Recently, the Manhattan Institute held a forum in Columbus, Ohio regarding the problem of rapidly increasing federal laws, and its impact on Ohio.  With an estimated average 4,500 federal laws, many Ohioans are being prosecuted for crimes they are unaware they are even breaking, and the government is securing many convictions without having to prove that the defendant intended to break the law. Some legislators are now pushing for a criminal code that would require prosecutors to demonstrate a defendant’s culpable state of mind.