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Sponsors say new remedy would curb vexatious public-records requests while preserving access

Ohio House Judiciary Committee · February 18, 2026
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

House Bill 314 would give local public bodies a county-court remedy for harassing or voluminous public-records requests and allow hiring outside contractors to respond; sponsors said journalists and attorneys would be exempt but members warned the exemption could be abused without clearer definitions.

Sponsors of House Bill 314 told the House Judiciary Committee on Feb. 20 the bill is intended to protect local governments from abusive, voluminous public-records requests while preserving legitimate access.

Representative Ray, joined by joint sponsor minority leader Isaacson, described HB 314 as a narrowly tailored remedy that would allow a public body to seek a hearing before a county common pleas (common pleas) court judge to…

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