Ohio House Bill No. 245, as introduced in the 136th General Assembly (2025-2026), proposes amendments to various sections of the Revised Code primarily concerning the administration and scope of family services programs funded under Title IV-A of the Social Security Act. A significant focus of the bill is the restructuring and expansion of the “Ohio parenting and pregnancy program,” including changes to its name, target demographic, and the types of services that can be funded. The bill also clarifies administrative and oversight roles for the Departments of Job and Family Services and Children and Youth regarding these Title IV-A programs and outlines appeal processes for program applicants and recipients.
Main Themes:
- Restructuring and Expansion of the Ohio Parenting and Pregnancy Program: The bill significantly alters the existing Ohio parenting and pregnancy program. This includes renaming the section of the Revised Code related to the program (from 5101.804 to 5101.91) and broadening its scope. The program’s target demographic is expanded from “pregnant women and, parents or other relatives caring for children twelve months of age or younger” to include “parents or other relatives caring for children five years of age or younger and individuals who may become pregnant.” Critically, the bill expands the permissible services beyond those promoting childbirth to include a broader range of healthcare and supportive services.
- Broadening of Allowable Services: The most significant change to the Ohio parenting and pregnancy program is the expansion of the types of services that can be funded. The previous focus on services that “Promote childbirth, and individuals who may become pregnant. Services may include those related to pregnancy and parenting, and alternatives to including counseling on childbirth, abortion, and adoption” is replaced with a requirement that funded entities provide services that “provide services as described under division (A) of this section.” Division (A) of the amended section 5101.91 now includes a list of at least four services entities must offer, which are significantly broader and include components previously restricted or excluded:
- Supportive services like clothing, diapers, food, furniture, health care, parenting classes, postpartum recovery, shelter, and other related outreach.
- Counseling on all options available, “including, for a pregnant person, counseling or referrals related to abortion, adoption, and parenting the baby.” This explicitly allows for counseling and referrals related to abortion, which was previously prohibited under the requirement that the entity’s primary purpose be to “promote childbirth, rather than abortion.”
- Postpartum recovery and parenting classes.
- Health care through licensed professionals, “including contraceptives and reproductive health care, through referrals if necessary.” This introduces the ability to fund contraceptive services.
- Sexual education, “including information on abstinence and a full-range of contraception options.”
- Any other supportive services, programs, or related outreach.
- Changes to Entity Eligibility for the Ohio Parenting and Pregnancy Program: The bill modifies the conditions under which private, not-for-profit entities can receive funds under the program. While still requiring the entity to be a private, not-for-profit, it removes the previous requirement that the entity’s “primary purpose is to promote childbirth, rather than abortion, through counseling and other services, including parenting and adoption support.” It replaces this with the requirement to “provide services as described under division (A) of this section.” The explicit prohibition on entities being “involved in or associated with any abortion activities, including providing abortion counseling or referrals to abortion clinics, performing abortion-related medical procedures, or engaging in pro-abortion advertising” remains for both primary entities and their subcontractors, except that primary entities are now required to provide counseling or referrals related to abortion as one of the options.
- Clarification and Update of Appeals Processes: The bill amends Section 5101.35, which outlines the process for state hearings and administrative appeals for individuals aggrieved by decisions regarding family services programs. It updates references to the new Department of Children and Youth where appropriate and clarifies the process for appealing decisions to the Director of Job and Family Services or Director of Children and Youth, and subsequently to the court of common pleas. It also provides specific provisions for appeals related to Medicaid services provided through health insuring corporations, including the possibility of independent medical reviews.
- Administrative Framework for Title IV-A Programs: The bill reinforces the administrative structure for Title IV-A programs. The Department of Job and Family Services is designated as the single state agency for administering and supervising these programs. The bill outlines the process for administering and supervising various Title IV-A programs, including the Ohio parenting and pregnancy program and fatherhood programs, through county family services agencies, other state agencies via interagency agreements, or private, not-for-profit entities through agreements. It also details requirements for these agreements, such as compliance with federal and state regulations, reporting, use of funds, and audits.
Most Important Ideas or Facts:
- Renaming and Re-codification: Section 5101.804 is renumbered as 5101.91.
- Expanded Eligibility: The Ohio parenting and pregnancy program now serves parents or other relatives caring for children up to five years of age (previously 12 months) and individuals who may become pregnant.
- Inclusion of Abortion Counseling and Referrals: Entities receiving funds must offer counseling or referrals related to abortion as part of the required options counseling for pregnant individuals.
