As Reported by House Civil and Commercial Law Committee       1            

123rd General Assembly                                             4            

   Regular Session                             Sub. H. B. No. 312  5            

      1999-2000                                                    6            


                  REPRESENTATIVES SALERNO-BUCHY                    8            


_________________________________________________________________   9            

                          A   B I L L                                           

             To amend sections 1705.04, 1705.08, 1705.12, and      11           

                1705.43 of the Revised Code to eliminate the       12           

                requirement that articles of organization of a     13           

                limited liability company specify an address for                

                obtaining copies of the company's operating        14           

                agreement or company bylaws and that the articles  15           

                must be amended if that address is changed, to     16           

                eliminate certain distribution rights of a member               

                upon withdrawal from the company and instead to    17           

                treat the withdrawing member as an assignee of     18           

                the member's membership interest in the company,                

                and to specify that the withdrawal of a member     19           

                does not dissolve a limited liability company if   20           

                certain requirements are satisfied.                             




BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:        22           

      Section 1.  That sections 1705.04, 1705.08, 1705.12, and     24           

1705.43 of the Revised Code be amended to read as follows:         25           

      Sec. 1705.04.  (A)  One or more persons, without regard to   34           

residence, domicile, or state of organization, may form a limited  35           

liability company.  The company is formed when one or more         37           

persons or their authorized representative signs and files with    38           

the secretary of state articles of organization that set forth     39           

all of the following:                                              40           

      (1)  The name of the company;                                42           

      (2)  Except as provided in division (B) of this section,     44           

the period of its duration, which may be perpetual;                45           

                                                          2      


                                                                 
      (3)  The address to which interested persons may direct      47           

requests for copies of any operating agreement and any bylaws of   48           

the company;                                                       49           

      (4)  Any other provisions that are from the operating        51           

agreement or that are not inconsistent with applicable law and     52           

that the members elect to set out in the articles for the          53           

regulation of the affairs of the company.                          54           

      (B)  If the articles of organization or operating agreement  56           

do not set forth the period of the duration of the limited         58           

liability company, its duration shall be perpetual.                59           

      (C)  If a limited liability company is formed under this     61           

chapter for the purpose of rendering a professional service, the   63           

kinds of professional services authorized under Chapters 4703.     64           

and 4733. of the Revised Code, or a combination of the                          

professional services of optometrists authorized under Chapter     65           

4725. of the Revised Code, chiropractors authorized under Chapter  66           

4734. of the Revised Code, psychologists authorized under Chapter  69           

4732. of the Revised Code, registered or licensed practical        70           

nurses authorized under Chapter 4723. of the Revised Code,         71           

pharmacists authorized under Chapter 4729. of the Revised Code,    72           

physical therapists authorized under sections 4755.40 to 4755.53   73           

of the Revised Code, and doctors of medicine and surgery,          75           

osteopathic medicine and surgery, or podiatric medicine and        76           

surgery authorized under Chapter 4731. of the Revised Code, the    77           

following apply:                                                                

      (1)  Each member, employee, or other agent of the company    79           

who renders a professional service in this state and, if the       80           

management of the company is not reserved to its members, each     81           

manager of the company who renders a professional service in this  82           

state shall be licensed, certificated, or otherwise legally        84           

authorized to render in this state the same kind of professional   85           

service; if applicable, the kinds of professional services         86           

authorized under Chapters 4703. and 4733. of the Revised Code;     87           

or, if applicable, any of the kinds of professional services of    88           

                                                          3      


                                                                 
optometrists authorized under Chapter 4725. of the Revised Code,   89           

chiropractors authorized under Chapter 4734. of the Revised Code,  90           

psychologists authorized under Chapter 4732. of the Revised Code,  92           

registered or licensed practical nurses authorized under Chapter   94           

4723. of the Revised Code, pharmacists authorized under Chapter                 

4729. of the Revised Code, physical therapists authorized under    96           

sections 4755.40 to 4755.53 of the Revised Code, or doctors of     97           

medicine and surgery, osteopathic medicine and surgery, or                      

podiatric medicine and surgery authorized under Chapter 4731. of   98           

the Revised Code.                                                  99           

      (2)  Each member, employee, or other agent of the company    101          

who renders a professional service in another state and, if the    102          

management of the company is not reserved to its members, each     103          

manager of the company who renders a professional service in       104          

another state shall be licensed, certificated, or otherwise        106          

legally authorized to render that professional service in the      107          

other state.                                                                    

