OHIO LEGISLATIVE SERVICE COMMISSION
Office of Research Legislative Budget
www.lsc.ohio.gov and Drafting Office
H.B. 289* Bill Analysis
135th General Assembly
Click here for H.B. 289’s Fiscal Note
Version: As Reported by Senate Judiciary
Primary Sponsors: Reps. Robb Blasdel and Swearingen
Effective date:
Nicholas A. Keller, Attorney
SUMMARY
Registration of a residence address
▪ Requires that an offender or delinquent child include in their registration a current fixed
address.
▪ Requires the offender or delinquent child, if the residence address is not to a fixed
residence address, to include in the registration a detailed description of the place or
places at which the offender or delinquent child intends to stay for the following
30 days.
▪ Modifies the definition of “fixed residence address.”
Notice of intent to reside
▪ Requires that the offender or delinquent child include in their notice of intent to reside
the fixed residence address at which the offender or delinquent child intends to reside.
▪ Requires the offender or delinquent child, if the residence address change is not to a
fixed address, to include in the notice a detailed description of the place or places at
which the offender or delinquent child intends to stay for the following 30 days.
Change of address notification
▪ Requires the offender or delinquent child to provide written notice of a change of
address at least 20 days prior to changing the residence address.
* This analysis was prepared before the report of the Senate Judiciary Committee appeared in the
Senate Journal. Note that the legislative history may be incomplete.
December 11, 2024
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▪ Requires the offender or delinquent child, if the residence address is not to a fixed
residence address, to include in that notice a detailed description of the place or places
at which the offender or delinquent child intends to stay for the next 30 days.
▪ Provides that until the offender or delinquent child has a fixed residence address, every
30 days the offender or delinquent child must include in that notice a detailed
description of the place or places at which the offender or delinquent child intends to
stay for the following 30 days.
Registration of new address
▪ Requires the offender or delinquent child who is required to provide written notice of a
change of address to also register the new address.
▪ Requires the offender or delinquent child, if the residence address change is not to a
fixed residence address, to include in registration a detailed description of the place or
places at which the offender or delinquent child intends to stay for the next 30 days.
▪ Provides that until the offender or delinquent child has a fixed residence address, every
30 days the offender or delinquent child must include in that notice a detailed
description of the place or places at which the offender or delinquent child intends to
stay for the following 30 days.
Penalty
▪ Applies current law penalties for failure to register to a residence address, failure to
send notice of intent to residence, failure to notify a sheriff of a change of address, and
failure to register a new residence address.
Tolling period of time offender has to comply with SORN Law
▪ Provides that if an offender or delinquent child is required to register as a Tier I or Tier II
Sex Offender/Child-Victim Offender and the person fails to comply with the SORN Law,
the period of time that the person has a duty to comply with the SORN Law is tolled for
the amount of time the person is in violation of the SORN Law.
▪ Specifies that the period of time the offender or delinquent child has a duty to comply
with the SORN law resumes once the person is no longer in violation of the SORN Law.
Notice of sex offender release in another county
▪ Requires the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction to notify a county sheriff as
soon as is practicable when a person who is required to register as a sex offender will be
transported to that county by the Department under qualifying circumstances.
Intervention in lieu of conviction and community-based
correctional facilities
▪ Extends until October 15, 2025, the availability of community-based correctional facility
placement as a term of intervention in lieu of conviction.
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Criminal defendant subpoena
▪ Repeals procedures for a defendant subpoenaing a victim’s records.
DETAILED ANALYSIS
Introduction to SORN Law
Ohio’s Sex Offender Registration and Notification Law1 (SORN Law) imposes certain
duties and restrictions on offenders convicted of a “sexually oriented offense” or “child-victim
oriented offense”2 and on children adjudicated delinquent for committing a comparable act
who are age 14 to 17 years old and to whom the juvenile court judge applies the SORN Law.3
The SORN Law also provides for certain notifications regarding the offenders and databases
containing certain information about the offenders and delinquent children.
