As Introduced

127th General Assembly
Regular Session
2007-2008
H. B. No. 621


Representatives Stewart, J., Strahorn 



A BILL
To amend sections 101.37, 109.57, 109.572, 117.102, 121.36, 121.37, 124.11, 124.23, 124.241, 124.38, 135.801, 135.802, 135.803, 140.03, 140.05, 145.297, 305.14, 307.10, 307.86, 309.10, 319.16, 325.19, 329.06, 1751.01, 1751.02, 2108.521, 2151.421, 3109.18, 3301.07, 3301.52, 3301.53, 3301.55, 3301.57, 3301.58, 3314.022, 3314.99, 3317.01, 3317.02, 3317.024, 3317.03, 3317.032, 3317.05, 3317.051, 3317.052, 3317.07, 3317.15, 3317.20, 3319.22, 3319.99, 3323.01, 3323.02, 3323.021, 3323.03, 3323.04, 3323.05, 3323.09, 3323.091, 3323.12, 3323.141, 3323.142, 3326.99, 3701.93, 3701.932, 3701.933, 4109.06, 4141.29, 4511.21, 4511.75, 5101.35, 5101.46, 5101.611, 5111.151, 5111.871, 5111.872, 5111.873, 5123.033, 5123.04, 5123.042, 5123.043, 5123.044, 5123.046, 5123.047, 5123.048, 5123.049, 5123.0411, 5123.0412, 5123.0413, 5123.0416, 5123.081, 5123.082, 5123.16, 5123.166, 5123.169, 5123.171, 5123.172, 5123.18, 5123.19, 5123.191, 5123.211, 5123.351, 5123.36, 5123.37, 5123.371, 5123.372, 5123.373, 5123.374, 5123.375, 5123.38, 5123.41, 5123.47, 5123.50, 5123.52, 5123.542, 5123.60, 5123.602, 5123.61, 5123.611, 5123.613, 5123.614, 5123.63, 5123.64, 5123.71, 5123.711, 5123.74, 5126.01, 5126.02, 5126.021, 5126.022, 5126.023, 5126.024, 5126.025, 5126.027, 5126.028, 5126.029, 5126.0210, 5126.0211, 5126.0212, 5126.0213, 5126.0214, 5126.0215, 5126.0216, 5126.0217, 5126.0218, 5126.0219, 5126.0220, 5126.0221, 5126.0222, 5126.0223, 5126.0224, 5126.0225, 5126.0226, 5126.0227, 5126.0228, 5126.0229, 5126.03, 5126.031, 5126.032, 5126.033, 5126.034, 5126.037, 5126.038, 5126.04, 5126.041, 5126.042, 5126.044, 5126.045, 5126.046, 5126.05, 5126.051, 5126.052, 5126.054, 5126.055, 5126.056, 5126.058, 5126.059, 5126.0510, 5126.0511, 5126.0512, 5126.06, 5126.07, 5126.071, 5126.08, 5126.081, 5126.082, 5126.09, 5126.10, 5126.11, 5126.12, 5126.121, 5126.13, 5126.14, 5126.15, 5126.18, 5126.19, 5126.20, 5126.201, 5126.21, 5126.22, 5126.221, 5126.23, 5126.24, 5126.25, 5126.252, 5126.253, 5126.254, 5126.26, 5126.27, 5126.28, 5126.281, 5126.29, 5126.30, 5126.31, 5126.311, 5126.313, 5126.33, 5126.331, 5126.333, 5126.34, 5126.36, 5126.41, 5126.42, 5126.43, 5126.45, 5126.46, 5126.47, 5126.49, 5126.50, 5126.54, 5126.55, 5126.57, 5126.58, 5126.59, 5126.61, 5126.62, 5126.99, 5153.16, 5153.99, 5543.011, 5705.091, 5705.14, 5705.191, 5705.222, 5705.28, 5705.44, 5735.142, and 5815.28; to enact section 5126.011 of the Revised Code; to amend Sections 269.20.40, 269.20.80, 269.20.90, 269.30.50, 337.30.30, 337.30.40, 337.30.60, and 337.40.30 of Am. Sub. H.B. 119 of the 127th General Assembly, to amend Section 337.30.43 of Am. Sub. H.B. 119 of the 127th General Assembly, as subsequently amended, to amend Section 201.60.30 of H.B. 496 of the 127th General Assembly, and to amend Section 231.20.30 of Am. Sub. H.B. 562 of the 127th General Assembly to change the name of county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities to county boards of developmental disabilities and to make similar name changes for certain county funds.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:
Section 1. That sections 101.37, 109.57, 109.572, 117.102, 121.36, 121.37, 124.11, 124.23, 124.241, 124.38, 135.801, 135.802, 135.803, 140.03, 140.05, 145.297, 305.14, 307.10, 307.86, 309.10, 319.16, 325.19, 329.06, 1751.01, 1751.02, 2108.521, 2151.421, 3109.18, 3301.07, 3301.52, 3301.53, 3301.55, 3301.57, 3301.58, 3314.022, 3314.99, 3317.01, 3317.02, 3317.024, 3317.03, 3317.032, 3317.05, 3317.051, 3317.052, 3317.07, 3317.15, 3317.20, 3319.22, 3319.99, 3323.01, 3323.02, 3323.021, 3323.03, 3323.04, 3323.05, 3323.09, 3323.091, 3323.12, 3323.141, 3323.142, 3326.99, 3701.93, 3701.932, 3701.933, 4109.06, 4141.29, 4511.21, 4511.75, 5101.35, 5101.46, 5101.611, 5111.151, 5111.871, 5111.872, 5111.873, 5123.033, 5123.04, 5123.042, 5123.043, 5123.044, 5123.046, 5123.047, 5123.048, 5123.049, 5123.0411, 5123.0412, 5123.0413, 5123.0416, 5123.081, 5123.082, 5123.16, 5123.166, 5123.169, 5123.171, 5123.172, 5123.18, 5123.19, 5123.191, 5123.211, 5123.351, 5123.36, 5123.37, 5123.371, 5123.372, 5123.373, 5123.374, 5123.375, 5123.38, 5123.41, 5123.47, 5123.50, 5123.52, 5123.542, 5123.60, 5123.602, 5123.61, 5123.611, 5123.613, 5123.614, 5123.63, 5123.64, 5123.71, 5123.711, 5123.74, 5126.01, 5126.02, 5126.021, 5126.022, 5126.023, 5126.024, 5126.025, 5126.027, 5126.028, 5126.029, 5126.0210, 5126.0211, 5126.0212, 5126.0213, 5126.0214, 5126.0215, 5126.0216, 5126.0217, 5126.0218, 5126.0219, 5126.0220, 5126.0221, 5126.0222, 5126.0223, 5126.0224, 5126.0225, 5126.0226, 5126.0227, 5126.0228, 5126.0229, 5126.03, 5126.031, 5126.032, 5126.033, 5126.034, 5126.037, 5126.038, 5126.04, 5126.041, 5126.042, 5126.044, 5126.045, 5126.046, 5126.05, 5126.051, 5126.052, 5126.054, 5126.055, 5126.056, 5126.058, 5126.059, 5126.0510, 5126.0511, 5126.0512, 5126.06, 5126.07, 5126.071, 5126.08, 5126.081, 5126.082, 5126.09, 5126.10, 5126.11, 5126.12, 5126.121, 5126.13, 5126.14, 5126.15, 5126.18, 5126.19, 5126.20, 5126.201, 5126.21, 5126.22, 5126.221, 5126.23, 5126.24, 5126.25, 5126.252, 5126.253, 5126.254, 5126.26, 5126.27, 5126.28, 5126.281, 5126.29, 5126.30, 5126.31, 5126.311, 5126.313, 5126.33, 5126.331, 5126.333, 5126.34, 5126.36, 5126.41, 5126.42, 5126.43, 5126.45, 5126.46, 5126.47, 5126.49, 5126.50, 5126.54, 5126.55, 5126.57, 5126.58, 5126.59, 5126.61, 5126.62, 5126.99, 5153.16, 5153.99, 5543.011, 5705.091, 5705.14, 5705.191, 5705.222, 5705.28, 5705.44, 5735.142, and 5815.28 be amended and section 5126.011 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:
Sec. 101.37. (A) There is hereby created the joint council on mental retardation and developmental disabilities. The joint council shall consist of three members of the house of representatives appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives, not more than two of whom shall be members of the same political party, three members of the senate appointed by the president of the senate, not more than two of whom shall be members of the same political party, and the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities. At least one member of the joint council appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives and at least one member appointed by the president of the senate shall be a member of the house or senate committee with primary responsibility for appropriation issues and at least one member appointed by the speaker and at least one member appointed by the president shall be a member of the house or senate committee with primary responsibility for human services issues.
Members of the joint council shall be reimbursed for their actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties, provided that reimbursement for such expenses shall not exceed limits imposed upon the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities by administrative rules regulating travel within this state. Members shall receive no other compensation.
The joint council shall organize itself within fifteen days after the commencement of each regular session of the general assembly by electing a chairperson and vice-chairperson. The joint council may meet upon the call of the chairperson, the director, or on the request of any three members.
Members of the joint council who are appointed from the general assembly shall serve until the expiration of their terms in the general assembly. Any vacancies occurring among the general assembly members of the joint council shall be filled in the manner of the original appointment.
(B) The joint council shall do all of the following:
(1) Appoint the original members of the citizen's advisory council at any institution under the control of the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities that is created after November 15, 1981;
(2) Make final determinations in any dispute between the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities and a citizen's advisory council concerning the appointment of members to the citizen's advisory council, as provided for in section 5123.092 of the Revised Code;
(3) Receive reports from citizen's advisory councils on or before the thirty-first day of January of each year, as required by section 5123.093 of the Revised Code;
(4) Receive reports as appropriate concerning extenuating circumstances at institutions under the control of the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities;
(5) Conduct reviews and make recommendations to the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities with respect to any disputes between the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities and entities that have entered into contracts with the department for the provision of protective services to individuals with mental retardation or developmental disabilities;
(6) Provide the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities with advice on legislative and fiscal issues affecting the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, persons with mental retardation or developmental disabilities, and providers of services to persons with mental retardation or developmental disabilities and on related issues the director requests the joint council to address;
(7) On behalf of the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, advocate to the general assembly legislative issues about which the joint council has provided advice to the director.
(C) Reports and any correspondence received by the joint council shall be deposited with the legislative service commission, which shall retain them for not less than three years after the date of deposit.
Sec. 109.57.  (A)(1) The superintendent of the bureau of criminal identification and investigation shall procure from wherever procurable and file for record photographs, pictures, descriptions, fingerprints, measurements, and other information that may be pertinent of all persons who have been convicted of committing within this state a felony, any crime constituting a misdemeanor on the first offense and a felony on subsequent offenses, or any misdemeanor described in division (A)(1)(a), (A)(8)(a), or (A)(10)(a) of section 109.572 of the Revised Code, of all children under eighteen years of age who have been adjudicated delinquent children for committing within this state an act that would be a felony or an offense of violence if committed by an adult or who have been convicted of or pleaded guilty to committing within this state a felony or an offense of violence, and of all well-known and habitual criminals. The person in charge of any county, multicounty, municipal, municipal-county, or multicounty-municipal jail or workhouse, community-based correctional facility, halfway house, alternative residential facility, or state correctional institution and the person in charge of any state institution having custody of a person suspected of having committed a felony, any crime constituting a misdemeanor on the first offense and a felony on subsequent offenses, or any misdemeanor described in division (A)(1)(a), (A)(8)(a), or (A)(10)(a) of section 109.572 of the Revised Code or having custody of a child under eighteen years of age with respect to whom there is probable cause to believe that the child may have committed an act that would be a felony or an offense of violence if committed by an adult shall furnish such material to the superintendent of the bureau. Fingerprints, photographs, or other descriptive information of a child who is under eighteen years of age, has not been arrested or otherwise taken into custody for committing an act that would be a felony or an offense of violence who is not in any other category of child specified in this division, if committed by an adult, has not been adjudicated a delinquent child for committing an act that would be a felony or an offense of violence if committed by an adult, has not been convicted of or pleaded guilty to committing a felony or an offense of violence, and is not a child with respect to whom there is probable cause to believe that the child may have committed an act that would be a felony or an offense of violence if committed by an adult shall not be procured by the superintendent or furnished by any person in charge of any county, multicounty, municipal, municipal-county, or multicounty-municipal jail or workhouse, community-based correctional facility, halfway house, alternative residential facility, or state correctional institution, except as authorized in section 2151.313 of the Revised Code.
(2) Every clerk of a court of record in this state, other than the supreme court or a court of appeals, shall send to the superintendent of the bureau a weekly report containing a summary of each case involving a felony, involving any crime constituting a misdemeanor on the first offense and a felony on subsequent offenses, involving a misdemeanor described in division (A)(1)(a), (A)(8)(a), or (A)(10)(a) of section 109.572 of the Revised Code, or involving an adjudication in a case in which a child under eighteen years of age was alleged to be a delinquent child for committing an act that would be a felony or an offense of violence if committed by an adult. The clerk of the court of common pleas shall include in the report and summary the clerk sends under this division all information described in divisions (A)(2)(a) to (f) of this section regarding a case before the court of appeals that is served by that clerk. The summary shall be written on the standard forms furnished by the superintendent pursuant to division (B) of this section and shall include the following information:
(a) The incident tracking number contained on the standard forms furnished by the superintendent pursuant to division (B) of this section;
(b) The style and number of the case;
(c) The date of arrest, offense, summons, or arraignment;
(d) The date that the person was convicted of or pleaded guilty to the offense, adjudicated a delinquent child for committing the act that would be a felony or an offense of violence if committed by an adult, found not guilty of the offense, or found not to be a delinquent child for committing an act that would be a felony or an offense of violence if committed by an adult, the date of an entry dismissing the charge, an entry declaring a mistrial of the offense in which the person is discharged, an entry finding that the person or child is not competent to stand trial, or an entry of a nolle prosequi, or the date of any other determination that constitutes final resolution of the case;
(e) A statement of the original charge with the section of the Revised Code that was alleged to be violated;
(f) If the person or child was convicted, pleaded guilty, or was adjudicated a delinquent child, the sentence or terms of probation imposed or any other disposition of the offender or the delinquent child.
If the offense involved the disarming of a law enforcement officer or an attempt to disarm a law enforcement officer, the clerk shall clearly state that fact in the summary, and the superintendent shall ensure that a clear statement of that fact is placed in the bureau's records.
(3) The superintendent shall cooperate with and assist sheriffs, chiefs of police, and other law enforcement officers in the establishment of a complete system of criminal identification and in obtaining fingerprints and other means of identification of all persons arrested on a charge of a felony, any crime constituting a misdemeanor on the first offense and a felony on subsequent offenses, or a misdemeanor described in division (A)(1)(a), (A)(8)(a), or (A)(10)(a) of section 109.572 of the Revised Code and of all children under eighteen years of age arrested or otherwise taken into custody for committing an act that would be a felony or an offense of violence if committed by an adult. The superintendent also shall file for record the fingerprint impressions of all persons confined in a county, multicounty, municipal, municipal-county, or multicounty-municipal jail or workhouse, community-based correctional facility, halfway house, alternative residential facility, or state correctional institution for the violation of state laws and of all children under eighteen years of age who are confined in a county, multicounty, municipal, municipal-county, or multicounty-municipal jail or workhouse, community-based correctional facility, halfway house, alternative residential facility, or state correctional institution or in any facility for delinquent children for committing an act that would be a felony or an offense of violence if committed by an adult, and any other information that the superintendent may receive from law enforcement officials of the state and its political subdivisions.
(4) The superintendent shall carry out Chapter 2950. of the Revised Code with respect to the registration of persons who are convicted of or plead guilty to a sexually oriented offense or a child-victim oriented offense and with respect to all other duties imposed on the bureau under that chapter.
(5) The bureau shall perform centralized recordkeeping functions for criminal history records and services in this state for purposes of the national crime prevention and privacy compact set forth in section 109.571 of the Revised Code and is the criminal history record repository as defined in that section for purposes of that compact. The superintendent or the superintendent's designee is the compact officer for purposes of that compact and shall carry out the responsibilities of the compact officer specified in that compact.
(B) The superintendent shall prepare and furnish to every county, multicounty, municipal, municipal-county, or multicounty-municipal jail or workhouse, community-based correctional facility, halfway house, alternative residential facility, or state correctional institution and to every clerk of a court in this state specified in division (A)(2) of this section standard forms for reporting the information required under division (A) of this section. The standard forms that the superintendent prepares pursuant to this division may be in a tangible format, in an electronic format, or in both tangible formats and electronic formats.
(C)(1) The superintendent may operate a center for electronic, automated, or other data processing for the storage and retrieval of information, data, and statistics pertaining to criminals and to children under eighteen years of age who are adjudicated delinquent children for committing an act that would be a felony or an offense of violence if committed by an adult, criminal activity, crime prevention, law enforcement, and criminal justice, and may establish and operate a statewide communications network to gather and disseminate information, data, and statistics for the use of law enforcement agencies and for other uses specified in this division. The superintendent may gather, store, retrieve, and disseminate information, data, and statistics that pertain to children who are under eighteen years of age and that are gathered pursuant to sections 109.57 to 109.61 of the Revised Code together with information, data, and statistics that pertain to adults and that are gathered pursuant to those sections.
(2) The superintendent or the superintendent's designee shall gather information of the nature described in division (C)(1) of this section that pertains to the offense and delinquency history of a person who has been convicted of, pleaded guilty to, or been adjudicated a delinquent child for committing a sexually oriented offense or a child-victim oriented offense for inclusion in the state registry of sex offenders and child-victim offenders maintained pursuant to division (A)(1) of section 2950.13 of the Revised Code and in the internet database operated pursuant to division (A)(13) of that section and for possible inclusion in the internet database operated pursuant to division (A)(11) of that section.
(3) In addition to any other authorized use of information, data, and statistics of the nature described in division (C)(1) of this section, the superintendent or the superintendent's designee may provide and exchange the information, data, and statistics pursuant to the national crime prevention and privacy compact as described in division (A)(5) of this section.
(D) The information and materials furnished to the superintendent pursuant to division (A) of this section and information and materials furnished to any board or person under division (F) or (G) of this section are not public records under section 149.43 of the Revised Code. The superintendent or the superintendent's designee shall gather and retain information so furnished under division (A) of this section that pertains to the offense and delinquency history of a person who has been convicted of, pleaded guilty to, or been adjudicated a delinquent child for committing a sexually oriented offense or a child-victim oriented offense for the purposes described in division (C)(2) of this section.
(E) The attorney general shall adopt rules, in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, setting forth the procedure by which a person may receive or release information gathered by the superintendent pursuant to division (A) of this section. A reasonable fee may be charged for this service. If a temporary employment service submits a request for a determination of whether a person the service plans to refer to an employment position has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to an offense listed in division (A)(1), (3), (4), (5), or (6) of section 109.572 of the Revised Code, the request shall be treated as a single request and only one fee shall be charged.
(F)(1) As used in division (F)(2) of this section, "head start agency" means an entity in this state that has been approved to be an agency for purposes of subchapter II of the "Community Economic Development Act," 95 Stat. 489 (1981), 42 U.S.C.A. 9831, as amended.
(2)(a) In addition to or in conjunction with any request that is required to be made under section 109.572, 2151.86, 3301.32, 3301.541, 3319.39, 3319.391, 3327.10, 3701.881, 5104.012, 5104.013, 5123.081, 5126.28, 5126.281, or 5153.111 of the Revised Code or that is made under section 3314.41, 3319.392, or 3326.25 of the Revised Code, the board of education of any school district; the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities; any county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities; any entity under contract with a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities; the chief administrator of any chartered nonpublic school; the chief administrator of any home health agency; the chief administrator of or person operating any child day-care center, type A family day-care home, or type B family day-care home licensed or certified under Chapter 5104. of the Revised Code; the administrator of any type C family day-care home certified pursuant to Section 1 of Sub. H.B. 62 of the 121st general assembly or Section 5 of Am. Sub. S.B. 160 of the 121st general assembly; the chief administrator of any head start agency; the executive director of a public children services agency; a private company described in section 3314.41, 3319.392, or 3326.25 of the Revised Code; or an employer described in division (J)(2) of section 3327.10 of the Revised Code may request that the superintendent of the bureau investigate and determine, with respect to any individual who has applied for employment in any position after October 2, 1989, or any individual wishing to apply for employment with a board of education may request, with regard to the individual, whether the bureau has any information gathered under division (A) of this section that pertains to that individual. On receipt of the request, the superintendent shall determine whether that information exists and, upon request of the person, board, or entity requesting information, also shall request from the federal bureau of investigation any criminal records it has pertaining to that individual. The superintendent or the superintendent's designee also may request criminal history records from other states or the federal government pursuant to the national crime prevention and privacy compact set forth in section 109.571 of the Revised Code. Within thirty days of the date that the superintendent receives a request, the superintendent shall send to the board, entity, or person a report of any information that the superintendent determines exists, including information contained in records that have been sealed under section 2953.32 of the Revised Code, and, within thirty days of its receipt, shall send the board, entity, or person a report of any information received from the federal bureau of investigation, other than information the dissemination of which is prohibited by federal law.
(b) When a board of education is required to receive information under this section as a prerequisite to employment of an individual pursuant to section 3319.39 of the Revised Code, it may accept a certified copy of records that were issued by the bureau of criminal identification and investigation and that are presented by an individual applying for employment with the district in lieu of requesting that information itself. In such a case, the board shall accept the certified copy issued by the bureau in order to make a photocopy of it for that individual's employment application documents and shall return the certified copy to the individual. In a case of that nature, a district only shall accept a certified copy of records of that nature within one year after the date of their issuance by the bureau.
(3) The state board of education may request, with respect to any individual who has applied for employment after October 2, 1989, in any position with the state board or the department of education, any information that a school district board of education is authorized to request under division (F)(2) of this section, and the superintendent of the bureau shall proceed as if the request has been received from a school district board of education under division (F)(2) of this section.
(4) When the superintendent of the bureau receives a request for information under section 3319.291 of the Revised Code, the superintendent shall proceed as if the request has been received from a school district board of education under division (F)(2) of this section.
(5) When a recipient of a classroom reading improvement grant paid under section 3301.86 of the Revised Code requests, with respect to any individual who applies to participate in providing any program or service funded in whole or in part by the grant, the information that a school district board of education is authorized to request under division (F)(2)(a) of this section, the superintendent of the bureau shall proceed as if the request has been received from a school district board of education under division (F)(2)(a) of this section.
(G) In addition to or in conjunction with any request that is required to be made under section 3701.881, 3712.09, 3721.121, or 3722.151 of the Revised Code with respect to an individual who has applied for employment in a position that involves providing direct care to an older adult, the chief administrator of a home health agency, hospice care program, home licensed under Chapter 3721. of the Revised Code, adult day-care program operated pursuant to rules adopted under section 3721.04 of the Revised Code, or adult care facility may request that the superintendent of the bureau investigate and determine, with respect to any individual who has applied after January 27, 1997, for employment in a position that does not involve providing direct care to an older adult, whether the bureau has any information gathered under division (A) of this section that pertains to that individual.
In addition to or in conjunction with any request that is required to be made under section 173.27 of the Revised Code with respect to an individual who has applied for employment in a position that involves providing ombudsperson services to residents of long-term care facilities or recipients of community-based long-term care services, the state long-term care ombudsperson, ombudsperson's designee, or director of health may request that the superintendent investigate and determine, with respect to any individual who has applied for employment in a position that does not involve providing such ombudsperson services, whether the bureau has any information gathered under division (A) of this section that pertains to that applicant.
In addition to or in conjunction with any request that is required to be made under section 173.394 of the Revised Code with respect to an individual who has applied for employment in a position that involves providing direct care to an individual, the chief administrator of a community-based long-term care agency may request that the superintendent investigate and determine, with respect to any individual who has applied for employment in a position that does not involve providing direct care, whether the bureau has any information gathered under division (A) of this section that pertains to that applicant.
On receipt of a request under this division, the superintendent shall determine whether that information exists and, on request of the individual requesting information, shall also request from the federal bureau of investigation any criminal records it has pertaining to the applicant. The superintendent or the superintendent's designee also may request criminal history records from other states or the federal government pursuant to the national crime prevention and privacy compact set forth in section 109.571 of the Revised Code. Within thirty days of the date a request is received, the superintendent shall send to the requester a report of any information determined to exist, including information contained in records that have been sealed under section 2953.32 of the Revised Code, and, within thirty days of its receipt, shall send the requester a report of any information received from the federal bureau of investigation, other than information the dissemination of which is prohibited by federal law.
(H) Information obtained by a government entity or person under this section is confidential and shall not be released or disseminated.
(I) The superintendent may charge a reasonable fee for providing information or criminal records under division (F)(2) or (G) of this section.
(J) As used in this section, "sexually oriented offense" and "child-victim oriented offense" have the same meanings as in section 2950.01 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 109.572. (A)(1) Upon receipt of a request pursuant to section 121.08, 3301.32, 3301.541, or 3319.39 of the Revised Code, a completed form prescribed pursuant to division (C)(1) of this section, and a set of fingerprint impressions obtained in the manner described in division (C)(2) of this section, the superintendent of the bureau of criminal identification and investigation shall conduct a criminal records check in the manner described in division (B) of this section to determine whether any information exists that indicates that the person who is the subject of the request previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any of the following:
(a) A violation of section 2903.01, 2903.02, 2903.03, 2903.04, 2903.11, 2903.12, 2903.13, 2903.16, 2903.21, 2903.34, 2905.01, 2905.02, 2905.05, 2907.02, 2907.03, 2907.04, 2907.05, 2907.06, 2907.07, 2907.08, 2907.09, 2907.21, 2907.22, 2907.23, 2907.25, 2907.31, 2907.32, 2907.321, 2907.322, 2907.323, 2911.01, 2911.02, 2911.11, 2911.12, 2919.12, 2919.22, 2919.24, 2919.25, 2923.12, 2923.13, 2923.161, 2925.02, 2925.03, 2925.04, 2925.05, 2925.06, or 3716.11 of the Revised Code, felonious sexual penetration in violation of former section 2907.12 of the Revised Code, a violation of section 2905.04 of the Revised Code as it existed prior to July 1, 1996, a violation of section 2919.23 of the Revised Code that would have been a violation of section 2905.04 of the Revised Code as it existed prior to July 1, 1996, had the violation been committed prior to that date, or a violation of section 2925.11 of the Revised Code that is not a minor drug possession offense;
(b) A violation of an existing or former law of this state, any other state, or the United States that is substantially equivalent to any of the offenses listed in division (A)(1)(a) of this section.
(2) On receipt of a request pursuant to section 5123.081 of the Revised Code with respect to an applicant for employment in any position with the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, pursuant to section 5126.28 of the Revised Code with respect to an applicant for employment in any position with a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, or pursuant to section 5126.281 of the Revised Code with respect to an applicant for employment in a direct services position with an entity contracting with a county board for employment, a completed form prescribed pursuant to division (C)(1) of this section, and a set of fingerprint impressions obtained in the manner described in division (C)(2) of this section, the superintendent of the bureau of criminal identification and investigation shall conduct a criminal records check. The superintendent shall conduct the criminal records check in the manner described in division (B) of this section to determine whether any information exists that indicates that the person who is the subject of the request has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any of the following:
(a) A violation of section 2903.01, 2903.02, 2903.03, 2903.04, 2903.11, 2903.12, 2903.13, 2903.16, 2903.21, 2903.34, 2903.341, 2905.01, 2905.02, 2905.04, 2905.05, 2907.02, 2907.03, 2907.04, 2907.05, 2907.06, 2907.07, 2907.08, 2907.09, 2907.12, 2907.21, 2907.22, 2907.23, 2907.25, 2907.31, 2907.32, 2907.321, 2907.322, 2907.323, 2911.01, 2911.02, 2911.11, 2911.12, 2919.12, 2919.22, 2919.24, 2919.25, 2923.12, 2923.13, 2923.161, 2925.02, 2925.03, or 3716.11 of the Revised Code;
(b) An existing or former municipal ordinance or law of this state, any other state, or the United States that is substantially equivalent to any of the offenses listed in division (A)(2)(a) of this section.
(3) On receipt of a request pursuant to section 173.27, 173.394, 3712.09, 3721.121, or 3722.151 of the Revised Code, a completed form prescribed pursuant to division (C)(1) of this section, and a set of fingerprint impressions obtained in the manner described in division (C)(2) of this section, the superintendent of the bureau of criminal identification and investigation shall conduct a criminal records check with respect to any person who has applied for employment in a position for which a criminal records check is required by those sections. The superintendent shall conduct the criminal records check in the manner described in division (B) of this section to determine whether any information exists that indicates that the person who is the subject of the request previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any of the following:
(a) A violation of section 2903.01, 2903.02, 2903.03, 2903.04, 2903.11, 2903.12, 2903.13, 2903.16, 2903.21, 2903.34, 2905.01, 2905.02, 2905.11, 2905.12, 2907.02, 2907.03, 2907.05, 2907.06, 2907.07, 2907.08, 2907.09, 2907.12, 2907.25, 2907.31, 2907.32, 2907.321, 2907.322, 2907.323, 2911.01, 2911.02, 2911.11, 2911.12, 2911.13, 2913.02, 2913.03, 2913.04, 2913.11, 2913.21, 2913.31, 2913.40, 2913.43, 2913.47, 2913.51, 2919.25, 2921.36, 2923.12, 2923.13, 2923.161, 2925.02, 2925.03, 2925.11, 2925.13, 2925.22, 2925.23, or 3716.11 of the Revised Code;
(b) An existing or former law of this state, any other state, or the United States that is substantially equivalent to any of the offenses listed in division (A)(3)(a) of this section.
(4) On receipt of a request pursuant to section 3701.881 of the Revised Code with respect to an applicant for employment with a home health agency as a person responsible for the care, custody, or control of a child, a completed form prescribed pursuant to division (C)(1) of this section, and a set of fingerprint impressions obtained in the manner described in division (C)(2) of this section, the superintendent of the bureau of criminal identification and investigation shall conduct a criminal records check. The superintendent shall conduct the criminal records check in the manner described in division (B) of this section to determine whether any information exists that indicates that the person who is the subject of the request previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any of the following:
(a) A violation of section 2903.01, 2903.02, 2903.03, 2903.04, 2903.11, 2903.12, 2903.13, 2903.16, 2903.21, 2903.34, 2905.01, 2905.02, 2905.04, 2905.05, 2907.02, 2907.03, 2907.04, 2907.05, 2907.06, 2907.07, 2907.08, 2907.09, 2907.12, 2907.21, 2907.22, 2907.23, 2907.25, 2907.31, 2907.32, 2907.321, 2907.322, 2907.323, 2911.01, 2911.02, 2911.11, 2911.12, 2919.12, 2919.22, 2919.24, 2919.25, 2923.12, 2923.13, 2923.161, 2925.02, 2925.03, 2925.04, 2925.05, 2925.06, or 3716.11 of the Revised Code or a violation of section 2925.11 of the Revised Code that is not a minor drug possession offense;
(b) An existing or former law of this state, any other state, or the United States that is substantially equivalent to any of the offenses listed in division (A)(4)(a) of this section.
(5) On receipt of a request pursuant to section 5111.032, 5111.033, or 5111.034 of the Revised Code, a completed form prescribed pursuant to division (C)(1) of this section, and a set of fingerprint impressions obtained in the manner described in division (C)(2) of this section, the superintendent of the bureau of criminal identification and investigation shall conduct a criminal records check. The superintendent shall conduct the criminal records check in the manner described in division (B) of this section to determine whether any information exists that indicates that the person who is the subject of the request previously has been convicted of, has pleaded guilty to, or has been found eligible for intervention in lieu of conviction for any of the following:
(a) A violation of section 2903.01, 2903.02, 2903.03, 2903.04, 2903.041, 2903.11, 2903.12, 2903.13, 2903.16, 2903.21, 2903.34, 2905.01, 2905.02, 2905.05, 2905.11, 2905.12, 2907.02, 2907.03, 2907.04, 2907.05, 2907.06, 2907.07, 2907.08, 2907.09, 2907.21, 2907.22, 2907.23, 2907.24, 2907.25, 2907.31, 2907.32, 2907.321, 2907.322, 2907.323, 2911.01, 2911.02, 2911.11, 2911.12, 2911.13, 2913.02, 2913.03, 2913.04, 2913.11, 2913.21, 2913.31, 2913.40, 2913.43, 2913.47, 2913.48, 2913.49, 2913.51, 2917.11, 2919.12, 2919.22, 2919.24, 2919.25, 2921.13, 2921.36, 2923.02, 2923.12, 2923.13, 2923.161, 2923.32, 2925.02, 2925.03, 2925.04, 2925.05, 2925.06, 2925.11, 2925.13, 2925.14, 2925.22, 2925.23, or 3716.11 of the Revised Code, felonious sexual penetration in violation of former section 2907.12 of the Revised Code, a violation of section 2905.04 of the Revised Code as it existed prior to July 1, 1996, a violation of section 2919.23 of the Revised Code that would have been a violation of section 2905.04 of the Revised Code as it existed prior to July 1, 1996, had the violation been committed prior to that date;
(b) An existing or former law of this state, any other state, or the United States that is substantially equivalent to any of the offenses listed in division (A)(5)(a) of this section.
(6) On receipt of a request pursuant to section 3701.881 of the Revised Code with respect to an applicant for employment with a home health agency in a position that involves providing direct care to an older adult, a completed form prescribed pursuant to division (C)(1) of this section, and a set of fingerprint impressions obtained in the manner described in division (C)(2) of this section, the superintendent of the bureau of criminal identification and investigation shall conduct a criminal records check. The superintendent shall conduct the criminal records check in the manner described in division (B) of this section to determine whether any information exists that indicates that the person who is the subject of the request previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any of the following:
(a) A violation of section 2903.01, 2903.02, 2903.03, 2903.04, 2903.11, 2903.12, 2903.13, 2903.16, 2903.21, 2903.34, 2905.01, 2905.02, 2905.11, 2905.12, 2907.02, 2907.03, 2907.05, 2907.06, 2907.07, 2907.08, 2907.09, 2907.12, 2907.25, 2907.31, 2907.32, 2907.321, 2907.322, 2907.323, 2911.01, 2911.02, 2911.11, 2911.12, 2911.13, 2913.02, 2913.03, 2913.04, 2913.11, 2913.21, 2913.31, 2913.40, 2913.43, 2913.47, 2913.51, 2919.25, 2921.36, 2923.12, 2923.13, 2923.161, 2925.02, 2925.03, 2925.11, 2925.13, 2925.22, 2925.23, or 3716.11 of the Revised Code;
(b) An existing or former law of this state, any other state, or the United States that is substantially equivalent to any of the offenses listed in division (A)(6)(a) of this section.
