My mistake. It wasn’t the Columbus Dispatch that confirmed the removal of Section 3101. The article actually was published by The Cleveland Plain Dealer.

According to an article published in the Columbus Dispatch today [20 March], as GDad stated Section 3101 was removed from the bill.

The Columbus Dispatch reported:

•Domestic partner benefits eliminated

According to a Feb. 21 e-mail from Equality Ohio, urging opposition to SB 5, the bill “contains language that could impact current and future domestic partner benefits for LGBT employees.” There is nothing, however, in SB 5 that specifically targets the LGBT community. Confusion arose when an earlier version of the bill was under consideration in the Senate Insurance, Commerce and Labor Committee. That version restated the existing Ohio marriage law, including the state’s policy against extending benefits in same-sex relationships. The latest version of SB 5, as it was passed in the Senate, removed any reference to Ohio’s marriage law. [emphasis added] Equality Ohio remains opposed to the bill because collective bargaining is often the only way members of the LGBT community can receive domestic partner benefits.

I may owe you an apology.

I was checking back on the senate site to see if a consolidated version of the bill was available — it’s not.

So, to be candid, I’m not sure if what you linked to is actually the full text of the bill that was passed (dumping section 3101 and several other sections) or if, as I originally thought, it’s just the amendments to the original language that were passed.

The web site’s not really clear on that.

That document is not a consolidated version of the bill.

The original bill text is Sub. S. B. No. 5.

The amendment is Am. Sub. S. B. No. 5
[AM = Amendment]

(Very) small blessings, I guess.

I wonder if the Gay Games in 2014 should be reassigned from Cleveland to a different locale as a result of this idiocy…..?