Ohio House passes bills on sextortion, campus law, human trafficking suppression, among others • Ohio Capital Journal

State Sen. Stephanie Kunze, R-Dublin, introduced SB 214 earlier this year and it passed the Senate in April.

“When victims of human trafficking finally take steps to escape the scourge of human trafficking, they often have a criminal record (and) having a criminal record, as many of us do. know, creates a major barrier to access to gainful employment, stable housing, educational opportunities and child care,” said State Rep. Tracy Richardson, R-Marysville. “These factors are all crucial when a survivor is trying to escape their situation. »

Currently, victims of human trafficking can have their records expunged for crimes of solicitation, loitering and prostitution. Expungement is not automatic and individuals must go through a hearing process.

People who are victims of human trafficking are usually forced to commit crimes, such as shoplifting and credit card theft, under threat of violence.

THE Human Trafficking Hotline has received 11,224 tips and identified 3,102 cases of human trafficking in Ohio since 2007.

Ohio is a target for human trafficking for many reasons, including its proximity to the Canadian border, its location relative to several major cities and its high number of truck stops, according to Human trafficking front.

Teacher License Fee

The House passed a bill by a vote of 85 to 12 that would address potential increases in teacher licensing fees.

Provisions were added to SB 117 in the House Finance Committee that addressed teacher licensing fees.

“We also had a budget problem last year … and if we don’t do something, act quickly … teacher licensure fees are about to skyrocket,” said state Rep. Jay Edwards, R-Nelsonville.

Five-year teacher licenses cost $200, but could rise to $350, a 75% increase, if this issue is not addressed, the state said. Rep. Bride Rose Sweeney, D-Westlake.

Sexual extortion

Brandon's Law — which ban sexual extortionion and aggravated sexual extortion – is one step closer to the adoption of Bill 531 unanimously with 96 votes.

The bill is named after Olentangy High School student Braden Markus, who committed suicide in 2021 after someone posing as a teenager on social media sent him lewd photos and asked him to do the same. After sending the photos, the person then threatened to post the photos on social media if he did not send them $1,800.

“As a sophomore in high school, Braden didn’t know what to do,” said state Rep. Beth Lear, R-Galena. “It was a terrifying situation, as the individual continued to push and emotionally manipulate him, torturing and threatening him. It only took 27 minutes from the time this individual contacted Braden to the time he was pushed to the point where he took his own life. And in Ohio, we will have no crime for that unless we pass this bill.

Lear and Brian Lorenz, Republicans from Powell, introduced the bill earlier this year, which would make sextortion a felony punishable by up to 11 years in prison. The court could also impose an additional 10 years if the crime causes bodily harm or death, meaning the person involved in Markus' death could have faced up to 21 years in prison.

HB 531 would also allow a parent or guardian to access a phone or device belonging to a deceased minor within 30 days. Markus' family was unable to access his phone for 10 months.

At the time of Braden's death, Lorenz had four children at Liberty High School in Olentangy Local Schools who knew someone close to Braden.

“We've had many conversations with our children about what happened and how we can move forward to make sure this never happens. » » said Lorenz.

Walleye Beak

The walleye is set to become the official state fish after the passage of Bill 599, introduced earlier this year by State Reps. Sean Brennan, D-Parma, and DJ Swearingen, R-Huron.

There are 95 million walleyes in Lake Erie ages two and older, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. To put that into perspective, there are approximately 600,000 white-tailed deer in Ohio.

The Walleyes are the nickname of Toledo's professional minor league hockey team.

State Representatives. Jamie Callender, Rodney Creech, Bernie Willis and Tom Young voted against HB 599.

The bill now heads to the Senate for further consideration.

Follow the OCJ journalist Megan Henry on X.