(7) When conducting a criminal records check upon a request pursuant to section 3319.39 of the Revised Code for an applicant who is a teacher, in addition to the determination made under division (A)(1) of this section, the superintendent shall determine whether any information exists that indicates that the person who is the subject of the request previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any offense specified in section 3319.31 of the Revised Code.
(8) On receipt of a request pursuant to section 2151.86 of the Revised Code, a completed form prescribed pursuant to division (C)(1) of this section, and a set of fingerprint impressions obtained in the manner described in division (C)(2) of this section, the superintendent of the bureau of criminal identification and investigation shall conduct a criminal records check in the manner described in division (B) of this section to determine whether any information exists that indicates that the person who is the subject of the request previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any of the following:
(a) A violation of section 959.13, 2903.01, 2903.02, 2903.03, 2903.04, 2903.11, 2903.12, 2903.13, 2903.15, 2903.16, 2903.21, 2903.211, 2903.22, 2903.34, 2905.01, 2905.02, 2905.05, 2907.02, 2907.03, 2907.04, 2907.05, 2907.06, 2907.07, 2907.08, 2907.09, 2907.21, 2907.22, 2907.23, 2907.25, 2907.31, 2907.32, 2907.321, 2907.322, 2907.323, 2909.02, 2909.03, 2909.22, 2909.23, 2909.24, 2911.01, 2911.02, 2911.11, 2911.12, 2913.49, 2917.01, 2917.02, 2919.12, 2919.22, 2919.24, 2919.25, 2923.12, 2923.13, 2923.161, 2925.02, 2925.03, 2925.04, 2925.05, 2925.06, 2927.12, or 3716.11 of the Revised Code, a violation of section 2905.04 of the Revised Code as it existed prior to July 1, 1996, a violation of section 2919.23 of the Revised Code that would have been a violation of section 2905.04 of the Revised Code as it existed prior to July 1, 1996, had the violation been committed prior to that date, a violation of section 2925.11 of the Revised Code that is not a minor drug possession offense, two or more OVI or OVUAC violations committed within the three years immediately preceding the submission of the application or petition that is the basis of the request, or felonious sexual penetration in violation of former section 2907.12 of the Revised Code;
(b) A violation of an existing or former law of this state, any other state, or the United States that is substantially equivalent to any of the offenses listed in division (A)(8)(a) of this section.
(9) Upon receipt of a request pursuant to section 5104.012 or 5104.013 of the Revised Code, a completed form prescribed pursuant to division (C)(1) of this section, and a set of fingerprint impressions obtained in the manner described in division (C)(2) of this section, the superintendent of the bureau of criminal identification and investigation shall conduct a criminal records check in the manner described in division (B) of this section to determine whether any information exists that indicates that the person who is the subject of the request has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any of the following:
(a) A violation of section 2903.01, 2903.02, 2903.03, 2903.04, 2903.11, 2903.12, 2903.13, 2903.16, 2903.21, 2903.22, 2903.34, 2905.01, 2905.02, 2905.05, 2907.02, 2907.03, 2907.04, 2907.05, 2907.06, 2907.07, 2907.08, 2907.09, 2907.21, 2907.22, 2907.23, 2907.25, 2907.31, 2907.32, 2907.321, 2907.322, 2907.323, 2911.01, 2911.02, 2911.11, 2911.12, 2913.02, 2913.03, 2913.04, 2913.041, 2913.05, 2913.06, 2913.11, 2913.21, 2913.31, 2913.32, 2913.33, 2913.34, 2913.40, 2913.41, 2913.42, 2913.43, 2913.44, 2913.441, 2913.45, 2913.46, 2913.47, 2913.48, 2913.49, 2919.12, 2919.22, 2919.24, 2919.25, 2921.11, 2921.13, 2923.01, 2923.12, 2923.13, 2923.161, 2925.02, 2925.03, 2925.04, 2925.05, 2925.06, or 3716.11 of the Revised Code, felonious sexual penetration in violation of former section 2907.12 of the Revised Code, a violation of section 2905.04 of the Revised Code as it existed prior to July 1, 1996, a violation of section 2919.23 of the Revised Code that would have been a violation of section 2905.04 of the Revised Code as it existed prior to July 1, 1996, had the violation been committed prior to that date, a violation of section 2925.11 of the Revised Code that is not a minor drug possession offense, a violation of section 2923.02 or 2923.03 of the Revised Code that relates to a crime specified in this division, or a second violation of section 4511.19 of the Revised Code within five years of the date of application for licensure or certification.
(b) A violation of an existing or former law of this state, any other state, or the United States that is substantially equivalent to any of the offenses or violations described in division (A)(9)(a) of this section.
(10) Upon receipt of a request pursuant to section 5153.111 of the Revised Code, a completed form prescribed pursuant to division (C)(1) of this section, and a set of fingerprint impressions obtained in the manner described in division (C)(2) of this section, the superintendent of the bureau of criminal identification and investigation shall conduct a criminal records check in the manner described in division (B) of this section to determine whether any information exists that indicates that the person who is the subject of the request previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any of the following:
(a) A violation of section 2903.01, 2903.02, 2903.03, 2903.04, 2903.11, 2903.12, 2903.13, 2903.16, 2903.21, 2903.34, 2905.01, 2905.02, 2905.05, 2907.02, 2907.03, 2907.04, 2907.05, 2907.06, 2907.07, 2907.08, 2907.09, 2907.21, 2907.22, 2907.23, 2907.25, 2907.31, 2907.32, 2907.321, 2907.322, 2907.323, 2909.02, 2909.03, 2911.01, 2911.02, 2911.11, 2911.12, 2919.12, 2919.22, 2919.24, 2919.25, 2923.12, 2923.13, 2923.161, 2925.02, 2925.03, 2925.04, 2925.05, 2925.06, or 3716.11 of the Revised Code, felonious sexual penetration in violation of former section 2907.12 of the Revised Code, a violation of section 2905.04 of the Revised Code as it existed prior to July 1, 1996, a violation of section 2919.23 of the Revised Code that would have been a violation of section 2905.04 of the Revised Code as it existed prior to July 1, 1996, had the violation been committed prior to that date, or a violation of section 2925.11 of the Revised Code that is not a minor drug possession offense;
(b) A violation of an existing or former law of this state, any other state, or the United States that is substantially equivalent to any of the offenses listed in division (A)(10)(a) of this section.
(11) On receipt of a request for a criminal records check from an individual pursuant to section 4749.03 or 4749.06 of the Revised Code, accompanied by a completed copy of the form prescribed in division (C)(1) of this section and a set of fingerprint impressions obtained in a manner described in division (C)(2) of this section, the superintendent of the bureau of criminal identification and investigation shall conduct a criminal records check in the manner described in division (B) of this section to determine whether any information exists indicating that the person who is the subject of the request has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to a felony in this state or in any other state. If the individual indicates that a firearm will be carried in the course of business, the superintendent shall require information from the federal bureau of investigation as described in division (B)(2) of this section. The superintendent shall report the findings of the criminal records check and any information the federal bureau of investigation provides to the director of public safety.
(12) On receipt of a request pursuant to section 1321.37, 1322.03, 1322.031, or 4763.05 of the Revised Code, a completed form prescribed pursuant to division (C)(1) of this section, and a set of fingerprint impressions obtained in the manner described in division (C)(2) of this section, the superintendent of the bureau of criminal identification and investigation shall conduct a criminal records check with respect to any person who has applied for a license, permit, or certification from the department of commerce or a division in the department. The superintendent shall conduct the criminal records check in the manner described in division (B) of this section to determine whether any information exists that indicates that the person who is the subject of the request previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any of the following: a violation of section 2913.02, 2913.11, 2913.31, 2913.51, or 2925.03 of the Revised Code; any other criminal offense involving theft, receiving stolen property, embezzlement, forgery, fraud, passing bad checks, money laundering, or drug trafficking, or any criminal offense involving money or securities, as set forth in Chapters 2909., 2911., 2913., 2915., 2921., 2923., and 2925. of the Revised Code; or any existing or former law of this state, any other state, or the United States that is substantially equivalent to those offenses.
(13) On receipt of a request for a criminal records check from the treasurer of state under section 113.041 of the Revised Code or from an individual under section 4701.08, 4715.101, 4717.061, 4725.121, 4725.501, 4729.071, 4730.101, 4730.14, 4730.28, 4731.081, 4731.15, 4731.171, 4731.222, 4731.281, 4731.296, 4731.531, 4732.091, 4734.202, 4740.061, 4741.10, 4755.70, 4757.101, 4759.061, 4760.032, 4760.06, 4761.051, 4762.031, 4762.06, or 4779.091 of the Revised Code, accompanied by a completed form prescribed under division (C)(1) of this section and a set of fingerprint impressions obtained in the manner described in division (C)(2) of this section, the superintendent of the bureau of criminal identification and investigation shall conduct a criminal records check in the manner described in division (B) of this section to determine whether any information exists that indicates that the person who is the subject of the request has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any criminal offense in this state or any other state. The superintendent shall send the results of a check requested under section 113.041 of the Revised Code to the treasurer of state and shall send the results of a check requested under any of the other listed sections to the licensing board specified by the individual in the request.
(14) On receipt of a request pursuant to section 1121.23, 1155.03, 1163.05, 1315.141, 1733.47, or 1761.26 of the Revised Code, a completed form prescribed pursuant to division (C)(1) of this section, and a set of fingerprint impressions obtained in the manner described in division (C)(2) of this section, the superintendent of the bureau of criminal identification and investigation shall conduct a criminal records check in the manner described in division (B) of this section to determine whether any information exists that indicates that the person who is the subject of the request previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any criminal offense under any existing or former law of this state, any other state, or the United States.
(15) Not later than thirty days after the date the superintendent receives a request of a type described in division (A)(1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (11), (12), or (14) of this section, the completed form, and the fingerprint impressions, the superintendent shall send the person, board, or entity that made the request any information, other than information the dissemination of which is prohibited by federal law, the superintendent determines exists with respect to the person who is the subject of the request that indicates that the person previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any offense listed or described in division (A)(1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (11), (12), or (14) of this section, as appropriate. The superintendent shall send the person, board, or entity that made the request a copy of the list of offenses specified in division (A)(1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (11), (12), or (14) of this section, as appropriate. If the request was made under section 3701.881 of the Revised Code with regard to an applicant who may be both responsible for the care, custody, or control of a child and involved in providing direct care to an older adult, the superintendent shall provide a list of the offenses specified in divisions (A)(4) and (6) of this section.
Not later than thirty days after the superintendent receives a request for a criminal records check pursuant to section 113.041 of the Revised Code, the completed form, and the fingerprint impressions, the superintendent shall send the treasurer of state any information, other than information the dissemination of which is prohibited by federal law, the superintendent determines exist with respect to the person who is the subject of the request that indicates that the person previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any criminal offense in this state or any other state.
(B) The superintendent shall conduct any criminal records check requested under section 113.041, 121.08, 173.27, 173.394, 1121.23, 1155.03, 1163.05, 1315.141, 1322.03, 1322.031, 1733.47, 1761.26, 2151.86, 3301.32, 3301.541, 3319.39, 3701.881, 3712.09, 3721.121, 3722.151, 4701.08, 4715.101, 4717.061, 4725.121, 4725.501, 4729.071, 4730.101, 4730.14, 4730.28, 4731.081, 4731.15, 4731.171, 4731.222, 4731.281, 4731.296, 4731.531, 4732.091, 4734.202, 4740.061, 4741.10, 4749.03, 4749.06, 4755.70, 4757.101, 4759.061, 4760.032, 4760.06, 4761.051, 4762.031, 4762.06, 4763.05, 4779.091, 5104.012, 5104.013, 5111.032, 5111.033, 5111.034, 5123.081, 5126.28, 5126.281, or 5153.111 of the Revised Code as follows:
(1) The superintendent shall review or cause to be reviewed any relevant information gathered and compiled by the bureau under division (A) of section 109.57 of the Revised Code that relates to the person who is the subject of the request, including, if the criminal records check was requested under section 113.041, 121.08, 173.27, 173.394, 1322.03, 1322.031, 2151.86, 3301.32, 3301.541, 3319.39, 3701.881, 3712.09, 3721.121, 3722.151, 4749.03, 4749.06, 4763.05, 5104.012, 5104.013, 5111.032, 5111.033, 5111.034, 5123.081, 5126.28, 5126.281, or 5153.111 of the Revised Code, any relevant information contained in records that have been sealed under section 2953.32 of the Revised Code;
(2) If the request received by the superintendent asks for information from the federal bureau of investigation, the superintendent shall request from the federal bureau of investigation any information it has with respect to the person who is the subject of the request, including fingerprint-based checks of national crime information databases as described in 42 U.S.C. 671 if the request is made pursuant to section 2151.86, 5104.012, or 5104.013 of the Revised Code or if any other Revised Code section requires fingerprint-based checks of that nature, and shall review or cause to be reviewed any information the superintendent receives from that bureau.
(3) The superintendent or the superintendent's designee may request criminal history records from other states or the federal government pursuant to the national crime prevention and privacy compact set forth in section 109.571 of the Revised Code.
(C)(1) The superintendent shall prescribe a form to obtain the information necessary to conduct a criminal records check from any person for whom a criminal records check is requested under section 113.041 of the Revised Code or required by section 121.08, 173.27, 173.394, 1121.23, 1155.03, 1163.05, 1315.141, 1322.03, 1322.031, 1733.47, 1761.26, 2151.86, 3301.32, 3301.541, 3319.39, 3701.881, 3712.09, 3721.121, 3722.151, 4701.08, 4715.101, 4717.061, 4725.121, 4725.501, 4729.071, 4730.101, 4730.14, 4730.28, 4731.081, 4731.15, 4731.171, 4731.222, 4731.281, 4731.296, 4731.531, 4732.091, 4734.202, 4740.061, 4741.10, 4749.03, 4749.06, 4755.70, 4757.101, 4759.061, 4760.032, 4760.06, 4761.051, 4762.031, 4762.06, 4763.05, 4779.091, 5104.012, 5104.013, 5111.032, 5111.033, 5111.034, 5123.081, 5126.28, 5126.281, or 5153.111 of the Revised Code. The form that the superintendent prescribes pursuant to this division may be in a tangible format, in an electronic format, or in both tangible and electronic formats.
(2) The superintendent shall prescribe standard impression sheets to obtain the fingerprint impressions of any person for whom a criminal records check is requested under section 113.041 of the Revised Code or required by section 121.08, 173.27, 173.394, 1121.23, 1155.03, 1163.05, 1315.141, 1322.03, 1322.031, 1733.47, 1761.26, 2151.86, 3301.32, 3301.541, 3319.39, 3701.881, 3712.09, 3721.121, 3722.151, 4701.08, 4715.101, 4717.061, 4725.121, 4725.501, 4729.071, 4730.101, 4730.14, 4730.28, 4731.081, 4731.15, 4731.171, 4731.222, 4731.281, 4731.296, 4731.531, 4732.091, 4734.202, 4740.061, 4741.10, 4749.03, 4749.06, 4755.70, 4757.101, 4759.061, 4760.032, 4760.06, 4761.051, 4762.031, 4762.06, 4763.05, 4779.091, 5104.012, 5104.013, 5111.032, 5111.033, 5111.034, 5123.081, 5126.28, 5126.281, or 5153.111 of the Revised Code. Any person for whom a records check is requested under or required by any of those sections shall obtain the fingerprint impressions at a county sheriff's office, municipal police department, or any other entity with the ability to make fingerprint impressions on the standard impression sheets prescribed by the superintendent. The office, department, or entity may charge the person a reasonable fee for making the impressions. The standard impression sheets the superintendent prescribes pursuant to this division may be in a tangible format, in an electronic format, or in both tangible and electronic formats.
(3) Subject to division (D) of this section, the superintendent shall prescribe and charge a reasonable fee for providing a criminal records check requested under section 113.041, 121.08, 173.27, 173.394, 1121.23, 1155.03, 1163.05, 1315.141, 1322.03, 1322.031, 1733.47, 1761.26, 2151.86, 3301.32, 3301.541, 3319.39, 3701.881, 3712.09, 3721.121, 3722.151, 4701.08, 4715.101, 4717.061, 4725.121, 4725.501, 4729.071, 4730.101, 4730.14, 4730.28, 4731.081, 4731.15, 4731.171, 4731.222, 4731.281, 4731.296, 4731.531, 4732.091, 4734.202, 4740.061, 4741.10, 4749.03, 4749.06, 4755.70, 4757.101, 4759.061, 4760.032, 4760.06, 4761.051, 4762.031, 4762.06, 4763.05, 4779.091, 5104.012, 5104.013, 5111.032, 5111.033, 5111.034, 5123.081, 5126.28, 5126.281, or 5153.111 of the Revised Code. The person making a criminal records request under any of those sections shall pay the fee prescribed pursuant to this division. A person making a request under section 3701.881 of the Revised Code for a criminal records check for an applicant who may be both responsible for the care, custody, or control of a child and involved in providing direct care to an older adult shall pay one fee for the request. In the case of a request under section 1121.23, 1155.03, 1163.05, 1315.141, 1733.47, 1761.26, or 5111.032 of the Revised Code, the fee shall be paid in the manner specified in that section.
(4) The superintendent of the bureau of criminal identification and investigation may prescribe methods of forwarding fingerprint impressions and information necessary to conduct a criminal records check, which methods shall include, but not be limited to, an electronic method.
(D) A determination whether any information exists that indicates that a person previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any offense listed or described in division (A)(1)(a) or (b), (A)(2)(a) or (b), (A)(3)(a) or (b), (A)(4)(a) or (b), (A)(5)(a) or (b), (A)(6)(a) or (b), (A)(7), (A)(8)(a) or (b), (A)(9)(a) or (b), (A)(10)(a) or (b), (A)(12), or (A)(14) of this section, or that indicates that a person previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any criminal offense in this state or any other state regarding a criminal records check of a type described in division (A)(13) of this section, and that is made by the superintendent with respect to information considered in a criminal records check in accordance with this section is valid for the person who is the subject of the criminal records check for a period of one year from the date upon which the superintendent makes the determination. During the period in which the determination in regard to a person is valid, if another request under this section is made for a criminal records check for that person, the superintendent shall provide the information that is the basis for the superintendent's initial determination at a lower fee than the fee prescribed for the initial criminal records check.
(E) As used in this section:
(1) "Criminal records check" means any criminal records check conducted by the superintendent of the bureau of criminal identification and investigation in accordance with division (B) of this section.
(2) "Minor drug possession offense" has the same meaning as in section 2925.01 of the Revised Code.
(3) "Older adult" means a person age sixty or older.
(4) "OVI or OVUAC violation" means a violation of section 4511.19 of the Revised Code or a violation of an existing or former law of this state, any other state, or the United States that is substantially equivalent to section 4511.19 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 117.102. The auditor of state shall review the report of each school health and safety network inspection of a public school building and associated grounds submitted to the auditor of state under section 3701.932 of the Revised Code. The auditor of state may include references to any of the recommendations contained in the inspection report, as determined appropriate by the auditor of state, in any audit report of the school district, educational service center, county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, or community school controlling the inspected building and grounds.
As used in this section, "public school" has the same meaning as in section 3701.93 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 121.36. (A) As used in this section, "home care dependent adult" means an individual who resides in a private home or other noninstitutional and unlicensed living arrangement, without the presence of a parent or guardian, but has health and safety needs that require the provision of regularly scheduled home care services to remain in the home or other living arrangement because one of the following is the case:
(1) The individual is at least twenty-one years of age but less than sixty years of age and has a physical disability or mental impairment.
(2) The individual is sixty years of age or older, regardless of whether the individual has a physical disability or mental impairment.
(B) Except as provided in division (D) of this section, the departments of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, aging, job and family services, and health shall each implement this section with respect to all contracts entered into by the department for the provision of home care services to home care dependent adults that are paid for in whole or in part with federal, state, or local funds. Except as provided in division (D) of this section, each department shall also require all public and private entities that receive money from or through the department to comply with this section when entering into contracts for the provision of home care services to home care dependent adults that are paid for in whole or in part with federal, state, or local funds. Such entities may include county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, area agencies on aging, county departments of job and family services, and boards of health of city and general health districts.
(C) Beginning one year after the effective date of this section September 26, 2003, each contract subject to this section shall include terms requiring that the provider of home care services to home care dependent adults have a system in place that effectively monitors the delivery of the services by its employees. To be considered an effective monitoring system for purposes of the contract, the system established by a provider must include at least the following components:
(1) When providing home care services to home care dependent adults who have a mental impairment or life-threatening health condition, a mechanism to verify whether the provider's employees are present at the location where the services are to be provided and at the time the services are to be provided;
(2) When providing home care services to all other home care dependent adults, a system to verify at the end of each working day whether the provider's employees have provided the services at the proper location and time;
(3) A protocol to be followed in scheduling a substitute employee when the monitoring system identifies that an employee has failed to provide home care services at the proper location and time, including standards for determining the length of time that may elapse without jeopardizing the health and safety of the home care dependent adult;
(4) Procedures for maintaining records of the information obtained through the monitoring system;
(5) Procedures for compiling annual reports of the information obtained through the monitoring system, including statistics on the rate at which home care services were provided at the proper location and time;
(6) Procedures for conducting random checks of the accuracy of the monitoring system. For purposes of conducting these checks, a random check is considered to be a check of not more than five per cent of the home care visits the provider's employees make to different home care dependent adults within a particular work shift.
(D) In implementing this section, the departments shall exempt providers of home care services who are self-employed providers with no other employees or are otherwise considered by the departments not to be agency providers. The departments shall conduct a study on how the exempted providers may be made subject to the requirement of effectively monitoring whether home care services are being provided and have been provided at the proper location and time. Not later than two years after the effective date of this section September 26, 2003, the departments shall prepare a report of their findings and recommendations. The report shall be submitted to the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives.
(E) The departments of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, aging, job and family services, and health shall each adopt rules as necessary to implement this section. The rules shall be adopted in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code.
Sec. 121.37.  (A)(1) There is hereby created the Ohio family and children first cabinet council. The council shall be composed of the superintendent of public instruction and the directors of youth services, job and family services, mental health, health, alcohol and drug addiction services, mental retardation and developmental disabilities, and budget and management. The chairperson of the council shall be the governor or the governor's designee and shall establish procedures for the council's internal control and management.
The purpose of the cabinet council is to help families seeking government services. This section shall not be interpreted or applied to usurp the role of parents, but solely to streamline and coordinate existing government services for families seeking assistance for their children.
(2) In seeking to fulfill its purpose, the council may do any of the following:
(a) Advise and make recommendations to the governor and general assembly regarding the provision of services to children;
(b) Advise and assess local governments on the coordination of service delivery to children;
(c) Hold meetings at such times and places as may be prescribed by the council's procedures and maintain records of the meetings, except that records identifying individual children are confidential and shall be disclosed only as provided by law;
(d) Develop programs and projects, including pilot projects, to encourage coordinated efforts at the state and local level to improve the state's social service delivery system;
(e) Enter into contracts with and administer grants to county family and children first councils, as well as other county or multicounty organizations to plan and coordinate service delivery between state agencies and local service providers for families and children;
(f) Enter into contracts with and apply for grants from federal agencies or private organizations;
(g) Enter into interagency agreements to encourage coordinated efforts at the state and local level to improve the state's social service delivery system. The agreements may include provisions regarding the receipt, transfer, and expenditure of funds;
(h) Identify public and private funding sources for services provided to alleged or adjudicated unruly children and children who are at risk of being alleged or adjudicated unruly children, including regulations governing access to and use of the services;
(i) Collect information provided by local communities regarding successful programs for prevention, intervention, and treatment of unruly behavior, including evaluations of the programs;
(j) Identify and disseminate publications regarding alleged or adjudicated unruly children and children who are at risk of being alleged or adjudicated unruly children and regarding programs serving those types of children;
(k) Maintain an inventory of strategic planning facilitators for use by government or nonprofit entities that serve alleged or adjudicated unruly children or children who are at risk of being alleged or adjudicated unruly children.
(3) The cabinet council shall provide for the following:
(a) Reviews of service and treatment plans for children for which such reviews are requested;
(b) Assistance as the council determines to be necessary to meet the needs of children referred by county family and children first councils;
(c) Monitoring and supervision of a statewide, comprehensive, coordinated, multi-disciplinary, interagency system for infants and toddlers with developmental disabilities or delays and their families, as established pursuant to federal grants received and administered by the department of health for early intervention services under the "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004," 20 U.S.C.A. 1400, as amended.
(4) The cabinet council shall develop and implement the following:
(a) An interagency process to select the indicators that will be used to measure progress toward increasing child well-being in the state and to update the indicators on an annual basis. The indicators shall focus on expectant parents and newborns thriving; infants and toddlers thriving; children being ready for school; children and youth succeeding in school; youth choosing healthy behaviors; and youth successfully transitioning into adulthood.
(b) An interagency system to offer guidance and monitor progress toward increasing child well-being in the state and in each county;
(c) An annual plan that identifies state-level agency efforts taken to ensure progress towards increasing child well-being in the state.
On an annual basis, the cabinet council shall submit to the governor and the general assembly a report on the status of efforts to increase child well-being in the state. This report shall be made available to any other person on request.
(B)(1) Each board of county commissioners shall establish a county family and children first council. The board may invite any local public or private agency or group that funds, advocates, or provides services to children and families to have a representative become a permanent or temporary member of its county council. Each county council must include the following individuals:
(a) At least three individuals who are not employed by an agency represented on the council and whose families are or have received services from an agency represented on the council or another county's council. Where possible, the number of members representing families shall be equal to twenty per cent of the council's membership.
(b) The director of the board of alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services that serves the county, or, in the case of a county that has a board of alcohol and drug addiction services and a community mental health board, the directors of both boards. If a board of alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services covers more than one county, the director may designate a person to participate on the county's council.
(c) The health commissioner, or the commissioner's designee, of the board of health of each city and general health district in the county. If the county has two or more health districts, the health commissioner membership may be limited to the commissioners of the two districts with the largest populations.
(d) The director of the county department of job and family services;
(e) The executive director of the public children services agency;
(f) The superintendent of the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities;
(g) The superintendent of the city, exempted village, or local school district with the largest number of pupils residing in the county, as determined by the department of education, which shall notify each board of county commissioners of its determination at least biennially;
(h) A school superintendent representing all other school districts with territory in the county, as designated at a biennial meeting of the superintendents of those districts;
(i) A representative of the municipal corporation with the largest population in the county;
(j) The president of the board of county commissioners or an individual designated by the board;
(k) A representative of the regional office of the department of youth services;
(l) A representative of the county's head start agencies, as defined in section 3301.32 of the Revised Code;
(m) A representative of the county's early intervention collaborative established pursuant to the federal early intervention program operated under the "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004";
(n) A representative of a local nonprofit entity that funds, advocates, or provides services to children and families.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the public members of a county council are not prohibited from serving on the council and making decisions regarding the duties of the council, including those involving the funding of joint projects and those outlined in the county's service coordination mechanism implemented pursuant to division (C) of this section.
The cabinet council shall establish a state appeals process to resolve disputes among the members of a county council concerning whether reasonable responsibilities as members are being shared. The appeals process may be accessed only by a majority vote of the council members who are required to serve on the council. Upon appeal, the cabinet council may order that state funds for services to children and families be redirected to a county's board of county commissioners.
The county's juvenile court judge senior in service or another judge of the juvenile court designated by the administrative judge or, where there is no administrative judge, by the judge senior in service shall serve as the judicial advisor to the county family and children first council. The judge may advise the county council on the court's utilization of resources, services, or programs provided by the entities represented by the members of the county council and how those resources, services, or programs assist the court in its administration of justice. Service of a judge as a judicial advisor pursuant to this section is a judicial function.
(2) The purpose of the county council is to streamline and coordinate existing government services for families seeking services for their children. In seeking to fulfill its purpose, a county council shall provide for the following:
(a) Referrals to the cabinet council of those children for whom the county council cannot provide adequate services;
(b) Development and implementation of a process that annually evaluates and prioritizes services, fills service gaps where possible, and invents new approaches to achieve better results for families and children;
(c) Participation in the development of a countywide, comprehensive, coordinated, multi-disciplinary, interagency system for infants and toddlers with developmental disabilities or delays and their families, as established pursuant to federal grants received and administered by the department of health for early intervention services under the "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004";
(d) Maintenance of an accountability system to monitor the county council's progress in achieving results for families and children;
(e) Establishment of a mechanism to ensure ongoing input from a broad representation of families who are receiving services within the county system.
(3) A county council shall develop and implement the following:
(a) An interagency process to establish local indicators and monitor the county's progress toward increasing child well-being in the county;
(b) An interagency process to identify local priorities to increase child well-being. The local priorities shall focus on expectant parents and newborns thriving; infants and toddlers thriving; children being ready for school; children and youth succeeding in school; youth choosing healthy behaviors; and youth successfully transitioning into adulthood and take into account the indicators established by the cabinet council under division (A)(4)(a) of this section.
(c) An annual plan that identifies the county's interagency efforts to increase child well-being in the county.
On an annual basis, the county council shall submit a report on the status of efforts by the county to increase child well-being in the county to the county's board of county commissioners and the cabinet council. This report shall be made available to any other person on request.
(4)(a) Except as provided in division (B)(4)(b) of this section, a county council shall comply with the policies, procedures, and activities prescribed by the rules or interagency agreements of a state department participating on the cabinet council whenever the county council performs a function subject to those rules or agreements.
(b) On application of a county council, the cabinet council may grant an exemption from any rules or interagency agreements of a state department participating on the council if an exemption is necessary for the council to implement an alternative program or approach for service delivery to families and children. The application shall describe the proposed program or approach and specify the rules or interagency agreements from which an exemption is necessary. The cabinet council shall approve or disapprove the application in accordance with standards and procedures it shall adopt. If an application is approved, the exemption is effective only while the program or approach is being implemented, including a reasonable period during which the program or approach is being evaluated for effectiveness.
(5)(a) Each county council shall designate an administrative agent for the council from among the following public entities: the board of alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services, including a board of alcohol and drug addiction or a community mental health board if the county is served by separate boards; the board of county commissioners; any board of health of the county's city and general health districts; the county department of job and family services; the county agency responsible for the administration of children services pursuant to section 5153.15 of the Revised Code; the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities; any of the county's boards of education or governing boards of educational service centers; or the county's juvenile court. Any of the foregoing public entities, other than the board of county commissioners, may decline to serve as the council's administrative agent.
A county council's administrative agent shall serve as the council's appointing authority for any employees of the council. The council shall file an annual budget with its administrative agent, with copies filed with the county auditor and with the board of county commissioners, unless the board is serving as the council's administrative agent. The council's administrative agent shall ensure that all expenditures are handled in accordance with policies, procedures, and activities prescribed by state departments in rules or interagency agreements that are applicable to the council's functions.
The administrative agent of a county council shall send notice of a member's absence if a member listed in division (B)(1) of this section has been absent from either three consecutive meetings of the county council or a county council subcommittee, or from one-quarter of such meetings in a calendar year, whichever is less. The notice shall be sent to the board of county commissioners that establishes the county council and, for the members listed in divisions (B)(1)(b), (c), (e), and (l) of this section, to the governing board overseeing the respective entity; for the member listed in division (B)(1)(f) of this section, to the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities that employs the superintendent; for a member listed in division (B)(1)(g) or (h) of this section, to the school board that employs the superintendent; for the member listed in division (B)(1)(i) of this section, to the mayor of the municipal corporation; for the member listed in division (B)(1)(k) of this section, to the director of youth services; and for the member listed in division (B)(1)(n), to that member's board of trustees.
The administrative agent for a county council may do any of the following on behalf of the council:
(i) Enter into agreements or administer contracts with public or private entities to fulfill specific council business. Such agreements and contracts are exempt from the competitive bidding requirements of section 307.86 of the Revised Code if they have been approved by the county council and they are for the purchase of family and child welfare or child protection services or other social or job and family services for families and children. The approval of the county council is not required to exempt agreements or contracts entered into under section 5139.34, 5139.41, or 5139.43 of the Revised Code from the competitive bidding requirements of section 307.86 of the Revised Code.
(ii) As determined by the council, provide financial stipends, reimbursements, or both, to family representatives for expenses related to council activity;
(iii) Receive by gift, grant, devise, or bequest any moneys, lands, or other property for the purposes for which the council is established. The agent shall hold, apply, and dispose of the moneys, lands, or other property according to the terms of the gift, grant, devise, or bequest. Any interest or earnings shall be treated in the same manner and are subject to the same terms as the gift, grant, devise, or bequest from which it accrues.
(b)(i) If the county council designates the board of county commissioners as its administrative agent, the board may, by resolution, delegate any of its powers and duties as administrative agent to an executive committee the board establishes from the membership of the county council. The board shall name to the executive committee at least the individuals described in divisions (B)(1)(b) to (h) of this section and may appoint the president of the board or another individual as the chair of the executive committee. The executive committee must include at least one family county council representative who does not have a family member employed by an agency represented on the council.
(ii) The executive committee may, with the approval of the board, hire an executive director to assist the county council in administering its powers and duties. The executive director shall serve in the unclassified civil service at the pleasure of the executive committee. The executive director may, with the approval of the executive committee, hire other employees as necessary to properly conduct the county council's business.
(iii) The board may require the executive committee to submit an annual budget to the board for approval and may amend or repeal the resolution that delegated to the executive committee its authority as the county council's administrative agent.
(6) Two or more county councils may enter into an agreement to administer their county councils jointly by creating a regional family and children first council. A regional council possesses the same duties and authority possessed by a county council, except that the duties and authority apply regionally rather than to individual counties. Prior to entering into an agreement to create a regional council, the members of each county council to be part of the regional council shall meet to determine whether all or part of the members of each county council will serve as members of the regional council.
(7) A board of county commissioners may approve a resolution by a majority vote of the board's members that requires the county council to submit a statement to the board each time the council proposes to enter into an agreement, adopt a plan, or make a decision, other than a decision pursuant to section 121.38 of the Revised Code, that requires the expenditure of funds for two or more families. The statement shall describe the proposed agreement, plan, or decision.
