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Ohio Names Emergency Alert System for Missing Autistic or Developmentally Disabled Minors the Joshua Alert
Original title: Regards emergency Joshua Alert system for certain missing kids
Last action · September 17, 2026: EffectiveSponsors: Cecil Thomas and 101 others
Bill progressHistory & official text ↓
Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Law
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What This Bill Does
Ohio establishes the Joshua Alert as part of its statewide emergency alert program for missing children under eighteen with autism spectrum disorder or another developmental disability, requiring law enforcement to notify the alert program immediately upon verifying a report.
Why it matters
Eliminates the standard twenty-four-hour waiting period for law enforcement before notifying the statewide emergency alert system when a missing child under eighteen has autism or a developmental disability.
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Directly affected
Local law enforcement agencies
Local investigating law enforcement agencies must notify the statewide emergency alert program immediately upon verifying information for missing minors with autism or developmental disabilities, rather than waiting up to twenty-four hours.
Directly affected
Broadcasters and cable systems
Participating radio stations, television stations, and cable systems are granted liability protection from damages allegedly caused by broadcasting or failing to broadcast alert information.
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 is the Joshua Alert?
The Joshua Alert is the specific name given to an emergency alert issued under division (E)(2) of section 5502.522 of the Revised Code for a missing individual under eighteen years of age who has autism spectrum disorder or another developmental disability.
Is there still a twenty-four-hour waiting period for all missing persons alerts in Ohio?
No. While general alerts allow local law enforcement up to twenty-four hours before notifying the statewide program, missing individuals under eighteen with autism spectrum disorder or a developmental disability must be reported to the alert program as soon as the information is verified.
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Current status: Signed into law.
Procedural history
11 actions- Sep 17, 2026EnrolledEffective
- Jun 18, 2026EnrolledSigned By The Governor
- Jun 12, 2026EnrolledSent To The Governor
- Jun 3, 2026SenateFloorPassed
- Apr 21, 2026SenateCommitteeReported (Armed Services, Veterans Affairs and Public Safety)
- Nov 19, 2025SenateCommitteeReferred to Armed Services, Veterans Affairs and Public Safety
Show 5 earlier actions
- Nov 18, 2025SenateIntroducedIntroduced
- Nov 12, 2025HouseFloorPassed
- Oct 29, 2025HouseCommitteeReported - Amended (Children and Human Services)
- Jun 18, 2025HouseCommitteeReferred to Children and Human Services
- Jun 12, 2025HouseIntroducedIntroduced
Version history & redline
6 versions on fileComparing As Passed by the Senate → As Enrolled
removed addedOfficial text
removed: hb359_04_PS
As Passed by the Senate
136th
added: hb359_05_EN
(136th General removed: Assembly
Regular
Session Am. H. B. No. 359
2025-2026
Representatives Thomas, C., Gross
Cosponsors: Representatives Odioso,
Lett, Deeter, Click, White, E., Brennan, Denson, Upchurch, Johnson,
Russo, Synenberg, Salvo, Mohamed, Lorenz, Newman, Schmidt, Fischer,
Lear, Brownlee, Bryant Bailey, Fowler Arthur, Abdullahi, Abrams,
Baker, Barhorst, Bird, Brent, Brewer, Claggett, Creech, Daniels,
Dovilla, Ghanbari, Glassburn, Grim, Hall, D., Hall, T., Hoops,
Humphrey, Isaacsohn, Jarrells, John, King, Kishman, Klopfenstein,
LaRe, Lawson-Rowe, Manning, Mathews, A., Mathews, T., Miller, J.,
Miller, M., Oelslager, Peterson, Piccolantonio, Plummer, Rader, Ray,
Richardson, Robb Blasdel, Robinson, Rogers, Sigrist, Sims, Somani,
Stephens, Swearingen, Sweeney, Teska, Thomas, D., Tims, Troy, White,
A., Williams, Willis, Workman, Young
Senators Schaffer, Johnson,
Blackshear, Brenner, Chavez, Cirino, Craig, Cutrona, DeMora,
Gavarone, Hicks-Hudson, Ingram, Landis, Lang, Liston, O'Brien,
Patton, Reynolds, Romanchuk, Smith, Timken, Weinstein, Wilkin
A
BILL
added: Assembly)
(Amended
House Bill Number 359)
AN ACT
To
amend section 5502.522 of the Revised Code to
clarify the statewide emergency alert system in cases of missing
autistic or developmentally disabled children and to name the alert
the Joshua Alert.
removed: BE
IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:
added: Be
it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Ohio:
Section
1. That
section 5502.522 of the Revised Code be amended to read as follows:
Sec.
