Ohio lawmakers are taking aim at a long-standing perk of public office: seeing your own name splashed across taxpayer-funded signs and vehicles.
In Columbus, legislators have rolled out H.B. 938, a proposal that would scrub current officeholders’ names and faces from road signs, billboards, building decals, and government cars. Supporters say those displays amount to free campaign material subsidized by everyone else.
What H.B. 938 Would Do
House Bill 938, officially dubbed the "No Free Advertising for Politicians Act," would bar the use of public dollars to display the "personal name or likeness of a current public official" on a road sign, billboard, or other outdoor marker, or on a sign, sticker, or decal attached to a building exterior or vehicle, according to the Ohio House. The measure was introduced in May by Reps. Mark Hiner and Tex Fischer are now parked in the House General Government Committee for its first round of scrutiny.
Penalties And Removal
The proposal plugs into Ohio’s existing election-offense penalty scheme by stating that anyone who violates the ban "shall be punished as provided in section 3599.40 of the Revised Code," language that appears in the bill text (PDF). Under Section 3599.40, most election offenses are treated as first-degree misdemeanors, which under Ohio’s sentencing rules can carry up to 180 days behind bars and a fine of as much as $1,000, per the Ohio Revised Code.
The bill would also force agencies to deal with signs and decals that are already out there. Any noncompliant display put up before the law takes effect would have to be removed or altered "as soon as practicable," according to the bill text (PDF).
Context And Reaction
Sponsors frame the effort as a basic fairness issue: no more free branding for elected officials on the public’s dime. Rep. Mark Hiner told NBC4 that the "No Free Advertising for Politicians Act keeps taxpayer dollars focused on Ohio’s needs, not political self-promotion." Lawmakers have pointed to signs bearing Gov. Mike DeWine’s name as one example of what they want to curb.
The idea is not unique to Ohio. As NBC4 notes, Illinois adopted a similar restriction in 2011, Iowa followed with its own law in 2018, and Kentucky lawmakers floated a comparable plan last year that ultimately stalled out. Across the region, legislators have been wrestling with how far to go in limiting on-the-job visibility for incumbents.
What Happens Next
For now, H.B. 938 remains in the House General Government Committee. To actually become law, it would need a committee green light, majority approval in both the House and Senate, and then the governor’s signature, according to the Ohio House.
Local governments are already paying attention. The proposal has shown up in legislative roundups for members of the County Commissioners Association of Ohio, signaling that county leaders and local agencies could be among the voices lining up to testify if and when formal hearings are scheduled.