Not later than fifteen days after the board receives the statement, it shall, by resolution approved by a majority of its members, approve or disapprove the agreement, plan, or decision. Failure of the board to pass a resolution during that time period shall be considered approval of the agreement, plan, or decision.
An agreement, plan, or decision for which a statement is required to be submitted to the board shall be implemented only if it is approved by the board.
(C) Each county shall develop a county service coordination mechanism. The county service coordination mechanism shall serve as the guiding document for coordination of services in the county. For children who also receive services under the help me grow program, the service coordination mechanism shall be consistent with rules adopted by the department of health under section 3701.61 of the Revised Code. All family service coordination plans shall be developed in accordance with the county service coordination mechanism. The mechanism shall be developed and approved with the participation of the county entities representing child welfare; mental retardation and developmental disabilities; alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services; health; juvenile judges; education; the county family and children first council; and the county early intervention collaborative established pursuant to the federal early intervention program operated under the "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004." The county shall establish an implementation schedule for the mechanism. The cabinet council may monitor the implementation and administration of each county's service coordination mechanism.
Each mechanism shall include all of the following:
(1) A procedure for an agency, including a juvenile court, or a family voluntarily seeking service coordination, to refer the child and family to the county council for service coordination in accordance with the mechanism;
(2) A procedure ensuring that a family and all appropriate staff from involved agencies, including a representative from the appropriate school district, are notified of and invited to participate in all family service coordination plan meetings;
(3) A procedure that permits a family to initiate a meeting to develop or review the family's service coordination plan and allows the family to invite a family advocate, mentor, or support person of the family's choice to participate in any such meeting;
(4) A procedure for ensuring that a family service coordination plan meeting is conducted for each child who receives service coordination under the mechanism and for whom an emergency out-of-home placement has been made or for whom a nonemergency out-of-home placement is being considered. The meeting shall be conducted within ten days of an emergency out-of-home placement. The meeting shall be conducted before a nonemergency out-of-home placement. The family service coordination plan shall outline how the county council members will jointly pay for services, where applicable, and provide services in the least restrictive environment.
(5) A procedure for monitoring the progress and tracking the outcomes of each service coordination plan requested in the county including monitoring and tracking children in out-of-home placements to assure continued progress, appropriateness of placement, and continuity of care after discharge from placement with appropriate arrangements for housing, treatment, and education.
(6) A procedure for protecting the confidentiality of all personal family information disclosed during service coordination meetings or contained in the comprehensive family service coordination plan.
(7) A procedure for assessing the needs and strengths of any child or family that has been referred to the council for service coordination, including a child whose parent or custodian is voluntarily seeking services, and for ensuring that parents and custodians are afforded the opportunity to participate;
(8) A procedure for development of a family service coordination plan described in division (D) of this section;
(9) A local dispute resolution process to serve as the process that must be used first to resolve disputes among the agencies represented on the county council concerning the provision of services to children, including children who are abused, neglected, dependent, unruly, alleged unruly, or delinquent children and under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court and children whose parents or custodians are voluntarily seeking services. The local dispute resolution process shall comply with sections 121.38, 121.381, and 121.382 of the Revised Code. The local dispute resolution process shall be used to resolve disputes between a child's parents or custodians and the county council regarding service coordination. The county council shall inform the parents or custodians of their right to use the dispute resolution process. Parents or custodians shall use existing local agency grievance procedures to address disputes not involving service coordination. The dispute resolution process is in addition to and does not replace other rights or procedures that parents or custodians may have under other sections of the Revised Code.
The cabinet council shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code establishing an administrative review process to address problems that arise concerning the operation of a local dispute resolution process.
Nothing in division (C)(4) of this section shall be interpreted as overriding or affecting decisions of a juvenile court regarding an out-of-home placement, long-term placement, or emergency out-of-home placement.
(D) Each county shall develop a family service coordination plan that does all of the following:
(1) Designates service responsibilities among the various state and local agencies that provide services to children and their families, including children who are abused, neglected, dependent, unruly, or delinquent children and under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court and children whose parents or custodians are voluntarily seeking services;
(2) Designates an individual, approved by the family, to track the progress of the family service coordination plan, schedule reviews as necessary, and facilitate the family service coordination plan meeting process;
(3) Ensures that assistance and services to be provided are responsive to the strengths and needs of the family, as well as the family's culture, race, and ethnic group, by allowing the family to offer information and suggestions and participate in decisions. Identified assistance and services shall be provided in the least restrictive environment possible.
(4) Includes a process for dealing with a child who is alleged to be an unruly child. The process shall include methods to divert the child from the juvenile court system;
(5) Includes timelines for completion of goals specified in the plan with regular reviews scheduled to monitor progress toward those goals;
(6) Includes a plan for dealing with short-term crisis situations and safety concerns.
(E)(1) The process provided for under division (D)(4) of this section may include, but is not limited to, the following:
(a) Designation of the person or agency to conduct the assessment of the child and the child's family as described in division (C)(7) of this section and designation of the instrument or instruments to be used to conduct the assessment;
(b) An emphasis on the personal responsibilities of the child and the parental responsibilities of the parents, guardian, or custodian of the child;
(c) Involvement of local law enforcement agencies and officials.
(2) The method to divert a child from the juvenile court system that must be included in the service coordination process may include, but is not limited to, the following:
(a) The preparation of a complaint under section 2151.27 of the Revised Code alleging that the child is an unruly child and notifying the child and the parents, guardian, or custodian that the complaint has been prepared to encourage the child and the parents, guardian, or custodian to comply with other methods to divert the child from the juvenile court system;
(b) Conducting a meeting with the child, the parents, guardian, or custodian, and other interested parties to determine the appropriate methods to divert the child from the juvenile court system;
(c) A method to provide to the child and the child's family a short-term respite from a short-term crisis situation involving a confrontation between the child and the parents, guardian, or custodian;
(d) A program to provide a mentor to the child or the parents, guardian, or custodian;
(e) A program to provide parenting education to the parents, guardian, or custodian;
(f) An alternative school program for children who are truant from school, repeatedly disruptive in school, or suspended or expelled from school;
(g) Other appropriate measures, including, but not limited to, any alternative methods to divert a child from the juvenile court system that are identified by the Ohio family and children first cabinet council.
(F) Each county may review and revise the service coordination process described in division (D) of this section based on the availability of funds under Title IV-A of the "Social Security Act," 110 Stat. 2113 (1996), 42 U.S.C.A. 601, as amended, or to the extent resources are available from any other federal, state, or local funds.
Sec. 124.11.  The civil service of the state and the several counties, cities, civil service townships, city health districts, general health districts, and city school districts of the state shall be divided into the unclassified service and the classified service.
(A) The unclassified service shall comprise the following positions, which shall not be included in the classified service, and which shall be exempt from all examinations required by this chapter:
(1) All officers elected by popular vote or persons appointed to fill vacancies in those offices;
(2) All election officers as defined in section 3501.01 of the Revised Code;
(3)(a) The members of all boards and commissions, and heads of principal departments, boards, and commissions appointed by the governor or by and with the governor's consent;
(b) The heads of all departments appointed by a board of county commissioners;
(c) The members of all boards and commissions and all heads of departments appointed by the mayor, or, if there is no mayor, such other similar chief appointing authority of any city or city school district;
Except as otherwise provided in division (A)(17) or (C) of this section, this chapter does not exempt the chiefs of police departments and chiefs of fire departments of cities or civil service townships from the competitive classified service.
(4) The members of county or district licensing boards or commissions and boards of revision, and not more than five deputy county auditors;
(5) All officers and employees elected or appointed by either or both branches of the general assembly, and employees of the city legislative authority engaged in legislative duties;
(6) All commissioned, warrant, and noncommissioned officers and enlisted persons in the Ohio organized militia, including military appointees in the adjutant general's department;
(7)(a) All presidents, business managers, administrative officers, superintendents, assistant superintendents, principals, deans, assistant deans, instructors, teachers, and such employees as are engaged in educational or research duties connected with the public school system, colleges, and universities, as determined by the governing body of the public school system, colleges, and universities;
(b) The library staff of any library in the state supported wholly or in part at public expense.
(8) Four clerical and administrative support employees for each of the elective state officers, four clerical and administrative support employees for each board of county commissioners and one such employee for each county commissioner, and four clerical and administrative support employees for other elective officers and each of the principal appointive executive officers, boards, or commissions, except for civil service commissions, that are authorized to appoint such clerical and administrative support employees;
(9) The deputies and assistants of state agencies authorized to act for and on behalf of the agency, or holding a fiduciary or administrative relation to that agency and those persons employed by and directly responsible to elected county officials or a county administrator and holding a fiduciary or administrative relationship to such elected county officials or county administrator, and the employees of such county officials whose fitness would be impracticable to determine by competitive examination, provided that division (A)(9) of this section shall not affect those persons in county employment in the classified service as of September 19, 1961. Nothing in division (A)(9) of this section applies to any position in a county department of job and family services created pursuant to Chapter 329. of the Revised Code.
(10) Bailiffs, constables, official stenographers, and commissioners of courts of record, deputies of clerks of the courts of common pleas who supervise or who handle public moneys or secured documents, and such officers and employees of courts of record and such deputies of clerks of the courts of common pleas as the director of administrative services finds it impracticable to determine their fitness by competitive examination;
(11) Assistants to the attorney general, special counsel appointed or employed by the attorney general, assistants to county prosecuting attorneys, and assistants to city directors of law;
(12) Such teachers and employees in the agricultural experiment stations; such students in normal schools, colleges, and universities of the state who are employed by the state or a political subdivision of the state in student or intern classifications; and such unskilled labor positions as the director of administrative services or any municipal civil service commission may find it impracticable to include in the competitive classified service; provided such exemptions shall be by order of the commission or the director, duly entered on the record of the commission or the director with the reasons for each such exemption;
(13) Any physician or dentist who is a full-time employee of the department of mental health, the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, or an institution under the jurisdiction of either department; and physicians who are in residency programs at the institutions;
(14) Up to twenty positions at each institution under the jurisdiction of the department of mental health or the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities that the department director determines to be primarily administrative or managerial; and up to fifteen positions in any division of either department, excluding administrative assistants to the director and division chiefs, which are within the immediate staff of a division chief and which the director determines to be primarily and distinctively administrative and managerial;
(15) Noncitizens of the United States employed by the state, or its counties or cities, as physicians or nurses who are duly licensed to practice their respective professions under the laws of this state, or medical assistants, in mental or chronic disease hospitals, or institutions;
(16) Employees of the governor's office;
(17) Fire chiefs and chiefs of police in civil service townships appointed by boards of township trustees under section 505.38 or 505.49 of the Revised Code;
(18) Executive directors, deputy directors, and program directors employed by boards of alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services under Chapter 340. of the Revised Code, and secretaries of the executive directors, deputy directors, and program directors;
(19) Superintendents, and management employees as defined in section 5126.20 of the Revised Code, of county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities;
(20) Physicians, nurses, and other employees of a county hospital who are appointed pursuant to sections 339.03 and 339.06 of the Revised Code;
(21) The executive director of the state medical board, who is appointed pursuant to division (B) of section 4731.05 of the Revised Code;
(22) County directors of job and family services as provided in section 329.02 of the Revised Code and administrators appointed under section 329.021 of the Revised Code;
(23) A director of economic development who is hired pursuant to division (A) of section 307.07 of the Revised Code;
(24) Chiefs of construction and compliance, of operations and maintenance, and of licensing and certification in the division of industrial compliance in the department of commerce;
(25) The executive director of a county transit system appointed under division (A) of section 306.04 of the Revised Code;
(26) Up to five positions at each of the administrative departments listed in section 121.02 of the Revised Code and at the department of taxation, department of the adjutant general, department of education, Ohio board of regents, bureau of workers' compensation, industrial commission, state lottery commission, and public utilities commission of Ohio that the head of that administrative department or of that other state agency determines to be involved in policy development and implementation. The head of the administrative department or other state agency shall set the compensation for employees in these positions at a rate that is not less than the minimum compensation specified in pay range 41 but not more than the maximum compensation specified in pay range 44 of salary schedule E-2 in section 124.152 of the Revised Code. The authority to establish positions in the unclassified service under division (A)(26) of this section is in addition to and does not limit any other authority that an administrative department or state agency has under the Revised Code to establish positions, appoint employees, or set compensation.
(27) Employees of the department of agriculture employed under section 901.09 of the Revised Code;
(28) For cities, counties, civil service townships, city health districts, general health districts, and city school districts, the deputies and assistants of elective or principal executive officers authorized to act for and in the place of their principals or holding a fiduciary relation to their principals;
(29) Employees who receive intermittent or temporary appointments under division (B) of section 124.30 of the Revised Code;
(30) Employees appointed to administrative staff positions for which an appointing authority is given specific statutory authority to set compensation;
(31) Employees appointed to highway patrol cadet or highway patrol cadet candidate classifications;
(32) Employees placed in the unclassified service by another section of the Revised Code.
(B) The classified service shall comprise all persons in the employ of the state and the several counties, cities, city health districts, general health districts, and city school districts of the state, not specifically included in the unclassified service. Upon the creation by the board of trustees of a civil service township civil service commission, the classified service shall also comprise, except as otherwise provided in division (A)(17) or (C) of this section, all persons in the employ of a civil service township police or fire department having ten or more full-time paid employees. The classified service consists of two classes, which shall be designated as the competitive class and the unskilled labor class.
(1) The competitive class shall include all positions and employments in the state and the counties, cities, city health districts, general health districts, and city school districts of the state, and, upon the creation by the board of trustees of a civil service township of a township civil service commission, all positions in a civil service township police or fire department having ten or more full-time paid employees, for which it is practicable to determine the merit and fitness of applicants by competitive examinations. Appointments shall be made to, or employment shall be given in, all positions in the competitive class that are not filled by promotion, reinstatement, transfer, or reduction, as provided in this chapter, and the rules of the director of administrative services, by appointment from those certified to the appointing officer in accordance with this chapter.
(2) The unskilled labor class shall include ordinary unskilled laborers. Vacancies in the labor class for positions in service of the state shall be filled by appointment from lists of applicants registered by the director. Vacancies in the labor class for all other positions shall be filled by appointment from lists of applicants registered by a commission. The director or the commission, as applicable, by rule, shall require an applicant for registration in the labor class to furnish evidence or take tests as the director or commission considers proper with respect to age, residence, physical condition, ability to labor, honesty, sobriety, industry, capacity, and experience in the work or employment for which application is made. Laborers who fulfill the requirements shall be placed on the eligible list for the kind of labor or employment sought, and preference shall be given in employment in accordance with the rating received from that evidence or in those tests. Upon the request of an appointing officer, stating the kind of labor needed, the pay and probable length of employment, and the number to be employed, the director or commission, as applicable, shall certify from the highest on the list double the number to be employed; from this number, the appointing officer shall appoint the number actually needed for the particular work. If more than one applicant receives the same rating, priority in time of application shall determine the order in which their names shall be certified for appointment.
(C) A municipal or civil service township civil service commission may place volunteer firefighters who are paid on a fee-for-service basis in either the classified or the unclassified civil service.
(D) This division does not apply to persons in the unclassified service who have the right to resume positions in the classified service under sections 4121.121, 5119.071, 5120.07, 5120.38, 5120.381, 5120.382, 5123.08, 5139.02, and 5501.19 of the Revised Code.
An appointing authority whose employees are paid directly by warrant of the director of budget and management may appoint a person who holds a certified position in the classified service within the appointing authority's agency to a position in the unclassified service within that agency. A person appointed pursuant to this division to a position in the unclassified service shall retain the right to resume the position and status held by the person in the classified service immediately prior to the person's appointment to the position in the unclassified service, regardless of the number of positions the person held in the unclassified service. An employee's right to resume a position in the classified service may only be exercised when an appointing authority demotes the employee to a pay range lower than the employee's current pay range or revokes the employee's appointment to the unclassified service. An employee forfeits the right to resume a position in the classified service when the employee is removed from the position in the unclassified service due to incompetence, inefficiency, dishonesty, drunkenness, immoral conduct, insubordination, discourteous treatment of the public, neglect of duty, violation of this chapter or the rules of the director of administrative services, any other failure of good behavior, any other acts of misfeasance, malfeasance, or nonfeasance in office, or conviction of a felony. An employee also forfeits the right to resume a position in the classified service upon transfer to a different agency.
Reinstatement to a position in the classified service shall be to a position substantially equal to that position in the classified service held previously, as certified by the director of administrative services. If the position the person previously held in the classified service has been placed in the unclassified service or is otherwise unavailable, the person shall be appointed to a position in the classified service within the appointing authority's agency that the director of administrative services certifies is comparable in compensation to the position the person previously held in the classified service. Service in the position in the unclassified service shall be counted as service in the position in the classified service held by the person immediately prior to the person's appointment to the position in the unclassified service. When a person is reinstated to a position in the classified service as provided in this division, the person is entitled to all rights, status, and benefits accruing to the position in the classified service during the person's time of service in the position in the unclassified service.
Sec. 124.23.  (A) All applicants for positions and places in the classified service shall be subject to examination, except for applicants for positions as professional or certified service and paraprofessional employees of county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, who shall be hired in the manner provided in section 124.241 of the Revised Code.
(B) Any examination administered under this section shall be public and be open to all citizens of the United States and those persons who have legally declared their intentions of becoming United States citizens, within certain limitations to be determined by the director of administrative services as to citizenship, age, experience, education, health, habit, and moral character. Any person who has completed service in the uniformed services, who has been honorably discharged from the uniformed services or transferred to the reserve with evidence of satisfactory service, and who is a resident of this state and any member of the national guard or a reserve component of the armed forces of the United States who has completed more than one hundred eighty days of active duty service pursuant to an executive order of the president of the United States or an act of the congress of the United States may file with the director a certificate of service or honorable discharge, and, upon this filing, the person shall receive additional credit of twenty per cent of the person's total grade given in the regular examination in which the person receives a passing grade.
As used in this division, "service in the uniformed services" and "uniformed services" have the same meanings as in the "Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994," 108 Stat. 3149, 38 U.S.C.A. 4303.
(C) An examination may include an evaluation of such factors as education, training, capacity, knowledge, manual dexterity, and physical or psychological fitness. An examination shall consist of one or more tests in any combination. Tests may be written, oral, physical, demonstration of skill, or an evaluation of training and experiences and shall be designed to fairly test the relative capacity of the persons examined to discharge the particular duties of the position for which appointment is sought. Tests may include structured interviews, assessment centers, work simulations, examinations of knowledge, skills, and abilities, and any other acceptable testing methods. If minimum or maximum requirements are established for any examination, they shall be specified in the examination announcement.
(D) The director of administrative services shall have control of all examinations, except as otherwise provided in sections 124.01 to 124.64 of the Revised Code. No questions in any examination shall relate to political or religious opinions or affiliations. No credit for seniority, efficiency, or any other reason shall be added to an applicant's examination grade unless the applicant achieves at least the minimum passing grade on the examination without counting that extra credit.
(E) Except as otherwise provided in sections 124.01 to 124.64 of the Revised Code, the director of administrative services shall give reasonable notice of the time, place, and general scope of every competitive examination for appointment to a position in the civil service. The director shall send written, printed, or electronic notices of every examination to be conducted in the state classified service to each agency of the type the director of job and family services specifies and, in the case of a county in which no such agency is located, to the clerk of the court of common pleas of that county and to the clerk of each city located within that county. Those notices shall be posted in conspicuous public places in the designated agencies or the courthouse, and city hall of the cities, of the counties in which no designated agency is located for at least two weeks preceding any examination involved, and in a conspicuous place in the office of the director of administrative services for at least two weeks preceding any examination involved. In case of examinations limited by the director to a district, county, city, or department, the director shall provide by rule for adequate publicity of an examination in the district, county, city, or department within which competition is permitted.
Sec. 124.241.  As used in this section, "professional employee" has the same meaning as in section 5126.20 of the Revised Code and "registered service employee" means a service employee, as defined in section 5126.20 of the Revised Code, who is registered under section 5126.25 of the Revised Code.
County boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities may hire professional employees and registered service employees in the classified service on the basis of the candidates' qualifications rather than on the basis of the results of an examination administered by the director of administrative services pursuant to section 124.23 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 124.38.  Each of the following shall be entitled for each completed eighty hours of service to sick leave of four and six-tenths hours with pay:
(A) Employees in the various offices of the county, municipal, and civil service township service, other than superintendents and management employees, as defined in section 5126.20 of the Revised Code, of county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities;
(B) Employees of any state college or university;
(C) Employees of any board of education for whom sick leave is not provided by section 3319.141 of the Revised Code.
Employees may use sick leave, upon approval of the responsible administrative officer of the employing unit, for absence due to personal illness, pregnancy, injury, exposure to contagious disease that could be communicated to other employees, and illness, injury, or death in the employee's immediate family. Unused sick leave shall be cumulative without limit. When sick leave is used, it shall be deducted from the employee's credit on the basis of one hour for every one hour of absence from previously scheduled work.
The previously accumulated sick leave of an employee who has been separated from the public service shall be placed to the employee's credit upon the employee's re-employment in the public service, provided that the re-employment takes place within ten years of the date on which the employee was last terminated from public service. This ten-year period shall be tolled for any period during which the employee holds elective public office, whether by election or by appointment.
An employee who transfers from one public agency to another shall be credited with the unused balance of the employee's accumulated sick leave up to the maximum of the sick leave accumulation permitted in the public agency to which the employee transfers.
The appointing authorities of the various offices of the county service may permit all or any part of a person's accrued but unused sick leave acquired during service with any regional council of government established in accordance with Chapter 167. of the Revised Code to be credited to the employee upon a transfer as if the employee were transferring from one public agency to another under this section.
The appointing authority of each employing unit shall require an employee to furnish a satisfactory written, signed statement to justify the use of sick leave. If medical attention is required, a certificate stating the nature of the illness from a licensed physician shall be required to justify the use of sick leave. Falsification of either a written, signed statement or a physician's certificate shall be grounds for disciplinary action, including dismissal.
This section does not interfere with existing unused sick leave credit in any agency of government where attendance records are maintained and credit has been given employees for unused sick leave.
Notwithstanding this section or any other section of the Revised Code, any appointing authority of a county office, department, commission, board, or body may, upon notification to the board of county commissioners, establish alternative schedules of sick leave for employees of the appointing authority for whom the state employment relations board has not established an appropriate bargaining unit pursuant to section 4117.06 of the Revised Code, as long as the alternative schedules are not inconsistent with the provisions of at least one collective bargaining agreement covering other employees of that appointing authority, if such a collective bargaining agreement exists. If no such collective bargaining agreement exists, an appointing authority may, upon notification to the board of county commissioners, establish an alternative schedule of sick leave for its employees that does not diminish the sick leave benefits granted by this section.
Sec. 135.801.  (A) As used in sections 135.801 to 135.803 of the Revised Code, "eligible lending institution," "eligible organization," "investing authority," "residential facility," and "residential facility linked deposit program" have the same meanings as in section 5126.51 of the Revised Code.
(B) The board of county commissioners may adopt a resolution implementing a residential facility linked deposit program under sections 5126.51 to 5126.62 of the Revised Code if it finds each of the following:
(1) The county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities has adopted a resolution under section 5126.49 of the Revised Code.
(2) There is a shortage of residential facilities in the county for individuals with mental retardation or developmental disabilities.
(3) Eligible organizations, otherwise willing and able to develop residential facilities in the county, have been unable to do so because of high interest rates.
(4) Placement of residential facility linked deposits will assist in financing the development of residential facilities in the county that otherwise would not be developed because of high interest rates.
(5) Public moneys of the county are available for purposes of the residential facility linked deposit program.
(6) At least one eligible lending institution has an office located within the territorial limits of the county into which the board may deposit the public moneys of the county.
Sec. 135.802.  The board of county commissioners shall include each of the following in a resolution implementing a residential facility linked deposit program under sections 5126.51 to 5126.62 of the Revised Code:
(A) Specific findings of fact justifying implementation of the residential facility linked deposit program in the county;
(B) Guidelines to be followed by the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities in establishing standards under section 5126.49 of the Revised Code for approving applications for linked deposit loans;
(C) Instructions to the county's investing authority as necessary for the placement and monitoring of, and for reporting with regard to, residential facility linked deposits under sections 5126.59 to 5126.61 of the Revised Code;
(D) Any information the board requires an applicant for a residential facility linked deposit loan to provide to the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities that would not otherwise be provided to that board by the applicant pursuant to sections 5126.51 to 5126.62 of the Revised Code.
The board shall transmit a certified copy of the resolution to the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities and the county's investing authority, unless the board is itself that authority.
Sec. 135.803.  On receiving a resolution from the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities approving under section 5126.55 of the Revised Code development of a proposed residential facility, the board of county commissioners shall determine whether public moneys of the county are available for a residential facility linked deposit and shall certify to the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities either that public moneys are available or that public moneys are not available. If public moneys are not available the certification shall indicate the date, if any, on which the board of county commissioners anticipates that public moneys will be available.
Sec. 140.03.  (A) Two or more hospital agencies may enter into agreements for the acquisition, construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, remodeling, renovating, enlarging, equipping, and furnishing of hospital facilities, or the management, operation, occupancy, use, maintenance, and repair of hospital facilities, or for participation in programs, projects, activities, and services useful to, connected with, supplementing, or otherwise related to the services provided by, or the operation of, hospital facilities operated by one or more participating hospital agencies, including any combination of such purposes, all in such manner as to promote the public purpose stated in section 140.02 of the Revised Code. A city health district; general health district; board of alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services; county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities; the department of mental health; the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities; or any public body engaged in the education or training of health professions personnel may join in any such agreement for purposes related to its authority under laws applicable to it, and as such a participant shall be considered a public hospital agency or hospital agency for the purposes of this section.
(B) An agreement entered into under authority of this section shall, where appropriate, provide for:
(1) The manner in which the title to the hospital facilities, including the sites and interest in real estate pertaining thereto, is to be held, transferred, or disposed of;
(2) Unless provided for by lease pursuant to section 140.05 of the Revised Code, the method by which such hospital facilities are to be acquired, constructed, or otherwise improved and by which they shall be managed, occupied, maintained, and repaired, including the designation of one of the hospital agencies to have charge of the details of acquisition, construction, or improvement pursuant to the contracting procedures prescribed under the law applicable to one of the participating public hospital agencies;
(3) The management or administration of any such programs, projects, activities, or services, which may include management or administration by one of said hospital agencies or a board or agency thereof;
(4) Annual, or more frequent, reports to the participating hospital agencies as to the revenues and receipts pertaining to the subject of the agreement, the expenditures thereof, the status and application of other funds contributed under such agreement, and such other matters as may be specified by or pursuant to such agreement;
(5) The manner of apportionment or sharing of costs of hospital facilities, any other applicable costs of management, operation, maintenance, and repair of hospital facilities, and costs for the programs, projects, activities, and services forming the subject of the agreement, which apportionment or sharing may be prescribed in fixed amounts, or determined by ratios, formulas, or otherwise, and paid as service charges, rentals, or in such other manner as provided in the agreement, and may include amounts sufficient to meet the bond service charges and other payments and deposits required under the bond proceedings for obligations issued to pay costs of hospital facilities. A hospital agency may commit itself to make such payments at least for so long as any such obligations are outstanding. In the apportionment, different classes of costs or expenses may be apportioned to one or more, all or less than all, of the participating hospital agencies as determined under such agreement.
(C) An agreement entered into under authority of this section may provide for:
(1) An orderly process for making determinations or advising as to planning, execution, implementation, and operation, which may include designating one of the hospital agencies, or a board thereof, for any of such purposes, provisions for a committee, board, or commission, and for representation thereon, or as may otherwise be provided;
(2) Securing necessary personnel, including participation of personnel from the respective hospital agencies;
(3) Standards or conditions for the admission or participation of patients and physicians;
(4) Conditions for admittance of other hospital agencies to participation under the agreement;
(5) Fixing or establishing the method of determining charges to be made for particular services;
(6) The manner of amending, supplementing, terminating, or withdrawal or removal of any party from, the agreement, and the term of the agreement, or an indefinite term;
(7) Designation of the applicants for or recipients of any federal, state, or other aid, assistance, or loans available by reason of any activities conducted under the agreement;
(8) Designation of one or more of the participating hospital agencies to maintain, prepare, and submit, on behalf of all parties to the agreement, any or all records and reports with regard to the activities conducted under the agreement;
(9) Any incidental use of the hospital facilities, or services thereof, by participating public hospital agencies for any of their lawful purposes, which incidental use does not impair the character of the facilities as hospital facilities for any purpose of this chapter;
(10) Such other matters as the parties thereto may agree upon for the purposes of division (A) of this section.
(D) For the purpose of paying or contributing its share under an agreement made under this section, a public hospital agency may:
(1) Expend any moneys from its general fund, and from any other funds not otherwise restricted by law, but including funds for permanent improvements of hospital facilities of such public hospital agency where the contribution is to be made toward the costs of hospital facilities under the agreement, and including funds derived from levies for, or receipts available for, operating expenses of hospital facilities or services of such public hospital agency where the contribution or payment is to be made toward operating expenses of the hospital facilities or services under the agreement or for the services provided thereby;
(2) Issue obligations under Chapter 133. or section 140.06, 339.14, 339.15, 513.12, or 3345.12 of the Revised Code, or Section 3 of Article XVIII, Ohio Constitution, if applicable to such public hospital agency, to pay costs of hospital facilities, or issue obligations under any other provision of law authorizing such public hospital agency to issue obligations for any costs of hospital facilities;
(3) Levy taxes under Chapter 5705. or section 513.13 or 3709.29 of the Revised Code, if applicable to such public hospital agency, provided that the purpose of such levy may include the provision of funds for either or both permanent improvements and current expenses if required for the contribution or payment of such hospital agency under such agreement, and each such public hospital agency may issue notes in anticipation of any such levy, pursuant to the procedures provided in section 5705.191 of the Revised Code if the levy is solely for current expenses, and in section 5705.193 of the Revised Code if the levy is all or in part for permanent improvements;
(4) Contribute real and personal property or interest therein without necessity for competitive bidding or public auction on disposition of such property.
(E) Any funds provided by public hospital agencies that are parties to an agreement entered into under this section shall be transferred to and placed in a separate fund or funds of such participating public hospital agency as is designated under the agreement. The funds shall be applied for the purposes provided in such agreement and are subject to audit. Pursuant to any determinations to be made under such agreement, the funds shall be deposited, invested, and disbursed under the provisions of law applicable to the public hospital agency in whose custody the funds are held. This division is subject to the provisions of any applicable bond proceedings under section 133.08, 140.06, 339.15, or 3345.12 of the Revised Code or Section 3 of Article XVIII, Ohio Constitution. The records and reports of such public hospital agency under Chapter 117. of the Revised Code and sections 3702.51 to 3702.62 of the Revised Code, with respect to the funds shall be sufficient without necessity for reports thereon by the other public hospital agencies participating under such agreement.
(F)(1) Prior to its entry into any such agreement, the public hospital agency must determine, and set forth in a resolution or ordinance, that the contribution to be made by it under such agreement will be fair consideration for value and benefit to be derived by it under such agreement and that the agreement will promote the public purpose stated in section 140.02 of the Revised Code.
(2) If the agreement is with a board of county commissioners, board of county hospital trustees, or county hospital commission and is an initial agreement for the acquisition or operation of a county hospital operated by a board of county hospital trustees under section 339.06 of the Revised Code, the governing body of the public hospital agency shall submit the agreement, accompanied by the resolution or ordinance, to the board of county commissioners for review pursuant to section 339.091 of the Revised Code. The agreement may be entered into only if the board of county commissioners adopts a resolution under that section. The requirements of division (F)(2) of this section do not apply to the agreement if one or more hospitals classified as general hospitals by the public health council under section 3701.07 of the Revised Code are operating in the same county as the county hospital.
Sec. 140.05.  (A)(1) A public hospital agency may lease any hospital facility to one or more hospital agencies for use as a hospital facility, or to one or more city or general health districts; boards of alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services; county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities; the department of mental health; or the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, for uses which they are authorized to make thereof under the laws applicable to them, or any combination of them, and they may lease such facilities to or from a hospital agency for such uses, upon such terms and conditions as are agreed upon by the parties. Such lease may be for a term of fifty years or less and may provide for an option of the lessee to renew for a term of fifty years or less, as therein set forth. Prior to entering into such lease, the governing body of any public hospital agency granting such lease must determine, and set forth in a resolution or ordinance, that such lease will promote the public purpose stated in section 140.02 of the Revised Code and that the lessor public hospital agency will be duly benefited thereby.
(2) If the lease is with a board of county commissioners, board of county hospital trustees, or county hospital commission and is an agreement for the initial lease of a county hospital operated by a board of county hospital trustees under section 339.06 of the Revised Code, the governing body of the public hospital agency shall submit the agreement, accompanied by the resolution or ordinance, to the board of county commissioners for review pursuant to section 339.091 of the Revised Code. The agreement may be entered into only if the board of county commissioners adopts a resolution under that section. The requirements of division (A)(2) of this section do not apply to the lease if one or more hospitals classified as general hospitals by the public health council under section 3701.07 of the Revised Code are operating in the same county as the county hospital.
(B) Any lease entered into pursuant to this section shall provide that in the event that the lessee fails faithfully and efficiently to administer, maintain, and operate such leased facilities as hospital facilities, or fails to provide the services thereof without regard to race, creed, color, or national origin, or fails to require that any hospital agency using such facilities or the services thereof shall not discriminate by reason of race, creed, color, or national origin, after an opportunity to be heard upon written charges, said lease may be terminated at the time, in the manner and with consequences therein provided. If any such lease does not contain terms to the effect provided in this division, it shall nevertheless be deemed to contain such terms which shall be implemented as determined by the governing body of the lessor.
(C) Such lease may provide for rentals commencing at any time agreed upon, or advance rental, and continuing for such period therein provided, notwithstanding and without diminution, rebate, or setoff by reason of time of availability of the hospital facility for use, delays in construction, failure of completion, damage or destruction of the hospital facilities, or for any other reason.
(D) Such lease may provide for the sale or transfer of title of the leased facilities pursuant to an option to purchase, lease-purchase, or installment purchase upon terms therein provided or to be determined as therein provided, which may include provision for the continued use thereof as a hospital facility for some reasonable period, taking into account efficient useful life and other factors, as is provided therein.
