OHIO LEGISLATIVE SERVICE COMMISSION
Office of Research Legislative Budget
www.lsc.ohio.gov and Drafting Office
H.B. 513 Bill Analysis
135th General Assembly
Click here for H.B. 513’s Fiscal Note
Version: As Introduced
Primary Sponsor: Rep. Carruthers
Effective date:
Shalanda R. Plowden, Attorney
SUMMARY
Intentional transmission of HIV
▪ Creates the offense of “intentional transmission of HIV.”
▪ Makes the penalty for intentional transmission of HIV a first degree misdemeanor.
▪ Provides that, when filing a case document involving an alleged violation of intentional
transmission of HIV, a party must redact or omit the identifying characteristics of the
defendant or the victim.
▪ Provides that, upon filing a case involving an alleged violation of intentional transmission
of HIV, the court must issue an order prohibiting specified persons from disclosing the
identifying characteristics of the defendant or the victim.
Criminal offenses related to HIV and AIDS repealed
▪ Repeals offenses related to HIV or AIDS, including felonious assault, engaging in
solicitation after a positive HIV test, loitering to engage in solicitation after a positive HIV
test, engaging in prostitution after a positive HIV test, harassment with a bodily
substance, and selling or donating contaminated blood.
HIV test disclosure and partner notification
▪ Modifies several circumstances when disclosure of an HIV test result or a diagnosis of
AIDS is permissible.
HIV testing and consent
▪ Specifies that an individual has a right to decline an HIV test and that declination must be
noted in the individual’s medical record.
November 14, 2024
Office of Research and Drafting LSC Legislative Budget Office
Termination of duty to comply with SORN requirements
▪ Allows an eligible offender to make a motion to terminate the offender’s duty to comply
with Sex Offender Registration and Notice (SORN) requirements for an offense that is a
qualifying sexually oriented offense (the repealed felonious assault offense related to HIV
or AIDS).
▪ Requires the court, if it finds that the eligible offender was convicted of, pleaded guilty
to, or was adjudicated a delinquent child for committing a qualifying sexually oriented
offense, to issue an order granting the motion to terminate.
▪ Requires the court, if it finds that the eligible offender was not convicted of, did not plead
guilty to, or was not adjudicated a delinquent child for committing a qualifying sexually
oriented offense, to issue an order denying the motion to terminate.
Expungement of record of conviction or adjudication
▪ Allows a person who was convicted of or pleaded guilty to the repealed felonious assault
offense related to HIV or AIDS to apply to the sentencing court for expungement of the
record of conviction.
▪ Allows a person who has been adjudicated a delinquent child for having committed an
act that would be a violation of the repealed felonious assault offense related to HIV or
AIDS to apply to the adjudicating court for expungement of the record of adjudication.
▪ Provides that if the court finds that the person has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to
the repealed felonious assault offense related to HIV or AIDS, the court must order the
expungement of all official records pertaining to the case and deletion of all index
references to the case.
▪ Expands the offense of “divulging confidential information” to include records expunged
under the bill.
Compelled HIV tests for Medical Board licenses
▪ Eliminates language expressly authorizing the State Medical Board to compel a licensee
to submit to an HIV test as part of an investigation into a licensee’s inability to practice
according to acceptable and prevailing standards of care by reason of a mental or physical
illness.
Terminology changes
Makes definitional and other language changes regarding HIV and AIDS.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Intentional transmission of HIV ...................................................................................................... 4
Offense ........................................................................................................................................ 4
Exceptions............................................................................................................................... 4
Penalties ................................................................................................................................. 4
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Other provisions ..................................................................................................................... 4
Definitions .............................................................................................................................. 5
Identifying characteristics ........................................................................................................... 5
Redacting or omitting identifying characteristics .................................................................. 5
Disclosing identifying characteristics ..................................................................................... 6
Definitions .............................................................................................................................. 6
Criminal offenses related to HIV or AIDS repealed......................................................................... 7
Felonious assault ......................................................................................................................... 7
Engaging in solicitation after a positive HIV test......................................................................... 7
Loitering to engage in solicitation after a positive HIV test ........................................................ 8
Engaging in prostitution after a positive HIV test ....................................................................... 8
Harassment with a bodily substance .......................................................................................... 8
Selling or donating contaminated blood ..................................................................................... 9
HIV test disclosure and partner notification ................................................................................... 9
HIV testing and consent ................................................................................................................ 10
Termination of duty to comply with SORN requirements ............................................................ 10
Motion to terminate ................................................................................................................. 10
Termination hearing .................................................................................................................. 11
Notice of the termination order................................................................................................ 12
Termination of duty to comply ................................................................................................. 12
Definitions ................................................................................................................................. 12
Expungement of record of conviction or adjudication ................................................................. 13
Application for expungement ................................................................................................... 13
Expungement hearing ............................................................................................................... 13
Notice of expungement order ................................................................................................... 14
Expunged record of conviction ................................................................................................. 14
Divulging confidential information ........................................................................................... 14
Definitions ................................................................................................................................. 15
Compelled HIV tests for Medical Board licensees ........................................................................ 15
Provisions related to AIDS and AIDS-related conditions .............................................................. 15
Terminology changes .................................................................................................................... 17
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As Introduced
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DETAILED ANALYSIS
Intentional transmission of HIV
Offense
The bill creates the offense of “intentional transmission of HIV,” which prohibits a person,
with knowledge that the person has HIV, from transmitting HIV to another by purposely doing all
of the following:1
▪ Failing to disclose that the person has HIV to the other person prior to the transmission
of HIV;
▪ Engaging in conduct that poses a substantial risk of the transmission of HIV;
▪ Failing to take or attempt to take means to prevent the transmission of HIV;
▪ Transmitting HIV to the other person.
