The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Ohio prohibits nondisclosure agreements regarding child sexual abuse and overrides conflicting public employee contracts
Last action · March 4, 2026: Referred to JudiciarySponsors: Roy Klopfenstein and 7 others
Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.
What This Bill Would Do
Ohio HB 723 prohibits any person, public agency, or employer from entering into agreements or employment contracts that restrict parties from notifying law enforcement or regulatory agencies about suspected child sexual abuse, or from disclosing related facts during legal proceedings. Any contract provision violating this ban is declared , and this prohibition takes precedence over conflicting collective bargaining agreements for public employees.
The measure invalidates confidentiality clauses that shield perpetrators or prevent reporting, and ensures that public-sector union contracts cannot override the new disclosure mandate.
- Ohio Revised Code Chapter 4117 governs public sector collective bargaining, and section 4117.10 details which state laws override conflicting terms in labor agreements. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Employers
Public Employees and Labor Unions
Collective bargaining agreements cannot contain provisions that override the statutory prohibition against child sexual abuse nondisclosure agreements.
Law Enforcement and Regulatory Agencies
Agencies will receive reports and disclosures that were previously restricted by private confidentiality or nondisclosure contracts.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What types of agreements are prohibited by this bill?
What happens to existing or new contracts containing these nondisclosure clauses?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Follow the record
Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
2 actions- Mar 4, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred to Judiciary
- Mar 3, 2026HouseIntroducedIntroduced
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Expansion of statutory exceptions to collective bargaining
The bill adds the prohibition against child sexual abuse nondisclosure agreements to the list of statutes that override conflicting public sector collective bargaining agreements under R.C. 4117.10.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legislature.ohio.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy20Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
Publisher tools