(E) Such lease may be entered as part of or in connection with an agreement pursuant to section 140.03 of the Revised Code. Any hospital facilities which are the subject of an agreement entered into under section 140.03 of the Revised Code may be leased pursuant to this section.
(F) If land acquired by a public hospital agency for a hospital facility is adjacent to an existing hospital facility owned by another hospital agency, the public hospital agency may, in connection with such acquisition or the leasing of such land and hospital facilities thereon to one or more hospital agencies, enter into an agreement with the hospital agency which owns such adjacent hospital facility for the use of common walls in the construction, operation, or maintenance of hospital facilities of the public hospital agency. For the purpose of construction, operation, or maintenance of hospital facilities, a public hospital agency may acquire by purchase, gift, lease, lease with option to purchase, lease-purchase, or installment purchase, easement deed, or other agreement, real estate and interests in real estate, including rights to use space over, under or upon real property owned by others, and support, access, common wall, and other rights in connection therewith. Any public hospital agency or other political subdivision or any public agency, board, commission, institution, body, or instrumentality may grant such real estate, interests, or rights to any hospital agency upon such terms as are agreed upon without necessity for competitive bidding or public auction.
Sec. 145.297.  (A) As used in this section, "employing unit" means:
(1) A municipal corporation, agency of a municipal corporation designated by the legislative authority, park district, conservancy district, sanitary district, health district, township, department of a township designated by the board of township trustees, metropolitan housing authority, public library, county law library, union cemetery, joint hospital, or other political subdivision or unit of local government.
(2) With respect to state employees, any entity of the state including any department, agency, institution of higher education, board, bureau, commission, council, office, or administrative body or any part of such entity that is designated by the entity as an employing unit.
(3)(a) With respect to employees of a board of alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services, that board.
(b) With respect to employees of a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, that board.
(c) With respect to other county employees, the county or any county agency designated by the board of county commissioners.
(4) In the case of an employee whose employing unit is in question, the employing unit is the unit through whose payroll the employee is paid.
(B) An employing unit may establish a retirement incentive plan for its eligible employees. In the case of a county or county agency, decisions on whether to establish a retirement incentive plan for any employees other than employees of a board of alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services or county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities and on the terms of the plan shall be made by the board of county commissioners. In the case of a municipal corporation or an agency of a municipal corporation, decisions on whether to establish a retirement incentive plan and on the terms of the plan shall be made by the legislative authority.
All terms of a retirement incentive plan shall be in writing.
A retirement incentive plan shall provide for purchase by the employing unit of service credit for eligible employees who elect to participate in the plan and for payment by the employing unit of the entire cost of the service credit purchased.
Every retirement incentive plan shall remain in effect for at least one year. The employing unit shall give employees at least thirty days' notice before terminating the plan.
Every retirement incentive plan shall include provisions for the timely and impartial resolution of grievances and disputes arising under the plan.
No employing unit shall have more than one retirement incentive plan in effect at any time.
(C) Any classified or unclassified employee of the employing unit who is a member of the public employees retirement system shall be eligible to participate in the retirement incentive plan established by the employee's employing unit if the employee meets the following criteria:
(1) The employee is not any of the following:
(a) An elected official;
(b) A member of a board or commission;
(c) A person elected to serve a term of fixed length;
(d) A person appointed to serve a term of fixed length, other than a person appointed and employed by the person's employing unit.
(2) The employee is or will be eligible to retire under section 145.32, 145.34, 145.37, or division (A) of section 145.33 of the Revised Code on or before the date of termination of the retirement incentive plan. Service credit to be purchased for the employee under the retirement incentive plan shall be included in making such determination.
(3) The employee agrees to retire under section 145.32, 145.34, 145.37, or division (A) of section 145.33 of the Revised Code within ninety days after receiving notice from the public employees retirement system that service credit has been purchased for the employee under this section.
Participation in the plan shall be available to all eligible employees except that the employing unit may limit the number of participants in the plan to a specified percentage of its employees who are members of the public employees retirement system on the date the plan goes into effect. The percentage shall not be less than five per cent of such employees. If participation is limited, employees with more total service credit have the right to elect to participate before employees with less total service credit. In the case of employees with the same total service credit, employees with a greater length of service with the employing unit have the right to elect to participate before employees with less service with the employing unit. Employees with less than eighteen months of service with the employing unit have the right to elect to participate only after all other eligible employees have been given the opportunity to elect to participate. For the purpose of determining which employees may participate in a plan, total service credit includes service credit purchased by the employee under this chapter after the date on which the plan is established.
A retirement incentive plan that limits participation may provide that an employee who does not notify the employing unit of the employee's decision to participate in the plan within a specified period of time will lose priority to participate in the plan ahead of other employees with less seniority. The time given to an employee to elect to participate ahead of other employees shall not be less than thirty days after the employee receives written notice that the employee may participate in the plan.
(D) A retirement incentive plan shall provide for purchase of the same amount of service credit for each participating employee, except that the employer may not purchase more service credit for any employee than the lesser of the following:
(1) Five years of service credit;
(2) An amount of service credit equal to one-fifth of the total service credited to the participant under this chapter, exclusive of service credit purchased under this section.
For each year of service credit purchased under this section, the employing unit shall pay an amount equal to the additional liability resulting from the purchase of that year of service credit, as determined by an actuary employed by the public employees retirement board.
(E) Upon the election by an eligible employee to participate in the retirement incentive plan, the employee and the employing unit shall agree upon a date for payment or contracting for payment in installments to the public employees retirement system of the cost of the service credit to be purchased. The employing unit shall submit to the public employees retirement system a written request for a determination of the cost of the service credit, and within forty-five days after receiving the request, the board shall give the employing unit written notice of the cost.
The employing unit shall pay or contract to pay in installments the cost of the service credit to be purchased to the public employees retirement system on the date agreed to by the employee and the employing unit. The payment shall be made in accordance with rules adopted by the public employees retirement board. The rules may provide for payment in installments and for crediting the purchased credit to the employee's account upon the employer's contracting to pay the cost in installments. The board shall notify the member when the member is credited with service purchased under this section. If the employee does not retire within ninety days after receiving notice that the employee has been credited with the purchased service credit, the system shall refund to the employing unit the amount paid for the service credit.
No payment made to the public employees retirement system under this section shall affect any payment required by section 145.48 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 305.14.  (A) The court of common pleas, upon the application of the prosecuting attorney and the board of county commissioners, may authorize the board to employ legal counsel to assist the prosecuting attorney, the board, or any other county officer in any matter of public business coming before such board or officer, and in the prosecution or defense of any action or proceeding in which such board or officer is a party or has an interest, in its official capacity.
(B) The board of county commissioners may also employ legal counsel, as provided in section 309.09 of the Revised Code, to represent it in any matter of public business coming before such board, and in the prosecution or defense of any action or proceeding in which such board is a party or has an interest, in its official capacity.
(C) Notwithstanding division (A) of this section and except as provided in division (D) of this section, a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities or a public children services agency may, without the authorization of the court of common pleas, employ legal counsel to advise it or to represent it or any of its members or employees in any matter of public business coming before the board or agency or in the prosecution or defense of any action or proceeding in which the board or agency in its official capacity, or a board or agency member or employee in the member's or employee's official capacity, is a party or has an interest.
(D)(1) In any legal proceeding in which the prosecuting attorney is fully able to perform the prosecuting attorney's statutory duty to represent the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities or public children services agency without conflict of interest, the board or agency shall employ other counsel only with the written consent of the prosecuting attorney. In any legal proceeding in which the prosecuting attorney is unable, for any reason, to represent the board or agency, the prosecuting attorney shall so notify the board or agency, and, except as provided in division (D)(2) of this section, the board or agency may then employ counsel for the proceeding without further permission from any authority.
(2) A public children services agency that receives money from the county general revenue fund must obtain the permission of the board of county commissioners of the county served by the agency before employing counsel under division (C) of this section.
Sec. 307.10.  (A) No sale of real property, or lease of real property used or to be used for the purpose of airports, landing fields, or air navigational facilities, or parts thereof, as provided by section 307.09 of the Revised Code shall be made unless it is authorized by a resolution adopted by a majority of the board of county commissioners. When a sale of real property as provided by section 307.09 of the Revised Code is authorized, the board may either deed the property to the highest responsible bidder, after advertisement once a week for four consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the county or offer the real property for sale at a public auction, after giving at least thirty days' notice of the auction by publication in a newspaper of general circulation in the county. The board may reject any and all bids. The board may, as it considers best, sell real property pursuant to this section as an entire tract or in parcels. The board, by resolution adopted by a majority of the board, may lease real property, in accordance with division (A) of section 307.09 of the Revised Code, without advertising for bids.
(B) The board, by resolution, may transfer real property in fee simple belonging to the county and not needed for public use to the United States government, to the state or any department or agency thereof, to municipal corporations or other political subdivisions of the state, or to the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, for public purposes upon the terms and in the manner that it may determine to be in the best interests of the county, without advertising for bids. The board shall execute a deed or other proper instrument when such a transfer is approved.
(C) The board, by resolution adopted by a majority of the board, may grant leases, rights, or easements to the United States government, to the state or any department or agency thereof, or to municipal corporations and other political subdivisions of the state, or to privately owned electric light and power companies, natural gas companies, or telephone or telegraph companies for purposes of rendering their several public utilities services, in accordance with division (B) of section 307.09 of the Revised Code, without advertising for bids. When such grant of lease, right, or easement is authorized, a deed or other proper instrument therefor shall be executed by the board.
Sec. 307.86.  Anything to be purchased, leased, leased with an option or agreement to purchase, or constructed, including, but not limited to, any product, structure, construction, reconstruction, improvement, maintenance, repair, or service, except the services of an accountant, architect, attorney at law, physician, professional engineer, construction project manager, consultant, surveyor, or appraiser, by or on behalf of the county or contracting authority, as defined in section 307.92 of the Revised Code, at a cost in excess of twenty-five thousand dollars, except as otherwise provided in division (D) of section 713.23 and in sections 9.48, 125.04, 125.60 to 125.6012, 307.022, 307.041, 307.861, 339.05, 340.03, 340.033, 4115.31 to 4115.35, 5119.16, 5513.01, 5543.19, 5713.01, and 6137.05 of the Revised Code, shall be obtained through competitive bidding. However, competitive bidding is not required when any of the following applies:
(A) The board of county commissioners, by a unanimous vote of its members, makes a determination that a real and present emergency exists, and that determination and the reasons for it are entered in the minutes of the proceedings of the board, when either of the following applies:
(1) The estimated cost is less than fifty thousand dollars.
(2) There is actual physical disaster to structures, radio communications equipment, or computers.
For purposes of this division, "unanimous vote" means all three members of a board of county commissioners when all three members are present, or two members of the board if only two members, constituting a quorum, are present.
Whenever a contract of purchase, lease, or construction is exempted from competitive bidding under division (A)(1) of this section because the estimated cost is less than fifty thousand dollars, but the estimated cost is twenty-five thousand dollars or more, the county or contracting authority shall solicit informal estimates from no fewer than three persons who could perform the contract, before awarding the contract. With regard to each such contract, the county or contracting authority shall maintain a record of such estimates, including the name of each person from whom an estimate is solicited. The county or contracting authority shall maintain the record for the longer of at least one year after the contract is awarded or the amount of time the federal government requires.
(B)(1) The purchase consists of supplies or a replacement or supplemental part or parts for a product or equipment owned or leased by the county, and the only source of supply for the supplies, part, or parts is limited to a single supplier.
(2) The purchase consists of services related to information technology, such as programming services, that are proprietary or limited to a single source.
(C) The purchase is from the federal government, the state, another county or contracting authority of another county, or a board of education, township, or municipal corporation.
(D) The purchase is made by a county department of job and family services under section 329.04 of the Revised Code and consists of family services duties or workforce development activities or is made by a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities under section 5126.05 of the Revised Code and consists of program services, such as direct and ancillary client services, child care, case management services, residential services, and family resource services.
(E) The purchase consists of criminal justice services, social services programs, family services, or workforce development activities by the board of county commissioners from nonprofit corporations or associations under programs funded by the federal government or by state grants.
(F) The purchase consists of any form of an insurance policy or contract authorized to be issued under Title XXXIX of the Revised Code or any form of health care plan authorized to be issued under Chapter 1751. of the Revised Code, or any combination of such policies, contracts, plans, or services that the contracting authority is authorized to purchase, and the contracting authority does all of the following:
(1) Determines that compliance with the requirements of this section would increase, rather than decrease, the cost of the purchase;
(2) Requests issuers of the policies, contracts, plans, or services to submit proposals to the contracting authority, in a form prescribed by the contracting authority, setting forth the coverage and cost of the policies, contracts, plans, or services as the contracting authority desires to purchase;
(3) Negotiates with the issuers for the purpose of purchasing the policies, contracts, plans, or services at the best and lowest price reasonably possible.
(G) The purchase consists of computer hardware, software, or consulting services that are necessary to implement a computerized case management automation project administered by the Ohio prosecuting attorneys association and funded by a grant from the federal government.
(H) Child care services are purchased for provision to county employees.
(I)(1) Property, including land, buildings, and other real property, is leased for offices, storage, parking, or other purposes, and all of the following apply:
(a) The contracting authority is authorized by the Revised Code to lease the property.
(b) The contracting authority develops requests for proposals for leasing the property, specifying the criteria that will be considered prior to leasing the property, including the desired size and geographic location of the property.
(c) The contracting authority receives responses from prospective lessors with property meeting the criteria specified in the requests for proposals by giving notice in a manner substantially similar to the procedures established for giving notice under section 307.87 of the Revised Code.
(d) The contracting authority negotiates with the prospective lessors to obtain a lease at the best and lowest price reasonably possible considering the fair market value of the property and any relocation and operational costs that may be incurred during the period the lease is in effect.
(2) The contracting authority may use the services of a real estate appraiser to obtain advice, consultations, or other recommendations regarding the lease of property under this division.
(J) The purchase is made pursuant to section 5139.34 or sections 5139.41 to 5139.46 of the Revised Code and is of programs or services that provide case management, treatment, or prevention services to any felony or misdemeanant delinquent, unruly youth, or status offender under the supervision of the juvenile court, including, but not limited to, community residential care, day treatment, services to children in their home, or electronic monitoring.
(K) The purchase is made by a public children services agency pursuant to section 307.92 or 5153.16 of the Revised Code and consists of family services, programs, or ancillary services that provide case management, prevention, or treatment services for children at risk of being or alleged to be abused, neglected, or dependent children.
(L) The purchase is to obtain the services of emergency medical service organizations under a contract made by the board of county commissioners pursuant to section 307.05 of the Revised Code with a joint emergency medical services district.
(M) The county contracting authority determines that the use of competitive sealed proposals would be advantageous to the county and the contracting authority complies with section 307.862 of the Revised Code.
Any issuer of policies, contracts, plans, or services listed in division (F) of this section and any prospective lessor under division (I) of this section may have the issuer's or prospective lessor's name and address, or the name and address of an agent, placed on a special notification list to be kept by the contracting authority, by sending the contracting authority that name and address. The contracting authority shall send notice to all persons listed on the special notification list. Notices shall state the deadline and place for submitting proposals. The contracting authority shall mail the notices at least six weeks prior to the deadline set by the contracting authority for submitting proposals. Every five years the contracting authority may review this list and remove any person from the list after mailing the person notification of that action.
Any contracting authority that negotiates a contract under division (F) of this section shall request proposals and negotiate with issuers in accordance with that division at least every three years from the date of the signing of such a contract, unless the parties agree upon terms for extensions or renewals of the contract. Such extension or renewal periods shall not exceed six years from the date the initial contract is signed.
Any real estate appraiser employed pursuant to division (I) of this section shall disclose any fees or compensation received from any source in connection with that employment.
Sec. 309.10.  Sections 309.08 and 309.09 of the Revised Code do not prevent a school board from employing counsel to represent it, but when counsel is employed, the counsel shall be paid by the school board from the school fund. Sections 309.08 and 309.09 of the Revised Code do not prevent a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities from employing counsel to represent it, but that counsel shall be employed in accordance with division (C) of section 305.14 and paid in accordance with division (A)(7) of section 5126.05 of the Revised Code.
Sections 309.08 and 309.09 of the Revised Code do not prevent a board of county hospital trustees from employing counsel with the approval of the county commissioners to bring legal action for the collection of delinquent accounts of the hospital, but when counsel is employed, the counsel shall be paid from the hospital's funds. Sections 309.08 and 309.09 of the Revised Code do not prevent a board of library trustees from employing counsel to represent it, but when counsel is employed, the counsel shall be paid from the library's funds. Sections 309.08 and 309.09 of the Revised Code do not prevent the appointment and employment of assistants, clerks, and stenographers to assist the prosecuting attorney as provided in sections 309.01 to 309.16 of the Revised Code, or the appointment by the court of common pleas or the court of appeals of an attorney to assist the prosecuting attorney in the trial of a criminal cause pending in that court, or the board of county commissioners from paying for those services.
Sec. 319.16.  The county auditor shall issue warrants, including electronic warrants authorizing direct deposit for payment of county obligations in accordance with division (F) of section 9.37 of the Revised Code, on the county treasurer for all moneys payable from the county treasury, upon presentation of the proper order or voucher and evidentiary matter for the moneys, and keep a record of all such warrants showing the number, date of issue, amount for which drawn, in whose favor, for what purpose, and on what fund. The auditor shall not issue a warrant for the payment of any claim against the county, unless it is allowed by the board of county commissioners, except where the amount due is fixed by law or is allowed by an officer or tribunal, including a county board of mental health or county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, so authorized by law. If the auditor questions the validity of an expenditure that is within available appropriations and for which a proper order or voucher and evidentiary matter is presented, the auditor shall notify the board, officer, or tribunal who presented the voucher. If the board, officer, or tribunal determines that the expenditure is valid and the auditor continues to refuse to issue the appropriate warrant on the county treasury, a writ of mandamus may be sought. The court shall issue a writ of mandamus for issuance of the warrant if the court determines that the claim is valid.
Evidentiary matter includes original invoices, receipts, bills and checks, and legible copies of contracts.
Sec. 325.19.  (A)(1) The granting of vacation leave under division (A)(1) of this section is subject to divisions (A)(2) and (3) of this section. Each full-time employee in the several offices and departments of the county service, including full-time hourly rate employees, after service of one year with the county or any political subdivision of the state, shall have earned and will be due upon the attainment of the first year of employment, and annually thereafter, eighty hours of vacation leave with full pay. One year of service shall be computed on the basis of twenty-six biweekly pay periods. A full-time county employee with eight or more years of service with the county or any political subdivision of the state shall have earned and is entitled to one hundred twenty hours of vacation leave with full pay. A full-time county employee with fifteen or more years of service with the county or any political subdivision of the state shall have earned and is entitled to one hundred sixty hours of vacation leave with full pay. A full-time county employee with twenty-five years of service with the county or any political subdivision of the state shall have earned and is entitled to two hundred hours of vacation leave with full pay. Such vacation leave shall accrue to the employee at the rate of three and one-tenth hours each biweekly period for those entitled to eighty hours per year; four and six-tenths hours each biweekly period for those entitled to one hundred twenty hours per year; six and two-tenths hours each biweekly period for those entitled to one hundred sixty hours per year; and seven and seven-tenths hours each biweekly period for those entitled to two hundred hours per year.
The appointing authorities of the offices and departments of the county service may permit all or any part of a person's prior service with any regional council of government established in accordance with Chapter 167. of the Revised Code to be considered service with the county or a political subdivision of the state for the purpose of determining years of service under this division.
(2) Full-time employees granted vacation leave under division (A)(1) of this section who render any standard of service other than forty hours per week as described in division (J) of this section and who are in active pay status in a biweekly pay period, shall accrue a number of hours of vacation leave during each such pay period that bears the same ratio to the number of hours specified in division (A)(1) of this section as their number of hours which are accepted as full-time in active pay status, excluding overtime hours, bears to eighty hours.
(3) Full-time employees granted vacation leave under division (A)(1) of this section who are in active pay status in a biweekly pay period for less than eighty hours or the number of hours of service otherwise accepted as full-time by their employing office or department shall accrue a number of hours of vacation leave during that pay period that bears the same ratio to the number of hours specified in division (A)(1) of this section as their number of hours in active pay status, excluding overtime hours, bears to eighty or the number of hours of service accepted as full-time, whichever is applicable.
(B) A board of county commissioners, by resolution, may grant vacation leave with full pay to part-time county employees. A part-time county employee shall be eligible for vacation leave with full pay upon the attainment of the first year of employment, and annually thereafter. The ratio between the hours worked and the vacation hours awarded to a part-time employee shall be the same as the ratio between the hours worked and the vacation hours earned by a full-time employee as provided for in this section.
(C) Days specified as holidays in section 124.19 of the Revised Code shall not be charged to an employee's vacation leave. Vacation leave shall be taken by the employee during the year in which it accrued and prior to the next recurrence of the anniversary date of the employee's employment, provided that the appointing authority may, in special and meritorious cases, permit such employee to accumulate and carry over the employee's vacation leave to the following year. No vacation leave shall be carried over for more than three years. An employee is entitled to compensation, at the employee's current rate of pay, for the prorated portion of any earned but unused vacation leave for the current year to the employee's credit at time of separation, and in addition shall be compensated for any unused vacation leave accrued to the employee's credit, with the permission of the appointing authority, for the three years immediately preceding the last anniversary date of employment.
(D)(1) In addition to vacation leave, a full-time county employee is entitled to eight hours of holiday pay for New Year's day, Martin Luther King day, Washington-Lincoln day, Memorial day, Independence day, Labor day, Columbus day, Veterans' day, Thanksgiving day, and Christmas day, of each year. Except as provided in division (D)(2) of this section, holidays shall occur on the days specified in section 1.14 of the Revised Code. If any of those holidays fall on Saturday, the Friday immediately preceding shall be observed as the holiday. If any of those holidays fall on Sunday, the Monday immediately succeeding shall be observed as the holiday. If an employee's work schedule is other than Monday through Friday, the employee is entitled to holiday pay for holidays observed on the employee's day off regardless of the day of the week on which they are observed.
(2)(a) When a classified employee of a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities works at a site maintained by a government entity other than the board, such as a public school, the board may adjust the employee's holiday schedule to conform to the schedule adopted by the government entity. Under an adjusted holiday schedule, an employee shall receive the number of hours of holiday pay granted under division (D)(1) of this section.
(b) Pursuant to division (J)(6) of section 339.06 of the Revised Code, a county hospital may observe Martin Luther King day, Washington-Lincoln day, Columbus day, and Veterans' day on days other than those specified in section 1.14 of the Revised Code.
(E) In the case of the death of a county employee, the unused vacation leave and unpaid overtime to the credit of the employee shall be paid in accordance with section 2113.04 of the Revised Code, or to the employee's estate.
(F) Notwithstanding this section or any other section of the Revised Code, any appointing authority of a county office, department, commission, board, or body may, upon notification to the board of county commissioners, establish alternative schedules of vacation leave and holidays for employees of the appointing authority for whom the state employment relations board has not established an appropriate bargaining unit pursuant to section 4117.06 of the Revised Code, as long as the alternative schedules are not inconsistent with the provisions of at least one collective bargaining agreement covering other employees of that appointing authority, if such an agreement exists. If no such collective bargaining agreement exists, an appointing authority, upon notification to the board of county commissioners, may establish an alternative schedule of vacation leave and holidays for its employees that does not diminish the vacation leave and holiday benefits granted by this section.
(G) The employees of a county children services board that establishes vacation benefits under section 5153.12 of the Revised Code are exempt from division (A) of this section.
(H) The provisions of this section do not apply to superintendents and management employees of county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities.
(I) Division (A) of this section does not apply to an employee of a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities who works at, or provides transportation services to pupils of, a special education program provided by the county board pursuant to division (A)(4) of section 5126.05 of the Revised Code, if the employee's employment is based on a school year and the employee is not subject to a contract with the county board that provides for division (A) of this section to apply to the employee.
(J) As used in this section:
(1) "Full-time employee" means an employee whose regular hours of service for a county total forty hours per week, or who renders any other standard of service accepted as full-time by an office, department, or agency of county service.
(2) "Part-time employee" means an employee whose regular hours of service for a county total less than forty hours per week, or who renders any other standard of service accepted as part-time by an office, department, or agency of county service, and whose hours of county service total at least five hundred twenty hours annually.
(3) "Management employee" has the same meaning as in section 5126.20 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 329.06.  (A) Except as provided in division (C) of this section and section 6301.08 of the Revised Code, the board of county commissioners shall establish a county family services planning committee. The board shall appoint a member to represent the county department of job and family services; an employee in the classified civil service of the county department of job and family services, if there are any such employees; and a member to represent the public. The board shall appoint other individuals to the committee in such a manner that the committee's membership is broadly representative of the groups of individuals and the public and private entities that have an interest in the family services provided in the county. The board shall make appointments in a manner that reflects the ethnic and racial composition of the county. The following groups and entities may be represented on the committee:
(1) Consumers of family services;
(2) The public children services agency;
(3) The child support enforcement agency;
(4) The county family and children first council;
(5) Public and private colleges and universities;
(6) Public entities that provide family services, including boards of health, boards of education, the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, and the board of alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services that serves the county;
(7) Private nonprofit and for-profit entities that provide family services in the county or that advocate for consumers of family services in the county, including entities that provide services to or advocate for victims of domestic violence;
(8) Labor organizations;
(9) Any other group or entity that has an interest in the family services provided in the county, including groups or entities that represent any of the county's business, urban, and rural sectors.
(B) The county family services planning committee shall do all of the following:
(1) Serve as an advisory body to the board of county commissioners with regard to the family services provided in the county, including assistance under Chapters 5107. and 5108. of the Revised Code, publicly funded child care under Chapter 5104. of the Revised Code, and social services provided under section 5101.46 of the Revised Code;
(2) At least once a year, review and analyze the county department of job and family services' implementation of the programs established under Chapters 5107. and 5108. of the Revised Code. In its review, the committee shall use information available to it to examine all of the following:
(a) Return of assistance groups to participation in either program after ceasing to participate;
(b) Teen pregnancy rates among the programs' participants;
(c) The other types of assistance the programs' participants receive, including medical assistance under Chapter 5111. of the Revised Code, publicly funded child care under Chapter 5104. of the Revised Code, food stamp benefits under section 5101.54 of the Revised Code, and energy assistance under Chapter 5117. of the Revised Code;
(d) Other issues the committee considers appropriate.
The committee shall make recommendations to the board of county commissioners and county department of job and family services regarding the committee's findings.
(3) Conduct public hearings on proposed county profiles for the provision of social services under section 5101.46 of the Revised Code;
(4) At the request of the board, make recommendations and provide assistance regarding the family services provided in the county;
(5) At any other time the committee considers appropriate, consult with the board and make recommendations regarding the family services provided in the county. The committee's recommendations may address the following:
(a) Implementation and administration of family service programs;
(b) Use of federal, state, and local funds available for family service programs;
(c) Establishment of goals to be achieved by family service programs;
(d) Evaluation of the outcomes of family service programs;
(e) Any other matter the board considers relevant to the provision of family services.
(C) If there is a committee in existence in a county on October 1, 1997, that the board of county commissioners determines is capable of fulfilling the responsibilities of a county family services planning committee, the board may designate the committee as the county's family services planning committee and the committee shall serve in that capacity.
Sec. 1751.01.  As used in this chapter:
(A)(1) "Basic health care services" means the following services when medically necessary:
(a) Physician's services, except when such services are supplemental under division (B) of this section;
(b) Inpatient hospital services;
(c) Outpatient medical services;
(d) Emergency health services;
(e) Urgent care services;
(f) Diagnostic laboratory services and diagnostic and therapeutic radiologic services;
(g) Diagnostic and treatment services, other than prescription drug services, for biologically based mental illnesses;
(h) Preventive health care services, including, but not limited to, voluntary family planning services, infertility services, periodic physical examinations, prenatal obstetrical care, and well-child care;
(i) Routine patient care for patients enrolled in an eligible cancer clinical trial pursuant to section 3923.80 of the Revised Code.
"Basic health care services" does not include experimental procedures.
Except as provided by divisions (A)(2) and (3) of this section in connection with the offering of coverage for diagnostic and treatment services for biologically based mental illnesses, a health insuring corporation shall not offer coverage for a health care service, defined as a basic health care service by this division, unless it offers coverage for all listed basic health care services. However, this requirement does not apply to the coverage of beneficiaries enrolled in medicare pursuant to a medicare contract, or to the coverage of beneficiaries enrolled in the federal employee health benefits program pursuant to 5 U.S.C.A. 8905, or to the coverage of medicaid recipients, or to the coverage of participants of the children's buy-in program, or to the coverage of beneficiaries under any federal health care program regulated by a federal regulatory body, or to the coverage of beneficiaries under any contract covering officers or employees of the state that has been entered into by the department of administrative services.
(2) A health insuring corporation may offer coverage for diagnostic and treatment services for biologically based mental illnesses without offering coverage for all other basic health care services. A health insuring corporation may offer coverage for diagnostic and treatment services for biologically based mental illnesses alone or in combination with one or more supplemental health care services. However, a health insuring corporation that offers coverage for any other basic health care service shall offer coverage for diagnostic and treatment services for biologically based mental illnesses in combination with the offer of coverage for all other listed basic health care services.
(3) A health insuring corporation that offers coverage for basic health care services is not required to offer coverage for diagnostic and treatment services for biologically based mental illnesses in combination with the offer of coverage for all other listed basic health care services if all of the following apply:
(a) The health insuring corporation submits documentation certified by an independent member of the American academy of actuaries to the superintendent of insurance showing that incurred claims for diagnostic and treatment services for biologically based mental illnesses for a period of at least six months independently caused the health insuring corporation's costs for claims and administrative expenses for the coverage of basic health care services to increase by more than one per cent per year.
(b) The health insuring corporation submits a signed letter from an independent member of the American academy of actuaries to the superintendent of insurance opining that the increase in costs described in division (A)(3)(a) of this section could reasonably justify an increase of more than one per cent in the annual premiums or rates charged by the health insuring corporation for the coverage of basic health care services.
(c) The superintendent of insurance makes the following determinations from the documentation and opinion submitted pursuant to divisions (A)(3)(a) and (b) of this section:
(i) Incurred claims for diagnostic and treatment services for biologically based mental illnesses for a period of at least six months independently caused the health insuring corporation's costs for claims and administrative expenses for the coverage of basic health care services to increase by more than one per cent per year.
(ii) The increase in costs reasonably justifies an increase of more than one per cent in the annual premiums or rates charged by the health insuring corporation for the coverage of basic health care services.
Any determination made by the superintendent under this division is subject to Chapter 119. of the Revised Code.
(B)(1) "Supplemental health care services" means any health care services other than basic health care services that a health insuring corporation may offer, alone or in combination with either basic health care services or other supplemental health care services, and includes:
(a) Services of facilities for intermediate or long-term care, or both;
(b) Dental care services;
(c) Vision care and optometric services including lenses and frames;
(d) Podiatric care or foot care services;
(e) Mental health services, excluding diagnostic and treatment services for biologically based mental illnesses;
(f) Short-term outpatient evaluative and crisis-intervention mental health services;
(g) Medical or psychological treatment and referral services for alcohol and drug abuse or addiction;
(h) Home health services;
(i) Prescription drug services;
(j) Nursing services;
(k) Services of a dietitian licensed under Chapter 4759. of the Revised Code;
(l) Physical therapy services;
(m) Chiropractic services;
(n) Any other category of services approved by the superintendent of insurance.
(2) If a health insuring corporation offers prescription drug services under this division, the coverage shall include prescription drug services for the treatment of biologically based mental illnesses on the same terms and conditions as other physical diseases and disorders.
(C) "Specialty health care services" means one of the supplemental health care services listed in division (B) of this section, when provided by a health insuring corporation on an outpatient-only basis and not in combination with other supplemental health care services.
(D) "Biologically based mental illnesses" means schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, paranoia and other psychotic disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and panic disorder, as these terms are defined in the most recent edition of the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders published by the American psychiatric association.
(E) "Children's buy-in program" has the same meaning as in section 5101.5211 of the Revised Code.
(F) "Closed panel plan" means a health care plan that requires enrollees to use participating providers.
(G) "Compensation" means remuneration for the provision of health care services, determined on other than a fee-for-service or discounted-fee-for-service basis.
(H) "Contractual periodic prepayment" means the formula for determining the premium rate for all subscribers of a health insuring corporation.
(I) "Corporation" means a corporation formed under Chapter 1701. or 1702. of the Revised Code or the similar laws of another state.
(J) "Emergency health services" means those health care services that must be available on a seven-days-per-week, twenty-four-hours-per-day basis in order to prevent jeopardy to an enrollee's health status that would occur if such services were not received as soon as possible, and includes, where appropriate, provisions for transportation and indemnity payments or service agreements for out-of-area coverage.
(K) "Enrollee" means any natural person who is entitled to receive health care benefits provided by a health insuring corporation.
(L) "Evidence of coverage" means any certificate, agreement, policy, or contract issued to a subscriber that sets out the coverage and other rights to which such person is entitled under a health care plan.
(M) "Health care facility" means any facility, except a health care practitioner's office, that provides preventive, diagnostic, therapeutic, acute convalescent, rehabilitation, mental health, mental retardation, intermediate care, or skilled nursing services.
(N) "Health care services" means basic, supplemental, and specialty health care services.
(O) "Health delivery network" means any group of providers or health care facilities, or both, or any representative thereof, that have entered into an agreement to offer health care services in a panel rather than on an individual basis.
(P) "Health insuring corporation" means a corporation, as defined in division (I) of this section, that, pursuant to a policy, contract, certificate, or agreement, pays for, reimburses, or provides, delivers, arranges for, or otherwise makes available, basic health care services, supplemental health care services, or specialty health care services, or a combination of basic health care services and either supplemental health care services or specialty health care services, through either an open panel plan or a closed panel plan.
"Health insuring corporation" does not include a limited liability company formed pursuant to Chapter 1705. of the Revised Code, an insurer licensed under Title XXXIX of the Revised Code if that insurer offers only open panel plans under which all providers and health care facilities participating receive their compensation directly from the insurer, a corporation formed by or on behalf of a political subdivision or a department, office, or institution of the state, or a public entity formed by or on behalf of a board of county commissioners, a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, an alcohol and drug addiction services board, a board of alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services, or a community mental health board, as those terms are used in Chapters 340. and 5126. of the Revised Code. Except as provided by division (D) of section 1751.02 of the Revised Code, or as otherwise provided by law, no board, commission, agency, or other entity under the control of a political subdivision may accept insurance risk in providing for health care services. However, nothing in this division shall be construed as prohibiting such entities from purchasing the services of a health insuring corporation or a third-party administrator licensed under Chapter 3959. of the Revised Code.
