In a move that could please some craft beer enthusiasts, the Ohio Senate on Wednesday voted unanimously to eliminate the state's 12-percent alcohol limit on beer. Sen. Cliff Hite, R-Findlay, said the measure will create a "business friendly" climate in Ohio to encourage the growing expansion of microbreweries and their craft beers.

In a move that could please some craft beer enthusiasts, the Ohio Senate on Wednesday voted unanimously to eliminate the state�s 12-percent alcohol limit on beer.

Sen. Cliff Hite, R-Findlay, said the measure will create a �business friendly� climate in Ohio to encourage the growing expansion of microbreweries and their craft beers.

Senate President Keith Faber, R-Celina, said he is not concerned about Ohioans becoming blitzed on a couple of beers, given that some high-alcohol brews cost more than $10 a bottle.

Brewdog, a Scottish brewer that plans to open its U.S. headquarters in Canal Winchester this summer, has 26 beers that it cannot sell in the state because of the current alcohol limit. Faber said one potential multi-million dollar brewery abandoned its plans for Ohio, in part, due to the limit on alcohol in beer.

The bill now goes to the House for a concurrence vote.

In other legislative business, the House took another step to help with the blight problems around the state in the wake of the Great Recession, passing a bill designed to speed up the foreclosure process for abandoned properties.

The process for banks to get a decree of foreclosure can take upward of 18 months. The bill would allow the county prosecutor to go to the court in order to proceed with the sale if it is not underway within 12 months.

�House Bill 463 will help alleviate the strain that vacant and abandoned properties put on our local governments, schools, and communities,� said Rep. Jonathan Dever, R-Madeira, the bill sponsor.

The bill now goes to the Senate.

The House also moved a bill proposed by Gov. John Kasich aimed at improving Ohio�s response to lead water contamination.

The bill follows a lead contamination incident in the northeast Ohio town of Sebring, where residents were notified of lead problems early this year, months after tests came back positive.

Instead of the current 30-day public disclosure timeline when high levels of lead are detected, the bill would require water system operators to disclose results to homeowners within two days, with system-wide educational information within 30 days.

Rep. John Boccieri, D-Poland, whose district includes Sebring, called the bill a good first step.

�There were gross mistakes that were made at the state level and the community level,� he said of the incident, adding that he supports the bill�s effort to increase notification standards.

Boccieri said the bill still contains a number of shortcomings, including no clear definition of what constitutes a public health crisis.

�The agency is asking our local water operators to respond to a public health crisis in two days, but giving the EPA director an additional 10 days to respond,� he said. �That is inconsistent.�

The bill now goes to the Senate.

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