As Passed by the Senate                       1            

122nd General Assembly                                             4            

   Regular Session                        Am. Sub. H. B. No. 192   5            

      1997-1998                                                    6            


REPRESENTATIVES CAREY-PRINGLE-VESPER-HAINES-PRENTISS-GARCIA-SAWYER-  8            

   HOTTINGER-PADGETT-LOGAN-BENDER-OLMAN-BOYD-JOHNSON-TAVARES-      9            

    VERICH-OPFER-METELSKY-AMSTUTZ-O'BRIEN-MEAD-ROBERTS-CORE-       10           

   OGG-LAWRENCE-SULZER-HOUSEHOLDER-REID-HARRIS-METZGER-TIBERI-     11           

   TERWILLEGER-ROMAN-SALERNO-WESTON-KRUPINSKI-GARDNER-BRADING-     12           

         STAPLETON-WACHTMANN-BUCHY-MYERS-GRENDELL-MAIER-           13           

     SENATORS HOTTINGER-SHOEMAKER-DiDONATO-CARNES-OELSLAGER-       14           

                     WHITE-GARDNER-BLESSING                        15           


                                                                   16           

                           A   B I L L                                          

             To enact section 3737.17 of the Revised Code to       18           

                create the Small Government Fire Department        19           

                Services Revolving Loan Program to help certain    20           

                municipal corporations, townships, and  fire       21           

                districts meet specified fire fighting and         23           

                emergency medical needs, and to  make an           24           

                appropriation.                                     25           




BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:        27           

      Section 1.  That section 3737.17 of the Revised Code be      29           

enacted to read as follows:                                        30           

      Sec. 3737.17.  (A)  AS USED IN THIS SECTION, A "QUALIFYING   33           

SMALL GOVERNMENT" MEANS ANY OF THE FOLLOWING:                      34           

      (1)  A TOWNSHIP THAT HAS A POPULATION OF NOT MORE THAN FIVE  37           

THOUSAND OR, REGARDLESS OF ITS POPULATION, IS LOCATED IN A COUNTY  38           

THAT HAS A POPULATION OF LESS THAN ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND;           39           

      (2)  A MUNICIPAL CORPORATION THAT HAS A POPULATION OF NOT    41           

MORE THAN SEVEN THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED;                             42           

      (3)  A FIRE DISTRICT, JOINT FIRE DISTRICT, OR FIRE AND       44           

AMBULANCE DISTRICT THAT SHARES TERRITORY EXCLUSIVELY WITH          45           

                                                          2      

                                                                 
TOWNSHIPS OR MUNICIPAL CORPORATIONS THAT MEET THE CONDITIONS OF    46           

DIVISION (A)(1) OR (2) OF THIS SECTION.                            48           

      (B)  THE STATE FIRE MARSHAL SHALL ADMINISTER A SMALL         51           

GOVERNMENT FIRE DEPARTMENT SERVICES REVOLVING LOAN PROGRAM UNDER   52           

WHICH THE FIRE MARSHAL MAKES LOANS TO QUALIFYING SMALL                          

GOVERNMENTS FOR THE FOLLOWING PURPOSES:                            53           

      (1)  TO EXPEDITE PURCHASES OF MAJOR EQUIPMENT FOR FIRE       56           

FIGHTING, AMBULANCE, EMERGENCY MEDICAL, OR RESCUE SERVICES;        57           

      (2)  TO EXPEDITE PROJECTS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OR            60           

RENOVATION OF FIRE DEPARTMENT BUILDINGS.                           61           

      A LOAN FOR EITHER PURPOSE UNDER THE SMALL GOVERNMENT FIRE    63           

DEPARTMENT SERVICES REVOLVING LOAN PROGRAM IS NOT TO CARRY         64           

INTEREST, AND IS TO BE REPAID WITHIN A TERM OF NOT LONGER THAN     65           

TWENTY YEARS.  A QUALIFYING SMALL GOVERNMENT IS NOT ELIGIBLE TO    67           

RECEIVE A LOAN FOR A PROJECT OR PURCHASE UNDER THE PROGRAM UNLESS  68           

THE QUALIFYING SMALL GOVERNMENT CONTRIBUTES TO THE PROJECT OR      69           

PURCHASE AN AMOUNT EQUAL TO AT LEAST FIVE PER CENT OF THE LOAN     70           

AMOUNT.                                                                         