(Q) "Intermediary organization" means a health delivery network or other entity that contracts with licensed health insuring corporations or self-insured employers, or both, to provide health care services, and that enters into contractual arrangements with other entities for the provision of health care services for the purpose of fulfilling the terms of its contracts with the health insuring corporations and self-insured employers.
(R) "Intermediate care" means residential care above the level of room and board for patients who require personal assistance and health-related services, but who do not require skilled nursing care.
(S) "Medicaid" has the same meaning as in section 5111.01 of the Revised Code.
(T) "Medical record" means the personal information that relates to an individual's physical or mental condition, medical history, or medical treatment.
(U) "Medicare" means the program established under Title XVIII of the "Social Security Act" 49 Stat. 620 (1935), 42 U.S.C. 1395, as amended.
(V)(1) "Open panel plan" means a health care plan that provides incentives for enrollees to use participating providers and that also allows enrollees to use providers that are not participating providers.
(2) No health insuring corporation may offer an open panel plan, unless the health insuring corporation is also licensed as an insurer under Title XXXIX of the Revised Code, the health insuring corporation, on June 4, 1997, holds a certificate of authority or license to operate under Chapter 1736. or 1740. of the Revised Code, or an insurer licensed under Title XXXIX of the Revised Code is responsible for the out-of-network risk as evidenced by both an evidence of coverage filing under section 1751.11 of the Revised Code and a policy and certificate filing under section 3923.02 of the Revised Code.
(W) "Panel" means a group of providers or health care facilities that have joined together to deliver health care services through a contractual arrangement with a health insuring corporation, employer group, or other payor.
(X) "Person" has the same meaning as in section 1.59 of the Revised Code, and, unless the context otherwise requires, includes any insurance company holding a certificate of authority under Title XXXIX of the Revised Code, any subsidiary and affiliate of an insurance company, and any government agency.
(Y) "Premium rate" means any set fee regularly paid by a subscriber to a health insuring corporation. A "premium rate" does not include a one-time membership fee, an annual administrative fee, or a nominal access fee, paid to a managed health care system under which the recipient of health care services remains solely responsible for any charges accessed for those services by the provider or health care facility.
(Z) "Primary care provider" means a provider that is designated by a health insuring corporation to supervise, coordinate, or provide initial care or continuing care to an enrollee, and that may be required by the health insuring corporation to initiate a referral for specialty care and to maintain supervision of the health care services rendered to the enrollee.
(AA) "Provider" means any natural person or partnership of natural persons who are licensed, certified, accredited, or otherwise authorized in this state to furnish health care services, or any professional association organized under Chapter 1785. of the Revised Code, provided that nothing in this chapter or other provisions of law shall be construed to preclude a health insuring corporation, health care practitioner, or organized health care group associated with a health insuring corporation from employing certified nurse practitioners, certified nurse anesthetists, clinical nurse specialists, certified nurse midwives, dietitians, physician assistants, dental assistants, dental hygienists, optometric technicians, or other allied health personnel who are licensed, certified, accredited, or otherwise authorized in this state to furnish health care services.
(BB) "Provider sponsored organization" means a corporation, as defined in division (I) of this section, that is at least eighty per cent owned or controlled by one or more hospitals, as defined in section 3727.01 of the Revised Code, or one or more physicians licensed to practice medicine or surgery or osteopathic medicine and surgery under Chapter 4731. of the Revised Code, or any combination of such physicians and hospitals. Such control is presumed to exist if at least eighty per cent of the voting rights or governance rights of a provider sponsored organization are directly or indirectly owned, controlled, or otherwise held by any combination of the physicians and hospitals described in this division.
(CC) "Solicitation document" means the written materials provided to prospective subscribers or enrollees, or both, and used for advertising and marketing to induce enrollment in the health care plans of a health insuring corporation.
(DD) "Subscriber" means a person who is responsible for making payments to a health insuring corporation for participation in a health care plan, or an enrollee whose employment or other status is the basis of eligibility for enrollment in a health insuring corporation.
(EE) "Urgent care services" means those health care services that are appropriately provided for an unforeseen condition of a kind that usually requires medical attention without delay but that does not pose a threat to the life, limb, or permanent health of the injured or ill person, and may include such health care services provided out of the health insuring corporation's approved service area pursuant to indemnity payments or service agreements.
Sec. 1751.02.  (A) Notwithstanding any law in this state to the contrary, any corporation, as defined in section 1751.01 of the Revised Code, may apply to the superintendent of insurance for a certificate of authority to establish and operate a health insuring corporation. If the corporation applying for a certificate of authority is a foreign corporation domiciled in a state without laws similar to those of this chapter, the corporation must form a domestic corporation to apply for, obtain, and maintain a certificate of authority under this chapter.
(B) No person shall establish, operate, or perform the services of a health insuring corporation in this state without obtaining a certificate of authority under this chapter.
(C) Except as provided by division (D) of this section, no political subdivision or department, office, or institution of this state, or corporation formed by or on behalf of any political subdivision or department, office, or institution of this state, shall establish, operate, or perform the services of a health insuring corporation. Nothing in this section shall be construed to preclude a board of county commissioners, a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, an alcohol and drug addiction services board, a board of alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services, or a community mental health board, or a public entity formed by or on behalf of any of these boards, from using managed care techniques in carrying out the board's or public entity's duties pursuant to the requirements of Chapters 307., 329., 340., and 5126. of the Revised Code. However, no such board or public entity may operate so as to compete in the private sector with health insuring corporations holding certificates of authority under this chapter.
(D) A corporation formed by or on behalf of a publicly owned, operated, or funded hospital or health care facility may apply to the superintendent for a certificate of authority under division (A) of this section to establish and operate a health insuring corporation.
(E) A health insuring corporation shall operate in this state in compliance with this chapter and Chapter 1753. of the Revised Code, and with sections 3702.51 to 3702.62 of the Revised Code, and shall operate in conformity with its filings with the superintendent under this chapter, including filings made pursuant to sections 1751.03, 1751.11, 1751.12, and 1751.31 of the Revised Code.
(F) An insurer licensed under Title XXXIX of the Revised Code need not obtain a certificate of authority as a health insuring corporation to offer an open panel plan as long as the providers and health care facilities participating in the open panel plan receive their compensation directly from the insurer. If the providers and health care facilities participating in the open panel plan receive their compensation from any person other than the insurer, or if the insurer offers a closed panel plan, the insurer must obtain a certificate of authority as a health insuring corporation.
(G) An intermediary organization need not obtain a certificate of authority as a health insuring corporation, regardless of the method of reimbursement to the intermediary organization, as long as a health insuring corporation or a self-insured employer maintains the ultimate responsibility to assure delivery of all health care services required by the contract between the health insuring corporation and the subscriber and the laws of this state or between the self-insured employer and its employees.
Nothing in this section shall be construed to require any health care facility, provider, health delivery network, or intermediary organization that contracts with a health insuring corporation or self-insured employer, regardless of the method of reimbursement to the health care facility, provider, health delivery network, or intermediary organization, to obtain a certificate of authority as a health insuring corporation under this chapter, unless otherwise provided, in the case of contracts with a self-insured employer, by operation of the "Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974," 88 Stat. 829, 29 U.S.C.A. 1001, as amended.
(H) Any health delivery network doing business in this state, including any health delivery network that is functioning as an intermediary organization doing business in this state, that is not required to obtain a certificate of authority under this chapter shall certify to the superintendent annually, not later than the first day of July, and shall provide a statement signed by the highest ranking official which includes the following information:
(1) The health delivery network's full name and the address of its principal place of business;
(2) A statement that the health delivery network is not required to obtain a certificate of authority under this chapter to conduct its business.
(I) The superintendent shall not issue a certificate of authority to a health insuring corporation that is a provider sponsored organization unless all health care plans to be offered by the health insuring corporation provide basic health care services. Substantially all of the physicians and hospitals with ownership or control of the provider sponsored organization, as defined in section 1751.01 of the Revised Code, shall also be participating providers for the provision of basic health care services for health care plans offered by the provider sponsored organization. If a health insuring corporation that is a provider sponsored organization offers health care plans that do not provide basic health care services, the health insuring corporation shall be deemed, for purposes of section 1751.35 of the Revised Code, to have failed to substantially comply with this chapter.
Except as specifically provided in this division and in division (A) of section 1751.28 of the Revised Code, the provisions of this chapter shall apply to all health insuring corporations that are provider sponsored organizations in the same manner that these provisions apply to all health insuring corporations that are not provider sponsored organizations.
(J) Nothing in this section shall be construed to apply to any multiple employer welfare arrangement operating pursuant to Chapter 1739. of the Revised Code.
(K) Any person who violates division (B) of this section, and any health delivery network that fails to comply with division (H) of this section, is subject to the penalties set forth in section 1751.45 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 2108.521.  (A) If a mentally retarded person or a developmentally disabled person dies, if the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities or a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities has a good faith reason to believe that the deceased person's death occurred under suspicious circumstances, if the coroner was apprised of the circumstances of the death, and if the coroner after being so apprised of the circumstances declines to conduct an autopsy, the department or the board may file a petition in a court of common pleas seeking an order authorizing an autopsy or post-mortem examination under this section.
(B) Upon the filing of a petition under division (A) of this section, the court may conduct, but is not required to conduct, a hearing on the petition. The court may determine whether to grant the petition without a hearing. The department or board, and all other interested parties, may submit information and statements to the court that are relevant to the petition, and, if the court conducts a hearing, may present evidence and testimony at the hearing. The court shall order the requested autopsy or post-mortem examination if it finds that, under the circumstances, the department or board has demonstrated a need for the autopsy or post-mortem examination. The court shall order an autopsy or post-mortem examination in the circumstances specified in this division regardless of whether any consent has been given, or has been given and withdrawn, under section 2108.50 of the Revised Code, and regardless of whether any information was presented to the coroner pursuant to section 313.131 of the Revised Code or to the court under this section regarding an autopsy being contrary to the deceased person's religious beliefs.
(C) An autopsy or post-mortem examination ordered under this section may be performed upon the body of the deceased person by a licensed physician or surgeon. The court may identify in the order the person who is to perform the autopsy or post-mortem examination. If an autopsy or post-mortem examination is ordered under this section, the department or board that requested the autopsy or examination shall pay the physician or surgeon who performs the autopsy or examination for costs and expenses incurred in performing the autopsy or examination.
Sec. 2151.421.  (A)(1)(a) No person described in division (A)(1)(b) of this section who is acting in an official or professional capacity and knows, or has reasonable cause to suspect based on facts that would cause a reasonable person in a similar position to suspect, that a child under eighteen years of age or a mentally retarded, developmentally disabled, or physically impaired child under twenty-one years of age has suffered or faces a threat of suffering any physical or mental wound, injury, disability, or condition of a nature that reasonably indicates abuse or neglect of the child shall fail to immediately report that knowledge or reasonable cause to suspect to the entity or persons specified in this division. Except as provided in section 5120.173 of the Revised Code, the person making the report shall make it to the public children services agency or a municipal or county peace officer in the county in which the child resides or in which the abuse or neglect is occurring or has occurred. In the circumstances described in section 5120.173 of the Revised Code, the person making the report shall make it to the entity specified in that section.
(b) Division (A)(1)(a) of this section applies to any person who is an attorney; physician, including a hospital intern or resident; dentist; podiatrist; practitioner of a limited branch of medicine as specified in section 4731.15 of the Revised Code; registered nurse; licensed practical nurse; visiting nurse; other health care professional; licensed psychologist; licensed school psychologist; independent marriage and family therapist or marriage and family therapist; speech pathologist or audiologist; coroner; administrator or employee of a child day-care center; administrator or employee of a residential camp or child day camp; administrator or employee of a certified child care agency or other public or private children services agency; school teacher; school employee; school authority; person engaged in social work or the practice of professional counseling; agent of a county humane society; person, other than a cleric, rendering spiritual treatment through prayer in accordance with the tenets of a well-recognized religion; employee of a county department of job and family services who is a professional and who works with children and families; superintendent, board member, or employee of a county board of mental retardation developmental disabilities; investigative agent contracted with by a county board of mental retardation developmental disabilities; employee of the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities; employee of a facility or home that provides respite care in accordance with section 5123.171 of the Revised Code; employee of a home health agency; employee of an entity that provides homemaker services; a person performing the duties of an assessor pursuant to Chapter 3107. or 5103. of the Revised Code; or third party employed by a public children services agency to assist in providing child or family related services.
(2) Except as provided in division (A)(3) of this section, an attorney or a physician is not required to make a report pursuant to division (A)(1) of this section concerning any communication the attorney or physician receives from a client or patient in an attorney-client or physician-patient relationship, if, in accordance with division (A) or (B) of section 2317.02 of the Revised Code, the attorney or physician could not testify with respect to that communication in a civil or criminal proceeding.
(3) The client or patient in an attorney-client or physician-patient relationship described in division (A)(2) of this section is deemed to have waived any testimonial privilege under division (A) or (B) of section 2317.02 of the Revised Code with respect to any communication the attorney or physician receives from the client or patient in that attorney-client or physician-patient relationship, and the attorney or physician shall make a report pursuant to division (A)(1) of this section with respect to that communication, if all of the following apply:
(a) The client or patient, at the time of the communication, is either a child under eighteen years of age or a mentally retarded, developmentally disabled, or physically impaired person under twenty-one years of age.
(b) The attorney or physician knows, or has reasonable cause to suspect based on facts that would cause a reasonable person in similar position to suspect, as a result of the communication or any observations made during that communication, that the client or patient has suffered or faces a threat of suffering any physical or mental wound, injury, disability, or condition of a nature that reasonably indicates abuse or neglect of the client or patient.
(c) The abuse or neglect does not arise out of the client's or patient's attempt to have an abortion without the notification of her parents, guardian, or custodian in accordance with section 2151.85 of the Revised Code.
(4)(a) No cleric and no person, other than a volunteer, designated by any church, religious society, or faith acting as a leader, official, or delegate on behalf of the church, religious society, or faith who is acting in an official or professional capacity, who knows, or has reasonable cause to believe based on facts that would cause a reasonable person in a similar position to believe, that a child under eighteen years of age or a mentally retarded, developmentally disabled, or physically impaired child under twenty-one years of age has suffered or faces a threat of suffering any physical or mental wound, injury, disability, or condition of a nature that reasonably indicates abuse or neglect of the child, and who knows, or has reasonable cause to believe based on facts that would cause a reasonable person in a similar position to believe, that another cleric or another person, other than a volunteer, designated by a church, religious society, or faith acting as a leader, official, or delegate on behalf of the church, religious society, or faith caused, or poses the threat of causing, the wound, injury, disability, or condition that reasonably indicates abuse or neglect shall fail to immediately report that knowledge or reasonable cause to believe to the entity or persons specified in this division. Except as provided in section 5120.173 of the Revised Code, the person making the report shall make it to the public children services agency or a municipal or county peace officer in the county in which the child resides or in which the abuse or neglect is occurring or has occurred. In the circumstances described in section 5120.173 of the Revised Code, the person making the report shall make it to the entity specified in that section.
(b) Except as provided in division (A)(4)(c) of this section, a cleric is not required to make a report pursuant to division (A)(4)(a) of this section concerning any communication the cleric receives from a penitent in a cleric-penitent relationship, if, in accordance with division (C) of section 2317.02 of the Revised Code, the cleric could not testify with respect to that communication in a civil or criminal proceeding.
(c) The penitent in a cleric-penitent relationship described in division (A)(4)(b) of this section is deemed to have waived any testimonial privilege under division (C) of section 2317.02 of the Revised Code with respect to any communication the cleric receives from the penitent in that cleric-penitent relationship, and the cleric shall make a report pursuant to division (A)(4)(a) of this section with respect to that communication, if all of the following apply:
(i) The penitent, at the time of the communication, is either a child under eighteen years of age or a mentally retarded, developmentally disabled, or physically impaired person under twenty-one years of age.
(ii) The cleric knows, or has reasonable cause to believe based on facts that would cause a reasonable person in a similar position to believe, as a result of the communication or any observations made during that communication, the penitent has suffered or faces a threat of suffering any physical or mental wound, injury, disability, or condition of a nature that reasonably indicates abuse or neglect of the penitent.
(iii) The abuse or neglect does not arise out of the penitent's attempt to have an abortion performed upon a child under eighteen years of age or upon a mentally retarded, developmentally disabled, or physically impaired person under twenty-one years of age without the notification of her parents, guardian, or custodian in accordance with section 2151.85 of the Revised Code.
(d) Divisions (A)(4)(a) and (c) of this section do not apply in a cleric-penitent relationship when the disclosure of any communication the cleric receives from the penitent is in violation of the sacred trust.
(e) As used in divisions (A)(1) and (4) of this section, "cleric" and "sacred trust" have the same meanings as in section 2317.02 of the Revised Code.
(B) Anyone who knows, or has reasonable cause to suspect based on facts that would cause a reasonable person in similar circumstances to suspect, that a child under eighteen years of age or a mentally retarded, developmentally disabled, or physically impaired person under twenty-one years of age has suffered or faces a threat of suffering any physical or mental wound, injury, disability, or other condition of a nature that reasonably indicates abuse or neglect of the child may report or cause reports to be made of that knowledge or reasonable cause to suspect to the entity or persons specified in this division. Except as provided in section 5120.173 of the Revised Code, a person making a report or causing a report to be made under this division shall make it or cause it to be made to the public children services agency or to a municipal or county peace officer. In the circumstances described in section 5120.173 of the Revised Code, a person making a report or causing a report to be made under this division shall make it or cause it to be made to the entity specified in that section.
(C) Any report made pursuant to division (A) or (B) of this section shall be made forthwith either by telephone or in person and shall be followed by a written report, if requested by the receiving agency or officer. The written report shall contain:
(1) The names and addresses of the child and the child's parents or the person or persons having custody of the child, if known;
(2) The child's age and the nature and extent of the child's injuries, abuse, or neglect that is known or reasonably suspected or believed, as applicable, to have occurred or of the threat of injury, abuse, or neglect that is known or reasonably suspected or believed, as applicable, to exist, including any evidence of previous injuries, abuse, or neglect;
(3) Any other information that might be helpful in establishing the cause of the injury, abuse, or neglect that is known or reasonably suspected or believed, as applicable, to have occurred or of the threat of injury, abuse, or neglect that is known or reasonably suspected or believed, as applicable, to exist.
Any person, who is required by division (A) of this section to report child abuse or child neglect that is known or reasonably suspected or believed to have occurred, may take or cause to be taken color photographs of areas of trauma visible on a child and, if medically indicated, cause to be performed radiological examinations of the child.
(D) As used in this division, "children's advocacy center" and "sexual abuse of a child" have the same meanings as in section 2151.425 of the Revised Code.
(1) When a municipal or county peace officer receives a report concerning the possible abuse or neglect of a child or the possible threat of abuse or neglect of a child, upon receipt of the report, the municipal or county peace officer who receives the report shall refer the report to the appropriate public children services agency.
(2) When a public children services agency receives a report pursuant to this division or division (A) or (B) of this section, upon receipt of the report, the public children services agency shall do both of the following:
(a) Comply with section 2151.422 of the Revised Code;
(b) If the county served by the agency is also served by a children's advocacy center and the report alleges sexual abuse of a child or another type of abuse of a child that is specified in the memorandum of understanding that creates the center as being within the center's jurisdiction, comply regarding the report with the protocol and procedures for referrals and investigations, with the coordinating activities, and with the authority or responsibility for performing or providing functions, activities, and services stipulated in the interagency agreement entered into under section 2151.428 of the Revised Code relative to that center.
(E) No township, municipal, or county peace officer shall remove a child about whom a report is made pursuant to this section from the child's parents, stepparents, or guardian or any other persons having custody of the child without consultation with the public children services agency, unless, in the judgment of the officer, and, if the report was made by physician, the physician, immediate removal is considered essential to protect the child from further abuse or neglect. The agency that must be consulted shall be the agency conducting the investigation of the report as determined pursuant to section 2151.422 of the Revised Code.
(F)(1) Except as provided in section 2151.422 of the Revised Code or in an interagency agreement entered into under section 2151.428 of the Revised Code that applies to the particular report, the public children services agency shall investigate, within twenty-four hours, each report of child abuse or child neglect that is known or reasonably suspected or believed to have occurred and of a threat of child abuse or child neglect that is known or reasonably suspected or believed to exist that is referred to it under this section to determine the circumstances surrounding the injuries, abuse, or neglect or the threat of injury, abuse, or neglect, the cause of the injuries, abuse, neglect, or threat, and the person or persons responsible. The investigation shall be made in cooperation with the law enforcement agency and in accordance with the memorandum of understanding prepared under division (J) of this section. A representative of the public children services agency shall, at the time of initial contact with the person subject to the investigation, inform the person of the specific complaints or allegations made against the person. The information shall be given in a manner that is consistent with division (H)(1) of this section and protects the rights of the person making the report under this section.
A failure to make the investigation in accordance with the memorandum is not grounds for, and shall not result in, the dismissal of any charges or complaint arising from the report or the suppression of any evidence obtained as a result of the report and does not give, and shall not be construed as giving, any rights or any grounds for appeal or post-conviction relief to any person. The public children services agency shall report each case to the uniform statewide automated child welfare information system that the department of job and family services shall maintain in accordance with section 5101.13 of the Revised Code. The public children services agency shall submit a report of its investigation, in writing, to the law enforcement agency.
(2) The public children services agency shall make any recommendations to the county prosecuting attorney or city director of law that it considers necessary to protect any children that are brought to its attention.
(G)(1)(a) Except as provided in division (H)(3) of this section, anyone or any hospital, institution, school, health department, or agency participating in the making of reports under division (A) of this section, anyone or any hospital, institution, school, health department, or agency participating in good faith in the making of reports under division (B) of this section, and anyone participating in good faith in a judicial proceeding resulting from the reports, shall be immune from any civil or criminal liability for injury, death, or loss to person or property that otherwise might be incurred or imposed as a result of the making of the reports or the participation in the judicial proceeding.
(b) Notwithstanding section 4731.22 of the Revised Code, the physician-patient privilege shall not be a ground for excluding evidence regarding a child's injuries, abuse, or neglect, or the cause of the injuries, abuse, or neglect in any judicial proceeding resulting from a report submitted pursuant to this section.
(2) In any civil or criminal action or proceeding in which it is alleged and proved that participation in the making of a report under this section was not in good faith or participation in a judicial proceeding resulting from a report made under this section was not in good faith, the court shall award the prevailing party reasonable attorney's fees and costs and, if a civil action or proceeding is voluntarily dismissed, may award reasonable attorney's fees and costs to the party against whom the civil action or proceeding is brought.
(H)(1) Except as provided in divisions (H)(4) and (M) of this section, a report made under this section is confidential. The information provided in a report made pursuant to this section and the name of the person who made the report shall not be released for use, and shall not be used, as evidence in any civil action or proceeding brought against the person who made the report. In a criminal proceeding, the report is admissible in evidence in accordance with the Rules of Evidence and is subject to discovery in accordance with the Rules of Criminal Procedure.
(2) No person shall permit or encourage the unauthorized dissemination of the contents of any report made under this section.
(3) A person who knowingly makes or causes another person to make a false report under division (B) of this section that alleges that any person has committed an act or omission that resulted in a child being an abused child or a neglected child is guilty of a violation of section 2921.14 of the Revised Code.
(4) If a report is made pursuant to division (A) or (B) of this section and the child who is the subject of the report dies for any reason at any time after the report is made, but before the child attains eighteen years of age, the public children services agency or municipal or county peace officer to which the report was made or referred, on the request of the child fatality review board, shall submit a summary sheet of information providing a summary of the report to the review board of the county in which the deceased child resided at the time of death. On the request of the review board, the agency or peace officer may, at its discretion, make the report available to the review board. If the county served by the public children services agency is also served by a children's advocacy center and the report of alleged sexual abuse of a child or another type of abuse of a child is specified in the memorandum of understanding that creates the center as being within the center's jurisdiction, the agency or center shall perform the duties and functions specified in this division in accordance with the interagency agreement entered into under section 2151.428 of the Revised Code relative to that advocacy center.
(5) A public children services agency shall advise a person alleged to have inflicted abuse or neglect on a child who is the subject of a report made pursuant to this section, including a report alleging sexual abuse of a child or another type of abuse of a child referred to a children's advocacy center pursuant to an interagency agreement entered into under section 2151.428 of the Revised Code, in writing of the disposition of the investigation. The agency shall not provide to the person any information that identifies the person who made the report, statements of witnesses, or police or other investigative reports.
(I) Any report that is required by this section, other than a report that is made to the state highway patrol as described in section 5120.173 of the Revised Code, shall result in protective services and emergency supportive services being made available by the public children services agency on behalf of the children about whom the report is made, in an effort to prevent further neglect or abuse, to enhance their welfare, and, whenever possible, to preserve the family unit intact. The agency required to provide the services shall be the agency conducting the investigation of the report pursuant to section 2151.422 of the Revised Code.
(J)(1) Each public children services agency shall prepare a memorandum of understanding that is signed by all of the following:
(a) If there is only one juvenile judge in the county, the juvenile judge of the county or the juvenile judge's representative;
(b) If there is more than one juvenile judge in the county, a juvenile judge or the juvenile judges' representative selected by the juvenile judges or, if they are unable to do so for any reason, the juvenile judge who is senior in point of service or the senior juvenile judge's representative;
(c) The county peace officer;
(d) All chief municipal peace officers within the county;
(e) Other law enforcement officers handling child abuse and neglect cases in the county;
(f) The prosecuting attorney of the county;
(g) If the public children services agency is not the county department of job and family services, the county department of job and family services;
(h) The county humane society;
(i) If the public children services agency participated in the execution of a memorandum of understanding under section 2151.426 of the Revised Code establishing a children's advocacy center, each participating member of the children's advocacy center established by the memorandum.
(2) A memorandum of understanding shall set forth the normal operating procedure to be employed by all concerned officials in the execution of their respective responsibilities under this section and division (C) of section 2919.21, division (B)(1) of section 2919.22, division (B) of section 2919.23, and section 2919.24 of the Revised Code and shall have as two of its primary goals the elimination of all unnecessary interviews of children who are the subject of reports made pursuant to division (A) or (B) of this section and, when feasible, providing for only one interview of a child who is the subject of any report made pursuant to division (A) or (B) of this section. A failure to follow the procedure set forth in the memorandum by the concerned officials is not grounds for, and shall not result in, the dismissal of any charges or complaint arising from any reported case of abuse or neglect or the suppression of any evidence obtained as a result of any reported child abuse or child neglect and does not give, and shall not be construed as giving, any rights or any grounds for appeal or post-conviction relief to any person.
(3) A memorandum of understanding shall include all of the following:
(a) The roles and responsibilities for handling emergency and nonemergency cases of abuse and neglect;
(b) Standards and procedures to be used in handling and coordinating investigations of reported cases of child abuse and reported cases of child neglect, methods to be used in interviewing the child who is the subject of the report and who allegedly was abused or neglected, and standards and procedures addressing the categories of persons who may interview the child who is the subject of the report and who allegedly was abused or neglected.
(4) If a public children services agency participated in the execution of a memorandum of understanding under section 2151.426 of the Revised Code establishing a children's advocacy center, the agency shall incorporate the contents of that memorandum in the memorandum prepared pursuant to this section.
(5) The clerk of the court of common pleas in the county may sign the memorandum of understanding prepared under division (J)(1) of this section. If the clerk signs the memorandum of understanding, the clerk shall execute all relevant responsibilities as required of officials specified in the memorandum.
(K)(1) Except as provided in division (K)(4) of this section, a person who is required to make a report pursuant to division (A) of this section may make a reasonable number of requests of the public children services agency that receives or is referred the report, or of the children's advocacy center that is referred the report if the report is referred to a children's advocacy center pursuant to an interagency agreement entered into under section 2151.428 of the Revised Code, to be provided with the following information:
(a) Whether the agency or center has initiated an investigation of the report;
(b) Whether the agency or center is continuing to investigate the report;
(c) Whether the agency or center is otherwise involved with the child who is the subject of the report;
(d) The general status of the health and safety of the child who is the subject of the report;
(e) Whether the report has resulted in the filing of a complaint in juvenile court or of criminal charges in another court.
(2) A person may request the information specified in division (K)(1) of this section only if, at the time the report is made, the person's name, address, and telephone number are provided to the person who receives the report.
When a municipal or county peace officer or employee of a public children services agency receives a report pursuant to division (A) or (B) of this section the recipient of the report shall inform the person of the right to request the information described in division (K)(1) of this section. The recipient of the report shall include in the initial child abuse or child neglect report that the person making the report was so informed and, if provided at the time of the making of the report, shall include the person's name, address, and telephone number in the report.
Each request is subject to verification of the identity of the person making the report. If that person's identity is verified, the agency shall provide the person with the information described in division (K)(1) of this section a reasonable number of times, except that the agency shall not disclose any confidential information regarding the child who is the subject of the report other than the information described in those divisions.
(3) A request made pursuant to division (K)(1) of this section is not a substitute for any report required to be made pursuant to division (A) of this section.
(4) If an agency other than the agency that received or was referred the report is conducting the investigation of the report pursuant to section 2151.422 of the Revised Code, the agency conducting the investigation shall comply with the requirements of division (K) of this section.
(L) The director of job and family services shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code to implement this section. The department of job and family services may enter into a plan of cooperation with any other governmental entity to aid in ensuring that children are protected from abuse and neglect. The department shall make recommendations to the attorney general that the department determines are necessary to protect children from child abuse and child neglect.
(M)(1) As used in this division:
(a) "Out-of-home care" includes a nonchartered nonpublic school if the alleged child abuse or child neglect, or alleged threat of child abuse or child neglect, described in a report received by a public children services agency allegedly occurred in or involved the nonchartered nonpublic school and the alleged perpetrator named in the report holds a certificate, permit, or license issued by the state board of education under section 3301.071 or Chapter 3319. of the Revised Code.
(b) "Administrator, director, or other chief administrative officer" means the superintendent of the school district if the out-of-home care entity subject to a report made pursuant to this section is a school operated by the district.
(2) No later than the end of the day following the day on which a public children services agency receives a report of alleged child abuse or child neglect, or a report of an alleged threat of child abuse or child neglect, that allegedly occurred in or involved an out-of-home care entity, the agency shall provide written notice of the allegations contained in and the person named as the alleged perpetrator in the report to the administrator, director, or other chief administrative officer of the out-of-home care entity that is the subject of the report unless the administrator, director, or other chief administrative officer is named as an alleged perpetrator in the report. If the administrator, director, or other chief administrative officer of an out-of-home care entity is named as an alleged perpetrator in a report of alleged child abuse or child neglect, or a report of an alleged threat of child abuse or child neglect, that allegedly occurred in or involved the out-of-home care entity, the agency shall provide the written notice to the owner or governing board of the out-of-home care entity that is the subject of the report. The agency shall not provide witness statements or police or other investigative reports.
(3) No later than three days after the day on which a public children services agency that conducted the investigation as determined pursuant to section 2151.422 of the Revised Code makes a disposition of an investigation involving a report of alleged child abuse or child neglect, or a report of an alleged threat of child abuse or child neglect, that allegedly occurred in or involved an out-of-home care entity, the agency shall send written notice of the disposition of the investigation to the administrator, director, or other chief administrative officer and the owner or governing board of the out-of-home care entity. The agency shall not provide witness statements or police or other investigative reports.
Sec. 3109.18.  (A)(1) A board of county commissioners may establish a child abuse and child neglect prevention advisory board or may designate the county family and children first council to serve as the child abuse and child neglect prevention advisory board. The boards of county commissioners of two or more contiguous counties may instead form a multicounty district to be served by a child abuse and child neglect prevention advisory board or may designate a regional family and children first council to serve as the district child abuse and child neglect prevention advisory board. Each advisory board shall meet at least twice a year.
(2) The county auditor is hereby designated as the auditor and fiscal officer of the advisory board. In the case of a multicounty district, the boards of county commissioners that formed the district shall designate the auditor of one of the counties as the auditor and fiscal officer of the advisory board.
(B) Each county that establishes an advisory board or, in a multicounty district, the auditor who has been designated as the auditor and fiscal officer of the advisory board, shall establish a fund in the county treasury known as the county or district children's trust fund. The auditor shall deposit all funds received from the children's trust fund board into that fund, and the auditor shall distribute money from the fund at the request of the advisory board.
(C) Each January, the board of county commissioners of a county that has established an advisory board or, in a multicounty district, the board of county commissioners of the county served by the auditor who has been designated as the auditor and fiscal officer for the advisory board, shall appropriate the amount described in division (B)(2) of section 3109.17 of the Revised Code for distribution by the advisory board to child abuse and child neglect prevention programs.
(D)(1) Except in the case of a county or regional family and children first council that is designated to serve as a child abuse and child neglect prevention advisory board, each advisory board shall consist of an odd number of members from both the public and private sectors, including all of the following:
(a) A representative of an agency responsible for the administration of children's services in the county or district;
(b) A provider of alcohol or drug addiction services or a representative of a board of alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services that serves the county or district;
(c) A provider of mental health services or a representative of a board of alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services that serves the county or district;
(d) A representative of a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities that serves the county or district;
(e) A representative of the educational community appointed by the superintendent of the school district with largest enrollment in the county or multicounty district.
(2) The following groups and entities may be represented on the advisory board:
(a) Parent groups;
(b) Juvenile justice officials;
(c) Pediatricians, health department nurses, and other representatives of the medical community;
(d) School personnel;
(e) Counselors and social workers;
(f) Head start agencies;
(g) Child care providers;
(h) Other persons with demonstrated knowledge in programs for children.
(3) Of the members first appointed, at least one shall serve for a term of three years, at least one for a term of two years, and at least one for a term of one year. Thereafter, each member shall serve a term of three years. Each member shall serve until the member's successor is appointed. All vacancies on the board shall be filled for the balance of the unexpired term in the same manner as the original appointment.
(E) Each child abuse and child neglect prevention advisory board may incur reasonable costs not to exceed five per cent of the funds allocated to the county or district under section 3109.17 of the Revised Code, for the purpose of carrying out the functions of the advisory board.
