The Ohio Senate approved a bill, sponsored by state Sen. Michael Rulli, that provides additional protections for business owners from fraud.

The bill updates Ohio’s business filing law to strengthen consumer protections and shield business owners from fraud, said Rulli, R-Salem, who represents Mahoning and Columbiana counties.

The bill was passed by the Senate on Wednesday, the last day of its session for the year.

“As scammers and thieves become more sophisticated in their schemes, it is important that there are safeguards in place to protect Ohio’s hard-working business owners,” Rulli, who is director of operations for Rulli Bros. Markets with grocery stores in Austintown and Boardman, said.

“As a small business owner myself, I know first-hand how these bad actors can make a negative impact on their business and ultimately their livelihood,” Rulli said.

The bill still needs the approval of the Ohio House.

It was introduced March 28 in the state Senate and moved a day later to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

It had seven committee hearings with only two people testifying, both in favor of it. They were Secretary of State Frank LaRose and Alex T. Boehnke, director of legislative and corporate affairs for the Ohio Council of Retail Merchants.

Boehnke said the bill “puts forth sensible measures to protect businesses large and small operating in Ohio” by, among other things, “streamlining the process for filing complaints of fraud” so the “secretary of state can quickly identify fraudulent activity.”

In his testimony, Rulli said, “Most Ohioans recognize the dangers associated with identity theft and other forms of fraud as it relates to their own personal finances, but similar vulnerabilities to our state’s businesses and job creators are being continually exploited.”

The bill empowers the Ohio secretary of state and local prosecutors to investigate claims instead of requiring business owners to spend time and money in courts to protect their companies, Rulli said.

The bill, Rulli said, streamlines the complaint process against scammers, restricts the reinstatement period for canceled business registrations to two years to reduce fraud, eliminates the ability of agents to hide their identity behind a fraudulent address, cracks down on deceptive or misleading mailers and improves the process for businesses victimized by scammers to seek a remedial solution.