(B)(1) If a public official is charged with
a
felony in a | 24 |
state or federal court and if the attorney general, if the | 25 |
attorney general is prosecuting the case, or prosecuting attorney | 26 |
with responsibility to prosecute the case
determines that the | 27 |
felony relates to the public official's
administration of, or | 28 |
conduct in the performance of the duties of,
the office of the | 29 |
public official, the attorney general, if the attorney general is | 30 |
prosecuting the case, or
prosecuting attorney with responsibility | 31 |
to prosecute the case shall transmit a copy of the charging | 32 |
document to the governor with a request that the
governor proceed | 33 |
as provided in this section. | 34 |
Upon receipt of the attorney general's or prosecuting | 35 |
attorney's request, the governor shall provide the public official | 36 |
with a written notice that, not later than fourteen days after the | 37 |
date of the notice, the public official may file with the governor | 38 |
a written statement either voluntarily authorizing the governor to | 39 |
suspend the public official from office or setting forth the | 40 |
reasons why the public official should not be suspended from | 41 |
office. If the public official so authorizes a suspension from | 42 |
office, the governor shall authorize the voluntary suspension, and | 43 |
follow the applicable procedures
set forth in this section; the | 44 |
special commission described in division (B)(2) of this section | 45 |
still shall be established. | 46 |
(2)
Not sooner than fourteen days after the governor's | 47 |
receipt of the
attorney general's or prosecuting attorney's | 48 |
request, a special commission shall be established that, except as | 49 |
otherwise
provided in this division, shall be composed of the | 50 |
attorney
general and two retired justices or judges of a court of | 51 |
record of this state appointed by the chief justice of the supreme | 52 |
court. At least one commission member shall be
of the same | 53 |
political party as the public official.
Members of the commission | 54 |
shall receive no compensation for their
services but shall be | 55 |
reimbursed for any expenses incurred in
connection with commission | 56 |
functions from funds appropriated to
the governor's office. If the | 57 |
attorney general is prosecuting the
case against the charged | 58 |
public official, the attorney
general
shall not serve on the | 59 |
commission, and the chief justice of the supreme court shall | 60 |
additionally
appoint to the commission a third retired justice or | 61 |
judge of a court of record of this state. | 62 |
(C) Once established, a special commission shall make the | 63 |
determination required by this division and file a written report | 64 |
of its findings and that determination with the governor within | 65 |
fourteen days, unless the governor grants the commission a longer | 66 |
period of time to take this action. The commission shall
determine | 67 |
whether the public official's administration of, or
conduct in the | 68 |
performance of the duties of, the official's
office, as covered by | 69 |
the charges, adversely affects the
functioning of that office and | 70 |
whether the rights and interests of
the public are adversely | 71 |
affected thereby. If the commission so
determines, it shall | 72 |
include in its report a recommendation that
the public official be | 73 |
suspended from office. | 74 |
(D) The governor shall review the findings, determination, | 81 |
and recommendation of the special commission and, if, and only if, | 82 |
the commission recommends the suspension of the public
official, | 83 |
may suspend the public official from office immediately,
without | 84 |
the need for any further action. That suspension shall
continue | 85 |
until one of the following occurs: the public official
is | 86 |
reinstated to office by an appeal as provided in division (E) of | 87 |
this
section; all charges are disposed of by dismissal or by a | 88 |
finding
or findings of not guilty; or a successor is elected and | 89 |
qualified
to serve the next succeeding term of the public | 90 |
official's office. | 91 |
If a special commission does not recommend the suspension
of | 92 |
a public official who previously was voluntarily suspended
from | 93 |
office under division (B) of this section, or if the
governor, | 94 |
after reviewing a special commission's recommendation to
suspend, | 95 |
determines not to continue the suspension of a public
official who | 96 |
previously was voluntarily suspended from office
under division | 97 |
(B) of this section, that public official's
voluntary suspension | 98 |
shall end immediately upon the governor's
review of the | 99 |
commission's recommendation not to suspend or upon
the governor's | 100 |
determination not to continue the voluntary
suspension. | 101 |
(F) Any public official suspended from office under this | 109 |
section shall not exercise any of the rights, powers, or | 110 |
responsibilities of the holder of that office during the period of | 111 |
the suspension. The suspended public official, however, shall | 112 |
retain the title of the holder of that office during the period of | 113 |
the suspension and continue to receive the
compensation that the | 114 |
official is entitled to receive for holding
that office during the | 115 |
period of the suspension, until the public official pleads guilty | 116 |
to or is found
guilty of any felony with which the public official | 117 |
is charged.
For the
duration of the public official's suspension, | 118 |
a
replacement
official shall be appointed or elected to perform | 119 |
the
public
official's
duties of office in the manner provided by | 120 |
law
for
filling a vacancy in
that office. The replacement official | 121 |
shall
have all of the rights, powers, and responsibilities of, and | 122 |
shall
be entitled to the same rate of pay as, the suspended public | 123 |
official. | 124 |
(b) It is an offense for which the laws of this state, | 140 |
another state, or the United States do not otherwise contain a | 141 |
provision specifying permanent disqualification, or | 142 |
disqualification for a specified period, from holding a public | 143 |
office or position of public employment, or from serving as an | 144 |
unpaid volunteer, as a result of conviction of the offense, | 145 |
including, but not limited to, a provision such as that in | 146 |
division (C)(1) of section 2921.41 of the Revised Code. | 147 |