The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Ohio requires courts to send electronic court date reminders and appropriates $7 million
Last action · February 4, 2026: Referred to JudiciarySponsor: Josh Williams
Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.
What This Bill Would Do
Ohio requires every municipal, county, and to use a statewide electronic reminder program that automatically sends text and email notifications to criminal and traffic defendants for scheduled court appearances. The measure appropriates $6 million for 2026 and $1 million for fiscal year 2027 to fund the program through the Supreme Court.
Criminal and traffic defendants will automatically receive text or email alerts ahead of scheduled court dates and follow-up notices if a date is missed, backed by $7 million in state operating funds over two s.
- Failure to appear in court often results in bench warrants and unnecessary county jail admissions. context
- State operating appropriations in Ohio typically align with biennial budget frameworks and reference standard administrative rules such as H.B. 96. 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.
Criminal and traffic defendants
Defendants are automatically enrolled to receive electronic court date reminders, virtual appearance links, and post-missed-appearance notices.
Clerks of courts
Court clerks must employ the state-developed reminder program, update contact information, document message delivery, and collect and transmit performance data.
Local law enforcement agencies and public defenders
Law enforcement and public defenders must partner with courts to ensure intake processes record telephone numbers and email addresses.
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
Who is required to use the electronic court reminder program?
How many reminders will defendants receive before a court date?
What happens if a defendant misses a court appearance?
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- Feb 4, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred to Judiciary
- Dec 8, 2025HouseIntroducedIntroduced
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.
Two-Year State Appropriation
The bill allocates distinct funding levels across two fiscal years, providing $6 million in FY 2026 and $1 million in FY 2027.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legislature.ohio.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance65How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy15Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
Publisher tools