To amend sections 9.06, 9.24, 9.833, 9.90, 101.68, 102.01, 105.41, 108.05, 109.57, 109.572, 109.91, 117.10, 117.16, 120.06, 120.13, 120.23, 120.52, 120.53, 121.37, 121.38, 122.011, 122.17, 122.171, 122.603, 122.71, 122.72, 122.73, 122.74, 122.75, 122.751, 122.76, 122.77, 122.78, 122.79, 122.82, 122.83, 123.152, 123.17, 125.041, 125.05, 125.831, 125.832, 126.25, 127.16, 131.02, 131.23, 133.09, 140.01, 140.08, 141.011, 141.04, 145.01, 145.33, 147.05, 147.10, 147.11, 147.12, 147.371, 150.07, 150.10, 153.44, 173.40, 181.251, 181.51, 181.52, 181.54, 181.55, 181.56, 183.28, 184.02, 307.88, 317.08, 317.36, 319.20, 319.301, 319.302, 319.54, 321.24, 323.01, 323.152, 323.17, 325.31, 329.04, 329.051, 339.72, 339.73, 339.88, 340.03, 340.16, 718.09, 718.10, 723.52, 723.53, 742.59, 901.43, 905.32, 905.33, 905.331, 905.36, 905.37, 905.38, 905.381, 905.50, 905.501, 905.66, 907.16, 911.02, 913.02, 913.23, 915.02, 915.16, 915.24, 921.02, 921.16, 923.44, 923.45, 923.46, 927.69, 1327.511, 1327.62, 1327.99, 1502.02, 1515.14, 1517.02, 1521.062, 1531.27, 1533.10, 1533.11, 1533.111, 1533.112, 1533.12, 1533.32, 1541.03, 1548.06, 1711.53, 1713.03, 1751.03, 1901.26, 1901.31, 1907.24, 2113.041, 2151.031, 2151.352, 2151.416, 2151.86, 2152.43, 2152.74, 2303.201, 2305.234, 2329.66, 2744.05, 2901.07, 2913.40, 2919.22, 2921.13, 2923.25, 2925.01, 2925.04, 2925.041, 2929.13, 2929.14, 2967.13, 3107.10, 3111.04, 3119.54, 3121.12, 3121.50, 3125.18, 3301.079, 3301.0710, 3301.0711, 3301.0714, 3301.0715, 3301.12, 3301.16, 3301.311, 3301.32, 3301.86, 3301.88, 3311.19, 3313.12, 3313.202, 3313.207, 3313.208, 3313.209, 3313.33, 3313.489, 3313.975, 3313.976, 3313.977, 3313.978, 3313.98, 3314.013, 3314.015, 3314.02, 3314.021, 3314.03, 3314.06, 3314.074, 3314.08, 3314.13, 3315.17, 3315.18, 3315.37, 3316.06, 3316.16, 3317.01, 3317.012, 3317.013, 3317.02, 3317.021, 3317.022, 3317.023, 3317.024, 3317.026, 3317.027, 3317.028, 3317.029, 3317.0212, 3317.0216, 3317.0217, 3317.03, 3317.05, 3317.052, 3317.053, 3317.06, 3317.081, 3317.09, 3317.10, 3317.16, 3317.20, 3317.21, 3317.22, 3317.23, 3317.50, 3317.51, 3318.011, 3318.33, 3319.081, 3319.17, 3319.22, 3319.235, 3319.55, 3323.021, 3323.091, 3323.14, 3323.16, 3327.01, 3332.092, 3333.04, 3333.044, 3333.12, 3333.121, 3333.27, 3333.28, 3333.36, 3333.38, 3334.01, 3334.02, 3334.03, 3334.07, 3334.08, 3334.09, 3334.10, 3334.11, 3334.12, 3334.15, 3334.16, 3334.17, 3334.18, 3345.10, 3345.32, 3353.01, 3353.06, 3353.07, 3365.01, 3365.02, 3365.021, 3365.04, 3365.041, 3365.05, 3365.07, 3365.08, 3365.10, 3375.40, 3375.48, 3375.49, 3375.54, 3375.55, 3377.03, 3383.02, 3501.141, 3501.17, 3701.021, 3701.023, 3701.146, 3701.65, 3702.141, 3702.51, 3702.68, 3702.74, 3703.01, 3703.03, 3703.04, 3703.05, 3703.06, 3703.07, 3703.08, 3703.10, 3703.99, 3705.24, 3709.29, 3709.34, 3712.03, 3714.07, 3721.01, 3721.03, 3721.07, 3721.15, 3721.21, 3721.50, 3721.51, 3721.52, 3721.56, 3721.58, 3722.01, 3722.02, 3734.01, 3734.28, 3734.57, 3734.901, 3734.9010, 3743.57, 3745.11, 3745.12, 3746.04, 3746.071, 3748.07, 3748.13, 3773.34, 3773.38, 3773.39, 3773.40, 3773.57, 3793.09, 3901.021, 3901.17, 3901.78, 3903.14, 3905.04, 3905.36, 3905.40, 3923.27, 4112.12, 4117.03, 4117.08, 4117.24, 4123.27, 4141.29, 4301.10, 4301.42, 4301.43, 4305.01, 4505.06, 4511.75, 4519.02, 4519.09, 4561.17, 4561.18, 4561.21, 4703.15, 4705.09, 4709.05, 4731.65, 4731.71, 4736.11, 4736.12, 4753.03, 4753.06, 4753.071, 4753.08, 4753.09, 4757.30, 4775.04, 4905.10, 4905.54, 4905.95, 4911.02, 4911.18, 4973.171, 5101.181, 5101.21, 5101.24, 5101.241, 5101.26, 5101.31, 5101.35, 5101.36, 5101.46, 5101.47, 5101.75, 5101.752, 5101.80, 5101.801, 5101.821, 5104.01, 5104.32, 5104.38, 5107.05, 5107.10, 5107.26, 5107.30, 5107.58, 5110.01, 5110.05, 5110.352, 5110.39, 5111.019, 5111.0112, 5111.02, 5111.021, 5111.023, 5111.025, 5111.042, 5111.06, 5111.082, 5111.11, 5111.111, 5111.113, 5111.16, 5111.19, 5111.20, 5111.204, 5111.21, 5111.22, 5111.221, 5111.23, 5111.231, 5111.235, 5111.24, 5111.241, 5111.25, 5111.251, 5111.255, 5111.257, 5111.26, 5111.261, 5111.263, 5111.264, 5111.27, 5111.28, 5111.29, 5111.291, 5111.30, 5111.31, 5111.32, 5111.33, 5111.62, 5111.85, 5111.87, 5111.88, 5111.911, 5111.97, 5111.99, 5112.03, 5112.08, 5112.17, 5112.30, 5112.31, 5115.20, 5115.22, 5115.23, 5119.61, 5120.09, 5120.16, 5120.48, 5120.51, 5121.01, 5121.02, 5121.03, 5121.04, 5121.05, 5121.06, 5121.061, 5121.07, 5121.08, 5121.09, 5121.10, 5121.11, 5121.12, 5121.21, 5122.03, 5122.04, 5122.31, 5123.01, 5123.046, 5123.047, 5123.049, 5123.0412, 5123.19, 5123.196, 5123.20, 5123.34, 5123.701, 5123.71, 5123.76, 5126.01, 5126.035, 5126.042, 5126.054, 5126.055, 5126.056, 5126.057, 5126.12, 5139.01, 5139.36, 5153.16, 5502.01, 5502.03, 5517.02, 5540.01, 5540.09, 5543.19, 5549.01, 5573.13, 5575.01, 5701.03, 5703.052, 5703.053, 5703.47, 5703.50, 5703.70, 5703.80, 5705.02, 5705.091, 5705.214, 5705.29, 5705.391, 5705.392, 5709.07, 5709.40, 5709.41, 5709.73, 5709.77, 5709.78, 5711.21, 5711.22, 5713.08, 5715.24, 5719.041, 5725.19, 5727.01, 5727.02, 5727.06, 5727.10, 5727.11, 5727.111, 5727.12, 5727.81, 5727.82, 5727.84, 5727.85, 5728.01, 5728.02, 5728.03, 5728.04, 5728.06, 5728.08, 5729.08, 5731.01, 5731.05, 5731.131, 5731.14, 5731.18, 5731.181, 5731.22, 5731.23, 5731.39, 5731.41, 5733.01, 5733.065, 5733.066, 5733.33, 5733.351, 5733.352, 5733.40, 5733.41, 5733.49, 5739.01, 5739.02, 5739.025, 5739.10, 5741.02, 5743.01, 5743.02, 5743.03, 5743.05, 5743.071, 5743.08, 5743.14, 5743.15, 5743.16, 5743.18, 5743.19, 5743.20, 5743.32, 5743.33, 5743.51, 5743.62, 5743.63, 5747.01, 5747.02, 5747.05, 5747.08, 5747.331, 5747.70, 5747.80, 5747.98, 5748.01, 5748.02, 5748.03, 5748.04, 5748.08, 5749.02, 5919.33, 5920.01, 6109.21, and 6111.02; to amend, for the purpose of adopting new section numbers as indicated in parentheses, sections 181.251 (5502.63), 181.51 (5502.61), 181.52 (5502.62), 181.54 (5502.64), 181.55 (5502.65), 181.56 (5502.66), 3317.21 (3318.47), 3317.22 (3318.48), 3317.23 (3318.49), 5101.75 (173.42), 5101.752 (173.43), 5111.02 (5111.021), 5111.021 (5111.022), 5111.022 (5111.023), 5111.023 (5111.0114), 5111.112 (5111.113), 5111.113 (5111.114), 5111.231 (5111.232), 5111.257 (5111.258), 5111.88 (5111.97), 5111.97 (5111.86), 5121.01 (5121.02), 5121.02 (5121.03), and 5121.03 (5121.01); to enact new sections 5111.02, 5111.112, 5111.231, 5111.257, and 5111.262, and sections 9.901, 117.162, 120.36, 121.381, 121.382, 121.403, 122.083, 125.18, 131.022, 131.46, 153.692, 173.39, 173.391, 173.392, 173.393, 173.394, 173.395, 173.396, 173.397, 173.44, 173.45, 173.46, 173.47, 173.48, 173.49, 173.50, 341.192, 901.44, 907.111, 1327.70, 1327.71, 1547.721, 1547.722, 1547.723, 1547.724, 1547.725, 1547.726, 1751.271, 2925.15, 2967.24, 3125.191, 3310.01, 3310.02, 3310.03, 3310.04, 3310.05, 3310.06, 3310.07, 3310.08, 3310.09, 3310.10, 3310.11, 3310.12, 3310.13, 3310.14, 3310.15, 3310.16, 3310.17, 3314.035, 3314.061, 3314.29, 3316.043, 3317.034, 3317.035, 3317.201, 3318.111, 3319.0810, 3319.172, 3323.20, 3323.30, 3323.31, 3323.32, 3323.33, 3324.10, 3325.10, 3325.11, 3325.12, 3325.15, 3325.16, 3325.17, 3333.047, 3333.122, 3333.162, 3365.11, 3702.83, 3705.242, 3714.073, 3715.04, 3719.47, 3719.48, 3721.032, 3721.541, 3721.561, 3745.015, 3745.114, 3770.061, 3903.421, 4905.261, 4911.021, 5101.07, 5101.071, 5101.461, 5101.802, 5101.803, 5107.301, 5111.026, 5111.027, 5111.061, 5111.062, 5111.072, 5111.083, 5111.10, 5111.161, 5111.176, 5111.177, 5111.191, 5111.222, 5111.234, 5111.242, 5111.254, 5111.256, 5111.265, 5111.266, 5111.851, 5111.852, 5111.853, 5111.854, 5111.855, 5111.89, 5111.891, 5111.892, 5111.893, 5111.914, 5111.915, 5111.98, 5112.341, 5121.30, 5121.31, 5121.32, 5121.33, 5121.34, 5121.35, 5121.36, 5121.37, 5121.38, 5121.39, 5121.40, 5121.41, 5121.42, 5121.43, 5121.44, 5121.45, 5121.46, 5121.47, 5121.49, 5121.50, 5121.51, 5121.52, 5121.53, 5121.54, 5121.55, 5123.1910, 5540.032, 5703.057, 5705.219, 5707.031, 5727.031, 5727.241, 5743.021, 5743.031, 5743.072, 5743.331, 5743.71, 5743.72, 5743.73, 5743.74, 5743.75, 5743.76, 5747.056, 5751.01, 5751.011, 5751.012, 5751.02, 5751.021, 5751.03, 5751.031, 5751.032, 5751.033, 5751.034, 5751.04, 5751.05, 5751.06, 5751.07, 5751.08, 5751.081, 5751.09, 5751.10, 5751.11, 5751.12, 5751.20, 5751.21, 5751.22, 5751.31, 5751.50, 5751.51, 5751.52, 5751.98, 5751.99, 5919.31, 5919.341, 6111.0210, 6111.0211, 6111.0212, and 6111.0213; and to repeal sections 181.53, 339.77, 742.36, 1541.221, 3301.31, 3301.33, 3301.34, 3301.35, 3301.36, 3301.37, 3301.38, 3301.80, 3301.85, 3301.87, 3311.40, 3317.0213, 3353.02, 3353.03, 3353.04, 3721.511, 3901.41, 3901.781, 3901.782, 3901.783, 3901.784, 5101.751, 5101.753, 5101.754, 5111.041, 5111.205, 5111.262, 5111.34, 5115.10, 5115.11, 5115.12, 5115.13, 5115.14, 5123.041, 5123.048, 5571.13, 5731.20, 5733.122, and 6111.028 of the Revised Code; to amend Sections 16.09, 19.01, 20.01, 22.03, 23.11, 23.12, 23.13, 23.26, 23.45, and 24.01 of Am. Sub. H.B. 16 of the 126th General Assembly; to amend Sections 203.03.09 and 203.03.10 of Am. Sub. H.B. 68 of the 126th General Assembly; to amend Section 4 of Am. Sub. H.B. 516 of the 125th General Assembly; to amend Section 3 of Am. Sub. H.B. 621 of the 122nd General Assembly, as subsequently amended; to amend Section 153 of Am. Sub. H.B. 117 of the 121st General Assembly, as subsequently amended; to amend Section 5 of Am. Sub. S.B. 50 of the 121st General Assembly, as subsequently amended; and to repeal Sections 59.19 and 147 of Am. Sub. H.B. 95 of the 125th General Assembly to make operating appropriations for the biennium beginning July 1, 2005 and ending June 30, 2007, and to provide authorization and conditions for the operation of state programs, and to further amend sections 3215.18, 5101.35, 5101.80, 5101.801, and 5153.16 of the Revised Code on January 1, 2006, to provide authorization and continuation for the operation of certain state programs, and to repeal Section 553.01 of this act on December 16, 2005.

Section 101.01.  That sections 9.06, 9.24, 9.833, 9.90, 101.68, 102.01, 105.41, 108.05, 109.57, 109.572, 109.91, 117.10, 117.16, 120.06, 120.13, 120.23, 120.52, 120.53, 121.37, 121.38, 122.011, 122.17, 122.171, 122.603, 122.71, 122.72, 122.73, 122.74, 122.75, 122.751, 122.76, 122.77, 122.78, 122.79, 122.82, 122.83, 123.152, 123.17, 125.041, 125.05, 125.831, 125.832, 126.25, 127.16, 131.02, 131.23, 133.09, 140.01, 140.08, 141.011, 141.04, 145.01, 145.33, 147.05, 147.10, 147.11, 147.12, 147.371, 150.07, 150.10, 153.44, 173.40, 181.251, 181.51, 181.52, 181.54, 181.55, 181.56, 183.28, 184.02, 307.88, 317.08, 317.36, 319.20, 319.301, 319.302, 319.54, 321.24, 323.01, 323.152, 323.17, 325.31, 329.04, 329.051, 339.72, 339.73, 339.88, 340.03, 340.16, 718.09, 718.10, 723.52, 723.53, 742.01, 742.59, 901.43, 905.32, 905.33, 905.331, 905.36, 905.37, 905.38, 905.381, 905.50, 905.501, 905.66, 907.16, 911.02, 913.02, 913.23, 915.02, 915.16, 915.24, 921.02, 921.16, 923.44, 923.45, 923.46, 927.69, 1327.511, 1327.62, 1327.99, 1502.02, 1515.14, 1517.02, 1521.062, 1531.27, 1533.10, 1533.11, 1533.111, 1533.112, 1533.12, 1533.32, 1541.03, 1548.06, 1711.53, 1713.03, 1751.03, 1901.26, 1901.31, 1907.24, 2113.041, 2151.031, 2151.352, 2151.416, 2151.86, 2152.43, 2152.74, 2303.201, 2305.234, 2329.66, 2744.05, 2901.07, 2913.40, 2919.22, 2921.13, 2923.25, 2925.01, 2925.04, 2925.041, 2929.13, 2929.14, 2967.13, 3107.10, 3111.04, 3119.54, 3121.12, 3121.50, 3125.18, 3301.079, 3301.0710, 3301.0711, 3301.0714, 3301.0715, 3301.12, 3301.16, 3301.311, 3301.32, 3301.86, 3301.88, 3311.19, 3313.12, 3313.202, 3313.207, 3313.208, 3313.209, 3313.33, 3313.489, 3313.975, 3313.976, 3313.977, 3313.978, 3313.98, 3314.013, 3314.015, 3314.02, 3314.021, 3314.03, 3314.06, 3314.074, 3314.08, 3314.13, 3315.17, 3315.18, 3315.37, 3316.06, 3316.16, 3317.01, 3317.012, 3317.013, 3317.02, 3317.021, 3317.022, 3317.023, 3317.024, 3317.026, 3317.027, 3317.028, 3317.029, 3317.0212, 3317.0216, 3317.0217, 3317.03, 3317.05, 3317.052, 3317.053, 3317.06, 3317.081, 3317.09, 3317.10, 3317.16, 3317.20, 3317.21, 3317.22, 3317.23, 3317.50, 3317.51, 3318.011, 3318.33, 3319.081, 3319.17, 3319.22, 3319.235, 3319.55, 3323.021, 3323.091, 3323.14, 3323.16, 3327.01, 3332.092, 3333.04, 3333.044, 3333.12, 3333.121, 3333.27, 3333.28, 3333.36, 3333.38, 3334.01, 3334.02, 3334.03, 3334.07, 3334.08, 3334.09, 3334.10, 3334.11, 3334.12, 3334.15, 3334.16, 3334.17, 3334.18, 3345.10, 3345.32, 3353.01, 3353.06, 3353.07, 3365.01, 3365.02, 3365.021, 3365.04, 3365.041, 3365.05, 3365.07, 3365.08, 3365.10, 3375.40, 3375.48, 3375.49, 3375.54, 3375.55, 3377.03, 3383.02, 3501.141, 3501.17, 3701.021, 3701.023, 3701.146, 3701.65, 3702.141, 3702.51, 3702.68, 3702.74, 3703.01, 3703.03, 3703.04, 3703.05, 3703.06, 3703.07, 3703.08, 3703.10, 3703.99, 3705.24, 3709.29, 3709.34, 3712.03, 3714.07, 3721.01, 3721.03, 3721.07, 3721.15, 3721.21, 3721.50, 3721.51, 3721.52, 3721.56, 3721.58, 3722.01, 3722.02, 3734.01, 3734.28, 3734.57, 3734.901, 3734.9010, 3743.57, 3745.11, 3745.12, 3746.04, 3746.071, 3748.07, 3748.13, 3773.34, 3773.38, 3773.39, 3773.40, 3773.57, 3793.09, 3901.021, 3901.17, 3901.78, 3903.14, 3905.04, 3905.36, 3905.40, 3923.27, 4112.12, 4117.03, 4117.08, 4117.24, 4123.27, 4141.29, 4301.10, 4301.42, 4301.43, 4305.01, 4505.06, 4511.75, 4519.02, 4519.09, 4561.17, 4561.18, 4561.21, 4703.15, 4705.09, 4709.05, 4731.65, 4731.71, 4736.11, 4736.12, 4753.03, 4753.06, 4753.071, 4753.08, 4753.09, 4757.30, 4775.04, 4905.10, 4905.54, 4905.95, 4911.02, 4911.18, 4973.171, 5101.181, 5101.21, 5101.24, 5101.241, 5101.26, 5101.31, 5101.35, 5101.36, 5101.46, 5101.47, 5101.75, 5101.752, 5101.80, 5101.801, 5101.821, 5104.01, 5104.32, 5104.38, 5107.05, 5107.10, 5107.26, 5107.30, 5107.58, 5110.01, 5110.05, 5110.352, 5110.39, 5111.019, 5111.0112, 5111.02, 5111.021, 5111.023, 5111.025, 5111.042, 5111.06, 5111.082, 5111.11, 5111.111, 5111.113, 5111.16, 5111.19, 5111.20, 5111.204, 5111.21, 5111.22, 5111.221, 5111.23, 5111.231, 5111.235, 5111.24, 5111.241, 5111.25, 5111.251, 5111.255, 5111.257, 5111.26, 5111.261, 5111.263, 5111.264, 5111.27, 5111.28, 5111.29, 5111.291, 5111.30, 5111.31, 5111.32, 5111.33, 5111.62, 5111.85, 5111.87, 5111.88, 5111.911, 5111.97, 5111.99, 5112.03, 5112.08, 5112.17, 5112.30, 5112.31, 5115.20, 5115.22, 5115.23, 5119.61, 5120.09, 5120.16, 5120.48, 5120.51, 5121.01, 5121.02, 5121.03, 5121.04, 5121.05, 5121.06, 5121.061, 5121.07, 5121.08, 5121.09, 5121.10, 5121.11, 5121.12, 5121.21, 5122.03, 5122.04, 5122.31, 5123.01, 5123.046, 5123.047, 5123.049, 5123.0412, 5123.19, 5123.196, 5123.20, 5123.34, 5123.701, 5123.71, 5123.76, 5126.01, 5126.035, 5126.042, 5126.054, 5126.055, 5126.056, 5126.057, 5126.12, 5139.01, 5139.36, 5153.16, 5502.01, 5502.03, 5517.02, 5540.01, 5540.09, 5543.19, 5549.01, 5573.13, 5575.01, 5701.03, 5703.052, 5703.053, 5703.47, 5703.50, 5703.70, 5703.80, 5705.02, 5705.091, 5705.214, 5705.29, 5705.391, 5705.392, 5709.07, 5709.40, 5709.41, 5709.73, 5709.77, 5709.78, 5711.21, 5711.22, 5713.08, 5715.24, 5719.041, 5725.19, 5727.01, 5727.02, 5727.06, 5727.10, 5727.11, 5727.111, 5727.12, 5727.81, 5727.82, 5727.84, 5727.85, 5728.01, 5728.02, 5728.03, 5728.04, 5728.06, 5728.08, 5729.08, 5731.01, 5731.05, 5731.131, 5731.14, 5731.18, 5731.181, 5731.22, 5731.23, 5731.39, 5731.41, 5733.01, 5733.065, 5733.066, 5733.33, 5733.351, 5733.352, 5733.40, 5733.41, 5733.49, 5739.01, 5739.02, 5739.025, 5739.10, 5741.02, 5743.01, 5743.02, 5743.03, 5743.05, 5743.071, 5743.08, 5743.14, 5743.15, 5743.16, 5743.18, 5743.19, 5743.20, 5743.32, 5743.33, 5743.51, 5743.62, 5743.63, 5747.01, 5747.02, 5747.05, 5747.08, 5747.331, 5747.70, 5747.80, 5747.98, 5748.01, 5748.02, 5748.03, 5748.04, 5748.08, 5749.02, 5919.33, 5920.01, 6109.21, and 6111.02, be amended; that sections 181.251 (5502.63), 181.51 (5502.61), 181.52 (5502.62), 181.54 (5502.64), 181.55 (5502.65), 181.56 (5502.66), 3317.21 (3318.47), 3317.22 (3318.48), 3317.23 (3318.49), 5101.75 (173.42), 5101.752 (173.43), 5111.02 (5111.021), 5111.021 (5111.022), 5111.022 (5111.023), 5111.023 (5111.0114), 5111.112 (5111.113), 5111.113 (5111.114), 5111.231 (5111.232), 5111.257 (5111.258), 5111.88 (5111.97), 5111.97 (5111.86), 5121.01 (5121.02), 5121.02 (5121.03), and 5121.03 (5121.01) be amended for the purpose of adopting new section numbers as indicated in parentheses; that new sections 5111.02, 5111.112, 5111.231, 5111.257, and 5111.262 and sections 9.901, 117.162, 120.36, 121.381, 121.382, 121.403, 122.083, 125.18, 131.022, 131.46, 153.692, 173.39, 173.391, 173.392, 173.393, 173.394, 173.395, 173.396, 173.397, 173.44, 173.45, 173.46, 173.47, 173.48, 173.49, 173.50, 341.192, 901.44, 907.111, 1327.70, 1327.71, 1547.721, 1547.722, 1547.723, 1547.724, 1547.725, 1547.726, 1751.271, 2925.15, 2967.24, 3125.191, 3310.01, 3310.02, 3310.03, 3310.04, 3310.05, 3310.06, 3310.07, 3310.08, 3310.09, 3310.10, 3310.11, 3310.12, 3310.13, 3310.14, 3310.15, 3310.16, 3310.17, 3314.035, 3314.061, 3314.29, 3316.043, 3317.034, 3317.035, 3317.201, 3318.111, 3319.0810, 3319.172, 3323.20, 3323.30, 3323.31, 3323.32, 3323.33, 3324.10, 3325.10, 3325.11, 3325.12, 3325.15, 3325.16, 3325.17, 3333.047, 3333.122, 3333.162, 3365.11, 3702.83, 3705.242, 3714.073, 3715.04, 3719.47, 3719.48, 3721.032, 3721.541, 3721.561, 3745.015, 3745.114, 3770.061, 3903.421, 4905.261, 4911.021, 5101.07, 5101.071, 5101.461, 5101.802, 5101.803, 5107.301, 5111.026, 5111.027, 5111.061, 5111.062, 5111.072, 5111.083, 5111.10, 5111.161, 5111.176, 5111.177, 5111.191, 5111.222, 5111.234, 5111.242, 5111.254, 5111.256, 5111.265, 5111.266, 5111.851, 5111.852, 5111.853, 5111.854, 5111.855, 5111.89, 5111.891, 5111.892, 5111.893, 5111.914, 5111.915, 5111.98, 5112.341, 5121.30, 5121.31, 5121.32, 5121.33, 5121.34, 5121.35, 5121.36, 5121.37, 5121.38, 5121.39, 5121.40, 5121.41, 5121.42, 5121.43, 5121.44, 5121.45, 5121.46, 5121.47, 5121.49, 5121.50, 5121.51, 5121.52, 5121.53, 5121.54, 5121.55, 5123.1910, 5540.032, 5703.057, 5705.219, 5707.031, 5727.031, 5727.241, 5743.021, 5743.031, 5743.072, 5743.331, 5743.71, 5743.72, 5743.73, 5743.74, 5743.75, 5743.76, 5747.056, 5751.01, 5751.011, 5751.012, 5751.02, 5751.021, 5751.03, 5751.031, 5751.032, 5751.033, 5751.034, 5751.04, 5751.05, 5751.06, 5751.07, 5751.08, 5751.081, 5751.09, 5751.10, 5751.11, 5751.12, 5751.20, 5751.21, 5751.22, 5751.31, 5751.50, 5751.51, 5751.52, 5751.98, 5751.99, 5919.31, 5919.341, 6111.0210, 6111.0211, 6111.0212, and 6111.0213 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:

Sec. 9.06.  (A)(1) The department of rehabilitation and correction shall contract for the private operation and management pursuant to this section of the initial intensive program prison established pursuant to section 5120.033 of the Revised Code and may contract for the private operation and management of any other facility under this section. Counties and municipal corporations to the extent authorized in sections 307.93, 341.35, 753.03, and 753.15 of the Revised Code, may contract for the private operation and management of a facility under this section. A contract entered into under this section shall be for an initial term of not more than two years, with an option to renew for additional periods of two years.

(2) The department of rehabilitation and correction, by rule, shall adopt minimum criteria and specifications that a person or entity, other than a person or entity that satisfies the criteria set forth in division (A)(3)(a) of this section and subject to division (I) of this section, must satisfy in order to apply to operate and manage as a contractor pursuant to this section the initial intensive program prison established pursuant to section 5120.033 of the Revised Code.

(3) Subject to division (I) of this section, any person or entity that applies to operate and manage a facility as a contractor pursuant to this section shall satisfy one or more of the following criteria:

(a) The person or entity is accredited by the American correctional association and, at the time of the application, operates and manages one or more facilities accredited by the American correctional association.

(b) The person or entity satisfies all of the minimum criteria and specifications adopted by the department of rehabilitation and correction pursuant to division (A)(2) of this section, provided that this alternative shall be available only in relation to the initial intensive program prison established pursuant to section 5120.033 of the Revised Code.

(4) Subject to division (I) of this section, before a public entity may enter into a contract under this section, the contractor shall convincingly demonstrate to the public entity that it can operate the facility with the inmate capacity required by the public entity and provide the services required in this section and realize at least a five per cent savings or, regarding contracts entered into or renewed on or after the effective date of this amendment, at least a ten per cent savings over the projected cost to the public entity of providing these same services to operate the facility that is the subject of the contract. No out-of-state prisoners may be housed in any facility that is the subject of a contract entered into under this section.

(B) Subject to division (I) of this section, any contract entered into under this section shall include all of the following:

(1) A requirement that the contractor retain the contractor's accreditation from the American correctional association throughout the contract term or, if the contractor applied pursuant to division (A)(3)(b) of this section, continue complying with the applicable criteria and specifications adopted by the department of rehabilitation and correction pursuant to division (A)(2) of this section;

(2) A requirement that all of the following conditions be met:

(a) The contractor begins the process of accrediting the facility with the American correctional association no later than sixty days after the facility receives its first inmate.

(b) The contractor receives accreditation of the facility within twelve months after the date the contractor applies to the American correctional association for accreditation.

(c) Once the accreditation is received, the contractor maintains it for the duration of the contract term.

(d) If the contractor does not comply with divisions (B)(2)(a) to (c) of this section, the contractor is in violation of the contract, and the public entity may revoke the contract at its discretion.

(3) A requirement that the contractor comply with all rules promulgated by the department of rehabilitation and correction that apply to the operation and management of correctional facilities, including the minimum standards for jails in Ohio and policies regarding the use of force and the use of deadly force, although the public entity may require more stringent standards, and comply with any applicable laws, rules, or regulations of the federal, state, and local governments, including, but not limited to, sanitation, food service, safety, and health regulations. The contractor shall be required to send copies of reports of inspections completed by the appropriate authorities regarding compliance with rules and regulations to the director of rehabilitation and correction or the director's designee and, if contracting with a local public entity, to the governing authority of that entity.

(4) A requirement that the contractor report for investigation all crimes in connection with the facility to the public entity, to all local law enforcement agencies with jurisdiction over the place at which the facility is located, and, for a crime committed at a state correctional institution, to the state highway patrol;

(5) A requirement that the contractor immediately report all escapes from the facility, and the apprehension of all escapees, by telephone and in writing to all local law enforcement agencies with jurisdiction over the place at which the facility is located, to the prosecuting attorney of the county in which the facility is located, to the state highway patrol, to a daily newspaper having general circulation in the county in which the facility is located, and, if the facility is a state correctional institution, to the department of rehabilitation and correction. The written notice may be by either facsimile transmission or mail. A failure to comply with this requirement regarding an escape is a violation of section 2921.22 of the Revised Code.

(6) A requirement that, if the facility is a state correctional institution, the contractor provide a written report within specified time limits to the director of rehabilitation and correction or the director's designee of all unusual incidents at the facility as defined in rules promulgated by the department of rehabilitation and correction or, if the facility is a local correctional institution, that the contractor provide a written report of all unusual incidents at the facility to the governing authority of the local public entity;

(7) A requirement that the contractor maintain proper control of inmates' personal funds pursuant to rules promulgated by the department of rehabilitation and correction, for state correctional institutions, or pursuant to the minimum standards for jails along with any additional standards established by the local public entity, for local correctional institutions, and that records pertaining to these funds be made available to representatives of the public entity for review or audit;

(8) A requirement that the contractor prepare and distribute to the director of rehabilitation and correction or, if contracting with a local public entity, to the governing authority of the local entity, annual budget income and expenditure statements and funding source financial reports;

(9) A requirement that the public entity appoint and supervise a full-time contract monitor, that the contractor provide suitable office space for the contract monitor at the facility, and that the contractor allow the contract monitor unrestricted access to all parts of the facility and all records of the facility except the contractor's financial records;

(10) A requirement that if the facility is a state correctional institution, designated department of rehabilitation and correction staff members be allowed access to the facility in accordance with rules promulgated by the department;

(11) A requirement that the contractor provide internal and perimeter security as agreed upon in the contract;

(12) If the facility is a state correctional institution, a requirement that the contractor impose discipline on inmates housed in a state correctional institution, only in accordance with rules promulgated by the department of rehabilitation and correction;

(13) A requirement that the facility be staffed at all times with a staffing pattern approved by the public entity and adequate both to ensure supervision of inmates and maintenance of security within the facility, and to provide for programs, transportation, security, and other operational needs. In determining security needs, the contractor shall be required to consider, among other things, the proximity of the facility to neighborhoods and schools.

(14) If the contract is with a local public entity, a requirement that the contractor provide services and programs, consistent with the minimum standards for jails promulgated by the department of rehabilitation and correction under section 5120.10 of the Revised Code;

(15) A clear statement that no immunity from liability granted to the state, and no immunity from liability granted to political subdivisions under Chapter 2744. of the Revised Code, shall extend to the contractor or any of the contractor's employees;

(16) A statement that all documents and records relevant to the facility shall be maintained in the same manner required for, and subject to the same laws, rules, and regulations as apply to, the records of the public entity;

(17) Authorization for the public entity to impose a fine on the contractor from a schedule of fines included in the contract for the contractor's failure to perform its contractual duties, or to cancel the contract, as the public entity considers appropriate. If a fine is imposed, the public entity may reduce the payment owed to the contractor pursuant to any invoice in the amount of the imposed fine.

(18) A statement that all services provided or goods produced at the facility shall be subject to the same regulations, and the same distribution limitations, as apply to goods and services produced at other correctional institutions;

(19) Authorization for the department to establish one or more prison industries at a facility operated and managed by a contractor for the department;

(20) A requirement that, if the facility is an intensive program prison established pursuant to section 5120.033 of the Revised Code, the facility shall comply with all criteria for intensive program prisons of that type that are set forth in that section;

(21) If the institution is a state correctional institution, a requirement that the contractor provide clothing for all inmates housed in the facility that is conspicuous in its color, style, or color and style, that conspicuously identifies its wearer as an inmate, and that is readily distinguishable from clothing of a nature that normally is worn outside the facility by non-inmates, that the contractor require all inmates housed in the facility to wear the clothing so provided, and that the contractor not permit any inmate, while inside or on the premises of the facility or while being transported to or from the facility, to wear any clothing of a nature that does not conspicuously identify its wearer as an inmate and that normally is worn outside the facility by non-inmates.

(C) No contract entered into under this section may require, authorize, or imply a delegation of the authority or responsibility of the public entity to a contractor for any of the following:

(1) Developing or implementing procedures for calculating inmate release and parole eligibility dates and recommending the granting or denying of parole, although the contractor may submit written reports that have been prepared in the ordinary course of business;

(2) Developing or implementing procedures for calculating and awarding earned credits, approving the type of work inmates may perform and the wage or earned credits, if any, that may be awarded to inmates engaging in that work, and granting, denying, or revoking earned credits;

(3) For inmates serving a term imposed for a felony offense committed prior to July 1, 1996, or for a misdemeanor offense, developing or implementing procedures for calculating and awarding good time, approving the good time, if any, that may be awarded to inmates engaging in work, and granting, denying, or revoking good time;

(4) For inmates serving a term imposed for a felony offense committed on or after July 1, 1996, extending an inmate's term pursuant to the provisions of law governing bad time;

(5) Classifying an inmate or placing an inmate in a more or a less restrictive custody than the custody ordered by the public entity;

(6) Approving inmates for work release;

(7) Contracting for local or long distance telephone services for inmates or receiving commissions from those services at a facility that is owned by or operated under a contract with the department.

(D) A contractor that has been approved to operate a facility under this section, and a person or entity that enters into a contract for specialized services, as described in division (I) of this section, relative to an intensive program prison established pursuant to section 5120.033 of the Revised Code to be operated by a contractor that has been approved to operate the prison under this section, shall provide an adequate policy of insurance specifically including, but not limited to, insurance for civil rights claims as determined by a risk management or actuarial firm with demonstrated experience in public liability for state governments. The insurance policy shall provide that the state, including all state agencies, and all political subdivisions of the state with jurisdiction over the facility or in which a facility is located are named as insured, and that the state and its political subdivisions shall be sent any notice of cancellation. The contractor may not self-insure.

A contractor that has been approved to operate a facility under this section, and a person or entity that enters into a contract for specialized services, as described in division (I) of this section, relative to an intensive program prison established pursuant to section 5120.033 of the Revised Code to be operated by a contractor that has been approved to operate the prison under this section, shall indemnify and hold harmless the state, its officers, agents, and employees, and any local government entity in the state having jurisdiction over the facility or ownership of the facility, shall reimburse the state for its costs in defending the state or any of its officers, agents, or employees, and shall reimburse any local government entity of that nature for its costs in defending the local government entity, from all of the following:

(1) Any claims or losses for services rendered by the contractor, person, or entity performing or supplying services in connection with the performance of the contract;

(2) Any failure of the contractor, person, or entity or its officers or employees to adhere to the laws, rules, regulations, or terms agreed to in the contract;

(3) Any constitutional, federal, state, or civil rights claim brought against the state related to the facility operated and managed by the contractor;

(4) Any claims, losses, demands, or causes of action arising out of the contractor's, person's, or entity's activities in this state;

(5) Any attorney's fees or court costs arising from any habeas corpus actions or other inmate suits that may arise from any event that occurred at the facility or was a result of such an event, or arise over the conditions, management, or operation of the facility, which fees and costs shall include, but not be limited to, attorney's fees for the state's representation and for any court-appointed representation of any inmate, and the costs of any special judge who may be appointed to hear those actions or suits.

(E) Private correctional officers of a contractor operating and managing a facility pursuant to a contract entered into under this section may carry and use firearms in the course of their employment only after being certified as satisfactorily completing an approved training program as described in division (A) of section 109.78 of the Revised Code.

(F) Upon notification by the contractor of an escape from, or of a disturbance at, the facility that is the subject of a contract entered into under this section, the department of rehabilitation and correction and state and local law enforcement agencies shall use all reasonable means to recapture escapees or quell any disturbance. Any cost incurred by the state or its political subdivisions relating to the apprehension of an escapee or the quelling of a disturbance at the facility shall be chargeable to and borne by the contractor. The contractor shall also reimburse the state or its political subdivisions for all reasonable costs incurred relating to the temporary detention of the escapee following recapture.

(G) Any offense that would be a crime if committed at a state correctional institution or jail, workhouse, prison, or other correctional facility shall be a crime if committed by or with regard to inmates at facilities operated pursuant to a contract entered into under this section.

(H) A contractor operating and managing a facility pursuant to a contract entered into under this section shall pay any inmate workers at the facility at the rate approved by the public entity. Inmates working at the facility shall not be considered employees of the contractor.

