HB 146: Revise civil service status of certain county probation positions

As Introduced

6th General Assembly Regular Session 2025-2026

H. B. No. 146

Representative Lorenz

Cosponsors: Representatives Williams, Dean

A B I L L

To amend section 2301.27 of the Revised Code to 1
change the civil service status of certain 2
positions in a county probation department from 3
classified to unclassified. 4

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

Section 1. That section 2301.27 of the Revised Code be 5
amended to read as follows: 6
Sec. 2301.27. (A)(1)(a) The court of common pleas may 7
establish a county department of probation. The establishment of 8
the department shall be entered upon the journal of the court, 9
and the clerk of the court of common pleas shall certify a copy 10
of the journal entry establishing the department to each 11
elective officer and board of the county. The department shall 12
consist of a chief probation officer and the number of other 13
probation officers and employees, clerks, and stenographers that 14
is fixed from time to time by the court. The court shall appoint 15
those individuals, fix their salaries, and supervise their work. 16
(b) When appointing a chief probation officer, the court 17
shall do all of the following: 18

H. B. No. 146 As Introduced

(i) Publicly advertise the position on the court's web 19
site, including, but not limited to, the job description, 20
qualifications for the position, and the application 21
requirements; 22
(ii) Conduct a competitive hiring process that adheres to 23
state and federal equal employment opportunity laws; 24
(iii) Review applicants who meet the posted qualifications 25
and comply with the application requirements. 26
(c) The court shall not appoint as a probation officer any 27
person who does not possess the training, experience, and other 28
qualifications prescribed by the adult parole authority created 29
by section 5149.02 of the Revised Code or the department of 30
youth services, as applicable. Probation officers have all the 31
powers of regular police officers and shall perform any duties 32
that are designated by the judge or judges of the court. All 33
positions within the department of probation, except including 34
positions held by probation officers in the juvenile division of 35
a court of common pleas, shall be in the classified unclassified 36
service of the civil service of the county. 37
(2) If two or more counties desire to jointly establish a 38
probation department for those counties, the judges of the 39
courts of common pleas of those counties may establish a 40
probation department for those counties. If a probation 41
department is established pursuant to division (A)(2) of this 42
section to serve more than one county, the judges of the courts 43
of common pleas that established the department shall designate 44
the county treasurer of one of the counties served by the 45
department as the treasurer to whom probation fees paid under 46
section 2951.021 of the Revised Code are to be appropriated and 47
transferred under division (A)(2) of section 321.44 of the 48

H. B. No. 146 As Introduced

Revised Code for deposit into the multicounty probation services 49
fund established under division (B) of section 321.44 of the 50
Revised Code. 51
The cost of the administration and operation of a 52
probation department established for two or more counties shall 53
be prorated to the respective counties on the basis of 54
population. 55
(3) Probation officers shall receive, in addition to their 56
respective salaries, their necessary and reasonable travel and 57
other expenses incurred in the performance of their duties. 58
Their salaries and expenses shall be paid monthly from the 59
county treasury in the manner provided for the payment of the 60
compensation of other appointees of the court. 61
(4) Adult probation officers shall be trained in 62
accordance with a set of minimum standards that are established 63
by the adult parole authority of the department of 64
rehabilitation and correction. Probation officers in the 65
juvenile division of a court of common pleas shall be trained in 66
accordance with a set of minimum standards that are established 67
by the department of youth services. 68
(B)(1)(a) In lieu of establishing a county department of 69
probation under division (A) of this section and in lieu of 70
entering into an agreement with the adult parole authority as 71
described in division (B) of section 2301.32 of the Revised 72
Code, the court of common pleas may request the board of county 73
commissioners to contract with, and upon that request the board 74
may contract with, any nonprofit, public or private agency, 75
association, or organization for the provision of probation 76
services and supervisory services for persons placed under 77
community control sanctions. The contract shall specify that 78

