Ohio House Passes Rep. Odioso's 'Grand Jury Privacy and Protection Act'

COLUMBUS, OH - State Representative Mike Odioso (R-Green Twp.) today announced the Ohio House of Representatives passed House Bill 565, the "Grand Jury Privacy and Protection Act."

The legislation works to protects the names and residential addresses of grand jurors, as well as the signature of a grand-jury foreperson, from being released through public records requests after a grand jury has been impaneled and sworn by an Ohio Court of Common Pleas.

"Grand jurors play a critical role in our justice system and should be able to fulfill their civic duty without fear that their personal information could be publicly exposed," said Rep. Odioso. "This legislation provides commonsense protections that help safeguard the privacy and security of individuals serving in these sensitive proceedings."

Under current Ohio law, public records maintained by government offices are generally subject to inspection and copying upon request unless specifically exempted. This bill creates a narrow exemption for identifying information related to grand jurors while maintaining public access to nonexempt records.

State Representative Dontavius Jarrells (D-Columbus) is the joint sponsor of the bill. It now heads to the Ohio Senate for further consideration.