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HB 677OHIOSession 136State Billin committee
High Impact

Ohio enacts the Kelsey Smith Act to modify custody interference laws, require emergency cell location data sharing, and establish an endangered missing child alert

Original title: Regards custody interference, missing children, certain call data

Last action · June 10, 2026: Re-referred (Rules and Reference)Sponsors: Eric Synenberg and 3 others

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓
Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Law

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What This Bill Would Do

Ohio House Bill 677 enacts the Kelsey Smith Act to stiffen penalties for custody interference involving child removal, mandate wireless service providers to share real-time cell location data with law enforcement during life-or-threatening emergencies, and establish a statewide endangered missing child alert program.

Why it matters

Law enforcement agencies gain immediate access to cellular tracking data during emergencies, while wireless providers and participating media broadcasters receive legal immunity from civil lawsuits when cooperating with missing child alerts or emergency information requests.

Background
  • The Kelsey Smith Act is named in memory of Kelsey Smith, a Kansas woman whose 2007 abduction and murder prompted legislative efforts nationwide to require wireless carriers to disclose cell phone location data in emergencies without waiting for a court order. 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.

Directly affected

Wireless service providers

Wireless carriers must establish protocols to provide real-time call location information to law enforcement during emergencies and are granted immunity from civil lawsuits arising from such assistance.

Directly affected

Law enforcement agencies

Local and state law enforcement officers gain statutory authority to request real-time cell location data and are required to enter custody warrants into national databases with a national pickup radius.

Directly affected

Broadcasting stations and cable systems

Television, radio, and cable operators participating in the endangered missing child emergency alert program receive legal immunity from damages for broadcasting or failing to broadcast alert details.

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 information must wireless service providers turn over to law enforcement under this bill?
Wireless service providers must provide , which refers to real-time, precision location requests from a wireless service device commonly known as pings, including latitude, longitude, and a certainty factor.
Can wireless providers or media broadcasters be sued for cooperating with emergency location requests or missing child alerts?
No. The bill establishes immunity from civil liability for wireless service providers and participating broadcasting stations or cable systems for providing information, facilities, or assistance, or for broadcasting alert information.
What are the criminal penalties for filing a false missing child report under the new alert program?
Any person who knowingly makes a false report that a child is missing, leading to the implementation of the statewide or a local emergency alert program, is guilty of a felony of the fourth degree.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

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Where This Stands

Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.

Procedural history

5 actions
  1. Jun 10, 2026House
    Re-referred (Rules and Reference)
  2. Jun 10, 2026HouseCommittee
    Reported - Re-referred to Judiciary (Rules and Reference)
  3. Jun 3, 2026HouseCommittee
    Reported - Substitute (Public Safety)
  4. Feb 18, 2026HouseCommittee
    Referred to Public Safety
  5. Feb 4, 2026HouseIntroduced
    Introduced

Version history & redline

3 versions on file
Comparing As Reported by the House Public Safety Committee → As Re-Referred by the House Rules and Reference Committee
removed addedOfficial text
removed: hb677_01_RH added: hb677_02_RCH As removed: Reported added: Re-Referred by the House removed: Public Safety added: Rules and Reference Committee 136th General Assembly Regular Session Sub. H. B. No. 677 2025-2026 Representatives Synenberg, Abrams Cosponsors: Representatives Thomas, C., Willis To amend section 2919.23 […]
Redline computed from the official version text (record lane).View this version →

Voting Record

Motion succeededHouse6/10/2026Ohio LegislatureOfficial roll call ↗

Favorable Passage

Total

13

Yes
13
No
0
Present
0
Not voting
0
Abstain
0
Show 1 earlier roll call
Motion succeededHouse6/3/2026Ohio LegislatureOfficial roll call ↗

Re-referred

Total

93

Yes
63
No
30
Present
0
Not voting
0
Abstain
0
Full roll-call analysis →

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

Eric SynenbergHouse · District 21DemocraticPrimary sponsor
Cindy AbramsHouse · District 29RepublicanPrimary sponsor
Cecil ThomasHouse · District 25DemocraticCosponsor
Bernard WillisHouse · District 74RepublicanCosponsor

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift95% confidence

Mandatory Emergency Telecommunications Disclosure

The bill shifts from voluntary wireless carrier cooperation to a statutory mandate requiring real-time cell location disclosure during life-threatening emergencies.

Bureau of Criminal InvestigationState Highway Patrol

Connected Entities

Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Eric Synenberg, Bernard Willis and 3 more
OrganizationBureau of Criminal Investigation“State bureau tasked with gathering wireless provider contact information and dis”Map →
PersonEric Synenberg“Representative, District 21, primary bill sponsor”Map →
PersonBernard Willis“Representative, District 74, cosponsor”Map →
OrganizationState Highway Patrol“State law enforcement agency cooperating to enter endangered missing children in”Map →
PersonCindy Abrams“Representative, District 29, primary bill sponsor”Map →
PersonCecil Thomas“Representative, District 25, cosponsor”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.legislature.ohio.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance75
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy15
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment10
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz35
    Current news / social attention level

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