      (C)  A QUALIFYING SMALL GOVERNMENT MAY APPLY TO THE FIRE     73           

MARSHAL FOR A LOAN UNDER THE SMALL GOVERNMENT FIRE DEPARTMENT      74           

SERVICES REVOLVING LOAN PROGRAM.  IN ITS APPLICATION, THE          75           

QUALIFYING SMALL GOVERNMENT SHALL EXPLAIN HOW IT QUALIFIES FOR     76           

THE LOAN, DESCRIBE THE PROJECT OR PURCHASE FOR WHICH IT IS         77           

REQUESTING A LOAN, STATE THE AMOUNT OF THE LOAN IT REQUESTS, AND   78           

STATE THE AMOUNT IT IS PREPARED TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE PROJECT OR    79           

PURCHASE.  THE QUALIFYING SMALL GOVERNMENT SHALL PROVIDE                        

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TO SUPPORT ITS APPLICATION FOR A LOAN       81           

UNDER THE PROGRAM AS REQUESTED BY THE FIRE MARSHAL.                82           

      (D)  THE FIRE MARSHAL, IN ACCORDANCE WITH CHAPTER 119. OF    85           

THE REVISED CODE, SHALL ADOPT RULES FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE  87           

SMALL GOVERNMENT FIRE DEPARTMENT SERVICES REVOLVING LOAN PROGRAM.  88           

      Section 2.  All items in this section are hereby             90           

appropriated as designated out of moneys in the state treasury to  91           

the credit of the State Special Revenue Fund.  In accordance with  92           

                                                          3      

                                                                 
Am. Sub. H.B. 215 of the 122nd General Assembly, upon application  93           

by the Department of Commerce and approval by the Controlling      94           

Board, line item 911-436, Rural Fire Departments, may be used to   95           

transfer moneys from the General Revenue Fund to Fund 5F1, Small   96           

Government Fire Departments, within the State Special Revenue      97           

Fund Group.  For all appropriations made in this act, those in     98           

the first column are for fiscal year 1998 and those in the second  99           

column are for fiscal year 1999.                                                

      Of the foregoing appropriation line item 911-436, Rural      101          

Fire Departments, any unencumbered or unalotted fiscal year 1998   102          

amounts shall be transferred by the Director of Budget and         103          

Management to appropriation line item 911-436 in fiscal year       104          

1999.  Those amounts so transferred from fiscal year 1998 to                    

fiscal year 1999 are hereby appropriated.  The appropriations      106          

made in this act are in addition to any other appropriations made  107          

for the 1997-1999 biennium.                                                     

                   COM  DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE                     109          

State Special Revenue Fund                                         111          

5F1 800-635 Small Government Fire                                  114          

            Departments           $            0 $      500,000    116          

TOTAL SSR State Special Revenue                                    117          

   Fund                           $            0 $      500,000    120          

TOTAL ALL BUDGET FUND GROUPS      $            0 $      500,000    123          

      Small Government Fire Departments                            126          

      The foregoing appropriation item 800-635, Small Government   128          

Fire Departments, shall be disbursed through the Department of     130          

Commerce, State Fire Marshal, to make loans under the Small        131          

Government Fire Department Services Revolving Loan Program as      132          

provided in section 3737.17 of the Revised Code.                                

      Within the limits set forth in this act, the Director of     134          

Budget and Management shall establish an account indicating the    135          

source and amount of funds for the appropriation made in this act  136          

and shall determine the form and manner in which the               137          

appropriation account shall be maintained.  Expenditures from      138          

                                                          4      

                                                                 
appropriations contained in this act shall be accounted for as     139          

though made by Am. Sub. H.B. 215, the main operating               140          

appropriations act, of the 122nd General Assembly.                 141          

      The appropriations made in this act are subject to all       143          

provisions of Am. Sub. H.B. 215, the main operating                144          

appropriations act, of the 122nd General Assembly that are         145          

generally applicable to State Special Revenue Fund                 146          

appropriations.                                                                 

      Section 3.  There is hereby established in the state         148          

treasury the Small Government Fire Departments Fund (Fund 5F1).    149          

      Section 4.  The uncodified sections of law contained in      151          

this act are not subject to the referendum.  Therefore, under      153          

Ohio Constitution, Article II, Section 1d and section 1.471 of     154          

the Revised Code, the uncodified sections of law contained in      155          

this act go into immediate effect when this act becomes law.