Ohio Governor Bob Taft signed a series of new sex offender bills Tuesday. The bills are intended to toughen the punishments for sex offenders in the state.

The inspiration for the Ohio laws came from the tragic case of Jessica Lunsford, the 9-year-old Florida girl who was abducted and killed by a registered sex offender.

Part of the lobbying came from Jessica's farther, Mark Lunsford. He visited with and lobbied Ohio lawmakers about Jessica's story and new legislation that had been enacted in Florida. 

Bill supporter Lori Robertson says, "We were shocked at how lenient the law was in regards to a sexual predator. So, just taking the action to make sure that the law is changed and that the law is a little bit stricter now on the sexual predators, it's a good feeling to know that her brave action brought about such a great thing."

In addition to increasing penalties, the new Ohio laws would also force courts to consider prior related criminal history prior to setting bail.  Sexually violent predators will also have to wear GPS tracking devices, and judges will impose a mandatory two-year sentence if victims are under the age of 13.

Senator Steve Austria says, "We have zero tolerance for that kind of crime and we will take you off the streets for a very, very long time."

The governor also signed another bill Tuesday called Nicole's Law. That would require a sex offender to appear before both a judge and the parole board.