The tragedy of Sierah’s murder shed light on the unsettling reality that a repeat violent offender lived in such close proximity to her home, unbeknownst to her family. In the wake of Sierah’s passing, her family embarked on a relentless mission to enlighten Ohio lawmakers about the critical importance of a violent offender database in enhancing community awareness and expediting the process of locating missing individuals.
In a remarkable milestone, December 2018 witnessed the unanimous passage of Sierah’s Law in the Ohio House. This groundbreaking law established a database accessible to both law enforcement and everyday citizens, enabling them to identify the presence of violent offenders in their neighborhoods. Justice for Sierah remains unwavering in its commitment to educate and advocate for the expansion of Sierah’s Law across the nation, with the ultimate objective of its enactment in all 50 states.
Senate Bill 67
Thanks to the help of former Ohio Senators Randy Gardner and Cliff Hite, Sierah’s Law began moving forward as Senate Bill 67. Senator Gardner constructed the bill that would put in place a Violent Offender Database in Ohio. This database would primarily be for law enforcement, but citizens would have the ability to learn the residence of felons convicted of violent offenses at their County Sheriff’s office.
The violent offenses included are:
• Aggravated Murder
• Murder
• Voluntary Manslaughter
• Abduction
• Kidnapping
Senate Bill 231
Senator Gardner had worked closely with many of the interested parties on this issue, including the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections, Attorney General’s Office, Buckeye State Sheriffs Association, and consulted with prosecutors and judges.
Since the opponent hearing, held in June of 2017, Senator Gardner spent months listening to those that opposed the bill. Nearly a dozen changes to the bill were made following criticisms, concerns and requests made by those involved in re-entry programs. Senate Bill 67 then became Senate Bill 231 and was signed into law on December 19, 2018.
Read the full text of Ohio Senate Bill 231 on the Ohio Legislature website.
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Bill Presented
02/22/2017Senator Gardner and Senator Hite present the bill to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
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Proponent Hearing
03/29/2017At this hearing, Sheila Vaculik, Howard Ice, and the Wood County Sheriff Wasylyshyn gave testimony on why a violent offender registry should be put in place and the benefits to not only law enforcement but also to the communities. Senators Gardner met with the committee members following this hearing to discuss the positives and negatives of the bill.
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Opponent/Interested Party Hearing
06/13/2017Several re-entry programs gave testimony against S.B. 67. There were concerns on how vague the bill was written and public access to the violent offenders information.
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Supporters Gather
10/14/2017While parties debate different aspects of the bill, hundreds of supporters and friends of Sierah gathered for the first annual Spirit of Sierah 5K race. The event rallies the community in support for Sierah’s Law and safer streets for our children, which they flooded with purple!
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New Bill Number Assigned
11/14/2017Introduced to Senate as SB 231, many revisions were made to SB 67 and a new bill number was assigned.
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Proponent Hearing
11/28/2017Senator Randy Gardner gave sponsor testimony for now revised bill, S.B. 231.
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Opponent/Interested Party Hearing
02/27/2018Hearing for now revised bill, S.B. 231.
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Sierah’s Law passes in the Ohio Senate with 31 yeas and 2 nays
04/11/2018Sierah’s Law Passes the Senate
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Introduced to House
04/12/2018SB 231 is introduced to the Ohio House Criminal Justice Committee
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Proponent Hearing
11/18/2018Senator Randy Gardner, Sheila Vaculik and Wood County Sheriff Wasylyshyn gave testimony on why this bill should be put in place.
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Opponent/Interested Party Hearing
11/27/2018A speaker from ACLU of Ohio, Toledoans for Prison Awareness and Ohio Rational Sexual Offense Laws spoke of their concerns with the bill.
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Sierah’s Law Passes the House
12/05/2018Sierah’s Law passes the Ohio House with a 92 yea and 0 nays.
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Sierah’s Law Passes the Senate Concurrence Vote
12/06/2018Sierah’s Law passes the Senate for concurrence vote with 24 yeas and 3 nays. Sierah’s grandmother, mother and aunt jumped for joy at the passing of Sierah’s Law, in front of the Ohio Congress
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Signed into Law
12/19/2018Sierah’s Law is signed into law by Governor John Kasich.
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Sierah’s Law goes into Effect
03/20/2019Sierah’s Law is actively being used in the state of Ohio.
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Sierah’s Law is Retroactive
10/21/2021In a 4-3 majority, the Ohio Supreme Court determined that the registry requirements in Sierah’s Law, may retroactively apply to those who committed crimes before the law took effect in March 2019.