While this law is often linked to the Trump administration, it reflects a broader bipartisan congressional package.

Two notable proposals remain pending. House Bill 51, Ohio’s Second Amendment Preservation Act, which would bar state law enforcement from enforcing federal gun regulations, is still in committee. An abortion criminalization bill classifying abortion as homicide, with no exceptions for rape or incest, has been introduced but not passed.

“These laws represent some of the most significant policy shifts Ohio has seen in years,” said state legislative analysts in their July 2025 summary.

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