Ohio lawmakers recently updated the state’s drunk driving regulations, and these changes carry serious implications if you are currently facing OVI (operating a vehicle impaired) charges. “Liv’s Law,” enacted last year, introduces substantial new penalties. If facing charges, it is important to understand how these recent legal changes affect your specific circumstances.
Understanding Liv’s Law
Liv’s Law, officially HB 37, is named after Olivia “Liv” Wright who was tragically killed by a repeat OVI offender. Liv’s father, Bryan Wright, pushed for its passage, bringing the proposal to the desk of lawmakers and explaining its importance. It passed in the state’s House of Representatives and Senate. Governor Mike DeWine signed it into law in 2025.
Enhanced penalties for OVI offenses
The new law significantly increases the severity of OVI consequences. These changes impact various aspects of sentencing. Two key changes include:
- Increased penalties for aggravated vehicular homicide for those with prior OVI convictions
- Increased fine for aggravated vehicular homicide due to OVI to $25,000
The level of penalties depends on the details of the case. There were no changes to first time offenses.
Impact on your case
The passage of Liv’s Law is an example of how the laws that guide the criminal justice system are not static — they evolve in response to public safety concerns, high-profile incidents, new research and shifting political priorities. Legislatures regularly amend criminal statutes and sentencing schemes to close perceived loopholes, raise penalties, redefine key terms or add new conditions that affect charging and penalties. For people facing criminal allegations, this constant change matters because the stakes can shift quickly: what was once a negotiable case may now carry mandatory enhancements, higher fines, longer license suspensions or other collateral consequences. Staying current is not just academic. It can affect risk assessment, plea strategy and whether early decisions (like statements to police or choices about testing) later limit defense options.
When the law changes, defense strategy often has to change with it. A stronger penalty framework can increase the prosecution’s leverage, making early case evaluation and evidence challenges more important. In impaired-driving cases, for example, the best path may turn on technical issues. This could include a review of traffic stop legality, field sobriety test administration, chemical test reliability, chain of custody, or medical explanations. Likewise, changes that heighten penalties for repeat conduct make a defendant’s record more central, so defense planning must account for how prior convictions are counted, whether they can be challenged, and how they affect exposure.
The broader takeaway is that as Ohio refines its OVI and vehicular homicide framework, anyone facing charges benefits from counsel who is up to date on the newest statutory changes and who can tailor a defense plan to the law as it exists now — not as it was a few years ago.