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.