House ResolutionIntroduced
HR 349: Clarify elected official right to inspect detention facilities
What HR 349 does, verified March 29, 2026
State lawmakers have the right to visit, inspect, and assess state-owned detention facilities at any time without notice. This right is established by the Ohio Constitution and allows lawmakers to oversee operations and evaluate conditions. The practice of allowing lawmakers to visit detention facilities is already established in Ohio, and it is necessary for transparency and accountability. Monitoring executive agencies ensures they operate within the law and adhere to legislative intent. This resolution aims to clarify and affirm the rights of state elected officials to inspect and assess detention facilities.
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Last action: Introduced and Referred to Committee: Government Oversight (2026-03-18)Alert me
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| Mar. 18, 2026 | Introduced and Referred to Committee: Government Oversight |
Latest bill textIntroduced version, March 26, 2026 · 412 words
As Introduced
136th General Assembly
Regular Session
H. R. No. 349
2025-2026
Representative Humphrey
A RESOLUTION
To make clear that state elected officials have a right to tour, inspect, and assess any detention facilities owned by the state at any time.
To make clear that state elected officials have a right to tour, inspect, and assess any detention facilities owned by the state at any time.
State lawmakers in New York, Florida, Nebraska, and Washington have been denied access to state-owned detention facilities contracted to house detainees for federal immigration purposes when the lawmakers attempted to tour and assess the conditions of the facilities and detainees; and
It is the long held practice in Ohio to allow state lawmakers to visit state detention facilities to oversee operations and evaluate conditions; and
State agencies, including the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction and the Department of Youth Services, are created and empowered by the legislature; and
Legislative oversight over executive agencies is central to the foundational principle of checks and balances that the United States and Ohio were founded on, and through monitoring and reviewing the actions of executive agencies, the legislature ensures that these agencies operate within the law and adhere to legislative intent; and
Sections 103.13, 103.23, and 126.06 of the Revised Code, Chapter 106. of the Revised Code, and Ohio Constitution, Article II, Section 22, all demonstrate the legislature's role as the final decision-maker for the operations of executive agencies; and
Permitting elected officials to visit state detention facilities is necessary to allow the legislature to fulfill its role as final decision-maker in the operation of executive agencies; and
Permitting elected officials to visit state detention facilities promotes the values of transparency and accountability for institutions that house politically disenfranchised Ohioans; now therefore be it
That state elected officials have a right, given to them by the Ohio Constitution and the people of Ohio who elect them, to tour, inspect, and assess any detention facilities owned by the state, with any notice or no notice at all; and be it further
That the Clerk of the House of Representatives transmit duly authenticated copies of this resolution to the news media of Ohio.
© 2025 Ohio General Assembly
Text of HR 349 as introduced, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions