Ohio House Bill HB353

Ohio 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 6/11/25

Caption

To amend sections 1.64, 124.32, 124.41, 124.42, 124.50, 503.45, 503.47, 505.38, 709.012, 737.15, 737.16, 737.22, 742.38, 911.11, 1337.11, 1349.05, 1561.26, 1751.01, 1785.01, 2108.61, 2133.01, 2133.211, 2135.01, 2151.3515, 2151.53, 2305.113, 2305.234, 2305.2311, 2305.41, 2305.51, 2711.22, 2743.62, 2907.01, 2907.13, 2907.29, 2909.04, 2921.22, 2925.01, 3107.12, 3111.91, 3301.531, 3313.5310, 3313.7112, 3313.7117, 3319.13, 3327.10, 3331.02, 3331.07, 3701.046, 3701.23, 3701.25, 3701.36, 3701.59, 3701.615, 3701.74, 3701.90, 3701.92, 3701.928, 3701.941, 3709.161, 3715.50, 3715.501, 3715.502, 3715.503, 3715.872, 3719.06, 3719.064, 3719.12, 3719.121, 3719.81, 3721.21, 3727.06, 3728.01, 3792.05, 3795.01, 3919.29, 3963.01, 4503.44, 4507.20, 4715.30, 4723.01, 4723.18, 4723.181, 4723.72, 4723.73, 4729.01, 4729.39, 4730.02, 4730.03, 4730.04, 4730.05, 4730.06, 4730.07, 4730.08, 4730.10, 4730.101, 4730.11, 4730.111, 4730.12, 4730.13, 4730.14, 4730.141, 4730.15, 4730.19, 4730.20, 4730.201, 4730.202, 4730.203, 4730.204, 4730.21, 4730.22, 4730.25, 4730.251, 4730.252, 4730.26, 4730.27, 4730.28, 4730.31, 4730.32, 4730.33, 4730.34, 4730.38, 4730.39, 4730.41, 4730.411, 4730.42, 4730.43, 4730.432, 4730.433, 4730.437, 4730.44, 4730.49, 4730.53, 4730.55, 4730.56, 4730.57, 4730.60, 4731.053, 4731.054, 4731.22, 4731.2210, 4731.25, 4731.297, 4731.33, 4731.37, 4743.09, 4755.48, 4755.623, 4761.01, 4761.11, 4761.17, 4765.01, 4765.35, 4765.36, 4765.37, 4765.38, 4765.39, 4765.49, 4765.51, 4769.01, 4933.122, 5101.19, 5103.0327, 5104.0110, 5104.037, 5119.185, 5119.363, 5123.47, 5164.072, 5164.301, 5164.95, and 5503.08 and to enact section 4730.011 of the Revised Code to change the professional title used by physician assistants to "physician associate."

Summary

HB353 is a broad technical and conforming amendments bill that updates many sections of the Ohio Revised Code to replace the professional title “physician assistant” with “physician associate.” It also adds a new section defining “physician associate” and revises numerous statutes across civil service, public safety, education, health care, insurance, criminal law, and professional regulation so that physician associates are listed alongside physicians, advanced practice registered nurses, and other licensed health professionals in contexts where they may perform examinations, provide documentation, or otherwise participate in care. The bill’s changes are largely nomenclature and cross-reference updates rather than a single policy overhaul, but the practical effect is to recognize physician associates in a wide range of state laws. Those laws include physical examinations for police, firefighters, school bus drivers, school athletics and diabetes/seizure care, hospital admission and discharge rules, medical records access, emergency and disaster response, overdose reversal drug protocols, palliative care, and various liability and reporting provisions. The bill would also amend statutes governing medical claims, mental health, adoption, reproductive health, and public health reporting to ensure physician associates are treated consistently with other authorized clinicians where the law already contemplates their role. Because the bill was introduced and referred to the House Health Committee with no recorded votes or transcript excerpts, there is no documented committee debate or floor sentiment in the provided materials. Based on the text alone, the bill appears to be administrative and professional in nature, and its overall tone is neutral and procedural rather than controversial. The title change from “physician assistant” to “physician associate” is the central policy signal and suggests an effort to align Ohio law with the preferred professional title used by the occupation. No specific points of contention are documented in the available context. However, bills of this type can sometimes raise questions about whether a title change has broader implications for scope of practice, supervision, or professional identity. In this bill, the text repeatedly preserves existing supervision, collaboration, or prescriptive-authority frameworks, indicating that the measure is intended to update terminology and statutory references without materially expanding authority in most instances.

Impact

HB353 would amend a very large number of Ohio statutes to replace references to “physician assistant” with “physician associate” and would enact a new definitional section for that title. The bill would affect laws touching civil service hiring and reinstatement, public safety medical exams, school health services, hospital and long-term care rules, public health programs, controlled substances, liability protections, and health insurance and medical-claim definitions. In most places, the bill keeps existing legal standards intact while updating the list of licensed professionals who may perform examinations, sign documentation, or participate in care.

Sentiment

The available context shows the bill as introduced and referred to the House Health Committee, with no recorded votes or committee testimony provided. As a result, there is no documented opposition or support in the supplied materials. The bill’s language suggests a generally routine, nonpartisan technical update, and the overall sentiment appears neutral and administrative rather than contentious.

Contention

No specific contention is documented in the provided record. The only likely area of discussion is the title change itself—“physician assistant” to “physician associate”—which can raise questions about professional identity and whether terminology changes imply scope-of-practice changes. The bill text, however, repeatedly preserves existing supervision and authority structures, suggesting the measure is primarily conforming rather than substantive.