The Ohio Dangerous and Wild Animal bill (SB310) was officially signed into law on June 5, affecting owners of snakes exceeding 12 feet, venomous species, and crocodilians.

The Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC) worked with legislators to obtain amendments favorable to reptile keepers, including:

having boa constrictors removed completely from list of restricted snakes

ensuring that any species of constricting snake listed as a "restricted" snake may be owned without a permit if the snake is less than 12 feet in length

exempting constricting snakes from liability insurance/surety bond mandate

allowing employees and volunteers of permitted facilities to not be considered “members of the public”

permitting public contact with constricting snakes for educational purposes for school-aged students

prohibiting the Director of Department of Natural Resources to add new animals to the restricted list by going through the legislative process

reducing signage requirements to only require owners of restricted snakes to post signs on the cage of the snake or any vehicle transporting the snake.

To read the full press release from PIJAC, click here.

From Governor Kasich's Facebook page:

Good to have the support of Jack Hanna as I signed the Dangerous Wild Animals bill into law this afternoon. It's an important bill that helps improve the safety of both humans and animals alike, and it's thanks to bipartisan efforts that this day was possible.

You can read the full law here.