Ohio 136th General Assembly Status: Passed Senate 1 R cosponsors

SB 277 — Clarify that child independent activity is not abuse or neglect

Last action — Referred to committee

Track this bill free

No card. One bill, free forever — alerts when it moves.

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has passed the Senate. Introduced September 30, 2025. It now moves to the second chamber.

Next likely step: consideration and a floor vote in the House.

Prognosis

Stalled 32% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Moderate

How often bills like it became law.

  • Passed Senate

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 1 sponsor

    1 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (1 R).

  • Mixed recorded votes

    2 passed, 1 failed in recorded votes so far.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

In plain language

The bill clarifies that children can engage in independent activities without being labeled as abused or neglected.

This bill establishes that children granted permission to partake in independent activities are not considered abused or neglected solely for that reason, as long as certain conditions are met. It outlines what constitutes independent activities and the appropriate circumstances for such activities.

Summary

To enact section 2151.032 of the Revised Code to clarify that a child who is granted permission to engage in independent activities is not considered to be an abused or neglected child.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

4 added · 3 removed

Plain-language change summary

In the latest version of Bill SB 277, several new cosponsors have joined the effort, showing broader support from legislators including Senators Landis, O'Brien, Patton, Reineke, Romanchuk, Timken, and Wilkin. This change highlights growing backing for the bill, which could help it move forward more effectively. Additionally, the specific reference to the bill as it was reported by the Senate Judiciary Committee has been removed, streamlining the document. This matters because it focuses attention on the bill’s current version and its supporters, indicating a shift in momentum.

→
Previous
Latest
As Reported by the Senate Judiciary Committee 136th General Assembly Regular Session S.
As Passed by the Senate 136th General Assembly Regular Session S.
277 2025-2026 Senator Gavarone Cosponsor:
277 2025-2026 Senator Gavarone Cosponsors:
Senator Manning To enact section 2151.032 of the Revised Code to 1 clarify that a child who is granted permission 2 to engage in independent activities is not 3 considered to be an abused or neglected child.
Senators Manning, Landis, O'Brien, Patton, Reineke, Romanchuk, Timken, Wilkin To enact section 2151.032 of the Revised Code to 1 clarify that a child who is granted permission 2 to engage in independent activities is not 3 considered to be an abused or neglected child.
277 Page 2 As Reported by the Senate Judiciary Committee (1) Traveling to and from school or nearby commercial or 19 recreational facilities, including by walking, running, or 20 bicycling;
277 Page 2 As Passed by the Senate (1) Traveling to and from school or nearby commercial or 19 recreational facilities, including by walking, running, or 20 bicycling;
⬇ Download PDF
View plain text versions (3)

Action History

  1. As Passed by the Senate

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

Export CSV (upgrade) →

1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 133 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (133)

133 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 133 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

Passed

Passed 31 Yea · 0 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Republican 23000
Democratic 8000
Total 31000
% of votes cast 100%0%0%0%
How each member voted (31)
Member Party Vote
Beth Liston Democratic Yea
Casey Weinstein Democratic Yea
Catherine D. Ingram Democratic Yea
Hearcel F. Craig Democratic Yea
Kent Smith Democratic Yea
Nickie J. Antonio Democratic Yea
William P. DeMora Democratic Yea
Willis E. Blackshear, Jr. Democratic Yea
Al Cutrona Republican Yea
Al Landis Republican Yea
Andrew O. Brenner Republican Yea
Bill Reineke Republican Yea
Brian M. Chavez Republican Yea
George F. Lang Republican Yea
Jane M. Timken Republican Yea
Jerry C. Cirino Republican Yea
Kristina D. Roegner Republican Yea
Kyle Koehler Republican Yea
Louis W. Blessing, III Republican Yea
Mark Romanchuk Republican Yea
Michele Reynolds Republican Yea
Nathan H. Manning Republican Yea
Rob McColley Republican Yea
Sandra O'Brien Republican Yea
Shane Wilkin Republican Yea
Stephen A. Huffman Republican Yea
Steve Wilson Republican Yea
Susan Manchester Republican Yea
Theresa Gavarone Republican Yea
Thomas F. Patton Republican Yea
Tim Schaffer Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

public-safety civil-rights
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does SB 277 do?
To enact section 2151.032 of the Revised Code to clarify that a child who is granted permission to engage in independent activities is not considered to be an abused or neglected child.
Who sponsors SB 277?
SB 277 is sponsored by Theresa Gavarone (Republican).
What is the current status of SB 277?
This bill has passed the Senate. Introduced September 30, 2025. It now moves to the second chamber.
Where can I track SB 277?
Track SB 277 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

Make your voice heard on SB 277

Find the representatives who decide this bill and tell them where you stand — for yourself, or mobilize your whole list in one click with One Click Politics advocacy software.

Find my representatives → Run a campaign

Stay ahead of SB 277

Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously

One Click Politics tracks every bill in Congress and all 50 states.

Track this bill →