COLUMBUS – In his waning days as governor, John Kasich has signed bills raising the age at which girls in Ohio can get married and outlining which footage from police body-worn and dashboard cameras should be considered public record.
Kasich signed into law a bill, co-sponsored by Representatives Laura Lanese (R-Grove City) and John Rogers (D-Mentor-on-the-Lake), that raises the marriage age for girls in Ohio to 18. Old law set the marriage age at 16 for girls and 18 for boys.
The new law allows 17-year-olds to marry with juvenile court approval but prohibits them from marrying someone more than four years older than them.
The bill takes effect in 90 days.
The police camera law, co-sponsored by then-Rep Hearcel Craig (D-Columbus) and Rep. Niraj Antani (R-Miamisburg) says that a body camera video is a public record, unless it is a confidential investigatory record, a video within a private home, a video within a private business, or a video of a sex crime victim.
The state Senate passed it unanimously last month, and the Ohio House of Representatives concurred to the Senate amendments unanimously.
Mayor Andrew J. Ginther offered his support of the new legislation, calling it “a much needed step to balance the issues of transparency and privacy.”
The law spells out numerous exceptions, including personal health care information, videos involving deaths, including officers and first responders, grievous bodily harm or acts of violence resulting in serious harm.