- Inclusion of Contraceptive Services and Sexual Education: Entities receiving funds must offer health care through licensed professionals including contraceptives and reproductive health care (through referrals if necessary) and sexual education including information on abstinence and a full range of contraception options as part of the services offered.
- Shift in Program Purpose Language: The previous explicit requirement that the program and funded entities primarily “promote childbirth, rather than abortion” has been removed from the description of the program’s purpose and the eligibility criteria for entities. The focus is now on providing the services listed in the amended section.
- Continued Prohibition on Abortion Activities: While counseling/referrals related to abortion are now required, entities and their subcontractors are still prohibited from being “involved in or associated with any abortion activities, including providing abortion counseling or referrals to abortion clinics, performing abortion-related medical procedures, or engaging in pro-abortion advertising.” This creates a potential tension between the requirement to provide counseling/referrals related to abortion and the prohibition on being associated with abortion activities.
- Mandatory Reporting: Entities receiving funds must complete an annual report detailing services provided, including the percentage of funds used for services, health care services, and administrative costs. This report is to be provided to the General Assembly, the Governor, the Department of Health, and made publicly available.
- Appeals Process: The bill clarifies and updates the process for state hearings and administrative appeals for individuals involved in family services programs, including specific provisions for Medicaid appeals.
- Administrative Oversight: The bill reinforces the Department of Job and Family Services and the Department of Children and Youth’s roles in supervising Title IV-A programs and the requirements for agreements with administering entities.
Relevant Quotes:
- Renaming and Recodification: “section 5101.804 (5101.91) of the Revised Code be amended for the purpose of adopting a new section number as indicated in parentheses…” (Lines 8-10)
- Ohio Parenting and Pregnancy Program – New Section 5101.91 (formerly 5101.804): “There is hereby created the Ohio parenting and pregnancy program to provide services for pregnant women and, parents or other relatives caring for children twelve months five years of age or younger that do both of the following: (1) Promote childbirth, and individuals who may become pregnant. Services may include those related to pregnancy and parenting, and alternatives to including counseling on childbirth, abortion, and adoption;” (Lines 481-491 – Note: Strikethrough indicates text to be removed, underlining indicates text to be added) The amended text states: “There is hereby created the Ohio parenting and pregnancy program to provide services for pregnant women and, parents or other relatives caring for children five years of age or younger and individuals who may become pregnant. Services may include those related to pregnancy and parenting, and alternatives to including counseling on childbirth, abortion, and adoption; as well as preventative care services such as cytologic screening and screening for sexually transmitted infections.” (Lines 481-494 – Note: Strikethrough indicates text to be removed, underlining indicates text to be added)
- Required Services for Funded Entities (Amended): “The services offered by the entity must include at least four of the following: … (b) Counseling on all options available to the individual, including, for a pregnant person, counseling or referrals related to abortion, adoption, and parenting the baby; … (d) Health care through licensed health care professionals, including contraceptives and reproductive health care, through referrals if necessary; (e) Sexual education, including information on abstinence and a full-range of contraception options;” (Lines 516-525)
- Prohibition on Abortion Activities (for entities): “(5) Is not involved in or associated with any abortion activities, including providing abortion counseling or referrals to abortion clinics, performing abortion-related medical procedures, or engaging in pro-abortion advertising;” (Lines 532-535)
- Prohibition on Abortion Activities (for subcontractors): “(3) Is not involved in or associated with any abortion activities, including providing abortion counseling or referrals to abortion clinics, performing abortion-related medical procedures, or engaging in pro-abortion advertising.” (Lines 550-553)
- Mandatory Annual Reporting: “An entity that receives funds under the Ohio parenting and pregnancy program shall complete an annual report detailing the services provided through the program, including specifying the percentage of funds that were used for services and related supports, health care services, and administrative costs.” (Lines 554-558)
Conclusion:
Ohio H.B. No. 245, as introduced, proposes substantial changes to the Ohio parenting and pregnancy program. The most significant alterations are the expansion of the program’s target audience and, more importantly, the broadening of the types of services that can be funded to include counseling and referrals related to abortion, contraceptive services, and broader sexual education. These changes represent a departure from the previous stated purpose of the program, which focused on promoting childbirth. The bill also reinforces administrative structures for Title IV-A programs and updates appeal processes. The inclusion of mandated counseling/referrals related to abortion while maintaining a prohibition on involvement or association with abortion activities for funded entities and their subcontractors creates a potential area for interpretation and implementation challenges.