(F) Each child abuse and child neglect prevention advisory board shall do all of the following:
(1) For each fiscal biennium, develop a local allocation plan for the purpose of preventing child abuse and child neglect and submit the plan to the children's trust fund board on or before the first day of April preceding the fiscal year for which the plan is developed;
(2) Provide effective public notice, as defined by the children's trust fund board in the state plan or, if the board does not define the term in the state plan, as defined in rules adopted by the department of job and family services, to potential applicants about the availability of funds from the children's trust fund, including an estimate of the amount of money available for grants within each county or district, the date of at least one public hearing, information on obtaining a copy of the grant application form, and the deadline for submitting grant applications;
(3) Review all applications received using criteria specified in the state plan adopted by the board under section 3109.17 of the Revised Code;
(4) Consistent with the local allocation plan developed pursuant to division (F)(1) of this section, make grants to child abuse and child neglect prevention programs.
(5) Establish any reporting requirements for grant recipients, in addition to those specified by the children's trust fund board, and for children's advocacy centers for which funds are used in accordance with section 3109.172 of the Revised Code.
(G) A member of a child abuse and child neglect prevention advisory board shall not participate in the development of a local allocation plan under division (F)(1) of this section if it is reasonable to expect that the member's judgment could be affected by the member's own financial, business, property, or personal interest or other conflict of interest. For purposes of this division, "conflict of interest" means the taking of any action that violates any applicable provision of Chapter 102. or 2921. of the Revised Code. Questions relating to the existence of a conflict of interest pertaining to Chapter 2921. of the Revised Code shall be submitted by the advisory board to the local prosecuting attorney for resolution. Questions relating to the existence of a conflict of interest pertaining to Chapter 102. of the Revised Code shall be submitted by the advisory board to the Ohio ethics commission for resolution.
(H) Each advisory board shall assist the children's trust fund board in monitoring programs that receive money from the children's trust fund and shall perform such other duties for the local administration of the children's trust fund as the children's trust fund board requires.
(I) A children's advocacy center for which a child abuse and child neglect prevention advisory board uses any amount out of the funds allocated to the advisory board under section 3109.172 of the Revised Code, as start-up costs for the establishment and operation of the center, shall use the moneys so received only for establishment and operation of the center in accordance with sections 2151.425 to 2151.428 of the Revised Code. Any other person or entity that is a recipient of a grant from the children's trust fund shall use the grant funds only to fund primary and secondary child abuse and child neglect prevention programs. Any grant funds that are not spent by the recipient of the funds within the time specified by the terms of the grant shall be returned to the county treasurer. Any grant funds returned that are not redistributed by the advisory board within the state fiscal year in which they are received shall be returned to the treasurer of state. The treasurer of state shall deposit such unspent moneys into the children's trust fund to be spent for purposes consistent with the state plan adopted under section 3109.17 of the Revised Code.
(J) Applications for grants from the children's trust fund shall be made to the advisory board on forms prescribed by the children's trust fund board.
(K)(1) Each children's advocacy center for which a child abuse and child neglect prevention advisory board uses any amount out of the funds allocated to the advisory board under section 3109.172 of the Revised Code, as start-up costs for the establishment and operation of the center, and each other person or entity that is a recipient of a children's trust fund grant from an advisory board shall file with the advisory board a copy of a semi-annual and an annual report that includes the information required by the children's trust fund board.
(2) Each advisory board shall file with the children's trust fund board, not later than the fifteenth day of August following the year for which the report is written, a copy of an annual report regarding the county or district local allocation plan that contains the information required by the children's trust fund board, and regarding the advisory board's use of any amount out of the funds allocated to the advisory board under section 3109.172 of the Revised Code as start-up costs for the establishment and operation of a children's advocacy center.
Sec. 3301.07.  The state board of education shall exercise under the acts of the general assembly general supervision of the system of public education in the state. In addition to the powers otherwise imposed on the state board under the provisions of law, the board shall have the following powers:
(A) Exercise policy forming, planning, and evaluative functions for the public schools of the state, and for adult education, except as otherwise provided by law;
(B) Exercise leadership in the improvement of public education in this state, and administer the educational policies of this state relating to public schools, and relating to instruction and instructional material, building and equipment, transportation of pupils, administrative responsibilities of school officials and personnel, and finance and organization of school districts, educational service centers, and territory. Consultative and advisory services in such matters shall be provided by the board to school districts and educational service centers of this state. The board also shall develop a standard of financial reporting which shall be used by all school districts and educational service centers to make their financial information available to the public in a format understandable by the average citizen and provide year-to-year comparisons for at least five years. The format shall show, among other things, district and educational service center revenue by source; expenditures for salaries, wages, and benefits of employees, showing such amounts separately for classroom teachers, other employees required to hold licenses issued pursuant to sections 3319.22 to 3319.31 of the Revised Code, and all other employees; expenditures other than for personnel, by category, including utilities, textbooks and other educational materials, equipment, permanent improvements, pupil transportation, extracurricular athletics, and other extracurricular activities; and per pupil expenditures.
(C) Administer and supervise the allocation and distribution of all state and federal funds for public school education under the provisions of law, and may prescribe such systems of accounting as are necessary and proper to this function. It may require county auditors and treasurers, boards of education, educational service center governing boards, treasurers of such boards, teachers, and other school officers and employees, or other public officers or employees, to file with it such reports as it may prescribe relating to such funds, or to the management and condition of such funds.
(D) Formulate and prescribe minimum standards to be applied to all elementary and secondary schools in this state for the purpose of requiring a general education of high quality. Such standards shall provide adequately for: the licensing of teachers, administrators, and other professional personnel and their assignment according to training and qualifications; efficient and effective instructional materials and equipment, including library facilities; the proper organization, administration, and supervision of each school, including regulations for preparing all necessary records and reports and the preparation of a statement of policies and objectives for each school; buildings, grounds, health and sanitary facilities and services; admission of pupils, and such requirements for their promotion from grade to grade as will assure that they are capable and prepared for the level of study to which they are certified; requirements for graduation; and such other factors as the board finds necessary.
In the formulation and administration of such standards for nonpublic schools the board shall also consider the particular needs, methods and objectives of those schools, provided they do not conflict with the provision of a general education of a high quality and provided that regular procedures shall be followed for promotion from grade to grade of pupils who have met the educational requirements prescribed.
(E) May require as part of the health curriculum information developed under section 2108.15 of the Revised Code promoting the donation of anatomical gifts pursuant to Chapter 2108. of the Revised Code and may provide the information to high schools, educational service centers, and joint vocational school district boards of education;
(F) Prepare and submit annually to the governor and the general assembly a report on the status, needs, and major problems of the public schools of the state, with recommendations for necessary legislative action and a ten-year projection of the state's public and nonpublic school enrollment, by year and by grade level;
(G) Prepare and submit to the director of budget and management the biennial budgetary requests of the state board of education, for its agencies and for the public schools of the state;
(H) Cooperate with federal, state, and local agencies concerned with the health and welfare of children and youth of the state;
(I) Require such reports from school districts and educational service centers, school officers, and employees as are necessary and desirable. The superintendents and treasurers of school districts and educational service centers shall certify as to the accuracy of all reports required by law or state board or state department of education rules to be submitted by the district or educational service center and which contain information necessary for calculation of state funding. Any superintendent who knowingly falsifies such report shall be subject to license revocation pursuant to section 3319.31 of the Revised Code.
(J) In accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, adopt procedures, standards, and guidelines for the education of children with disabilities pursuant to Chapter 3323. of the Revised Code, including procedures, standards, and guidelines governing programs and services operated by county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities pursuant to section 3323.09 of the Revised Code;
(K) For the purpose of encouraging the development of special programs of education for academically gifted children, employ competent persons to analyze and publish data, promote research, advise and counsel with boards of education, and encourage the training of teachers in the special instruction of gifted children. The board may provide financial assistance out of any funds appropriated for this purpose to boards of education and educational service center governing boards for developing and conducting programs of education for academically gifted children.
(L) Require that all public schools emphasize and encourage, within existing units of study, the teaching of energy and resource conservation as recommended to each district board of education by leading business persons involved in energy production and conservation, beginning in the primary grades;
(M) Formulate and prescribe minimum standards requiring the use of phonics as a technique in the teaching of reading in grades kindergarten through three. In addition, the state board shall provide in-service training programs for teachers on the use of phonics as a technique in the teaching of reading in grades kindergarten through three.
(N) Develop and modify as necessary a state plan for technology to encourage and promote the use of technological advancements in educational settings.
The board may adopt rules necessary for carrying out any function imposed on it by law, and may provide rules as are necessary for its government and the government of its employees, and may delegate to the superintendent of public instruction the management and administration of any function imposed on it by law. It may provide for the appointment of board members to serve on temporary committees established by the board for such purposes as are necessary. Permanent or standing committees shall not be created.
Sec. 3301.52.  As used in sections 3301.52 to 3301.59 of the Revised Code:
(A) "Preschool program" means either of the following:
(1) A child care program for preschool children that is operated by a school district board of education or an eligible nonpublic school.
(2) A child care program for preschool children age three or older that is operated by a county MR/DD DD board.
(B) "Preschool child" or "child" means a child who has not entered kindergarten and is not of compulsory school age.
(C) "Parent, guardian, or custodian" means the person or government agency that is or will be responsible for a child's school attendance under section 3321.01 of the Revised Code.
(D) "Superintendent" means the superintendent of a school district or the chief administrative officer of an eligible nonpublic school.
(E) "Director" means the director, head teacher, elementary principal, or site administrator who is the individual on site and responsible for supervision of a preschool program.
(F) "Preschool staff member" means a preschool employee whose primary responsibility is care, teaching, or supervision of preschool children.
(G) "Nonteaching employee" means a preschool program or school child program employee whose primary responsibilities are duties other than care, teaching, and supervision of preschool children or school children.
(H) "Eligible nonpublic school" means a nonpublic school chartered as described in division (B)(8) of section 5104.02 of the Revised Code or chartered by the state board of education for any combination of grades one through twelve, regardless of whether it also offers kindergarten.
(I) "County MR/DD DD board" means a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities.
(J) "School child program" means a child care program for only school children that is operated by a school district board of education, county MR/DD DD board, or eligible nonpublic school.
(K) "School child" and "child care" have the same meanings as in section 5104.01 of the Revised Code.
(L) "School child program staff member" means an employee whose primary responsibility is the care, teaching, or supervision of children in a school child program.
Sec. 3301.53.  (A) The state board of education, in consultation with the director of job and family services, shall formulate and prescribe by rule adopted under Chapter 119. of the Revised Code minimum standards to be applied to preschool programs operated by school district boards of education, county MR/DD DD boards, or eligible nonpublic schools. The rules shall include the following:
(1) Standards ensuring that the preschool program is located in a safe and convenient facility that accommodates the enrollment of the program, is of the quality to support the growth and development of the children according to the program objectives, and meets the requirements of section 3301.55 of the Revised Code;
(2) Standards ensuring that supervision, discipline, and programs will be administered according to established objectives and procedures;
(3) Standards ensuring that preschool staff members and nonteaching employees are recruited, employed, assigned, evaluated, and provided inservice education without discrimination on the basis of age, color, national origin, race, or sex; and that preschool staff members and nonteaching employees are assigned responsibilities in accordance with written position descriptions commensurate with their training and experience;
(4) A requirement that boards of education intending to establish a preschool program demonstrate a need for a preschool program prior to establishing the program;
(5) Requirements that children participating in preschool programs have been immunized to the extent considered appropriate by the state board to prevent the spread of communicable disease;
(6) Requirements that the parents of preschool children complete the emergency medical authorization form specified in section 3313.712 of the Revised Code.
(B) The state board of education in consultation with the director of job and family services shall ensure that the rules adopted by the state board under sections 3301.52 to 3301.58 of the Revised Code are consistent with and meet or exceed the requirements of Chapter 5104. of the Revised Code with regard to child day-care centers. The state board and the director of job and family services shall review all such rules at least once every five years.
(C) The state board of education, in consultation with the director of job and family services, shall adopt rules for school child programs that are consistent with and meet or exceed the requirements of the rules adopted for school child day-care centers under Chapter 5104. of the Revised Code.
Sec. 3301.55.  (A) A school district, county MR/DD DD board, or eligible nonpublic school operating a preschool program shall house the program in buildings that meet the following requirements:
(1) The building is operated by the district, county MR/DD DD board, or eligible nonpublic school and has been approved by the division of industrial compliance in the department of commerce or a certified municipal, township, or county building department for the purpose of operating a program for preschool children. Any such structure shall be constructed, equipped, repaired, altered, and maintained in accordance with applicable provisions of Chapters 3781. and 3791. and with rules adopted by the board of building standards under Chapter 3781. of the Revised Code for the safety and sanitation of structures erected for this purpose.
(2) The building is in compliance with fire and safety laws and regulations as evidenced by reports of annual school fire and safety inspections as conducted by appropriate local authorities.
(3) The school is in compliance with rules established by the state board of education regarding school food services.
(4) The facility includes not less than thirty-five square feet of indoor space for each child in the program. Safe play space, including both indoor and outdoor play space, totaling not less than sixty square feet for each child using the space at any one time, shall be regularly available and scheduled for use.
(5) First aid facilities and space for temporary placement or isolation of injured or ill children are provided.
(B) Each school district, county MR/DD DD board, or eligible nonpublic school that operates, or proposes to operate, a preschool program shall submit a building plan including all information specified by the state board of education to the board not later than the first day of September of the school year in which the program is to be initiated. The board shall determine whether the buildings meet the requirements of this section and section 3301.53 of the Revised Code, and notify the superintendent of its determination. If the board determines, on the basis of the building plan or any other information, that the buildings do not meet those requirements, it shall cause the buildings to be inspected by the department of education. The department shall make a report to the superintendent specifying any aspects of the building that are not in compliance with the requirements of this section and section 3301.53 of the Revised Code and the time period that will be allowed the district, county MR/DD DD board, or school to meet the requirements.
Sec. 3301.57.  (A) For the purpose of improving programs, facilities, and implementation of the standards promulgated by the state board of education under section 3301.53 of the Revised Code, the state department of education shall provide consultation and technical assistance to school districts, county MR/DD DD boards, and eligible nonpublic schools operating preschool programs or school child programs, and inservice training to preschool staff members, school child program staff members, and nonteaching employees.
(B) The department and the school district board of education, county MR/DD DD board, or eligible nonpublic school shall jointly monitor each preschool program and each school child program.
If the program receives any grant or other funding from the state or federal government, the department annually shall monitor all reports on attendance, financial support, and expenditures according to provisions for use of the funds.
(C) The department of education, at least twice during every twelve-month period of operation of a preschool program or a licensed school child program, shall inspect the program and provide a written inspection report to the superintendent of the school district, county MR/DD DD board, or eligible nonpublic school. At least one inspection shall be unannounced, and all inspections may be unannounced. No person shall interfere with any inspection conducted pursuant to this division or to the rules adopted pursuant to sections 3301.52 to 3301.59 of the Revised Code.
Upon receipt of any complaint that a preschool program or a licensed school child program is out of compliance with the requirements in sections 3301.52 to 3301.59 of the Revised Code or the rules adopted under those sections, the department shall investigate and may inspect the program.
(D) If a preschool program or a licensed school child program is determined to be out of compliance with the requirements of sections 3301.52 to 3301.59 of the Revised Code or the rules adopted under those sections, the department of education shall notify the appropriate superintendent, county MR/DD DD board, or eligible nonpublic school in writing regarding the nature of the violation, what must be done to correct the violation, and by what date the correction must be made. If the correction is not made by the date established by the department, it may commence action under Chapter 119. of the Revised Code to close the program or to revoke the license of the program. If a program does not comply with an order to cease operation issued in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, the department shall notify the attorney general, the prosecuting attorney of the county in which the program is located, or the city attorney, village solicitor, or other chief legal officer of the municipal corporation in which the program is located that the program is operating in violation of sections 3301.52 to 3301.59 of the Revised Code or the rules adopted under those sections and in violation of an order to cease operation issued in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code. Upon receipt of the notification, the attorney general, prosecuting attorney, city attorney, village solicitor, or other chief legal officer shall file a complaint in the court of common pleas of the county in which the program is located requesting the court to issue an order enjoining the program from operating. The court shall grant the requested injunctive relief upon a showing that the program named in the complaint is operating in violation of sections 3301.52 to 3301.59 of the Revised Code or the rules adopted under those sections and in violation of an order to cease operation issued in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code.
(E) The department of education shall prepare an annual report on inspections conducted under this section. The report shall include the number of inspections conducted, the number and types of violations found, and the steps taken to address the violations. The department shall file the report with the governor, the president and minority leader of the senate, and the speaker and minority leader of the house of representatives on or before the first day of January of each year, beginning in 1999.
Sec. 3301.58.  (A) The department of education is responsible for the licensing of preschool programs and school child programs and for the enforcement of sections 3301.52 to 3301.59 of the Revised Code and of any rules adopted under those sections. No school district board of education, county MR/DD DD board, or eligible nonpublic school shall operate, establish, manage, conduct, or maintain a preschool program without a license issued under this section. A school district board of education, county MR/DD DD board, or eligible nonpublic school may obtain a license under this section for a school child program. The school district board of education, county MR/DD DD board, or eligible nonpublic school shall post the current license for each preschool program and licensed school child program it operates, establishes, manages, conducts, or maintains in a conspicuous place in the preschool program or licensed school child program that is accessible to parents, custodians, or guardians and employees and staff members of the program at all times when the program is in operation.
(B) Any school district board of education, county MR/DD DD board, or eligible nonpublic school that desires to operate, establish, manage, conduct, or maintain a preschool program shall apply to the department of education for a license on a form that the department shall prescribe by rule. Any school district board of education, county MR/DD DD board, or eligible nonpublic school that desires to obtain a license for a school child program shall apply to the department for a license on a form that the department shall prescribe by rule. The department shall provide at no charge to each applicant for a license under this section a copy of the requirements under sections 3301.52 to 3301.59 of the Revised Code and any rules adopted under those sections. The department shall mail application forms for the renewal of a license at least one hundred twenty days prior to the date of the expiration of the license, and the application for renewal of a license shall be filed with the department at least sixty days before the date of the expiration of the existing license. The department may establish application fees by rule adopted under Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, and all applicants for a license shall pay any fee established by the department at the time of making an application for a license. All fees collected pursuant to this section shall be paid into the state treasury to the credit of the general revenue fund.
(C) Upon the filing of an application for a license, the department of education shall investigate and inspect the preschool program or school child program to determine the license capacity for each age category of children of the program and to determine whether the program complies with sections 3301.52 to 3301.59 of the Revised Code and any rules adopted under those sections. When, after investigation and inspection, the department of education is satisfied that sections 3301.52 to 3301.59 of the Revised Code and any rules adopted under those sections are complied with by the applicant, the department of education shall issue the program a provisional license as soon as practicable in the form and manner prescribed by the rules of the department. The provisional license shall be valid for six months from the date of issuance unless revoked.
(D) The department of education shall investigate and inspect a preschool program or school child program that has been issued a provisional license at least once during operation under the provisional license. If, after the investigation and inspection, the department of education determines that the requirements of sections 3301.52 to 3301.59 of the Revised Code and any rules adopted under those sections are met by the provisional licensee, the department of education shall issue a license that is effective for two years from the date of the issuance of the provisional license.
(E) Upon the filing of an application for the renewal of a license by a preschool program or school child program, the department of education shall investigate and inspect the preschool program or school child program. If the department of education determines that the requirements of sections 3301.52 to 3301.59 of the Revised Code and any rules adopted under those sections are met by the applicant, the department of education shall renew the license for two years from the date of the expiration date of the previous license.
(F) The license or provisional license shall state the name of the school district board of education, county MR/DD DD board, or eligible nonpublic school that operates the preschool program or school child program and the license capacity of the program. The license shall include any other information required by section 5104.03 of the Revised Code for the license of a child day-care center.
(G) The department of education may revoke the license of any preschool program or school child program that is not in compliance with the requirements of sections 3301.52 to 3301.59 of the Revised Code and any rules adopted under those sections.
(H) If the department of education revokes a license or refuses to renew a license to a program, the department shall not issue a license to the program within two years from the date of the revocation or refusal. All actions of the department with respect to licensing preschool programs and school child programs shall be in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code.
Sec. 3314.022. The governing authority of any community school established under this chapter may contract with the governing authority of another community school, the board of education of a school district, the governing board of an educational service center, a county MR/DD DD board, or the administrative authority of a nonpublic school for provision of services for any disabled student enrolled at the school. Any school district board of education or educational service center governing board shall negotiate with a community school governing authority that seeks to contract for the provision of services for a disabled student under this section in the same manner as it would with the board of education of a school district that seeks to contract for such services.
Sec. 3314.99. (A) Whoever violates division (F) of section 3314.40 of the Revised Code shall be punished as follows:
(1) Except as otherwise provided in division (A)(2) of this section, the person is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.
(2) The person is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree if both of the following conditions apply:
(a) The employee who is the subject of the report that the person fails to submit was required to be reported for the commission or alleged commission of an act or offense involving the infliction on a child of any physical or mental wound, injury, disability, or condition of a nature that constitutes abuse or neglect of the child;
(b) During the period between the violation of division (F) of section 3314.40 of the Revised Code and the conviction of or plea of guilty by the person for that violation, the employee who is the subject of the report that the person fails to submit inflicts on any child attending a school district, educational service center, public or nonpublic school, or county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities where the employee works any physical or mental wound, injury, disability, or condition of a nature that constitutes abuse or neglect of the child.
(B) Whoever violates division (B) of section 3314.403 of the Revised Code is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree.
Sec. 3317.01.  As used in this section and section 3317.011 of the Revised Code, "school district," unless otherwise specified, means any city, local, exempted village, joint vocational, or cooperative education school district and any educational service center.
This chapter shall be administered by the state board of education. The superintendent of public instruction shall calculate the amounts payable to each school district and shall certify the amounts payable to each eligible district to the treasurer of the district as provided by this chapter. As soon as possible after such amounts are calculated, the superintendent shall certify to the treasurer of each school district the district's adjusted charge-off increase, as defined in section 5705.211 of the Revised Code. No moneys shall be distributed pursuant to this chapter without the approval of the controlling board.
The state board of education shall, in accordance with appropriations made by the general assembly, meet the financial obligations of this chapter.
Annually, the department of education shall calculate and report to each school district the district's total state and local funds for providing an adequate basic education to the district's nondisabled students, utilizing the determination in section 3317.012 of the Revised Code. In addition, the department shall calculate and report separately for each school district the district's total state and local funds for providing an adequate education for its students with disabilities, utilizing the determinations in both sections 3317.012 and 3317.013 of the Revised Code.
Not later than the thirty-first day of August of each fiscal year, the department of education shall provide to each school district and county MR/DD DD board a preliminary estimate of the amount of funding that the department calculates the district will receive under each of divisions (C)(1) and (4) of section 3317.022 of the Revised Code. No later than the first day of December of each fiscal year, the department shall update that preliminary estimate.
Moneys distributed pursuant to this chapter shall be calculated and paid on a fiscal year basis, beginning with the first day of July and extending through the thirtieth day of June. The moneys appropriated for each fiscal year shall be distributed at least monthly to each school district unless otherwise provided for. The state board shall submit a yearly distribution plan to the controlling board at its first meeting in July. The state board shall submit any proposed midyear revision of the plan to the controlling board in January. Any year-end revision of the plan shall be submitted to the controlling board in June. If moneys appropriated for each fiscal year are distributed other than monthly, such distribution shall be on the same basis for each school district.
The total amounts paid each month shall constitute, as nearly as possible, one-twelfth of the total amount payable for the entire year.
Until fiscal year 2007, payments made during the first six months of the fiscal year may be based on an estimate of the amounts payable for the entire year. Payments made in the last six months shall be based on the final calculation of the amounts payable to each school district for that fiscal year. Payments made in the last six months may be adjusted, if necessary, to correct the amounts distributed in the first six months, and to reflect enrollment increases when such are at least three per cent.
Beginning in fiscal year 2007, payments shall be calculated to reflect the biannual reporting of average daily membership. In fiscal year 2007 and in each fiscal year thereafter, annualized periodic payments for each school district shall be based on the district's final student counts verified by the superintendent of public instruction based on reports under section 3317.03 of the Revised Code, as adjusted, if so ordered, under division (K) of that section, as follows:
the sum of one-half of the number of students verified
and adjusted for the first full week in October
plus one-half of the average of the numbers
verified and adjusted for the first full week
in October and for the first full week in February
Except as otherwise provided, payments under this chapter shall be made only to those school districts in which:
(A) The school district, except for any educational service center and any joint vocational or cooperative education school district, levies for current operating expenses at least twenty mills. Levies for joint vocational or cooperative education school districts or county school financing districts, limited to or to the extent apportioned to current expenses, shall be included in this qualification requirement. School district income tax levies under Chapter 5748. of the Revised Code, limited to or to the extent apportioned to current operating expenses, shall be included in this qualification requirement to the extent determined by the tax commissioner under division (D) of section 3317.021 of the Revised Code.
(B) The school year next preceding the fiscal year for which such payments are authorized meets the requirement of section 3313.48 or 3313.481 of the Revised Code, with regard to the minimum number of days or hours school must be open for instruction with pupils in attendance, for individualized parent-teacher conference and reporting periods, and for professional meetings of teachers. This requirement shall be waived by the superintendent of public instruction if it had been necessary for a school to be closed because of disease epidemic, hazardous weather conditions, inoperability of school buses or other equipment necessary to the school's operation, damage to a school building, or other temporary circumstances due to utility failure rendering the school building unfit for school use, provided that for those school districts operating pursuant to section 3313.48 of the Revised Code the number of days the school was actually open for instruction with pupils in attendance and for individualized parent-teacher conference and reporting periods is not less than one hundred seventy-five, or for those school districts operating on a trimester plan the number of days the school was actually open for instruction with pupils in attendance not less than seventy-nine days in any trimester, for those school districts operating on a quarterly plan the number of days the school was actually open for instruction with pupils in attendance not less than fifty-nine days in any quarter, or for those school districts operating on a pentamester plan the number of days the school was actually open for instruction with pupils in attendance not less than forty-four days in any pentamester.
A school district shall not be considered to have failed to comply with this division or section 3313.481 of the Revised Code because schools were open for instruction but either twelfth grade students were excused from attendance for up to three days or only a portion of the kindergarten students were in attendance for up to three days in order to allow for the gradual orientation to school of such students.
The superintendent of public instruction shall waive the requirements of this section with reference to the minimum number of days or hours school must be in session with pupils in attendance for the school year succeeding the school year in which a board of education initiates a plan of operation pursuant to section 3313.481 of the Revised Code. The minimum requirements of this section shall again be applicable to such a district beginning with the school year commencing the second July succeeding the initiation of one such plan, and for each school year thereafter.
A school district shall not be considered to have failed to comply with this division or section 3313.48 or 3313.481 of the Revised Code because schools were open for instruction but the length of the regularly scheduled school day, for any number of days during the school year, was reduced by not more than two hours due to hazardous weather conditions.
(C) The school district has on file, and is paying in accordance with, a teachers' salary schedule which complies with section 3317.13 of the Revised Code.
A board of education or governing board of an educational service center which has not conformed with other law and the rules pursuant thereto, shall not participate in the distribution of funds authorized by sections 3317.022 to 3317.0211, 3317.11, 3317.16, 3317.17, and 3317.19 of the Revised Code, except for good and sufficient reason established to the satisfaction of the state board of education and the state controlling board.
All funds allocated to school districts under this chapter, except those specifically allocated for other purposes, shall be used to pay current operating expenses only.
Sec. 3317.02.  As used in this chapter:
(A) Unless otherwise specified, "school district" means city, local, and exempted village school districts.
(B) "Formula amount" means the base cost for the fiscal year specified in division (B)(4) of section 3317.012 of the Revised Code.
(C) "FTE basis" means a count of students based on full-time equivalency, in accordance with rules adopted by the department of education pursuant to section 3317.03 of the Revised Code. In adopting its rules under this division, the department shall provide for counting any student in category one, two, three, four, five, or six special education ADM or in category one or two vocational education ADM in the same proportion the student is counted in formula ADM.
(D) "Formula ADM" means, for a city, local, or exempted village school district, the final number verified by the superintendent of public instruction, based on the number reported pursuant to division (A) of section 3317.03 of the Revised Code, as adjusted, if so ordered, under division (K) of that section. "Formula ADM" means, for a joint vocational school district, the final number verified by the superintendent of public instruction, based on the number reported pursuant to division (D) of section 3317.03 of the Revised Code, as adjusted, if so ordered, under division (K) of that section. Beginning in fiscal year 2007, for payments in which formula ADM is a factor, the formula ADM for each school district for the fiscal year is the sum of one-half of the number verified and adjusted for October of that fiscal year plus one-half of the average of the numbers verified and adjusted for October and February of that fiscal year.
(E) "Three-year average formula ADM" means the average of formula ADMs for the preceding three fiscal years.
(F)(1) "Category one special education ADM" means the average daily membership of children with disabilities receiving special education services for the disability specified in division (A) of section 3317.013 of the Revised Code and reported under division (B)(5) or (D)(2)(b) of section 3317.03 of the Revised Code. Beginning in fiscal year 2007, the district's category one special education ADM for a fiscal year is the sum of one-half of the number reported for October of that fiscal year plus one-half of the average of the numbers reported for October and February of that fiscal year.
(2) "Category two special education ADM" means the average daily membership of children with disabilities receiving special education services for those disabilities specified in division (B) of section 3317.013 of the Revised Code and reported under division (B)(6) or (D)(2)(c) of section 3317.03 of the Revised Code. Beginning in fiscal year 2007, the district's category two special education ADM for a fiscal year is the sum of one-half of the number reported for October of that fiscal year plus one-half of the average of the numbers reported for October and February of that fiscal year.
(3) "Category three special education ADM" means the average daily membership of students receiving special education services for those disabilities specified in division (C) of section 3317.013 of the Revised Code, and reported under division (B)(7) or (D)(2)(d) of section 3317.03 of the Revised Code. Beginning in fiscal year 2007, the district's category three special education ADM for a fiscal year is the sum of one-half of the number reported for October of that fiscal year plus one-half of the average of the numbers reported for October and February of that fiscal year.
(4) "Category four special education ADM" means the average daily membership of students receiving special education services for those disabilities specified in division (D) of section 3317.013 of the Revised Code and reported under division (B)(8) or (D)(2)(e) of section 3317.03 of the Revised Code. Beginning in fiscal year 2007, the district's category four special education ADM for a fiscal year is the sum of one-half of the number reported for October of that fiscal year plus one-half of the average of the numbers reported for October and February of that fiscal year.
(5) "Category five special education ADM" means the average daily membership of students receiving special education services for the disabilities specified in division (E) of section 3317.013 of the Revised Code and reported under division (B)(9) or (D)(2)(f) of section 3317.03 of the Revised Code. Beginning in fiscal year 2007, the district's category five special education ADM for a fiscal year is the sum of one-half of the number reported for October of that fiscal year plus one-half of the average of the numbers reported for October and February of that fiscal year.
(6) "Category six special education ADM" means the average daily membership of students receiving special education services for the disabilities specified in division (F) of section 3317.013 of the Revised Code and reported under division (B)(10) or (D)(2)(g) of section 3317.03 of the Revised Code. Beginning in fiscal year 2007, the district's category six special education ADM for a fiscal year is the sum of one-half of the number reported for October of that fiscal year plus one-half of the average of the numbers reported for October and February of that fiscal year.
(7) "Category one vocational education ADM" means the average daily membership of students receiving vocational education services described in division (A) of section 3317.014 of the Revised Code and reported under division (B)(11) or (D)(2)(h) of section 3317.03 of the Revised Code. Beginning in fiscal year 2007, the district's category one vocational education ADM for a fiscal year is the sum of one-half of the number reported for October of that fiscal year plus one-half of the average of the numbers reported for October and February of that fiscal year.
(8) "Category two vocational education ADM" means the average daily membership of students receiving vocational education services described in division (B) of section 3317.014 of the Revised Code and reported under division (B)(12) or (D)(2)(i) of section 3317.03 of the Revised Code. Beginning in fiscal year 2007, the district's category two vocational education ADM for a fiscal year is the sum of one-half of the number reported for October of that fiscal year plus one-half of the average of the numbers reported for October and February of that fiscal year.
(G) "Preschool child with a disability" means a child with a disability, as defined in section 3323.01 of the Revised Code, who is at least age three but is not of compulsory school age, as defined in section 3321.01 of the Revised Code, and who is not currently enrolled in kindergarten.
(H) "County MR/DD DD board" means a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities.
(I) "Recognized valuation" means the amount calculated for a school district pursuant to section 3317.015 of the Revised Code.
(J) "Transportation ADM" means the number of children reported under division (B)(13) of section 3317.03 of the Revised Code.
(K) "Average efficient transportation use cost per student" means a statistical representation of transportation costs as calculated under division (D)(2) of section 3317.022 of the Revised Code.
(L) "Taxes charged and payable" means the taxes charged and payable against real and public utility property after making the reduction required by section 319.301 of the Revised Code, plus the taxes levied against tangible personal property.
(M) "Total taxable value" means the sum of the amounts certified for a city, local, exempted village, or joint vocational school district under divisions (A)(1) and (2) of section 3317.021 of the Revised Code.
(N) "Tax exempt value" of a school district means the amount certified for a school district under division (A)(4) of section 3317.021 of the Revised Code.
(O) "Potential value" of a school district means the recognized valuation of a school district plus the tax exempt value of the district.
(P) "District median income" means the median Ohio adjusted gross income certified for a school district. On or before the first day of July of each year, the tax commissioner shall certify to the department of education and the office of budget and management for each city, exempted village, and local school district the median Ohio adjusted gross income of the residents of the school district determined on the basis of tax returns filed for the second preceding tax year by the residents of the district.
(Q) "Statewide median income" means the median district median income of all city, exempted village, and local school districts in the state.
(R) "Income factor" for a city, exempted village, or local school district means the quotient obtained by dividing that district's median income by the statewide median income.
(S) "Medically fragile child" means a child to whom all of the following apply:
(1) The child requires the services of a doctor of medicine or osteopathic medicine at least once a week due to the instability of the child's medical condition.
(2) The child requires the services of a registered nurse on a daily basis.
