Legislation: Ohio House Bill 359 – Address Confidentiality (Victims)
Bill: House Bill 359 (full text)Title: Address Confidentiality for Victims
Sponsors: Representatives Duffey and Gonzales
Co-Sponsors: Representatives Bishoff, Anielski, Hall, LaTourette, Perales, Stinziano, Antani, Grossman, Sears, Scherer, Sprague, Buchy, Butler, Curtin, Leland, Amstutz, Antonio, Arndt, Ashfrod, Baker, Boccieri, Boggs, Boose, Boyce, Boyd, Brenner, Brown, Burkley, Celebrezze, Conditt, Craig, Cupp, DeVitis, Derickson, Dever, Dovilla, Driehaus, Fedor, Ginter, Green, Hackett, Hagan, Hambley, Hayes, Henne, Hill, Howse, Huffman, Johnson, Koehler, Kuhns, Kunze, Landis, Lepore-Hagan, Maag, Manning, McClain, O’Brien M., O’Brien S., Patterson, Pelanda, Phillips, Ramos, Reece, Reineke, Retherford, Rezabek, Roegner, Rogers, Ruhl, Ryan, Schaffer, Sheehy, Slaby, Slesnick, Smith, Strahorn, Sweeney, Sykes, Terhar, Thompson, Young, Schuring
Bill Analysis: This bill would create an address confidentiality program for victims of domestic violence, stalking, human trafficking, rape, and sexual battery. The program establishes an alternate mailing address with the Secretary of state that participants can use for government transactions to shield their home address and other personal identifying information from the public record where it could be available to abusers. The Secretary of State’s office would serve as the intermediary for election-related correspondence and facilitate voting for the participants.
Status: Introduced in the House and referred to the House Government Accountability and Oversight Committee on October 6, 2015. Received a Committee Hearings in the House on October 20, November 17, 2015, December 1 and 8, 2015, and January 12, 2016. An amended version of the bill was reported by the House Committee and passed 11-0 on January 12, 2016. Amendments included removing “and any other crimes” from bill language to designate victim eligibility for the program, granting civil immunity to state employees acting within the scope of their employment, and adding federal law enforcement to the list of law enforcement agencies that would be granted the ability to have their personal addresses hidden under the bill.
The bill was passed in the Senate 93-0 on January 27, 2016. It was referred to the Senate State & Local Government Committee on February 10, 2016. It received Committee hearings on February 23, April 26, and May 17, 2016. A substitute bill was adopted by the Senate Committee which added new protections to provisions on voting in the bill. The bill passed the Senate 33-0 on May 25, 2016. House Concurred 90-0 on the Senate Amendments on May 25, 2016. See how your legislators voted here.
