COLUMBUS, Ohio - As 2025 draws to a close, Ohio drivers are approaching the final implementation phase of the state’s public safety budget, which will result in higher vehicle ownership costs starting New Year’s Day. House Bill 96, which Governor Mike DeWine signed into law in June, utilized a staggered implementation schedule that has already put most of the legislation into effect while delaying financial impacts on drivers until Jan. 1, 2026.

The new law was designed with three distinct rollout dates, two of which have already passed. The operating appropriations, which fund the daily activities of the Ohio Department of Public Safety, became active immediately upon the bill's signing on June 30. Subsequently, the general legal provisions within the act took effect on Sept. 30, follow

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