Ohio was named in “Legislative Limbo” in the American Tort Reform Association’s 2026 Legislative HeatCheck report as lawmakers consider a variety of litigation-related legislation. NFIB Ohio State Director Jared Weiser applauds the progress the General Assembly has made so far, and urges lawmakers to keep the momentum going to further protect Main Street from lawsuit abuse:

“Ohio’s small business community is often threatened by frivolous lawsuits and unfair litigation practices. Earlier this summer, Gov. DeWine signed House Bill 105 into law after lawmakers recognized the importance of bringing transparency and accountability to third-party litigation funding. This was a great win for small businesses, but elected officials shouldn’t stop there. Our Main Street businesses want to continue creating jobs and strengthening Ohio’s economy, but every dollar spent fighting a frivolous lawsuit is one less dollar going toward operating their business and investing in their community. Ohio’s General Assembly should remain committed to reining in lawsuit abuse.”

According to ATRA’s 2026 Legislative HeatCheck report:

• House Bill 126 is a positive bill under consideration, as it would prohibit public nuisance lawsuits over lawful products. The House passed this bill in May 2025 and has been pending in the Senate Judiciary Committee since.
• Senate Bill 157 would shorten Ohio’s deadline to sue over a broken written contract from six years to four, and over a broken spoken contract from four years to two, while letting parties set their own deadline in writing, up to 30 years. This bill passed the Senate on May 20 and now awaits action in the House Judiciary Committee.
• Senate Bill 292 would raise the state’s limits on certain subjective lawsuit payouts in medical malpractice and other injury cases and tie those limits to inflation, so they climb automatically over time. This bill would add cost and uncertainty to Ohio’s medical liability system. This bill has been pending in the Senate Judiciary Committee since October, with hearings in March and May, but no vote.

Ohio was named in “Legislative Limbo” – a category formerly known as the “Heat Watch,” where the state also landed in 2025 – alongside California, Michigan, and New York in the 2026 Legislative HeatCheck. The full report is available at heatcheck.atra.org.