OH HB620

The Legislative Service Commission must prepare health impact statements for each bill introduced in the Ohio General Assembly, analyzing positive, negative, or neutral impacts on health outcomes, health equity, specific populations, and social determinants of health.

Health impact statements must be completed before a bill's second committee hearing or within 30 days of being requested by a member of the General Assembly.

Bills cannot be voted out of committee until members have received and considered the health impact statement, unless two-thirds of committee members vote to suspend this requirement.

The bill defines key terms including "health" (physical, mental, and social well-being), "health equity" (absence of obstacles to achieving full health potential), and "social determinants of health" (factors like income, education, housing, and transportation).

A Health and Equity Interagency Team is created in the Department of Health to coordinate resources across state agencies, develop health metrics, and submit an annual state health and equity report by December 31st.