Overview
- Attorney General Dave Yost urged swift passage in a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee, citing loopholes exposed by the De’Lawnte Hardy case.
- Senate Bill 295 would extend the restoration window from one to five years in murder cases, require 14-day reporting of medication refusals, and pause the clock during refusal periods.
- Cuyahoga County prosecutors and the parents of slain Cleveland officer Jamieson Ritter testified in support during this week’s committee hearing.
- The governor has ordered an investigation into the Columbus state psychiatric hospital after the court said months passed before Hardy’s medication refusal was disclosed.
- Legal and medical experts warn the proposal could spur litigation over involuntary medication and lacks a clear medical basis, with more testimony scheduled next week.