(3) The child is at risk of institutionalization in a hospital, skilled nursing facility, or intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded.
(T) A child may be identified as having an "other health impairment-major" if the child's condition meets the definition of "other health impaired" established in rules adopted by the state board of education prior to July 1, 2001, and if either of the following apply:
(1) The child is identified as having a medical condition that is among those listed by the superintendent of public instruction as conditions where a substantial majority of cases fall within the definition of "medically fragile child." The superintendent of public instruction shall issue an initial list no later than September 1, 2001.
(2) The child is determined by the superintendent of public instruction to be a medically fragile child. A school district superintendent may petition the superintendent of public instruction for a determination that a child is a medically fragile child.
(U) A child may be identified as having an "other health impairment-minor" if the child's condition meets the definition of "other health impaired" established in rules adopted by the state board of education prior to July 1, 2001, but the child's condition does not meet either of the conditions specified in division (T)(1) or (2) of this section.
(V) "State education aid" has the same meaning as in section 5751.20 of the Revised Code.
(W) "Property exemption value" means zero in fiscal year 2006, and in fiscal year 2007 and each fiscal year thereafter, the amount certified for a school district under divisions (A)(6) and (7) of section 3317.021 of the Revised Code.
(X) "Internet- or computer-based community school" has the same meaning as in section 3314.02 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 3317.024.  In addition to the moneys paid to eligible school districts pursuant to section 3317.022 of the Revised Code, moneys appropriated for the education programs in divisions (A) to (I), (K), (L), and (N) of this section shall be distributed to school districts meeting the requirements of section 3317.01 of the Revised Code; in the case of divisions (G) and (L) of this section, to educational service centers as provided in section 3317.11 of the Revised Code; in the case of divisions (D) and (J) of this section, to county MR/DD DD boards; in the case of division (N) of this section, to joint vocational school districts; in the case of division (H) of this section, to cooperative education school districts; and in the case of division (M) of this section, to the institutions defined under section 3317.082 of the Revised Code providing elementary or secondary education programs to children other than children receiving special education under section 3323.091 of the Revised Code. The following shall be distributed monthly, quarterly, or annually as may be determined by the state board of education:
(A) An amount for each island school district and each joint state school district for the operation of each high school and each elementary school maintained within such district and for capital improvements for such schools. Such amounts shall be determined on the basis of standards adopted by the state board of education.
(B) An amount for each school district operating classes for children of migrant workers who are unable to be in attendance in an Ohio school during the entire regular school year. The amounts shall be determined on the basis of standards adopted by the state board of education, except that payment shall be made only for subjects regularly offered by the school district providing the classes.
(C) An amount for each school district with guidance, testing, and counseling programs approved by the state board of education. The amount shall be determined on the basis of standards adopted by the state board of education.
(D) An amount for the emergency purchase of school buses as provided for in section 3317.07 of the Revised Code;
(E) An amount for each school district required to pay tuition for a child in an institution maintained by the department of youth services pursuant to section 3317.082 of the Revised Code, provided the child was not included in the calculation of the district's average daily membership for the preceding school year.
(F) An amount for adult basic literacy education for each district participating in programs approved by the state board of education. The amount shall be determined on the basis of standards adopted by the state board of education.
(G) An amount for the approved cost of transporting eligible pupils with disabilities attending a special education program approved by the department of education whom it is impossible or impractical to transport by regular school bus in the course of regular route transportation provided by the district or service center. No district or service center is eligible to receive a payment under this division for the cost of transporting any pupil whom it transports by regular school bus and who is included in the district's transportation ADM. The state board of education shall establish standards and guidelines for use by the department of education in determining the approved cost of such transportation for each district or service center.
(H) An amount to each school district, including each cooperative education school district, pursuant to section 3313.81 of the Revised Code to assist in providing free lunches to needy children and an amount to assist needy school districts in purchasing necessary equipment for food preparation. The amounts shall be determined on the basis of rules adopted by the state board of education.
(I) An amount to each school district, for each pupil attending a chartered nonpublic elementary or high school within the district. The amount shall equal the amount appropriated for the implementation of section 3317.06 of the Revised Code divided by the average daily membership in grades kindergarten through twelve in nonpublic elementary and high schools within the state as determined during the first full week in October of each school year.
(J) An amount for each county MR/DD DD board, distributed on the basis of standards adopted by the state board of education, for the approved cost of transportation required for children attending special education programs operated by the county MR/DD DD board under section 3323.09 of the Revised Code;
(K) An amount for each school district that establishes a mentor teacher program that complies with rules of the state board of education. No school district shall be required to establish or maintain such a program in any year unless sufficient funds are appropriated to cover the district's total costs for the program.
(L) An amount to each school district or educational service center for the total number of gifted units approved pursuant to section 3317.05 of the Revised Code. The amount for each such unit shall be the sum of the minimum salary for the teacher of the unit, calculated on the basis of the teacher's training level and years of experience pursuant to the salary schedule prescribed in the version of section 3317.13 of the Revised Code in effect prior to July 1, 2001, plus fifteen per cent of that minimum salary amount, plus two thousand six hundred seventy-eight dollars.
(M) An amount to each institution defined under section 3317.082 of the Revised Code providing elementary or secondary education to children other than children receiving special education under section 3323.091 of the Revised Code. This amount for any institution in any fiscal year shall equal the total of all tuition amounts required to be paid to the institution under division (A)(1) of section 3317.082 of the Revised Code.
(N) A grant to each school district and joint vocational school district that operates a "graduation, reality, and dual-role skills" (GRADS) program for pregnant and parenting students that is approved by the department. The amount of the payment shall be the district's state share percentage, as defined in section 3317.022 or 3317.16 of the Revised Code, times the GRADS personnel allowance times the full-time-equivalent number of GRADS teachers approved by the department. The GRADS personnel allowance is $47,555 in fiscal years 2008 and 2009.
The state board of education or any other board of education or governing board may provide for any resident of a district or educational service center territory any educational service for which funds are made available to the board by the United States under the authority of public law, whether such funds come directly or indirectly from the United States or any agency or department thereof or through the state or any agency, department, or political subdivision thereof.
Sec. 3317.03.  Notwithstanding divisions (A)(1), (B)(1), and (C) of this section, except as provided in division (A)(2)(h) of this section, any student enrolled in kindergarten more than half time shall be reported as one-half student under this section.
(A) The superintendent of each city and exempted village school district and of each educational service center shall, for the schools under the superintendent's supervision, certify to the state board of education on or before the fifteenth day of October in each year for the first full school week in October the formula ADM. Beginning in fiscal year 2007, each superintendent also shall certify to the state board, for the schools under the superintendent's supervision, the formula ADM for the first full week in February. If a school under the superintendent's supervision is closed for one or more days during that week due to hazardous weather conditions or other circumstances described in the first paragraph of division (B) of section 3317.01 of the Revised Code, the superintendent may apply to the superintendent of public instruction for a waiver, under which the superintendent of public instruction may exempt the district superintendent from certifying the formula ADM for that school for that week and specify an alternate week for certifying the formula ADM of that school.
The formula ADM shall consist of the average daily membership during such week of the sum of the following:
(1) On an FTE basis, the number of students in grades kindergarten through twelve receiving any educational services from the district, except that the following categories of students shall not be included in the determination:
(a) Students enrolled in adult education classes;
(b) Adjacent or other district students enrolled in the district under an open enrollment policy pursuant to section 3313.98 of the Revised Code;
(c) Students receiving services in the district pursuant to a compact, cooperative education agreement, or a contract, but who are entitled to attend school in another district pursuant to section 3313.64 or 3313.65 of the Revised Code;
(d) Students for whom tuition is payable pursuant to sections 3317.081 and 3323.141 of the Revised Code;
(e) Students receiving services in the district through a scholarship awarded under section 3310.41 of the Revised Code.
(2) On an FTE basis, except as provided in division (A)(2)(h) of this section, the number of students entitled to attend school in the district pursuant to section 3313.64 or 3313.65 of the Revised Code, but receiving educational services in grades kindergarten through twelve from one or more of the following entities:
(a) A community school pursuant to Chapter 3314. of the Revised Code, including any participation in a college pursuant to Chapter 3365. of the Revised Code while enrolled in such community school;
(b) An alternative school pursuant to sections 3313.974 to 3313.979 of the Revised Code as described in division (I)(2)(a) or (b) of this section;
(c) A college pursuant to Chapter 3365. of the Revised Code, except when the student is enrolled in the college while also enrolled in a community school pursuant to Chapter 3314. or a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics school established under Chapter 3326. of the Revised Code;
(d) An adjacent or other school district under an open enrollment policy adopted pursuant to section 3313.98 of the Revised Code;
(e) An educational service center or cooperative education district;
(f) Another school district under a cooperative education agreement, compact, or contract;
(g) A chartered nonpublic school with a scholarship paid under section 3310.08 of the Revised Code;
(h) An alternative public provider or a registered private provider with a scholarship awarded under section 3310.41 of the Revised Code. Each such scholarship student who is enrolled in kindergarten shall be counted as one full-time-equivalent student.
As used in this section, "alternative public provider" and "registered private provider" have the same meanings as in section 3310.41 of the Revised Code,.
(i) A science, technology, engineering, and mathematics school established under Chapter 3326. of the Revised Code, including any participation in a college pursuant to Chapter 3365. of the Revised Code while enrolled in the school.
(3) Twenty per cent of the number of students enrolled in a joint vocational school district or under a vocational education compact, excluding any students entitled to attend school in the district under section 3313.64 or 3313.65 of the Revised Code who are enrolled in another school district through an open enrollment policy as reported under division (A)(2)(d) of this section and then enroll in a joint vocational school district or under a vocational education compact;
(4) The number of children with disabilities, other than preschool children with disabilities, entitled to attend school in the district pursuant to section 3313.64 or 3313.65 of the Revised Code who are placed by the district with a county MR/DD DD board, minus the number of such children placed with a county MR/DD DD board in fiscal year 1998. If this calculation produces a negative number, the number reported under division (A)(4) of this section shall be zero.
(5) Beginning in fiscal year 2007, in the case of the report submitted for the first full week in February, or the alternative week if specified by the superintendent of public instruction, the number of students reported under division (A)(1) or (2) of this section for the first full week of the preceding October but who since that week have received high school diplomas.
(B) To enable the department of education to obtain the data needed to complete the calculation of payments pursuant to this chapter, in addition to the formula ADM, each superintendent shall report separately the following student counts for the same week for which formula ADM is certified:
(1) The total average daily membership in regular day classes included in the report under division (A)(1) or (2) of this section for kindergarten, and each of grades one through twelve in schools under the superintendent's supervision;
(2) The number of all preschool children with disabilities enrolled as of the first day of December in classes in the district that are eligible for approval under division (B) of section 3317.05 of the Revised Code and the number of those classes, which shall be reported not later than the fifteenth day of December, in accordance with rules adopted under that section;
(3) The number of children entitled to attend school in the district pursuant to section 3313.64 or 3313.65 of the Revised Code who are:
(a) Participating in a pilot project scholarship program established under sections 3313.974 to 3313.979 of the Revised Code as described in division (I)(2)(a) or (b) of this section;
(b) Enrolled in a college under Chapter 3365. of the Revised Code, except when the student is enrolled in the college while also enrolled in a community school pursuant to Chapter 3314. or a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics school established under Chapter 3326. of the Revised Code;
(c) Enrolled in an adjacent or other school district under section 3313.98 of the Revised Code;
(d) Enrolled in a community school established under Chapter 3314. of the Revised Code that is not an internet- or computer-based community school as defined in section 3314.02 of the Revised Code, including any participation in a college pursuant to Chapter 3365. of the Revised Code while enrolled in such community school;
(e) Enrolled in an internet- or computer-based community school, as defined in section 3314.02 of the Revised Code, including any participation in a college pursuant to Chapter 3365. of the Revised Code while enrolled in the school;
(f) Enrolled in a chartered nonpublic school with a scholarship paid under section 3310.08 of the Revised Code;
(g) Enrolled in kindergarten through grade twelve in an alternative public provider or a registered private provider with a scholarship awarded under section 3310.41 of the Revised Code;
(h) Enrolled as a preschool child with a disability in an alternative public provider or a registered private provider with a scholarship awarded under section 3310.41 of the Revised Code;
(i) Participating in a program operated by a county MR/DD DD board or a state institution;
(j) Enrolled in a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics school established under Chapter 3326. of the Revised Code, including any participation in a college pursuant to Chapter 3365. of the Revised Code while enrolled in the school.
(4) The number of pupils enrolled in joint vocational schools;
(5) The average daily membership of children with disabilities reported under division (A)(1) or (2) of this section receiving special education services for the category one disability described in division (A) of section 3317.013 of the Revised Code;
(6) The average daily membership of children with disabilities reported under division (A)(1) or (2) of this section receiving special education services for category two disabilities described in division (B) of section 3317.013 of the Revised Code;
(7) The average daily membership of children with disabilities reported under division (A)(1) or (2) of this section receiving special education services for category three disabilities described in division (C) of section 3317.013 of the Revised Code;
(8) The average daily membership of children with disabilities reported under division (A)(1) or (2) of this section receiving special education services for category four disabilities described in division (D) of section 3317.013 of the Revised Code;
(9) The average daily membership of children with disabilities reported under division (A)(1) or (2) of this section receiving special education services for the category five disabilities described in division (E) of section 3317.013 of the Revised Code;
(10) The combined average daily membership of children with disabilities reported under division (A)(1) or (2) and under division (B)(3)(h) of this section receiving special education services for category six disabilities described in division (F) of section 3317.013 of the Revised Code, including children attending a special education program operated by an alternative public provider or a registered private provider with a scholarship awarded under section 3310.41 of the Revised Code;
(11) The average daily membership of pupils reported under division (A)(1) or (2) of this section enrolled in category one vocational education programs or classes, described in division (A) of section 3317.014 of the Revised Code, operated by the school district or by another district, other than a joint vocational school district, or by an educational service center, excluding any student reported under division (B)(3)(e) of this section as enrolled in an internet- or computer-based community school, notwithstanding division (C) of section 3317.02 of the Revised Code and division (C)(3) of this section;
(12) The average daily membership of pupils reported under division (A)(1) or (2) of this section enrolled in category two vocational education programs or services, described in division (B) of section 3317.014 of the Revised Code, operated by the school district or another school district, other than a joint vocational school district, or by an educational service center, excluding any student reported under division (B)(3)(e) of this section as enrolled in an internet- or computer-based community school, notwithstanding division (C) of section 3317.02 of the Revised Code and division (C)(3) of this section;
(13) The average number of children transported by the school district on board-owned or contractor-owned and -operated buses, reported in accordance with rules adopted by the department of education;
(14)(a) The number of children, other than preschool children with disabilities, the district placed with a county MR/DD DD board in fiscal year 1998;
(b) The number of children with disabilities, other than preschool children with disabilities, placed with a county MR/DD DD board in the current fiscal year to receive special education services for the category one disability described in division (A) of section 3317.013 of the Revised Code;
(c) The number of children with disabilities, other than preschool children with disabilities, placed with a county MR/DD DD board in the current fiscal year to receive special education services for category two disabilities described in division (B) of section 3317.013 of the Revised Code;
(d) The number of children with disabilities, other than preschool children with disabilities, placed with a county MR/DD DD board in the current fiscal year to receive special education services for category three disabilities described in division (C) of section 3317.013 of the Revised Code;
(e) The number of children with disabilities, other than preschool children with disabilities, placed with a county MR/DD DD board in the current fiscal year to receive special education services for category four disabilities described in division (D) of section 3317.013 of the Revised Code;
(f) The number of children with disabilities, other than preschool children with disabilities, placed with a county MR/DD DD board in the current fiscal year to receive special education services for the category five disabilities described in division (E) of section 3317.013 of the Revised Code;
(g) The number of children with disabilities, other than preschool children with disabilities, placed with a county MR/DD DD board in the current fiscal year to receive special education services for category six disabilities described in division (F) of section 3317.013 of the Revised Code.
(C)(1) Except as otherwise provided in this section for kindergarten students, the average daily membership in divisions (B)(1) to (12) of this section shall be based upon the number of full-time equivalent students. The state board of education shall adopt rules defining full-time equivalent students and for determining the average daily membership therefrom for the purposes of divisions (A), (B), and (D) of this section.
(2) A student enrolled in a community school established under Chapter 3314. or a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics school established under Chapter 3326. of the Revised Code shall be counted in the formula ADM and, if applicable, the category one, two, three, four, five, or six special education ADM of the school district in which the student is entitled to attend school under section 3313.64 or 3313.65 of the Revised Code for the same proportion of the school year that the student is counted in the enrollment of the community school or the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics school for purposes of section 3314.08 or 3326.33 of the Revised Code. Notwithstanding the number of students reported pursuant to division (B)(3)(d), (e), or (j) of this section, the department may adjust the formula ADM of a school district to account for students entitled to attend school in the district under section 3313.64 or 3313.65 of the Revised Code who are enrolled in a community school or a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics school for only a portion of the school year.
(3) No child shall be counted as more than a total of one child in the sum of the average daily memberships of a school district under division (A), divisions (B)(1) to (12), or division (D) of this section, except as follows:
(a) A child with a disability described in section 3317.013 of the Revised Code may be counted both in formula ADM and in category one, two, three, four, five, or six special education ADM and, if applicable, in category one or two vocational education ADM. As provided in division (C) of section 3317.02 of the Revised Code, such a child shall be counted in category one, two, three, four, five, or six special education ADM in the same proportion that the child is counted in formula ADM.
(b) A child enrolled in vocational education programs or classes described in section 3317.014 of the Revised Code may be counted both in formula ADM and category one or two vocational education ADM and, if applicable, in category one, two, three, four, five, or six special education ADM. Such a child shall be counted in category one or two vocational education ADM in the same proportion as the percentage of time that the child spends in the vocational education programs or classes.
(4) Based on the information reported under this section, the department of education shall determine the total student count, as defined in section 3301.011 of the Revised Code, for each school district.
(D)(1) The superintendent of each joint vocational school district shall certify to the superintendent of public instruction on or before the fifteenth day of October in each year for the first full school week in October the formula ADM. Beginning in fiscal year 2007, each superintendent also shall certify to the state superintendent the formula ADM for the first full week in February. If a school operated by the joint vocational school district is closed for one or more days during that week due to hazardous weather conditions or other circumstances described in the first paragraph of division (B) of section 3317.01 of the Revised Code, the superintendent may apply to the superintendent of public instruction for a waiver, under which the superintendent of public instruction may exempt the district superintendent from certifying the formula ADM for that school for that week and specify an alternate week for certifying the formula ADM of that school.
The formula ADM, except as otherwise provided in this division, shall consist of the average daily membership during such week, on an FTE basis, of the number of students receiving any educational services from the district, including students enrolled in a community school established under Chapter 3314. or a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics school established under Chapter 3326. of the Revised Code who are attending the joint vocational district under an agreement between the district board of education and the governing authority of the community school or the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics school and are entitled to attend school in a city, local, or exempted village school district whose territory is part of the territory of the joint vocational district. Beginning in fiscal year 2007, in the case of the report submitted for the first week in February, or the alternative week if specified by the superintendent of public instruction, the superintendent of the joint vocational school district may include the number of students reported under division (D)(1) of this section for the first full week of the preceding October but who since that week have received high school diplomas.
The following categories of students shall not be included in the determination made under division (D)(1) of this section:
(a) Students enrolled in adult education classes;
(b) Adjacent or other district joint vocational students enrolled in the district under an open enrollment policy pursuant to section 3313.98 of the Revised Code;
(c) Students receiving services in the district pursuant to a compact, cooperative education agreement, or a contract, but who are entitled to attend school in a city, local, or exempted village school district whose territory is not part of the territory of the joint vocational district;
(d) Students for whom tuition is payable pursuant to sections 3317.081 and 3323.141 of the Revised Code.
(2) To enable the department of education to obtain the data needed to complete the calculation of payments pursuant to this chapter, in addition to the formula ADM, each superintendent shall report separately the average daily membership included in the report under division (D)(1) of this section for each of the following categories of students for the same week for which formula ADM is certified:
(a) Students enrolled in each grade included in the joint vocational district schools;
(b) Children with disabilities receiving special education services for the category one disability described in division (A) of section 3317.013 of the Revised Code;
(c) Children with disabilities receiving special education services for the category two disabilities described in division (B) of section 3317.013 of the Revised Code;
(d) Children with disabilities receiving special education services for category three disabilities described in division (C) of section 3317.013 of the Revised Code;
(e) Children with disabilities receiving special education services for category four disabilities described in division (D) of section 3317.013 of the Revised Code;
(f) Children with disabilities receiving special education services for the category five disabilities described in division (E) of section 3317.013 of the Revised Code;
(g) Children with disabilities receiving special education services for category six disabilities described in division (F) of section 3317.013 of the Revised Code;
(h) Students receiving category one vocational education services, described in division (A) of section 3317.014 of the Revised Code;
(i) Students receiving category two vocational education services, described in division (B) of section 3317.014 of the Revised Code.
The superintendent of each joint vocational school district shall also indicate the city, local, or exempted village school district in which each joint vocational district pupil is entitled to attend school pursuant to section 3313.64 or 3313.65 of the Revised Code.
(E) In each school of each city, local, exempted village, joint vocational, and cooperative education school district there shall be maintained a record of school membership, which record shall accurately show, for each day the school is in session, the actual membership enrolled in regular day classes. For the purpose of determining average daily membership, the membership figure of any school shall not include any pupils except those pupils described by division (A) of this section. The record of membership for each school shall be maintained in such manner that no pupil shall be counted as in membership prior to the actual date of entry in the school and also in such manner that where for any cause a pupil permanently withdraws from the school that pupil shall not be counted as in membership from and after the date of such withdrawal. There shall not be included in the membership of any school any of the following:
(1) Any pupil who has graduated from the twelfth grade of a public or nonpublic high school;
(2) Any pupil who is not a resident of the state;
(3) Any pupil who was enrolled in the schools of the district during the previous school year when tests were administered under section 3301.0711 of the Revised Code but did not take one or more of the tests required by that section and was not excused pursuant to division (C)(1) or (3) of that section;
(4) Any pupil who has attained the age of twenty-two years, except for veterans of the armed services whose attendance was interrupted before completing the recognized twelve-year course of the public schools by reason of induction or enlistment in the armed forces and who apply for reenrollment in the public school system of their residence not later than four years after termination of war or their honorable discharge.
If, however, any veteran described by division (E)(4) of this section elects to enroll in special courses organized for veterans for whom tuition is paid under the provisions of federal laws, or otherwise, that veteran shall not be included in average daily membership.
Notwithstanding division (E)(3) of this section, the membership of any school may include a pupil who did not take a test required by section 3301.0711 of the Revised Code if the superintendent of public instruction grants a waiver from the requirement to take the test to the specific pupil and a parent is not paying tuition for the pupil pursuant to section 3313.6410 of the Revised Code. The superintendent may grant such a waiver only for good cause in accordance with rules adopted by the state board of education.
Except as provided in divisions (B)(2) and (F) of this section, the average daily membership figure of any local, city, exempted village, or joint vocational school district shall be determined by dividing the figure representing the sum of the number of pupils enrolled during each day the school of attendance is actually open for instruction during the week for which the formula ADM is being certified by the total number of days the school was actually open for instruction during that week. For purposes of state funding, "enrolled" persons are only those pupils who are attending school, those who have attended school during the current school year and are absent for authorized reasons, and those children with disabilities currently receiving home instruction.
The average daily membership figure of any cooperative education school district shall be determined in accordance with rules adopted by the state board of education.
(F)(1) If the formula ADM for the first full school week in February is at least three per cent greater than that certified for the first full school week in the preceding October, the superintendent of schools of any city, exempted village, or joint vocational school district or educational service center shall certify such increase to the superintendent of public instruction. Such certification shall be submitted no later than the fifteenth day of February. For the balance of the fiscal year, beginning with the February payments, the superintendent of public instruction shall use the increased formula ADM in calculating or recalculating the amounts to be allocated in accordance with section 3317.022 or 3317.16 of the Revised Code. In no event shall the superintendent use an increased membership certified to the superintendent after the fifteenth day of February. Division (F)(1) of this section does not apply after fiscal year 2006.
(2) If on the first school day of April the total number of classes or units for preschool children with disabilities that are eligible for approval under division (B) of section 3317.05 of the Revised Code exceeds the number of units that have been approved for the year under that division, the superintendent of schools of any city, exempted village, or cooperative education school district or educational service center shall make the certifications required by this section for that day. If the department determines additional units can be approved for the fiscal year within any limitations set forth in the acts appropriating moneys for the funding of such units, the department shall approve additional units for the fiscal year on the basis of such average daily membership. For each unit so approved, the department shall pay an amount computed in the manner prescribed in section 3317.052 or 3317.19 and section 3317.053 of the Revised Code.
(3) If a student attending a community school under Chapter 3314. or a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics school established under Chapter 3326. of the Revised Code is not included in the formula ADM certified for the school district in which the student is entitled to attend school under section 3313.64 or 3313.65 of the Revised Code, the department of education shall adjust the formula ADM of that school district to include the student in accordance with division (C)(2) of this section, and shall recalculate the school district's payments under this chapter for the entire fiscal year on the basis of that adjusted formula ADM. This requirement applies regardless of whether the student was enrolled, as defined in division (E) of this section, in the community school or the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics school during the week for which the formula ADM is being certified.
(4) If a student awarded an educational choice scholarship is not included in the formula ADM of the school district from which the department deducts funds for the scholarship under section 3310.08 of the Revised Code, the department shall adjust the formula ADM of that school district to include the student to the extent necessary to account for the deduction, and shall recalculate the school district's payments under this chapter for the entire fiscal year on the basis of that adjusted formula ADM. This requirement applies regardless of whether the student was enrolled, as defined in division (E) of this section, in the chartered nonpublic school, the school district, or a community school during the week for which the formula ADM is being certified.
(G)(1)(a) The superintendent of an institution operating a special education program pursuant to section 3323.091 of the Revised Code shall, for the programs under such superintendent's supervision, certify to the state board of education, in the manner prescribed by the superintendent of public instruction, both of the following:
(i) The average daily membership of all children with disabilities other than preschool children with disabilities receiving services at the institution for each category of disability described in divisions (A) to (F) of section 3317.013 of the Revised Code;
(ii) The average daily membership of all preschool children with disabilities in classes or programs approved annually by the department of education for unit funding under section 3317.05 of the Revised Code.
(b) The superintendent of an institution with vocational education units approved under division (A) of section 3317.05 of the Revised Code shall, for the units under the superintendent's supervision, certify to the state board of education the average daily membership in those units, in the manner prescribed by the superintendent of public instruction.
(2) The superintendent of each county MR/DD DD board that maintains special education classes under section 3317.20 of the Revised Code or units approved pursuant to section 3317.05 of the Revised Code shall do both of the following:
(a) Certify to the state board, in the manner prescribed by the board, the average daily membership in classes under section 3317.20 of the Revised Code for each school district that has placed children in the classes;
(b) Certify to the state board, in the manner prescribed by the board, the number of all preschool children with disabilities enrolled as of the first day of December in classes eligible for approval under division (B) of section 3317.05 of the Revised Code, and the number of those classes.
(3)(a) If on the first school day of April the number of classes or units maintained for preschool children with disabilities by the county MR/DD DD board that are eligible for approval under division (B) of section 3317.05 of the Revised Code is greater than the number of units approved for the year under that division, the superintendent shall make the certification required by this section for that day.
(b) If the department determines that additional classes or units can be approved for the fiscal year within any limitations set forth in the acts appropriating moneys for the funding of the classes and units described in division (G)(3)(a) of this section, the department shall approve and fund additional units for the fiscal year on the basis of such average daily membership. For each unit so approved, the department shall pay an amount computed in the manner prescribed in sections 3317.052 and 3317.053 of the Revised Code.
(H) Except as provided in division (I) of this section, when any city, local, or exempted village school district provides instruction for a nonresident pupil whose attendance is unauthorized attendance as defined in section 3327.06 of the Revised Code, that pupil's membership shall not be included in that district's membership figure used in the calculation of that district's formula ADM or included in the determination of any unit approved for the district under section 3317.05 of the Revised Code. The reporting official shall report separately the average daily membership of all pupils whose attendance in the district is unauthorized attendance, and the membership of each such pupil shall be credited to the school district in which the pupil is entitled to attend school under division (B) of section 3313.64 or section 3313.65 of the Revised Code as determined by the department of education.
(I)(1) A city, local, exempted village, or joint vocational school district admitting a scholarship student of a pilot project district pursuant to division (C) of section 3313.976 of the Revised Code may count such student in its average daily membership.
(2) In any year for which funds are appropriated for pilot project scholarship programs, a school district implementing a state-sponsored pilot project scholarship program that year pursuant to sections 3313.974 to 3313.979 of the Revised Code may count in average daily membership:
(a) All children residing in the district and utilizing a scholarship to attend kindergarten in any alternative school, as defined in section 3313.974 of the Revised Code;
(b) All children who were enrolled in the district in the preceding year who are utilizing a scholarship to attend any such alternative school.
(J) The superintendent of each cooperative education school district shall certify to the superintendent of public instruction, in a manner prescribed by the state board of education, the applicable average daily memberships for all students in the cooperative education district, also indicating the city, local, or exempted village district where each pupil is entitled to attend school under section 3313.64 or 3313.65 of the Revised Code.
(K) If the superintendent of public instruction determines that a component of the formula ADM certified or reported by a district superintendent, or other reporting entity, is not correct, the superintendent of public instruction may order that the formula ADM used for the purposes of payments under any section of Title XXXIII of the Revised Code be adjusted in the amount of the error.
Sec. 3317.032.  (A) Each city, local, exempted village, and cooperative education school district, each educational service center, each county MR/DD DD board, and each institution operating a special education program pursuant to section 3323.091 of the Revised Code shall, in accordance with procedures adopted by the state board of education, maintain a record of district membership of both of the following:
(1) All preschool children with disabilities in units approved under division (B) of section 3317.05 of the Revised Code;
(2) All preschool children with disabilities who are not in units approved under division (B) of section 3317.05 of the Revised Code but who are otherwise served by a special education program.
(B) The superintendent of each district, board, or institution subject to division (A) of this section shall certify to the state board of education, in accordance with procedures adopted by that board, membership figures of all preschool children with disabilities whose membership is maintained under division (A)(2) of this section. The figures certified under this division shall be used in the determination of the ADM used to compute funds for educational service center governing boards under section 3317.11 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 3317.05.  (A) For the purpose of calculating payments under sections 3317.052 and 3317.053 of the Revised Code, the department of education shall determine for each institution, by the last day of January of each year and based on information certified under section 3317.03 of the Revised Code, the number of vocational education units or fractions of units approved by the department on the basis of standards and rules adopted by the state board of education. As used in this division, "institution" means an institution operated by a department specified in section 3323.091 of the Revised Code and that provides vocational education programs under the supervision of the division of vocational education of the department that meet the standards and rules for these programs, including licensure of professional staff involved in the programs, as established by the state board.
(B) For the purpose of calculating payments under sections 3317.052, 3317.053, 3317.11, and 3317.19 of the Revised Code, the department shall determine, based on information certified under section 3317.03 of the Revised Code, the following by the last day of January of each year for each educational service center, for each school district, including each cooperative education school district, for each institution eligible for payment under section 3323.091 of the Revised Code, and for each county MR/DD DD board: the number of classes operated by the school district, service center, institution, or county MR/DD DD board for preschool children with disabilities, or fraction thereof, including in the case of a district or service center that is a funding agent, classes taught by a licensed teacher employed by that district or service center under section 3313.841 of the Revised Code, approved annually by the department on the basis of standards and rules adopted by the state board.
(C) For the purpose of calculating payments under sections 3317.052, 3317.053, 3317.11, and 3317.19 of the Revised Code, the department shall determine, based on information certified under section 3317.03 of the Revised Code, the following by the last day of January of each year for each school district, including each cooperative education school district, for each institution eligible for payment under section 3323.091 of the Revised Code, and for each county MR/DD DD board: the number of units for related services, as defined in section 3323.01 of the Revised Code, for preschool children with disabilities approved annually by the department on the basis of standards and rules adopted by the state board.
(D) All of the arithmetical calculations made under this section shall be carried to the second decimal place. The total number of units for school districts, service centers, and institutions approved annually under this section shall not exceed the number of units included in the estimate of cost for these units and appropriations made for them by the general assembly.
In the case of units for preschool children with disabilities described in division (B) of this section, the department shall approve only preschool units for children who are under age six on the thirtieth day of September of the academic year, or on the first day of August of the academic year if the school district in which the child is enrolled has adopted a resolution under division (A)(3) of section 3321.01 of the Revised Code, but not less than age three on the first day of December of the academic year, except that such a unit may include one or more children who are under age three or are age six or over on the applicable date, as reported under division (B)(2) or (G)(2)(b) of section 3317.03 of the Revised Code, if such children have been admitted to the unit pursuant to rules of the state board. The number of units for county MR/DD DD boards and institutions eligible for payment under section 3323.091 of the Revised Code approved under this section shall not exceed the number that can be funded with appropriations made for such purposes by the general assembly.
No unit shall be approved under divisions (B) and (C) of this section unless a plan has been submitted and approved under Chapter 3323. of the Revised Code.
(E) The department shall approve units or fractions thereof for gifted children on the basis of standards and rules adopted by the state board.
Sec. 3317.051.  (A)(1) Notwithstanding sections 3317.05 and 3317.11 of the Revised Code, a unit funded pursuant to division (L) of section 3317.024 or division (A)(2) of section 3317.052 of the Revised Code shall not be approved for state funding in one school district, including any cooperative education school district or any educational service center, to the extent that such unit provides programs in or services to another district which receives payment pursuant to section 3317.04 of the Revised Code.
(2) Any city, local, exempted village, or cooperative education school district or any educational service center may combine partial unit eligibility for programs for preschool children with disabilities pursuant to section 3317.05 of the Revised Code, and such combined partial units may be approved for state funding in one school district or service center.
(B) After units have been initially approved for any fiscal year under section 3317.05 of the Revised Code, no unit shall be subsequently transferred from a school district or educational service center to another city, exempted village, local, or cooperative education school district or educational service center or to an institution or county MR/DD DD board solely for the purpose of reducing the financial obligations of the school district in a fiscal year it receives payment pursuant to section 3317.04 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 3317.052.  As used in this section, "institution" means an institution operated by a department specified in division (A) of section 3323.091 of the Revised Code.
