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Bill Punishes Sex Offenders Who Don’t Report Internet Info
By: Associated Press
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – A proposed bill would punish Ohio sex offenders who fail to report Internet-related information such as email addresses when registering with authorities.
The bill is meant to correct a loophole in current law that makes the shielding of email addresses or social media accounts by sex offenders illegal but doesn’t include a punishment.
The proposal would make recklessly failing to include such information subject to the same punishments covering address notification violations. The punishments vary according to the seriousness of the original charge.
The bill is sponsored by Republican state Rep. Troy Balderson, of Zanesville. It was approved Wednesday by the Senate Criminal Justice Committee.
The Ohio Public Defender’s Office says the bill is redundant and such violations can still be punished under current law.