Ohio lawmakers plan votes on abortion, concealed-guns bills

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COLUMBUS (AP) — Abortions would be banned after 20 weeks, concealed weapons would be permitted in more places including day cares and puppy mills would be outlawed under bills that lawmakers hoped to pass Wednesday in the final days of their two-year session.

The 20-week ban would be added to legislation already on its way to Republican Gov. John Kasich that would prohibit abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected.

House lawmakers heard testimony about the 20-week ban Wednesday morning with a scheduled committee vote in the afternoon and a goal to put it on the House floor later in the day.

That follows House approval Tuesday night of the so-called heartbeat bill, clearing the way for what would be one of the nation’s most stringent abortion restrictions.

Among bills before lawmakers wrapping up their final session:

• A bill currently in the House that would override local ordinances that regulate pet stores, requiring them to purchase animals from shelters and rescue groups as opposed to from high-volume breeders, which critics say are often puppy mills that treat animals poorly. The proposal was updated Tuesday to include bans on bestiality and a crackdown on cockfighting and “bearbaiting.”

• A bill currently in the Senate that would expand the state’s concealed-weapons law to allow guns in places such as colleges and day cares and on private aircraft. Those places could still ban the weapons themselves.

• A bill currently in the Senate making compliance with the state’s renewable-energy mandates optional for the next three years. Critics of the bill, including renewable-energy companies and environmental advocates, call the optional mandates a freeze in another form.

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By Andrew Welsh-Huggins

Associated Press

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