COLUMBUS – Governor Mike DeWine signed three bills Wednesday, including the one known as Tyler’s Law, which strengthens laws for amusement park ride inspections and safety, and another eliminating the state sales tax on feminine hygiene products.
The measure named for Tyler Jarrell, killed when a ride malfunctioned on the midway at the Ohio State Fair, strengthens safety inspection standards, defines qualifications for ride inspectors and outline. ride owner responsibilities, among other things.
Under the law, a professional engineer would get a formal role in amusement ride safety by serving on the Ohio Advisory Council on Amusement Ride Safety, which makes recommendations to the state’s agriculture director about safety matters, including monitoring and inspecting rides.
Jarrell was an 18-year-old Marine recruit from Grove City who was killed when the “Fireball” ride malfunctioned and broke apart on opening day of the 2017 Ohio State Fair. Seven others were injured in the accident later blamed on excessive corrosion in a steel support beam.
Members of his family attended the signing at the Ohio Statehouse.
The received unanimous approval in the Ohio Senate in October after cleared the House in June.
The repeal of the sales tax on tampons and other feminine hygiene products was included in another bill that provides a tax credit to teachers who buy school supplies.
Representatives Brigid Kelly (D-Cincinnati) and Niraj Antani (R-Miamisburg) co-sponsored the original legislation repealing the so-called “pink tax.”
Most states still tax tampons and other menstrual products, including pads and cups. They’re often classified as “luxury items” rather than necessities that might not be taxed, such as food or medical supplies.
Ohio joins 15 other states that have recently changed such policies.