Section 1. For a period of two years immediately following | 13 |
the effective date of this act, a pilot program is hereby | 14 |
authorized that allows the Ohio Developmental Disabilities | 15 |
Council, the Ohio Statewide Independent Living Council, the | 16 |
Governor's Council on People with Disabilities, and the facility | 17 |
governing board and the judicial advisory board that are created | 18 |
under section 2301.51 of the Revised Code and that are involved in | 19 |
governing and advising on the STAR Community Justice Center | 20 |
located in Franklin Furnace, Ohio, each to adopt a rule that | 21 |
authorizes its members to be present at council or board meetings | 22 |
open to the public by teleconference or interactive video | 23 |
teleconference, in lieu of being present in person at those | 24 |
meetings, in order to be considered present or to vote at those | 25 |
meetings and for purposes of determining whether a quorum is | 26 |
present at those meetings. A council or board that desires to | 27 |
allow its members to participate in meetings in this manner shall | 28 |
adopt a rule authorizing the participation of the council's or | 29 |
board's members in the pilot program. The rule also shall | 30 |
establish a method to authenticate the identity of a member who | 31 |
will be present at those meetings by teleconference or interactive | 32 |
video teleconference. | 33 |
Section 2. If a rule described in Section 1 of this act is | 34 |
adopted by a council or either or both the facility governing | 35 |
board or the judicial advisory board, the council or the Executive | 36 |
Director of the STAR Community Justice Center shall submit, not | 37 |
later than eighteen months after the effective date of this act, | 38 |
to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Minority | 39 |
Leader of the House of Representatives, the President of the | 40 |
Senate, and the Minority Leader of the Senate a report that | 41 |
describes the effects on the operation of the council or board of | 42 |
member participation in council or board meetings by | 43 |
teleconference or interactive video teleconference. The report | 44 |
shall describe any additional costs the council or board incurred, | 45 |
and any cost savings the council orboard realized, through member | 46 |
participation in council or board meetings in this manner. | 47 |