Ohio House Bill HB701

Ohio 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Filed/Introduced: 8/6/26
• Introduced: 2/17/26

Caption

To amend sections 4109.02 and 4123.35 and to enact sections 2152.30, 4113.90, and 4123.97 of the Revised Code regarding juvenile offenders and certificates of qualification for employment.

Summary

HB701 would create a new pathway for certain 17-year-old juvenile offenders to obtain a certificate of qualification for employment (CQE) from the juvenile court that handled their delinquency case, so long as they are no longer under the court’s jurisdiction and the petition is accurate. The bill also ties that certificate to employment eligibility by allowing it to serve in place of the usual age-and-schooling certificate for minors, and it creates a new anti-discrimination rule for employers regarding wages and fringe benefits for employees who have received a CQE. The bill further adds a workers’ compensation rule specific to 17-year-olds with a CQE. In claims involving those workers, compensation and benefits would generally be charged to the state insurance fund’s surplus fund account rather than to an individual employer’s experience, and self-insuring employers would be allowed to exclude those amounts from reported paid compensation. The bill also preserves existing workers’ compensation and safety-rule penalties, including the ability to increase premiums for specific safety violations. In practical terms, HB701 would amend Ohio’s employment and workers’ compensation laws to reduce barriers to work for some juvenile offenders and to limit certain employer costs and liability concerns associated with hiring them. It would create new statutory sections in the Revised Code and modify existing provisions governing minor employment and workers’ compensation premium calculations. The general sentiment reflected by the bill’s structure is supportive of reentry and workforce participation for juvenile offenders, with an emphasis on making employment more accessible and reducing employer hesitation. Because the bill was only introduced and there are no recorded committee transcripts or votes in the provided materials, there is no documented public debate or formal legislative sentiment beyond the bill’s apparent policy goal. The main points of contention likely involve balancing second-chance employment opportunities against employer risk and workers’ compensation costs. The bill’s employer immunity language for negligent hiring/supervision claims, the wage/fringe-benefit nondiscrimination provision, and the shift of certain workers’ compensation costs to the surplus fund could draw scrutiny from employers, insurers, and policymakers concerned about liability, fairness, and fund impacts, while advocates for juvenile justice reform would likely favor the expanded employment access.

Impact

HB701 would add new sections to the Ohio Revised Code and amend existing employment and workers’ compensation statutes. It would create a juvenile-court-issued certificate of qualification for employment for certain 17-year-old delinquent children, require employers to accept that certificate in place of an age-and-schooling certificate, prohibit wage and fringe-benefit discrimination based on the certificate, and alter how certain workers’ compensation claims involving certified 17-year-olds are charged and reported. The bill would also affect employer liability by providing immunity in negligent hiring or supervision claims tied to the certificate.

Sentiment

The bill appears generally pro-reentry and pro-employment for juvenile offenders, with a policy focus on helping 17-year-olds who have delinquency histories obtain jobs and avoid some collateral consequences of their records. No committee testimony or votes were provided, so there is no recorded opposition or support in the available history; however, the bill’s design suggests an intent to encourage workforce participation while addressing employer concerns through liability and workers’ compensation adjustments.

Contention

Likely areas of contention include the employer immunity provision for negligent hiring/supervision claims, the requirement that employers not pay lower wages or benefits because an employee has a CQE, and the workers’ compensation cost-shifting rules that move certain claims away from an individual employer’s experience. Employers and insurers may view these provisions as increasing administrative complexity or limiting risk controls, while juvenile justice advocates and workforce proponents would likely support them as necessary to reduce barriers to employment for youth with delinquency adjudications.