5502.522. (A)
There is hereby created the statewide
[…]
hereby repealed.
Section
3. An
alert issued under division (E)(2) of section 5502.522 of the Revised
Code shall be known as a Joshua Alert.added: Speaker
___________________ of the House of Representatives.
President
___________________ of the Senate.
Passed
________________________, 20____
Approved
________________________, 20____
Governor.
The section numbering of law
of a general and permanent nature is complete and in conformity with
the Revised Code.
Director, Legislative
Service Commission.
Filed
in the office of the Secretary of State at Columbus, Ohio, on the
____ day of ___________, A. D. 20____.
Secretary of State.
File
No. _________ Effective Date ___________________
Redline computed from the official version text (record lane).View this version →
Voting Record
Adopted
Total
31
- Yes
- 31
- No
- 0
- Present
- 0
- Not voting
- 0
- Abstain
- 0
How they voted (30)
Stephen A. HuffmanParty not recordedyes
William P. DeMoraParty not recordedyes
George LangParty not recordedyes
Paula Hicks-HudsonParty not recordedyes
Theresa GavaroneParty not recordedyes
Steve WilsonParty not recordedyes
Kent SmithParty not recordedyes
Shane WilkinParty not recordedyes
Beth ListonParty not recordedyes
Jerry CirinoParty not recordedyes
Al LandisParty not recordedyes
Catherine IngramParty not recordedyes
Bill ReinekeParty not recordedyes
Tim SchafferParty not recordedyes
Rob McColleyParty not recordedyes
Kyle KoehlerParty not recordedyes
Al CutronaParty not recordedyes
Thomas PattonParty not recordedyes
Hearcel CraigParty not recordedyes
Mark RomanchukParty not recordedyes
Susan ManchesterParty not recordedyes
Willis BlackshearParty not recordedyes
Andrew BrennerParty not recordedyes
Michele ReynoldsParty not recordedyes
Show 3 earlier roll calls
Favorable Passage
Total
6
- Yes
- 6
- No
- 0
- Present
- 0
- Not voting
- 0
- Abstain
- 0
Passed
Total
95
- Yes
- 95
- No
- 0
- Present
- 0
- Not voting
- 0
- Abstain
- 0
How they voted (95)
Sharon A. RayParty not recordedyes
James M. HoopsParty not recordedyes
Munira AbdullahiParty not recordedyes
Steve DemetriouParty not recordedyes
Christine CockleyParty not recordedyes
Jodi SalvoParty not recordedyes
Gayle ManningParty not recordedyes
Kevin MillerParty not recordedyes
Scott OelslagerParty not recordedyes
Monica Robb BlasdelParty not recordedyes
Derrick HallParty not recordedyes
Anita SomaniParty not recordedyes
Allison RussoParty not recordedyes
Bob PetersonParty not recordedyes
Brian LorenzParty not recordedyes
Michael D. DovillaParty not recordedyes
Crystal LettParty not recordedyes
Tim BarhorstParty not recordedyes
Elgin RogersParty not recordedyes
Mark SigristParty not recordedyes
Ashley Bryant BaileyParty not recordedyes
Ron FergusonParty not recordedyes
David ThomasParty not recordedyes
Veronica SimsParty not recordedyes
71 more members
Meredith CraigParty not recordedyes
Tracy RichardsonParty not recordedyes
Chris GlassburnParty not recordedyes
Andrea WhiteParty not recordedyes
Dani IsaacsohnParty not recordedyes
Jeff LaReParty not recordedyes
Matt HuffmanParty not recordedyes
Levi DeanParty not recordedyes
Adam BirdParty not recordedyes
Thaddeus J. ClaggettParty not recordedyes
Jim ThomasParty not recordedyes
Bride Rose SweeneyParty not recordedyes
Bernard WillisParty not recordedyes
Gary ClickParty not recordedyes
Heidi WorkmanParty not recordedyes
Phillip M. Robinson, Jr.Party not recordedyes
