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| To enact sections 5.15, 5.151, and 5.152 of the | 1 |
| Revised Code to require the use of the English | 2 |
| language by state and local government entities | 3 |
| in official actions and proceedings, subject to | 4 |
| certain exceptions. | 5 |
| Section 1. That sections 5.15, 5.151, and 5.152 of the | 6 |
| Revised Code be enacted to read as follows: | 7 |
| Sec. 5.15. As used in sections 5.151 and 5.152 of the Revised | 8 |
| Code: | 9 |
| (A) "Meeting" and "public body" have the same meanings as in | 10 |
| section 121.22 of the Revised Code. | 11 |
| (B) "Political subdivision" means a municipal corporation, | 12 |
| township, county, school district, or other body corporate and | 13 |
| politic responsible for governmental activities in a geographic | 14 |
| area smaller than that of the state. | 15 |
| (C) "Record" has the same meaning as in section 149.011 of | 16 |
| the Revised Code. | 17 |
| (D) "State agency" means every organized body, office, or | 18 |
| agency, including the general assembly and the courts, established | 19 |
| by the laws of the state for the exercise of any function of state | 20 |
| government. | 21 |
| Sec. 5.151. (A) Except as otherwise provided in division (B) | 22 |
| of this section or in section 317.113 or another section of the | 23 |
| Revised Code, the English language shall be used for each meeting | 24 |
| of a public body and for each official action of any state agency | 25 |
| or political subdivision, including each record prepared, meeting | 26 |
| held, policy issued, or other action taken under color of law. | 27 |
| (B) A public body, state agency, or political subdivision | 28 |
| through its officers or employees may use a language other than | 29 |
| the English language, notwithstanding division (A) of this | 30 |
| section, to do any of the following: | 31 |
| (1) Comply with federal law; | 32 |
| (2) Comply with state law; | 33 |
| (3) Protect or promote the public health, safety, or welfare; | 34 |
| (4) Protect the rights of parties and witnesses in a civil or | 35 |
| criminal action or proceeding in a court or in an administrative | 36 |
| proceeding; | 37 |
| (5) Provide instruction in foreign language courses; | 38 |
| (6) Provide instruction designed to aid students with limited | 39 |
| English language proficiency so they can make a timely transition | 40 |
| to use of the English language in the public schools; | 41 |
| (7) Promote international commerce, trade, or tourism; | 42 |
| (8) Utilize in documents terms of art or phrases from | 43 |
| languages other than the English language; | 44 |
| (9) Engage in informal and nonbinding translations or | 45 |
| communications. | 46 |
| (C) No public body, state agency, or political subdivision | 47 |
| shall deny any individual employment solely on the basis that the | 48 |
| individual lacks facility in a foreign language, except when that | 49 |
| facility is a bona fide employment requirement to achieve a | 50 |
| purpose for which the public body, state agency, or political | 51 |
| subdivision may use a language other than the English language | 52 |
| under division (B) of this section. | 53 |
| (D) The commission on Hispanic-Latino affairs may respond to | 54 |
| correspondence that the commission receives and that is written in | 55 |
| a language other than English in that other language, but the | 56 |
| commission shall maintain as a record of the commission an English | 57 |
| translation of that correspondence. | 58 |
| (E) All projected expenditures to be made during a budget | 59 |
| period by a public body, state agency, or political subdivision | 60 |
| that are related to the use under division (B) of this section of | 61 |
| interpreters for, or the preparation, translation, printing, or | 62 |
| recording under division (B) of this section of documents, | 63 |
| records, brochures, pamphlets, flyers, or other informational | 64 |
| materials in, languages other than the English language shall, as | 65 |
| appropriate to the public body, state agency, or political | 66 |
| subdivision, be delineated in an individual appropriation item or | 67 |
| categorized in a separate and distinct manner that indicates the | 68 |
| proposed expenditure. | 69 |
| (F) Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit or | 70 |
| otherwise affect the voting or civil rights of any person. | 71 |
| Sec. 5.152. Any resident of the state has standing to | 72 |
| commence a mandamus action to obtain a judgment that orders a | 73 |
| public body, state agency, or political subdivision to comply | 74 |
| with section 5.151 of the Revised Code. The mandamus action may be | 75 |
| commenced in the court of common pleas of the county in which the | 76 |
| resident resides. | 77 |