Ohio bill would classify OEPA and PUCO hazardous‑response vehicles as public safety vehicles, adds $1.315 million for emergency equipment

House Bill 468, introduced in the 136th General Assembly by State Representatives McNally and Rader, would amend Section 4511.01 of the Ohio Revised Code to designate certain vehicles used by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency’s environmental emergency response unit and specified enforcement units of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio as “public safety vehicles,” and would appropriate $1,315,000 from the General Revenue Fund for emergency‑response equipment.

The measure, labeled “As Introduced,” would expand the statutory definition of public safety vehicles to include: vehicles used by the PUCO motor carrier enforcement unit for enforcement of PUCO orders and rules under section 5503.34 of the Revised Code; vehicles used by the PUCO hazardous materials transportation enforcement section when responding to hazardous‑materials emergencies; and vehicles used by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) environmental emergency response unit when responding to hazardous‑material emergencies or pollution incidents that affect human health or the environment. The bill also repeals the existing text of section 4511.01 and replaces it with the revised definitions.

The bill’s appropriation appears in Section 4 as a General Revenue Fund (GRF) operating item, 715406 “Emergency Response,” with $0 for fiscal year 2024 and $1,315,000 for fiscal year 2025. The act states that item 715406 shall be used to purchase and upgrade equipment used by the Office of Emergency Response. Section 3 directs the Director of Budget and Management to establish accounts showing source and amount of funds and to account for expenditures in line with H.B. 33 of the 135th General Assembly.

If enacted, the change would put OEPA environmental emergency response vehicles and specified PUCO enforcement vehicles into the same statutory category as ambulances, law enforcement vehicles and fire department vehicles in division (E) of section 4511.01. The bill text does not itself list the specific traffic exemptions that apply to public safety vehicles; it changes the definition of the term within the chapter of the Revised Code that governs traffic rules.

The bill text cites or amends the following statutory references: Section 4511.01 of the Ohio Revised Code (definition section being replaced), section 4503.49 (special license plates referenced in existing definition language), and section 5503.34 (PUCO authority for motor carrier enforcement) among other cross‑references included in the full statutory text.

Status and next steps: As introduced, H.B. 468 has been filed with the House and carries the listed sponsors and cosponsors (Representatives McNally and Rader, with cosponsors Brennan, Lett and Upchurch). The bill text does not record committee referral, hearings, votes, or enactment — those would have to occur in subsequent legislative steps. Implementation of the appropriation and any operational changes would depend on later legislative approval and any administrative rules or agency actions.

Context: Designating additional agency vehicles as public safety vehicles can affect how those vehicles operate under Ohio’s traffic statutes (for example, in certain emergency‑response situations), but this bill changes only the statutory definition; any specific authority to use lights, sirens, or exemptions in particular situations remains governed by other provisions of law and by the agencies’ implementing practices. The appropriation is drawn from the GRF and is described in the bill as a one‑time operating item to purchase and upgrade equipment used by the Office of Emergency Response.

No formal legislative action on the bill is recorded in the text provided. The bill is presented as an introduced measure for consideration by the General Assembly.