      (D)  Except for the provisions of this chapter pertaining    109          

to the personal liability of members, employees, or other agents   110          

of a limited liability company and, if the management of the       111          

company is not reserved to its members, the personal liability of  112          

managers of the company, this chapter does not restrict, limit,    113          

or otherwise affect the authority or responsibilities of any       114          

agency, board, commission, department, office, or other entity to  115          

license, certificate, register, and otherwise regulate the         116          

professional conduct of individuals or organizations of any kind   118          

rendering professional services in this state or to regulate the   119          

practice of any profession that is within the jurisdiction of the  120          

agency, board, commission, department, office, or other entity,    121          

notwithstanding that the individual is a member or manager of a    122          

limited liability company and is rendering the professional        123          

services or engaging in the practice of the profession through     124          

the limited liability company or that the organization is a        125          

limited liability company.                                         126          

                                                          4      


                                                                 
      (E)  No limited liability company formed for the purpose of  130          

providing a combination of the professional services, as defined                

in section 1785.01 of the Revised Code, of optometrists            131          

authorized under Chapter 4725. of the Revised Code, chiropractors  132          

authorized under Chapter 4734. of the Revised Code, psychologists  133          

authorized under Chapter 4732. of the Revised Code, registered or  135          

licensed practical nurses authorized under Chapter 4723. of the                 

Revised Code, pharmacists authorized under Chapter 4729. of the    136          

Revised Code, physical therapists authorized under sections        137          

4755.40 to 4755.53 of the Revised Code, and doctors of medicine    139          

and surgery, osteopathic medicine and surgery, or podiatric        140          

medicine and surgery authorized under Chapter 4731. of the         141          

Revised Code shall control the professional clinical judgment      143          

exercised within accepted and prevailing standards of practice of  144          

a licensed, certificated, or otherwise legally authorized          145          

optometrist, chiropractor, psychologist, nurse, pharmacist,                     

physical therapist, or doctor of medicine and surgery,             149          

osteopathic medicine and surgery, or podiatric medicine and                     

surgery in rendering care, treatment, or professional advice to    151          

an individual patient.                                             152          

      This division does not prevent a hospital, as defined in     154          

section 3727.01 of the Revised Code, insurer, as defined in        156          

section 3999.36 of the Revised Code, or intermediary               158          

organization, as defined in section 1751.01 of the Revised Code,   160          

from entering into a contract with a limited liability company     161          

described in this division that includes a provision requiring     162          

utilization review, quality assurance, peer review, or other                    

performance or quality standards.  Those activities shall not be   163          

construed as controlling the professional clinical judgment of an  164          

individual practitioner listed in this division.                   165          

      Sec. 1705.08.  (A)  The articles of organization of a        174          

limited liability company may be amended at any time and for any   175          

proper purpose by filing a certificate of amendment with the       176          

secretary of state.  However, a certificate of amendment amending  177          

                                                          5      


                                                                 
the articles of organization shall be filed within thirty days     178          

after the occurrence of any of the following:                      179          

      (1)  The name of the limited liability company is changed;   181          

      (2)  The period of the limited liability company's duration  183          

is changed;                                                        184          

      (3)  The address to which persons may direct requests for    186          

copies of any operating agreements or bylaws of the limited        187          

liability company is changed;                                      188          

      (4)  Any other information that is set forth in the          190          

articles of organization is changed.                               191          

      (B)  A member of a limited liability company in which the    193          

management is reserved to its members, or a manager of a limited   194          

liability company in which the management is not reserved to its   195          

members, promptly shall file or cause to be filed a certificate    196          

of amendment upon discovering that a statement in the articles of  197          

