SB 237 Summary

• Amends Ohio's sex offender registration and notification (SORN) law to require victim and community notifications when offenders or delinquent children verify their residence address for the first time, if no prior notification was provided regarding that specific address.

• Modifies notification trigger criteria by allowing notifications based on address verification under section 2950.06, not just initial registration or change of address notifications under prior law.

• Changes community notification requirements in section 2950.11 by removing a prior provision that allowed courts to exempt certain offenders from notification based on a hearing considering multiple factors; now notifications apply to all tier III offenders/public registry-qualified juveniles without exception.

• Requires sheriffs to determine during address verification whether victims have requested notice and whether prior notice was provided, then issue notifications accordingly within specified timeframes.

• Clarifies verification procedures for tier I, II, and III offenders with different frequency schedules (annual, every 180 days, and every 90 days respectively), and establishes procedures for handling verification failures including warning letters and arrest warrants.