The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Ohio HB 879 makes unlawful removal of memorial items a felony of the fifth degree
Last action · May 20, 2026: Referred to Public SafetySponsors: Chris Glassburn and 2 others
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What This Bill Would Do
Ohio HB 879 prohibits the purposeful and unauthorized removal of any item or adornment from a tomb, monument, gravestone, or other memorial for the dead, classifying such acts as . Under the bill, items left at memorials are explicitly designated as not being . Violations are punishable as a fifth-degree felony, alongside existing penalties for property damage.
Residents who place mementos or adornments at gravesites gain explicit legal protection against the removal of these items, while individuals who take them face felony criminal charges.
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.
Visitors and Families
Individuals who place memorials or adornments at gravesites receive statutory protection ensuring those items are not classified as abandoned property.
General Public
All citizens become subject to felony vandalism charges if they purposely and without privilege remove items from memorials for the dead.
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
Can items left at a gravesite be legally considered abandoned property under this bill?
What is the criminal penalty for unlawfully removing an item from a gravestone?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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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- May 20, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred to Public Safety
- May 12, 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
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legislature.ohio.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance45How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy10Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz15Current news / social attention level
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