(I) In contracting for the private operation and management pursuant to division (A) of this section of the initial intensive program prison established pursuant to section 5120.033 of the Revised Code or of any other intensive program prison established pursuant to that section, the department of rehabilitation and correction may enter into a contract with a contractor for the general operation and management of the prison and may enter into one or more separate contracts with other persons or entities for the provision of specialized services for persons confined in the prison, including, but not limited to, security or training services or medical, counseling, educational, or similar treatment programs. If, pursuant to this division, the department enters into a contract with a contractor for the general operation and management of the prison and also enters into one or more specialized service contracts with other persons or entities, all of the following apply:

(1) The contract for the general operation and management shall comply with all requirements and criteria set forth in this section, and all provisions of this section apply in relation to the prison operated and managed pursuant to the contract.

(2) Divisions (A)(2), (B), and (C) of this section do not apply in relation to any specialized services contract, except to the extent that the provisions of those divisions clearly are relevant to the specialized services to be provided under the specialized services contract. Division (D) of this section applies in relation to each specialized services contract.

(J) As used in this section:

(1) "Public entity" means the department of rehabilitation and correction, or a county or municipal corporation or a combination of counties and municipal corporations, that has jurisdiction over a facility that is the subject of a contract entered into under this section.

(2) "Local public entity" means a county or municipal corporation, or a combination of counties and municipal corporations, that has jurisdiction over a jail, workhouse, or other correctional facility used only for misdemeanants that is the subject of a contract entered into under this section.

(3) "Governing authority of a local public entity" means, for a county, the board of county commissioners; for a municipal corporation, the legislative authority; for a combination of counties and municipal corporation, all the boards of county commissioners and municipal legislative authorities that joined to create the facility.

(4) "Contractor" means a person or entity that enters into a contract under this section to operate and manage a jail, workhouse, or other correctional facility.

(5) "Facility" means the specific county, multicounty, municipal, municipal-county, or multicounty-municipal jail, workhouse, prison, or other type of correctional institution or facility used only for misdemeanants, or a state correctional institution, that is the subject of a contract entered into under this section.

(6) "Person or entity" in the case of a contract for the private operation and management of a state correctional institution, includes an employee organization, as defined in section 4117.01 of the Revised Code, that represents employees at state correctional institutions.

Sec. 9.24. (A) Except as may be allowed under division (F) of this section, no state agency and no political subdivision shall award a contract as described in division (G)(1) of this section for goods, services, or construction, paid for in whole or in part with state funds, to a person against whom a finding for recovery has been issued by the auditor of state on and after January 1, 2001, if the finding for recovery is unresolved.

A contract is considered to be awarded when it is entered into or executed, irrespective of whether the parties to the contract have exchanged any money.

(B) For purposes of this section, a finding for recovery is unresolved unless one of the following criteria applies:

(1) The money identified in the finding for recovery is paid in full to the state agency or political subdivision to whom the money was owed;

(2) The debtor has entered into a repayment plan that is approved by the attorney general and the state agency or political subdivision to whom the money identified in the finding for recovery is owed. A repayment plan may include a provision permitting a state agency or political subdivision to withhold payment to a debtor for goods, services, or construction provided to or for the state agency or political subdivision pursuant to a contract that is entered into with the debtor after the date the finding for recovery was issued.

(3) The attorney general waives a repayment plan described in division (B)(2) of this section for good cause;

(4) The debtor and state agency or political subdivision to whom the money identified in the finding for recovery is owed have agreed to a payment plan established through an enforceable settlement agreement.

(5) The state agency or political subdivision desiring to enter into a contract with a debtor certifies, and the attorney general concurs, that all of the following are true:

(a) Essential services the state agency or political subdivision is seeking to obtain from the debtor cannot be provided by any other person besides the debtor;

(b) Awarding a contract to the debtor for the essential services described in division (B)(5)(a) of this section is in the best interest of the state;

(c) Good faith efforts have been made to collect the money identified in the finding of recovery.

(6) The debtor has commenced an action to contest the finding for recovery and a final determination on the action has not yet been reached.

(C) The attorney general shall submit an initial report to the auditor of state, not later than December 1, 2003, indicating the status of collection for all findings for recovery issued by the auditor of state for calendar years 2001, 2002, and 2003. Beginning on January 1, 2004, the attorney general shall submit to the auditor of state, on the first day of every January, April, July, and October, a list of all findings for recovery that have been resolved in accordance with division (B) of this section during the calendar quarter preceding the submission of the list and a description of the means of resolution. The attorney general shall notify the auditor of state when a judgment is issued against an entity described in division (F)(1) of this section.

(D) The auditor of state shall maintain a database, accessible to the public, listing persons against whom an unresolved finding for recovery has been issued, and the amount of the money identified in the unresolved finding for recovery. The auditor of state shall have this database operational on or before January 1, 2004. The initial database shall contain the information required under this division for calendar years 2001, 2002, and 2003.

Beginning January 15, 2004, the auditor of state shall update the database by the fifteenth day of every January, April, July, and October to reflect resolved findings for recovery that are reported to the auditor of state by the attorney general on the first day of the same month pursuant to division (C) of this section.

(E) Before awarding a contract as described in division (G)(1) of this section for goods, services, or construction, paid for in whole or in part with state funds, a state agency or political subdivision shall verify that the person to whom the state agency or political subdivision plans to award the contract has no unresolved finding for recovery issued against the person. A state agency or political subdivision shall verify that the person does not appear in the database described in division (D) of this section or shall obtain other proof that the person has no unresolved finding for recovery issued against the person.

(F) The prohibition of division (A) of this section and the requirement of division (E) of this section do not apply with respect to the companies or agreements described in divisions (F)(1) and (2) of this section, or in the circumstance described in division (F)(3) of this section.

(1) A bonding company or a company authorized to transact the business of insurance in this state, a self-insurance pool, joint self-insurance pool, risk management program, or joint risk management program, unless a court has entered a final judgment against the company and the company has not yet satisfied the final judgment.

(2) To medicaid provider agreements under Chapter 5111. of the Revised Code or payments or provider agreements under disability assistance medical assistance established under Chapter 5115. of the Revised Code.

(3) When federal law dictates that a specified entity provide the goods, services, or construction for which a contract is being awarded, regardless of whether that entity would otherwise be prohibited from entering into the contract pursuant to this section.

(G)(1) This section applies only to contracts for goods, services, or construction that satisfy the criteria in either division (G)(1)(a) or (b) of this division section. This section may apply to contracts for goods, services, or construction that satisfy the criteria in division (G)(1)(c) of this section, provided that the contracts also satisfy the criteria in either division (G)(1)(a) or (b) of this division section.

(a) The cost for the goods, services, or construction provided under the contract is estimated to exceed twenty-five thousand dollars.

(b) The aggregate cost for the goods, services, or construction provided under multiple contracts entered into by the particular state agency and a single person or the particular political subdivision and a single person within the fiscal year preceding the fiscal year within which a contract is being entered into by that same state agency and the same single person or the same political subdivision and the same single person, exceeded fifty thousand dollars.

(c) The contract is a renewal of a contract previously entered into and renewed pursuant to that preceding contract.

(2) This section does not apply to employment contracts.

(H) As used in this section:

(1) "State agency" has the same meaning as in section 9.66 of the Revised Code.

(2) "Political subdivision" means a political subdivision as defined in section 9.82 of the Revised Code that has received more than fifty thousand dollars of state money in the current fiscal year or the preceding fiscal year.

(3) "Finding for recovery" means a determination issued by the auditor of state, contained in a report the auditor of state gives to the attorney general pursuant to section 117.28 of the Revised Code, that public money has been illegally expended, public money has been collected but not been accounted for, public money is due but has not been collected, or public property has been converted or misappropriated.

(4) "Debtor" means a person against whom a finding for recovery has been issued.

(5) "Person" means the person named in the finding for recovery.

(6) "State money" does not include funds the state receives from another source and passes through to a political subdivision.

Sec. 9.833.  (A) As used in this section, "political subdivision" means a municipal corporation, township, county, school district, or other body corporate and politic responsible for governmental activities in a geographic area smaller than that of the state, and agencies and instrumentalities of these entities. For purposes of this section, a school district is not a "political subdivision."

(B) Political subdivisions that provide health care benefits for their officers or employees may do any of the following:

(1) Establish and maintain an individual self-insurance program with public moneys to provide authorized health care benefits, including but not limited to, health care, prescription drugs, dental care, and vision care, in accordance with division (C) of this section;

(2) After establishing an individual self-insurance program, agree with other political subdivisions that have established individual self-insurance programs for health care benefits, that their programs will be jointly administered in a manner specified in the agreement;

(3) Pursuant to a written agreement and in accordance with division (C) of this section, join in any combination with other political subdivisions to establish and maintain a joint self-insurance program to provide health care benefits;

(4) Pursuant to a written agreement, join in any combination with other political subdivisions to procure or contract for policies, contracts, or plans of insurance to provide health care benefits for their officers and employees subject to the agreement;

(5) Use in any combination any of the policies, contracts, plans, or programs authorized under this division.

(C) Except as otherwise provided in division (E) of this section, the following apply to individual or joint self-insurance programs established pursuant to this section:

(1) Such funds shall be reserved as are necessary, in the exercise of sound and prudent actuarial judgment, to cover potential cost of health care benefits for the officers and employees of the political subdivision. A report of amounts so reserved and disbursements made from such funds, together with a written report of a member of the American academy of actuaries certifying whether the amounts reserved conform to the requirements of this division, are computed in accordance with accepted loss reserving standards, and are fairly stated in accordance with sound loss reserving principles, shall be prepared and maintained, within ninety days after the last day of the fiscal year of the entity for which the report is provided for that fiscal year, in the office of the program administrator described in division (C)(3) of this section.

The report required by division (C)(1) of this section shall include, but not be limited to, disbursements made for the administration of the program, including claims paid, costs of the legal representation of political subdivisions and employees, and fees paid to consultants.

The program administrator described in division (C)(3) of this section shall make the report required by this division available for inspection by any person at all reasonable times during regular business hours, and, upon the request of such person, shall make copies of the report available at cost within a reasonable period of time.

(2) Each political subdivision shall reserve funds necessary for an individual or joint self-insurance program in a special fund that may be established for political subdivisions other than an agency or instrumentality pursuant to an ordinance or resolution of the political subdivision and not subject to section 5705.12 of the Revised Code. An agency or instrumentality shall reserve the funds necessary for an individual or joint self-insurance program in a special fund established pursuant to a resolution duly adopted by the agency's or instrumentality's governing board. The political subdivision may allocate the costs of insurance or any self-insurance program, or both, among the funds or accounts in the subdivision's treasury established under this division on the basis of relative exposure and loss experience.

(3) A contract may be awarded, without the necessity of competitive bidding, to any person, political subdivision, nonprofit corporation organized under Chapter 1702. of the Revised Code, or regional council of governments created under Chapter 167. of the Revised Code for purposes of administration of an individual or joint self-insurance program. No such contract shall be entered into without full, prior, public disclosure of all terms and conditions. The disclosure shall include, at a minimum, a statement listing all representations made in connection with any possible savings and losses resulting from the contract, and potential liability of any political subdivision or employee. The proposed contract and statement shall be disclosed and presented at a meeting of the political subdivision not less than one week prior to the meeting at which the political subdivision authorizes the contract.

A contract awarded to a nonprofit corporation or a regional council of governments under this division may provide that all employees of the nonprofit corporation or regional council of governments and the employees of all entities related to the nonprofit corporation or regional council of governments may be covered by the individual or joint self-insurance program under the terms and conditions set forth in the contract.

(4) The individual or joint self-insurance program shall include a contract with a member of the American academy of actuaries for the preparation of the written evaluation of the reserve funds required under division (C)(1) of this section.

(5) A joint self-insurance program may allocate the costs of funding the program among the funds or accounts in the treasuries of established under this division to the participating political subdivisions on the basis of their relative exposure and loss experience.

(6) An individual self-insurance program may allocate the costs of funding the program among the funds or accounts in the treasury of established under this division to the political subdivision that established the program.

(7) Two or more political subdivisions may also authorize the establishment and maintenance of a joint health care cost containment program, including, but not limited to, the employment of risk managers, health care cost containment specialists, and consultants, for the purpose of preventing and reducing health care costs covered by insurance, individual self-insurance, or joint self-insurance programs.

(8) A political subdivision is not liable under a joint self-insurance program for any amount in excess of amounts payable pursuant to the written agreement for the participation of the political subdivision in the joint self-insurance program. Under a joint self-insurance program agreement, a political subdivision may, to the extent permitted under the written agreement, assume the risks of any other political subdivision. A joint self-insurance program established under this section is deemed a separate legal entity for the public purpose of enabling the members of the joint self-insurance program to obtain insurance or to provide for a formalized, jointly administered self-insurance fund for its members. An entity created pursuant to this section is exempt from all state and local taxes.

(9) Any political subdivision, other than an agency or instrumentality, may issue general obligation bonds, or special obligation bonds that are not payable from real or personal property taxes, and may also issue notes in anticipation of such bonds, pursuant to an ordinance or resolution of its legislative authority or other governing body for the purpose of providing funds to pay expenses associated with the settlement of claims, whether by way of a reserve or otherwise, and to pay the political subdivision's portion of the cost of establishing and maintaining an individual or joint self-insurance program or to provide for the reserve in the special fund authorized by division (C)(2) of this section.

In its ordinance or resolution authorizing bonds or notes under this section, a political subdivision may elect to issue such bonds or notes under the procedures set forth in Chapter 133. of the Revised Code. In the event of such an election, notwithstanding Chapter 133. of the Revised Code, the maturity of the bonds may be for any period authorized in the ordinance or resolution not exceeding twenty years, which period shall be the maximum maturity of the bonds for purposes of section 133.22 of the Revised Code.

Bonds and notes issued under this section shall not be considered in calculating the net indebtedness of the political subdivision under sections 133.04, 133.05, 133.06, and 133.07 of the Revised Code. Sections 9.98 to 9.983 of the Revised Code are hereby made applicable to bonds or notes authorized under this section.

(10) A joint self-insurance program is not an insurance company. Its operation does not constitute doing an insurance business and is not subject to the insurance laws of this state.

(D) A political subdivision may procure group life insurance for its employees in conjunction with an individual or joint self-insurance program authorized by this section, provided that the policy of group life insurance is not self-insured.

(E) Divisions (C)(1), (2), and (4) of this section do not apply to individual self-insurance programs in municipal corporations, townships, or counties.

(F) A public official or employee of a political subdivision who is or becomes a member of the governing body of the program administrator of a joint self-insurance program in which the political subdivision participates is not in violation of division (D) or (E) of section 102.03, division (C) of section 102.04, or section 2921.42 of the Revised Code as a result of either of the following:

(1) The political subdivision's entering under this section into the written agreement to participate in the joint self-insurance program;

(2) The political subdivision's entering under this section into any other contract with the joint self-insurance program.

Sec. 9.90.  (A) The governing board of any public institution of higher education, including without limitation state universities and colleges, community college districts, university branch districts, technical college districts, and municipal universities, or the board of education of any school district, may, in addition to all other powers provided in the Revised Code:

(1) Contract for, purchase, or otherwise procure from an insurer or insurers licensed to do business by the state of Ohio for or on behalf of such of its employees as it may determine, life insurance, or sickness, accident, annuity, endowment, health, medical, hospital, dental, or surgical coverage and benefits, or any combination thereof, by means of insurance plans or other types of coverage, family, group or otherwise, and may pay from funds under its control and available for such purpose all or any portion of the cost, premium, or charge for such insurance, coverage, or benefits. However, the governing board, in addition to or as an alternative to the authority otherwise granted by division (A)(1) of this section, may elect to procure coverage for health care services, for or on behalf of such of its employees as it may determine, by means of policies, contracts, certificates, or agreements issued by at least two health insuring corporations holding a certificate of authority under Chapter 1751. of the Revised Code and may pay from funds under the governing board's control and available for such purpose all or any portion of the cost of such coverage.

(2) Make payments to a custodial account for investment in regulated investment company stock for the purpose of providing retirement benefits as described in section 403(b)(7) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended. Such stock shall be purchased only from persons authorized to sell such stock in this state.

Any income of an employee deferred under divisions (A)(1) and (2) of this section in a deferred compensation program eligible for favorable tax treatment under the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended, shall continue to be included as regular compensation for the purpose of computing the contributions to and benefits from the retirement system of such employee. Any sum so deferred shall not be included in the computation of any federal and state income taxes withheld on behalf of any such employee.

(B) All or any portion of the cost, premium, or charge therefor may be paid in such other manner or combination of manners as the governing board or the school board may determine, including direct payment by the employee in cases under division (A)(1) of this section, and, if authorized in writing by the employee in cases under division (A)(1) or (2) of this section, by such governing board or school board with moneys made available by deduction from or reduction in salary or wages or by the foregoing of a salary or wage increase. Division (B)(7) of section 3917.01 and the last paragraph of section 3917.06 of the Revised Code shall not prohibit the issuance or purchase of group life insurance authorized by this section by reason of payment of premiums therefor by the governing board or the school board from its funds, and such group life insurance may be so issued and purchased if otherwise consistent with the provisions of sections 3917.01 to 3917.07 of the Revised Code.

(C) The board of education of any school district may exercise any of the powers granted to the governing boards of public institutions of higher education under divisions (A) and (B) of this section, except in relation to the provision of life and health care benefits to employees. All life and health care benefits provided to persons employed by the public schools of this state shall be from life and medical plans designed by the school employees health care board pursuant to section 9.901 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 9.901.  (A) All life and health care benefits provided to persons employed by the public schools of this state shall be provided by life and medical plans designed pursuant to this section by the school employees health care board. The board, in consultation with the superintendent of insurance, shall negotiate with and, in accordance with the competitive selection procedures of Chapter 125. of the Revised Code, contract with one or more insurance companies authorized to do business in this state for the issuance of the plans so designed. As used in this section, a "public school" means a school in a city, local, exempted village, or joint vocational school district, and includes the educational service centers associated with those schools.

(B) The school employees health care board is hereby created. The school employees health care board shall consist of the following nine members and shall include individuals with experience with public school benefit programs, health care industry providers, and medical plan beneficiaries:

(1) Three members appointed by the governor;

(2) Three members appointed by the president of the senate;

(3) Three members appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives.

A member of the school employees health care board shall not be employed by, represent, or in any way be affiliated with a private entity that is providing services to the board, employers, or employees.

(C)(1) Members of the school employees health care board shall serve four-year terms; however, one of each of the initial members appointed under divisions (B)(1) to (3) of this section shall be appointed to a term of one year. The initial appointments under this section shall be made within forty-five days after the effective date of this section.

Members' terms shall end on the same day of the same month as the effective date of this section, but a member shall continue to serve subsequent to the expiration of the member's term until a successor is appointed. Any vacancy occurring during a member's term shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment, except that the person appointed to fill the vacancy shall be appointed to the remainder of the unexpired term.

(2) Members shall serve without compensation but shall be reimbursed from the school employees health care fund for actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties as members of the board.

(3) Members may be removed by their appointing authority for misfeasance, malfeasance, incompetence, dereliction of duty, or other just cause.

(D)(1) The governor shall call the first meeting of the school employees health care board. At that meeting, and annually thereafter, the board shall elect a chairperson and may elect members to other positions on the board as the board considers necessary or appropriate. The board shall meet at least four times each calendar year and shall also meet at the call of the chairperson or three or more board members. The chairperson shall provide reasonable advance notice of the time and place of board meetings to all members.

(2) A majority of the board constitutes a quorum for the transaction of business at a board meeting. A majority vote of the members present is necessary for official action.

(E) The school employees health care board shall conduct its business at open meetings; however, the records of the board are not public records for purposes of section 149.43 of the Revised Code.

(F) The school employees health care fund is hereby created in the state treasury. The public schools shall pay all school employees health care board plan premiums in the manner prescribed by the school employees health care board to the board for deposit into the school employees health care fund. All funds in the school employees health care fund shall be used solely for the provision of life and health care benefits to public schools employees pursuant to this section and related administrative costs.

(G) The school employees health care board shall do all of the following:

(1) Design multiple life and medical plans to provide, in the board's judgment, the optimal combination of coverage, cost, choice, and stability;

(2) Include both state and regional preferred provider plans in the medical plans designed by the board;

(3) Set an aggregate goal for employee and employer portions of premiums for the board's life and medical plans so as to manage plan participation and encourage the use of value-based plan participation by employees;

(4) Set employee plan copayments, deductibles, exclusions, limitations, formularies, and other responsibilities;

(5) Create and distribute to the governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the president of the senate, an annual report covering the plan background; plan coverage options; plan administration, including procedures for monitoring and managing objectives, scope, and methodology; plan operations; employee and employer contribution rates and the relationship between the rates and the school employees health care fund balance; a means to develop and maintain identity and evaluate alternative employee and employer cost-sharing strategies; an evaluation of the effectiveness of cost-saving services and programs; an evaluation of efforts to control and manage member eligibility and to insure that proper employee and employer contributions are remitted to the trust fund; efforts to prevent and detect fraud; and efforts to manage and monitor board contracts;

(6) Utilize cost containment measures aligned with patient, plan, and provider management strategies in developing and managing life and medical plans.

(H) The sections in Chapter 3923. of the Revised Code regulating public employee benefit plans are not applicable to the medical plans designed pursuant to this section.

(I)(1) Public schools are not subject to this section prior to the release of life and medical plans designed pursuant to this section. The school employees health care board shall release its initial life and medical plans not later than March 15, 2006.

(2) Districts offering employee health care benefits through a plan offered by a consortium of two or more districts, or a consortium of one or more districts and one or more political subdivisions as defined in section 9.833 of the Revised Code, representing five thousand or more employees as of January 1, 2005, may request permission from the school employees health care board to continue offering consortium plans to the districts' employees at the discretion of the board. If the board grants permission, the permission is valid for only one year but may be renewed annually thereafter upon application to an approval of the board. The board shall grant initial or continued approval upon finding, based on an actuarial evaluation of the existing consortium plan offerings, that benefit design, premium costs, administrative cost, and other factors considered by the board are equivalent to or lower than comparable costs of the board's plan options offered to the local district. Age and gender adjustments, benefit comparison adjustments, and the total cost of the consortium plan, including administration, benefit cost, stop-loss insurance, and all other expenses or information requested by the board shall be presented to the board prior to the board's decision to allow a local district to continue to offer health care benefits under a consortium plan. A district shall not participate in the consortium plan once the district has chosen to offer plans designed by the board to the district's employees and begins premium payments for deposit into the school employees health care fund.

(J) The school employees health care board may contract with other state agencies as the board deems necessary for the implementation and operation of this section, based on demonstrated experience and expertise in administration, management, data handling, actuarial studies, quality assurance, or other needed services. The school employees health care board shall contract with the department of administrative services for central services until the board is able to obtain such services from other sources. The board shall reimburse the department of administrative services for the reasonable cost of those services. The board's administrative functions shall include, but are not limited to, the following:

(1) Maintaining reserves in the school employees health care fund, reinsurance, and other measures that in the judgment of the board will result in the long-term stability and solvency of the life and medical plans designed by the board;

(2) Providing health care information, wellness programs, and other preventive health care measures to medical plan beneficiaries, to the extent that the board determines to be appropriate;

(3) Coordinating contracts for services related to the board's life and medical plans. Contracts shall be approved by the school employees health care board.

(K) Not less than ninety days before coverage begins for public school employees under life and medical plans designed by the school employees health care board, a school district's board of education shall provide detailed information about the life and medical plans to the employees.

(L) The Ohio board of regents shall report to the governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the president of the senate within eighteen months after the effective date of this section on the feasibility of achieving all of the following:

(1) Designing multiple life and medical plans to cover persons employed by public institutions of higher education that achieve an optimal combination of coverage, cost, choice, and stability, which plans include both state and regional preferred provider plans, set employee and employer premiums, and set employee plan copayments, deductibles, exclusions, limitations, formularies, and other responsibilities. For this purpose, "public institutions of higher education" include, without limitation, state universities and colleges, state community college districts, community college districts, university branch districts, technical college districts, and municipal universities.

(2) Maintaining reserves, reinsurance, and other measures to insure the long-term stability and solvency of the life and medical plans;

(3) Providing appropriate health care information, wellness programs, and other preventive health care measures to medical plan beneficiaries;

(4) Coordinating contracts for services related to the life and medical plans.

Sec. 101.68.  (A) Within Subject to division (D) of this section, within thirty days of the convening of the first regular session of the general assembly, each agency required to submit reports or similar documents to the general assembly pursuant to section 103.43, 3301.07, 5139.33, 5501.07, 5537.17, or 5593.21 of the Revised Code shall send written notice to each member of the general assembly in order to determine whether the member desires to personally receive the reports or similar documents as they are made available by the agency. If the member desires to personally receive the reports or similar documents as they become available, the member shall send a written request to the agency within thirty days of receiving the notice.

(B) Whenever any statute or rule requires that a report, recommendation, or other similar document be submitted to the general assembly under a law not cited in division (A) of this section, to the members of the general assembly, to one house of the general assembly, or to the members of one house of the general assembly, the requirement shall be fulfilled by the submission of a copy of the report, recommendation, or document to the director of the legislative service commission, the president of the senate, the minority leader of the senate, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the minority leader of the house of representatives if both houses of the general assembly or their members are specified, or to the director of the legislative service commission, the president of the senate, and the minority leader of the senate if only the senate or its members are specified, or to the director of the legislative service commission, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the minority leader of the house of representatives if only the house of representatives or its members are specified. This division does not apply to items required to be distributed to members of the general assembly pursuant to section 103.14, 149.04, 149.07, or 149.17 of the Revised Code.

(C) Each month the legislative service commission shall provide to each member of the senate and to each member of the house of representatives a list of all reports, recommendations, and documents submitted to the officers of the general assembly under division (B) of this section. The list shall include a short and accurate description of the content, length, and form of each report, recommendation, or document submitted, as well as a statement setting forth the number printed, if applicable, and the cost of preparation. Each member may request from the legislative service commission a copy of any report, recommendation, or document on the list, and the legislative service commission shall comply with any such request.

(D) Notwithstanding any provision of the Revised Code to the contrary, whenever any statute or rule requires that an agency submit a report, recommendation, or other similar document to the general assembly or otherwise as described in division (B) of this section in a paper, book, or other hard copy format, the report, recommendation, or other document, to the extent technologically feasible, shall be submitted to the general assembly or otherwise as described in division (B) of this section through electronic means, rather than in the hard copy format, and shall be displayed by the agency on a web site it maintains.

Sec. 102.01.  As used in this chapter:

(A) "Compensation" means money, thing of value, or financial benefit. "Compensation" does not include reimbursement for actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of official duties.

(B) "Public official or employee" means any person who is elected or appointed to an office or is an employee of any public agency. "Public official or employee" does not include a person elected or appointed to the office of precinct, ward, or district committee member under section 3517.03 of the Revised Code, any presidential elector, or any delegate to a national convention. "Public official or employee" does not include a person who is a teacher, instructor, professor, or other kind of educator whose position does not involve the performance of, or authority to perform, administrative or supervisory functions.

(C) "Public agency" means the general assembly, all courts, any department, division, institution, board, commission, authority, bureau, or other instrumentality of the state, or a county, city, village, or township, the five state retirement systems, or any other governmental entity. "Public agency" does not include a department, division, institution, board, commission, authority, or other instrumentality of the state or a county, municipal corporation, township, or other governmental entity that functions exclusively for cultural, educational, historical, humanitarian, advisory, or research purposes; that does not expend more than ten thousand dollars per calendar year, excluding salaries and wages of employees; and whose members are uncompensated.

(D) "Immediate family" means a spouse residing in the person's household and any dependent child.

(E) "Income" includes gross income as defined and used in the "Internal Revenue Code of 1986," 100 Stat. 2085, 26 U.S.C. 1, as amended, interest and dividends on obligations or securities of any state or of any political subdivision or authority of any state or political subdivision, and interest or dividends on obligations of any authority, commission, or instrumentality of the United States.

(F) Except as otherwise provided in division (A) of section 102.08 of the Revised Code, "appropriate ethics commission" means:

(1) For matters relating to members of the general assembly, employees of the general assembly, employees of the legislative service commission, employees of the capitol square review and advisory board, and candidates for the office of member of the general assembly, the joint legislative ethics committee;

(2) For matters relating to judicial officers and employees, and candidates for judicial office, the board of commissioners on grievances and discipline of the supreme court;

(3) For matters relating to all other persons, the Ohio ethics commission.

(G) "Anything of value" has the same meaning as provided in section 1.03 of the Revised Code and includes, but is not limited to, a contribution as defined in section 3517.01 of the Revised Code.

(H) "Honorarium" means any payment made in consideration for any speech given, article published, or attendance at any public or private conference, convention, meeting, social event, meal, or similar gathering. "Honorarium" does not include ceremonial gifts or awards that have insignificant monetary value; unsolicited gifts of nominal value or trivial items of informational value; or earned income from any person, other than a legislative agent, for personal services that are customarily provided in connection with the practice of a bona fide business, if that business initially began before the public official or employee conducting that business was elected or appointed to the public official's or employee's office or position of employment.

(I) "Employer" means any person who, directly or indirectly, engages an executive agency lobbyist or legislative agent.

(J) "Executive agency decision," "executive agency lobbyist," and "executive agency lobbying activity" have the same meanings as in section 121.60 of the Revised Code.

(K) "Legislation," "legislative agent," "financial transaction," and "actively advocate" have the same meanings as in section 101.70 of the Revised Code.

(L) "Expenditure" has the same meaning as in section 101.70 of the Revised Code when used in relation to activities of a legislative agent, and the same meaning as in section 121.60 of the Revised Code when used in relation to activities of an executive agency lobbyist.

Sec. 105.41.  (A) There is hereby created the capitol square review and advisory board, consisting of thirteen members as follows:

(1) Two members of the senate, appointed by the president of the senate, both of whom shall not be members of the same political party;

(2) Two members of the house of representatives, appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives, both of whom shall not be members of the same political party;

(3) Five members appointed by the governor, with the advice and consent of the senate, not more than three of whom shall be members of the same political party, one of whom shall represent the office of the state architect and engineer, one of whom shall represent the Ohio arts council, one of whom shall represent the Ohio historical society, one of whom shall represent the Ohio building authority, and one of whom shall represent the public at large;

(4) One member, who shall be a former president of the senate, appointed by the current president of the senate. If the current president of the senate, in the current president's discretion, decides for any reason not to make the appointment or if no person is eligible or available to serve, the seat shall remain vacant.

(5) One member, who shall be a former speaker of the house of representatives, appointed by the current speaker of the house of representatives. If the current speaker of the house of representatives, in the current speaker's discretion, decides for any reason not to make the appointment or if no person is eligible or available to serve, the seat shall remain vacant.

(6) The clerk of the senate and the clerk of the house of representatives.

(B) Terms of office of each appointed member of the board shall be for three years, except that members of the general assembly appointed to the board shall be members of the board only so long as they are members of the general assembly. Each member shall hold office from the date of the member's appointment until the end of the term for which the member was appointed. In case of a vacancy occurring on the board, the president of the senate, the speaker of the house of representatives, or the governor, as the case may be, shall in the same manner prescribed for the regular appointment to the commission, fill the vacancy by appointing a member. Any member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring prior to the expiration of the term for which the member's predecessor was appointed shall hold office for the remainder of the term. Any appointed member shall continue in office subsequent to the expiration date of the member's term until the member's successor takes office, or until a period of sixty days has elapsed, whichever occurs first.

(C) The board shall hold meetings in a manner and at times prescribed by the rules adopted by the board. A majority of the board constitutes a quorum, and no action shall be taken by the board unless approved by at least six members or by at least seven members if a person is appointed under division (A)(4) or (5) of this section. At its first meeting, the board shall adopt rules for the conduct of its business and the election of its officers, and shall organize by selecting a chairperson and other officers as it considers necessary. Board members shall serve without compensation but shall be reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties.

(D) The board may do any of the following:

(1) Employ or hire on a consulting basis professional, technical, and clerical employees as are necessary for the performance of its duties;

(2) Hold public hearings at times and places as determined by the board;

(3) Adopt, amend, or rescind rules necessary to accomplish the duties of the board as set forth in this section;

(4) Sponsor, conduct, and support such social events as the board may authorize and consider appropriate for the employees of the board, employees and members of the general assembly, employees of persons under contract with the board or otherwise engaged to perform services on the premises of capitol square, or other persons as the board may consider appropriate. Subject to the requirements of Chapter 4303. of the Revised Code, the board may provide beer, wine, and intoxicating liquor, with or without charge, for those events and may use funds only from the sale of goods and services fund to purchase the beer, wine, and intoxicating liquor the board provides.

(E) The board shall do all of the following:

(1) Have sole authority to coordinate and approve any improvements, additions, and renovations that are made to the capitol square. The improvements shall include, but not be limited to, the placement of monuments and sculpture on the capitol grounds.

(2) Subject to section 3353.07 of the Revised Code, operate the capitol square, and have sole authority to regulate all uses of the capitol square. The uses shall include, but not be limited to, the casual and recreational use of the capitol square.

(3) Employ, with the approval of the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives, the executive director of the board; fix the compensation of and prescribe the duties of the executive director; and employ, fix the compensation of, and prescribe the duties of the executive director of the board and other employees the board considers necessary for the performance of its powers and duties;

(4) Establish and maintain the capitol collection trust. The capitol collection trust shall consist of furniture, antiques, and other items of personal property that the board shall store in suitable facilities until they are ready to be placed in the capitol square.

(5) Perform repair, construction, contracting, purchasing, maintenance, supervisory, and operating activities the board determines are necessary for the operation and maintenance of the capitol square;

(6) Maintain and preserve the capitol square, in accordance with guidelines issued by the United States secretary of the interior for application of the secretary's standards for rehabilitation adopted in 36 C.F.R. part 67.

(F)(1) The board shall lease capital facilities improved or financed by the Ohio building authority pursuant to Chapter 152. of the Revised Code for the use of the board, and may enter into any other agreements with the authority ancillary to improvement, financing, or leasing of those capital facilities, including, but not limited to, any agreement required by the applicable bond proceedings authorized by Chapter 152. of the Revised Code. Any lease of capital facilities authorized by this section shall be governed by division (D) of section 152.24 of the Revised Code.

(2) Fees, receipts, and revenues received by the board from the state underground parking garage constitute available receipts as defined in section 152.09 of the Revised Code, and may be pledged to the payment of bond service charges on obligations issued by the Ohio building authority pursuant to Chapter 152. of the Revised Code to improve or finance capital facilities useful to the board. The authority may, with the consent of the board, provide in the bond proceedings for a pledge of all or a portion of those fees, receipts, and revenues as the authority determines. The authority may provide in the bond proceedings or by separate agreement with the board for the transfer of those fees, receipts, and revenues to the appropriate bond service fund or bond service reserve fund as required to pay the bond service charges when due, and any such provision for the transfer of those fees, receipts, and revenues shall be controlling notwithstanding any other provision of law pertaining to those fees, receipts, and revenues.

(3) All moneys received by the treasurer of state on account of the board and required by the applicable bond proceedings or by separate agreement with the board to be deposited, transferred, or credited to the bond service fund or bond service reserve fund established by the bond proceedings shall be transferred by the treasurer of state to such fund, whether or not it is in the custody of the treasurer of state, without necessity for further appropriation, upon receipt of notice from the Ohio building authority as prescribed in the bond proceedings.

(G) All fees, receipts, and revenues received by the board from the state underground parking garage shall be deposited into the state treasury to the credit of the underground parking garage operating fund, which is hereby created, to be used for the purposes specified in division (F) of this section and for the operation and maintenance of the garage. All investment earnings of the fund shall be credited to the fund.

(H) All donations received by the board shall be deposited into the state treasury to the credit of the capitol square renovation gift fund, which is hereby created. The fund shall be used by the board as follows:

(1) To provide part or all of the funding related to construction, goods, or services for the renovation of the capitol square;

(2) To purchase art, antiques, and artifacts for display at the capitol square;

(3) To award contracts or make grants to organizations for educating the public regarding the historical background and governmental functions of the capitol square. Chapters 125., 127., and 153. and section 3517.13 of the Revised Code do not apply to purchases made exclusively from the fund, notwithstanding anything to the contrary in those chapters or that section. All investment earnings of the fund shall be credited to the fund.

(I) Except as provided in divisions (G), (H), and (J) of this section, all fees, receipts, and revenues received by the board shall be deposited into the state treasury to the credit of the sale of goods and services fund, which is hereby created. Money credited to the fund shall be used solely to pay costs of the board other than those specified in divisions (F) and (G) of this section. All investment earnings of the fund shall be credited to the fund.

(J) There is hereby created in the state treasury the capitol square improvement fund, to be used by the board to pay construction, renovation, and other costs related to the capitol square for which money is not otherwise available to the board. Whenever the board determines that there is a need to incur those costs and that the unencumbered, unobligated balance to the credit of the underground parking garage operating fund exceeds the amount needed for the purposes specified in division (F) of this section and for the operation and maintenance of the garage, the board may request the director of budget and management to transfer from the underground parking garage operating fund to the capitol square improvement fund the amount needed to pay such construction, renovation, or other costs. The director then shall transfer the amount needed from the excess balance of the underground parking garage operating fund.

(K) As the operation and maintenance of the capitol square constitute essential government functions of a public purpose, the board shall not be required to pay taxes or assessments upon the square, upon any property acquired or used by the board under this section, or upon any income generated by the operation of the square.

(L) As used in this section, "capitol square" means the capitol building, senate building, capitol atrium, capitol grounds, and the state underground parking garage.

(M) The capitol annex shall be known as the senate building.

Sec. 108.05.  (A) The lieutenant governor shall be a member of the governor's cabinet and shall preside at its meetings in the absence of the governor.

(B) The governor may appoint the lieutenant governor as an administrative department head listed in section 121.03 of the Revised Code, as director of the office of criminal justice services pursuant to section 181.52 of the Revised Code, as the governor's representative on any board, agency, committee, or commission of which the governor is a member and has the authority to appoint a representative, or in an advisory capacity to any nonelective board, agency, committee, or commission in the executive department or may give the lieutenant governor any special assignment as the governor considers in the interest of the state.

(C) When carrying out any of the functions described in division (B) of this section, the lieutenant governor shall be reimbursed from funds of the particular authority for necessary expenses incurred in the conduct of authority business.

