Missing persons, dangerous dogs priorities for public safety panel
Bolstering efforts to find missing persons will be a focus for members of the House Public Safety Committee when they return to work.
The committee will likely reconvene next week as more committees return for post-summer recess action, Chair Rep. Cindy Abrams, R-Harrison, said in an interview.
At the top of the to-do list, she said, is a bipartisan bill (HB 217 ) to require law enforcement agencies to enter information from missing persons reports in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.
"That would be top of mind, top of the list," she said.
Sponsored by Rep. Christine Cockley, D-Columbus, and Rep. Kevin Ritter, R-Marietta, the legislation has received two committee hearings.
At its most recent hearing, the measure picked up several additions that were recommended by the Ohio Missing Persons Working Group. (See Gongwer Ohio Report, June 17, 2025)
Abrams said additional recommendations could be added. However, she said they could be split between HB217 and a yet-to-be introduced bill she is working on with Rep. Eric Synenberg, D-Beachwood, that would require phone companies to provide law enforcement with certain information when an individual is reported missing.
She said she is still meeting with sponsors and interested parties, such as the Department of Public Safety, about which recommendations should go into those measures.
"We all sat down and talked about what makes sense in each bill," Abrams said.
Cockley and Ritter have also sponsored a resolution (HR 227 ) urging the Department of Justice to expedite work to connect the National Crime Information Center and NamUs databases that is likely to move through the committee.
It was referred to the panel earlier this month.
Also on the docket for Abrams is a bill (HB 417 ) from Rep. Tom Young, R-Washington Twp., and Rep. Phil Plummer, R-Dayton, to, among other things, bar the abuse of a companion animal corpse.
The measure would also prohibit an animal abuse offender from owning a dog in certain circumstances and establish mandatory fines for violations of an animal abuse offense.
Action on that bill would follow the panel's prior advancement of another measure (HB 247 ) to overhaul state law on dangerous and vicious dogs.
Sponsored by Rep. Kevin Miller, R-Newark, HB247 evolved into a vehicle to combine two other competing measures (HB 240 & HB 241 ) on dangerous and vicious dogs. (See Gongwer Ohio Report, June 3, 2025)
Nonetheless, Abrams said there is more to be done on the subject.
"At least where I serve down here in Hamilton County, some of these dogs are out of control and people need to be held accountable, especially when they maul people," she said. "It's devastating."