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Heated third hearing on House Bill 5 over automatic sealing, weapons-under-disability penalties and prosecutorial concerns
Summary
At a third hearing on House Bill 5, prosecutors and law‑enforcement groups opposed automatic sealing provisions and some disability-penalty reductions, while reform advocates supported streamlined sealing and expanded relief; testimony highlighted constitutional concerns from Cincinnati Enquirer v. Bloom, workload and public-safety trade-offs
The House Judiciary Committee held a third hearing on House Bill 5, focusing on two core, contested elements: expanding automatic or state‑initiated sealing for many misdemeanors and fourth- and fifth-degree felonies, and revising penalties and specifications for weapons-under-disability and repeat violent offenders.
Keller Blackburn, representing the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association, testified in opposition. Blackburn told the committee that automatic court‑initiated sealing, as drafted, would conflict with the Ohio Supreme Court’s guidance in Cincinnati Enquirer v. Bloom because courts must make individualized public‑interest determinations before closing records. He said the proposed automatic process would force prosecutors and courts to review large numbers of records,…
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