October 2021
Sexual Violence in the News
Call for action for Ohio sex assault-related bills...

Four Ohio House Democrats are calling for movement on two bills introduced this year on sexual assault-related issues. One bill would extend the time for the prosecution of rapists and allow 25 more years for childhood sexual assault victims to...

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www.statenews.org
Sex abuse survivors speak out for more education - Ohio...

Among more than a dozen advocates demanding better education in schools on sexual abuse, survivors told their stories, issuing an ultimatum to legislators to keep other children from being victimized. "Just as we teach addition and subtraction,...

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ohiocapitaljournal.com
Ohio fails sexual abuse victims. Ohio State lawsuit...

This is the experience of former Ohio State University swimmer Kent Kilgore, a sexual assault survivor of Dr. Richard Strauss - the now-deceased Ohio State team doctor who was found to have sexually abused at least 177 young male students.

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www.dispatch.com
Priority Legislation
House Bill 266
Regards statutes of limitation for rape and child sexual abuse
Sponsors: Representative Miranda, Representative Galonski
Committee: House Criminal Justice
HB 266 would eliminate the statute of limitations of § 2907.02 Rape, remove the spousal exemption from § 2907.02 Rape, and extend the statute of limitations for civil child sexual abuse claims from 12 years to the date the survivor reaches the age of 55.
Lawmakers say they planned to fail on Strauss sex abuse...

Despite hearing public, firsthand accounts of sexual abuse from eight of at least 177 victims of Ohio State sports physician Dr. Richard Strauss, state Republican leaders indicated they never planned to pass introduced legislation that would...

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ohiocapitaljournal.com
House Bill 121
Eliminate sex crime spousal exceptions; permit spousal testimony
Sponsors: Representative Lanese, Representative Boggs
Committee: House Criminal Justice

HB 121 would remove spousal exemptions from § 2907.02 Rape, § 2907.03 Sexual Battery, § 2907.04 Unlawful Sexual Conduct with a Minor, § 2907.05 Gross Sexual Imposition, § 2907.06 Sexual Imposition, and § 2907.07 Importuning.

Click here for OAESV's Fact Sheet.
HRC 6 & SRC 4
Declare racism a public health crisis 
House Sponsors:
Representative Howse,
Representative Crawley
Senate Sponsors:
Senator Craig, Senator Williams
Committees: House State and Local Government Committee, Senate Health Committee

Click here for more information.
Erin's Law - HB 105
Regards age-appropriate child sexual abuse instruction 
Sponsors: Representative Lipps, Representative Kelly
Committee: Senate Primary and Secondary Education
Status: Passed House, Referred to Senate Primary & Secondary Education Committee

Current law does not mandate education addressing the pervasive problems of sexual abuse and sexual violence. Erin's Law would require sexual abuse prevention education in grades K-6, add sexual violence prevention education in grades 7-12, and require additional training for school personnel. Ohio is a regional outlier, as Indiana, Michigan, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New York have all passed Erin's Law. Erin's Law curriculum first appeared in public schools in 2009, and Ohio's legislation meets our individual state's needs for district expertise in crafting compliant lessons.

Our Erin's Law library can be accessed here.
HB 199
Remove the cap on damages for noneconomic loss when a victim of rape or assault brings a tort action 
Sponsors: Representative Boggs, Representative Russo
Committee: House Civil Justice Committee

This bill would remove limitations on the amount of compensatory damages for noneconomic loss in tort actions brought by a victim of rape, felonious assault, aggravated assault, assault, or negligent assault.
HB 319 and SB 183
Enact Expanding Human Trafficking Justice Act
Senate Sponsors: Senators Fedor and Kunze
House Sponsors: Representatives Galonski and Richardson
Committee: House Criminal Justice Committee, Senate Judiciary Committee

This bill would allow victims of human trafficking to expunge certain criminal records related to their human trafficking victimization.

Our factsheet for these bills can be accessed here.
HB 256
Allow Certain Crime Victims to Terminate Rental Agreements
Sponsors: Representative Sobecki, Representative Lepore-Hagan 
Committee: House Civil Justice Committee

This bill aims to enhance protections for tenant-survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence by allowing survivors the option to terminate rental agreements and prohibiting a variety of retaliatory actions from landlords against tenant-survivors, among other protections.

For more information on the link between sexual violence and housing, check out this resource from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.
OAESV's Legislative Newsletter is funded by a generous grant from the George Gund Foundation, a private Ohio non-profit organization that has donated $722 million dollars since 1952 to projects that advance human welfare and society.
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