The Ohio House unanimously passed House Bill 260 on Oct. 8, a bill intended to remove or modify sections of the Ohio Revised Code that conflict with the Ohio Supreme Court’s rules of practice and procedure enacted under the 1968 “modern courts” constitutional amendment.

Representative O'Deosso (transcript label: Odioso) told the House the amendment in 1968 established the separation of powers and gave the Ohio Supreme Court authority to adopt rules for practice and procedure, with the legislature retaining the authority to disapprove rules that abridge or modify substantive rights. "House Bill 260 is designed to ensure that these voided or conflicted sections of the revised code are properly cleaned up and removed," he said, describing the bill as completing the work of the modern courts amendment.

Sponsor Representative Adam Matthews and other backers described the bill as “good government” or an "oil change" for the statutory code to remove conflicts and keep statutes consistent with court rules. Representative Synenberg (floor speaker) said the bill was a common-sense update unanimously approved in committee.

The House vote was 94 affirmative, 0 negative, the clerk announced. The bill passed and the House agreed to its title.

The floor debate focused on the technical nature of the changes; the transcript does not record proposed substantive legal changes beyond reconciling conflicts and removing obsolete or voided code sections. Implementation will be via the statutory changes recorded in the enrolled bill.