H.B. 190 Summary

• Prohibits the sale, purchase, or disposal of war relics (cannons, artillery, statues, monuments, memorials, plaques) located on public property or cemetery association property, with violations classified as misdemeanors.

• Allows temporary relocation or alteration of war relics only for preservation, repair, restoration, temporary public display, or war re-enactments by the person responsible for maintenance.

• Requires that if a governmental agency or cemetery association wants to remove a war relic, it must first offer it to the federal government, then to the Ohio History Connection, then to the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War or other congressionally chartered veterans' service organizations.

• Establishes penalties including mandatory restitution to USO for violations, fines up to $10,000 for purchases, and a 90-day cure period for those who disturb war relics to restore them to prior condition.

• Designates the Ohio History Connection to compile and maintain a registry of war relics on public and cemetery association property, with exemptions for entities that can prove written documentation of ownership.