H. B. No. 146 As Introduced

each individual providing the probation services and supervisory 79
services shall possess the training, experience, and other 80
qualifications prescribed by the adult parole authority or the 81
department of youth services, as applicable. The individuals who 82
provide the probation services and supervisory services shall 83
not be included in the classified or unclassified civil service 84
of the county. 85
(b) A court of common pleas that has established a county 86
probation department or has entered into an agreement with the 87
adult parole authority as described in division (A) or (B) of 88
section 2301.32 of the Revised Code may request the board of 89
county commissioners to contract with, and upon that request the 90
board may contract with, any nonprofit, public or private 91
agency, association, or organization for the provision of 92
probation services and supervisory services, including the 93
preparation of presentence investigation reports to supplement 94
the probation services and supervisory services provided by the 95
county probation department or adult parole authority, as 96
applicable. The contract shall specify that each individual 97
providing the probation services and supervisory services shall 98
possess the training, experience, and other qualifications 99
prescribed by the adult parole authority. The individuals who 100
provide the probation services and supervisory services shall 101
not be included in the classified or unclassified civil service 102
of the county. A nonprofit, public or private agency, 103
association, or organization providing probation services or 104
supervisory services under this division is hereby designated a 105
criminal justice agency in the provision of those services, and 106
as such is authorized by this state to apply for access to the 107
computerized databases administered by the national crime 108
information center or the law enforcement automated data system 109

H. B. No. 146 As Introduced

in Ohio and to other computerized databases administered for the 110
purpose of making criminal justice information accessible to 111
state criminal justice agencies. 112
(2)(a) In lieu of establishing a county department of 113
probation under division (A) of this section and in lieu of 114
entering into an agreement with the adult parole authority as 115
described in division (B) of section 2301.32 of the Revised 116
Code, the courts of common pleas of two or more adjoining 117
counties jointly may request the boards of county commissioners 118
of those counties to contract with, and upon that request the 119
boards of county commissioners of two or more adjoining counties 120
jointly may contract with, any nonprofit, public or private 121
agency, association, or organization for the provision of 122
probation services and supervisory services for persons placed 123
under community control sanctions for those counties. The 124
contract shall specify that each individual providing the 125
probation services and supervisory services shall possess the 126
training, experience, and other qualifications prescribed by the 127
adult parole authority or the department of youth services, as 128
applicable. The individuals who provide the probation services 129
and supervisory services shall not be included in the classified 130
or unclassified civil service of any of those counties. 131
(b) The courts of common pleas of two or more adjoining 132
counties that have jointly established a probation department 133
for those counties or have entered into an agreement with the 134
adult parole authority as described in division (A) or (B) of 135
section 2301.32 of the Revised Code may jointly request the 136
board of county commissioners of each county to contract with, 137
and upon that request the board may contract with, any 138
nonprofit, public or private agency, association, or 139
organization for the provision of probation services and 140

H. B. No. 146 As Introduced

supervisory services, including the preparation of presentence 141
investigation reports to supplement the probation services and 142
supervisory services provided by the probation department or 143
adult parole authority, as applicable. The contract shall 144
specify that each individual providing the probation services 145
and supervisory services shall possess the training, experience, 146
and other qualifications prescribed by the adult parole 147
authority. The individuals who provide the probation services 148
and supervisory services shall not be included in the classified 149
or unclassified civil service of the county. A nonprofit, public 150
or private agency, association, or organization providing 151
probation services or supervisory services under this division 152
is hereby designated a criminal justice agency in the provision 153
of those services, and as such is authorized by this state to 154
apply for access to the computerized databases administered by 155
the national crime information center or the law enforcement 156
automated data system in Ohio and to other computerized 157
databases administered for the purpose of making criminal 158
justice information accessible to state criminal justice 159
agencies. 160
(C) The chief probation officer may grant permission to a 161
probation officer to carry firearms when required in the 162
discharge of official duties if the probation officer has 163
successfully completed a basic firearm training program that is 164
approved by the executive director of the Ohio peace officer 165
training commission. A probation officer who has been granted 166
permission to carry a firearm in the discharge of official 167
duties, annually shall successfully complete a firearms 168
requalification program in accordance with section 109.801 of 169
the Revised Code. 170

(D) As used in this section and sections 2301.28 to

H. B. No. 146 As Introduced

2301.32 of the Revised Code, "community control sanction" has 172
the same meaning as in section 2929.01 of the Revised Code. 173
Section 2. That existing section 2301.27 of the Revised 174
Code is hereby repealed. 175
Section 3. Section 2301.27 of the Revised Code is 176
presented in this act as a composite of the section as amended 177
by both H.B. 487 and S.B. 337 of the 129 General Assembly. The 178
General Assembly, applying the principle stated in division (B) 179
of section 1.52 of the Revised Code that amendments are to be 180
harmonized if reasonably capable of simultaneous operation, 181
finds that the composite is the resulting version of the section 182
in effect prior to the effective date of the section as 183
presented in this act. 184