Each offender is automatically classified a Tier I, Tier II, or Tier III Sex Offender/Child-
Victim Offender, depending on the offense and the offender’s criminal history.4 Each sexually
oriented offense or child-victim oriented offense is within one of the Tiers. Delinquent children
are not automatically classified into any of the Tiers; rather the juvenile court judge who applies
the SORN Law to the child determines the Tier into which the child is classified.5 The Tier III
classification applies to persons convicted of what are considered to be the “most serious”
sexually oriented offenses or child-victim offenses, the Tier I classification applies to offenders
convicted of what are considered to be the “least serious” such offenses, and the Tier II
classification applies to offenders convicted of such offenses considered to be in between the
most serious and least serious such offenses. Each Tier has somewhat different responsibilities
under the SORN Law and a different duration of being subject to the SORN Law.
Registration of a residence address
Under current law, an offender or delinquent child who is convicted of or pleads guilty
to a sexually oriented offense or a child-victim oriented offense must personally register with
the sheriff, or the sheriff’s designee, of the county in which the offender was convicted of or
pleaded guilty to the sexually oriented offense or child-victim oriented offense or the county in
which the delinquent child was classified a juvenile offender registrant.6 An offender or
delinquent child who is required to register under the SORN Law must obtain from the sheriff
or the sheriff’s designee a registration form. The offender or delinquent child must complete
and sign the form and return it to the sheriff, or the sheriff’s designee with the following:
1 R.C. Chapter 2950.
2 R.C. 2950.01(A) and (C).
3 R.C. 2152.82 and 2152.83 regarding delinquent children, not in the bill.
4 R.C. 2950.01(E), (F), and (G).
5 R.C. 2152.82, 2152.83, and 2152.831, not in the bill.
6 R.C. 2950.04(A)(1)(a) and (b) and 2950.041(A)(1)(a) and (b), not in the bill.
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(1) the offender’s or delinquent child’s photograph, (2) the offender’s or delinquent child’s
travel and immigration documents, and (3) any other required materials. The sheriff, or the
sheriff’s designee must sign the form and indicate on the form the date on which the form was
returned. Registration is complete when the offender or delinquent child returns the
completed form and other materials to the sheriff or the sheriff’s designee.7
The bill requires that the registration form include the current fixed address of the
offender or delinquent child. If the residence address is not to a fixed address, the offender or
delinquent child must include in the registration a detailed description of the place or places at
which the offender or delinquent child intends to stay for the following 30 days. Until the
offender or the delinquent child has a fixed residence address, the offender or delinquent child
is subject to the change of address requirements under the SORN Law.8 Under current law, the
registration form must include the current residence address of the offender or delinquent
child.9
Notice of intent to reside
Under current law, if an offender or delinquent child is required to register as a Tier III
Sex Offender/Child-Victim Offender, the offender or delinquent child must also send to the
sheriff, or the sheriff’s designee, of the county in which the offender or delinquent child intends
to reside, written notice of the offender’s or delinquent child’s intent to reside in the county.
The offender or delinquent child must send the notice of the intent to reside at least 20 days
prior to the date the offender or delinquent child begins to reside in the county.10
The bill requires that the notice of intent to reside include the fixed residence address or
fixed residence addresses at which the offender or delinquent child intends to reside. If a
residence address change is not to a fixed residence address, the offender or delinquent child
must include in the notice a detailed description of the place or places at which the offender or
delinquent child intends to stay for the following 30 days. Until the offender or delinquent child
has a fixed residence address, the offender or delinquent child is subject to the change of
address requirements under the SORN Law. Under current law, the notice of intent to reside
must include the address or addresses at which the offender or delinquent child intends to
reside.11
Change of address notification
Under current law, if an offender or delinquent child is required to register under the
SORN Law, the offender or delinquent child must provide written notice of any change of