organization was materially false when made or that any other      198          

information set forth in the articles of organization has changed  199          

making the articles materially inaccurate.                         200          

      (C)(1)  A certificate of amendment filed pursuant to         202          

division (A) or (B) of this section shall be on a form prescribed  203          

by the secretary of state and shall set forth all of the           204          

following:                                                         205          

      (a)  The name of the limited liability company;              207          

      (b)  The date of the filing of the limited liability         209          

company's articles of organization that are being amended;         210          

      (c)  The amendment to the limited liability company's        212          

articles of organization.                                          213          

      (2)  The certificate of amendment shall be executed by a     215          

member, manager, or authorized representative of the limited       216          

liability company, which person shall also certify that he THE     217          

PERSON is authorized to execute the certificate.                   219          

      (D)  The articles of organization of a limited liability     221          

company may be restated at any time by filing a restatement of     222          

the articles of organization with the secretary of state.  The     223          

                                                          6      


                                                                 
restatement shall be certified by a member, manager, or            224          

authorized representative of the limited liability company, which  225          

person shall also certify that he THE PERSON is authorized to      226          

execute the restatement.                                           228          

      Sec. 1705.12.  Upon withdrawal, a member withdrawing from a  237          

limited liability company has the right to receive any             238          

distribution to which he THE MEMBER is entitled under the          240          

operating agreement and, except as otherwise provided in that                   

agreement, the right to receive within a reasonable time after     241          

withdrawal the fair value of his membership interest as of the     243          

date of withdrawal based upon his right to share in distributions  245          

of the company WITHDRAWING MEMBER SHALL BE TREATED AS IF THE       246          

MEMBER WERE AN ASSIGNEE OF ALL OF THE MEMBER'S MEMBERSHIP          247          

INTEREST AS OF THE DATE OF WITHDRAWAL.                             248          

      Sec. 1705.43.  (A)  A limited liability company organized    257          

under this chapter shall be dissolved upon the occurrence of any   258          

of the following events:                                           259          

      (1)  The expiration of the period, if any, fixed by the      261          

operating agreement or articles of organization for the duration   263          

of the company;                                                                 

      (2)  One or more events specified in writing in the          265          

operating agreement as causing the dissolution of the company;     266          

      (3)  The unanimous written agreement of all members to       268          

dissolve the company;                                              269          

      (4)  The EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN DIVISION (C) OF THIS          272          

SECTION, THE withdrawal of a member of the company, unless the     273          

business of the company is continued by the consent of all of the  274          

remaining members or under a right to continue the company that    275          

is stated in writing in the operating agreement;                   276          

      (5)  Upon entry of a decree of judicial dissolution under    278          

section 1705.47 of the Revised Code.                               279          

      (B)  Following the occurrence of any of the events OF        281          

DISSOLUTION specified in division (A) of this section, the         282          

limited liability company shall deliver to the secretary of state  283          

                                                          7      


                                                                 
for filing a certificate of dissolution on a form that is          284          

prescribed by the secretary of state and that includes the name    285          

of the company and the effective date of its dissolution.          286          

      (C)  IF THE COMPANY WAS FORMED ON OR AFTER THE EFFECTIVE     289          

DATE OF THIS AMENDMENT, OR THE COMPANY WAS FORMED PRIOR TO THE     290          

EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS AMENDMENT AND ITS ARTICLES OR OPERATING     291          

AGREEMENT ARE AMENDED TO SPECIFICALLY STATE THAT THIS DIVISION     292          

APPLIES TO THE COMPANY, THE WITHDRAWAL OF A MEMBER OF THE COMPANY  293          

SHALL NOT CAUSE THE DISSOLUTION OF THE COMPANY EXCEPT AS MAY BE    294          

PROVIDED IN THE OPERATING AGREEMENT.                                            

      Section 2.  That existing sections 1705.04, 1705.08,         296          

1705.12, and 1705.43 of the Revised Code are hereby repealed.      298