Sec. 109.57.  (A)(1) The superintendent of the bureau of criminal identification and investigation shall procure from wherever procurable and file for record photographs, pictures, descriptions, fingerprints, measurements, and other information that may be pertinent of all persons who have been convicted of committing within this state a felony, any crime constituting a misdemeanor on the first offense and a felony on subsequent offenses, or any misdemeanor described in division (A)(1)(a) of section 109.572 of the Revised Code, of all children under eighteen years of age who have been adjudicated delinquent children for committing within this state an act that would be a felony or an offense of violence if committed by an adult or who have been convicted of or pleaded guilty to committing within this state a felony or an offense of violence, and of all well-known and habitual criminals. The person in charge of any county, multicounty, municipal, municipal-county, or multicounty-municipal jail or workhouse, community-based correctional facility, halfway house, alternative residential facility, or state correctional institution and the person in charge of any state institution having custody of a person suspected of having committed a felony, any crime constituting a misdemeanor on the first offense and a felony on subsequent offenses, or any misdemeanor described in division (A)(1)(a) of section 109.572 of the Revised Code or having custody of a child under eighteen years of age with respect to whom there is probable cause to believe that the child may have committed an act that would be a felony or an offense of violence if committed by an adult shall furnish such material to the superintendent of the bureau. Fingerprints, photographs, or other descriptive information of a child who is under eighteen years of age, has not been arrested or otherwise taken into custody for committing an act that would be a felony or an offense of violence if committed by an adult, has not been adjudicated a delinquent child for committing an act that would be a felony or an offense of violence if committed by an adult, has not been convicted of or pleaded guilty to committing a felony or an offense of violence, and is not a child with respect to whom there is probable cause to believe that the child may have committed an act that would be a felony or an offense of violence if committed by an adult shall not be procured by the superintendent or furnished by any person in charge of any county, multicounty, municipal, municipal-county, or multicounty-municipal jail or workhouse, community-based correctional facility, halfway house, alternative residential facility, or state correctional institution, except as authorized in section 2151.313 of the Revised Code.

(2) Every clerk of a court of record in this state, other than the supreme court or a court of appeals, shall send to the superintendent of the bureau a weekly report containing a summary of each case involving a felony, involving any crime constituting a misdemeanor on the first offense and a felony on subsequent offenses, involving a misdemeanor described in division (A)(1)(a) of section 109.572 of the Revised Code, or involving an adjudication in a case in which a child under eighteen years of age was alleged to be a delinquent child for committing an act that would be a felony or an offense of violence if committed by an adult. The clerk of the court of common pleas shall include in the report and summary the clerk sends under this division all information described in divisions (A)(2)(a) to (f) of this section regarding a case before the court of appeals that is served by that clerk. The summary shall be written on the standard forms furnished by the superintendent pursuant to division (B) of this section and shall include the following information:

(a) The incident tracking number contained on the standard forms furnished by the superintendent pursuant to division (B) of this section;

(b) The style and number of the case;

(c) The date of arrest;

(d) The date that the person was convicted of or pleaded guilty to the offense, adjudicated a delinquent child for committing the act that would be a felony or an offense of violence if committed by an adult, found not guilty of the offense, or found not to be a delinquent child for committing an act that would be a felony or an offense of violence if committed by an adult, the date of an entry dismissing the charge, an entry declaring a mistrial of the offense in which the person is discharged, an entry finding that the person or child is not competent to stand trial, or an entry of a nolle prosequi, or the date of any other determination that constitutes final resolution of the case;

(e) A statement of the original charge with the section of the Revised Code that was alleged to be violated;

(f) If the person or child was convicted, pleaded guilty, or was adjudicated a delinquent child, the sentence or terms of probation imposed or any other disposition of the offender or the delinquent child.

If the offense involved the disarming of a law enforcement officer or an attempt to disarm a law enforcement officer, the clerk shall clearly state that fact in the summary, and the superintendent shall ensure that a clear statement of that fact is placed in the bureau's records.

(3) The superintendent shall cooperate with and assist sheriffs, chiefs of police, and other law enforcement officers in the establishment of a complete system of criminal identification and in obtaining fingerprints and other means of identification of all persons arrested on a charge of a felony, any crime constituting a misdemeanor on the first offense and a felony on subsequent offenses, or a misdemeanor described in division (A)(1)(a) of section 109.572 of the Revised Code and of all children under eighteen years of age arrested or otherwise taken into custody for committing an act that would be a felony or an offense of violence if committed by an adult. The superintendent also shall file for record the fingerprint impressions of all persons confined in a county, multicounty, municipal, municipal-county, or multicounty-municipal jail or workhouse, community-based correctional facility, halfway house, alternative residential facility, or state correctional institution for the violation of state laws and of all children under eighteen years of age who are confined in a county, multicounty, municipal, municipal-county, or multicounty-municipal jail or workhouse, community-based correctional facility, halfway house, alternative residential facility, or state correctional institution or in any facility for delinquent children for committing an act that would be a felony or an offense of violence if committed by an adult, and any other information that the superintendent may receive from law enforcement officials of the state and its political subdivisions.

(4) The superintendent shall carry out Chapter 2950. of the Revised Code with respect to the registration of persons who are convicted of or plead guilty to either a sexually oriented offense that is not a registration-exempt sexually oriented offense or a child-victim oriented offense and with respect to all other duties imposed on the bureau under that chapter.

(5) The bureau shall perform centralized recordkeeping functions for criminal history records and services in this state for purposes of the national crime prevention and privacy compact set forth in section 109.571 of the Revised Code and is the criminal history record repository as defined in that section for purposes of that compact. The superintendent or the superintendent's designee is the compact officer for purposes of that compact and shall carry out the responsibilities of the compact officer specified in that compact.

(B) The superintendent shall prepare and furnish to every county, multicounty, municipal, municipal-county, or multicounty-municipal jail or workhouse, community-based correctional facility, halfway house, alternative residential facility, or state correctional institution and to every clerk of a court in this state specified in division (A)(2) of this section standard forms for reporting the information required under division (A) of this section. The standard forms that the superintendent prepares pursuant to this division may be in a tangible format, in an electronic format, or in both tangible formats and electronic formats.

(C) The superintendent may operate a center for electronic, automated, or other data processing for the storage and retrieval of information, data, and statistics pertaining to criminals and to children under eighteen years of age who are adjudicated delinquent children for committing an act that would be a felony or an offense of violence if committed by an adult, criminal activity, crime prevention, law enforcement, and criminal justice, and may establish and operate a statewide communications network to gather and disseminate information, data, and statistics for the use of law enforcement agencies. The superintendent may gather, store, retrieve, and disseminate information, data, and statistics that pertain to children who are under eighteen years of age and that are gathered pursuant to sections 109.57 to 109.61 of the Revised Code together with information, data, and statistics that pertain to adults and that are gathered pursuant to those sections. In addition to any other authorized use of information, data, and statistics of that nature, the superintendent or the superintendent's designee may provide and exchange the information, data, and statistics pursuant to the national crime prevention and privacy compact as described in division (A)(5) of this section.

(D) The information and materials furnished to the superintendent pursuant to division (A) of this section and information and materials furnished to any board or person under division (F) or (G) of this section are not public records under section 149.43 of the Revised Code.

(E) The attorney general shall adopt rules, in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, setting forth the procedure by which a person may receive or release information gathered by the superintendent pursuant to division (A) of this section. A reasonable fee may be charged for this service. If a temporary employment service submits a request for a determination of whether a person the service plans to refer to an employment position has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to an offense listed in division (A)(1), (3), (4), (5), or (6) of section 109.572 of the Revised Code, the request shall be treated as a single request and only one fee shall be charged.

(F)(1) As used in division (F)(2) of this section, "head start agency" means an entity in this state that has been approved to be an agency for purposes of subchapter II of the "Community Economic Development Act," 95 Stat. 489 (1981), 42 U.S.C.A. 9831, as amended.

(2)(a) In addition to or in conjunction with any request that is required to be made under section 109.572, 2151.86, 3301.32, 3301.541, 3319.39, 3701.881, 5104.012, 5104.013, 5123.081, 5126.28, 5126.281, or 5153.111 or division (F) of section 3310.11 of the Revised Code, the board of education of any school district; the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities; any county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities; any entity under contract with a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities; the chief administrator of any chartered nonpublic school; the chief administrator of any registered private school; the chief administrator of any home health agency; the chief administrator of or person operating any child day-care center, type A family day-care home, or type B family day-care home licensed or certified under Chapter 5104. of the Revised Code; the administrator of any type C family day-care home certified pursuant to Section 1 of Sub. H.B. 62 of the 121st general assembly or Section 5 of Am. Sub. S.B. 160 of the 121st general assembly; the chief administrator of any head start agency; or the executive director of a public children services agency may request that the superintendent of the bureau investigate and determine, with respect to any individual who has applied for employment in any position after October 2, 1989, or any individual wishing to apply for employment with a board of education may request, with regard to the individual, whether the bureau has any information gathered under division (A) of this section that pertains to that individual. On receipt of the request, the superintendent shall determine whether that information exists and, upon request of the person, board, or entity requesting information, also shall request from the federal bureau of investigation any criminal records it has pertaining to that individual. The superintendent or the superintendent's designee also may request criminal history records from other states or the federal government pursuant to the national crime prevention and privacy compact set forth in section 109.571 of the Revised Code. Within thirty days of the date that the superintendent receives a request, the superintendent shall send to the board, entity, or person a report of any information that the superintendent determines exists, including information contained in records that have been sealed under section 2953.32 of the Revised Code, and, within thirty days of its receipt, shall send the board, entity, or person a report of any information received from the federal bureau of investigation, other than information the dissemination of which is prohibited by federal law.

(b) When a board of education or a registered private school is required to receive information under this section as a prerequisite to employment of an individual pursuant to section 3319.39 or division (F) of section 3310.11 of the Revised Code, it may accept a certified copy of records that were issued by the bureau of criminal identification and investigation and that are presented by an individual applying for employment with the district in lieu of requesting that information itself. In such a case, the board or school shall accept the certified copy issued by the bureau in order to make a photocopy of it for that individual's employment application documents and shall return the certified copy to the individual. In a case of that nature, a district or school only shall accept a certified copy of records of that nature within one year after the date of their issuance by the bureau.

(3) The state board of education may request, with respect to any individual who has applied for employment after October 2, 1989, in any position with the state board or the department of education, any information that a school district board of education is authorized to request under division (F)(2) of this section, and the superintendent of the bureau shall proceed as if the request has been received from a school district board of education under division (F)(2) of this section.

(4) When the superintendent of the bureau receives a request for information under section 3319.291 of the Revised Code, the superintendent shall proceed as if the request has been received from a school district board of education under division (F)(2) of this section.

(5) When a recipient of an OhioReads a classroom or community reading improvement grant paid under section 3301.86 or 3301.87 of the Revised Code or an entity approved by the OhioReads council requests, with respect to any individual who applies to participate in providing any program or service through an entity approved by the OhioReads council or funded in whole or in part by the grant, the information that a school district board of education is authorized to request under division (F)(2)(a) of this section, the superintendent of the bureau shall proceed as if the request has been received from a school district board of education under division (F)(2)(a) of this section.

(G) In addition to or in conjunction with any request that is required to be made under section 173.41, 3701.881, 3712.09, 3721.121, or 3722.151 of the Revised Code with respect to an individual who has applied for employment in a position that involves providing direct care to an older adult, the chief administrator of a PASSPORT agency that provides services through the PASSPORT program created under section 173.40 of the Revised Code, home health agency, hospice care program, home licensed under Chapter 3721. of the Revised Code, adult day-care program operated pursuant to rules adopted under section 3721.04 of the Revised Code, or adult care facility may request that the superintendent of the bureau investigate and determine, with respect to any individual who has applied after January 27, 1997, for employment in a position that does not involve providing direct care to an older adult, whether the bureau has any information gathered under division (A) of this section that pertains to that individual. On receipt of the request, the superintendent shall determine whether that information exists and, on request of the administrator requesting information, shall also request from the federal bureau of investigation any criminal records it has pertaining to that individual. The superintendent or the superintendent's designee also may request criminal history records from other states or the federal government pursuant to the national crime prevention and privacy compact set forth in section 109.571 of the Revised Code. Within thirty days of the date a request is received, the superintendent shall send to the administrator a report of any information determined to exist, including information contained in records that have been sealed under section 2953.32 of the Revised Code, and, within thirty days of its receipt, shall send the administrator a report of any information received from the federal bureau of investigation, other than information the dissemination of which is prohibited by federal law.

(H) Information obtained by a board, administrator, or other person under this section is confidential and shall not be released or disseminated.

(I) The superintendent may charge a reasonable fee for providing information or criminal records under division (F)(2) or (G) of this section.

(J) As used in this section, "registered private school" means a nonpublic school registered with the superintendent of public instruction under section 3310.11 of the Revised Code to participate in the educational choice scholarship program.

Sec. 109.572. (A)(1) Upon receipt of a request pursuant to section 121.08, 2151.86, 3301.32, 3301.541, 3319.39, 5104.012, 5104.013, or 5153.111 of the Revised Code, a completed form prescribed pursuant to division (C)(1) of this section, and a set of fingerprint impressions obtained in the manner described in division (C)(2) of this section, the superintendent of the bureau of criminal identification and investigation shall conduct a criminal records check in the manner described in division (B) of this section to determine whether any information exists that indicates that the person who is the subject of the request previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any of the following:

(a) A violation of section 2903.01, 2903.02, 2903.03, 2903.04, 2903.11, 2903.12, 2903.13, 2903.16, 2903.21, 2903.34, 2905.01, 2905.02, 2905.05, 2907.02, 2907.03, 2907.04, 2907.05, 2907.06, 2907.07, 2907.08, 2907.09, 2907.21, 2907.22, 2907.23, 2907.25, 2907.31, 2907.32, 2907.321, 2907.322, 2907.323, 2911.01, 2911.02, 2911.11, 2911.12, 2919.12, 2919.22, 2919.24, 2919.25, 2923.12, 2923.13, 2923.161, 2925.02, 2925.03, 2925.04, 2925.05, 2925.06, or 3716.11 of the Revised Code, felonious sexual penetration in violation of former section 2907.12 of the Revised Code, a violation of section 2905.04 of the Revised Code as it existed prior to July 1, 1996, a violation of section 2919.23 of the Revised Code that would have been a violation of section 2905.04 of the Revised Code as it existed prior to July 1, 1996, had the violation been committed prior to that date, or a violation of section 2925.11 of the Revised Code that is not a minor drug possession offense;

(b) A violation of an existing or former law of this state, any other state, or the United States that is substantially equivalent to any of the offenses listed in division (A)(1)(a) of this section.

(2) On receipt of a request pursuant to section 5123.081 of the Revised Code with respect to an applicant for employment in any position with the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, pursuant to section 5126.28 of the Revised Code with respect to an applicant for employment in any position with a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, or pursuant to section 5126.281 of the Revised Code with respect to an applicant for employment in a direct services position with an entity contracting with a county board for employment, a completed form prescribed pursuant to division (C)(1) of this section, and a set of fingerprint impressions obtained in the manner described in division (C)(2) of this section, the superintendent of the bureau of criminal identification and investigation shall conduct a criminal records check. The superintendent shall conduct the criminal records check in the manner described in division (B) of this section to determine whether any information exists that indicates that the person who is the subject of the request has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any of the following:

(a) A violation of section 2903.01, 2903.02, 2903.03, 2903.04, 2903.11, 2903.12, 2903.13, 2903.16, 2903.21, 2903.34, 2903.341, 2905.01, 2905.02, 2905.04, 2905.05, 2907.02, 2907.03, 2907.04, 2907.05, 2907.06, 2907.07, 2907.08, 2907.09, 2907.12, 2907.21, 2907.22, 2907.23, 2907.25, 2907.31, 2907.32, 2907.321, 2907.322, 2907.323, 2911.01, 2911.02, 2911.11, 2911.12, 2919.12, 2919.22, 2919.24, 2919.25, 2923.12, 2923.13, 2923.161, 2925.02, 2925.03, or 3716.11 of the Revised Code;

(b) An existing or former municipal ordinance or law of this state, any other state, or the United States that is substantially equivalent to any of the offenses listed in division (A)(2)(a) of this section.

(3) On receipt of a request pursuant to section 173.41, 3712.09, 3721.121, or 3722.151 of the Revised Code, a completed form prescribed pursuant to division (C)(1) of this section, and a set of fingerprint impressions obtained in the manner described in division (C)(2) of this section, the superintendent of the bureau of criminal identification and investigation shall conduct a criminal records check with respect to any person who has applied for employment in a position that involves providing direct care to an older adult. The superintendent shall conduct the criminal records check in the manner described in division (B) of this section to determine whether any information exists that indicates that the person who is the subject of the request previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any of the following:

(a) A violation of section 2903.01, 2903.02, 2903.03, 2903.04, 2903.11, 2903.12, 2903.13, 2903.16, 2903.21, 2903.34, 2905.01, 2905.02, 2905.11, 2905.12, 2907.02, 2907.03, 2907.05, 2907.06, 2907.07, 2907.08, 2907.09, 2907.12, 2907.25, 2907.31, 2907.32, 2907.321, 2907.322, 2907.323, 2911.01, 2911.02, 2911.11, 2911.12, 2911.13, 2913.02, 2913.03, 2913.04, 2913.11, 2913.21, 2913.31, 2913.40, 2913.43, 2913.47, 2913.51, 2919.25, 2921.36, 2923.12, 2923.13, 2923.161, 2925.02, 2925.03, 2925.11, 2925.13, 2925.22, 2925.23, or 3716.11 of the Revised Code;

(b) An existing or former law of this state, any other state, or the United States that is substantially equivalent to any of the offenses listed in division (A)(3)(a) of this section.

(4) On receipt of a request pursuant to section 3701.881 of the Revised Code with respect to an applicant for employment with a home health agency as a person responsible for the care, custody, or control of a child, a completed form prescribed pursuant to division (C)(1) of this section, and a set of fingerprint impressions obtained in the manner described in division (C)(2) of this section, the superintendent of the bureau of criminal identification and investigation shall conduct a criminal records check. The superintendent shall conduct the criminal records check in the manner described in division (B) of this section to determine whether any information exists that indicates that the person who is the subject of the request previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any of the following:

(a) A violation of section 2903.01, 2903.02, 2903.03, 2903.04, 2903.11, 2903.12, 2903.13, 2903.16, 2903.21, 2903.34, 2905.01, 2905.02, 2905.04, 2905.05, 2907.02, 2907.03, 2907.04, 2907.05, 2907.06, 2907.07, 2907.08, 2907.09, 2907.12, 2907.21, 2907.22, 2907.23, 2907.25, 2907.31, 2907.32, 2907.321, 2907.322, 2907.323, 2911.01, 2911.02, 2911.11, 2911.12, 2919.12, 2919.22, 2919.24, 2919.25, 2923.12, 2923.13, 2923.161, 2925.02, 2925.03, 2925.04, 2925.05, 2925.06, or 3716.11 of the Revised Code or a violation of section 2925.11 of the Revised Code that is not a minor drug possession offense;

(b) An existing or former law of this state, any other state, or the United States that is substantially equivalent to any of the offenses listed in division (A)(4)(a) of this section.

(5) On receipt of a request pursuant to section 5111.95 or 5111.96 of the Revised Code with respect to an applicant for employment with a waiver agency participating in a department of job and family services administered home and community-based waiver program or an independent provider participating in a department administered home and community-based waiver program in a position that involves providing home and community-based waiver services to consumers with disabilities, a completed form prescribed pursuant to division (C)(1) of this section, and a set of fingerprint impressions obtained in the manner described in division (C)(2) of this section, the superintendent of the bureau of criminal identification and investigation shall conduct a criminal records check. The superintendent shall conduct the criminal records check in the manner described in division (B) of this section to determine whether any information exists that indicates that the person who is the subject of the request previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any of the following:

(a) A violation of section 2903.01, 2903.02, 2903.03, 2903.04, 2903.041, 2903.11, 2903.12, 2903.13, 2903.16, 2903.21, 2903.34, 2905.01, 2905.02, 2905.05, 2905.11, 2905.12, 2907.02, 2907.03, 2907.04, 2907.05, 2907.06, 2907.07, 2907.08, 2907.09, 2907.21, 2907.22, 2907.23, 2907.25, 2907.31, 2907.32, 2907.321, 2907.322, 2907.323, 2911.01, 2911.02, 2911.11, 2911.12, 2911.13, 2913.02, 2913.03, 2913.04, 2913.11, 2913.21, 2913.31, 2913.40, 2913.43, 2913.47, 2913.51, 2919.12, 2919.24, 2919.25, 2921.36, 2923.12, 2923.13, 2923.161, 2925.02, 2925.03, 2925.04, 2925.05, 2925.06, 2925.11, 2925.13, 2925.22, 2925.23, or 3716.11 of the Revised Code, felonious sexual penetration in violation of former section 2907.12 of the Revised Code, a violation of section 2905.04 of the Revised Code as it existed prior to July 1, 1996, a violation of section 2919.23 of the Revised Code that would have been a violation of section 2905.04 of the Revised Code as it existed prior to July 1, 1996, had the violation been committed prior to that date;

(b) An existing or former law of this state, any other state, or the United States that is substantially equivalent to any of the offenses listed in division (A)(5)(a) of this section.

(6) On receipt of a request pursuant to section 3701.881 of the Revised Code with respect to an applicant for employment with a home health agency in a position that involves providing direct care to an older adult, a completed form prescribed pursuant to division (C)(1) of this section, and a set of fingerprint impressions obtained in the manner described in division (C)(2) of this section, the superintendent of the bureau of criminal identification and investigation shall conduct a criminal records check. The superintendent shall conduct the criminal records check in the manner described in division (B) of this section to determine whether any information exists that indicates that the person who is the subject of the request previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any of the following:

(a) A violation of section 2903.01, 2903.02, 2903.03, 2903.04, 2903.11, 2903.12, 2903.13, 2903.16, 2903.21, 2903.34, 2905.01, 2905.02, 2905.11, 2905.12, 2907.02, 2907.03, 2907.05, 2907.06, 2907.07, 2907.08, 2907.09, 2907.12, 2907.25, 2907.31, 2907.32, 2907.321, 2907.322, 2907.323, 2911.01, 2911.02, 2911.11, 2911.12, 2911.13, 2913.02, 2913.03, 2913.04, 2913.11, 2913.21, 2913.31, 2913.40, 2913.43, 2913.47, 2913.51, 2919.25, 2921.36, 2923.12, 2923.13, 2923.161, 2925.02, 2925.03, 2925.11, 2925.13, 2925.22, 2925.23, or 3716.11 of the Revised Code;

(b) An existing or former law of this state, any other state, or the United States that is substantially equivalent to any of the offenses listed in division (A)(6)(a) of this section.

(7) When conducting a criminal records check upon a request pursuant to section 3319.39 of the Revised Code for an applicant who is a teacher, in addition to the determination made under division (A)(1) of this section, the superintendent shall determine whether any information exists that indicates that the person who is the subject of the request previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any offense specified in section 3319.31 of the Revised Code.

(8) On a request pursuant to section 2151.86 of the Revised Code, a completed form prescribed pursuant to division (C)(1) of this section, and a set of fingerprint impressions obtained in the manner described in division (C)(2) of this section, the superintendent of the bureau of criminal identification and investigation shall conduct a criminal records check in the manner described in division (B) of this section to determine whether any information exists that indicates that the person who is the subject of the request previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any of the following:

(a) A violation of section 2903.01, 2903.02, 2903.03, 2903.04, 2903.11, 2903.12, 2903.13, 2903.16, 2903.21, 2903.34, 2905.01, 2905.02, 2905.05, 2907.02, 2907.03, 2907.04, 2907.05, 2907.06, 2907.07, 2907.08, 2907.09, 2907.21, 2907.22, 2907.23, 2907.25, 2907.31, 2907.32, 2907.321, 2907.322, 2907.323, 2909.02, 2909.03, 2911.01, 2911.02, 2911.11, 2911.12, 2919.12, 2919.22, 2919.24, 2919.25, 2923.12, 2923.13, 2923.161, 2925.02, 2925.03, 2925.04, 2925.05, 2925.06, or 3716.11 of the Revised Code, a violation of section 2905.04 of the Revised Code as it existed prior to July 1, 1996, a violation of section 2919.23 of the Revised Code that would have been a violation of section 2905.04 of the Revised Code as it existed prior to July 1, 1996, had the violation been committed prior to that date, a violation of section 2925.11 of the Revised Code that is not a minor drug possession offense, or felonious sexual penetration in violation of former section 2907.12 of the Revised Code;

(b) A violation of an existing or former law of this state, any other state, or the United States that is substantially equivalent to any of the offenses listed in division (A)(8)(a) of this section.

(9) When conducting a criminal records check on a request pursuant to section 5104.013 of the Revised Code for a person who is an owner, licensee, or administrator of a child day-care center or type A family day-care home or an authorized provider of a certified type B family day-care home, the superintendent, in addition to the determination made under division (A)(1) of this section, shall determine whether any information exists that indicates that the person has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any of the following:

(a) A violation of section 2913.02, 2913.03, 2913.04, 2913.041, 2913.05, 2913.06, 2913.11, 2913.21, 2913.31, 2913.32, 2913.33, 2913.34, 2913.40, 2913.41, 2913.42, 2913.43, 2913.44, 2913.441, 2913.45, 2913.46, 2913.47, 2913.48, 2913.49, 2921.11, 2921.13, or 2923.01 of the Revised Code, a violation of section 2923.02 or 2923.03 of the Revised Code that relates to a crime specified in this division or division (A)(1)(a) of this section, or a second violation of section 4511.19 of the Revised Code within five years of the date of application for licensure or certification.

(b) A violation of an existing or former law of this state, any other state, or the United States that is substantially equivalent to any of the offenses or violations described in division (A)(9)(a) of this section.

(10) Not later than thirty days after the date the superintendent receives the request, completed form, and fingerprint impressions, the superintendent shall send the person, board, or entity that made the request any information, other than information the dissemination of which is prohibited by federal law, the superintendent determines exists with respect to the person who is the subject of the request that indicates that the person previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any offense listed or described in division (A)(1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), or (9) of this section, as appropriate. The superintendent shall send the person, board, or entity that made the request a copy of the list of offenses specified in division (A)(1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), or (9) of this section, as appropriate. If the request was made under section 3701.881 of the Revised Code with regard to an applicant who may be both responsible for the care, custody, or control of a child and involved in providing direct care to an older adult, the superintendent shall provide a list of the offenses specified in divisions (A)(4) and (6) of this section.

(B) The superintendent shall conduct any criminal records check requested under section 121.08, 173.41, 2151.86, 3301.32, 3301.541, 3319.39, 3701.881, 3712.09, 3721.121, 3722.151, 5104.012, 5104.013, 5111.95, 5111.96, 5123.081, 5126.28, 5126.281, or 5153.111 of the Revised Code as follows:

(1) The superintendent shall review or cause to be reviewed any relevant information gathered and compiled by the bureau under division (A) of section 109.57 of the Revised Code that relates to the person who is the subject of the request, including any relevant information contained in records that have been sealed under section 2953.32 of the Revised Code;

(2) If the request received by the superintendent asks for information from the federal bureau of investigation, the superintendent shall request from the federal bureau of investigation any information it has with respect to the person who is the subject of the request and shall review or cause to be reviewed any information the superintendent receives from that bureau.

(3) The superintendent or the superintendent's designee may request criminal history records from other states or the federal government pursuant to the national crime prevention and privacy compact set forth in section 109.571 of the Revised Code.

(C)(1) The superintendent shall prescribe a form to obtain the information necessary to conduct a criminal records check from any person for whom a criminal records check is required by section 121.08, 173.41, 2151.86, 3301.32, 3301.541, 3319.39, 3701.881, 3712.09, 3721.121, 3722.151, 5104.012, 5104.013, 5111.95, 5111.96, 5123.081, 5126.28, 5126.281, or 5153.111 of the Revised Code. The form that the superintendent prescribes pursuant to this division may be in a tangible format, in an electronic format, or in both tangible and electronic formats.

(2) The superintendent shall prescribe standard impression sheets to obtain the fingerprint impressions of any person for whom a criminal records check is required by section 121.08, 173.41, 2151.86, 3301.32, 3301.541, 3319.39, 3701.881, 3712.09, 3721.121, 3722.151, 5104.012, 5104.013, 5111.95, 5111.96, 5123.081, 5126.28, 5126.281, or 5153.111 of the Revised Code. Any person for whom a records check is required by any of those sections shall obtain the fingerprint impressions at a county sheriff's office, municipal police department, or any other entity with the ability to make fingerprint impressions on the standard impression sheets prescribed by the superintendent. The office, department, or entity may charge the person a reasonable fee for making the impressions. The standard impression sheets the superintendent prescribes pursuant to this division may be in a tangible format, in an electronic format, or in both tangible and electronic formats.

(3) Subject to division (D) of this section, the superintendent shall prescribe and charge a reasonable fee for providing a criminal records check requested under section 121.08, 173.41, 2151.86, 3301.32, 3301.541, 3319.39, 3701.881, 3712.09, 3721.121, 3722.151, 5104.012, 5104.013, 5111.95, 5111.96, 5123.081, 5126.28, 5126.281, or 5153.111 of the Revised Code. The person making a criminal records request under section 121.08, 173.41, 2151.86, 3301.32, 3301.541, 3319.39, 3701.881, 3712.09, 3721.121, 3722.151, 5104.012, 5104.013, 5111.95, 5111.96, 5123.081, 5126.28, 5126.281, or 5153.111 of the Revised Code shall pay the fee prescribed pursuant to this division. A person making a request under section 3701.881 of the Revised Code for a criminal records check for an applicant who may be both responsible for the care, custody, or control of a child and involved in providing direct care to an older adult shall pay one fee for the request.

(4) The superintendent of the bureau of criminal identification and investigation may prescribe methods of forwarding fingerprint impressions and information necessary to conduct a criminal records check, which methods shall include, but not be limited to, an electronic method.

(D) A determination whether any information exists that indicates that a person previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any offense listed or described in division (A)(1)(a) or (b), (A)(2)(a) or (b), (A)(3)(a) or (b), (A)(4)(a) or (b), (A)(5)(a) or (b), (A)(6), (A)(7)(a) or (b), (A)(8)(a) or (b), or (A)(9)(a) or (b) of this section that is made by the superintendent with respect to information considered in a criminal records check in accordance with this section is valid for the person who is the subject of the criminal records check for a period of one year from the date upon which the superintendent makes the determination. During the period in which the determination in regard to a person is valid, if another request under this section is made for a criminal records check for that person, the superintendent shall provide the information that is the basis for the superintendent's initial determination at a lower fee than the fee prescribed for the initial criminal records check.

(E) When the superintendent receives a request for information from a registered private school pursuant to division (F) of section 3310.11 of the Revised Code, the superintendent shall proceed as if the request has been received from a school district board of education under section 3319.39 of the Revised Code. The superintendent shall apply division (A)(7) of this section to any such request for an applicant who is a teacher.

(F) As used in this section:

(1) "Criminal records check" means any criminal records check conducted by the superintendent of the bureau of criminal identification and investigation in accordance with division (B) of this section.

(2) "Home and community-based waiver services" and "waiver agency" have the same meanings as in section 5111.95 of the Revised Code.

(3) "Independent provider" has the same meaning as in section 5111.96 of the Revised Code.

(4) "Minor drug possession offense" has the same meaning as in section 2925.01 of the Revised Code.

(5) "Older adult" means a person age sixty or older.

(6) "Registered private school" means a nonpublic school registered with the superintendent of public instruction under section 3310.11 of the Revised Code to participate in the educational choice scholarship program.

Sec. 109.91.  (A) There is hereby established within the office of the attorney general the crime victims assistance office.

(B) There is hereby established the state victims assistance advisory committee. The committee shall consist of a chairperson, to be appointed by the attorney general, four three ex officio members, and fifteen members to be appointed by the attorney general as follows: one member who represents the Ohio victim-witness association; three members who represent local victim assistance programs, including one from a municipally operated program and one from a county-operated program; one member who represents the interests of elderly victims; one member who is a board member of any statewide or local organization that exists primarily to aid victims of domestic violence, or who is an employee of, or counselor for, such an organization; one member who is an employee or officer of a county probation department or a probation department operated by the department of rehabilitation and correction; one member who is a county prosecuting attorney; one member who is a city law director; one member who is a county sheriff; one member who is a member or officer of a township or municipal police department; one member who is a court of common pleas judge; one member who is a municipal court judge or county court judge; and two members who are private citizens and are not government employees.

The committee shall include the following ex officio, nonvoting members: the chief justice of the supreme court, the attorney general, one member of the senate to be designated by the president of the senate, and one member of the house of representatives to be designated by the speaker of the house.

Members of the committee shall serve without compensation, but shall be reimbursed for travel and other necessary expenses that are incurred in the conduct of their official duties as members of the committee. The chairperson and members of the committee appointed by the attorney general shall serve at the pleasure of the attorney general. The chief justice of the supreme court and the attorney general shall serve on the committee until the end of the term of office that qualified them the attorney general for membership on the committee. The member of the senate and the member of the house of representatives shall serve at the pleasure of the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives, respectively.

(C) The victims assistance advisory committee shall perform both of the following duties:

(1) Advise the crime victims assistance office in determining crime and delinquency victim service needs, determining crime and delinquency victim policies for the state, and improving and exercising leadership in the quality of crime and delinquency victim programs in the state;

(2) Review and recommend to the crime victims assistance office the victim assistance programs that should be considered for the receipt of state financial assistance pursuant to section 109.92 of the Revised Code. The financial assistance allocation recommendations of the committee shall be based on the following priorities:

(a) Programs in existence on July 1, 1985, shall be given first priority;

(b) Programs offering or proposing to offer the broadest range of services and referrals to the community served, including medical, psychological, financial, educational, vocational, and legal services that were not in existence on July 1, 1985, shall be given second priority;

(c) Other qualified programs shall be given last priority.

(D) As used in this section and section 109.92 of the Revised Code, "victim assistance program" includes, but is not limited to a program that provides at least one of the following:

(1) Services to victims of any offense of violence or delinquent act that would be an offense of violence if committed by an adult;

(2) Financial assistance or property repair services to victims of crime or delinquent acts;

(3) Assistance to victims of crime or delinquent acts in judicial proceedings;

(4) Assistance to victims of crime or delinquent acts under the operation of any political subdivision of the state or a branch of the criminal justice system set forth in division (B)(1)(a), (2)(b), or (3)(c) of section 181.51 5502.61 of the Revised Code;

(5) Technical assistance to persons or organizations that provide services to victims of crime or delinquent acts under the operation of a branch of the criminal justice system set forth in divisions division (B)(1)(a), (2)(b), and (3) or (c) of section 181.51 5502.61 of the Revised Code.

A victim assistance program does not include the program for the reparation of crime victims established pursuant to Chapter 2743. of the Revised Code.

Sec. 117.10.  The auditor of state shall audit all public offices as provided in this chapter. The auditor of state also may audit the accounts of private institutions, associations, boards, and corporations receiving public money for their use and may require of them annual reports in such form as the auditor of state prescribes.

If the auditor of state performs or contracts for the performance of an audit, including a special audit, of the public employees retirement system, school employees retirement system, state teachers retirement system, state highway patrol retirement system, or Ohio police and fire pension fund, the auditor of state shall make a timely report of the results of the audit to the Ohio retirement study council.

The auditor of state may audit the accounts of any provider as defined in section 5111.06 of the Revised Code, if requested by the department of job and family services.

If a public office has been audited by an agency of the United States government, the auditor of state may, if satisfied that the federal audit has been conducted according to principles and procedures not contrary to those of the auditor of state, use and adopt the federal audit and report in lieu of an audit by the auditor of state's own office.

Within thirty days after the creation or dissolution or the winding up of the affairs of any public office, that public office shall notify the auditor of state in writing that this action has occurred.

Sec. 117.16. (A) The auditor of state shall do all of the following:

(1) Develop a force account project assessment form that each public office that undertakes force account projects shall use to estimate or report the cost of a force account project. The form shall include costs for employee salaries and benefits, any other labor costs, materials, freight, fuel, hauling, overhead expense, workers' compensation premiums, and all other items of cost and expense, including a reasonable allowance for the use of all tools and equipment used on or in connection with such work and for the depreciation on the tools and equipment.

(2) Make the form available to public offices by any cost-effective, convenient method accessible to the auditor of state and the public offices;

(3) When conducting an audit under this chapter of a public office that undertakes force account projects, examine the forms and records of a sampling of the force account projects the public office completed since an audit was last conducted, to determine compliance with its force account limits.

(B) If the auditor of state receives a complaint from any person that a public office has violated the force account limits established for that office, the auditor of state may conduct an audit in addition to the audit provided in section 117.11 of the Revised Code if the auditor of state has reasonable cause to believe that an additional audit is in the public interest.

(C)(1) If the auditor of state finds that a county, township, or municipal corporation violated the force account limits established for that political subdivision, the auditor of state, in addition to any other action authorized by this chapter, shall notify the political subdivision that, for a period of one year from the date of the notification, the force account limits for the subdivision are reduced as follows:

(a) For a county, the limits shall be ten thousand dollars per mile for construction or reconstruction of a road and forty thousand dollars for construction, reconstruction, maintenance, or repair of a bridge or culvert;

(b) For a township, the limit shall be fifteen thousand dollars for maintenance and repair of a road or five thousand per mile for construction or reconstruction of a township road;

(c) For a municipal corporation, the limit shall be ten thousand dollars for the construction, reconstruction, widening, resurfacing, or repair of a street or other public way.

(2) If the auditor of state finds that a county, township, or municipal corporation violated the force account limits established for that political subdivision a second or subsequent time, the auditor of state, in addition to any other action authorized by this chapter, shall notify the political subdivision that, for a period of two years from the date of the notification, the force account limits for the subdivision are reduced in accordance with division (C)(1)(a), (b), or (c) of this section.

(3) If the auditor of state finds that a county, township, or municipal corporation violated the force account limits established for that political subdivision a third or subsequent time, the auditor of state shall certify to the tax commissioner an amount the auditor of state determines to be twenty per cent of the total cost of the force account project that is the basis of the violation. Upon receipt of this certification, the tax commissioner shall withhold the certified amount from any funds under the tax commissioner's control that are due or payable to that political subdivision. The tax commissioner shall promptly deposit this withheld amount to the credit of the local transportation improvement program fund created by section 164.14 of the Revised Code.

If the tax commissioner determines that no funds are due and payable to the violating political subdivision or that insufficient amounts of such funds are available to cover the entire certified amount, the tax commissioner shall withhold and deposit to the credit of the local transportation improvement program fund any amount available and certify the remaining amount to be withheld to the county auditor of the county in which the political subdivision is located. The county auditor shall withhold from that political subdivision any amount, up to that certified by the tax commissioner, that is available from any funds under the county auditor's control, that is due or payable to that political subdivision, and that can be lawfully withheld. The county auditor shall promptly pay that withheld amount to the tax commissioner for deposit into the local transportation improvement program fund.

The payments required under division (C)(3) of this section are in addition to the force account limit reductions described in division (C)(2) of this section and also are in addition to any other action authorized by this chapter.

(D) If the auditor of state finds that a county, township, or municipal corporation violated its force account limits when participating in a joint force account project, the auditor of state shall impose the reduction in force account limits under division (C) of this section on all entities participating in the joint project.

(E) As used in this section, "force account limits" means any of the following, as applicable:

(1) For a county, the amounts established in section 5543.19 of the Revised Code as adjusted under section 117.162 of the Revised Code;

(2) For a township, the amounts established in section 5575.01 of the Revised Code as adjusted under section 117.162 of the Revised Code;

(3) For a municipal corporation, the amount established in section 723.52 of the Revised Code as adjusted under section 117.162 of the Revised Code;

(4) For the department of transportation, the amount established in section 5517.02 of the Revised Code as adjusted under section 117.162 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 117.162. (A) Not later than the thirty-first day of January each year, the auditor of state shall adjust county, township, municipal, and department of transportation force account limits by the percentage increase, if any, in the consumer price index over the twelve-month period that ended on the last day of December of the immediately preceding year, rounded to the nearest one-tenth of one per cent, and post the new force account limits on the auditor of state's internet site on the world wide web. Such limits shall be effective for the following twelve-month period beginning on the first day of February.

