The Ohio House on Oct. 8 approved amended House Bill 434 with an emergency clause aimed at two separate but urgent fixes: exempting certain military-related limited-term driver’s-license applicants from new identification requirements, and expanding the Transfer of First Responders drone program to townships and counties.

Representative Willis (speaker on the bill) told the House the measure responds to difficulties at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, which the sponsor described as the state’s largest single-site employer. He said recent budget changes created an unintended barrier for foreign liaison officers and allied personnel who routinely obtain Ohio licenses while assigned to the base. Willis urged adoption of the emergency clause to avoid delays affecting acquisition and foreign military sales work at Wright-Patterson.

The amended bill also expands a recently authorized drone-for-first-responders program (initially limited to municipalities) to include townships and counties, a change supporters said would broaden public-safety benefits and increase participation. Representative Wells, among others, praised staff and policy advisors for quickly preparing the fix.

Representative Lambton, whose district includes most of Wright-Patterson, described the urgency and the base’s importance: “Wright Patt houses 30,000 workers inside the fence and perhaps another 30,000 outside of the fence,” she said, and noted allied personnel often have reciprocal or foreign licenses previously recognized without issue.

The House first voted to keep the emergency clause as part of the bill; the clerk announced 94 affirmative, 0 negative on the emergency clause and later 94–0 for the bill as an emergency measure. The House agreed to the title and enacted the measure as amended.

The transcript records sponsors asking agencies to move quickly to implement the exemptions and to prepare the expanded drone program; specific administrative steps and rulemaking timelines were not recorded on the floor.