Vivian's Law

06/10/2026

On Monday, House Bill 635 was favorably voted out of committee. The bill now awaits a full vote in the Ohio House, likely this fall.

House Bill 635 is a step in the right direction but we hope to build on it in the coming months. Our efforts continue.

Ohio House Bill 635 “Enact the Child Protection Reform Act” Provisions of House Bill 635 Influenced by Vivian’s LawThe bill changes the age of a child from under 13 years of age to under 18 years of age in the Ohio Revised Code’s aggravated murder statute. H.B. 635 changes the age for sever...

05/13/2026

There is still work to do to make sure our goals are better realized by the legislature. But we want to take this moment to thank our supporters, THANK YOU!

Please know, our progress thus far could not have been made without you. As we continue to advocate for Vivian's Law and families like ours, stay with us, our fight continues.

A pending Ohio House bill spurred by the death of seven-year-old Hershall Creachbaum Jr. also looks to change Ohio law in response to the killing of Miami County’s Vivian Gardner,

05/12/2026

You can watch today's testimony for H.B. 635 by using the link below.

05/07/2026

Ohio House Bill 635 "The Enact the Child Protection Act" will have the second committee hearing on May 12th @10:30 AM, before the House Children and Human Services Committee. Supporters of the Bill can submit testimony to the committee via the website below. This is a great opportunity to share with lawmakers why you support Vivian's Law and by extension House Bill 635. Our family would truly appreciate it.

You can submit your testimony by using the link below. All testimony must be submitted by 10:30 AM on May 11th to be considered. Want to know more about what parts of Vivian's Law are incorporated into House Bill 635? A link to our recent Letter to the Editor is in the comments!

This form is for witnesses who would like to testify and submit written testimony. If you would like to testify but will not be submitting written testimony, please contact the Chair's office.

04/30/2026

With the Primary season winding down we are looking forward to movement in Columbus on H.B. 635.

We are still working to get the language included in this bill to better align with our goals. We have been assured that the bill will be amended in committee to lower the standard of aggravated murder for a child from purposely to knowingly. The fight continues.

Two Montgomery County House representatives promoted their anti-child abuse bill this week following a grand jury’s decision to levy additional indictments against the mother of Hershall Creachbaum, an autistic 7-year-old

03/14/2026

Between the winter snows and yesterday's crazy wind, our yard signs have been through the ringer. If you need replacement stakes or a new sign, feel free to message us!

03/10/2026

Last week we were in Columbus for the first Children and Human Services Committee hearing for H.B. 635. We also met with Ranking Member Lett and Vice Chair Salvo. A strong week of advocacy in the books as we continue to refine the language that is in H.B. 635.

03/03/2026

The House Children and Services Committee will be holding the first hearing on H.B. 635 today at 11:00 AM. You can stream live here:

02/27/2026

Ohio House Bill 635 will have the first committee hearing on Tuesday, March 3rd. We will be meeting with two committee members next week as we work to refine the language of our top priorities.

02/03/2026

We have been a little quiet as we dealt with the holidays and working through the emotions and grief that came with this time of year. For that, we apologize.

We are happy to announce that aspects of our key priorities have been introduced in Ohio H.B. 635: "Enact the Child Protection Reform Act". We are grateful to Phil Plummer for State Senate for his efforts and collaboration with our family. Rep. Plummer took us seriously from our very first meeting and for that we are thankful.

As this bill works through the legislative process, we will keep fighting to perfect the language surrounding our top priorities. We have made progress but the work continues. You can read the bill here: https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/136/hb635