(B) As used in this section:

(1) "Consumer price index" means the consumer price index prepared by the United States bureau of labor statistics (U.S. city average for urban wage earners and clerical workers: all items, 1982-1984=100), or, if that index is no longer published, a generally available comparable index.

(2) "Force account limits" has the same meaning as in section 117.16 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 120.06.  (A)(1) The state public defender, when designated by the court or requested by a county public defender or joint county public defender, may provide legal representation in all courts throughout the state to indigent adults and juveniles who are charged with the commission of an offense or act for which the penalty or any possible adjudication includes the potential loss of liberty.

(2) The state public defender may provide legal representation to any indigent person who, while incarcerated in any state correctional institution, is charged with a felony offense, for which the penalty or any possible adjudication that may be imposed by a court upon conviction includes the potential loss of liberty.

(3) The state public defender may provide legal representation to any person incarcerated in any correctional institution of the state, in any matter in which the person asserts the person is unlawfully imprisoned or detained.

(4) The state public defender, in any case in which the state public defender has provided legal representation or is requested to do so by a county public defender or joint county public defender, may provide legal representation on appeal.

(5) The state public defender, when designated by the court or requested by a county public defender, joint county public defender, or the director of rehabilitation and correction, shall provide legal representation in parole and probation revocation matters or matters relating to the revocation of community control or post-release control under a community control sanction or post-release control sanction, unless the state public defender finds that the alleged parole or probation violator or alleged violator of a community control sanction or post-release control sanction has the financial capacity to retain the alleged violator's own counsel.

(6) If the state public defender contracts with a county public defender commission, a joint county public defender commission, or a board of county commissioners for the provision of services, under authority of division (C)(7) of section 120.04 of the Revised Code, the state public defender shall provide legal representation in accordance with the contract.

(B) The state public defender shall not be required to prosecute any appeal, postconviction remedy, or other proceeding pursuant to division (A)(3), (4), or (5) of this section, unless the state public defender first is satisfied that there is arguable merit to the proceeding.

(C) A court may appoint counsel or allow an indigent person to select the indigent's own personal counsel to assist the state public defender as co-counsel when the interests of justice so require. When co-counsel is appointed to assist the state public defender, the co-counsel shall receive any compensation that the court may approve, not to exceed the amounts provided for in section 2941.51 of the Revised Code.

(D)(1) When the state public defender is designated by the court or requested by a county public defender or joint county public defender to provide legal representation for an indigent person in any case, other than pursuant to a contract entered into under authority of division (C)(7) of section 120.04 of the Revised Code, the state public defender shall send to the county in which the case is filed an itemized a bill for fifty per cent of detailing the actual cost of the representation that separately itemizes legal fees and expenses. The county, upon receipt of an itemized bill from the state public defender pursuant to this division, shall pay fifty per cent of the actual cost of the legal representation as set forth in the itemized bill. pay the state public defender each of the following amounts:

(a) For the amount identified as legal fees in the itemized bill, one hundred per cent of the amount identified as legal fees less the state reimbursement rate as calculated by the state public defender pursuant to section 120.34 of the Revised Code for the month the case terminated, as set forth in the itemized bill;

(b) For the amount identified as expenses in the itemized bill, one hundred per cent.

(2) Upon payment of the itemized bill under division (D)(1) of this section, the county may submit the cost of the expenses, excluding legal fees, to the state public defender for reimbursement pursuant to section 120.33 of the Revised Code.

(3) When the state public defender provides investigation or mitigation services to private appointed counsel or to a county or joint county public defender as approved by the appointing court, other than pursuant to a contract entered into under authority of division (C)(7) of section 120.04 of the Revised Code, the state public defender shall send to the county in which the case is filed a bill itemizing the actual cost of the services provided. The county, upon receipt of an itemized bill from the state public defender pursuant to this division, shall pay one hundred per cent of the amount as set forth in the itemized bill. Upon payment of the itemized bill received pursuant to this division, the county may submit the cost of the investigation and mitigation services to the state public defender for reimbursement pursuant to section 120.33 of the Revised Code.

(4) There is hereby created in the state treasury the county representation fund for the deposit of moneys received from counties under this division. All moneys credited to the fund shall be used by the state public defender to provide legal representation for indigent persons when designated by the court or requested by a county or joint county public defender or to provide investigation or mitigation services, including investigation or mitigation services to private appointed counsel or a county or joint county public defender, as approved by the court.

(E)(1) Notwithstanding any contrary provision of sections 109.02, 109.07, 109.361 to 109.366, and 120.03 of the Revised Code that pertains to representation by the attorney general, an assistant attorney general, or special counsel of an officer or employee, as defined in section 109.36 of the Revised Code, or of an entity of state government, the state public defender may elect to contract with, and to have the state pay pursuant to division (E)(2) of this section for the services of, private legal counsel to represent the Ohio public defender commission, the state public defender, assistant state public defenders, other employees of the commission or the state public defender, and attorneys described in division (C) of section 120.41 of the Revised Code in a malpractice or other civil action or proceeding that arises from alleged actions or omissions related to responsibilities derived pursuant to this chapter, or in a civil action that is based upon alleged violations of the constitution or statutes of the United States, including section 1983 of Title 42 of the United States Code, 93 Stat. 1284 (1979), 42 U.S.C.A. 1983, as amended, and that arises from alleged actions or omissions related to responsibilities derived pursuant to this chapter, if the state public defender determines, in good faith, that the defendant in the civil action or proceeding did not act manifestly outside the scope of the defendant's employment or official responsibilities, with malicious purpose, in bad faith, or in a wanton or reckless manner. If the state public defender elects not to contract pursuant to this division for private legal counsel in a civil action or proceeding, then, in accordance with sections 109.02, 109.07, 109.361 to 109.366, and 120.03 of the Revised Code, the attorney general shall represent or provide for the representation of the Ohio public defender commission, the state public defender, assistant state public defenders, other employees of the commission or the state public defender, or attorneys described in division (C) of section 120.41 of the Revised Code in the civil action or proceeding.

(2)(a) Subject to division (E)(2)(b) of this section, payment from the state treasury for the services of private legal counsel with whom the state public defender has contracted pursuant to division (E)(1) of this section shall be accomplished only through the following procedure:

(i) The private legal counsel shall file with the attorney general a copy of the contract; a request for an award of legal fees, court costs, and expenses earned or incurred in connection with the defense of the Ohio public defender commission, the state public defender, an assistant state public defender, an employee, or an attorney in a specified civil action or proceeding; a written itemization of those fees, costs, and expenses, including the signature of the state public defender and the state public defender's attestation that the fees, costs, and expenses were earned or incurred pursuant to division (E)(1) of this section to the best of the state public defender's knowledge and information; a written statement whether the fees, costs, and expenses are for all legal services to be rendered in connection with that defense, are only for legal services rendered to the date of the request and additional legal services likely will have to be provided in connection with that defense, or are for the final legal services rendered in connection with that defense; a written statement indicating whether the private legal counsel previously submitted a request for an award under division (E)(2) of this section in connection with that defense and, if so, the date and the amount of each award granted; and, if the fees, costs, and expenses are for all legal services to be rendered in connection with that defense or are for the final legal services rendered in connection with that defense, a certified copy of any judgment entry in the civil action or proceeding or a signed copy of any settlement agreement entered into between the parties to the civil action or proceeding.

(ii) Upon receipt of a request for an award of legal fees, court costs, and expenses and the requisite supportive documentation described in division (E)(2)(a)(i) of this section, the attorney general shall review the request and documentation; determine whether any of the limitations specified in division (E)(2)(b) of this section apply to the request; and, if an award of legal fees, court costs, or expenses is permissible after applying the limitations, prepare a document awarding legal fees, court costs, or expenses to the private legal counsel. The document shall name the private legal counsel as the recipient of the award; specify the total amount of the award as determined by the attorney general; itemize the portions of the award that represent legal fees, court costs, and expenses; specify any limitation applied pursuant to division (E)(2)(b) of this section to reduce the amount of the award sought by the private legal counsel; state that the award is payable from the state treasury pursuant to division (E)(2)(a)(iii) of this section; and be approved by the inclusion of the signatures of the attorney general, the state public defender, and the private legal counsel.

(iii) The attorney general shall forward a copy of the document prepared pursuant to division (E)(2)(a)(ii) of this section to the director of budget and management. The award of legal fees, court costs, or expenses shall be paid out of the state public defender's appropriations, to the extent there is a sufficient available balance in those appropriations. If the state public defender does not have a sufficient available balance in the state public defender's appropriations to pay the entire award of legal fees, court costs, or expenses, the director shall make application for a transfer of appropriations out of the emergency purposes account or any other appropriation for emergencies or contingencies in an amount equal to the portion of the award that exceeds the sufficient available balance in the state public defender's appropriations. A transfer of appropriations out of the emergency purposes account or any other appropriation for emergencies or contingencies shall be authorized if there are sufficient moneys greater than the sum total of then pending emergency purposes account requests, or requests for releases from the other appropriation. If a transfer of appropriations out of the emergency purposes account or other appropriation for emergencies or contingencies is made to pay an amount equal to the portion of the award that exceeds the sufficient available balance in the state public defender's appropriations, the director shall cause the payment to be made to the private legal counsel. If sufficient moneys do not exist in the emergency purposes account or other appropriation for emergencies or contingencies to pay an amount equal to the portion of the award that exceeds the sufficient available balance in the state public defender's appropriations, the private legal counsel shall request the general assembly to make an appropriation sufficient to pay an amount equal to the portion of the award that exceeds the sufficient available balance in the state public defender's appropriations, and no payment in that amount shall be made until the appropriation has been made. The private legal counsel shall make the request during the current biennium and during each succeeding biennium until a sufficient appropriation is made.

(b) An award of legal fees, court costs, and expenses pursuant to division (E) of this section is subject to the following limitations:

(i) The maximum award or maximum aggregate of a series of awards of legal fees, court costs, and expenses to the private legal counsel in connection with the defense of the Ohio public defender commission, the state public defender, an assistant state public defender, an employee, or an attorney in a specified civil action or proceeding shall not exceed fifty thousand dollars.

(ii) The private legal counsel shall not be awarded legal fees, court costs, or expenses to the extent the fees, costs, or expenses are covered by a policy of malpractice or other insurance.

(iii) The private legal counsel shall be awarded legal fees and expenses only to the extent that the fees and expenses are reasonable in light of the legal services rendered by the private legal counsel in connection with the defense of the Ohio public defender commission, the state public defender, an assistant state public defender, an employee, or an attorney in a specified civil action or proceeding.

(c) If, pursuant to division (E)(2)(a) of this section, the attorney general denies a request for an award of legal fees, court costs, or expenses to private legal counsel because of the application of a limitation specified in division (E)(2)(b) of this section, the attorney general shall notify the private legal counsel in writing of the denial and of the limitation applied.

(d) If, pursuant to division (E)(2)(c) of this section, a private legal counsel receives a denial of an award notification or if a private legal counsel refuses to approve a document under division (E)(2)(a)(ii) of this section because of the proposed application of a limitation specified in division (E)(2)(b) of this section, the private legal counsel may commence a civil action against the attorney general in the court of claims to prove the private legal counsel's entitlement to the award sought, to prove that division (E)(2)(b) of this section does not prohibit or otherwise limit the award sought, and to recover a judgment for the amount of the award sought. A civil action under division (E)(2)(d) of this section shall be commenced no later than two years after receipt of a denial of award notification or, if the private legal counsel refused to approve a document under division (E)(2)(a)(ii) of this section because of the proposed application of a limitation specified in division (E)(2)(b) of this section, no later than two years after the refusal. Any judgment of the court of claims in favor of the private legal counsel shall be paid from the state treasury in accordance with division (E)(2)(a) of this section.

(F) If a court appoints the office of the state public defender to represent a petitioner in a postconviction relief proceeding under section 2953.21 of the Revised Code, the petitioner has received a sentence of death, and the proceeding relates to that sentence, all of the attorneys who represent the petitioner in the proceeding pursuant to the appointment, whether an assistant state public defender, the state public defender, or another attorney, shall be certified under Rule 20 of the Rules of Superintendence for the Courts of Ohio to represent indigent defendants charged with or convicted of an offense for which the death penalty can be or has been imposed.

(G) As used in this section:

(1) "Community control sanction" has the same meaning as in section 2929.01 of the Revised Code.

(2) "Post-release control sanction" has the same meaning as in section 2967.01 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 120.13.  (A) The county commissioners in any county may establish a county public defender commission. The commission shall have five members, three of whom shall be appointed by the board of county commissioners, and two by the judge, or the presiding judge if there is one, of the court of common pleas of the county. At least one member appointed by each of these appointing bodies shall be an attorney admitted to the practice of law in this state.

(B) The board of county commissioners shall select a specific day for the county public defender commission to be established and on which all members' appointments shall take effect, and shall notify the Ohio public defender commission of the date.

(C) Of the initial appointments made to the county public defender commission, two appointments by the county commissioners and one appointment by the court shall be for a term of two years ending two years after the date the commission is established, and one appointment by each of the appointing bodies shall be for a term ending four years after the date the commission is established. Thereafter, terms of office shall be for four years, each term ending on the same day of the same month of the year as did the term which it succeeds. Each member shall hold office from the date of his appointment until the end of the term for which he the member was appointed. Any member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring prior to the expiration of the term for which his the member's predecessor was appointed shall hold office for the remainder of such term. Any member shall continue in office subsequent to the expiration date of his the member's term until his a successor takes office, or until a period of sixty days has elapsed, whichever occurs first.

(D) The members of the commission shall choose as chairman chairperson one of the commission members, who shall serve as chairman chairperson for two years. Meetings shall be held at least quarterly and at such other times as called by the chairman chairperson or by request of the county public defender. Members of the commission may receive an amount fixed by the county commissioners, but not in excess of the amounts set for the members of the Ohio public defender commission pursuant to section 124.14 of the Revised Code per diem for every meeting of the board they attend, and necessary expenses including mileage for each mile necessarily traveled.

(E) The county commissioners may terminate the county public defender commission at any time if at least ninety days prior to termination, the commissioners notify the Ohio public defender commission in writing of the termination date. Upon the termination date all pending county public defender matters shall be transferred to the state public defender, a joint county public defender, or appointed counsel.

(F) Fifty per cent of the The cost of representation in all matters assumed by the state public defender shall be charged to the counties in accordance with division (D) of section 120.06 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 120.23.  (A) The boards of county commissioners in two or more adjoining or neighboring counties may form themselves into a joint board and proceed to organize a district for the establishment of a joint county public defender commission. The commission shall have three members from each county, who shall be appointed by the board of county commissioners of the county.

(B) The boards shall agree on a specific date for the joint county public defender commission to be established, on which date the appointments of all members shall take effect. The joint board shall notify the Ohio public defender commission of the date.

(C) Of the initial appointments made by each county to the joint county public defender commission, one appointment shall be for a term of one year ending one year after the date the commission is established, one appointment shall be for a term of two years ending two years after the date the commission is established, and one appointment shall be for a period of three years, ending three years after the date the commission is established. Thereafter, terms of office shall be for three years, each term ending on the same day of the same month of the year as did the term which it succeeds. Each member shall hold office from the date of his appointment until the end of the term for which he the member was appointed. Any member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring prior to the expiration of the term for which his the member's predecessor was appointed shall hold office for the remainder of the term. Any member shall continue in office subsequent to the expiration date of his the member's term until his a successor takes office, or until a period of sixty days has elapsed, whichever occurs first.

(D) The members of the commission shall choose as chairman chairperson one of the commission members, who shall serve as chairman chairperson for two years. Meetings shall be held at least quarterly and at such other times as called by the chairman chairperson or by request of the joint county public defender. Members of the commission may receive an amount fixed by the agreement of the boards of commissioners of the counties in the district, but not in excess of the amount set for the members of the Ohio public defender commission pursuant to section 124.14 of the Revised Code per diem for every meeting of the commission they attend, and necessary expenses including mileage for each mile necessarily traveled.

(E) The agreement of the boards of county commissioners establishing the joint county public defender commission shall provide for the allocation of the proportion of expenses to be paid by each county, which may be based upon population, number of cases, or such other factors as the commissioners determine to be appropriate. The county commissioners may amend their agreement from time to time to provide for a different allocation of the proportion of expenses to be paid by each county.

(F) The county auditor of the county, with the greatest population is hereby designated as the fiscal officer of a joint county public defender district organized under this section. The county auditors of the several counties composing the joint county public defender commission district shall meet at the commission office not less than once in each six months, to adjust accounts and to transact such other duties in connection with the commission as pertain to the business of their office.

(G) Each member of the board of county commissioners who meets by appointment to consider the organization of a joint county public defender commission shall, upon presentation of properly certified accounts, be paid his the member's necessary expenses upon a warrant drawn by the county auditor of his the member's county.

(H) The board of county commissioners of any county within a joint county public defender commission district may withdraw from the district. Such withdrawal shall not be effective until at least ninety days after the board has notified the Ohio public defender commission, the joint county public defender commission of the district, and each board of county commissioners in the district, in writing of the termination date. The failure of a board of county commissioners to approve an annual operating budget for the office of the joint county public defender as provided in division (C)(1) of section 120.24 of the Revised Code constitutes a notice of withdrawal by the county from the district, effective on the ninetieth day after commencement of the next fiscal year. Upon the termination date, all joint county public defender matters relating to the withdrawing county shall be transferred to the state public defender, a county public defender, or appointed counsel.

(I) Fifty per cent of the The cost of representation in all matters assumed by the state public defender shall be charged to the counties in accordance with division (D) of section 120.06 of the Revised Code.

Members of the joint county public defender commission who are residents of a county withdrawing from such district are deemed to have resigned their positions upon the completion of the withdrawal procedure provided by this section. Vacancies thus created shall not be filled.

If two or more counties remain within the district after the withdrawal, the boards of county commissioners of the remaining adjoining or neighboring counties may agree to continue the operation of the joint county public defender commission and to reallocate the proportionate share of expenses to be paid by each participating county.

Sec. 120.36. (A) If a person who is a defendant in a criminal case requests or is provided a state public defender, a county or joint county public defender, or any other counsel appointed by the court, the court in which the criminal case is filed shall assess, unless the application fee is waived or reduced, a non-refundable application fee of twenty-five dollars.

The court shall direct the person to pay the application fee to the clerk of court. The person shall pay the application fee at the time the person files an affidavit of indigency or a financial disclosure form with the court or within seven days of that date. If the person does not pay the application fee within that seven-day period, the court shall assess the application fee at sentencing or at the final disposition of the case.

The court shall assess an application fee pursuant to this section one time per case. It may waive or reduce the fee upon a finding that the person lacks financial resources that are sufficient to pay the fee.

(B) No court, state public defender, or county or joint county public defender shall deny a person the assistance of counsel solely due to the person's failure to pay the application fee assessed pursuant to division (A) of this section. A person's present inability, failure, or refusal to pay the application fee shall not disqualify that person from legal representation.

(C) The application fee assessed pursuant to division (A) of this section is separate from and in addition to any other amount assessed against a person who is found to be able to contribute toward the cost of the person's legal representation pursuant to division (D) of section 2941.51 of the Revised Code.

(D) The clerk of court shall forward all application fees collected pursuant to this section to the county treasurer for deposit in the county treasury. The county shall retain eighty per cent of the application fees so collected to offset the costs of providing legal representation to indigent persons. Each month, the county auditor shall remit twenty per cent of the application fees so collected to the state public defender. The state public defender shall deposit the remitted fees into the state treasury to the credit of the client payment fund created pursuant to division (B)(5) of section 120.04 of the Revised Code. The state public defender may use that money in accordance with that section.

(E) On or before the first day of March of each year, each clerk of court shall provide to the state public defender and the state auditor a report including all of the following:

(1) The number of persons who requested or were provided a state public defender, county or joint county public defender, or other counsel appointed by the court;

(2) The number of persons for whom the court waived the application fee pursuant to division (A) of this section;

(3) The dollar value of the assessed application fees pursuant to division (A) of this section in the previous year;

(4) The amount of assessed application fees collected in the previous year;

(5) The balance of unpaid assessed application fees at the open and close of the previous year.

(F) As used in this section:

(1) "Clerk of court" means the clerk of the court of common pleas of the county, the clerk of the juvenile court of the county, the clerk of a municipal court in the county, the clerk of a county-operated municipal court, or the clerk of a county court in the county, whichever is applicable.

(2) "County-operated municipal court" has the same meaning as in section 1901.03 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 120.52.  There is hereby established in the state treasury the legal aid fund, which shall be for the charitable public purpose of providing financial assistance to legal aid societies that provide civil legal services to indigents. The fund shall contain all funds credited to it by the treasurer of state pursuant to sections 1901.26, 1907.24, 2303.201, 3953.231, 4705.09 and 4705.10 of the Revised Code and income from investment credited to it by the treasurer of state in accordance with this section.

The treasurer of state may invest moneys contained in the legal aid fund in any manner authorized by the Revised Code for the investment of state moneys. However, no such investment shall interfere with any apportionment, allocation, or payment of moneys in January and July of each calendar year, as required by section 120.53 of the Revised Code. All income earned as a result of any such investment shall be credited to the fund.

The state public defender, through the Ohio legal assistance foundation, shall administer the payment of moneys out of the fund. Four and one-half per cent of the moneys in the fund shall be reserved for the actual, reasonable costs of administering sections 120.51 to 120.55 and sections 1901.26, 1907.24, 2303.201, 3953.231, 4705.09, and 4705.10 of the Revised Code. Moneys that are reserved for administrative costs but that are not used for actual, reasonable administrative costs shall be set aside for use in the manner described in division (A) of section 120.521 of the Revised Code. The remainder of the moneys in the legal aid fund shall be distributed in accordance with section 120.53 of the Revised Code. The Ohio legal assistance foundation shall establish rules governing the administration of the legal aid fund, including the program programs established under sections 1901.26, 1907.24, 2303.201, 3953.231, 4705.09, and 4705.10 of the Revised Code regarding interest on interest-bearing trust accounts of an attorney, law firm, or legal professional association.

Sec. 120.53.  (A) A legal aid society that operates within the state may apply to the Ohio legal assistance foundation for financial assistance from the legal aid fund established by section 120.52 of the Revised Code to be used for the funding of the society during the calendar year following the calendar year in which application is made.

(B) An application for financial assistance made under division (A) of this section shall be submitted by the first day of November of the calendar year preceding the calendar year for which financial assistance is desired and shall include all of the following:

(1) Evidence that the applicant is incorporated in this state as a nonprofit corporation;

(2) A list of the trustees of the applicant;

(3) The proposed budget of the applicant for these funds for the following calendar year;

(4) A summary of the services to be offered by the applicant in the following calendar year;

(5) A specific description of the territory or constituency served by the applicant;

(6) An estimate of the number of persons to be served by the applicant during the following calendar year;

(7) A general description of the additional sources of the applicant's funding;

(8) The amount of the applicant's total budget for the calendar year in which the application is filed that it will expend in that calendar year for legal services in each of the counties it serves;

(9) A specific description of any services, programs, training, and legal technical assistance to be delivered by the applicant or by another person pursuant to a contract with the applicant, including, but not limited to, by private attorneys or through reduced fee plans, judicare panels, organized pro bono programs, and mediation programs.

(C) The Ohio legal assistance foundation shall determine whether each applicant that filed an application for financial assistance under division (A) of this section in a calendar year is eligible for financial assistance under this section. To be eligible for such financial assistance, an applicant shall satisfy the criteria for being a legal aid society and shall be in compliance with the provisions of sections 120.51 to 120.55 of the Revised Code and with the rules and requirements the foundation establishes pursuant to section 120.52 of the Revised Code. The Ohio legal assistance foundation then, on or before the fifteenth day of December of the calendar year in which the application is filed, shall notify each such applicant, in writing, whether it is eligible for financial assistance under this section, and if it is eligible, estimate the amount that will be available for that applicant for each six-month distribution period, as determined under division (D) of this section.

(D) The Ohio legal assistance foundation shall allocate moneys contained in the legal aid fund twice each year for distribution to applicants that filed their applications in the previous calendar year and were determined to be eligible applicants.

All moneys contained in the fund on the first day of January of a calendar year shall be allocated, after deduction of the costs of administering sections 120.51 to 120.55 and sections 1901.26, 1907.24, 2303.201, 3953.231, 4705.09, and 4705.10 of the Revised Code that are authorized by section 120.52 of the Revised Code, according to this section and shall be distributed accordingly on the thirty-first day of January of that calendar year, and all moneys contained in the fund on the first day of July of that calendar year shall be allocated, after deduction of the costs of administering those sections that are authorized by section 120.52 of the Revised Code, according to this section and shall be distributed accordingly on the thirty-first day of July of that calendar year. In making the allocations under this section, the moneys in the fund that were generated pursuant to sections 1901.26, 1907.24, 2303.201, 3953.231, 4705.09, and 4705.10 of the Revised Code and all income generated from the investment of such moneys shall be apportioned as follows:

(1) After deduction of the amount authorized and used for actual, reasonable administrative costs under section 120.52 of the Revised Code:

(a) Five per cent of the moneys remaining in the fund, plus any moneys reserved for administrative costs under that section that are not used for actual, reasonable administrative costs, shall be reserved for use in the manner described in division (A) of section 120.521 of the Revised Code or for distribution to legal aid societies that provide assistance to special population groups of their eligible clients, engage in special projects that have a substantial impact on their local service area or on significant segments of the state's poverty population, or provide legal training or support to other legal aid societies in the state;

(b) After deduction of the amount described in division (D)(1)(a) of this section, one and three-quarters per cent of the moneys remaining in the fund shall be apportioned among entities that received financial assistance from the legal aid fund prior to the effective date of this amendment but that, on and after the effective date of this amendment, no longer qualify as a legal aid society that is eligible for financial assistance under this section.

(c) After deduction of the amounts described in divisions (D)(1)(a) and (b) of this section, fifteen per cent of the moneys remaining in the fund shall be placed in the legal assistance foundation fund for use in the manner described in division (A) of section 120.521 of the Revised Code.

(2) After deduction of the actual, reasonable administrative costs under section 120.52 of the Revised Code and after deduction of the amounts identified in division divisions (D)(1)(a) and, (b), and (c) of this section, the remaining moneys shall be apportioned among the counties that are served by eligible legal aid societies that have applied for financial assistance under this section so that each such county is apportioned a portion of those moneys, based upon the ratio of the number of indigents who reside in that county to the total number of indigents who reside in all counties of this state that are served by eligible legal aid societies that have applied for financial assistance under this section. Subject to division (E) of this section, the moneys apportioned to a county under this division then shall be allocated to the eligible legal aid society that serves the county and that has applied for financial assistance under this section. For purposes of this division, the source of data identifying the number of indigent persons who reside in a county shall be the most recent decennial census figures from the United States department of commerce, division of census.

(E) If the Ohio legal assistance foundation, in attempting to make an allocation of moneys under division (D)(2) of this section, determines that a county that has been apportioned money under that division is served by more than one eligible legal aid society that has applied for financial assistance under this section, the Ohio legal assistance foundation shall allocate the moneys that have been apportioned to that county under division (D)(2) of this section among all eligible legal aid societies that serve that county and that have applied for financial assistance under this section on a pro rata basis, so that each such eligible society is allocated a portion based upon the amount of its total budget expended in the prior calendar year for legal services in that county as compared to the total amount expended in the prior calendar year for legal services in that county by all eligible legal aid societies that serve that county and that have applied for financial assistance under this section.

(F) Moneys allocated to eligible applicants under this section shall be paid twice annually, on the thirty-first day of January and on the thirty-first day of July of the calendar year following the calendar year in which the application is filed.

(G)(1) A legal aid society that receives financial assistance in any calendar year under this section shall file an annual report with the Ohio legal assistance foundation detailing the number and types of cases handled, and the amount and types of legal training, legal technical assistance, and other service provided, by means of that financial assistance. No information contained in the report shall identify or enable the identification of any person served by the legal aid society or in any way breach client confidentiality.

(2) The Ohio legal assistance foundation shall make an annual report to the governor, the general assembly, and the supreme court on the distribution and use of the legal aid fund. The foundation also shall include in the annual report an audited financial statement of all gifts, bequests, donations, contributions, and other moneys the foundation receives. No information contained in the report shall identify or enable the identification of any person served by a legal aid society, or in any way breach confidentiality.

(H) A legal aid society may enter into agreements for the provision of services, programs, training, or legal technical assistance for the legal aid society or to indigent persons.

Sec. 121.37.  (A)(1) There is hereby created the Ohio family and children first cabinet council. The council shall be composed of the superintendent of public instruction and the directors of youth services, job and family services, mental health, health, alcohol and drug addiction services, mental retardation and developmental disabilities, and budget and management. The chairperson of the council shall be the governor or the governor's designee and shall establish procedures for the council's internal control and management.

(2) The purpose of the cabinet council is to help families seeking government services. This section shall not be interpreted or applied to usurp the role of parents, but solely to streamline and coordinate existing government services for families seeking assistance for their children.

In seeking to fulfill its purpose, the council may do any of the following:

(a) Advise and make recommendations to the governor and general assembly regarding the provision of services to children;

(b) Advise and assess local governments on the coordination of service delivery to children;

(c) Hold meetings at such times and places as may be prescribed by the council's procedures and maintain records of the meetings, except that records identifying individual children are confidential and shall be disclosed only as provided by law;

(d) Develop programs and projects, including pilot projects, to encourage coordinated efforts at the state and local level to improve the state's social service delivery system;

(e) Enter into contracts with and administer grants to county family and children first councils, as well as other county or multicounty organizations to plan and coordinate service delivery between state agencies and local service providers for families and children;

(f) Enter into contracts with and apply for grants from federal agencies or private organizations;

(g) Enter into interagency agreements to encourage coordinated efforts at the state and local level to improve the state's social service delivery system. The agreements may include provisions regarding the receipt, transfer, and expenditure of funds;

(h) Identify public and private funding sources for services provided to alleged or adjudicated unruly children and children who are at risk of being alleged or adjudicated unruly children, including regulations governing access to and use of the services;

(i) Collect information provided by local communities regarding successful programs for prevention, intervention, and treatment of unruly behavior, including evaluations of the programs;

(j) Identify and disseminate publications regarding alleged or adjudicated unruly children and children who are at risk of being alleged or adjudicated unruly children and regarding programs serving those types of children;

(k) Maintain an inventory of strategic planning facilitators for use by government or nonprofit entities that serve alleged or adjudicated unruly children or children who are at risk of being alleged or adjudicated unruly children.

(3) The cabinet council shall provide for the following:

(a) Reviews of service and treatment plans for children for which such reviews are requested;

(b) Assistance as the council determines to be necessary to meet the needs of children referred by county family and children first councils;

(c) Monitoring and supervision of a statewide, comprehensive, coordinated, multi-disciplinary, interagency system for infants and toddlers with developmental disabilities or delays and their families, as established pursuant to federal grants received and administered by the department of health for early intervention services under the "Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments of 1986," 100 Stat. 1145 (1986), 20 U.S.C.A. 1471, as amended.

(B)(1) Each board of county commissioners shall establish a county family and children first council. The board may invite any local public or private agency or group that funds, advocates, or provides services to children and families to have a representative become a permanent or temporary member of its county council. Each county council must include the following individuals:

(a) At least three individuals who do not have an immediate family member who is employed by an agency represented on the council and whose families are or have received services from an agency represented on the council or another county's council. Where possible, the number of members representing families shall be equal to twenty per cent of the council's membership.

(b) The director of the board of alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services that serves the county, or, in the case of a county that has a board of alcohol and drug addiction services and a community mental health board, the directors of both boards. If a board of alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services covers more than one county, the director may designate a person to participate on the county's council.;

(c) The health commissioner, or the commissioner's designee, of the board of health of each city and general health district in the county. If the county has two or more health districts, the health commissioner membership may be limited to the commissioners of the two districts with the largest populations.

(d) The director of the county department of job and family services;

(e) The executive director of the county agency responsible for the administration of public children services pursuant to section 5153.15 of the Revised Code agency;

(f) The superintendent of the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities;

(g) The county's juvenile court judge senior in service or another judge of the juvenile court designated by the administrative judge or, where there is no administrative judge, by the judge senior in service;

(h) The superintendent of the city, exempted village, or local school district with the largest number of pupils residing in the county, as determined by the department of education, which shall notify each board of county commissioners of its determination at least biennially;

(i) A school superintendent representing all other school districts with territory in the county, as designated at a biennial meeting of the superintendents of those districts;

(j) A representative of the municipal corporation with the largest population in the county;

(k) The president of the board of county commissioners, or an individual designated by the board;

(l) A representative of the regional office of the department of youth services;

(m) A representative of the county's head start agencies, as defined in section 3301.31 3301.32 of the Revised Code;

(n) A representative of the county's early intervention collaborative established pursuant to the federal early intervention program operated under the "Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments of 1986";

(o) A representative of a local nonprofit entity that funds, advocates, or provides services to children and families.

Each member of a county council specified in division (B)(1)(b) to (n) of this section may designate an individual to serve on the county council for the member, except that a board of county commissioners, rather than the president of the board, may designate an individual to serve on the county council for the president.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the public members of a county council are not prohibited from serving on the council and making decisions regarding the duties of the council, including those involving the funding of joint projects and those outlined in the county's service coordination mechanism implemented pursuant to division (C) of this section.

The cabinet council shall establish a state appeals process to resolve disputes among the members of a county council concerning whether reasonable responsibilities as members are being shared. The appeals process may be accessed only by a majority vote of the council members who are required to serve on the council. Upon appeal, the cabinet council may order that state funds for services to children and families be redirected to a county's board of county commissioners.

(2) A county council shall provide for the following:

(a) Referrals to the cabinet council of those children for whom the county council cannot provide adequate services;

(b) Development and implementation of a process that annually evaluates and prioritizes services, fills service gaps where possible, and invents new approaches to achieve better results for families and children;

(c) Participation in the development of a countywide, comprehensive, coordinated, multi-disciplinary, interagency system for infants and toddlers with developmental disabilities or delays and their families, as established pursuant to federal grants received and administered by the department of health for early intervention services under the "Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments of 1986";

(d) Maintenance of an accountability system to monitor the county council's progress in achieving results for families and children;

(e) Establishment of a mechanism to ensure ongoing input from a broad representation of families who are receiving services within the county system.

(3)(a) Except as provided in division (B)(3)(b) of this section, a county council shall comply with the policies, procedures, and activities prescribed by the rules or interagency agreements of a state department participating on the cabinet council whenever the county council performs a function subject to those rules or agreements.

(b) On application of a county council, the cabinet council may grant an exemption from any rules or interagency agreements of a state department participating on the council if an exemption is necessary for the council to implement an alternative program or approach for service delivery to families and children. The application shall describe the proposed program or approach and specify the rules or interagency agreements from which an exemption is necessary. The cabinet council shall approve or disapprove the application in accordance with standards and procedures it shall adopt. If an application is approved, the exemption is effective only while the program or approach is being implemented, including a reasonable period during which the program or approach is being evaluated for effectiveness.

(4)(a) Each county council shall designate an administrative agent for the council from among the following public entities: the board of alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services, including a board of alcohol and drug addiction or a community mental health board if the county is served by separate boards; the board of county commissioners; any board of health of the county's city and general health districts; the county department of job and family services; the county agency responsible for the administration of children services pursuant to section 5153.15 of the Revised Code; the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities; any of the county's boards of education or governing boards of educational service centers; or the county's juvenile court. Any of the foregoing public entities, other than the board of county commissioners, may decline to serve as the council's administrative agent.

A county council's administrative agent shall serve as the council's appointing authority for any employees of the council. The council shall file an annual budget with its administrative agent, with copies filed with the county auditor and with the board of county commissioners, unless the board is serving as the council's administrative agent. The council's administrative agent shall ensure that all expenditures are handled in accordance with policies, procedures, and activities prescribed by state departments in rules or interagency agreements that are applicable to the council's functions.

The administrative agent for a county council may do any of the following on behalf of the council:

(i) Enter into agreements or administer contracts with public or private entities to fulfill specific council business. Such agreements and contracts are exempt from the competitive bidding requirements of section 307.86 of the Revised Code if they have been approved by the county council and they are for the purchase of family and child welfare or child protection services or other social or job and family services for families and children. The approval of the county council is not required to exempt agreements or contracts entered into under section 5139.34, 5139.41, or 5139.43 of the Revised Code from the competitive bidding requirements of section 307.86 of the Revised Code.

(ii) As determined by the council, provide financial stipends, reimbursements, or both, to family representatives for expenses related to council activity;

(iii) Receive by gift, grant, devise, or bequest any moneys, lands, or other property for the purposes for which the council is established. The agent shall hold, apply, and dispose of the moneys, lands, or other property according to the terms of the gift, grant, devise, or bequest. Any interest or earnings shall be treated in the same manner and are subject to the same terms as the gift, grant, devise, or bequest from which it accrues.

(b)(i) If the county council designates the board of county commissioners as its administrative agent, the board may, by resolution, delegate any of its powers and duties as administrative agent to an executive committee the board establishes from the membership of the county council. The board shall name to the executive committee at least the individuals described in divisions (B)(1)(b) through (h)(a) to (i) of this section and may appoint the president of the board or another individual as the chair of the executive committee.

(ii) The executive committee may, with the approval of the board, hire an executive director to assist the county council in administering its powers and duties. The executive director shall serve in the unclassified civil service at the pleasure of the executive committee. The executive director may, with the approval of the executive committee, hire other employees as necessary to properly conduct the county council's business.

(iii) The board may require the executive committee to submit an annual budget to the board for approval and may amend or repeal the resolution that delegated to the executive committee its authority as the county council's administrative agent.

(5) Two or more county councils may enter into an agreement to administer their county councils jointly by creating a regional family and children first council. A regional council possesses the same duties and authority possessed by a county council, except that the duties and authority apply regionally rather than to individual counties. Prior to entering into an agreement to create a regional council, the members of each county council to be part of the regional council shall meet to determine whether all or part of the members of each county council will serve as members of the regional council.

(6) A board of county commissioners may approve a resolution by a majority vote of the board's members that requires the county council to submit a statement to the board each time the council proposes to enter into an agreement, adopt a plan, or make a decision, other than a decision pursuant to section 121.38 of the Revised Code, that requires the expenditure of funds for two or more families. The statement shall describe the proposed agreement, plan, or decision.

Not later than fifteen days after the board receives the statement, it shall, by resolution approved by a majority of its members, approve or disapprove the agreement, plan, or decision. Failure of the board to pass a resolution during that time period shall be considered approval of the agreement, plan, or decision.

An agreement, plan, or decision for which a statement is required to be submitted to the board shall be implemented only if it is approved by the board.

(C) Each county shall develop a county service coordination mechanism. The mechanism shall be developed and approved with the participation of the county entities representing child welfare; mental retardation and developmental disabilities; alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services; health; juvenile judges; education; the county family and children first council; and the county early intervention collaborative established pursuant to the federal early intervention program operated under the "Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments of 1986." The county shall establish an implementation schedule for the mechanism. The cabinet council may monitor the implementation and administration of each county's service coordination mechanism.

