Two bills strengthening Ohio’s sexual offender laws, Jessica’s Law, sponsored by state Senator Steve Austria (R-Beavercreek) and Nicole’s Law sponsored by state Senator Gary Cates (R-West Chester), were signed into law January 2 by Governor Bob Taft.


Taft was joined at the bill signing by the bills sponsors, Austria and Cates, nine-year-old Nicole Robertson, for whom S.B. 245 is named, her parents and brother and representatives from several sexual offender victim advocacy groups.


Jessica’s Law, Amended Substitute Senate Bill 260, increases punishment for rape or attempted rape if the victim is younger than 13. Nicole’s Law, Substitute Senate Bill 245, increases the level of offense for public indecency when the victim is a child.


“We have to use all the tools we can to deter sex offenders from preying on our most vulnerable citizens,” said Taft. “Both of these bills strengthen Ohio’s laws in regard to sex offenders, and will help protect our most important resource, our children.”

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Ohio Senator Steve Austria,(R Beavercreek), sponsor of Jessica’s law, has worked for over a year to reach this moment. He introduced the bill in January and was instrumental in gaining it’s passage in the Ohio Senate by a vote of 32-1 in March, 2006. After passage in the state Senate, he continued to push for it’s support and passage in the Ohio House. Austria’s efforts in support of the bill included an appearance on Fox News’ O’Reilly Factor.


Austria began work to strengthen Ohio’s sex offender laws while serving as chairman of the Judiciary Committee, prior to the shocking kidnap, rape and murder of 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford in Florida. On the O’Reilly Factor Austria said, “Once Jessica’s Law was done in Florida, it gave us a model, which I introduced in January.”


Below is an exerpt from the Ohio new release for reference which describes aspects of both bills in greater detail.

Jessica’s Law, Amended Substitute Senate Bill 260, sponsored by Senator Austria, changes the penalties and conditions when a person is convicted of rape or attempted rape and the victim is less than 13; to increase the penalty for importuning and establish a presumption for a prison term if the victim is under 13; to require the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction to notify sheriffs of the release of sex offenders and child-victim oriented offenders and to require BCII to include on its Internet sex offender database, and sheriffs who operate on the Internet a sex offender database, to include on the database the information received about the offender; to provide for the consideration of specified convictions of members of the household of a parent in making child custody determinations; to modify provision regarding protection orders for victims of sexually oriented offenses; and to declare an emergency. The bill contains an emergency clause and goes into immediate effect upon signature of the Governor and filing with the Secretary of State.


Nicole’s Law, Substitute Senate Bill 245, sponsored by Senator Cates, increases the penalties for public indecency when the victim is a minor and the offender has a previous public indecency conviction, to require that a person charged with a sexually oriented offense or with public indecency who has a previous conviction of a sexually oriented offense or of public indecency appear before the court before the court sets bail, and to generally require the court to consider certain factors before setting bail for that person. The bill goes into effect 90 days after it is signed by the Governor and filed with the Secretary of State.