06/11/2020

Sub. HB 136 to end execution of individuals with SMI passes Senate Judiciary Committee

The Ohio Alliance for the Mental Illness Exemption (OAMIE), of which the Ohio Psychiatric Physicians Association is a prominent member, sent a letter to Senate President Larry Obhof on June 8, urging him to place Sub. H.B. 136 on the Senate calendar for a vote prior to the legislature breaking for the summer.

The Senate Judiciary Committee has now voted in support of legislation to end the execution of individuals with serious mental illness in Ohio during two General Assemblies with twelve changes incorporated over the last year. After much consideration, it is time to give the rest of the body the opportunity to weigh in on this important issue.                                                            

This legislation was recommended by the Ohio Supreme Court’s Joint Task Force to Review the Administration of Ohio’s Death Penalty. The Task Force recognized the need to address serious mental illness as part of the Eighth Amendment, which protects individuals who have less culpability or blameworthiness, such as juveniles and people with intellectual disabilities. The high court’s recommendation is an issue that must be passed as a law by the General Assembly.

The Ohio Psychiatric Physicians Association has lobbied for the passage of this legislation by meeting with individual legislators and providing expert testimony by OPPA president, Megan Testa, MD on numerous occasions over the past four to five years.