Each mechanism shall include all of the following:

(1) A procedure for assessing the needs of any child, including a child who is an abused, neglected, dependent, unruly, or delinquent child and under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court or a child whose parent or custodian is voluntarily seeking services a family seeking service coordination for the family's child to refer itself to the county council for coordination in accordance with the county service coordination mechanism;

(2) A procedure for an agency, including a juvenile court, to refer a child and family to the county council for coordination in accordance with the county service coordination mechanism;

(3) A procedure that does one of the following:

(a) Permits a family to be involved in the service coordination mechanism by being notified of and invited to all meetings involved in the mechanism;

(b) Permits a family to initiate a meeting to develop or review the family's service coordination plan and allows the family to invite a family advocate, mentor, or support person of the family's choice to any such meeting.

(4) A procedure for notifying and inviting to all meetings appropriate staff from involved agencies, including a representative from the appropriate school district;

(5) A procedure for ensuring that a service coordination meeting is conducted before a non-emergency out-of-home placement or long-term placement is made and that, in situations involving an emergency out-of-home placement, a service coordination meeting is conducted within ten days of the placement.

(6) A procedure for monitoring the progress and tracking the outcomes of each service coordination plan requested in the county including monitoring and tracking children in out-of-home placements to assure continued progress, appropriateness of placement, and continuity of care after discharge from placement with appropriate arrangements for housing, treatment, and education.

(7) A procedure for protecting the confidentiality of all personal family information disclosed during service coordination meetings or contained in the comprehensive family service coordination plan.

(8) A procedure for assessing the service needs and strengths of the family of any child or family that has been referred to the council for service coordination, including a child who is an abused, neglected, dependent, unruly, or delinquent child and under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court or a child whose parent or custodian is voluntarily seeking services, and for ensuring that parents and custodians are afforded the opportunity to participate;

(3)(9) A procedure for development of a comprehensive joint family service coordination plan described in division (D) of this section;

(4)(10) A local dispute resolution process to serve as the process that must be used first to resolve disputes among the agencies represented on the county council concerning the provision of services to children, including children who are abused, neglected, dependent, unruly, alleged unruly, or delinquent children and under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court and children whose parents or custodians are voluntarily seeking services. The local dispute resolution process shall comply with section 121.38 of the Revised Code. The local dispute resolution process may also be used for disputes between an agency and a child's parents or custodian. In that case it shall comply with sections 121.381 and 121.382 of the Revised Code, as well as section 121.38 of the Revised Code. The

The cabinet council shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code establishing an administrative review process to address problems that arise concerning the operation of a local dispute resolution process.

Nothing in division (C)(5) of this section shall be interpreted as overriding or affecting decisions of a juvenile court regarding an out-of-home placement, long-term placement, or emergency out-of-home placement.

(D) Each county shall develop a comprehensive joint family service coordination plan that does both all of the following:

(1) Designates service responsibilities among the various state and local agencies that provide services to children and their families, including children who are abused, neglected, dependent, unruly, or delinquent children and under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court and children whose parents or custodians are voluntarily seeking services;

(2) Designates the lead family plan coordinator, approved by the family, to ensure the coordination of and fidelity to the plan;

(3) Ensures that assistance and services to be provided are responsive to the strengths and needs of the family, as well as the family's culture, race, and ethnic group, by allowing the family to offer information and suggestions and participate in decisions;

(4) Ensures that assistance and services provided meet the needs of the child and family in the least restrictive environment;

(5) Includes a service coordination process for dealing with a child who is alleged to be an unruly child. The service coordination process shall include methods to divert the child from the juvenile court system;

(6) Includes timelines for completion of goals specified in the plan with regular reviews scheduled to monitor progress toward those goals;

(7) Includes a plan for dealing with short-term crisis situations and safety concerns.

(E)(1) The service coordination process provided for under division (D)(2)(5) of this section may include, but is not limited to, the following:

(a) An assessment of the needs and strengths of the child and the child's family and the services the child and the child's family need;

(b) Designation of the person or agency to conduct the assessment of the child and the child's family as described in division (E)(1)(a)(C)(8) of this section and designation of the instrument or instruments to be used to conduct the assessment;

(c) Designation of the agency to provide case management services to the child and to the child's family;

(d)(b) An emphasis on the personal responsibilities of the child and the parental responsibilities of the parents, guardian, or custodian of the child;

(e)(c) Involvement of local law enforcement agencies and officials.

(2) The method to divert a child from the juvenile court system that must be included in the service coordination process may include, but is not limited to, the following:

(a) The preparation of a complaint under section 2151.27 of the Revised Code alleging that the child is an unruly child and notifying the child and the parents, guardian, or custodian that the complaint has been prepared to encourage the child and the parents, guardian, or custodian to comply with other methods to divert the child from the juvenile court system;

(b) Conducting a meeting with the child, the parents, guardian, or custodian, and other interested parties to determine the appropriate methods to divert the child from the juvenile court system;

(c) A method for dealing with short-term crisis situations involving a confrontation between the child and the parents, guardian, or custodian;

(d) A method to provide to the child and the child's family a short-term respite from a short-term crisis situation involving a confrontation between the child and the parents, guardian, or custodian;

(e)(d) A program to provide a mentor to the child or the parents, guardian, or custodian;

(f)(e) A program to provide parenting education to the parents, guardian, or custodian;

(g)(f) An alternative school program for children who are truant from school, repeatedly disruptive in school, or suspended or expelled from school;

(h)(g) Other appropriate measures, including, but not limited to, any alternative methods to divert a child from the juvenile court system that are identified by the Ohio family and children first cabinet council.

(F) Each county may review and revise the service coordination process described in division (D)(2) of this section based on the availability of funds under Title IV-A of the "Social Security Act," 110 Stat. 2113 (1996), 42 U.S.C.A. 601, as amended, or to the extent resources are available from any other federal, state, or local funds.

Sec. 121.38.  (A) An agency represented on a county family and children first council that disagrees with the council's decision concerning the services or funding for services a child is to receive from agencies represented on the council may initiate the local dispute resolution process established in the county service coordination mechanism applicable to the council. On completion of the process, the decision maker designated in the mechanism shall issue a written determination that directs one or more agencies represented on the council to provide services or funding for services to the child. The determination shall include a plan of care governing the manner in which the services or funding are to be provided. The decision maker shall base the plan of care on the comprehensive joint family service coordination plan developed as part of the county's service coordination mechanism and on evidence presented during the local dispute resolution process. The decision maker may require an agency to provide services or funding only if the child's condition or needs qualify the child for services under the laws governing the agency.

(B) An agency subject to a determination issued pursuant to a local dispute resolution process shall immediately comply with the determination, unless the agency objects to the determination by doing one of the following not later than seven days after the date the written determination is issued:

(1) If the child has been alleged or adjudicated to be an abused, neglected, dependent, unruly, or delinquent child or a juvenile traffic offender, filing in the juvenile court of the county having jurisdiction over the child's case a motion requesting that the court hold a hearing to determine which agencies are to provide services or funding for services to the child.

(2) If the child is not a child described in division (B)(1) of this section, filing in the juvenile court of the county served by the county council a complaint objecting to the determination.

The court shall hold a hearing as soon as possible, but not later than ninety days after the motion or complaint is filed. At least five days before the date on which the court hearing is to be held, the court shall send each agency subject to the determination written notice by first class mail of the date, time, place, and purpose of the court hearing. In the case of a motion filed under division (B)(1) of this section, the court may conduct the hearing as part of the adjudicatory or dispositional hearing concerning the child, if appropriate, and shall provide notice as required for those hearings.

Except in cases in which the hearing is conducted as part of the adjudicatory or dispositional hearing, a hearing held pursuant to this division shall be limited to a determination of which agencies are to provide services or funding for services to the child. At the conclusion of the hearing, the court shall issue an order directing one or more agencies represented on the county council to provide services or funding for services to the child. The order shall include a plan of care governing the manner in which the services or funding are to be provided. The court shall base the plan of care on the comprehensive joint family service coordination plan developed as part of the county's service coordination plan and on evidence presented during the hearing. An agency required by the order to provide services or funding shall be a party to any juvenile court proceeding concerning the child. The court may require an agency to provide services or funding for a child only if the child's condition or needs qualify the child for services under the laws governing the agency.

(C) While the local dispute resolution process or court proceedings pursuant to this section are pending, each agency shall provide services and funding as required by the decision made by the county council before dispute resolution was initiated. If an agency that provides services or funds during the local dispute resolution process or court proceedings is determined through the process or proceedings not to be responsible for providing them, it shall be reimbursed for the costs of providing the services or funding by the agencies determined to be responsible for providing them.

Sec. 121.381. A parent or custodian who disagrees with a decision rendered by a county family and children first council regarding services for a child may initiate the dispute resolution process established in the county service coordination mechanism pursuant to division (C)(10) of section 121.37 of the Revised Code.

Not later than sixty days after the parent or custodian initiates the dispute resolution process, the council shall make findings regarding the dispute and issue a written determination of its findings.

Sec. 121.382. Each agency represented on a county family and children first council that is providing services or funding for services that are the subject of the dispute resolution process initiated by a parent or custodian under section 121.381 of the Revised Code shall continue to provide those services and the funding for those services during the dispute resolution process.

Sec. 121.403. (A) The Ohio community service council may do any of the following:

(1) Accept monetary gifts or donations;

(2) Sponsor conferences, meetings, or events in furtherance of the council's purpose described in section 121.40 of the Revised Code and charge fees for participation or involvement in the conferences, meetings, or events;

(3) Sell promotional items in furtherance of the council's purpose described in section 121.40 of the Revised Code.

(B) All monetary gifts and donations, funds from the sale of promotional items, and any fees paid to the council for conferences, meetings, or events sponsored by the council shall be deposited into the Ohio community service council gifts and donations fund, which is hereby created in the state treasury. Moneys in the fund may be used only as follows:

(1) To pay operating expenses of the council, including payroll, personal services, maintenance, equipment, and subsidy payments;

(2) To support council programs promoting volunteerism and community service in the state;

(3) As matching funds for federal grants.

Sec. 122.011.  (A) The department of development shall develop and promote plans and programs designed to assure that state resources are efficiently used, economic growth is properly balanced, community growth is developed in an orderly manner, and local governments are coordinated with each other and the state, and for such purposes may do all of the following:

(1) Serve as a clearinghouse for information, data, and other materials that may be helpful or necessary to persons or local governments, as provided in section 122.07 of the Revised Code;

(2) Prepare and activate plans for the retention, development, expansion, and use of the resources and commerce of the state, as provided in section 122.04 of the Revised Code;

(3) Assist and cooperate with federal, state, and local governments and agencies of federal, state, and local governments in the coordination of programs to carry out the functions and duties of the department;

(4) Encourage and foster research and development activities, conduct studies related to the solution of community problems, and develop recommendations for administrative or legislative actions, as provided in section 122.03 of the Revised Code;

(5) Serve as the economic and community development planning agency, which shall prepare and recommend plans and programs for the orderly growth and development of this state and which shall provide planning assistance, as provided in section 122.06 of the Revised Code;

(6) Cooperate with and provide technical assistance to state departments, political subdivisions, regional and local planning commissions, tourist associations, councils of government, community development groups, community action agencies, and other appropriate organizations for carrying out the functions and duties of the department or for the solution of community problems;

(7) Coordinate the activities of state agencies that have an impact on carrying out the functions and duties of the department;

(8) Encourage and assist the efforts of and cooperate with local governments to develop mutual and cooperative solutions to their common problems that relate to carrying out the purposes of this section;

(9) Study existing structure, operations, and financing of regional or local government and those state activities that involve significant relations with regional or local governmental units, recommend to the governor and to the general assembly such changes in these provisions and activities as will improve the operations of regional or local government, and conduct other studies of legal provisions that affect problems related to carrying out the purposes of this section;

(10) Create and operate a division of community development to develop and administer programs and activities that are authorized by federal statute or the Revised Code;

(11) Until October 15, 2005 2007, establish fees and charges, in consultation with the director of agriculture, for purchasing loans from financial institutions and providing loan guarantees under the family farm loan program created under sections 901.80 to 901.83 of the Revised Code;

(12) Provide loan servicing for the loans purchased and loan guarantees provided under section 901.80 of the Revised Code as that section existed prior to October 15, 2005 2007;

(13) Until October 15, 2005 2007, and upon approval by the controlling board under division (A)(3) of section 901.82 of the Revised Code of the release of money to be used for purchasing a loan or providing a loan guarantee, request the release of that money in accordance with division (B) of section 166.03 of the Revised Code for use for the purposes of the fund created by section 166.031 of the Revised Code.

(B) The director of development may request the attorney general to, and the attorney general, in accordance with section 109.02 of the Revised Code, shall bring a civil action in any court of competent jurisdiction. The director may be sued in the director's official capacity, in connection with this chapter, in accordance with Chapter 2743. of the Revised Code.

Sec. 122.083. (A) The director of development shall administer a shovel ready sites program to provide grants for projects to port authorities and development entities approved by the director. Grants may be used to pay the costs of any or all of the following:

(1) Acquisition of property, including options;

(2) Preparation of sites, including brownfield clean-up activities;

(3) Construction of road, water, telecommunication, and utility infrastructure;

(4) Payment of professional fees the amount of which shall not exceed twenty per cent of the grant amount for a project.

(B) The director shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code that establish procedures and requirements necessary for the administration of the program, including a requirement that a recipient of a grant enter into an agreement with the director governing the use of the grant.

(C) There is hereby created in the state treasury the shovel ready sites fund consisting of money appropriated to it. Money in the fund shall be used solely for the purposes of this section.

Sec. 122.17.  (A) As used in this section:

(1) "Full-time employee" means an individual who is employed for consideration for at least thirty-five hours a week, or who renders any other standard of service generally accepted by custom or specified by contract as full-time employment.

(2) "New employee" means one of the following:

(a) A full-time employee first employed by a taxpayer in the project that is the subject of the agreement after the taxpayer enters into a tax credit agreement with the tax credit authority under this section;

(b) A full-time employee first employed by a taxpayer in the project that is the subject of the tax credit after the tax credit authority approves a project for a tax credit under this section in a public meeting, as long as the taxpayer enters into the tax credit agreement prepared by the department of development after such meeting within sixty days after receiving the agreement from the department. If the taxpayer fails to enter into the agreement within sixty days, "new employee" has the same meaning as under division (A)(2)(a) of this section.

Under division (A)(2)(a) or (b) of this section, if the tax credit authority determines it appropriate, "new employee" also may include an employee re-hired or called back from lay-off to work in a new facility or on a new product or service established or produced by the taxpayer after entering into the agreement under this section or after the tax credit authority approves the tax credit in a public meeting. Except as otherwise provided in this paragraph, "new employee" does not include any employee of the taxpayer who was previously employed in this state by a related member of the taxpayer and whose employment was shifted to the taxpayer after the taxpayer entered into the tax credit agreement or after the tax credit authority approved the credit in a public meeting, or any employee of the taxpayer for which the taxpayer has been granted a certificate under division (B) of section 5709.66 of the Revised Code. However, if the taxpayer is engaged in the enrichment and commercialization of uranium or uranium products or is engaged in research and development activities related thereto and if the tax credit authority determines it appropriate, "new employee" may include an employee of the taxpayer who was previously employed in this state by a related member of the taxpayer and whose employment was shifted to the taxpayer after the taxpayer entered into the tax credit agreement or after the tax credit authority approved the credit in a public meeting. "New employee" does not include an employee of the taxpayer who is employed in an employment position that was relocated to a project from other operations of the taxpayer in this state or from operations of a related member of the taxpayer in this state. In addition, "new employee" does not include a child, grandchild, parent, or spouse, other than a spouse who is legally separated from the individual, of any individual who is an employee of the taxpayer and who has a direct or indirect ownership interest of at least five per cent in the profits, capital, or value of the taxpayer. Such ownership interest shall be determined in accordance with section 1563 of the Internal Revenue Code and regulations prescribed thereunder.

(3) "New income tax revenue" means the total amount withheld under section 5747.06 of the Revised Code by the taxpayer during the taxable year, or during the calendar year that includes the tax period, from the compensation of new employees for the tax levied under Chapter 5747. of the Revised Code.

(4) "Related member" has the same meaning as under division (A)(6) of section 5733.042 of the Revised Code without regard to division (B) of that section.

(B) The tax credit authority may make grants under this section to foster job creation in this state. Such a grant shall take the form of a refundable credit allowed against the tax imposed by section 5733.06 or 5747.02 of the Revised Code for taxable years ending prior to 2008 and against the tax levied by Chapter 5751. of the Revised Code for tax periods beginning on or after July 1, 2008. The credit shall be claimed for the taxable years or tax periods specified in the taxpayer's agreement with the tax credit authority under division (D) of this section. The credit shall be claimed after the allowance of all other credits provided by Chapter 5733. or 5747. in the order required under section 5733.98, 5747.98, or 5751.98 of the Revised Code. The amount of the credit available for a taxable year or for a calendar year that includes a tax period equals the new income tax revenue for the taxable that year multiplied by the percentage specified in the agreement with the tax credit authority.

(C) A taxpayer or potential taxpayer who proposes a project to create new jobs in this state may apply to the tax credit authority to enter into an agreement for a tax credit under this section. The director of development shall prescribe the form of the application. After receipt of an application, the authority may enter into an agreement with the taxpayer for a credit under this section if it determines all of the following:

(1) The taxpayer's project will create new jobs in this state;

(2) The taxpayer's project is economically sound and will benefit the people of this state by increasing opportunities for employment and strengthening the economy of this state;

(3) Receiving the tax credit is a major factor in the taxpayer's decision to go forward with the project.

(D) An agreement under this section shall include all of the following:

(1) A detailed description of the project that is the subject of the agreement;

(2) The term of the tax credit, which shall not exceed fifteen years, and the first taxable year, or first calendar year that includes a tax period, for which the credit may be claimed;

(3) A requirement that the taxpayer shall maintain operations at the project location for at least twice the number of years as the term of the tax credit;

(4) The percentage, as determined by the tax credit authority, of new income tax revenue that will be allowed as the amount of the credit for each taxable year or for each calendar year that includes a tax period;

(5) A specific method for determining how many new employees are employed during a taxable year or during a calendar year that includes a tax period;

(6) A requirement that the taxpayer annually shall report to the director of development the number of new employees, the new income tax revenue withheld in connection with the new employees, and any other information the director needs to perform the director's duties under this section;

(7) A requirement that the director of development annually shall verify the amounts reported under division (D)(6) of this section, and after doing so shall issue a certificate to the taxpayer stating that the amounts have been verified;

(8)(a) A provision requiring that the taxpayer, except as otherwise provided in division (D)(8)(b) of this section, shall not relocate employment positions from elsewhere in this state to the project site that is the subject of the agreement for the lesser of five years from the date the agreement is entered into or the number of years the taxpayer is entitled to claim the tax credit.

(b) The taxpayer may relocate employment positions from elsewhere in this state to the project site that is the subject of the agreement if the director of development determines both of the following:

(i) That the site from which the employment positions would be relocated is inadequate to meet market and industry conditions, expansion plans, consolidation plans, or other business considerations affecting the taxpayer;

(ii) That the legislative authority of the county, township, or municipal corporation from which the employment positions would be relocated has been notified of the relocation.

For purposes of this section, the movement of an employment position from one political subdivision to another political subdivision shall be considered a relocation of an employment position, but the transfer of an individual employee from one political subdivision to another political subdivision shall not be considered a relocation of an employment position as long as the individual's employment position in the first political subdivision is refilled.

(E) If a taxpayer fails to meet or comply with any condition or requirement set forth in a tax credit agreement, the tax credit authority may amend the agreement to reduce the percentage or term of the tax credit. The reduction of the percentage or term shall take effect in the taxable year immediately following the taxable year in which the authority amends the agreement or in the first tax period beginning in the calendar year immediately following the calendar year in which the authority amends the agreement. If the taxpayer relocates employment positions in violation of the provision required under division (D)(8)(a) of this section, the taxpayer shall not claim the tax credit under section 5733.0610 of the Revised Code for any tax years following the calendar year in which the relocation occurs, or shall not claim the tax credit under section 5747.058 of the Revised Code for the taxable year in which the relocation occurs and any subsequent taxable years, and shall not claim the tax credit under division (A) of section 5751.50 of the Revised Code for any tax period in the calendar year in which the relocation occurs and any subsequent tax periods.

(F) Projects that consist solely of point-of-final-purchase retail facilities are not eligible for a tax credit under this section. If a project consists of both point-of-final-purchase retail facilities and nonretail facilities, only the portion of the project consisting of the nonretail facilities is eligible for a tax credit and only the new income tax revenue from new employees of the nonretail facilities shall be considered when computing the amount of the tax credit. If a warehouse facility is part of a point-of-final-purchase retail facility and supplies only that facility, the warehouse facility is not eligible for a tax credit. Catalog distribution centers are not considered point-of-final-purchase retail facilities for the purposes of this division, and are eligible for tax credits under this section.

(G) Financial statements and other information submitted to the department of development or the tax credit authority by an applicant or recipient of a tax credit under this section, and any information taken for any purpose from such statements or information, are not public records subject to section 149.43 of the Revised Code. However, the chairperson of the authority may make use of the statements and other information for purposes of issuing public reports or in connection with court proceedings concerning tax credit agreements under this section. Upon the request of the tax commissioner, the chairperson of the authority shall provide to the commissioner any statement or information submitted by an applicant or recipient of a tax credit in connection with the credit. The commissioner shall preserve the confidentiality of the statement or information.

(H) A taxpayer claiming a credit under this section shall submit to the tax commissioner a copy of the director of development's certificate of verification under division (D)(7) of this section for the taxable year or for the calendar year that includes the tax period. However, failure to submit a copy of the certificate does not invalidate a claim for a credit.

(I) The director of development, after consultation with the tax commissioner and in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, shall adopt rules necessary to implement this section. The rules may provide for recipients of tax credits under this section to be charged fees to cover administrative costs of the tax credit program. At the time the director gives public notice under division (A) of section 119.03 of the Revised Code of the adoption of the rules, the director shall submit copies of the proposed rules to the chairpersons of the standing committees on economic development in the senate and the house of representatives.

(J) For the purposes of this section, a taxpayer may include a partnership, a corporation that has made an election under subchapter S of chapter one of subtitle A of the Internal Revenue Code, or any other business entity through which income flows as a distributive share to its owners. A credit received under this section by a partnership, S-corporation, or other such business entity shall be apportioned among the persons to whom the income or profit of the partnership, S-corporation, or other entity is distributed, in the same proportions as those in which the income or profit is distributed.

(K) If the director of development determines that a taxpayer who has received a credit under this section is not complying with the requirement under division (D)(3) of this section, the director shall notify the tax credit authority of the noncompliance. After receiving such a notice, and after giving the taxpayer an opportunity to explain the noncompliance, the tax credit authority may require the taxpayer to refund to this state a portion of the credit in accordance with the following:

(1) If the taxpayer maintained operations at the project location for at least one and one-half times the number of years of the term of the tax credit, an amount not exceeding twenty-five per cent of the sum of any previously allowed credits under this section;

(2) If the taxpayer maintained operations at the project location for at least the number of years of the term of the tax credit, an amount not exceeding fifty per cent of the sum of any previously allowed credits under this section;

(3) If the taxpayer maintained operations at the project location for less than the number of years of the term of the tax credit, an amount not exceeding one hundred per cent of the sum of any previously allowed credits under this section.

In determining the portion of the tax credit to be refunded to this state, the tax credit authority shall consider the effect of market conditions on the taxpayer's project and whether the taxpayer continues to maintain other operations in this state. After making the determination, the authority shall certify the amount to be refunded to the tax commissioner. The commissioner shall make an assessment for that amount against the taxpayer under Chapter 5733. or, 5747., or 5751. of the Revised Code. The time limitations on assessments under Chapter 5733. or 5747. of the Revised Code those chapters do not apply to an assessment under this division, but the commissioner shall make the assessment within one year after the date the authority certifies to the commissioner the amount to be refunded.

(L) On or before the thirty-first day of March each year, the director of development shall submit a report to the governor, the president of the senate, and the speaker of the house of representatives on the tax credit program under this section. The report shall include information on the number of agreements that were entered into under this section during the preceding calendar year, a description of the project that is the subject of each such agreement, and an update on the status of projects under agreements entered into before the preceding calendar year.

During the fifth year of the tax credit program, the director of development in conjunction with the director of budget and management shall conduct an evaluation of it. The evaluation shall include assessments of the effectiveness of the program in creating new jobs in this state and of the revenue impact of the program, and may include a review of the practices and experiences of other states with similar programs. The director of development shall submit a report on the evaluation to the governor, the president of the senate, and the speaker of the house of representatives on or before January 1, 1998.

(M) There is hereby created the tax credit authority, which consists of the director of development and four other members appointed as follows: the governor, the president of the senate, and the speaker of the house of representatives each shall appoint one member who shall be a specialist in economic development; the governor also shall appoint a member who is a specialist in taxation. Of the initial appointees, the members appointed by the governor shall serve a term of two years; the members appointed by the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives shall serve a term of four years. Thereafter, terms of office shall be for four years. Initial appointments to the authority shall be made within thirty days after January 13, 1993. Each member shall serve on the authority until the end of the term for which the member was appointed. Vacancies shall be filled in the same manner provided for original appointments. Any member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring prior to the expiration of the term for which the member's predecessor was appointed shall hold office for the remainder of that term. Members may be reappointed to the authority. Members of the authority shall receive their necessary and actual expenses while engaged in the business of the authority. The director of development shall serve as chairperson of the authority, and the members annually shall elect a vice-chairperson from among themselves. Three members of the authority constitute a quorum to transact and vote on the business of the authority. The majority vote of the membership of the authority is necessary to approve any such business, including the election of the vice-chairperson.

The director of development may appoint a professional employee of the department of development to serve as the director's substitute at a meeting of the authority. The director shall make the appointment in writing. In the absence of the director from a meeting of the authority, the appointed substitute shall serve as chairperson. In the absence of both the director and the director's substitute from a meeting, the vice-chairperson shall serve as chairperson.

Sec. 122.171. (A) As used in this section:

(1) "Capital investment project" means a plan of investment at a project site for the acquisition, construction, renovation, or repair of buildings, machinery, or equipment, or for capitalized costs of basic research and new product development determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, but does not include any of the following:

(a) Payments made for the acquisition of personal property through operating leases;

(b) Project costs paid before January 1, 2002, or after December 31, 2006;

(c) Payments made to a related member as defined in section 5733.042 of the Revised Code or to an elected consolidated taxpayer or a combined taxpayer as defined in section 5751.01 of the Revised Code.

(2) "Eligible business" means a business with Ohio operations satisfying all of the following:

(a) Employed an average of at least one thousand employees in full-time employment positions at a project site during each of the twelve months preceding the application for a tax credit under this section; and

(b) On or after January 1, 2002, has made payments for the capital investment project of either of the following:

(i) At least two hundred million dollars in the aggregate at the project site during a period of three consecutive calendar years including the calendar year that includes a day of the taxpayer's taxable year or tax period with respect to which the credit is granted;

(ii) If the average wage of all full-time employment positions at the project site is greater than four hundred per cent of the federal minimum wage, at least one hundred million dollars in the aggregate at the project site during a period of three consecutive calendar years including the calendar year that includes a day of the taxpayer's taxable year or tax period with respect to which the credit is granted.

(c) Is engaged at the project site primarily as a manufacturer or is providing significant corporate administrative functions;

(d) Has had a capital investment project reviewed and approved by the tax credit authority as provided in divisions (C), (D), and (E) of this section.

(3) "Full-time employment position" means a position of employment for consideration for at least thirty-five hours a week that has been filled for at least one hundred eighty days immediately preceding the filing of an application under this section and for at least one hundred eighty days during each taxable year or each calendar year that includes a tax period with respect to which the credit is granted.

(4) "Manufacturer" has the same meaning as in section 5739.011 of the Revised Code.

(5) "Project site" means an integrated complex of facilities in this state, as specified by the tax credit authority under this section, within a fifteen-mile radius where a taxpayer is primarily operating as an eligible business.

(6) "Applicable corporation" means a corporation satisfying all of the following:

(a)(i) For the entire taxable year immediately preceding the tax year, the corporation develops software applications primarily to provide telecommunication billing and information services through outsourcing or licensing to domestic or international customers.

(ii) Sales and licensing of software generated at least six hundred million dollars in revenue during the taxable year immediately preceding the tax year the corporation is first entitled to claim the credit provided under division (B) of this section.

(b) For the entire taxable year immediately preceding the tax year, the corporation or one or more of its related members provides customer or employee care and technical support for clients through one or more contact centers within this state, and the corporation and its related members together have a daily average, based on a three hundred sixty-five day three-hundred-sixty-five-day year, of at least five hundred thousand successful customer contacts through one or more of their contact centers, wherever located.

(c) The corporation is eligible for the credit under division (B) of this section for the tax year.

(7) "Related member" has the same meaning as in section 5733.042 of the Revised Code as that section existed on the effective date of its amendment by Am. Sub. H.B. 215 of the 122nd general assembly, September 29, 1997.

(8) "Successful customer contact" means a contact with an end user via telephone, including interactive voice recognition or similar means, where the contact culminates in a conversation or connection other than a busy signal or equipment busy.

(9) "Telecommunications" means all forms of telecommunications service as defined in section 5739.01 of the Revised Code, and includes services in wireless, wireline, cable, broadband, internet protocol, and satellite.

(10)(a) "Applicable difference" means the difference between the tax for the tax year under Chapter 5733. of the Revised Code applying the law in effect for that tax year, and the tax for that tax year if section 5733.042 of the Revised Code applied as that section existed on the effective date of its amendment by Am. Sub. H.B. 215 of the 122nd general assembly, September 29, 1997, subject to division (A)(10)(b) of this section.

(b) If the tax rate set forth in division (B) of section 5733.06 of the Revised Code for the tax year is less than eight and one-half per cent, the tax calculated under division (A)(10)(a) of this section shall be computed by substituting a tax rate of eight and one-half per cent for the rate set forth in division (B) of section 5733.06 of the Revised Code for the tax year.

(c) If the resulting difference is negative, the applicable tax difference for the tax year shall be zero.

(B) The tax credit authority created under section 122.17 of the Revised Code may grant tax credits under this section for the purpose of fostering job retention in this state. Upon application by an eligible business and upon consideration of the recommendation of the director of budget and management, tax commissioner, and director of development under division (C) of this section, the tax credit authority may grant to an eligible business a nonrefundable credit against the tax imposed by section 5733.06 or 5747.02 of the Revised Code for taxable years ending before 2008 for a period up to fifteen taxable years and against the tax levied by Chapter 5751. of the Revised Code for tax periods beginning on or after July 1, 2008, for a period of up to fifteen calendar years. The credit shall be in an amount not exceeding seventy-five per cent of the Ohio income tax withheld from the employees of the eligible business occupying full-time employment positions at the project site during the calendar year that includes the last day of such business' taxable year or tax period with respect to which the credit is granted. The amount of the credit shall not be based on the Ohio income tax withheld from full-time employees for a calendar year prior to the calendar year in which the minimum investment requirement referred to in division (A)(2)(b) of this section is completed. The credit shall be claimed only for the taxable years or tax periods specified in the eligible business' agreement with the tax credit authority under division (E) of this section, but in no event shall the credit be claimed for a taxable year or tax period terminating before the date specified in the agreement.

The credit computed under this division is in addition to any credit allowed under division (M) of this section which the tax credit authority may also include in the agreement.

Any unused portion of a tax credit may be carried forward for not more than three additional years after the year for which the credit is granted.

(C) A taxpayer that proposes a capital investment project to retain jobs in this state may apply to the tax credit authority to enter into an agreement for a tax credit under this section. The director of development shall prescribe the form of the application. After receipt of an application, the authority shall forward copies of the application to the director of budget and management, the tax commissioner, and the director of development, each of whom shall review the application to determine the economic impact the proposed project would have on the state and the affected political subdivisions and shall submit a summary of their determinations and recommendations to the authority. The authority shall make no agreements under this section after June 30, 2007.

(D) Upon review of the determinations and recommendations described in division (C) of this section, the tax credit authority may enter into an agreement with the taxpayer for a credit under this section if the authority determines all of the following:

(1) The taxpayer's capital investment project will result in the retention of full-time employment positions in this state.

(2) The taxpayer is economically sound and has the ability to complete the proposed capital investment project.

(3) The taxpayer intends to and has the ability to maintain operations at the project site for at least twice the term of the credit.

(4) Receiving the credit is a major factor in the taxpayer's decision to begin, continue with, or complete the project.

(5) The political subdivisions in which the project is located have agreed to provide substantial financial support to the project.

(E) An agreement under this section shall include all of the following:

(1) A detailed description of the project that is the subject of the agreement, including the amount of the investment, the period over which the investment has been or is being made, and the number of full-time employment positions at the project site.

(2) The method of calculating the number of full-time employment positions as specified in division (A)(3) of this section.

(3) The term and percentage of the tax credit, and the first year for which the credit may be claimed.

(4) A requirement that the taxpayer maintain operations at the project site for at least twice the number of years as the term of the credit.

(5) A requirement that the taxpayer retain a specified number of full-time employment positions at the project site and within this state for the term of the credit, including a requirement that the taxpayer continue to employ at least one thousand employees in full-time employment positions at the project site during the entire term of any agreement, subject to division (E)(7) of this section.

(6) A requirement that the taxpayer annually report to the director of development the number of full-time employment positions subject to the credit, the amount of tax withheld from employees in those positions, the amount of the payments made for the capital investment project, and any other information the director needs to perform the director's duties under this section.

(7) A requirement that the director of development annually review the annual reports of the taxpayer to verify the information reported under division (E)(6) of this section and compliance with the agreement. Upon verification, the director shall issue a certificate to the taxpayer stating that the information has been verified and identifying the amount of the credit for the taxable year. Unless otherwise specified by the tax credit authority in a resolution and included as part of the agreement, the director shall not issue a certificate for any year in which the total number of filled full-time employment positions for each day of the calendar year divided by three hundred sixty-five is less than ninety per cent of the full-time employment positions specified in division (E)(5) of this section. In determining the number of full-time employment positions, no position shall be counted that is filled by an employee who is included in the calculation of a tax credit under section 122.17 of the Revised Code.

(8)(a) A provision requiring that the taxpayer, except as otherwise provided in division (E)(8)(b) of this section, shall not relocate employment positions from elsewhere in this state to the project site that is the subject of the agreement for the lesser of five years from the date the agreement is entered into or the number of years the taxpayer is entitled to claim the credit.

(b) The taxpayer may relocate employment positions from elsewhere in this state to the project site that is the subject of the agreement if the director of development determines both of the following:

(i) That the site from which the employment positions would be relocated is inadequate to meet market and industry conditions, expansion plans, consolidation plans, or other business considerations affecting the taxpayer;

(ii) That the legislative authority of the county, township, or municipal corporation from which the employment positions would be relocated has been notified of the relocation.

For purposes of this section, the movement of an employment position from one political subdivision to another political subdivision shall be considered a relocation of an employment position unless the movement is confined to the project site. The transfer of an individual employee from one political subdivision to another political subdivision shall not be considered a relocation of an employment position as long as the individual's employment position in the first political subdivision is refilled.

(9) A waiver by the taxpayer of any limitations periods relating to assessments or adjustments resulting from the taxpayer's failure to comply with the agreement.

(F) If a taxpayer fails to meet or comply with any condition or requirement set forth in a tax credit agreement, the tax credit authority may amend the agreement to reduce the percentage or term of the credit. The reduction of the percentage or term shall take effect in the taxable year immediately following the taxable year in which the authority amends the agreement or in the first tax period beginning in the calendar year immediately following the calendar year in which the authority amends the agreement. If the taxpayer relocates employment positions in violation of the provision required under division (D)(8)(a) of this section, the taxpayer shall not claim the tax credit under section 5733.0610 of the Revised Code for any tax years following the calendar year in which the relocation occurs, or shall not claim the tax credit under section 5747.058 of the Revised Code for the taxable year in which the relocation occurs and any subsequent taxable years, and shall not claim the tax credit under division (A) of section 5751.50 of the Revised Code for the tax period in which the relocation occurs and any subsequent tax periods.

(G) Financial statements and other information submitted to the department of development or the tax credit authority by an applicant for or recipient of a tax credit under this section, and any information taken for any purpose from such statements or information, are not public records subject to section 149.43 of the Revised Code. However, the chairperson of the authority may make use of the statements and other information for purposes of issuing public reports or in connection with court proceedings concerning tax credit agreements under this section. Upon the request of the tax commissioner, the chairperson of the authority shall provide to the commissioner any statement or other information submitted by an applicant for or recipient of a tax credit in connection with the credit. The commissioner shall preserve the confidentiality of the statement or other information.

(H) A taxpayer claiming a tax credit under this section shall submit to the tax commissioner a copy of the director of development's certificate of verification under division (E)(7) of this section for the taxable year or for the calendar year that includes the tax period. However, failure to submit a copy of the certificate does not invalidate a claim for a credit.

(I) For the purposes of this section, a taxpayer may include a partnership, a corporation that has made an election under subchapter S of chapter one of subtitle A of the Internal Revenue Code, or any other business entity through which income flows as a distributive share to its owners. A tax credit received under this section by a partnership, S-corporation, or other such business entity shall be apportioned among the persons to whom the income or profit of the partnership, S-corporation, or other entity is distributed, in the same proportions as those in which the income or profit is distributed.

(J) If the director of development determines that a taxpayer that received a tax credit under this section is not complying with the requirement under division (E)(4) of this section, the director shall notify the tax credit authority of the noncompliance. After receiving such a notice, and after giving the taxpayer an opportunity to explain the noncompliance, the authority may terminate the agreement and require the taxpayer to refund to the state all or a portion of the credit claimed in previous years, as follows:

(1) If the taxpayer maintained operations at the project site for less than the term of the credit, the amount required to be refunded shall not exceed the amount of any tax credits previously allowed and received under this section.

(2) If the taxpayer maintained operations at the project site longer than the term of the credit but less than one and one-half times the term of the credit, the amount required to be refunded shall not exceed fifty per cent of the sum of any tax credits previously allowed and received under this section.

(3) If the taxpayer maintained operations at the project site for at least one and one-half times the term of the credit but less than twice the term of the credit, the amount required to be refunded shall not exceed twenty-five per cent of the sum of any tax credits previously allowed and received under this section.

In determining the portion of the credit to be refunded to this state, the authority shall consider the effect of market conditions on the taxpayer's project and whether the taxpayer continues to maintain other operations in this state. After making the determination, the authority shall certify the amount to be refunded to the tax commissioner. The commissioner shall make an assessment for that amount against the taxpayer under Chapter 5733. or, 5747., or 5751. of the Revised Code. The time limitations on assessments under Chapter 5733. or 5747. of the Revised Code those chapters do not apply to an assessment under this division, but the commissioner shall make the assessment within one year after the date the authority certifies to the commissioner the amount to be refunded.

If the director of development determines that a taxpayer that received a tax credit under this section has reduced the number of employees agreed to under division (E)(5) of this section by more than ten per cent, the director shall notify the tax credit authority of the noncompliance. After receiving such notice, and after providing the taxpayer an opportunity to explain the noncompliance, the authority may amend the agreement to reduce the percentage or term of the tax credit. The reduction in the percentage or term shall take effect in the taxable year, or in the calendar year that includes the tax period, in which the authority amends the agreement.