7 R.C. 2950.04(B) and 2950.041(B), not in the bill.
8 R.C. 2950.04(C)(4)(a), 2950.041(C)(4), not in the bill, and 2950.05.
9 R.C. 2950.04(C)(4) and 2950.041(B), not in the bill.
10 R.C. 2950.04(G) and 2950.041(G), not in the bill.
11 R.C. 2950.04(G)(2), 2950.041(G)(1), not in the bill, and 2950.05.
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residence address to the sheriff with whom the offender or delinquent child most recently
registered under the SORN Law. The offender or delinquent child must provide the written
notice at least 20 days prior to changing the residence address.12
The bill provides that if the residence address is not to a fixed residence address, the
offender or delinquent child must include in that notice a detailed description of the place or
places at which the offender or delinquent child intends to stay for the next 30 days. Until the
offender or delinquent child has a fixed residence address, every 30 days the offender or
delinquent child must include in that notice a detailed description of the place or places at
which the offender or delinquent child intends to stay for the following 30 days. Under current
law, if a residence address change is not to a fixed address, the offender or delinquent child
must include in that notice a detailed description of the place of places at which the offender or
delinquent child intends to stay.13
Affirmative defense
Under continuing law, not later than the end of the first business day immediately
following the day on which the person obtains a fixed residence address, the offender or
delinquent child must provide the sheriff with written notice of that fixed residence address.
If the person whose residence address change is not to a fixed address describes in a notice the
place or places at which the person intends to stay, the place or places so described in the
notice will be considered the person’s residence address and registered residence address until
the person provides the written notice of a fixed residence address.14
Under continuing law, it is an affirmative defense that was impossible for a person to
provide the written notice to the sheriff because of a lack of knowledge, on the date specified
for the provision of the written notice, of a residence address change, and that the person
provided notice of the residence address change to the sheriff as soon as possible, but not later
than the end of the first business day, after learning of the address change by doing either of
the following:15
▪ The person provided notice of the address change to the sheriff by telephone
immediately upon learning of the address change or, if the person did not have
reasonable access to a telephone at that time, as soon as possible, but not later than the
end of the first business day, after learning of the address change and having reasonable
access to a telephone, and the person, as soon as possible, but not later than the end of
the first business day, after providing notice of the address change to the sheriff by
telephone, provided written notice of the address change to the sheriff.
12 R.C. 2950.05(A).
13 R.C. 2950.05(A).
14 R.C. 2950.05(A).
15 R.C. 2950.05(G)(1).
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▪ The person, as soon as possible, but not later than the end of the first business day,
after learning of the address change, provided written notice of that address change to
the sheriff.
Registration of a new residence address
Under current law, an offender or delinquent child who is required to provide notice of
a change of address must also register the new address as required under “Registration of
a residence address.”16
The bill provides that if a residence address change is not to a fixed residence address,
the offender or delinquent child must include in the registration a detailed description of the
place or places at which the offender or delinquent child intends to stay for the next 30 days.
Until the offender or delinquent child has a fixed residence address, every 30 days the offender
or delinquent child must include in that written notice a detailed description of the place or
places at which the offender or delinquent child intends to stay for the following 30 days.
Under current law, if a residence address change is not to a fixed address, the offender or
delinquent child must include in that notice a detailed description of the place or places at
which the offender or delinquent child intends to stay.17
Under continuing law, not later than the end of the first business day immediately
following the day on which the person obtains a fixed residence address, the offender or
delinquent child must register with the sheriff that fixed residence address. If the person whose
residence address change is not to a fixed address describes in a notice under this division the
place or places at which the person intends to stay, the place or places so described in the
notice are considered the person’s residence address and registered residence address until the
person provides the written notice of a fixed residence address.18
Affirmative defense
Under continuing law, it is an affirmative defense that it was impossible for the person
to register the new address with the sheriff because of a lack of knowledge on the date
specified for the registration of the new residence address, and that the person registered the
new residence address with the sheriff as soon as possible, but not later than the end of the
first business day, after learning of the address change by doing either of the following:19
▪ The person provided notice of the new address to the sheriff or official by telephone
immediately upon learning of the new address or, if the person did not have reasonable
access to a telephone at that time, as soon as possible, but not later than the end of the
first business day, after learning of the new address and having reasonable access to a
16 R.C. 2950.05(B).
17 R.C. 2950.05(B).
18 R.C. 2950.05(B).
19 R.C. 2950.05(G)(2).
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