In determining whether a person acted purposely, the failure to take or attempt to take
means to prevent the transmission of HIV is not sufficient to prove that the person acted
purposely.2
Exceptions
The bill excepts the following persons from the offense:3
▪ A person who has HIV, becomes pregnant, and transmits HIV perinatally;
▪ A person who acquires HIV while pregnant and transmits HIV perinatally;
▪ A person who declines treatment for HIV while pregnant or giving birth and transmits HIV
perinatally;
▪ A person who has HIV, donates or attempts to donate organs, blood, sperm, or any other
body tissue, and transmits HIV.
Penalties
The penalty for intentional transmission of HIV is a first degree misdemeanor.4
Other provisions
The bill’s provisions do not affect a person’s right to bring any defense available to the
person under the common law of this state.5
1 R.C. 2927.31(B).
2 R.C. 2927.31(C).
3 R.C. 2927.31(D).
4 R.C. 2927.31(E).
5 R.C. 2927.31(F).
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The bill specifies the following:
▪ Notwithstanding any provision of the Revised Code or the Rules of Evidence to the
contrary, in a case involving an alleged commission of intentional transmission of HIV, a
court may take judicial notice of adjudicative facts only upon the motion or stipulation of
the parties.6
▪ Notwithstanding any provision of the Revised Code, Rules of Evidence, or Rules of
Criminal Procedure to the contrary, in a case involving an alleged commission of
intentional transmission of HIV, the following are inadmissible as evidence: (1) any
medical records, including medication or prescription records, or medical devices of the
defendant, and (2) any surveillance records or reports maintained by state or local health
officials.7
Definitions
The bill defines the following terms:
▪ “Conduct that poses a substantial risk of the transmission of HIV” means vaginal
intercourse, anal intercourse, or sharing a hypodermic needle or syringe in a manner that
poses a substantial risk of the transmission of HIV. “Conduct that poses a substantial risk
of the transmission of HIV” does not mean vaginal intercourse, anal intercourse, or
sharing a hypodermic needle or syringe in a manner that poses a low or negligible risk of
the transmission of HIV.8
▪ “HIV” means the human immunodeficiency virus.9
▪ “Means to prevent the transmission of HIV” means the use of a method, device, behavior,
or activity that is scientifically proven to measurably limit, reduce, or eliminate the risk of
the transmission of HIV.10
Identifying characteristics
Redacting or omitting identifying characteristics
The bill specifies that, notwithstanding any provision of the Revised Code, Rules of
Superintendence, Rules of Evidence, or Rules of Criminal Procedure to the contrary, in a case
involving an alleged commission of intentional transmission of HIV, all of the following apply:11
6 R.C. 2927.31(G).
7 R.C. 2927.31(H).
8 R.C. 2927.31(A)(1).
9 R.C. 2927.31(A)(2), by reference to R.C. 3701.24, not in the bill.
10 R.C. 2927.31(A)(3).
11 R.C. 2927.32(B).
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▪ When submitting a case document to a court or filing a case document with a clerk of
court, a party must redact or omit identifying characteristics from the case document.
▪ When identifying characteristics are redacted or omitted from a case document
submitted to a court or filed with the clerk of court, the party must submit or file that
information on a separate form. The form must only be provided to the judge, clerk,
parties, and parties’ attorneys, must be kept confidential, must not be released, and is
not a public record.
▪ The responsibility for redacting or omitting identifying characteristics from a case
document submitted to a court or filed with a clerk of court rests solely with the party.
The court or clerk is not required to review the case document to confirm that the party
has redacted or omitted identifying characteristics, and must not refuse to accept or file
the document on that basis.
Disclosing identifying characteristics
The bill provides that upon filing a case involving an alleged commission of intentional
transmission of HIV, the court must issue an order stating that, during the pendency of the case,
the following persons must not disclose the identifying characteristics of any defendant or victim
in the case:12
▪ An officer or employee of a law enforcement agency;
▪ An officer or employee of the court;
▪ The clerk of any employee of the clerk of any court;
▪ An attorney, party, victim, or witness in the case.
The issuance of an order does not prohibit a defendant or victim in the case from
disclosing the defendant’s or victim’s own identifying characteristics.13
If any defendant or victim in the case requests that the order be terminated, the court
must terminate the order as it pertains to that defendant or victim.14
Definitions
The bill defines the following terms:15
▪ “Case document” means a document and information in a document submitted to a court
or filed with the clerk of court in a case involving an alleged commission of intentional
transmission of HIV, including exhibits, pleadings, motions, orders, and judgments, and
any other documentation prepared by the court or clerk in the case involving an alleged
12 R.C. 2927.33(B)(1).
13 R.C. 2927.33(B)(2).
14 R.C. 2927.33(C).
15 R.C. 2927.32(A) and 2927.33(A).
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commission of intentional transmission of HIV, including journals, dockets, and indices.
“Case document” does not include forms containing identifying characteristics submitted
or filed as described above.
▪ “Identifying characteristics” means the defendant’s or victim’s name, except for the
defendant’s or victim’s initials, address, age, marital status, relationship to defendant or
victim, race, ethnicity, employer, and employer’s address.
Criminal offenses related to HIV or AIDS repealed
Felonious assault
The bill repeal