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hb478_02_PH
As Passed by the House
136th
General Assembly
Regular
Session
H. B. No. 478
2025-2026
Representatives Thomas, D., Synenberg
Cosponsors: Representatives Brennan,
Click, Hiner, Johnson, Lorenz, Miller, K., Ray, Upchurch, Mathews,
A., Odioso, Barhorst, Bird, Daniels, Dovilla, Fowler Arthur,
Ghanbari, Glassburn, Grim, Hall, D., Holmes, John, Lett, Mathews, T.,
Miller, J., Mohamed, Newman, Oelslager, Peterson, Plummer, Robb
Blasdel, Rogers, Russo, Sigrist, Somani, Swearingen, Williams, Young
To
amend
section 2921.04 and to
enact
section 2921.06 of the Revised Code
to
create the offense of jury tampering and to include a public servant
in the offense of intimidation of an attorney, victim, witness, or
public servant in a criminal case.
BE
IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:
Section
1.
That
section
2921.04 be amended and
section
2921.06 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:
Sec.
2921.04.
(A)
No person shall knowingly attempt to intimidate or hinder the victim
of a crime or delinquent act in the filing or prosecution of criminal
charges or a delinquent child action or proceeding, and no person
shall knowingly attempt to intimidate a witness to a criminal or
delinquent act by reason of the person being a witness to that act.
(B)
No person, knowingly and by force or by unlawful threat of harm to
any person or property or by unlawful threat to commit any offense or
calumny against any person, shall attempt to influence, intimidate,
or hinder any of the following persons:
(1)
The victim of a crime or delinquent act in the filing or prosecution
of criminal charges or a delinquent child action or proceeding;
(2)
A witness to a criminal or delinquent act by reason of the person
being a witness to that act;
(3)
An attorney by reason of the attorney's involvement in any criminal
or delinquent child action or proceeding
;
(4)
A public servant by reason of the public servant's involvement in any
criminal or delinquent child action or proceeding
.
(C)
Division (A) of this section does not apply to any person who is
attempting to resolve a dispute pertaining to the alleged commission
of a criminal offense, either prior to or subsequent to the filing of
a complaint, indictment, or information, by participating in the
arbitration, mediation, compromise, settlement, or conciliation of
that dispute pursuant to an authorization for arbitration, mediation,
compromise, settlement, or conciliation of a dispute of that nature
that is conferred by any of the following:
(1)
A section of the Revised Code;
(2)
The Rules of Criminal Procedure, the Rules of Superintendence for
Municipal Courts and County Courts, the Rules of Superintendence for
Courts of Common Pleas, or another rule adopted by the supreme court
in accordance with section 5 of Article IV, Ohio Constitution;
(3)
A local rule of court, including, but not limited to, a local rule of
court that relates to alternative dispute resolution or other case
management programs and that authorizes the referral of disputes
pertaining to the alleged commission of certain types of criminal
offenses to appropriate and available arbitration, mediation,
compromise, settlement, or other conciliation programs;
(4)
The order of a judge of a municipal court, county court, or court of
common pleas.
(D)
Whoever violates this section is guilty of intimidation of an
attorney, victim,
or
witness
,
or public servant
in a criminal case. A violation of division (A) of this section is a
misdemeanor of the first degree. A violation of division (B) of this
section is a felony of the third degree.
(E)
As used in this section, "witness" means any person who has
or claims to have knowledge concerning a fact or facts concerning a
criminal or delinquent act, whether or not criminal or delinquent
child charges are actually filed.
Sec.
2921.06.
(A)
As used in this section, "juror" means a prospective juror
or juror who has been chosen and summoned for jury duty and who has
been impaneled on a jury for a trial.
(B)
No person shall knowingly attempt to influence, intimidate, or hinder
a juror in the discharge of the juror's duties, including in the
juror's consideration of the facts or evidence presented at trial for
which the juror has been impaneled.
(C)
No person, knowingly and by force, by unlawful threat of harm to any
person or property, or by unlawful threat to commit any offense or
calumny against any person, shall attempt to influence, intimidate,
or hinder a juror in the discharge of the juror's duties, including
in the juror's consideration of the facts or evidence presented at
the trial for which the juror has been impaneled.
(D)
Division (B) of this section does not apply to persons presenting
facts and evidence to the court during the trial for which the juror
has been impaneled.
(E)
Whoever violates this section is guilty of jury tampering. A
violation of division (B) of this section is a misdemeanor of the
first degree. A violation of division (C) of this section is a felony
of the third degree.
Section
2.
That
existing section 2921.04 of the Revised Code is hereby repealed.