HB 612 Summary

• Amends Ohio Revised Code sections 4117.01, 4117.14, and 4117.15 to expand collective bargaining rights to juvenile court employees who do not perform judicial functions.

• Adds two new categories of employees to those eligible for collective bargaining: (a) employees employed by a juvenile court who do not perform a judicial function, and (b) employees employed in a juvenile detention center operated by a juvenile court who do not perform a judicial function.

• Subjects these newly eligible juvenile court employees to the same final offer settlement procedures as other protected public employees, including police, fire, and corrections officers, when disputes arise during contract negotiations.

• Defines "judicial function" to mean the exercise of independent judgment and discretion in determining facts or legal principles affecting parties' rights, including serving as a judicial advisor or member of a judicial advisory board.

• Repeals existing sections 4117.01, 4117.14, and 4117.15 and replaces them with the amended versions containing these expanded protections.