OHIO LEGISLATIVE SERVICE COMMISSION
Office of Research Legislative Budget
www.lsc.ohio.gov and Drafting Office
H.B. 303 Bill Analysis
135th General Assembly
Click here for H.B. 303’s Fiscal Note
Version: As Reported by Senate Health
Primary Sponsors: Reps. Hall and Santucci
Effective date:
Elizabeth Molnar, Attorney
SUMMARY
Training of EMS personnel
▪ Establishes a process by which a person may request the State Board of Emergency
Medical, Fire, and Transportation Services to add new training or continuing education
topics for emergency medical service personnel.
Medication aides
▪ Repeals the statute establishing standards and conditions for administering prescription
medications that apply only when practicing as a medication aide in a residential care
facility, while maintaining the statute providing for standards and conditions that are the
same regardless of an aide’s practice location, for example, a nursing home and
residential care facility.
▪ Revises the foregoing standards and conditions, including by authorizing an aide to
administer initial doses of prescription medications, clarifying that an aide may administer
prescription medications on an as-needed basis regardless of whether the supervising
nurse is present at the aide’s practice location, and specifically authorizing a medication
aide to administer schedule II controlled substances, but only if administered orally or
topically.
▪ Requires the Board of Nursing to adopt in rule certain standards governing the approval
of, and participation in, medication aide training programs, but only if the Board exercises
its permissive authority under existing law to adopt such rules.
 This analysis was prepared before the report of the Senate Health Committee appeared in the Senate
Journal. Note that the legislative history may be incomplete.
December 11, 2024
Office of Research and Drafting LSC Legislative Budget Office
DETAILED ANALYSIS
Training of EMS personnel
The bill establishes a process by which a person may request, via a petition, the State
Board of Emergency Medical, Fire, and Transportation Services (the Board) to add new training
or continuing education topics in required emergency medical services (EMS) training or
continuing education programs. A person must submit the petition in the manner prescribed by
the Board. EMS personnel includes first responders, EMTs-basic, EMTs-I, or paramedics.1
Once the Board receives a petition, it must review it and approve or deny the request in
accordance with rules adopted by the Board.2 If the Board approves a topic, it must require that
the topic be added to the EMS training or continuing education programs. Additionally, the Board
must adopt rules regarding the number of hours of training or continuing education that must be
devoted to the approved topic.3
Under current law, the Board oversees EMS training and continuing education
requirements. Current statutory requirements and rules adopted by the Board specify the
content and hours of that training and education.4 In general, all training and continuing
education programs are developed under the direction of a physician who specializes in
emergency medicine.5
Medication aides
Standards for medication administration
The bill repeals the statute establishing standards and conditions for administering
prescription medications that apply only while practicing as a medication aide in a residential
care facility.6 Instead, it maintains the statute providing for standards and conditions applicable
to a medication aide regardless of the aide’s practice location, for example, a nursing home or
residential care facility.7
The bill also revises in the following ways the standards and conditions for administering
medications as a medication aide in a nursing home or residential care facility. First, it authorizes
an aide to administer initial doses of prescription medications. Second, the bill clarifies that a
medication aide may administer a prescription medication with a designation authorizing or
requiring administration on an as-needed basis regardless of whether the supervising nurse is
1 R.C. 4765.163(A).
2 R.C. 4765.163(B).
3 R.C. 4765.163(C).
4 R.C. Chapter 4765.
5 R.C. 4765.16, not in the bill.
6 R.C. 4723.671, enacted on June 26, 2024, as part of S.B. 28 of the 135th General Assembly.
7 R.C. 4723.67, amended on June 26, 2024, as part of S.B. 144 of the 135th General Assembly.
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As Reported by Senate Health
Office of Research and Drafting LSC Legislative Budget Office
present at the home or facility. And third, it specifically authorizes a medication aide to
administer medications containing schedule II controlled substances, but only if administered
orally or topically.8
Rulemaking – standards for medication aide training programs
While the bill maintains the law authorizing the Board of Nursing to adopt any rules
governing the certification of medication aides, it does establish standards that the Board must
follow when adopting rules regarding the approval of, and participation in, medication aide
training programs.9 First, if the Board sets a minimum or maximum number of days for
participating in or completing a training program in rule, the rule must base that number on
calendar days rather than business days.10
Second, when the Board addresses in rule supervised clinical practice components of a
training program provided in a nursing home or residential care facility that has been notified by
the Department of Health of real and present danger related to its medication administration or
skilled nursing care, the Board must prohibit the home or facility from commencing further
supervised clinical practice components until either (1) a plan of correction is approved or (2) the
home or facility resolves the danger. The Board also must allow the training program to continue
any supervised components that commenced prior to the Department’s notification.11
HISTORY
Action Date
Introduced 10-18-23
Reported, H. Homeland Security 05-28-24
Passed House (89-2) 06-12-24
Reported, S. Health ---
ANHB0303RS-135/sb
8 R.C. 4723.67(B).
9 R.C. 4723.69(B).
10 R.C. 4723.69(B)(2).
11 R.C. 4723.69(B)(1).
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As Reported by Senate Health