House Bill 390 Passes Ohio House

COLUMBUS – State Representative Marilyn John (R-Richland County) and Laura Lanese (R-Grove City) announce that House Bill 390 was voted out of the Ohio House of Representatives on Wednesday, March 30th. 

The intent of the bill is to require governmental evidence-retention entities to secure and test sexual assault examination kits in relation to an investigation or prosecution of trafficking in persons.

 “House Bill 390 will help stress to our law enforcement partners and our communities that Ohio is dedicated to fighting this crime,” said John 

Currently, sexual assault examination kits (SAE kits) are not required to be tested when it comes to the investigation or evidence that human trafficking has occurred. Therefore, oftentimes the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation (BCI) does not test the SAE kits within the realm of human trafficking. However, SAE kits are required to be tested for the following crimes: murder, voluntary or involuntary manslaughter, rape (completed or attempted), vehicular homicide or manslaughter, sexual battery and gross sexual imposition.

This legislation will take a very important step in ensuring that those who suffer from human trafficking are able to receive the proper care, justice, and attention that they deserve,” added John. 

H.B. 390 now heads to the Ohio Senate for further consideration.