PORTSMOUTH, Ohio — Ohio is one step closer to giving the King of the Cowboys his own day. The Ohio Senate has favorably passed House Bill 13, legislation designating November 5 as “Roy Rogers Day” in Ohio, and the bill now heads to Gov. Mike DeWine for his signature, the Ohio House of Representatives announced.
The bill, sponsored by State Rep. Justin Pizzulli (R-Scioto County), would enact section 5.267 of the Ohio Revised Code to set the designation in law, according to the General Assembly’s record of the measure. The House approved the bill earlier in the session before the Senate took it up this fall.
Roy Rogers — born Leonard Franklin Slye on November 5, 1911 — grew up in Portsmouth and the Lucasville area and went on to become one of the most famous entertainers in America: a singer, actor, television host and rodeo performer known nationally as the “King of Cowboys,” the Ohio House said in its announcement. Setting the honor on November 5 ties the day directly to his birthday.
“This legislation seeks to both honor a legend deeply rooted in our state’s history and instill hope in younger Ohioans from rural communities that they too can pursue and achieve their dreams,” Pizzulli said, in remarks reported by the Scioto Post.
Portsmouth’s connection to Rogers is more than a birthplace footnote. The city was home to the Roy Rogers Museum and an annual festival celebrating his legacy for more than 40 years, the Ohio House noted — a tradition that kept his name in front of Scioto County long after his Hollywood career ended.
The bill’s path through the Statehouse was a long one. Pizzulli introduced House Bill 13 in January 2025, the House passed it on March 5, 2025, and the Senate Government Oversight and Reform Committee reported it on November 5, 2025, according to the General Assembly’s status record — setting up this fall’s Senate passage, a full year and a half after the measure was first filed.
The designation carries no cost and requires no action from state agencies or local governments; the Legislative Service Commission’s analysis of the bill notes it simply names the day. With Senate approval secured, House Bill 13 awaits DeWine’s signature before it can become law — the final step in a journey that began when Pizzulli introduced the measure in January 2025.