COLUMBUS, Ohio—Ohio House Republicans are kicking off “lame-duck” session this week with a final round of challenges to outgoing Gov. John Kasich on guns and abortion.

By a 64-26, mostly party-line vote Wednesday, the Ohio House passed a GOP-sponsored “stand your ground” bill that eliminates any “duty to retreat” before using force in self-defense, shifts the burden of proof to the state in self-defense cases, and loosens a number of Ohio gun-control rules – including allowing individuals to challenge local gun-control ordinances in court.

The final vote on the bill, House Bill 228, came over the vocal protests of state Rep. Stephanie Howse, a black Democrat from Cleveland who said that several groups, such as the NAACP, have asserted that the bill “is a bad idea for people that look like me.”

Howse, in a floor speech, noted that the bill’s sponsors represent districts that are more than 90 percent white, leading House Speaker Ryan Smith, a Gallia County Republican, to cut her mic after she ignored his warning not to refer to other House members by name.

Smith then called for a vote on the bill, which took place as Howse continued shouting at Smith.

“You just don’t want to have any conversation about race,” she told Smith as the bill passed.

After the vote, Howse issued a statement: “Black voices will not be silenced. We belong here and we deserve to be heard and have a seat at the table. Republicans have been unwilling to have an honest conversation about race and the disproportionate effects their extreme policies have had on minority communities across Ohio, and sadly, we saw that play out firsthand in the ‘People’s House.’

Smith told reporters after Wednesday’s session that it was “infuriating” that Howse suggested that he and the co-sponsors of the bill are racist.

The speaker said he cut off Howse because of a House rule that prohibits floor speakers from mentioning other lawmakers by name.

“It was disrespectful to the chair,” Smith said. “You cannot do that. That’s not how we do things.”

When it was pointed out that other lawmakers during Wednesday’s session mentioned colleagues by name and weren’t gaveled down, Smith replied, “When you’re speaker, you’re always second-guessed and [there are] armchair quarterbacks everywhere. It’s a subjective situation. I try to manage it as best I can.”

State lawmakers usually pass controversial legislation in the final days of a legislative session. That the House is moving ahead with these bills now, several weeks before session is expected to end, indicates lawmakers are allowing time to override gubernatorial vetoes, should they happen.

If the “stand your ground” legislation becomes law, Ohio would join at least 25 other states that already have similar measures in place. Such laws were thrust into the national spotlight after the 2012 Florida shooting of Trayvon Martin (even though the role of Florida’s “stand your ground” law has been debated in that case).

Currently, in Ohio use-of-force cases, it’s up to defendants to prove they are not guilty because they acted in self-defense. HB 228 would shift that burden of proof to the prosecution.

It would also scrap Ohio’s “duty to retreat” before using force in self-defense. Right now, state law only allows no duty to retreat when defendants are in their home or vehicle.

The bill’s provision allowing individuals to file civil lawsuits challenging local governments' firearm ordinances is the latest move by state lawmakers against municipalities' power to regulate guns. In 2006, the Ohio General Assembly prohibited municipalities from passing gun-control rules that are stricter than state law.

HB 228 also would roll back a number of state gun-control laws, including:

Eliminating the rule that people legally carrying a concealed weapon must carry valid ID, as well as keep their hands during a police traffic stop;

Scrapping the requirement that signs be posted in schools, police stations, courthouses, airports and other “gun-free zones” stating that deadly weapons are forbidden there;

Reducing the penalty for illegally carrying a concealed weapon from a first-degree misdemeanor to a minor misdemeanor as long as the offender didn’t commit a separate crime while carrying the weapon; and

Barring landlords from requiring tenants to agree to a ban or restriction on owning, using or possessing firearms in their residence.

Assistant House Majority Leader Sarah LaTourette, a Geauga County Republican co-sponsoring HB 228, said the legislation makes “common-sense” changes to modernize Ohio law and eliminate overly burdensome and unreasonable gun rules.

Ohio, LaTourette said, is the only state that still places the burden of proof in self-defense cases on the defendant.

LaTourette and other supporters disputed that the bill should be called a “stand your ground” bill. State Rep. Terry Johnson, a Scioto County Republican and the bill’s other co-sponsor, said it should instead be referred to as a “no duty to retreat” measure.

Democratic state Rep. David Leland of Columbus spoke against the legislation, dubbing it “stand your ground on steroids.” This “shoot-first, ask questions later” measure, he said, “is a solution looking for a problem.”

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that the Ohio House also plans to vote Thursday on a so-called “heartbeat bill” that would ban abortions in the state when a fetal heartbeat can be detected – a rule that would effectively outlaw nearly all abortions performed in Ohio.

Both bills require Senate approval before heading to Kasich’s desk. But if that happens, Kasich -- a Republican himself -- is likely to veto both measures: he vetoed a previous “heartbeat bill” in 2016, and earlier this year he vowed to block “stand your ground” legislation.

Meanwhile, state legislators have ignored a package of gun reforms pushed by Kasich in the wake of several mass shootings in other states.