Tom YoungParty not recordedyes
Rodney CreechParty not recordedyes
Roy KlopfensteinParty not recordedyes
Desireè TimsParty not recordedyes
Jack DanielsParty not recordedyes
Beryl PiccolantonioParty not recordedyes
Sarah Fowler ArthurParty not recordedyes
Haraz GhanbariParty not recordedyes
Michelle TeskaParty not recordedyes
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Michele GrimParty not recordedyes
Melanie MillerParty not recordedyes
Ismail MohamedParty not recordedyes
Meredith R. Lawson-RoweParty not recordedyes
Riordan McClainParty not recordedyes
D.J. SwearingenParty not recordedyes
Angela N. KingParty not recordedyes
Kellie DeeterParty not recordedyes
Cindy AbramsParty not recordedyes
Tristan RaderParty not recordedyes
Tex FischerParty not recordedyes
Rachel BakerParty not recordedyes
Darnell BrewerParty not recordedyes
Bill RoemerParty not recordedyes
Adam MathewsParty not recordedyes
Daniel P. TroyParty not recordedyes
Mark JohnsonParty not recordedyes
Latyna HumphreyParty not recordedyes
Justin PizzulliParty not recordedyes
Mike OdiosoParty not recordedyes
Mark HinerParty not recordedyes
Beth LearParty not recordedyes
Johnathan NewmanParty not recordedyes
Jennifer GrossParty not recordedyes
Thomas HallParty not recordedyes
Jean SchmidtParty not recordedyes
Eric SynenbergParty not recordedyes
Brian StewartParty not recordedyes
Phil PlummerParty not recordedyes
Ty MooreParty not recordedyes
Juanita BrentParty not recordedyes
Cecil ThomasParty not recordedyes
Matthew KishmanParty not recordedyes
Terrence UpchurchParty not recordedyes
Sean BrennanParty not recordedyes
Nick SantucciParty not recordedyes
Adam HolmesParty not recordedyes
Karen BrownleeParty not recordedyes
Joseph A. Miller, IIIParty not recordedyes
Josh WilliamsParty not recordedyes
Jamie CallenderParty not recordedyes
Erika WhiteParty not recordedyes
Marilyn JohnParty not recordedyes
Ty MathewsParty not recordedyes
Jason StephensParty not recordedyes
Dontavius JarrellsParty not recordedyes
Favorable Passage
Total
13
- Yes
- 13
- No
- 0
- Present
- 0
- Not voting
- 0
- Abstain
- 0
How they voted (13)
Sarah Fowler ArthurParty not recordedyes
Jodi SalvoParty not recordedyes
Ashley Bryant BaileyParty not recordedyes
Gary ClickParty not recordedyes
Crystal LettParty not recordedyes
Darnell BrewerParty not recordedyes
Kellie DeeterParty not recordedyes
Karen BrownleeParty not recordedyes
Andrea WhiteParty not recordedyes
Sharon A. RayParty not recordedyes
Mike OdiosoParty not recordedyes
Melanie MillerParty not recordedyes
Tracy RichardsonParty not recordedyes
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
Show 97 more sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
policy shift98% confidence
Removal of Waiting Period for Vulnerable Missing Minors
The bill carves out an exception to the standard twenty-four-hour delay window specifically for minors under eighteen with autism spectrum disorder or developmental disabilities.
Connected Entities
Organizationdepartment of public safety“Participates in the coordinated statewide emergency alert program”Map →
Organizationgovernor's office“Participates in the coordinated statewide emergency alert program”Map →
Sources
Open source document
www.legislature.ohio.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance60How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy5Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
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