HB 180: Bar adverse employment action against precinct election officials
This bill prohibits employers from taking adverse employment actions against employees who serve as or train to be precinct election officials. The bill applies to employees who are absent from work for this reason, unless they provide reasonable notice to their employer. Employers cannot require employees to use annual, vacation, or sick leave for time spent serving as election officials or attending training programs. The bill does not require employers to provide annual, vacation, or sick leave to employees, but allows them to use existing leave policies.
| Mar. 26, 2025 | Referred to committee: Commerce and Labor |
| Mar. 18, 2025 | Introduced |
As Introduced
136th General Assembly
Regular Session H. B. No. 180
Representatives Klopfenstein, Rogers
Cosponsors: Representatives Glassburn, Thomas, D., Daniels, Hiner, Williams, Cockley, Newman
A B I L L
To enact section 3501.281 of the Revised Code to 1
prohibit adverse employment actions against 2
employees who are absent from work while serving 3
as, or training to be, precinct election 4
officials. 5
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:
Section 1. That section 3501.281 of the Revised Code be 6
enacted to read as follows: 7
Sec. 3501.281. (A) Except as provided in division (B) of 8
this section, no employer shall discharge, threaten to 9
discharge, or take any disciplinary action that could lead to 10
the discharge of any permanent employee who is absent from work 11
for either of the following reasons: 12
(1) The employee serves as a precinct election official 13
under section 3501.22 of the Revised Code. 14
(2) The employee attends a training program described in 15
section 3501.27 of the Revised Code that must be successfully 16
completed by the employee to perform the duties of an election 17
H. B. No. 180 As Introduced
official. 18
(B) Division (A) of this section does not apply unless the 19
employee satisfies both of the following conditions: 20
(1) Before serving as a precinct election official or 21
attending a training program to perform the duties of an 22
election official, the employee provides reasonable notice to 23
the employee's employer that the employee will be serving as an 24
official or attending the training program. 25
(2) The employee is absent from employment because of the 26
actual service or training program. 27
(C) No employer shall require an employee to use annual, 28
vacation, or sick leave for time spent serving as a precinct 29
election official or attending a training program to perform the 30
duties of an election official. This section does not require an 31
employer to provide annual, vacation, or sick leave to an 32
employee. An employee who is entitled to annual, vacation, or 33
sick leave under another law, ordinance, or resolution or the 34
employer's policy may use that leave in accordance with the law, 35
ordinance, resolution, or policy. 36