Senate passes Gavarone bill on drug dealers

SANDUSKY — A bill by a state senator to hammer drug dealers who sell their product to people in recovery passed the Senate 31-2 Wednesday, sending it to the Ohio House for further action.The measure, the "Relapse Reduction Act," Senate Bill 55, enhances the penalty for selling drugs on the premises or within 1,000 feet of a substance abuse treatment facility. It's similar to existing laws providing higher penalties for selling drugs near schools."My hope, through this legislation, is to increase the rate of success for Ohioans who are working hard to recover from drug addiction," said state Sen. Theresa Gavarone, R-Bowling Green. "I believe this will happen, in part, by keeping dealers from preying on rehab centers."Gavarone introduced the same bill last year when she was in the House. It passed the House but didn't make it through the Senate.The measure was inspired by the experiences of Wood County prosecutor Paul Dobson, whose stepson Michael died of a fentanyl overdose in Denver, Colo., in June 2016 despite attempts at recovery. The stepson told Dobson he could leave his addiction recovery center, walk a block in any direction, and buy heroin, Gavarone said.Gavarone has been a busy lawmaker since being named to the Ohio Senate to replace former state Sen. Randy Gardner, now the state chancellor. Here is her update on some of her other bills:• Gavarone's Ohio Clean Water bond issue, Senate Joint Resolution 1, was introduced only a few days ago. If authorized by the voters, it would provide up to $100 million a year for 10 years for capital improvements for Lake Erie and other Ohio bodies of water.Supporters hope to get the measure on the ballot this fall."I'm hoping to move it quickly," Gavarone said Thursday. She said she's been making phone calls to try to move the measure along.• Gavarone's "First Time Home Buyer Savings Act," Senate Bill 139, would create a new type of tax-deductible savings account to help Ohio residents save for a down payment for a first home.The bill was only recently introduced and is still in committee but Gavarone hopes it will advance."I don't know of anyone who is against it," she said. "We brought a lot of people to the table."• Awareness of Gavarone's "School Bus Safety Act," S.B. 134, was raised after a teen driver hit two children in Willowick Monday who were getting off a school bus. The children, fortunately, did not receive serious injuries.Gavarone said she spoke to the mother of one of the children. The bill is in the early stages of action.• Gavarone's bill to protect the Ohio election system from computer hackers, Senate Bill 52, has passed the Senate and awaits further action in the House. Among other provisions, it would create an "Ohio Cyber Reserve" to deal with hackers. The measure is supported by Ohio's secretary of state, Frank LaRose.• Gavarone's Senate Bill 58, which seeks to provide mental health treatment as an alternative to jail for nonviolent offenders, was introduced as a "shell" bill to give Gavarone time to write its provisions.Gavarone said Thursday she's still working on a fleshed-out, substitute bill."That legislation is still in the works," she said.State Sen. Theresa Gavarone on the Ohio Senate floor.