(K) The director of development, after consultation with the tax commissioner and in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, shall adopt rules necessary to implement this section. The rules may provide for recipients of tax credits under this section to be charged fees to cover administrative costs of the tax credit program. At the time the director gives public notice under division (A) of section 119.03 of the Revised Code of the adoption of the rules, the director shall submit copies of the proposed rules to the chairpersons of the standing committees on economic development in the senate and the house of representatives.

(L) On or before the thirty-first day of March of each year, the director of development shall submit a report to the governor, the president of the senate, and the speaker of the house of representatives on the tax credit program under this section. The report shall include information on the number of agreements that were entered into under this section during the preceding calendar year, a description of the project that is the subject of each such agreement, and an update on the status of projects under agreements entered into before the preceding calendar year.

(M)(1) A nonrefundable credit shall be allowed to an applicable corporation and its related members in an amount equal to the applicable difference. The credit is in addition to the credit granted to the corporation or related members under division (B) of this section. The credit is subject to divisions (B) to (E) and division (J) of this section.

(2) A person qualifying as an applicable corporation under this section for a tax year does not necessarily qualify as an applicable corporation for any other tax year. No person is entitled to the credit allowed under division (M) of this section for the tax year immediately following the taxable year during which the person fails to meet the requirements in divisions (A)(6)(a)(i) and (A)(6)(b) of this section. No person is entitled to the credit allowed under division (M) of this section for any tax year for which the person is not eligible for the credit provided under division (B) of this section.

Sec. 122.603.  (A)(1) Upon approval by the director of development and after entering into a participation agreement with the department of development, a participating financial institution making a capital access loan shall establish a program reserve account. The account shall be an interest-bearing account and shall contain only moneys deposited into it under the program and the interest payable on the moneys in the account.

(2) All interest payable on the moneys in the program reserve account shall be added to the moneys and held as an additional loss reserve. The director may require that a portion or all of the accrued interest so held in the account be released to the department. If the director causes a release of accrued interest, the director shall deposit the released amount into the capital access loan program fund created in section 122.601 of the Revised Code. The director shall not require the release of that accrued interest more than twice in a fiscal year.

(B) When a participating financial institution makes a capital access loan, it shall require the eligible business to pay to the participating financial institution a fee in an amount that is not less than one and one-half per cent, and not more than three per cent, of the principal amount of the loan. The participating financial institution shall deposit the fee into its program reserve account, and it also shall deposit into the account an amount of its own funds equal to the amount of the fee. The participating financial institution may recover from the eligible business all or part of the amount that the participating financial institution is required to deposit into the account under this division in any manner agreed to by the participating financial institution and the eligible business.

(C) For each capital access loan made by a participating financial institution, the participating financial institution shall certify to the director, within a period specified by the director, that the participating financial institution has made the loan. The certification shall include the amount of the loan, the amount of the fee received from the eligible business, the amount of its own funds that the participating financial institution deposited into its program reserve account to reflect that fee, and any other information specified by the director.

(D) On Upon receipt of each of the first three certifications from a participating financial institution made under division (C) of this section and subject to section 122.602 of the Revised Code, the director shall disburse to the participating financial institution from the capital access loan program fund an amount equal to fifty per cent of the principal amount of the particular capital access loan for deposit into the participating financial institution's program reserve account. Thereafter, upon receipt of a certification from that participating financial institution made under division (C) of this section and subject to section 122.602 of the Revised Code, the director shall disburse to the participating financial institution from the capital access loan program fund an amount equal to ten per cent of the principal amount of the particular capital access loan for deposit into the participating financial institution's program reserve account. The disbursement of moneys from the fund to a participating financial institution does not require approval from the controlling board.

(E) If the amount in a program reserve account exceeds an amount equal to thirty-three per cent of a participating financial institution's outstanding capital access loans, the department may cause the withdrawal of the excess amount and the deposit of the withdrawn amount into the capital access loan program fund.

(F)(1) The department may cause the withdrawal of the total amount in a participating financial institution's program reserve account if any of the following applies:

(a) The financial institution is no longer eligible to participate in the program.

(b) The participation agreement expires without renewal by the department or the financial institution.

(c) The financial institution has no outstanding capital access loans.

(d) The financial institution has not made a capital access loan within the preceding twenty-four months.

(2) If the department causes a withdrawal under division (F)(1) of this section, the department shall deposit the withdrawn amount into the capital access loan program fund.

Sec. 122.71.  As used in sections 122.71 to 122.83 of the Revised Code:

(A) "Financial institution" means any banking corporation, trust company, insurance company, savings and loan association, building and loan association, or corporation, partnership, federal lending agency, foundation, or other institution engaged in lending or investing funds for industrial or business purposes.

(B) "Project" means any real or personal property connected with or being a part of an industrial, distribution, commercial, or research facility to be acquired, constructed, reconstructed, enlarged, improved, furnished, or equipped, or any combination thereof, with the aid provided under sections 122.71 to 122.83 of the Revised Code, for industrial, commercial, distribution, and research development of the state.

(C) "Mortgage" means the lien imposed on a project by a mortgage on real property, or by financing statements on personal property, or a combination of a mortgage and financing statements when a project consists of both real and personal property.

(D) "Mortgagor" means the principal user of a project or the person, corporation, partnership, or association unconditionally guaranteeing performance by the principal user of its obligations under the mortgage.

(E)(1) "Minority business enterprise" means an individual who is a United States citizen and owns and controls a business, or a partnership, corporation, or joint venture of any kind that is owned and controlled by United States citizens, which citizen or citizens are residents of this state and are members of one of the following economically disadvantaged groups: Blacks or African Americans, American Indians, Hispanics or Latinos, and Orientals Asians.

(2) "Owned and controlled" means that at least fifty-one per cent of the business, including corporate stock if a corporation, is owned by persons who belong to one or more of the groups set forth in division (E)(1) of this section, and that those owners have control over the management and day-to-day operations of the business and an interest in the capital, assets, and profits and losses of the business proportionate to their percentage of ownership. In order to qualify as a minority business enterprise, a business shall have been owned and controlled by those persons at least one year prior to being awarded a contract pursuant to this section.

(F) "Community improvement corporation" means a corporation organized under Chapter 1724. of the Revised Code.

(G) "Ohio development corporation" means a corporation organized under Chapter 1726. of the Revised Code.

(H) "Minority contractors business assistance organization" means an entity engaged in the provision of management and technical business assistance to minority business enterprise entrepreneurs.

(I) "Minority business supplier development council" means a nonprofit organization established as an affiliate of the national minority supplier development council.

(J) "Regional economic development entity" means an entity that is under contract with the director of development to administer a loan program under this chapter in a particular area of the state.

Sec. 122.72.  (A) There is hereby created the minority development financing advisory board to assist in carrying out the programs created pursuant to sections 122.71 to 122.89 122.90 of the Revised Code.

(B) The board shall consist of seven ten members. The director of development or the director's designee shall be a voting member on the board. Seven members shall be appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate and selected because of their knowledge of and experience in industrial, business, and commercial financing, suretyship, construction, and their understanding of the problems of minority business enterprises; one member also shall be a member of the senate and appointed by the president of the senate, and one member also shall be a member of the house of representatives and appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives. With respect to the board, all of the following apply:

(1) Not more than four of the members of the board appointed by the governor shall be of the same political party.

(2) Each member shall hold office from the date of the member's appointment until the end of the term for which the member was appointed.

(3) The terms of office for the seven members appointed by the governor shall be for seven years, commencing on the first day of October and ending on the thirtieth day of September of the seventh year, except that of the original seven members, three shall be appointed for three years and two shall be appointed for five years.

(4) Any member of the board is eligible for reappointment.

(5) Any member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring prior to the expiration of the term for which his the member's predecessor was appointed shall hold office for the remainder of his the predecessor's term.

(6) Any member shall continue in office subsequent to the expiration date of his the member's term until his the member's successor takes office, or until a period of sixty days has elapsed, whichever occurs first.

(7) Before entering upon his official duties as a member of the board, each member shall take an oath as provided by Section 7 of Article XV, Ohio Constitution.

(8) The governor may, at any time, remove any member appointed by him the governor pursuant to section 3.04 of the Revised Code.

(9) Notwithstanding section 101.26 of the Revised Code, members shall receive their necessary and actual expenses while engaged in the business of the board and shall be paid at the per diem rate of step 1 of pay range 31 of section 124.15 of the Revised Code.

(10) Five Four members of the board constitute a quorum and the affirmative vote of five members a majority of the quorum is necessary for any action taken by the board.

(11) In the event of the absence of a member appointed by the president of the senate or by the speaker of the house of representatives, either of the following persons may serve in the member's absence:

(a) The president of the senate or the speaker of the house of representatives, whoever appointed the absent member;

(b) A member of the senate or of the house of representatives of the same political party as the absent member, as designated by the president of the senate or the speaker of the house of representatives, whoever appointed the absent member.

(12) The board shall annually elect one of its members as chairman chairperson and another as vice-chairman vice-chairperson.

Sec. 122.73.  (A) The minority development financing advisory board and the director of development are invested with the powers and duties provided in sections 122.71 to 122.89 122.90 of the Revised Code, in order to promote the welfare of the people of the state by encouraging the establishment and expansion of minority business enterprises,; to stabilize the economy,; to provide employment,; to assist in the development within the state of industrial, commercial, distribution, and research activities required for the people of the state, and for their gainful employment,; or otherwise to create or preserve jobs and employment opportunities, or improve the economic welfare of the people of the state. It is hereby determined that the accomplishment of those purposes is essential so that the people of the state may maintain their present high standards of living in comparison with the people of other states and so that opportunities for employment and for favorable markets for the products of the state's natural resources, agriculture, and manufacturing shall be improved and. It further is determined that it is necessary for the state to establish the programs authorized under sections 122.71 to 122.89 122.90 of the Revised Code to establish the minority development financing advisory board, and to invest it and the director of development with the powers and duties provided in sections 122.71 to 122.89 122.90 of the Revised Code.

(B) The minority development financing advisory board shall do all of the following:

(1) Make recommendations to the director as to applications for assistance pursuant to sections 122.71 to 122.89 122.90 of the Revised Code. The board may revise its recommendations to reflect any changes in the proposed assistance made by the director.

(2) Advise the director in the administration of sections 122.71 to 122.89 122.90 of the Revised Code.

(3) Adopt bylaws to govern the conduct of the business of the board.

Sec. 122.74.  (A)(1) The director of development shall do all of the following:

(1)(a) Receive applications for assistance under sections 122.71 to 122.89 122.90 of the Revised Code, and, after processing but subject to division (A)(2) of this section, forward them to the minority development financing advisory board together with necessary supporting information;

(2)(b) Receive the recommendations of the board and make a final determination whether to approve the application for assistance;

(3)(c) Receive recommendations from a regional economic development entity for loans made under section 122.76 of the Revised Code and make a final determination, notwithstanding divisions (A)(1) and (2) of this section, whether to approve the proposed loan;

(d) Transmit the director's determinations to approve assistance to the controlling board together with any information the controlling board requires for its review and decision as to whether to approve the assistance.

(2) The director is not required to submit any determination, data, terms, or any other application materials or information to the minority development financing advisory board when provision of the assistance has been recommended to the director by a regional economic development entity.

(B) The director may do all of the following:

(1) Fix the rate of interest and charges to be made upon or with respect to moneys loaned or guaranteed by the director and the terms upon which mortgages and lease rentals may be guaranteed and the rates of charges to be made for them and make provisions for the operation of the funds established by the director in accordance with this section and sections 122.80 and, 122.88, and 122.90 of the Revised Code;

(2) Loan and guarantee moneys from the fund established in accordance with section 122.80 of the Revised Code pursuant to and in compliance with sections 122.71 to 122.89 122.90 of the Revised Code.

(3) Acquire in the name of the director any property of any kind or character in accordance with sections 122.71 to 122.89 122.90 of the Revised Code, by purchase, purchase at foreclosure, or exchange on such terms and in such manner as the director considers proper;

(4) Make and enter into all contracts and agreements necessary or incidental to the performance of the director's duties and the exercise of the director's powers under sections 122.71 to 122.89 122.90 of the Revised Code;

(5) Maintain, protect, repair, improve, and insure any property that the director has acquired and dispose of it by sale, exchange, or lease for the consideration and on the terms and in the manner as the director considers proper, but the director shall not operate any such property as a business except as the lessor of it;

(6)(a) When the cost of any contract for the maintenance, protection, repair, or improvement of any property held by the director, other than compensation for personal services, involves an expenditure of more than fifty thousand dollars, the director shall make a written contract with the lowest responsive and responsible bidder in accordance with section 9.312 of the Revised Code after advertisement for not less than two consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the county where such contract, or some substantial part of it, is to be performed, and in such other publications as the director determines, which notice shall state the general character of the work and the general character of the materials to be furnished, the place where plans and specifications therefor may be examined, and the time and place of receiving bids.

(b) Each bid for a contract for the construction, demolition, alteration, repair, or reconstruction of an improvement shall contain the full name of every person interested in it and meet the requirements of section 153.54 of the Revised Code.

(c) Each bid for a contract, except as provided in division (B)(6)(b) of this section, shall contain the full name of every person interested in it and shall be accompanied by bond or certified check on a solvent bank, in such amount as the director considers sufficient, that if the bid is accepted a contract will be entered into and the performance of the proposal secured.

(d) The director may reject any and all bids.

(e) A bond with good and sufficient surety, approved by the director, shall be required of every contractor awarded a contract except as provided in division (B)(6)(b) of this section, in an amount equal to at least fifty per cent of the contract price, conditioned upon faithful performance of the contract.

(7) Employ or contract with financial consultants, appraisers, consulting engineers, superintendents, managers, construction and accounting experts, attorneys, and other employees and agents as are necessary in the director's judgment and fix their compensation;

(8) Receive and accept grants, gifts, and contributions of money, property, labor, and other things of value to be held, used, and applied only for the purpose for which such the grants, gifts, and contributions are made, from individuals, private and public corporations, from the United States or any agency thereof, from the state or any agency thereof, and from any political subdivision of the state, and may agree to repay any contribution of money or to return any property contributed or the value thereof at such times, in such amounts, and on such terms and conditions, excluding the payment of interest, as the director determines at the time such the contribution is made, and may evidence such the obligations by notes, bonds, or other written instruments;

(9) Establish with the treasurer of state the funds provided in sections 122.80 and 122.88 of the Revised Code in addition to such funds as the director determines are necessary or proper;

(10) Adopt rules under Chapter 119. of the Revised Code necessary to implement sections 122.71 to 122.83 122.90 of the Revised Code.

(11) Do all acts and things necessary or proper to carry out the powers expressly granted and the duties imposed in sections 122.71 to 122.89 122.90 of the Revised Code.

(C)(1) All expenses and obligations incurred by the director in carrying out the director's powers and in exercising the director's duties under sections 122.71 to 122.89 122.90 of the Revised Code shall be payable solely from revenues or other receipts or income of the director, from grants, gifts, and contributions, or funds established in accordance with such sections. Such sections do not authorize the director to incur indebtedness or to impose liability on the state or any political subdivision of the state.

(2) Financial statements and other data submitted to the director by any corporation, partnership, or person in connection with financial assistance provided under sections 122.71 to 122.89 122.90 of the Revised Code, or any information taken from such statements or data for any purpose, shall not be open to public inspection.

Sec. 122.75.  The director of development shall, for the minority business development loan program and, the minority business bonding program, and the minority business bond guarantee program under sections 122.87 to 122.89 122.90 of the Revised Code, do all of the following:

(A) Hire employees, consultants, and agents and fix their compensation;

(B) Adopt bylaws and rules for the regulation of the business of the minority development financing advisory board;

(C) Receive and accept grants, gifts, and contributions of money, property, labor, and other things of value, to be held, used, and applied only for the purpose for which the grants, gifts, and contributions are made, from individuals, private and public corporations, the United States or any agency of the United States, the state or any agency of the state, and any political subdivision of the state. The director may agree to repay any contribution of money or to return any property contributed or its value at such times, in such amounts, and on such terms and conditions, excluding the payment of interest, as the director determines at the time the contribution is made. The director may evidence the obligations by written contracts, subject to section 122.76 of the Revised Code; provided, that the director shall not thereby incur indebtedness of or impose liability upon the state or any political subdivision.

(D) Establish funds with the treasurer of state in addition to the minority business bonding fund created under section 122.88 of the Revised Code;

(E) Invest money in the funds the director establishes pursuant to division (D) of this section that is in excess of current needs, in notes, bonds, or other obligations that are direct obligations of or are guaranteed by the United States, or in certificates of deposit or withdrawable accounts of banks, trust companies, and or savings and loan associations organized under the laws of this state or the United States, and may credit the income or sell the investments at the director's discretion;

(F) Acquire any property of any kind or character in accordance with sections 122.71 to 122.83 of the Revised Code, by purchase, purchase at foreclosure, or exchange on terms and in a manner the director considers proper;

(G)(1) Maintain, protect, repair, improve, and insure any property the director has acquired and dispose of it by sale, exchange, or lease for the consideration and on terms and in a manner the director considers proper. The director may not operate any property as a business except as a lessor of the property. When the cost of any contract for the maintenance, protection, repair, or improvement of any property of the advisory board connected with the minority business development loan program, other than compensation for personal services, involves an expenditure of more than one thousand dollars, the director shall enter into a written contract with the lowest and best bidder after advertisement for not less than four consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the county where the contract, or some substantial part of it, is to be performed, and in other publications as the director determines. The notice shall state the general character of the work and the general character of the materials to be furnished, the place where plans and specifications for the work and materials may be examined, and the time and place of receiving bids.

(2) Each bid for a contract for the construction, demolition, alteration, repair, or reconstruction of an improvement shall contain the full name of every person interested in it and meet the requirements of section 153.54 of the Revised Code.

(3) Each bid for a contract, except as provided in division (G)(2) of this section, shall contain the full name of every person interested in it and shall be accompanied by a bond or certified check on a solvent bank, in the amount of ten per cent of the bid, that if the bid is accepted a contract will be entered into and the performance of its proposal secured. The director may reject any or all bids. A bond with good and sufficient surety, approved by the director, shall be required of all contractors in an amount equal to at least one hundred per cent of the contract price, conditioned upon faithful performance of the contract.

(H) Expend money appropriated to the department of development by the general assembly for the purposes of sections 122.71 to 122.83 and 122.87 to 122.89 122.90 of the Revised Code;

(I) Do all acts and things necessary or proper to carry out the powers expressly granted and the duties imposed in sections 122.71 to 122.83 and 122.87 to 122.89 122.90 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 122.751.  The minority development financing advisory board or a regional economic development entity shall only consider an application for a loan from any applicant after a certification by the equal employment opportunity coordinator of the department of administrative services under division (B)(1) of section 123.151 of the Revised Code that the applicant is a minority business enterprise, or after a certification by the minority business supplier development council that the applicant is a minority business, and that the applicant satisfies all criteria regarding eligibility for assistance pursuant to section 122.76 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 122.76.  (A) The director of development, with controlling board approval, may lend funds to minority business enterprises and to community improvement corporations, Ohio development corporations, minority contractors business assistance organizations, and minority business supplier development councils for the purpose of loaning funds to minority business enterprises and for the purpose of procuring or improving real or personal property, or both, for the establishment, location, or expansion of industrial, distribution, commercial, or research facilities in the state, if the director determines, in the director's sole discretion, that all of the following apply:

(1) The project is economically sound and will benefit the people of the state by increasing opportunities for employment, by strengthening the economy of the state, or expanding minority business enterprises.

(2) The proposed minority business enterprise borrower is unable to finance the proposed project through ordinary financial channels at comparable terms.

(3) The value of the project is or, upon completion, will be at least equal to the total amount of the money expended in the procurement or improvement of the project, and one or more financial institutions or other governmental entities have loaned not less than thirty per cent of that amount.

(4) The amount to be loaned by the director will not exceed sixty per cent of the total amount expended in the procurement or improvement of the project.

(5) The amount to be loaned by the director will be adequately secured by a first or second mortgage upon the project or by mortgages, leases, liens, assignments, or pledges on or of other property or contracts as the director requires, and such mortgage will not be subordinate to any other liens or mortgages except the liens securing loans or investments made by financial institutions referred to in division (A)(3) of this section, and the liens securing loans previously made by any financial institution in connection with the procurement or expansion of all or part of a project.

(B) Any proposed minority business enterprise borrower submitting an application for assistance under this section shall not have defaulted on a previous loan from the director, and no full or limited partner, major shareholder, or holder of an equity interest of the proposed minority business enterprise borrower shall have defaulted on a loan from the director.

(C) The proposed minority business enterprise borrower shall demonstrate to the satisfaction of the director that it is able to successfully compete in the private sector if it obtains the necessary financial, technical, or managerial support and that support is available through the director, the minority business development office of the department of development, or other identified and acceptable sources. In determining whether a minority business enterprise borrower will be able to successfully compete, the director may give consideration to such factors as the successful completion of or participation in courses of study, recognized by the board of regents as providing financial, technical, or managerial skills related to the operation of the business, by the economically disadvantaged individual, owner, or partner, and the prior success of the individual, owner, or partner in personal, career, or business activities, as well as to other factors identified by the director.

(D) The director shall not lend funds for the purpose of procuring or improving motor vehicles, power-driven vehicles, office equipment, raw materials, small tools, supplies, inventories, or accounts receivable.

Sec. 122.77.  (A) The director of development with controlling board approval may make loan guarantees to small businesses and corporations for the purpose of guaranteeing loans made to small businesses by financial institutions for the purpose of procuring or improving real or personal property, or both, for the establishment, location, or expansion of industrial, distribution, commercial, or research facilities in the state, if the director determines, in his the director's sole discretion, that all of the following apply:

(1) The project is economically sound and will benefit the people of the state by increasing opportunities for employment, by strengthening the economy of the state, or expanding minority business enterprises;.

(2) The proposed small business borrower is unable to finance the proposed project through ordinary financial channels at comparable terms;.

(3) The value of the project is, or upon completion of it will be, at least equal to the total amount of the money expended in the procurement or improvement of the project and of which amount one or more financial institutions or other governmental entities have loaned not less than thirty per cent;.

(4) The amount to be guaranteed by the director will not exceed fifty eighty per cent of the total amount expended in the procurement or improvement of the project;.

(5) The amount to be guaranteed by the director will be adequately secured by a first or second mortgage upon the project, or by mortgages, leases, liens, assignments, or pledges on or of other property or contracts as the director shall require and that such mortgage will not be subordinate to any other liens or mortgages except the liens securing loans or investments made by financial institutions referred to in division (A)(3) of this section, and the liens securing loans previously made by any financial institution in connection with the procurement or expansion of all or part of a project.

(B) The proposed small business borrower shall not have defaulted on a previous loan or guarantee from the director, and no full or limited partner, or major shareholder, or holder of any equity interest of the proposed minority business enterprise borrower shall have defaulted on a loan or guarantee from the director.

(C) The proposed small business borrower shall demonstrate to the satisfaction of the director that it is able to successfully compete in the private sector if it obtains the necessary financial, technical, or managerial support and that support is available through the director, the minority business development office of the department of development, or other identified and acceptable sources. In determining whether a small business borrower will be able to successfully compete, the director may give consideration to such factors as the successful completion of or participation in courses of study, recognized by the board of regents as providing financial, technical, or managerial skills related to the operation of the business, by the economically disadvantaged individual, owner, or partner, and the prior success of the individual, owner, or partner in personal, career, or business activities, as well as to other factors identified by the director.

(D) The director shall not guarantee funds for the purpose of procuring or improving motor vehicles, power driven vehicles, office equipment, raw materials, small tools, supplies, inventories, or accounts receivable.

Sec. 122.78.  Fees, charges, rates of interest, times of payment of interest and principal, and other terms, conditions, and provisions of the loans and guarantees made by the director of development pursuant to sections 122.71 to 122.89 122.90 of the Revised Code shall be such as the director determines to be appropriate and in furtherance of the purpose for which the loans and guarantees are made, but the mortgage lien securing any money loaned or guaranteed by the director may be subordinate to the mortgage lien securing any money loaned or invested by a financial institution, but shall be superior to that securing any money loaned or expended by any other corporation or person. The funds used in making these loans or guarantees shall be disbursed upon order of the director.

Sec. 122.79.  The exercise of the powers granted by sections 122.71 to 122.89 122.90 of the Revised Code, will be in all respects for the benefit of the people of the state, for the increase of their commerce and prosperity, for the increase and expansion of minority business enterprises, and for the improvement of conditions of employment, and will constitute the performance of essential governmental functions; therefore, the director of development shall not be required to pay any taxes upon any property or assets held by him the director, or upon any property acquired or used by him the director under sections 122.71 to 122.89 122.90 of the Revised Code, or upon the income from it, provided that this exemption shall not apply to any property held by the director while it is in the possession of a private person, partnership, or corporation and used for private purposes for profit, in which case such tax liability shall accrue to such the private person, partnership, or corporation.

Sec. 122.82.  All moneys, funds, properties, and assets acquired by the director of development shall be held by him the director in trust to carry out his the director's powers and duties, shall be used as provided in sections 122.71 to 122.89 122.90 of the Revised Code, and shall at no time be part of other public funds.

Sec. 122.83.  Any person who intentionally misrepresents that person's self as owning, controlling, operating, or participating in a minority business enterprise for the purpose of obtaining funds, contracts, subcontracts, services, or any other benefits under sections 122.71 to 122.85 or 122.87 to 122.89 122.90 of the Revised Code is guilty of theft by deception, pursuant to section 2913.02 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 123.152. (A) As used in this section, "EDGE business enterprise" means a sole proprietorship, association, partnership, corporation, limited liability corporation, or joint venture certified as a participant in the encouraging diversity, growth, and equity program by the director of administrative services under this section of the Revised Code.

(B) The director of administrative services shall establish a business assistance program known as the encouraging diversity, growth, and equity program and shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code to administer the program and that do all of the following:

(1) Establish procedures by which a sole proprietorship, association, partnership, corporation, limited liability corporation, or joint venture may apply for certification as an EDGE business enterprise;

(2) Establish Except as provided in division (B)(14) of this section, establish agency procurement goals for contracting with EDGE business enterprises in the award of contracts under Chapters 123., 125., and 153. of the Revised Code based on the availability of eligible program participants by region or geographic area, as determined by the director, and by standard industrial code or equivalent code classification.

(a) Goals established under division (B)(2) of this section shall be based on a percentage level of participation and a percentage of contractor availability.

(b) Goals established under division (B)(2) of this section shall be applied at the contract level, relative to an overall dollar goal for each state agency, in accordance with the following certification categories: construction, architecture, and engineering; professional services; goods and services; and information technology services.

(3) Establish a system of certifying EDGE business enterprises based on a requirement that the business owner or owners show both social and economic disadvantage based on the following, as determined to be sufficient by the director:

(a) Relative wealth of the business seeking certification as well as the personal wealth of the owner or owners of the business;

(b) Social disadvantage based on any of the following:

(i) A rebuttable presumption when the business owner or owners demonstrate membership in a racial minority group or show personal disadvantage due to color, ethnic origin, gender, physical disability, long-term residence in an environment isolated from the mainstream of American society, location in an area of high unemployment;

(ii) Some other demonstration of personal disadvantage not common to other small businesses;

(iii) By business location in a qualified census tract.

(c) Economic disadvantage based on economic and business size thresholds and eligibility criteria designed to stimulate economic development through contract awards to businesses located in qualified census tracts.

(4) Establish standards to determine when an EDGE business enterprise no longer qualifies for EDGE business enterprise certification;

(5) Develop a process for evaluating and adjusting goals established by this section to determine what adjustments are necessary to achieve participation goals established by the director;

(6) Establish a point system or comparable system to evaluate bid proposals to encourage EDGE business enterprises to participate in the procurement of professional design and information technology services;

(7) Establish a system to track data and analyze each certification category established under division (B)(2)(b) of this section;

(8) Establish a process to mediate complaints and to review EDGE business enterprise certification appeals;

(9) Implement an outreach program to educate potential participants about the encouraging diversity, growth, and equity program;

(10) Establish a system to assist state agencies in identifying and utilizing EDGE business enterprises in their contracting processes;

(11) Implement a system of self-reporting by EDGE business enterprises as well as an on-site inspection process to validate the qualifications of an EDGE business enterprise;

(12) Establish a waiver mechanism to waive program goals or participation requirements for those companies that, despite their best-documented efforts, are unable to contract with certified EDGE business enterprises;

(13) Establish a process for monitoring overall program compliance in which equal employment opportunity officers primarily are responsible for monitoring their respective agencies;

(14) Establish guidelines for state universities as defined in section 3345.011 of the Revised Code and the Ohio school facilities commission created in section 3318.30 of the Revised Code for awarding contracts pursuant to Chapters 153., 3318., and 3345. of the Revised Code to allow the universities and commission to establish agency procurement goals for contracting with EDGE business enterprises.

(C) Not later than December 31, 2003, the director of administrative services shall prepare a detailed report to the governor outlining and evaluating the progress made in implementing the Business and personal financial information and trade secrets submitted by encouraging diversity, growth, and equity program applicants to the director pursuant to this section are not public records for purposes of section 149.43 of the Revised Code, unless the director presents the financial information or trade secrets at a public hearing or public proceeding regarding the applicant's eligibility to participate in the program.

Sec. 123.17. (A) As used in this section, "institution of higher education" means a state university or college, as defined in section 3345.12 of the Revised Code, or a state community college.

(B) The Not later than December 30, 2005, the state architect shall establish a local administration competency certification program to certify institutions of higher education to administer capital facilities projects pursuant to section 3345.51 of the Revised Code without the supervision, control, or approval of the department of administrative services. The program shall offer instruction in the administration of capital facilities projects for employees of institutions of higher education who are responsible for such administration and who are selected by their employing institutions to participate in the program.

(C) The program shall provide instruction about the provisions of Chapters 9., 123., and 153. of the Revised Code and any rules or policies adopted by the department regarding the planning, design, and construction of capital facilities, including all of the following:

(1) The planning, design, and construction process;

(2) Contract requirements;

(3) Construction management;

(4) Project management.

(D) The state architect shall award local administration competency certification to any institution of higher education if all of the following apply:

(1) The institution applied for certification on a form and in a manner prescribed by the state architect.

(2) The state architect determines that a sufficient number of the institution's employees, representing a sufficient number of employee classifications, responsible for the administration of capital facilities projects has have successfully completed the certification program to ensure that any capital facilities project undertaken by the institution will be administered successfully and in accordance with all provisions of the Revised Code, and the board of trustees of the institution provides written assurance to the state architect that the institution will select new employees to participate in the certification program as necessary to compensate for employee turnover.

(3) The state architect determines that the employees of the institution enrolled in the program demonstrate successful completion of the competency certification training and a satisfactory level of knowledge of and competency in the requirements for administering capital facilities projects.

(4) The institution pays the fee prescribed by division (E)(F) of this section.

(5) The board of trustees of the institution provides written assurance to the state architect that the institution will conduct biennial audits of the institution's administration of capital facilities projects in accordance with division (C) of section 3345.51 of the Revised Code.

(6) The board of trustees of the institution agrees in writing to indemnify and hold harmless the state and the department for any claim of injury, loss, or damage that results from the institution's administration of a capital facilities project.

(E) Local administration competency certification granted under this section shall remain in effect for as long as the state architect determines that both of the following apply:

(1) The institution of higher education maintains a sufficient number of employees responsible for the administration of capital facilities projects who have successfully completed the certification program and have demonstrated a satisfactory level of knowledge of and competency in the requirements for administering capital facilities projects;

(2) The institution is performing the biennial audits prescribed in division (C) of section 3345.51 of the Revised Code.

If the state architect determines that an institution of higher education has failed to comply with the conditions of division (E)(1) or (2) of this section, the state architect shall revoke the institution's certification and shall notify the board of trustees of the institution in writing of the revocation.

(F) The state architect shall establish, subject to the approval of the director of budget and management, the amount of the fee required to be paid by any institution of higher education that seeks certification under this section. The amount of the fees shall be set to cover the costs to implement this section, including the costs for materials and the competency certification training sessions. Any fees received under this section shall be paid into the state treasury to the credit of the state architect's fund established under section 123.10 of the Revised Code.

(F)(G) Nothing in this section shall prohibit an institution that administers a capital facilities project under section 3345.51 of the Revised Code from requesting guidance or other services from the department of administrative services.

Sec. 125.041.  Nothing in sections 125.02, 125.03 to 125.08, 125.12 to 125.16, 125.18, 125.31 to 125.76, or 125.831 of the Revised Code shall be construed as limiting the attorney general, auditor of state, secretary of state, or treasurer of state in any of the following:

(A) Purchases for less than the dollar amounts for the purchase of supplies or services determined pursuant to division (D) of section 125.05 of the Revised Code;

(B) Purchases that equal or exceed the dollar amounts for the purchase of supplies or services determined pursuant to division (D) of section 125.05 of the Revised Code with the approval of the controlling board, if that approval is required by section 127.16 of the Revised Code;

(C) The final determination of the nature or quantity making any purchase of supplies or services to be purchased pursuant to section 125.06 of the Revised Code;

(D) The final determination and disposal of excess and surplus supplies;

(E) The inventory of state property;

(F) The purchase of printing;

(G) The Activities related to information technology development and use;

(H) The fleet management program.

Sec. 125.05.  Except as provided in division (E) of this section, no state agency shall purchase any supplies or services except as provided in divisions (A) to (C) of this section.

(A) Subject to division (D) of this section, a state agency may, without competitive selection, make any purchase of services that cost fifty thousand dollars or less or any purchase of supplies that cost twenty-five thousand dollars or less. The agency may make the purchase directly or may make the purchase from or through the department of administrative services, whichever the agency determines. The department shall establish written procedures to assist state agencies when they make direct purchases. If the agency makes the purchase directly, it shall make the purchase by a term contract whenever possible.

(B) Subject to division (D) of this section, a state agency wanting to purchase services that cost more than fifty thousand dollars or supplies that cost more than twenty-five thousand dollars shall, unless otherwise authorized by law, make the purchase from or through the department. The department shall make the purchase by competitive selection under section 125.07 of the Revised Code. If the director of administrative services determines that it is not possible or not advantageous to the state for the department to make the purchase, the department shall grant the agency a release and permit under section 125.06 of the Revised Code to make the purchase. Section 127.16 of the Revised Code does not apply to purchases the department makes under this section.

(C) An agency that has been granted a release and permit to make a purchase may make the purchase without competitive selection if after making the purchase the cumulative purchase threshold as computed under division (F) of section 127.16 of the Revised Code would:

(1) Be exceeded and the controlling board approves the purchase;

(2) Not be exceeded and the department of administrative services approves the purchase.

(D) Not later than January 31, 1997, the amounts specified in divisions (A) and (B) of this section and, not later than the thirty-first day of January of each second year thereafter, any amounts computed by adjustments made under this division, shall be increased or decreased by the average percentage increase or decrease in the consumer price index prepared by the United States bureau of labor statistics (U.S. City Average for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers: "All Items 1982-1984=100") for the twenty-four calendar month period prior to the immediately preceding first day of January over the immediately preceding twenty-four calendar month period, as reported by the bureau. The director of administrative services shall make this determination and adjust the appropriate amounts accordingly.

(E) If the Ohio SchoolNet commission, the department of education, or the Ohio education computer network, or the agency designated by the governor to assume the functions of the Ohio SchoolNet commission determines that it can purchase software services or supplies for specified school districts at a price less than the price for which the districts could purchase the same software services or supplies for themselves, the office, department, or network, or agency shall certify that fact to the department of administrative services and, acting as an agent for the specified school districts, shall make that purchase without following the provisions in divisions (A) to (D) of this section.

Sec. 125.18. (A) There is hereby established the office of information technology in the department of administrative services. The office shall be under the supervision of a chief information officer to be appointed by the governor and subject to removal at the pleasure of the governor. The chief information officer shall serve as the director of the office.

(B) The director of the office of information technology shall advise the governor regarding the superintendence and implementation of statewide information technology policy.

(C) The director of the office of information technology shall lead, oversee, and direct state agency activities related to information technology development and use. In that regard, the director shall do all of the following:

(1) Coordinate and superintend statewide efforts to promote common use and development of technology by multiple state agencies. The office of information technology relatedly shall establish policies and standards that govern and direct state agency participation in statewide programs and initiatives.

(2) Establish policies and standards for the acquisition and use of information technology by state agencies, including, but not limited to, hardware, software, technology services, and security, with which state agencies shall comply;

(3) Establish criteria and review processes to identify state agency information technology projects that require alignment or oversight. As appropriate, the office of information technology shall provide the governor and the director of budget and management with notice and advice regarding the appropriate allocation of resources for those projects. The director of the office of information technology may require state agencies to provide, and may prescribe the form and manner by which they must provide, information to fulfill the director's alignment and oversight role.

(D) The office of information technology may make contracts for, operate, and superintend technology services for state agencies in accordance with this chapter.

(E) The office of information technology may establish cooperative agreements with federal and local government agencies and state agencies that are not under the authority of the governor for the provision of technology services and the development of technology projects.

(F) As used in this section, "state agency" means every organized body, office, or agency established by the laws of the state for the exercise of any function of state government, other than any state-supported institution of higher education, the office of the auditor of state, treasurer of state, secretary of state, or attorney general, the general assembly or any legislative agency, or the courts or any judicial agency.

Sec. 125.831. As used in sections 125.831 to 125.833 of the Revised Code:

(A) "Law enforcement officer" means an officer, agent, or employee of a state agency upon whom, by statute, a duty to conserve the peace or to enforce all or certain laws is imposed and the authority to arrest violators is conferred, within the limits of that statutory duty and authority, but does not include such an officer, agent, or employee if that duty and authority is location specific.

(B)(1) "Motor vehicle" means any automobile, car minivan, cargo van, passenger van, sport utility vehicle, or pickup truck with a gross vehicle weight of under twelve thousand pounds.

(2) "Motor vehicle" does not include, except for the purposes of division (C) of section 125.832 of the Revised Code, any vehicle described in division (B)(1) of this section that is used by a law enforcement officer and law enforcement agency or any vehicle that is so described and that is equipped with specialized equipment that is not normally found in such a vehicle and that is used to carry out a state agency's specific and specialized duties and responsibilities.

(C) "Specialized equipment" does not include standard mobile radios with no capabilities other than voice communication, exterior and interior lights, or roof-mounted caution lights.

(D) "State agency" means every organized body, office, board, authority, commission, or agency established by the laws of the state for the exercise of any governmental or quasi-governmental function of state government regardless of the funding source for that entity, other than any state-supported state institution of higher education, the office of the governor, lieutenant governor, auditor of state, treasurer of state, secretary of state, or attorney general, the general assembly or any legislative agency, or the courts or any judicial agency, or any state retirement system or retirement program established by or referenced in the Revised Code.

(E) "State institution of higher education" has the same meaning as in section 3345.011 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 125.832. (A) The department of administrative services is granted exclusive authority over the acquisition and management of all motor vehicles used by state agencies. In carrying out this authority, the department shall do both of the following:

(1) Approve the purchase or lease of each motor vehicle for use by a state agency. The department shall decide if a motor vehicle shall be leased or purchased for that use.

Except as otherwise provided in division (A)(1) of this section, on and after July 1, 2005, each state agency shall acquire all passenger motor vehicles under the department's master leasing program. If the department determines that acquisition under that program is not the most economical method and if the department and the state agency acquiring the passenger motor vehicle can provide economic justification for doing so, the department may approve the purchase, rather than the lease, of a passenger motor vehicle for the acquiring state agency.

