The Overview
If you have a criminal conviction on your record, a new Ohio law may change when you can ask for help getting back into the job market. Ohio's new House Bill 268 changes when people with criminal convictions can ask for a certificate of qualification for employment, and the law took effect Sept. 23.
Job licensing rules and other laws can keep people with criminal convictions out of many jobs, and a 2018 Policy Matters Ohio analysis estimated that about 1.3 million Ohio jobs were fully or partly closed to them. For many people coming home from prison, that barrier has meant no steady work, financial hardship, and a harder path to staying out of prison.
What the Law Does
The law changes when a person can apply for this certificate. Employers and licensing boards can consider the certificate when deciding whether a conviction should keep someone from a job or a professional license.
Rep. Gary Click said the bill would only change the timing for when people can apply, not how the application works. The steps for applying, the standards courts use, and what a granted certificate means all stay the same.
Rep. Latyna Humphrey said at final passage: "When we invest in second chances, we invest in stronger families, safer neighborhoods, and a more prosperous Ohio."
Legislative Status
Democrat Latyna Humphrey and Republican Gary Click led the bill together. Forty-seven lawmakers signed on as cosponsors, including Munira Abdullahi, Rachel B. Baker, Sean P. Brennan, James M. Hoops and Brian Lampton.
The Ohio House passed the bill unanimously, 93 to 0, on Oct. 29, 2025. The Ohio Senate also passed it unanimously, 31 to 0, on June 3, 2026.
Gov. Mike DeWine signed the bill June 24. The Ohio Justice and Policy Center applauded the signing, saying: "We knocked down walls to housing, and now we are helping formerly incarcerated individuals break down barriers to a good job."
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