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Advocates urge expansion of Safe at Home address confidentiality program (SB 225)
Summary
Leah Sikala of the Alliance for Safety and Justice testified for SB 225, saying the bill would expand the Secretary of State's Safe at Home program to include gunshot victims and families of homicide victims and that funds were already set aside in the recent state budget for expansion.
Leah Sikala, representing the Alliance for Safety and Justice, testified in support of Senate Bill 225 to expand Ohio's Safe at Home address confidentiality program. "Safe at Home was created in 2016 to allow victims of domestic violence, stalking, human trafficking... to conceal their home addresses in order to stay safe," Sikala told the committee, and she argued the program's privacy protections can mean the difference between safety and repeat victimization.
Sikala said SB 225 would extend eligibility to survivors of additional violent offenses, including gunshot victims and family members of homicide victims. She added that the Secretary of State already has funds set aside in the most recent state budget to support an expansion, and that SB 225 would provide the legislative authority needed to implement the change without requiring additional resources.
Committee members recorded no questions during the witness's testimony and noted written proponent testimony from the Ohio Secretary of State and other victim‑advocacy organizations.