(2) Direct and approve all funds that are expended for the purchase, lease, repair, maintenance, registration, insuring, and other costs related to the possession and operation of motor vehicles for the use of state agencies.

(B) The director of administrative services shall establish and operate a fleet management program. The director shall operate the program for purposes including, but not limited to, cost-effective acquisition, maintenance, management, analysis, and disposal of all motor vehicles owned or leased by the state. All state agencies shall comply with statewide fleet management policies and procedures established by the director for the program, including, but not limited to, motor vehicle assignments, additions of motor vehicles to fleets or motor vehicle replacements, motor vehicle fueling, and motor vehicle repairs.

(C) The director shall establish and maintain a fleet reporting system and shall require state agencies to submit to the department information relative to state motor vehicles, including motor vehicles described in division (B)(2) of section 125.831 of the Revised Code, to be used in operating the fleet management program. State agencies shall provide to the department fleet data and other information, including, but not limited to, mileage and costs. The data and other information shall be submitted in formats and in a manner determined by the department.

(D) All state agency purchases or leases of motor vehicles are subject to the prior approval of the director under division (A)(1) of this section.

(E) State agencies that utilize state motor vehicles or pay mileage reimbursements to employees shall provide a fleet plan to the department as directed by the department.

(F)(1) The fleets of state agencies that consist of one hundred or less vehicles on July 1, 2004, shall be managed by the department's fleet management program on a time schedule determined by the department, unless the state agency has received delegated authority as described in division (G) of this section.

(2) The fleets of state agencies that consist of greater than one hundred motor vehicles, but less than five hundred motor vehicles, on July 1, 2005, also shall be managed by the department's fleet management program on a time schedule determined by the department, unless the state agency has received delegated authority as described in division (G) of this section.

(G)(1) The department may delegate any or all of its duties regarding fleet management to a state agency, if the state agency demonstrates to the satisfaction of the department both of the following:

(a) Capabilities to institute and manage a fleet management program, including, but not limited to, the presence of a certified fleet manager;

(b) Fleet management performance, as demonstrated by fleet data and other information submitted pursuant to annual reporting requirements and any other criteria the department considers necessary in evaluating the performance.

(2) The department may determine that a state agency is not in compliance with this section and direct that the agency's fleet management duties be transferred to the department.

(H) The proceeds derived from the disposition of any motor vehicles under this section shall be paid to whichever of the following applies:

(1) The fund that originally provided moneys for the purchase or lease of the motor vehicles;

(2) If the motor vehicles were originally purchased with moneys derived from the general revenue fund, the proceeds shall be deposited, in the director's discretion, into the state treasury for to the credit to of either the fleet management fund created by section 125.83 of the Revised Code or the investment recovery fund created by section 125.14 of the Revised Code.

(I)(1) The department shall create and maintain a certified fleet manager program.

(2) State agencies that have received delegated authority as described in division (G) of this section shall have a certified fleet manager.

(J) The department annually shall prepare and submit a statewide fleet report to the governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the president of the senate. The report shall be submitted not later than the thirty-first day of January following the end of each fiscal year. It may include, but is not limited to, the numbers and types of motor vehicles, their mileage, miles per gallon, and cost per mile, mileage reimbursements, accident and insurance data, and information regarding compliance by state agencies having delegated authority under division (G) of this section with applicable fleet management requirements.

(K) The director shall adopt rules for implementing the fleet management program that are consistent with recognized best practices. The program shall be supported by reasonable fee charges for the services provided. The director shall collect these fees and deposit them into the state treasury to the credit for the fleet management fund created by section 125.83 of the Revised Code. The setting and collection of fees under this division is not subject to any restriction imposed by law upon the director's or the department's authority to set or collect fees.

(L) The director also shall adopt rules that prohibit, except in very limited circumstances, the exclusive assignment of state-owned, leased, or pooled motor vehicles to state employees and that prohibit the reimbursement under section 126.31 of the Revised Code of state employees who use their own motor vehicles for any mileage they incur above an amount that the department shall determine annually unless reimbursement for the excess mileage is approved by the department in accordance with standards for that approval the director shall establish in those rules. Beginning on the effective date of this section September 26, 2003, no such state-owned, leased, or pooled motor vehicle shall be personally assigned as any form of compensation or benefit of state employment, and no such state-owned, leased, or pooled motor vehicle shall be assigned to an employee solely for commuting to and from home and work.

(M) The director shall do both of the following:

(1) Implement to the greatest extent possible the recommendations from the 2002 report entitled "Administrative Analysis of the Ohio Fleet Management Program" in connection with the authority granted to the department by this section;

(2) Attempt to reduce the number of passenger vehicles used by state agencies during the fiscal years ending on June 30, 2004, and June 30, 2005.

(N) Each state agency shall reimburse the department for all costs incurred in the assignment of motor vehicles to the state agency.

(O) The director shall do all of the following in managing the fleet management program:

(1) Determine how motor vehicles will be maintained, insured, operated, financed, and licensed;

(2) Pursuant to the formula in division (O)(3) of this section, annually establish the minimum number of business miles per year an employee of a state agency must drive in order to qualify for approval by the department to receive a motor vehicle for business use;

(3) Establish the minimum number of business miles per year at an amount that results when the annual motor vehicle cost is divided by the amount that is the reimbursement rate per mile minus the amount that is the sum of the fuel cost, the operating cost, and the insurance cost. As used in this division:

(a) "Annual motor vehicle cost" means the price of a motor vehicle divided by the number of years an average motor vehicle is used.

(b) "Fuel cost" means the average price per gallon of motor fuel divided by the miles per gallon fuel efficiency of a motor vehicle.

(c) "Insurance cost" means the cost of insuring a motor vehicle per year divided by the number of miles an average motor vehicle is driven per year.

(d) "Operating cost" means the maintenance cost of a motor vehicle per year divided by the product resulting when the number of miles an average motor vehicle is driven per year is multiplied by the number of years an average motor vehicle is used.

(e) "Reimbursement rate per mile" means the reimbursement per mile rate for travel expenses as provided by rule of the director of budget and management adopted under division (B) of section 126.31 of the Revised Code.

(P) Each state institution of higher education shall do all of the following relating to motor vehicles that the institution acquires and manages:

(1) Use the department's vehicle fleet management software system to track the motor vehicles;

(2) Use the department's fuel card program to purchase fuel for, or to pay for the maintenance of, the motor vehicles;

(3) Make bulk fuel purchases for the motor vehicles under the department's contract for those purchases.

Sec. 126.25.  The accounting and budgeting services provided by the director of budget and management shall be supported by user charges. The director shall determine a rate that is sufficient to defray the expense of those services and the manner by which those charges shall be collected. All money collected from user charges shall be deposited in the state treasury to the credit of the state accounting and budgeting fund, which is hereby created. Rebates or revenue shares received from any state payment card program established under division (B) of section 126.21 of the Revised Code and miscellaneous payments that reimburse expenses paid from the state accounting and budgeting fund may be deposited into the state accounting and budgeting fund and used to support accounting and budgeting services.

Sec. 127.16.  (A) Upon the request of either a state agency or the director of budget and management and after the controlling board determines that an emergency or a sufficient economic reason exists, the controlling board may approve the making of a purchase without competitive selection as provided in division (B) of this section.

(B) Except as otherwise provided in this section, no state agency, using money that has been appropriated to it directly, shall:

(1) Make any purchase from a particular supplier, that would amount to fifty thousand dollars or more when combined with both the amount of all disbursements to the supplier during the fiscal year for purchases made by the agency and the amount of all outstanding encumbrances for purchases made by the agency from the supplier, unless the purchase is made by competitive selection or with the approval of the controlling board;

(2) Lease real estate from a particular supplier, if the lease would amount to seventy-five thousand dollars or more when combined with both the amount of all disbursements to the supplier during the fiscal year for real estate leases made by the agency and the amount of all outstanding encumbrances for real estate leases made by the agency from the supplier, unless the lease is made by competitive selection or with the approval of the controlling board.

(C) Any person who authorizes a purchase in violation of division (B) of this section shall be liable to the state for any state funds spent on the purchase, and the attorney general shall collect the amount from the person.

(D) Nothing in division (B) of this section shall be construed as:

(1) A limitation upon the authority of the director of transportation as granted in sections 5501.17, 5517.02, and 5525.14 of the Revised Code;

(2) Applying to medicaid provider agreements under Chapter 5111. of the Revised Code or payments or provider agreements under the disability medical assistance program established under Chapter 5115. of the Revised Code;

(3) Applying to the purchase of examinations from a sole supplier by a state licensing board under Title XLVII of the Revised Code;

(4) Applying to entertainment contracts for the Ohio state fair entered into by the Ohio expositions commission, provided that the controlling board has given its approval to the commission to enter into such contracts and has approved a total budget amount for such contracts as agreed upon by commission action, and that the commission causes to be kept itemized records of the amounts of money spent under each contract and annually files those records with the clerk of the house of representatives and the clerk of the senate following the close of the fair;

(5) Limiting the authority of the chief of the division of mineral resources management to contract for reclamation work with an operator mining adjacent land as provided in section 1513.27 of the Revised Code;

(6) Applying to investment transactions and procedures of any state agency, except that the agency shall file with the board the name of any person with whom the agency contracts to make, broker, service, or otherwise manage its investments, as well as the commission, rate, or schedule of charges of such person with respect to any investment transactions to be undertaken on behalf of the agency. The filing shall be in a form and at such times as the board considers appropriate.

(7) Applying to purchases made with money for the per cent for arts program established by section 3379.10 of the Revised Code;

(8) Applying to purchases made by the rehabilitation services commission of services, or supplies, that are provided to persons with disabilities, or to purchases made by the commission in connection with the eligibility determinations it makes for applicants of programs administered by the social security administration;

(9) Applying to payments by the department of job and family services under section 5111.13 of the Revised Code for group health plan premiums, deductibles, coinsurance, and other cost-sharing expenses;

(10) Applying to any agency of the legislative branch of the state government;

(11) Applying to agreements or contracts entered into under section 5101.11, 5101.20, 5101.201, 5101.21, or 5101.214 of the Revised Code;

(12) Applying to purchases of services by the adult parole authority under section 2967.14 of the Revised Code or by the department of youth services under section 5139.08 of the Revised Code;

(13) Applying to dues or fees paid for membership in an organization or association;

(14) Applying to purchases of utility services pursuant to section 9.30 of the Revised Code;

(15) Applying to purchases made in accordance with rules adopted by the department of administrative services of motor vehicle, aviation, or watercraft fuel, or emergency repairs of such vehicles;

(16) Applying to purchases of tickets for passenger air transportation;

(17) Applying to purchases necessary to provide public notifications required by law or to provide notifications of job openings;

(18) Applying to the judicial branch of state government;

(19) Applying to purchases of liquor for resale by the division of liquor control;

(20) Applying to purchases of motor courier and freight services made in accordance with department of administrative services rules;

(21) Applying to purchases from the United States postal service and purchases of stamps and postal meter replenishment from vendors at rates established by the United States postal service;

(22) Applying to purchases of books, periodicals, pamphlets, newspapers, maintenance subscriptions, and other published materials;

(23) Applying to purchases from other state agencies, including state-assisted institutions of higher education;

(24) Limiting the authority of the director of environmental protection to enter into contracts under division (D) of section 3745.14 of the Revised Code to conduct compliance reviews, as defined in division (A) of that section;

(25) Applying to purchases from a qualified nonprofit agency pursuant to sections 4115.31 to 4115.35 of the Revised Code;

(26) Applying to payments by the department of job and family services to the United States department of health and human services for printing and mailing notices pertaining to the tax refund offset program of the internal revenue service of the United States department of the treasury;

(27) Applying to contracts entered into by the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities under sections 5123.18, 5123.182, and 5123.199 of the Revised Code;

(28) Applying to payments made by the department of mental health under a physician recruitment program authorized by section 5119.101 of the Revised Code;

(29) Applying to contracts entered into with persons by the director of commerce for unclaimed funds collection and remittance efforts as provided in division (F) of section 169.03 of the Revised Code. The director shall keep an itemized accounting of unclaimed funds collected by those persons and amounts paid to them for their services.

(30) Applying to purchases made by a state institution of higher education in accordance with the terms of a contract between the vendor and an inter-university purchasing group comprised of purchasing officers of state institutions of higher education;

(31) Applying to the department of job and family services' purchases of health assistance services under the children's health insurance program part I provided for under section 5101.50 of the Revised Code or the children's health insurance program part II provided for under section 5101.51 of the Revised Code;

(32) Applying to payments by the attorney general from the reparations fund to hospitals and other emergency medical facilities for performing medical examinations to collect physical evidence pursuant to section 2907.28 of the Revised Code;

(33) Applying to contracts with a contracting authority or administrative receiver under division (G)(2)(B) of section 5126.055 5126.056 of the Revised Code;

(34) Applying to reimbursements paid to the United States department of veterans affairs for pharmaceutical and patient supply purchases made on behalf of the Ohio veterans' home agency;

(35) Applying to agreements the department of job and family services enters into with terminal distributors of dangerous drugs under section 5110.12 of the Revised Code.

(E) Notwithstanding division (B)(1) of this section, the cumulative purchase threshold shall be seventy-five thousand dollars for the departments of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, mental health, rehabilitation and correction, and youth services.

(F) When determining whether a state agency has reached the cumulative purchase thresholds established in divisions (B)(1), (B)(2), and (E) of this section, all of the following purchases by such agency shall not be considered:

(1) Purchases made through competitive selection or with controlling board approval;

(2) Purchases listed in division (D) of this section;

(3) For the purposes of the thresholds of divisions (B)(1) and (E) of this section only, leases of real estate.

(G) As used in this section, "competitive selection," "purchase," "supplies," and "services" have the same meanings as in section 125.01 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 131.02. (A) Whenever any amount is payable to the state, the officer, employee, or agent responsible for administering the law under which the amount is payable shall immediately proceed to collect the amount or cause the amount to be collected and shall pay the amount into the state treasury or into the appropriate custodial fund in the manner set forth pursuant to section 113.08 of the Revised Code. If Except as otherwise provided in this division, if the amount is not paid within forty-five days after payment is due, the officer, employee, or agent shall certify the amount due to the attorney general, in the form and manner prescribed by the attorney general, and notify the director of budget and management thereof. In the case of an amount payable by a student enrolled in a state institution of higher education, the amount shall be certified within the later of forty-five days after the amount is due or the tenth day after the beginning of the next academic semester, quarter, or other session following the session for which the payment is payable. The attorney general may assess the collection cost to the amount certified in such manner and amount as prescribed by the attorney general.

For the purposes of this section, a payment is due at the time provided in divisions (A)(1) to (9) of this section. If more than one division applies to a payment, the payment is due at the earliest of the applicable times.

(1) If a law, including an administrative rule, of this state prescribes the time a payment is required to be made or reported, when the payment is required by that law to be paid or reported.

(2) If the payment is for services rendered, when the rendering of the services is completed.

(3) If the payment is reimbursement for a loss, when the loss is incurred.

(4) In the case of a fine or penalty for which a law or administrative rule does not prescribe a time for payment, when the fine or penalty is first assessed.

(5) If the payment arises from a legal finding, judgment, or adjudication order, when the finding, judgment, or order is rendered or issued.

(6) If the payment arises from an overpayment of money by the state to another person, when the overpayment is discovered.

(7) The date on which the amount for which an individual is personally liable under section 5735.35, section 5739.33, or division (G) of section 5747.07 of the Revised Code is determined.

(8) Upon proof of claim being filed in a bankruptcy case.

(9) Any other appropriate time determined by the officer, employee, or agent responsible for administering the law under which the amount is payable on the basis of statutory requirements or ordinary business processes of the state agency to which the payment is owed.

(B)(1) The attorney general shall give immediate notice by mail or otherwise to the party indebted of the nature and amount of the indebtedness.

(2) If the amount payable to this state arises from a tax levied under Chapter 5733., 5739., 5741., or 5747. of the Revised Code, the notice also shall specify all of the following:

(a) The assessment or case number;

(b) The tax pursuant to which the assessment is made;

(c) The reason for the liability, including, if applicable, that a penalty or interest is due;

(d) An explanation of how and when interest will be added to the amount assessed;

(e) That the attorney general and tax commissioner, acting together, have the authority, but are not required, to compromise the claim and accept payment over a reasonable time, if such actions are in the best interest of the state.

(C) The attorney general shall collect the claim or secure a judgment and issue an execution for its collection.

(D) Each claim shall bear interest, from the day on which the claim became due, at the rate per annum required by section 5703.47 of the Revised Code.

(E) The attorney general and the chief officer of the agency reporting a claim, acting together, may do any of the following if such action is in the best interests of the state:

(1) Compromise the claim;

(2) Extend for a reasonable period the time for payment of the claim by agreeing to accept monthly or other periodic payments. The agreement may require security for payment of the claim.

(3) Add fees to recover the cost of processing checks or other draft instruments returned for insufficient funds and the cost of providing electronic payment options.

(F)(1) Except as provided in division (F)(2) of this section, if the attorney general finds, after investigation, that any claim due and owing to the state is uncollectible, the attorney general, with the consent of the chief officer of the agency reporting the claim, may do the following:

(a) Sell, convey, or otherwise transfer the claim to one or more private entities for collection;

(b) Cancel the claim or cause it to be cancelled.

(2) The attorney general shall cancel or cause to be cancelled an unsatisfied claim on the date that is forty years after the date the claim is certified.

Sec. 131.022.  (A) As used in this section:

(1) "Final overdue claim" means a claim that has been certified to the attorney general under section 131.02 of the Revised Code, that has been final for at least one year, and for which no arrangements have been made for the payment thereof or, if such arrangements have been made, the person owing the claim has failed to comply with the terms of the arrangement for more than thirty days.

"Final overdue claim" includes collection costs incurred with respect to such a claim and assessed by the attorney general under division (A) of section 131.02 of the Revised Code, interest accreting to the claim under division (D) of that section, and fees added under division (E)(3) of that section.

(2) "Final" means a claim has been finalized under the law providing for the imposition or determination of the amount due, and any time provided for appeal of the amount, legality, or validity of the claim has expired without an appeal having been filed in the manner provided by law. "Final" includes, but is not limited to, a final determination of the tax commissioner for which the time for appeal has expired without a notice of appeal having been filed.

(B) One year after a final overdue claim is certified to the attorney general, the attorney general may sell or otherwise transfer the claim to any person. If the claim is to be sold, it may be sold by private negotiated sale or at public auction conducted by the attorney general or a designee, as is most likely, in the opinion of the attorney general, to yield the most favorable return on the sale. For the purposes of this division, a public auction includes an auction conducted electronically whereby bids are solicited and received via the internet and the solicitation is open to the public.

(C) The attorney general may consolidate any number of final overdue claims for sale under this section.

(D) Not less than sixty days before first offering a final overdue claim for sale, the attorney general shall provide written notice, by ordinary mail, to the person owing the claim at that person's last known mailing address. The notice shall state the following:

(1) The nature and amount of the claim;

(2) The manner in which the person may contact the office of the attorney general to arrange terms for payment of the claim;

(3) That if the person does not contact the office of the attorney general within sixty days after the date the notice is issued and arrange terms for payment of the claim:

(a) The claim will be offered for sale to a private party for collection by that party by any legal means;

(b) The person is deemed to be denied any right to seek and obtain a refund of any amount from which the claim arises if the applicable law otherwise allows for such a refund;

(c) The person is deemed to waive any right the person may have to confidentiality of information regarding the claim to the extent confidentiality is provided under any other section of the Revised Code.

(E) Upon the sale or transfer of a final overdue claim under this section, the claim becomes the property of the purchaser or transferee, and may be sold or otherwise transferred by that person to any other person or otherwise disposed of. The owner of the claim is entitled to all proceeds from the collection of the claim. Purchasers or transferees of a final overdue claim are subject to any applicable laws governing collection of debts of the kind represented by the claim.

(F) Upon the sale or transfer of a final overdue claim under this section, no refund shall be issued or paid to the person owing the claim for any part of the amount from which the claim arises.

(G) Notwithstanding any other section of the Revised Code, the attorney general, solely for the purpose of effecting the sale or transfer of a final overdue claim under this section, may disclose information about the person owing the claim that otherwise would be confidential under a section of the Revised Code, and the person shall have no right of action against such disclosure to the extent such a right is available under that section.

(H) The authority granted under this section is supplemental to the authority granted under section 131.02 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 131.23.  The various political subdivisions of this state may issue bonds, and any indebtedness created by such issuance shall not be subject to the limitations or included in the calculation of indebtedness prescribed by sections 133.05, 133.06, 133.07, and 133.09 of the Revised Code, but such bonds may be issued only under the following conditions:

(A) The subdivision desiring to issue such bonds shall obtain from the county auditor a certificate showing the total amount of delinquent taxes due and unpayable to such subdivision at the last semiannual tax settlement.

(B) The fiscal officer of that subdivision shall prepare a statement, from the books of the subdivision, verified by the fiscal officer under oath, which shall contain the following facts of such subdivision:

(1) The total bonded indebtedness;

(2) The aggregate amount of notes payable or outstanding accounts of the subdivision, incurred prior to the commencement of the current fiscal year, which shall include all evidences of indebtedness issued by the subdivision except notes issued in anticipation of bond issues and the indebtedness of any nontax-supported public utility;

(3) Except in the case of school districts, the aggregate current year's requirement for disability financial assistance and disability medical assistance provided under Chapter 5115. of the Revised Code that the subdivision is unable to finance except by the issue of bonds;

(4) The indebtedness outstanding through the issuance of any bonds or notes pledged or obligated to be paid by any delinquent taxes;

(5) The total of any other indebtedness;

(6) The net amount of delinquent taxes unpledged to pay any bonds, notes, or certificates, including delinquent assessments on improvements on which the bonds have been paid;

(7) The budget requirements for the fiscal year for bond and note retirement;

(8) The estimated revenue for the fiscal year.

(C) The certificate and statement provided for in divisions (A) and (B) of this section shall be forwarded to the tax commissioner together with a request for authority to issue bonds of such subdivision in an amount not to exceed seventy per cent of the net unobligated delinquent taxes and assessments due and owing to such subdivision, as set forth in division (B)(6) of this section.

(D) No subdivision may issue bonds under this section in excess of a sufficient amount to pay the indebtedness of the subdivision as shown by division (B)(2) of this section and, except in the case of school districts, to provide funds for disability financial assistance and disability medical assistance, as shown by division (B)(3) of this section.

(E) The tax commissioner shall grant to such subdivision authority requested by such subdivision as restricted by divisions (C) and (D) of this section and shall make a record of the certificate, statement, and grant in a record book devoted solely to such recording and which shall be open to inspection by the public.

(F) The commissioner shall immediately upon issuing the authority provided in division (E) of this section notify the proper authority having charge of the retirement of bonds of such subdivision by forwarding a copy of such grant of authority and of the statement provided for in division (B) of this section.

(G) Upon receipt of authority, the subdivision shall proceed according to law to issue the amount of bonds authorized by the commissioner, and authorized by the taxing authority, provided the taxing authority of that subdivision may by resolution submit to the electors of that subdivision the question of issuing such bonds. Such resolution shall make the declarations and statements required by section 133.18 of the Revised Code. The county auditor and taxing authority shall thereupon proceed as set forth in divisions (C) and (D) of such section. The election on the question of issuing such bonds shall be held under divisions (E), (F), and (G) of such section, except that publication of the notice of such election shall be made on four separate days prior to such election in one or more newspapers of general circulation in the subdivisions. Such bonds may be exchanged at their face value with creditors of the subdivision in liquidating the indebtedness described and enumerated in division (B)(2) of this section or may be sold as provided in Chapter 133. of the Revised Code, and in either event shall be uncontestable.

(H) The per cent of delinquent taxes and assessments collected for and to the credit of the subdivision after the exchange or sale of bonds as certified by the commissioner shall be paid to the authority having charge of the sinking fund of the subdivision, which money shall be placed in a separate fund for the purpose of retiring the bonds so issued. The proper authority of the subdivisions shall provide for the levying of a tax sufficient in amount to pay the debt charges on all such bonds issued under this section.

(I) This section is for the sole purpose of assisting the various subdivisions in paying their unsecured indebtedness, and providing funds for disability financial assistance and disability medical assistance. The bonds issued under authority of this section shall not be used for any other purpose and any exchange for other purposes, or the use of the money derived from the sale of such bonds by the subdivision for any other purpose, is misapplication of funds.

(J) The bonds authorized by this section shall be redeemable or payable in not to exceed ten years from date of issue and shall not be subject to or considered in calculating the net indebtedness of the subdivision. The budget commission of the county in which the subdivision is located shall annually allocate such portion of the then delinquent levy due such subdivision which is unpledged for other purposes to the payment of debt charges on the bonds issued under authority of this section.

(K) The issue of bonds under this section shall be governed by Chapter 133. of the Revised Code, respecting the terms used, forms, manner of sale, and redemption except as otherwise provided in this section.

The board of county commissioners of any county may issue bonds authorized by this section and distribute the proceeds of such bond issues to any or all of the cities and townships of such counties, according to their relative needs for disability financial assistance and disability medical assistance as determined by such county.

All sections of the Revised Code inconsistent with or prohibiting the exercise of the authority conferred by this section are inoperative respecting bonds issued under this section.

Sec. 131.46.  There is hereby created in the state treasury the tax rate stabilization fund. The tax rate stabilization fund shall receive transfers of funds pursuant to sections 5751.033 and 5751.034 of the Revised Code. It is the intent of the general assembly that the funds received into the tax rate stabilization fund be used for purposes of permanently reducing the rates of tax that apply to individuals with respect to the tax levied under section 5747.02 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 133.09.  (A) Unless it is a township that has adopted a limited home rule government under Chapter 504. of the Revised Code, a township shall not incur net indebtedness that exceeds an amount equal to five per cent of its tax valuation and, except as specifically authorized by section 505.262 of the Revised Code or other laws, shall not incur any net indebtedness unless authorized by vote of the electors.

(B) A township that has adopted a limited home rule government under Chapter 504. of the Revised Code shall not incur net indebtedness that exceeds an amount equal to ten and one-half per cent of its tax valuation, or incur without a vote of the electors net indebtedness that exceeds an amount equal to five and one-half per cent of that tax valuation. In calculating the net indebtedness of a township that has adopted a limited home rule government, none of the following securities shall be considered:

(1) Self-supporting securities issued for any purpose;

(2) Securities issued for the purpose of purchasing, constructing, improving, or extending water or sanitary or surface and storm water sewerage systems or facilities, or a combination of those systems or facilities, to the extent that an agreement entered into with another subdivision requires the other subdivision to pay to the township amounts equivalent to debt charges on the securities;

(3) Securities that are not general obligations of the township;

(4) Voted securities issued for the purposes of redevelopment to the extent that their principal amount does not exceed an amount equal to two per cent of the tax valuation of the township;

(5) Securities issued for the purpose of acquiring or constructing roads, highways, bridges, or viaducts, or for the purpose of acquiring or making other highway permanent improvements, to the extent that the resolution of the board of township trustees authorizing the issuance of the securities includes a covenant to appropriate from money distributed to the township under Chapter 4501., 4503., 4504., or 5735. of the Revised Code a sufficient amount to cover debt charges on and financing costs relating to the securities as they become due;

(6) Securities issued for energy conservation measures under section 505.264 of the Revised Code.

(C) In calculating the net indebtedness of any township, no obligation incurred under division (B) of section 513.17 or under section 505.261, 505.264, 505.265, 505.267, or 505.37 of the Revised Code, or in connection with a project undertaken pursuant to section 5540.032 of the Revised Code, shall be considered.

Sec. 140.01.  As used in this chapter:

(A) "Hospital agency" means any public hospital agency or any nonprofit hospital agency.

(B) "Public hospital agency" means any county, board of county hospital trustees established pursuant to section 339.02 of the Revised Code, county hospital commission established pursuant to section 339.14 of the Revised Code, municipal corporation, new community authority organized under Chapter 349. of the Revised Code, joint township hospital district, state or municipal university or college operating or authorized to operate a hospital facility, or the state.

(C) "Nonprofit hospital agency" means a corporation or association not for profit, no part of the net earnings of which inures or may lawfully inure to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual, that has authority to own or operate a hospital facility or provides or is to provide services to one or more other hospital agencies.

(D) "Governing body" means, in the case of a county, the board of county commissioners or other legislative body; in the case of a board of county hospital trustees, the board; in the case of a county hospital commission, the commission; in the case of a municipal corporation, the council or other legislative authority; in the case of a new community authority, its board of trustees; in the case of a joint township hospital district, the joint township district hospital board; in the case of a state or municipal university or college, its board of trustees or board of directors; in the case of a nonprofit hospital agency, the board of trustees or other body having general management of the agency; and, in the case of the state, the director of development or the Ohio higher educational facility commission.

(E) "Hospital facilities" means buildings, structures and other improvements, additions thereto and extensions thereof, furnishings, equipment, and real estate and interests in real estate, used or to be used for or in connection with one or more hospitals, emergency, intensive, intermediate, extended, long-term, or self-care facilities, diagnostic and treatment and out-patient facilities, facilities related to programs for home health services, clinics, laboratories, public health centers, research facilities, and rehabilitation facilities, for or pertaining to diagnosis, treatment, care, or rehabilitation of sick, ill, injured, infirm, impaired, disabled, or handicapped persons, or the prevention, detection, and control of disease, and also includes education, training, and food service facilities for health professions personnel, housing facilities for such personnel and their families, and parking and service facilities in connection with any of the foregoing; and includes any one, part of, or any combination of the foregoing; and further includes site improvements, utilities, machinery, facilities, furnishings, and any separate or connected buildings, structures, improvements, sites, utilities, facilities, or equipment to be used in, or in connection with the operation or maintenance of, or supplementing or otherwise related to the services or facilities to be provided by, any one or more of such hospital facilities.

(F) "Costs of hospital facilities" means the costs of acquiring hospital facilities or interests in hospital facilities, including membership interests in nonprofit hospital agencies, costs of constructing hospital facilities, costs of improving one or more hospital facilities, including reconstructing, rehabilitating, remodeling, renovating, and enlarging, costs of equipping and furnishing such facilities, and all financing costs pertaining thereto, including, without limitation thereto, costs of engineering, architectural, and other professional services, designs, plans, specifications and surveys, and estimates of cost, costs of tests and inspections, the costs of any indemnity or surety bonds and premiums on insurance, all related direct or allocable administrative expenses pertaining thereto, fees and expenses of trustees, depositories, and paying agents for the obligations, cost of issuance of the obligations and financing charges and fees and expenses of financial advisors, attorneys, accountants, consultants and rating services in connection therewith, capitalized interest on the obligations, amounts necessary to establish reserves as required by the bond proceedings, the reimbursement of all moneys advanced or applied by the hospital agency or others or borrowed from others for the payment of any item or items of costs of such facilities, and all other expenses necessary or incident to planning or determining feasibility or practicability with respect to such facilities, and such other expenses as may be necessary or incident to the acquisition, construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, remodeling, renovation, enlargement, improvement, equipment, and furnishing of such facilities, the financing thereof, and the placing of the same in use and operation, including any one, part of, or combination of such classes of costs and expenses, and means the costs of refinancing obligations issued by, or reimbursement of money advanced by, nonprofit hospital agencies or others the proceeds of which were used for the payment of costs of hospital facilities, if the governing body of the public hospital agency determines that the refinancing or reimbursement advances the purposes of this chapter, whether or not the refinancing or reimbursement is in conjunction with the acquisition or construction of additional hospital facilities.

(G) "Hospital receipts" means all moneys received by or on behalf of a hospital agency from or in connection with the ownership, operation, acquisition, construction, improvement, equipping, or financing of any hospital facilities, including, without limitation thereto, any rentals and other moneys received from the lease, sale, or other disposition of hospital facilities, and any gifts, grants, interest subsidies, or other moneys received under any federal program for assistance in financing the costs of hospital facilities, and any other gifts, grants, and donations, and receipts therefrom, available for financing the costs of hospital facilities.

(H) "Obligations" means bonds, notes, or other evidences of indebtedness or obligation, including interest coupons pertaining thereto, issued or issuable by a public hospital agency to pay costs of hospital facilities.

(I) "Bond service charges" means principal, interest, and call premium, if any, required to be paid on obligations.

(J) "Bond proceedings" means one or more ordinances, resolutions, trust agreements, indentures, and other agreements or documents, and amendments and supplements to the foregoing, or any combination thereof, authorizing or providing for the terms, including any variable interest rates, and conditions applicable to, or providing for the security of, obligations and the provisions contained in such obligations.

(K) "Nursing home" has the same meaning as in division (A)(1) of section 5701.13 of the Revised Code.

(L) "Residential care facility" has the same meaning as in division (A)(2) of section 5701.13 of the Revised Code.

(M) "Adult care facility" has the same meaning as in division (A)(3) of section 5701.13 of the Revised Code.

(N) "Independent living facility" means any self-care facility or other housing facility designed or used as a residence for elderly persons. An "independent living facility" does not include a residential facility, or that part of a residential facility, that is any of the following:

(1) A hospital required to be certified by section 3727.02 of the Revised Code;

(2) A nursing home or residential care facility;

(3) An adult care facility;

(4) A hospice licensed under section 3712.04 of the Revised Code;

(5) A habilitation center as defined in section 5123.041 of the Revised Code;

(6) A residential facility for the mentally ill licensed by the department of mental health under section 5119.22 of the Revised Code;

(7)(6) A facility licensed to provide methadone treatment under section 3793.11 of the Revised Code;

(8)(7) A facility certified as an alcohol and drug addiction program under section 3793.06 of the Revised Code;

(9)(8) A residential facility licensed under section 5123.19 of the Revised Code or a facility providing services under a contract with the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities under section 5123.18 of the Revised Code;

(10)(9) A residential facility used as part of a hospital to provide housing for staff of the hospital or students pursuing a course of study at the hospital.

Sec. 140.08.  (A) Except as otherwise provided in divisions division (B)(1) and (2) of this section, all hospital facilities purchased, acquired, constructed, or owned by a public hospital agency, or financed in whole or in part by obligations issued by a public hospital agency, and used, or to be used when completed, as hospital facilities, and the income therefrom, are exempt from all taxation within this state, including ad valorem and excise taxes, notwithstanding any other provisions of law, and hospital agencies are exempt from taxes levied under Chapters 5739. and 5741. of the Revised Code. The obligations issued hereafter under section 133.08, 140.06, or 339.15 of the Revised Code or Section 3 of Article XVIII, Ohio Constitution, to pay costs of hospital facilities or to refund such obligations, and the transfer thereof, and the interest and other income from such obligations, including any profit made on the sale thereof, is free from taxation within the state.

(B)(1) Division (A) of this section does not exempt independent living facilities from taxes levied on property or taxes levied under Chapters 5739. and 5741. of the Revised Code. If an independent living facility or part of such facility becomes an adult care facility, nursing home, or residential care facility on or after January 10, 1991, that part of the independent living facility that is an adult care facility, nursing home, or residential care facility is exempt from taxation subject to division (B)(2) of this section on and after the date it becomes an adult care facility, nursing home, or residential care facility.

(2) Division (A) of this section exempts nursing homes, residential care facilities, and adult care facilities from taxes levied on property and taxes levied under Chapters 5739. and 5741. of the Revised Code only until all obligations issued to finance such homes or facilities, or all refunding or series of refundings of those obligations, are redeemed or otherwise retired.

(3) Nothing in division (A) of this section exempts any person subject to this section from the tax levied by Chapter 5751. of the Revised Code, but the tax shall be based solely on those gross receipts that contribute to such person's unrelated business income under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, 100 Stat. 2085, 26 U.S.C. 1, as amended.

Sec. 141.011.  Beginning in calendar year 2001, the annual salaries of the elective officers of the state shall be as follows rather than as prescribed by divisions (A) to (F) of section 141.01 of the Revised Code:

(A)(1) In calendar year 2001 the annual salary of the governor shall be one hundred twenty-six thousand four hundred ninety-seven dollars.

(2) In calendar years 2002 through 2006 the annual salary of the governor shall be one hundred thirty thousand two hundred ninety-two dollars.

(3) In calendar year 2007 the annual salary of the governor shall be the annual salary in 2006 increased by each of the following percentages in succession:

(a) The lesser of three per cent or the percentage increase, if any, in the consumer price index from October 1, 2001, to September 30, 2002, rounded to the nearest one-tenth of one per cent;

(b) The lesser of three per cent or the percentage increase, if any, in the consumer price index from October 1, 2002, to September 30, 2003, rounded to the nearest one-tenth of one per cent;

(c) The lesser of three per cent or the percentage increase, if any, in the consumer price index from October 1, 2003, to September 30, 2004, rounded to the nearest one-tenth of one per cent;

(d) The lesser of three per cent or the percentage increase, if any, in the consumer price index from October 1, 2004, to September 30, 2005, rounded to the nearest one-tenth of one per cent;

(e) The lesser of three per cent or the percentage increase, if any, in the consumer price index from October 1, 2005, to September 30, 2006, rounded to the nearest one-tenth of one per cent.

(4) In calendar year 2008 and thereafter, the annual salary of the governor shall be the annual salary in 2007 increased by the lesser of the following:

(a) Three per cent;

(b) The percentage increase, if any, in the consumer price index from October 1, 2006, to September 30, 2007, rounded to the nearest one-tenth of one per cent.

(B)(1) In calendar year 2001 the annual salary of the lieutenant governor shall be sixty-six thousand three hundred six dollars.

(2) In calendar years 2002 through 2006 the annual salary of the lieutenant governor shall be sixty-eight thousand two hundred ninety-five dollars.

(3) In calendar year 2007 the annual salary of the lieutenant governor shall be the annual salary in 2006 increased by each of the following percentages in succession:

(a) The lesser of three per cent or the percentage increase, if any, in the consumer price index from October 1, 2001, to September 30, 2002, rounded to the nearest one-tenth of one per cent;

(b) The lesser of three per cent or the percentage increase, if any, in the consumer price index from October 1, 2002, to September 30, 2003, rounded to the nearest one-tenth of one per cent;

(c) The lesser of three per cent or the percentage increase, if any, in the consumer price index from October 1, 2003, to September 30, 2004, rounded to the nearest one-tenth of one per cent;

(d) The lesser of three per cent or the percentage increase, if any, in the consumer price index from October 1, 2004, to September 30, 2005, rounded to the nearest one-tenth of one per cent;

(e) The lesser of three per cent or the percentage increase, if any, in the consumer price index from October 1, 2005, to September 30, 2006, rounded to the nearest one-tenth of one per cent.

(4) In calendar year 2008 and thereafter, the annual salary of the lieutenant governor shall be the annual salary in 2007 increased by the lesser of the following:

(a) Three per cent;

(b) The percentage increase, if any, in the consumer price index from October 1, 2006 to September 30, 2007, rounded to the nearest one-tenth of one per cent.

If the governor appoints the lieutenant governor as an administrative department head or as the director of the office of criminal justice services under section 108.05 of the Revised Code, the lieutenant governor may accept the salary for that office while serving as its head in lieu of the salary for the office of lieutenant governor.

(C)(1) In calendar year 2001 the annual salary of the secretary of state, auditor of state, treasurer of state, and attorney general shall be ninety-three thousand four hundred forty-seven dollars.

