COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A new bill at the Ohio Statehouse aims to further protect kids from sexual abuse. 

House Bill 322, sponsored by Representatives Bill Seitz (R-Cincinnati) and Cindy Abrams (R-Harrison) expands the grooming statutes in the Ohio Revised Code.  

“What the victims’ families say is ‘had we been able to stop this priest or this teacher from this precursor activity, it never would’ve ripened into a child rape or a real case of child sexual abuse,’” Seitz said.  

Seitz said a pattern of conduct, defined in the bill as two or more incidents closely related in time, or grooming, in many cases leads to more serious offenses. 

“Some of these folks had a history of that kind of behavior and then they were quietly moved to a different school where they actually become a much more serious offender,” he said. “We are trying to nip it in the bud before it gets more serious.” 

The bill creates the offense of grooming by prohibiting a person who is 18 years or older from engaging in a pattern of conduct with a minor if the person and the minor are in any sort of relationship, like a relative, teacher or coach. And a person prohibits a person who is 18 years or older from engaging in a pattern of conduct with a minor between 13 and 16, if they do not have any sort of relationship.  

“Are we running the risk of a 12-year-old, or younger, falling through the cracks by both of those sections not explicitly saying all ages,” Representative Jessica Miranda (D-Forest Park) asked the bill’s sponsors during the House Civil Justice Committee.  

“We can certainly look at that,” Seitz said. “We took all the advice from the prosecuting attorneys about how to do this, so the structure was, in essence, dictated by them.” 

This bill also doubles the statute of limitations for prosecutors to go after people who are mandatory child abuse reporters. Right now, prosecutors can only go after those people for two years, if this bill passes, it will be expanded to four.  

“We want mandatory reporters to report at a time when we can do something about it,” Seitz said.  

This bill has its second hearing next week, where anyone who supports the bill can testify.