Large turnout at public hearing in opposition to Ohio HB 353

That moment when you fill a room with opposition :)

I am happy to report that opposition to HB 353 filled the room to the Ohio House Judiciary Committee. Counting all those who submitted written statements and those in attendance, a total of 15 opposing statements were submitted to the Ohio House Judiciary Committee. It remains to be seen whether this bill advances, but with this much opposition, I want to believe this is the last we'll see of this asinine proposal.

You can read the opponent testimony on the Ohio House Judiciary Page under "April 26, 2016."

Below is a message from OHIO RSOL on yesterday's HB 353 hearing:

Hello Everyone, 

We wanted to send out a brief update of sorts to let you know how our day went at the Statehouse in Columbus in our providing opposition testimony to HB 353. 

First of all, we would like to thank each one of you who submitted a letter!!! Those of you who personally sent your statements directly to the Statehouse is a sure proof way of your voice being heard! 

Nine Ohio members were present and seven provided oral testimony! The OPD & ACLU also each had a representative opposing the bill and they too each gave a testimony on behalf of their agencies. Women Against Registry and RSOL National also provided excellent statements for us. There was no proponent testimony. The bill was not voted upon today and the Judiciary Committee may hold off until the Recodification Committee presents their recommendations. The theory of the Recod Committee is to scale back existing law, so hopefully HB 353 dies or even better, is voted down eventually...

If we wish to continue to reform laws, we need far greater organization, structure, record keeping, and an ongoing donation fund. Emails informing one another of a nasty bill, or related sex offender issue just isn't enough. We hope that you might consider donating a bit of your spare time in the near future and we thank those of you who have greatly helped in this endeavor. In ten years of being involved with sex offender law reform rather through a National organization or within our state, it is with great appreciation to have witnessed the success in Ohio today and to have the opportunity to share it with you. We have all felt lost and alone through this heart aching process at one time or another. We are not alone. 

ACTION ALERT! Ohio HB 353 up for testimony, Columbus State House, Tuesday, April 26 @ 3:30pm

HB 353 opponent testimony is being heard Tuesday April 26th at 3:30pm in Columbus. It hasn't gone away, and unless we oppose it with some force, many of us will likely have our names listed with the Sheriff's Department. 

Just think of the irony of someone that no longer must register whose name and whereabouts is no longer tracked because completed the registration period, yet people who reside with a registrant will go on a list of sorts...

(To recap, HB 353 will require registered persons to turn over the names of ALL adults living in the household to the Sheriff's office to be added to a list, and they will in turn get mail notifying them they are living with a registered citizen.)

Some of you have provided a statement and we thank you very much. We need statements from those that haven't, and even more so, people who can travel to Columbus this coming Tuesday. At least a couple of us will be headed down from Mansfield and we can try to accommodate others who wish to ride along or car pool. If planning to testify, keep in mind that statements need to be emailed to the Chair Jim Butler's aide at: Jeff.Dillon@ohiohouse.gov or faxed directly to Jim Butler at 614-719-3591

We are available to help out those who wish to write a letter or statement. Your response is appreciated. (RSVP) Haven't heard from some of you in awhile, please let this be a time we do. 

Thank you, 
Ohio RSOL

Note, I have already covered previous testimony regarding HB 353 on this blog. CLICK HERE to see a summary of my argument against HB 353.

Take the Once Fallen Police Compliance Check Survey

https://eSurv.org?s=LCHKFH_2a407aff -- Take the Once Fallen Police/ Compliance Check Survey

Dear registrant or loved one of a registrant,

Perhaps one of the most stressful experiences we face as those forced to register as “sex offenders” is having a uniformed member of law enforcement coming to your house to perform a “compliance check” or “address verification” operation. This survey is designed to gauge the experiences of registered citizens or their loved ones while subjected to one of these “random” compliance/ address checks. (For purposes of this survey, I prefer to use the term “registered citizens” or “registrants” as opposed to the term “registered sex offender.”)

QUALIFICATIONS: You must be either a registered citizen OR someone living with a registered citizen AND experienced an at-home or at-work compliance check at least once since being forced to register or, if you are the loved one of a registrant, have personally witnessed the check of the registrant. If you have NOT experienced an in-home or at-work compliance check, then DO NOT complete this survey.

If you have questions about this survey, contact me at iamthefallen1@yahoo.com or call me at 513-238-2873.

Derek W. Logue of OnceFallen.com