SB 344 Summary

• Establishes comprehensive regulatory requirements for cryostorage facilities that store reproductive tissues for infertility treatment or fertility preservation, including equipment standards, monitoring protocols, and backup systems.

• Mandates facilities have monitoring devices for temperature and liquid nitrogen levels checked twice daily by qualified personnel and annually by external accrediting entities, with backup power supplies and emergency response procedures.

• Requires personnel safety training in liquid nitrogen handling, emergency preparedness plans tested monthly, separation of multiple client samples into different cryostorage tanks (for five or more samples), and liability insurance or surety bonds.

• Imposes penalties ranging from $100 to $1,000 per day or per violation for non-compliance, with collected fines deposited into a newly created infant vitality fund to support state infant mortality reduction programs.

• Grants the Ohio Department of Health enforcement authority to inspect facilities, issue compliance orders, conduct hearings, and report suspected willful violations to law enforcement.