(2) In calendar year 2002 the annual salary of the secretary of state, auditor of state, treasurer of state, and attorney general shall be ninety-six thousand two hundred fifty dollars.

(3) In each calendar year from 2003 through 2008, the annual salary of the secretary of state, auditor of state, treasurer of state, and attorney general shall be increased by the lesser of the following:

(a) Three per cent;

(b) The percentage increase, if any, in the consumer price index over the twelve-month period that ends on the thirtieth day of September of the immediately preceding year, rounded to the nearest one-tenth of one per cent.

(D) Upon the death of an elected executive officer of the state listed in divisions (A) to (F) of section 141.01 of the Revised Code during that person's term of office, an amount shall be paid in accordance with section 2113.04 of the Revised Code, or to that person's estate. The amount shall equal the amount of the salary that the officer would have received during the remainder of the officer's unexpired term or an amount equal to the salary of that person's office for two years, whichever is less.

(E) As used in this section, "consumer price index" has the same meaning as in section 101.27 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 141.04.  (A) The annual salaries of the chief justice of the supreme court and of the justices and judges named in this section payable from the state treasury are as follows, rounded to the nearest fifty dollars:

(1) For the chief justice of the supreme court, the following amounts effective in the following years:

(a) Beginning January 1, 2000, one hundred twenty-four thousand nine hundred dollars;

(b) Beginning January 1, 2001, one hundred twenty-eight thousand six hundred fifty dollars;

(c) After 2001, the amount determined under division (E)(1) of this section.

(2) For the justices of the supreme court, the following amounts effective in the following years:

(a) Beginning January 1, 2000, one hundred seventeen thousand two hundred fifty dollars;

(b) Beginning January 1, 2001, one hundred twenty thousand seven hundred fifty dollars;

(c) After 2001, the amount determined under division (E)(1) of this section.

(3) For the judges of the courts of appeals, the following amounts effective in the following years:

(a) Beginning January 1, 2000, one hundred nine thousand two hundred fifty dollars;

(b) Beginning January 1, 2001, one hundred twelve thousand five hundred fifty dollars;

(c) After 2001, the amount determined under division (E)(1) of this section.

(4) For the judges of the courts of common pleas, the following amounts effective in the following years:

(a) Beginning January 1, 2000, one hundred thousand five hundred dollars, reduced by an amount equal to the annual compensation paid to that judge from the county treasury pursuant to section 141.05 of the Revised Code;

(b) Beginning January 1, 2001, one hundred three thousand five hundred dollars, reduced by an amount equal to the annual compensation paid to that judge from the county treasury pursuant to section 141.05 of the Revised Code;

(c) After 2001, the aggregate annual salary amount determined under division (E)(2) of this section reduced by an amount equal to the annual compensation paid to that judge from the county treasury pursuant to section 141.05 of the Revised Code.

(5) For the full-time judges of a municipal court or the part-time judges of a municipal court of a territory having a population of more than fifty thousand, the following amounts effective in the following years, which amounts shall be in addition to all amounts received pursuant to divisions (B)(1)(a) and (2) of section 1901.11 of the Revised Code from municipal corporations and counties:

(a) Beginning January 1, 2000, thirty-two thousand six hundred fifty dollars;

(b) Beginning January 1, 2001, thirty-five thousand five hundred dollars;

(c) After 2001, the amount determined under division (E)(3) of this section.

(6) For judges of a municipal court designated as part-time judges by section 1901.08 of the Revised Code, other than part-time judges to whom division (A)(5) of this section applies, and for judges of a county court, the following amounts effective in the following years, which amounts shall be in addition to any amounts received pursuant to division (A) of section 1901.11 of the Revised Code from municipal corporations and counties or pursuant to division (A) of section 1907.16 of the Revised Code from counties:

(a) Beginning January 1, 2000, eighteen thousand eight hundred dollars;

(b) Beginning January 1, 2001, twenty thousand four hundred fifty dollars;

(c) After 2001, the amount determined under division (E)(4) of this section.

(B) Except as provided in section 1901.121 of the Revised Code, except as otherwise provided in this division, and except for the compensation to which the judges described in division (A)(5) of this section are entitled pursuant to divisions (B)(1)(a) and (2) of section 1901.11 of the Revised Code, the annual salary of the chief justice of the supreme court and of each justice or judge listed in division (A) of this section shall be paid in equal monthly installments from the state treasury. If the chief justice of the supreme court or any justice or judge listed in division (A)(2), (3), or (4) of this section delivers a written request to be paid biweekly to the administrative director of the supreme court prior to the first day of January of any year, the annual salary of the chief justice or the justice or judge that is listed in division (A)(2), (3), or (4) of this section shall be paid, during the year immediately following the year in which the request is delivered to the administrative director of the supreme court, biweekly from the state treasury.

(C) Upon the death of the chief justice or a justice of the supreme court during that person's term of office, an amount shall be paid in accordance with section 2113.04 of the Revised Code, or to that person's estate. The amount shall equal the amount of the salary that the chief justice or justice would have received during the remainder of the unexpired term or an amount equal to the salary of office for two years, whichever is less.

(D) Neither the chief justice of the supreme court nor any justice or judge of the supreme court, the court of appeals, the court of common pleas, or the probate court shall hold any other office of trust or profit under the authority of this state or the United States.

(E)(1) Each calendar year from 2002 through 2008, the annual salaries of the chief justice of the supreme court and of the justices and judges named in divisions (A)(2) and (3) of this section shall be increased by an amount equal to the adjustment percentage for that year multiplied by the compensation paid the preceding year pursuant to division (A)(1), (2), or (3) of this section.

(2) Each calendar year from 2002 through 2008, the aggregate annual salary payable under division (A)(4) of this section to the judges named in that division shall be increased by an amount equal to the adjustment percentage for that year multiplied by the aggregate compensation paid the preceding year pursuant to division (A)(4) of this section and section 141.05 of the Revised Code.

(3) Each calendar year from 2002 through 2008, the salary payable from the state treasury under division (A)(5) of this section to the judges named in that division shall be increased by an amount equal to the adjustment percentage for that year multiplied by the aggregate compensation paid the preceding year pursuant to division (A)(5) of this section and division (B)(1)(a) of section 1901.11 of the Revised Code.

(4) Each calendar year from 2002 through 2008, the salary payable from the state treasury under division (A)(6) of this section to the judges named in that division shall be increased by an amount equal to the adjustment percentage for that year multiplied by the aggregate compensation paid the preceding year pursuant to division (A)(6) of this section and division (A) of section 1901.11 of the Revised Code from municipal corporations and counties or division (A) of section 1907.16 of the Revised Code from counties.

(F) In addition to the salaries payable pursuant to this section, the chief justice of the supreme court and the justices of the supreme court shall be entitled to a vehicle allowance of five hundred dollars per month, payable from the state treasury. The allowance shall be increased on the first day of January of each odd numbered year by an amount equal to the percentage increase, if any, in the consumer price index for the immediately preceding twenty-four month period for which information is available.

(G) As used in this section:

(1) The "adjustment percentage" for a year is the lesser of the following:

(a) Three per cent;

(b) The percentage increase, if any, in the consumer price index over the twelve-month period that ends on the thirtieth day of September of the immediately preceding year, rounded to the nearest one-tenth of one per cent.

(2) "Consumer price index" has the same meaning as in section 101.27 of the Revised Code.

(3) "Salary" does not include any portion of the cost, premium, or charge for health, medical, hospital, dental, or surgical benefits, or any combination of those benefits, covering the chief justice of the supreme court or a justice or judge named in this section and paid on the chief justice's or the justice's or judge's behalf by a governmental entity.

Sec. 145.01.  As used in this chapter:

(A) "Public employee" means:

(1) Any person holding an office, not elective, under the state or any county, township, municipal corporation, park district, conservancy district, sanitary district, health district, metropolitan housing authority, state retirement board, Ohio historical society, public library, county law library, union cemetery, joint hospital, institutional commissary, state university, or board, bureau, commission, council, committee, authority, or administrative body as the same are, or have been, created by action of the general assembly or by the legislative authority of any of the units of local government named in division (A)(1) of this section, or employed and paid in whole or in part by the state or any of the authorities named in division (A)(1) of this section in any capacity not covered by section 742.01, 3307.01, 3309.01, or 5505.01 of the Revised Code.

(2) A person who is a member of the public employees retirement system and who continues to perform the same or similar duties under the direction of a contractor who has contracted to take over what before the date of the contract was a publicly operated function. The governmental unit with which the contract has been made shall be deemed the employer for the purposes of administering this chapter.

(3) Any person who is an employee of a public employer, notwithstanding that the person's compensation for that employment is derived from funds of a person or entity other than the employer. Credit for such service shall be included as total service credit, provided that the employee makes the payments required by this chapter, and the employer makes the payments required by sections 145.48 and 145.51 of the Revised Code.

(4) A person who elects in accordance with section 145.015 of the Revised Code to remain a contributing member of the public employees retirement system.

In all cases of doubt, the public employees retirement board shall determine whether any person is a public employee, and its decision is final.

(B) "Member" means any public employee, other than a public employee excluded or exempted from membership in the retirement system by section 145.03, 145.031, 145.032, 145.033, 145.034, 145.035, or 145.38 of the Revised Code. "Member" includes a PERS retirant who becomes a member under division (C) of section 145.38 of the Revised Code. "Member" also includes a disability benefit recipient.

(C) "Head of the department" means the elective or appointive head of the several executive, judicial, and administrative departments, institutions, boards, and commissions of the state and local government as the same are created and defined by the laws of this state or, in case of a charter government, by that charter.

(D) "Employer" or "public employer" means the state or any county, township, municipal corporation, park district, conservancy district, sanitary district, health district, metropolitan housing authority, state retirement board, Ohio historical society, public library, county law library, union cemetery, joint hospital, institutional commissary, state medical college, state university, or board, bureau, commission, council, committee, authority, or administrative body as the same are, or have been, created by action of the general assembly or by the legislative authority of any of the units of local government named in this division not covered by section 742.01, 3307.01, 3309.01, or 5505.01 of the Revised Code. In addition, "employer" means the employer of any public employee.

(E) "Prior service" means all service as a public employee rendered before January 1, 1935, and all service as an employee of any employer who comes within the state teachers retirement system or of the school employees retirement system or of any other retirement system established under the laws of this state rendered prior to January 1, 1935, provided that if the employee claiming the service was employed in any capacity covered by that other system after that other system was established, credit for the service may be allowed by the public employees retirement system only when the employee has made payment, to be computed on the salary earned from the date of appointment to the date membership was established in the public employees retirement system, at the rate in effect at the time of payment, and the employer has made payment of the corresponding full liability as provided by section 145.44 of the Revised Code. "Prior service" also means all service credited for active duty with the armed forces of the United States as provided in section 145.30 of the Revised Code.

If an employee who has been granted prior service credit by the public employees retirement system for service rendered prior to January 1, 1935, as an employee of a board of education establishes, before retirement, one year or more of contributing service in the state teachers retirement system or school employees retirement system, then the prior service ceases to be the liability of this system.

If the board determines that a position of any member in any calendar year prior to January 1, 1935, was a part-time position, the board shall determine what fractional part of a year's credit shall be allowed by the following formula:

(1) When the member has been either elected or appointed to an office the term of which was two or more years and for which an annual salary is established, the fractional part of the year's credit shall be computed as follows:

First, when the member's annual salary is one thousand dollars or less, the service credit for each such calendar year shall be forty per cent of a year.

Second, for each full one hundred dollars of annual salary above one thousand dollars, the member's service credit for each such calendar year shall be increased by two and one-half per cent.

(2) When the member is paid on a per diem basis, the service credit for any single year of the service shall be determined by using the number of days of service for which the compensation was received in any such year as a numerator and using two hundred fifty days as a denominator.

(3) When the member is paid on an hourly basis, the service credit for any single year of the service shall be determined by using the number of hours of service for which the compensation was received in any such year as a numerator and using two thousand hours as a denominator.

(F) "Contributor" means any person who has an account in the employees' savings fund created by section 145.23 of the Revised Code. When used in the sections listed in division (B) of section 145.82 of the Revised Code, "contributor" includes any person participating in a PERS defined contribution plan.

(G) "Beneficiary" or "beneficiaries" means the estate or a person or persons who, as the result of the death of a member, contributor, or retirant, qualify for or are receiving some right or benefit under this chapter.

(H)(1) "Total service credit," except as provided in section 145.37 of the Revised Code, means all service credited to a member of the retirement system since last becoming a member, including restored service credit as provided by section 145.31 of the Revised Code; credit purchased under sections 145.293 and 145.299 of the Revised Code; all the member's prior service credit; all the member's military service credit computed as provided in this chapter; all service credit established pursuant to section 145.297 of the Revised Code; and any other service credited under this chapter. In addition, "total service credit" includes any period, not in excess of three years, during which a member was out of service and receiving benefits under Chapters 4121. and 4123. of the Revised Code. For the exclusive purpose of satisfying the service credit requirement and of determining eligibility for benefits under sections 145.32, 145.33, 145.331, 145.35, 145.36, and 145.361 of the Revised Code, "five or more years of total service credit" means sixty or more calendar months of contributing service in this system.

(2) "One and one-half years of contributing service credit," as used in division (B) of section 145.45 of the Revised Code, also means eighteen or more calendar months of employment by a municipal corporation that formerly operated its own retirement plan for its employees or a part of its employees, provided that all employees of that municipal retirement plan who have eighteen or more months of such employment, upon establishing membership in the public employees retirement system, shall make a payment of the contributions they would have paid had they been members of this system for the eighteen months of employment preceding the date membership was established. When that payment has been made by all such employee members, a corresponding payment shall be paid into the employers' accumulation fund by that municipal corporation as the employer of the employees.

(3) Where a member also is a member of the state teachers retirement system or the school employees retirement system, or both, except in cases of retirement on a combined basis pursuant to section 145.37 of the Revised Code or as provided in section 145.383 of the Revised Code, service credit for any period shall be credited on the basis of the ratio that contributions to the public employees retirement system bear to total contributions in all state retirement systems.

(4) Not more than one year of credit may be given for any period of twelve months.

(5) "Ohio service credit" means credit for service that was rendered to the state or any of its political subdivisions or any employer.

(I) "Regular interest" means interest at any rates for the respective funds and accounts as the public employees retirement board may determine from time to time.

(J) "Accumulated contributions" means the sum of all amounts credited to a contributor's individual account in the employees' savings fund together with any interest credited to the contributor's account under section 145.471 or 145.472 of the Revised Code.

(K)(1) "Final average salary" means the quotient obtained by dividing by three the sum of the three full calendar years of contributing service in which the member's earnable salary was highest, except that if the member has a partial year of contributing service in the year the member's employment terminates and the member's earnable salary for the partial year is higher than for any comparable period in the three years, the member's earnable salary for the partial year shall be substituted for the member's earnable salary for the comparable period during the three years in which the member's earnable salary was lowest.

(2) If a member has less than three years of contributing service, the member's final average salary shall be the member's total earnable salary divided by the total number of years, including any fraction of a year, of the member's contributing service.

(3) For the purpose of calculating benefits payable to a member qualifying for service credit under division (Z) of this section, "final average salary" means the total earnable salary on which contributions were made divided by the total number of years during which contributions were made, including any fraction of a year. If contributions were made for less than twelve months, "final average salary" means the member's total earnable salary.

(L) "Annuity" means payments for life derived from contributions made by a contributor and paid from the annuity and pension reserve fund as provided in this chapter. All annuities shall be paid in twelve equal monthly installments.

(M) "Annuity reserve" means the present value, computed upon the basis of the mortality and other tables adopted by the board, of all payments to be made on account of any annuity, or benefit in lieu of any annuity, granted to a retirant as provided in this chapter.

(N)(1) "Disability retirement" means retirement as provided in section 145.36 of the Revised Code.

(2) "Disability allowance" means an allowance paid on account of disability under section 145.361 of the Revised Code.

(3) "Disability benefit" means a benefit paid as disability retirement under section 145.36 of the Revised Code, as a disability allowance under section 145.361 of the Revised Code, or as a disability benefit under section 145.37 of the Revised Code.

(4) "Disability benefit recipient" means a member who is receiving a disability benefit.

(O) "Age and service retirement" means retirement as provided in sections 145.32, 145.33, 145.331, 145.34, 145.37, and 145.46 of the Revised Code.

(P) "Pensions" means annual payments for life derived from contributions made by the employer that at the time of retirement are credited into the annuity and pension reserve fund from the employers' accumulation fund and paid from the annuity and pension reserve fund as provided in this chapter. All pensions shall be paid in twelve equal monthly installments.

(Q) "Retirement allowance" means the pension plus that portion of the benefit derived from contributions made by the member.

(R)(1) Except as otherwise provided in division (R) of this section, "earnable salary" means all salary, wages, and other earnings paid to a contributor by reason of employment in a position covered by the retirement system. The salary, wages, and other earnings shall be determined prior to determination of the amount required to be contributed to the employees' savings fund under section 145.47 of the Revised Code and without regard to whether any of the salary, wages, or other earnings are treated as deferred income for federal income tax purposes. "Earnable salary" includes the following:

(a) Payments made by the employer in lieu of salary, wages, or other earnings for sick leave, personal leave, or vacation used by the contributor;

(b) Payments made by the employer for the conversion of sick leave, personal leave, and vacation leave accrued, but not used if the payment is made during the year in which the leave is accrued, except that payments made pursuant to section 124.383 or 124.386 of the Revised Code are not earnable salary;

(c) Allowances paid by the employer for full maintenance, consisting of housing, laundry, and meals, as certified to the retirement board by the employer or the head of the department that employs the contributor;

(d) Fees and commissions paid under section 507.09 of the Revised Code;

(e) Payments that are made under a disability leave program sponsored by the employer and for which the employer is required by section 145.296 of the Revised Code to make periodic employer and employee contributions;

(f) Amounts included pursuant to divisions (K)(3) and (Y) of this section.

(2) "Earnable salary" does not include any of the following:

(a) Fees and commissions, other than those paid under section 507.09 of the Revised Code, paid as sole compensation for personal services and fees and commissions for special services over and above services for which the contributor receives a salary;

(b) Amounts paid by the employer to provide life insurance, sickness, accident, endowment, health, medical, hospital, dental, or surgical coverage, or other insurance for the contributor or the contributor's family, or amounts paid by the employer to the contributor in lieu of providing the insurance;

(c) Incidental benefits, including lodging, food, laundry, parking, or services furnished by the employer, or use of the employer's property or equipment, or amounts paid by the employer to the contributor in lieu of providing the incidental benefits;

(d) Reimbursement for job-related expenses authorized by the employer, including moving and travel expenses and expenses related to professional development;

(e) Payments for accrued but unused sick leave, personal leave, or vacation that are made at any time other than in the year in which the sick leave, personal leave, or vacation was accrued;

(f) Payments made to or on behalf of a contributor that are in excess of the annual compensation that may be taken into account by the retirement system under division (a)(17) of section 401 of the "Internal Revenue Code of 1986," 100 Stat. 2085, 26 U.S.C.A. 401(a)(17), as amended;

(g) Payments made under division (B), (C), or (E) of section 5923.05 of the Revised Code, Section 4 of Substitute Senate Bill No. 3 of the 119th general assembly, Section 3 of Amended Substitute Senate Bill No. 164 of the 124th general assembly, or Amended Substitute House Bill No. 405 of the 124th general assembly;

(h) Anything of value received by the contributor that is based on or attributable to retirement or an agreement to retire, except that payments made on or before January 1, 1989, that are based on or attributable to an agreement to retire shall be included in earnable salary if both of the following apply:

(i) The payments are made in accordance with contract provisions that were in effect prior to January 1, 1986;

(ii) The employer pays the retirement system an amount specified by the retirement board equal to the additional liability resulting from the payments.

(3) The retirement board shall determine by rule whether any compensation not enumerated in division (R) of this section is earnable salary, and its decision shall be final.

(S) "Pension reserve" means the present value, computed upon the basis of the mortality and other tables adopted by the board, of all payments to be made on account of any retirement allowance or benefit in lieu of any retirement allowance, granted to a member or beneficiary under this chapter.

(T)(1) "Contributing service" means all service credited to a member of the system since January 1, 1935, for which contributions are made as required by sections 145.47, 145.48, and 145.483 of the Revised Code. In any year subsequent to 1934, credit for any service shall be allowed by the following formula:

(a) For each month for which the member's earnable salary is two hundred fifty dollars or more, allow one month's credit.

(b) For each month for which the member's earnable salary is less than two hundred fifty dollars, allow a fraction of a month's credit. The numerator of this fraction shall be the earnable salary during the month, and the denominator shall be two hundred fifty dollars, except that if the member's annual earnable salary is less than six hundred dollars, the member's credit shall not be reduced below twenty per cent of a year for a calendar year of employment during which the member worked each month. Division (T)(1)(b) of this section shall not reduce any credit earned before January 1, 1985.

(2) Notwithstanding division (T)(1) of this section, an elected official who prior to January 1, 1980, was granted a full year of credit for each year of service as an elected official shall be considered to have earned a full year of credit for each year of service regardless of whether the service was full-time or part-time. The public employees retirement board has no authority to reduce the credit.

(U) "State retirement board" means the public employees retirement board, the school employees retirement board, or the state teachers retirement board.

(V) "Retirant" means any former member who retires and is receiving a monthly allowance as provided in sections 145.32, 145.33, 145.331, 145.34, and 145.46 of the Revised Code.

(W) "Employer contribution" means the amount paid by an employer as determined under section 145.48 of the Revised Code.

(X) "Public service terminates" means the last day for which a public employee is compensated for services performed for an employer or the date of the employee's death, whichever occurs first.

(Y) When a member has been elected or appointed to an office, the term of which is two or more years, for which an annual salary is established, and in the event that the salary of the office is increased and the member is denied the additional salary by reason of any constitutional provision prohibiting an increase in salary during a term of office, the member may elect to have the amount of the member's contributions calculated upon the basis of the increased salary for the office. At the member's request, the board shall compute the total additional amount the member would have contributed, or the amount by which each of the member's contributions would have increased, had the member received the increased salary for the office the member holds. If the member elects to have the amount by which the member's contribution would have increased withheld from the member's salary, the member shall notify the employer, and the employer shall make the withholding and transmit it to the retirement system. A member who has not elected to have that amount withheld may elect at any time to make a payment to the retirement system equal to the additional amount the member's contribution would have increased, plus interest on that contribution, compounded annually at a rate established by the board and computed from the date on which the last contribution would have been withheld from the member's salary to the date of payment. A member may make a payment for part of the period for which the increased contribution was not withheld, in which case the interest shall be computed from the date the last contribution would have been withheld for the period for which the payment is made. Upon the payment of the increased contributions as provided in this division, the increased annual salary as provided by law for the office for the period for which the member paid increased contributions thereon shall be used in determining the member's earnable salary for the purpose of computing the member's final average salary.

(Z) "Five years of service credit," for the exclusive purpose of satisfying the service credit requirements and of determining eligibility for benefits under section 145.33 of the Revised Code, means employment covered under this chapter or under a former retirement plan operated, recognized, or endorsed by the employer prior to coverage under this chapter or under a combination of the coverage.

(AA) "Deputy sheriff" means any person who is commissioned and employed as a full-time peace officer by the sheriff of any county, and has been so employed since on or before December 31, 1965, and whose primary duties are to preserve the peace, to protect life and property, and to enforce the laws of this state; any person who is or has been commissioned and employed as a peace officer by the sheriff of any county since January 1, 1966, and who has received a certificate attesting to the person's satisfactory completion of the peace officer training school as required by section 109.77 of the Revised Code and whose primary duties are to preserve the peace, protect life and property, and enforce the laws of this state; or any person deputized by the sheriff of any county and employed pursuant to section 2301.12 of the Revised Code as a criminal bailiff or court constable who has received a certificate attesting to the person's satisfactory completion of the peace officer training school as required by section 109.77 of the Revised Code and whose primary duties are to preserve the peace, protect life and property, and enforce the laws of this state.

(BB) "Township constable or police officer in a township police department or district" means any person who is commissioned and employed as a full-time peace officer pursuant to Chapter 505. or 509. of the Revised Code, who has received a certificate attesting to the person's satisfactory completion of the peace officer training school as required by section 109.77 of the Revised Code, and whose primary duties are to preserve the peace, protect life and property, and enforce the laws of this state.

(CC) "Drug agent" means any person who is either of the following:

(1) Employed full-time as a narcotics agent by a county narcotics agency created pursuant to section 307.15 of the Revised Code and has received a certificate attesting to the satisfactory completion of the peace officer training school as required by section 109.77 of the Revised Code;

(2) Employed full-time as an undercover drug agent as defined in section 109.79 of the Revised Code and is in compliance with section 109.77 of the Revised Code.

(DD) "Department of public safety enforcement agent" means a full-time employee of the department of public safety who is designated under section 5502.14 of the Revised Code as an enforcement agent and who is in compliance with section 109.77 of the Revised Code.

(EE) "Natural resources law enforcement staff officer" means a full-time employee of the department of natural resources who is designated a natural resources law enforcement staff officer under section 1501.013 of the Revised Code and is in compliance with section 109.77 of the Revised Code.

(FF) "Park officer" means a full-time employee of the department of natural resources who is designated a park officer under section 1541.10 of the Revised Code and is in compliance with section 109.77 of the Revised Code.

(GG) "Forest officer" means a full-time employee of the department of natural resources who is designated a forest officer under section 1503.29 of the Revised Code and is in compliance with section 109.77 of the Revised Code.

(HH) "Preserve officer" means a full-time employee of the department of natural resources who is designated a preserve officer under section 1517.10 of the Revised Code and is in compliance with section 109.77 of the Revised Code.

(II) "Wildlife officer" means a full-time employee of the department of natural resources who is designated a wildlife officer under section 1531.13 of the Revised Code and is in compliance with section 109.77 of the Revised Code.

(JJ) "State watercraft officer" means a full-time employee of the department of natural resources who is designated a state watercraft officer under section 1547.521 of the Revised Code and is in compliance with section 109.77 of the Revised Code.

(KK) "Park district police officer" means a full-time employee of a park district who is designated pursuant to section 511.232 or 1545.13 of the Revised Code and is in compliance with section 109.77 of the Revised Code.

(LL) "Conservancy district officer" means a full-time employee of a conservancy district who is designated pursuant to section 6101.75 of the Revised Code and is in compliance with section 109.77 of the Revised Code.

(MM) "Municipal police officer" means a member of the organized police department of a municipal corporation who is employed full-time, is in compliance with section 109.77 of the Revised Code, and is not a member of the Ohio police and fire pension fund.

(NN) "Veterans' home police officer" means any person who is employed at a veterans' home as a police officer pursuant to section 5907.02 of the Revised Code and is in compliance with section 109.77 of the Revised Code.

(OO) "Special police officer for a mental health institution" means any person who is designated as such pursuant to section 5119.14 of the Revised Code and is in compliance with section 109.77 of the Revised Code.

(PP) "Special police officer for an institution for the mentally retarded and developmentally disabled" means any person who is designated as such pursuant to section 5123.13 of the Revised Code and is in compliance with section 109.77 of the Revised Code.

(QQ) "State university law enforcement officer" means any person who is employed full-time as a state university law enforcement officer pursuant to section 3345.04 of the Revised Code and who is in compliance with section 109.77 of the Revised Code.

(RR) "House sergeant at arms" means any person appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives under division (B)(1) of section 101.311 of the Revised Code who has arrest authority under division (E)(1) of that section.

(SS) "Assistant house sergeant at arms" means any person appointed by the house sergeant at arms under division (C)(1) of section 101.311 of the Revised Code.

(TT) "Regional transit authority police officer" means a person who is employed full time as a regional transit authority police officer under division (Y) of section 306.35 of the Revised Code and is in compliance with section 109.77 of the Revised Code.

(UU) "State highway patrol police officer" means a special police officer employed full time and designated by the superintendent of the state highway patrol pursuant to section 5503.09 of the Revised Code or a person serving full time as a special police officer pursuant to that section on a permanent basis on October 21, 1997, who is in compliance with section 109.77 of the Revised Code.

(VV) "Municipal public safety director" means a person who serves full-time as the public safety director of a municipal corporation with the duty of directing the activities of the municipal corporation's police department and fire department.

(WW) Notwithstanding section 2901.01 of the Revised Code, "PERS law enforcement officer" means a sheriff, deputy sheriff, township constable or police officer in a township police department or district, drug agent, municipal public safety director, department of public safety enforcement agent, natural resources law enforcement staff officer, park officer, forest officer, preserve officer, wildlife officer, state watercraft officer, park district police officer, conservancy district officer, veterans' home police officer, special police officer for a mental health institution, special police officer for an institution for the mentally retarded and developmentally disabled, state university law enforcement officer, municipal police officer, house sergeant at arms, assistant house sergeant at arms, regional transit authority police officer, or state highway patrol police officer.

(WW)(XX) "Hamilton county municipal court bailiff" means a person appointed by the clerk of courts of the Hamilton county municipal court under division (A)(3) of section 1901.32 of the Revised Code who is employed full time as a bailiff or deputy bailiff, who has received a certificate attesting to the person's satisfactory completion of the peace officer basic training described in division (D)(1) of section 109.77 of the Revised Code, and whose primary duties are to preserve the peace, to protect life and property, and to enforce the laws of this state.

(XX)(YY) "Fiduciary" means a person who does any of the following:

(1) Exercises any discretionary authority or control with respect to the management of the system or with respect to the management or disposition of its assets;

(2) Renders investment advice for a fee, direct or indirect, with respect to money or property of the system;

(3) Has any discretionary authority or responsibility in the administration of the system.

(YY)(ZZ) "Actuary" means an individual who satisfies all of the following requirements:

(1) Is a member of the American academy of actuaries;

(2) Is an associate or fellow of the society of actuaries;

(3) Has a minimum of five years' experience in providing actuarial services to public retirement plans.

(ZZ)(AAA) "PERS defined benefit plan" means the plan described in sections 145.201 to 145.79 of the Revised Code.

(AAA)(BBB) "PERS defined contribution plans" means the plan or plans established under section 145.81 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 145.33.  (A) Except as provided in division (B) or (C) of this section, a member with at least five years of total service credit who has attained age sixty, or who has thirty years of total Ohio service credit, may apply for age and service retirement, which shall consist of:

(1) An annuity having a reserve equal to the amount of the member's accumulated contributions at that time;

(2) A pension equal to the annuity provided by division (A)(1) of this section;

(3) An additional pension, if the member can qualify for prior service, equal to forty dollars multiplied by the number of years, and fraction thereof, of such prior and military service credit;

(4) A basic annual pension equal to one hundred eighty dollars if the member has ten or more years of total service credit as of October 1, 1956, except that the basic annual pension shall not exceed the sum of the annual benefits provided by divisions (A)(1), (2), and (3) of this section.

(5) When a member retires on age and service retirement, the member's total annual single lifetime allowance, including the allowances provided in divisions (A)(1), (2), (3), and (4) of this section, shall be not less than a base amount adjusted in accordance with division (A)(5) of this section and determined by multiplying the member's total service credit by the greater of the following:

(a) Eighty-six dollars;

(b) Two and two-tenths per cent of the member's final average salary for each of the first thirty years of service plus two and one-half per cent of the member's final average salary for each subsequent year of service.

The allowance shall be adjusted by the factors of attained age or years of service to provide the greater amount as determined by the following schedule:

Members shall vest the right to a benefit in accordance with the following schedule, based on the member's attained age by September 1, 1976:

(6) The total annual single lifetime allowance that a member shall receive under division (A)(5) of this section shall not exceed the lesser of one hundred per cent of the member's final average salary or the limit established by section 415 of the "Internal Revenue Code of 1986," 100 Stat. 2085, 26 U.S.C.A. 415, as amended.

(B)(1) For the purposes of divisions (B) to (G) of this section, "total service credit as a PERS law enforcement officer" and "total service credit as a Hamilton county municipal court bailiff" include credit for military service to the extent permitted by division (E)(2) of this section and credit for service as a police officer or state highway patrol trooper to the extent permitted by divisions (E)(3) and (4) of this section.

(2) A member who meets the conditions in division (B)(2)(a), (b), (c), or (d) of this section may apply for an age and service retirement benefit under this division:

(a) The member has attained age forty-eight and has at least twenty-five years of total service credit as a PERS law enforcement officer whose primary duties were to preserve the peace, protect life and property, and enforce the laws in the member's jurisdiction;

(b) The member has attained age fifty-two, and has at least twenty-five years of total service credit as a PERS law enforcement officer, but the member's primary duties were other than to preserve the peace, protect life and property, and enforce the laws in the member's jurisdiction;

(c) The member has attained age fifty-two and has at least twenty-five years of total service as a Hamilton county municipal court bailiff;

(d) The member has attained age sixty-two and has at least fifteen years of total service credit as either of the following:

(i) A PERS law enforcement officer;

(ii) A Hamilton county municipal court bailiff.

(3) A benefit paid under division (B)(2) of this section shall consist of an annual single lifetime allowance equal to the sum of two and one-half per cent of the member's final average salary multiplied by the first twenty-five years of the member's total service plus two and one-tenth per cent of the member's final average salary multiplied by the number of years of the member's total service credit in excess of twenty-five years.

(4) A member with at least fifteen years of total service credit as a PERS law enforcement officer or Hamilton county municipal court bailiff who voluntarily resigns or is discharged for any reason except death, dishonesty, cowardice, intemperate habits, or conviction of a felony may apply for an age and service retirement benefit, which shall consist of an annual single lifetime allowance equal to one and one-half per cent of the member's final average salary multiplied by the number of years of the member's total service credit. The allowance shall commence on the first day of the calendar month following the month in which the application is filed with the public employees retirement board on or after the attainment by the applicant of age fifty-two.

(C)(1) A member with at least twenty-five years of total service credit who would be eligible to retire under division (B)(2)(b) or (c) of this section had the member attained age fifty-two and who voluntarily resigns or is discharged for any reason except death, dishonesty, cowardice, intemperate habits, or conviction of a felony, on or after the date of attaining forty-eight years of age, but before the date of attaining fifty-two years of age, may elect to receive a reduced benefit as determined by the following schedule:

(2) If a member elects to receive a reduced benefit after attaining age forty-eight the reduced benefit is payable from the later of the date of the member's most recent birthday or the date the member becomes eligible to receive the reduced benefit.

(3) Once a member elects to receive a reduced benefit determined by the schedule in division (C)(1) of this section and has received a payment, the member may not reelect to change that election.

(4) If a member who has resigned or been discharged has left on deposit the member's accumulated contributions in the employees' savings fund and has not elected to receive a reduced benefit determined by the schedule in division (C)(1) of this section, upon attaining fifty-two years of age, the member shall be entitled to receive a benefit computed and paid under division (B)(3) of this section.

(D) A benefit paid under division (B) or (C) of this section shall not exceed the lesser of ninety per cent of the member's final average salary or the limit established by section 415 of the "Internal Revenue Code of 1986," 100 Stat. 2085, 26 U.S.C.A. 415, as amended.

(E)(1) A member with service credit as a PERS law enforcement officer or a Hamilton county municipal court bailiff and other service credit under this chapter may elect one of the following:

(a) To have all the member's service credit under this chapter, including credit for service as a PERS law enforcement officer or Hamilton county municipal court bailiff, used in calculating a retirement allowance under division (A) of this section if the member qualifies for an allowance under that division;

(b) If the member qualifies for an allowance under division (B) or (C) of this section, to have the member's service credit as a PERS law enforcement officer or Hamilton county municipal court bailiff used in calculating a benefit under the appropriate division and the member's credit for all service other than PERS law enforcement service or service as a Hamilton county municipal court bailiff under this chapter used in calculating a benefit consisting of a single life annuity having a reserve equal to the amount of the member's accumulated contributions and an equal amount of the employer's contributions.

(2) Notwithstanding sections 145.01 and 145.30 of the Revised Code, no more than four years of military service credit granted under section 145.30 of the Revised Code and five years of military service credit purchased under section 145.301 or 145.302 of the Revised Code shall be used in calculating service as a PERS law enforcement officer or Hamilton county municipal court bailiff or the total service credit of that person.

(3) Only credit for the member's service as a PERS law enforcement officer or service credit obtained as a police officer or state highway patrol trooper shall be used in computing the benefit of a member who qualifies for a benefit under division (B)(2)(a), (b), or (d)(ii) or (4) or division (C) of this section for the following:

(a) Any person who originally is commissioned and employed as a deputy sheriff by the sheriff of any county, or who originally is elected sheriff, on or after January 1, 1975;

(b) Any deputy sheriff who originally is employed as a criminal bailiff or court constable on or after April 16, 1993;

(c) Any person who originally is appointed as a township constable or police officer in a township police department or district on or after January 1, 1981;

(d) Any person who originally is employed as a county narcotics agent on or after September 26, 1984;

(e) Any person who originally is employed as an undercover drug agent as defined in section 109.79 of the Revised Code, department of public safety enforcement agent who prior to June 30, 1999, was a liquor control investigator, park officer, forest officer, wildlife officer, state watercraft officer, park district police officer, conservancy district officer, veterans' home police officer, special police officer for a mental health institution, special police officer for an institution for the mentally retarded and developmentally disabled, or municipal police officer on or after December 15, 1988;

(f) Any person who originally is employed as a state university law enforcement officer on or after November 6, 1996;

(g) Any person who is originally employed as a state university law enforcement officer by the university of Akron on or after September 16, 1998;

(h) Any person who originally is employed as a preserve officer on or after March 18, 1999;

(i) Any person who originally is employed as a natural resources law enforcement staff officer on or after March 18, 1999;

(j) Any person who is originally employed as a department of public safety enforcement agent on or after June 30, 1999;

(k) Any person who is originally employed as a house sergeant at arms or assistant house sergeant at arms on or after September 5, 2001;

(l) Any person who is originally appointed as a regional transit authority police officer or state highway patrol police officer on or after February 1, 2002;

(m) Any person who is originally employed as a municipal public safety director on or after the effective date of this amendment.

(4) Only credit for a member's service as a Hamilton county municipal court bailiff or service credit obtained as a PERS law enforcement officer, police officer, or state highway patrol trooper shall be used in computing the benefit of a member who qualifies for a benefit under division (B)(2)(c) or (d)(ii) or (4) or division (C) of this section for any person who originally is employed as a Hamilton county municipal court bailiff on or after November 6, 1996.

(F) Retirement allowances determined under this section shall be paid as provided in section 145.46 of the Revised Code.

(G) For the purposes of this section, service prior to June 30, 1999, as a food stamp trafficking agent under former section 5502.14 of the Revised Code shall be considered service as a law enforcement officer.

Sec. 147.05.  (A) Before entering upon the duties of the office of notary public, a notary public shall leave the notary public's commission with the oath endorsed on the commission with the clerk of the court of common pleas of the county in which the notary public resides. The clerk shall record the commission in a book kept for that purpose. The clerk shall endorse on the margin of the record and on the back of the commission the time that the clerk received the commission for record and make a proper index to all commissions so recorded. For recording and indexing a commission, the fee of the clerk shall be as provided in division (R) of section 2303.20 of the Revised Code.

(B) The secretary of state shall maintain a record of the commissions of each notary public appointed and commissioned by the secretary of state under this chapter and make a proper index to that record.

The governor's office shall transfer to the secretary of state's office, on or after the effective date of this amendment June 6, 2001, the record of notaries public formerly kept by the governor's office under section 107.10 of