Sierah's Law

Sierah’s Law

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.

  1. Bill Presented

    02/22/2017

    Senator Gardner and Senator Hite present the bill to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

  2. Proponent Hearing

    03/29/2017

    At 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.

  3. Opponent/Interested Party Hearing

    06/13/2017

    Several 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.

  4. Supporters Gather

    10/14/2017

    While 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!

  5. New Bill Number Assigned

    11/14/2017

    Introduced to Senate as SB 231, many revisions were made to SB 67 and a new bill number was assigned.

  6. Proponent Hearing

    11/28/2017

    Senator Randy Gardner gave sponsor testimony for now revised bill, S.B. 231.

  7. Opponent/Interested Party Hearing

    02/27/2018

    Hearing for now revised bill, S.B. 231.

  8. Sierah’s Law passes in the Ohio Senate with 31 yeas and 2 nays

    04/11/2018

    Sierah’s Law Passes the Senate

  9. Introduced to House

    04/12/2018

    SB 231 is introduced to the Ohio House Criminal Justice Committee

  10. Proponent Hearing

    11/18/2018

    Senator Randy Gardner, Sheila Vaculik and Wood County Sheriff Wasylyshyn gave testimony on why this bill should be put in place.

  11. Opponent/Interested Party Hearing

    11/27/2018

    A speaker from ACLU of Ohio, Toledoans for Prison Awareness and Ohio Rational Sexual Offense Laws spoke of their concerns with the bill.

  12. Sierah’s Law Passes the House

    12/05/2018

    Sierah’s Law passes the Ohio House with a 92 yea and 0 nays.

  13. Sierah’s Law Passes the Senate Concurrence Vote

    12/06/2018

    Sierah’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

  14. Signed into Law

    12/19/2018

    Sierah’s Law is signed into law by Governor John Kasich.

  15. Sierah’s Law goes into Effect

    03/20/2019

    Sierah’s Law is actively being used in the state of Ohio.

  16. Sierah’s Law is Retroactive

    10/21/2021

    In 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.