(A)(1) The department of education shall pay each school district, educational service center, institution eligible for payment under section 3323.091 of the Revised Code, or county MR/DD DD board an amount for the total of all classroom units for preschool children with disabilities approved under division (B) of section 3317.05 of the Revised Code. For each unit, the amount shall be the sum of the minimum salary for the teacher of the unit, calculated on the basis of the teacher's training level and years of experience pursuant to the salary schedule prescribed in the version of section 3317.13 of the Revised Code in effect prior to July 1, 2001, plus fifteen per cent of that minimum salary amount, and eight thousand twenty-three dollars.
(2) The department shall pay each school district, educational service center, institution eligible for payment under section 3323.091 of the Revised Code, or county MR/DD DD board an amount for the total of all related services units for preschool children with disabilities approved under division (C) of section 3317.05 of the Revised Code. For each such unit, the amount shall be the sum of the minimum salary for the teacher of the unit calculated on the basis of the teacher's training level and years of experience pursuant to the salary schedule prescribed in the version of section 3317.13 of the Revised Code in effect prior to July 1, 2001, fifteen per cent of that minimum salary amount, and two thousand one hundred thirty-two dollars.
(B) If a school district, educational service center, or county MR/DD DD board has had additional units for preschool children with disabilities approved for the year under division (F)(2) or (G)(3) of section 3317.03 of the Revised Code, the district, educational service center, or board shall receive an additional amount during the last half of the fiscal year. For each district, center, or board, the additional amount for each unit shall equal fifty per cent of the amounts computed for the unit in the manner prescribed by division (A) of this section and division (C) of section 3317.053 of the Revised Code.
(C) The department shall pay each institution approved for vocational education units under division (A) of section 3317.05 of the Revised Code an amount for the total of all the units approved under that division. The amount for each unit shall be the sum of the minimum salary for the teacher of the unit, calculated on the basis of the teacher's training level and years of experience pursuant to the salary schedule prescribed in the version of section 3317.13 of the Revised Code in effect prior to July 1, 2001, plus fifteen per cent of that minimum salary amount, and nine thousand five hundred ten dollars. Each institution that receives units funds under this division annually shall report to the department on the delivery of services and the performance of students and any other information required by the department to evaluate the institution's vocational education program.
Sec. 3317.07.  The state board of education shall establish rules for the purpose of distributing subsidies for the purchase of school buses under division (D) of section 3317.024 of the Revised Code.
No school bus subsidy payments shall be paid to any district unless such district can demonstrate that pupils residing more than one mile from the school could not be transported without such additional aid.
The amount paid to a county MR/DD DD board for buses purchased for transportation of children in special education programs operated by the board shall be based on a per pupil allocation for eligible students.
The amount paid to a school district for buses purchased for transportation of pupils with disabilities and nonpublic school pupils shall be determined by a per pupil allocation based on the number of special education and nonpublic school pupils for whom transportation is provided.
The state board of education shall adopt a formula to determine the amount of payments that shall be distributed to school districts to purchase school buses for pupils other than pupils with disabilities or nonpublic school pupils.
If any district or MR/DD county DD board obtains bus services for pupil transportation pursuant to a contract, such district or board may use payments received under this section to defray the costs of contracting for bus services in lieu of for purchasing buses.
If the department of education determines that a county MR/DD DD board no longer needs a school bus because the board no longer transports children to a special education program operated by the board, or if the department determines that a school district no longer needs a school bus to transport pupils to a nonpublic school or special education program, the department may reassign a bus that was funded with payments provided pursuant to this section for the purpose of transporting such pupils. The department may reassign a bus to a county MR/DD DD board or school district that transports children to a special education program designated in the children's individualized education plans, or to a school district that transports pupils to a nonpublic school, and needs an additional school bus.
Sec. 3317.15.  (A) As used in this section, "child with a disability" has the same meaning as in section 3323.01 of the Revised Code.
(B) Each city, exempted village, local, and joint vocational school district shall continue to comply with all requirements of federal statutes and regulations, the Revised Code, and rules adopted by the state board of education governing education of children with disabilities, including, but not limited to, requirements that children with disabilities be served by appropriately licensed or certificated education personnel.
(C) Each city, exempted village, local, and joint vocational school district shall consult with the educational service center serving the county in which the school district is located and, if it elects to participate pursuant to section 5126.04 of the Revised Code, the county MR/DD DD board of that county, in providing services that serve the best interests of children with disabilities.
(D) Each school district shall annually provide documentation to the department of education that it employs the appropriate number of licensed or certificated personnel to serve the district's students with disabilities.
(E) The department annually shall audit a sample of school districts to ensure that children with disabilities are being appropriately reported.
(F) Each school district shall provide speech-language pathology services at a ratio of one speech-language pathologist per two thousand students receiving any educational services from the district other than adult education. Each district shall provide school psychological services at a ratio of one school psychologist per two thousand five hundred students receiving any educational services from the district other than adult education. A district may obtain the services of speech-language pathologists and school psychologists by any means permitted by law, including contracting with an educational service center. If, however, a district is unable to obtain the services of the required number of speech-language pathologists or school psychologists, the district may request from the superintendent of public instruction, and the superintendent may grant, a waiver of this provision for a period of time established by the superintendent.
Sec. 3317.20.  This section does not apply to preschool children with disabilities.
(A) As used in this section:
(1) "Applicable weight" means the multiple specified in section 3317.013 of the Revised Code for a disability described in that section.
(2) "Child's school district" means the school district in which a child is entitled to attend school pursuant to section 3313.64 or 3313.65 of the Revised Code.
(3) "State share percentage" means the state share percentage of the child's school district as defined in section 3317.022 of the Revised Code.
(B) Except as provided in division (C) of this section, the department shall annually pay each county MR/DD DD board for each child with a disability, other than a preschool child with a disability, for whom the county MR/DD DD board provides special education and related services an amount equal to the formula amount + (state share percentage X formula amount X the applicable weight).
(C) If any school district places with a county MR/DD DD board more children with disabilities than it had placed with a county MR/DD DD board in fiscal year 1998, the department shall not make a payment under division (B) of this section for the number of children exceeding the number placed in fiscal year 1998. The department instead shall deduct from the district's payments under this chapter, and pay to the county MR/DD DD board, an amount calculated in accordance with the formula prescribed in division (B) of this section for each child over the number of children placed in fiscal year 1998.
(D) The department shall calculate for each county MR/DD DD board receiving payments under divisions (B) and (C) of this section the following amounts:
(1) The amount received by the county MR/DD DD board for approved special education and related services units, other than units for preschool children with disabilities, in fiscal year 1998, divided by the total number of children served in the units that year;
(2) The product of the quotient calculated under division (D)(1) of this section times the number of children for whom payments are made under divisions (B) and (C) of this section.
If the amount calculated under division (D)(2) of this section is greater than the total amount calculated under divisions (B) and (C) of this section, the department shall pay the county MR/DD DD board one hundred per cent of the difference in addition to the payments under divisions (B) and (C) of this section.
(E) Each county MR/DD DD board shall report to the department, in the manner specified by the department, the name of each child for whom the county MR/DD DD board provides special education and related services and the child's school district.
(F)(1) For the purpose of verifying the accuracy of the payments under this section, the department may request from either of the following entities the data verification code assigned under division (D)(2) of section 3301.0714 of the Revised Code to any child who is placed with a county MR/DD DD board:
(a) The child's school district;
(b) The independent contractor engaged to create and maintain data verification codes.
(2) Upon a request by the department under division (F)(1) of this section for the data verification code of a child, the child's school district shall submit that code to the department in the manner specified by the department. If the child has not been assigned a code, the district shall assign a code to that child and submit the code to the department by a date specified by the department. If the district does not assign a code to the child by the specified date, the department shall assign a code to the child.
The department annually shall submit to each school district the name and data verification code of each child residing in the district for whom the department has assigned a code under this division.
(3) The department shall not release any data verification code that it receives under division (F) of this section to any person except as provided by law.
(G) Any document relative to special education and related services provided by a county MR/DD DD board that the department holds in its files that contains both a student's name or other personally identifiable information and the student's data verification code shall not be a public record under section 149.43 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 3319.22.  (A)(1) The state board of education shall adopt rules establishing the standards and requirements for obtaining temporary, associate, provisional, and professional educator licenses of any categories, types, and levels the board elects to provide. However, no educator license shall be required for teaching children two years old or younger.
(2) If the state board requires any examinations for educator licensure, the department of education shall provide the results of such examinations received by the department to the Ohio board of regents, in the manner and to the extent permitted by state and federal law.
(B) Any rules the state board of education adopts, amends, or rescinds for educator licenses under this section, division (D) of section 3301.07 of the Revised Code, or any other law shall be adopted, amended, or rescinded under Chapter 119. of the Revised Code except as follows:
(1) Notwithstanding division (D) of section 119.03 and division (A)(1) of section 119.04 of the Revised Code, in the case of the adoption of any rule or the amendment or rescission of any rule that necessitates institutions' offering teacher preparation programs that are approved by the state board of education under section 3319.23 of the Revised Code to revise the curriculum of those programs, the effective date shall not be as prescribed in division (D) of section 119.03 and division (A)(1) of section 119.04 of the Revised Code. Instead, the effective date of such rules, or the amendment or rescission of such rules, shall be the date prescribed by section 3319.23 of the Revised Code.
(2) Notwithstanding the authority to adopt, amend, or rescind emergency rules in division (F) of section 119.03 of the Revised Code, this authority shall not apply to the state board of education with regard to rules for educator licenses.
(C)(1) The rules adopted under this section establishing standards requiring additional coursework for the renewal of any educator license shall require a school district and a chartered nonpublic school to establish local professional development committees. In a nonpublic school, the chief administrative officer shall establish the committees in any manner acceptable to such officer. The committees established under this division shall determine whether coursework that a district or chartered nonpublic school teacher proposes to complete meets the requirement of the rules. The department of education shall provide technical assistance and support to committees as the committees incorporate the professional development standards adopted by the state board of education pursuant to section 3319.61 of the Revised Code into their review of coursework that is appropriate for license renewal. The rules shall establish a procedure by which a teacher may appeal the decision of a local professional development committee.
(2) In any school district in which there is no exclusive representative established under Chapter 4117. of the Revised Code, the professional development committees shall be established as described in division (C)(2) of this section.
Not later than the effective date of the rules adopted under this section, the board of education of each school district shall establish the structure for one or more local professional development committees to be operated by such school district. The committee structure so established by a district board shall remain in effect unless within thirty days prior to an anniversary of the date upon which the current committee structure was established, the board provides notice to all affected district employees that the committee structure is to be modified. Professional development committees may have a district-level or building-level scope of operations, and may be established with regard to particular grade or age levels for which an educator license is designated.
Each professional development committee shall consist of at least three classroom teachers employed by the district, one principal employed by the district, and one other employee of the district appointed by the district superintendent. For committees with a building-level scope, the teacher and principal members shall be assigned to that building, and the teacher members shall be elected by majority vote of the classroom teachers assigned to that building. For committees with a district-level scope, the teacher members shall be elected by majority vote of the classroom teachers of the district, and the principal member shall be elected by a majority vote of the principals of the district, unless there are two or fewer principals employed by the district, in which case the one or two principals employed shall serve on the committee. If a committee has a particular grade or age level scope, the teacher members shall be licensed to teach such grade or age levels, and shall be elected by majority vote of the classroom teachers holding such a license and the principal shall be elected by all principals serving in buildings where any such teachers serve. The district superintendent shall appoint a replacement to fill any vacancy that occurs on a professional development committee, except in the case of vacancies among the elected classroom teacher members, which shall be filled by vote of the remaining members of the committee so selected.
Terms of office on professional development committees shall be prescribed by the district board establishing the committees. The conduct of elections for members of professional development committees shall be prescribed by the district board establishing the committees. A professional development committee may include additional members, except that the majority of members on each such committee shall be classroom teachers employed by the district. Any member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring prior to the expiration date of the term for which a predecessor was appointed shall hold office as a member for the remainder of that term.
The initial meeting of any professional development committee, upon election and appointment of all committee members, shall be called by a member designated by the district superintendent. At this initial meeting, the committee shall select a chairperson and such other officers the committee deems necessary, and shall adopt rules for the conduct of its meetings. Thereafter, the committee shall meet at the call of the chairperson or upon the filing of a petition with the district superintendent signed by a majority of the committee members calling for the committee to meet.
(3) In the case of a school district in which an exclusive representative has been established pursuant to Chapter 4117. of the Revised Code, professional development committees shall be established in accordance with any collective bargaining agreement in effect in the district that includes provisions for such committees.
If the collective bargaining agreement does not specify a different method for the selection of teacher members of the committees, the exclusive representative of the district's teachers shall select the teacher members.
If the collective bargaining agreement does not specify a different structure for the committees, the board of education of the school district shall establish the structure, including the number of committees and the number of teacher and administrative members on each committee; the specific administrative members to be part of each committee; whether the scope of the committees will be district levels, building levels, or by type of grade or age levels for which educator licenses are designated; the lengths of terms for members; the manner of filling vacancies on the committees; and the frequency and time and place of meetings. However, in all cases, except as provided in division (C)(4) of this section, there shall be a majority of teacher members of any professional development committee, there shall be at least five total members of any professional development committee, and the exclusive representative shall designate replacement members in the case of vacancies among teacher members, unless the collective bargaining agreement specifies a different method of selecting such replacements.
(4) Whenever an administrator's coursework plan is being discussed or voted upon, the local professional development committee shall, at the request of one of its administrative members, cause a majority of the committee to consist of administrative members by reducing the number of teacher members voting on the plan.
(D)(1) The department of education, educational service centers, county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, regional professional development centers, special education regional resource centers, college and university departments of education, head start programs, the eTech Ohio commission, and the Ohio education computer network may establish local professional development committees to determine whether the coursework proposed by their employees who are licensed or certificated under this section or section 3319.222 of the Revised Code meet the requirements of the rules adopted under this section. They may establish local professional development committees on their own or in collaboration with a school district or other agency having authority to establish them.
Local professional development committees established by county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall be structured in a manner comparable to the structures prescribed for school districts in divisions (C)(2) and (3) of this section, as shall the committees established by any other entity specified in division (D)(1) of this section that provides educational services by employing or contracting for services of classroom teachers licensed or certificated under this section or section 3319.222 of the Revised Code. All other entities specified in division (D)(1) of this section shall structure their committees in accordance with guidelines which shall be issued by the state board.
(2) Any public agency that is not specified in division (D)(1) of this section but provides educational services and employs or contracts for services of classroom teachers licensed or certificated under this section or section 3319.222 of the Revised Code may establish a local professional development committee, subject to the approval of the department of education. The committee shall be structured in accordance with guidelines issued by the state board.
Sec. 3319.99. (A) Whoever violates division (A) of section 3319.151 of the Revised Code is guilty of a minor misdemeanor.
(B) Whoever violates division (H)(1) of section 3319.311 of the Revised Code is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree.
(C) Whoever violates division (F) of section 3319.313 of the Revised Code shall be punished as follows:
(1) Except as otherwise provided in division (C)(2) of this section, the person is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.
(2) The person is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree if both of the following conditions apply:
(a) The employee who is the subject of the report that the person fails to submit was required to be reported for the commission or alleged commission of an act or offense involving the infliction on a child of any physical or mental wound, injury, disability, or condition of a nature that constitutes abuse or neglect of the child;
(b) During the period between the violation of division (F) of section 3319.313 of the Revised Code and the conviction of or plea of guilty by the person for that violation, the employee who is the subject of the report that the person fails to submit inflicts on any child attending a school district, educational service center, public or nonpublic school, or county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities where the employee works any physical or mental wound, injury, disability, or condition of a nature that constitutes abuse or neglect of the child.
(D) Whoever violates division (B) or (D) of section 3319.317 of the Revised Code is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree.
Sec. 3323.01.  As used in this chapter:
(A) "Child with a disability" means a child who is at least three years of age and less than twenty-two years of age; who has mental retardation, a hearing impairment (including deafness), a speech or language impairment, a visual impairment (including blindness), a serious emotional disturbance, an orthopedic impairment, autism, traumatic brain injury, an other health impairment, a specific learning disability, deaf-blindness, or multiple disabilities; and who, by reason thereof, needs special education and related services.
A "child with a disability" may include a child who is at least three years of age and less than six years of age; who is experiencing developmental delays, as defined by standards adopted by the state board of education and as measured by appropriate diagnostic instruments and procedures in one or more of the following areas: physical development, cognitive development, communication development, social or emotional development, or adaptive development; and who, by reason thereof, needs special education and related services.
(B) "County MR/DD DD board" means a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities.
(C) "Free appropriate public education" means special education and related services that meet all of the following:
(1) Are provided at public expense, under public supervision and direction, and without charge;
(2) Meet the standards of the state board of education;
(3) Include an appropriate preschool, elementary, or secondary education as otherwise provided by the law of this state;
(4) Are provided for each child with a disability in conformity with the child's individualized education program.
(D) "Homeless children" means "homeless children and youths" as defined in section 725 of the "McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act," 42 U.S.C. 11434a.
(E) "Individualized education program" or "IEP" means the written statement described in section 3323.011 of the Revised Code.
(F) "Individualized education program team" or "IEP team" means a group of individuals composed of:
(1) The parents of a child with a disability;
(2) At least one regular education teacher of the child, if the child is or may be participating in the regular education environment;
(3) At least one special education teacher, or where appropriate, at least one special education provider of the child;
(4) A representative of the school district who meets all of the following:
(a) Is qualified to provide, or supervise the provision of, specially designed instruction to meet the unique needs of children with disabilities;
(b) Is knowledgeable about the general education curriculum;
(c) Is knowledgeable about the availability of resources of the school district.
(5) An individual who can interpret the instructional implications of evaluation results, who may be a member of the team as described in divisions (F)(2) to (4) of this section;
(6) At the discretion of the parent or the school district, other individuals who have knowledge or special expertise regarding the child, including related services personnel as appropriate;
(7) Whenever appropriate, the child with a disability.
(G) "Instruction in braille reading and writing" means the teaching of the system of reading and writing through touch commonly known as standard English braille.
(H) "Other educational agency" means a department, division, bureau, office, institution, board, commission, committee, authority, or other state or local agency, which is not a city, local, or exempted village school district or an agency administered by the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, that provides or seeks to provide special education or related services to children with disabilities. The term "other educational agency" includes a joint vocational school district.
(I) "Parent" of a child with a disability, except as used in sections 3323.09 and 3323.141 of the Revised Code, means:
(1) A natural or adoptive parent of a child but not a foster parent of a child;
(2) A guardian, but not the state if the child is a ward of the state;
(3) An individual acting in the place of a natural or adoptive parent, including a grandparent, stepparent, or other relative, with whom the child lives, or an individual who is legally responsible for the child's welfare;
(4) An individual assigned to be a surrogate parent, provided the individual is not prohibited by this chapter from serving as a surrogate parent for a child.
(J) "Preschool child with a disability" means a child with a disability who is at least three years of age but is not of compulsory school age, as defined under section 3321.01 of the Revised Code, and who is not currently enrolled in kindergarten.
(K) "Related services" means transportation, and such developmental, corrective, and other supportive services (including speech-language pathology and audiology services, interpreting services, psychological services, physical and occupational therapy, recreation, including therapeutic recreation, school nurse services designed to enable a child with a disability to receive a free appropriate public education as described in the individualized education program of the child, counseling services, including rehabilitation counseling, orientation and mobility services, school health services, social work services in schools, and parent counseling and training, and medical services, except that such medical services shall be for diagnostic and evaluation purposes only) as may be required to assist a child with a disability to benefit from special education, and includes the early identification and assessment of disabling conditions in children. "Related services" does not include a medical device that is surgically implanted, or the replacement of such device.
(L) "School district" means a city, local, or exempted village school district.
(M) "School district of residence," as used in sections 3323.09, 3323.091, 3323.13, and 3323.14 of the Revised Code, means:
(1) The school district in which the child's natural or adoptive parents reside;
(2) If the school district specified in division (M)(1) of this section cannot be determined, the last school district in which the child's natural or adoptive parents are known to have resided if the parents' whereabouts are unknown;
(3) If the school district specified in division (M)(2) of this section cannot be determined, the school district determined under section 2151.362 of the Revised Code, or if no district has been so determined, the school district as determined by the probate court of the county in which the child resides.
(4) Notwithstanding divisions (M)(1) to (3) of this section, if a school district is required by section 3313.65 of the Revised Code to pay tuition for a child, that district shall be the child's school district of residence.
(N) "Special education" means specially designed instruction, at no cost to parents, to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability. "Special education" includes instruction conducted in the classroom, in the home, in hospitals and institutions, and in other settings, including an early childhood education setting, and instruction in physical education.
(O) "Student with a visual impairment" means any person who is less than twenty-two years of age and who has a visual impairment as that term is defined in this section.
(P) "Transition services" means a coordinated set of activities for a child with a disability that meet all of the following:
(1) Is designed to be within a results-oriented process, that is focused on improving the academic and functional achievement of the child with a disability to facilitate the child's movement from school to post-school activities, including post-secondary education; vocational education; integrated employment (including supported employment); continuing and adult education; adult services; independent living; or community participation;
(2) Is based on the individual child's needs, taking into account the child's strengths, preferences, and interests;
(3) Includes instruction, related services, community experiences, the development of employment and other post-school adult living objectives, and, when appropriate, acquisition of daily living skills and functional vocational evaluation.
"Transition services" for children with disabilities may be special education, if provided as specially designed instruction, or may be a related service, if required to assist a child with a disability to benefit from special education.
(Q) "Visual impairment" for any individual means that one of the following applies to the individual:
(1) The individual has a visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with correcting lenses or has a limited field of vision in the better eye such that the widest diameter subtends an angular distance of no greater than twenty degrees.
(2) The individual has a medically indicated expectation of meeting the requirements of division (Q)(1) of this section over a period of time.
(3) The individual has a medically diagnosed and medically uncorrectable limitation in visual functioning that adversely affects the individual's ability to read and write standard print at levels expected of the individual's peers of comparable ability and grade level.
(R) "Ward of the state" has the same meaning as in section 602(36) of the "Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004," 20 U.S.C. 1401(36).
Sec. 3323.02.  As used in this section, "IDEIA" means the "Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004," Pub. L. No. 108-446.
It is the purpose of this chapter to ensure that all children with disabilities residing in this state who are at least three years of age and less than twenty-two years of age, including children with disabilities who have been suspended or expelled from school, have available to them a free appropriate public education. No school district, county MR/DD DD board, or other educational agency shall receive state or federal funds for special education and related services unless those services for children with disabilities are provided in accordance with IDEIA and related provisions of the Code of Federal Regulations, the provisions of this chapter, rules and standards adopted by the state board of education, and any procedures or guidelines issued by the superintendent of public instruction. Any options or discretion provided to the state by IDEIA may be exercised in state law or in rules or standards adopted by the state board of education.
The state board of education shall establish rules or standards for the provision of special education and related services for all children with disabilities who are at least three years of age and less than twenty-two years of age residing in the state, regardless of the severity of their disabilities, including children with disabilities who have been suspended or expelled from school. The state law and the rules or standards of the state board of education may impose requirements that are not required by IDEIA or related provisions of the Code of Federal Regulations. The school district of residence is responsible, in all instances, for ensuring that the requirements of Part B of IDEIA are met for every eligible child in its jurisdiction, regardless of whether services are provided by another school district, other educational agency, or other agency, department, or entity, unless IDEIA or related provisions of the Code of Federal Regulations, another section of this chapter, or a rule adopted by the state board of education specifies that another school district, other educational agency, or other agency, department, or entity is responsible for ensuring compliance with Part B of IDEIA.
Notwithstanding division (A)(4) of section 3301.53 of the Revised Code and any rules adopted pursuant to that section and division (A) of section 3313.646 of the Revised Code, a board of education of a school district may provide special education and related services for preschool children with disabilities in accordance with this chapter and section 3301.52, divisions (A)(1) to (3) and (A)(5) and (6) of section 3301.53, and sections 3301.54 to 3301.59 of the Revised Code.
The superintendent of public instruction may require any state or local agency to provide documentation that special education and related services for children with disabilities provided by the agency are in compliance with the requirements of this chapter.
Not later than the first day of February of each year the superintendent of public instruction shall furnish the chairpersons of the education committees of the house of representatives and the senate with a report on the status of implementation of special education and related services for children with disabilities required by this chapter. The report shall include but shall not be limited to the following items: the most recent available figures on the number of children identified as children with disabilities and the number of identified children receiving special education and related services. The information contained in these reports shall be public information.
Sec. 3323.021.  As used in this section, "participating county MR/DD DD board" means a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities electing to participate in the provision of or contracting for educational services for children under division (D) of section 5126.05 of the Revised Code.
(A) When a school district, educational service center, or participating county MR/DD DD board enters into an agreement or contract with another school district, educational service center, or participating county MR/DD DD board to provide educational services to a disabled child during a school year, both of the following shall apply:
(1) Beginning with fiscal year 1999, if the provider of the services intends to increase the amount it charges for some or all of those services during the next school year or if the provider intends to cease offering all or part of those services during the next school year, the provider shall notify the entity for which the services are provided of these intended changes no later that than the first day of March of the current fiscal year.
(2) Beginning with fiscal year 1999, if the entity for which services are provided intends to cease obtaining those services from the provider for the next school year or intends to change the type or amount of services it obtains from the provider for the next school year, the entity shall notify the service provider of these intended changes no later than the first day of March of the current fiscal year.
(B) School districts, educational service centers, participating county MR/DD DD boards, and other applicable governmental entities shall collaborate where possible to maximize federal sources of revenue to provide additional funds for special education related services for disabled children. Annually, each school district shall report to the department of education any amounts of money the district received through such medical assistance program.
(C) The state board of education, the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, and the department of job and family services shall develop working agreements for pursuing additional funds for services for disabled children.
Sec. 3323.03.  The state board of education shall, in consultation with the department of health, the department of mental health, and the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, establish standards and procedures for the identification, location, and evaluation of all children with disabilities residing in the state, including children with disabilities who are homeless children or are wards of the state and children with disabilities attending nonpublic schools, regardless of the severity of their disabilities, and who are in need of special education and related services. The state board shall develop and implement a practical method to determine which children with disabilities are currently receiving needed special education and related services.
In conducting the evaluation, the board of education of each school district shall use a variety of assessment tools and strategies to gather relevant functional, developmental, and academic information about the child, including information provided by the child's parent. The board of education of each school district, in consultation with the county MR/DD DD board, the county family and children first council, and the board of alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services of each county in which the school district has territory, shall identify, locate, and evaluate all children with disabilities residing within the district to determine which children with disabilities are not receiving appropriate special education and related services. In addition, the board of education of each school district, in consultation with such county boards or council, shall identify, locate, and evaluate all children with disabilities who are enrolled by their parents in nonpublic elementary and secondary schools located within the public school district, without regard to where those children reside in accordance with rules of the state board of education or guidelines of the superintendent of public instruction.
Each county MR/DD DD board, county family and children first council, and board of alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services and the board's or council's contract agencies may transmit to boards of education the names and addresses of children with disabilities who are not receiving appropriate special education and related services.
Sec. 3323.04.  The state board of education, in consultation with the department of mental health and the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, shall establish procedures and standards for the development of individualized education programs for children with disabilities.
The state board shall require the board of education of each school district to develop an individualized education program for each child with a disability who is at least three years of age and less than twenty-two years of age residing in the district in a manner that is in accordance with rules of the state board.
Prior to the placement of a child with a disability in a program operated under section 3323.09 of the Revised Code, the district board of education shall consult the county MR/DD DD board of the county in which the child resides regarding the proposed placement.
A child with a disability enrolled in a nonpublic school or facility shall be provided special education and related services, in accordance with an individualized education program, at no cost for those services, if the child is placed in, or referred to, that nonpublic school or facility by the department of education or a school district.
The IEP team shall review the individualized education program of each child with a disability periodically, but at least annually, to determine whether the annual goals for the child are being achieved, and shall revise the individualized education program as appropriate.
The state board shall establish procedures and standards to assure that to the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities, including children in public or private institutions or other care facilities, shall be educated with children who are not disabled. Special classes, separate schools, or other removal of children with disabilities from the regular educational environment shall be used only when the nature or severity of a child's disability is such that education in regular classes with supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily.
If an agency directly affected by a placement decision objects to such decision, an impartial hearing officer, appointed by the department of education from a list prepared by the department, shall conduct a hearing to review the placement decision. The agencies that are parties to a hearing shall divide the costs of such hearing equally. The decision of the hearing officer shall be final, except that any party to the hearing who is aggrieved by the findings or the decision of the hearing officer may appeal the findings or decision in accordance with division (H) of section 3323.05 of the Revised Code or the parent of any child affected by such decision may present a complaint in accordance with that section.
Sec. 3323.05.  The state board of education shall establish procedures to ensure that children with disabilities and their parents are guaranteed procedural safeguards under this chapter with respect to a free appropriate public education.
The procedures shall include, but need not be limited to:
(A) An opportunity for the parents of a child with a disability to examine all records related to the child and to participate in meetings with respect to identification, evaluation, and educational placement of the child, and to obtain an independent educational evaluation of the child;
(B) Procedures to protect the rights of the child whenever the parents of the child are not known, an agency after making reasonable efforts cannot find the parents, or the child is a ward of the state, including the assignment, in accordance with section 3323.051 of the Revised Code, of an individual to act as a surrogate for the parents;
(C) Prior written notice to the child's parents of a school district's proposal or refusal to initiate or change the identification, evaluation, or educational placement of the child or the provision of a free appropriate education for the child. The procedures established under this division shall:
(1) Be designed to ensure that the written prior notice is in the native language of the parents, unless it clearly is not feasible to do so.
(2) Specify that the prior written notice shall include:
(a) A description of the action proposed or refused by the district;
(b) An explanation of why the district proposes or refuses to take the action and a description of each evaluation procedure, assessment, record, or report the district used as a basis for the proposed or refused action;
(c) A statement that the parents of a child with a disability have protection under the procedural safeguards and, if the notice is not in regard to an initial referral for evaluation, the means by which a copy of a description of the procedural safeguards can be obtained;
(d) Sources for parents to contact to obtain assistance in understanding the provisions of Part B of the "Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004";
(e) A description of other options considered by the IEP team and the reason why those options were rejected;
(f) A description of the factors that are relevant to the agency's proposal or refusal.
(D) An opportunity for the child's parents to present complaints to the superintendent of the child's school district of residence with respect to any matter relating to the identification, evaluation, or educational placement of the child, or the provision of a free appropriate public education under this chapter.
Within twenty school days after receipt of a complaint, the district superintendent or the superintendent's designee, without undue delay and at a time and place convenient to all parties, shall review the case, may conduct an administrative review, and shall notify all parties in writing of the superintendent's or designee's decision. Where the child is placed in a program operated by a county MR/DD DD board or other educational agency, the superintendent shall consult with the administrator of that county MR/DD DD board or agency.
Any party aggrieved by the decision of the district superintendent or the superintendent's designee may file a complaint with the state board as provided under division (E) of this section, request mediation as provided under division (F) of this section, or present a due process complaint notice and request for a due process hearing in writing to the superintendent of the district, with a copy to the state board, as provided under division (G) of this section.
(E) An opportunity for a party to file a complaint with the state board of education with respect to the identification, evaluation, or educational placement of the child, or the provision of a free appropriate public education to such child. The department of education shall review and, where appropriate, investigate the complaint and issue findings.
(F) An opportunity for parents and a school district to resolve through mediation disputes involving any matter.
(1) The procedures established under this section shall ensure that the mediation process is voluntary on the part of the parties, is not used to deny or delay a parent's right to a due process hearing or to deny any other rights afforded under this chapter, and is conducted by a qualified and impartial mediator who is trained in effective mediation techniques.
(2) A school district may establish procedures to offer to parents and schools that choose not to use the mediation process, an opportunity to meet, at a time and location convenient to the parents, with a disinterested party to encourage the use, and explain the benefits, of the mediation process to the parents. The disinterested party shall be an individual who is under contract with a parent training and information center or community parent resource center in the state or is under contract with an appropriate alternative dispute resolution entity.
(3) The department shall maintain a list of individuals who are qualified mediators and knowledgeable in laws and regulations relating to the provision of special education and related services.
(4) The department shall bear the cost of the mediation process, including the costs of meetings described in division (F)(2) of this section.
(5) Each session in the mediation process shall be scheduled in a timely manner and shall be held in a location that is convenient to the parties to the dispute.
(6) Discussions that occur during the mediation process shall be confidential and shall not be used as evidence in any subsequent due process hearing or civil proceeding.
(7) In the case that a resolution is reached to resolve the complaint through the mediation process, the parties shall execute a legally binding agreement that sets forth the resolution and that:
(a) States that all discussions that occurred during the mediation process shall be confidential and shall not be used as evidence in any subsequent due process hearing or civil proceeding;
(b) Is signed by both the parent and a representative for the school district who has the authority to bind the district;
(c) Is enforceable in any state court of competent jurisdiction or in a district court of the United States.
(G)(1) An opportunity for parents or a school district to present a due process complaint and request for a due process hearing to the superintendent of the school district of the child's residence with respect to the identification, evaluation, or educational placement of the child, or the provision of a free appropriate public education to the child. The party presenting the due process complaint and request for a due process hearing shall provide due process complaint notice to the other party and forward a copy of the notice to the state board. The due process complaint notice shall include:
(a) The name of the child, the address of the residence of the child, or the available contact information in the case of a homeless child, and the name of the school the child is attending;
(b) A description of the nature of the problem of the child relating to the proposed initiation or change, including facts relating to the problem;
(c) A proposed resolution of the problem to the extent known and available to the party at the time.
A party shall not have a due process hearing until the party, or the attorney representing the party, files a notice that meets the requirement for filing a due process complaint notice.
A due process hearing shall be conducted by an impartial hearing officer in accordance with standards and procedures adopted by the state board. A hearing officer shall not be an employee of the state board or any agency involved in the education or care of the child or a person having a personal or professional interest that conflicts with the person's objectivity in the hearing. A hearing officer shall possess knowledge of, and the ability to understand, the provisions of the "Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004," federal and state regulations pertaining to that act, and legal interpretations of that act by federal and state courts; possess the knowledge and ability to conduct hearings in accordance with appropriate standard legal practice; and possess the knowledge and ability to render and write decisions in accordance with appropriate standard legal practice. The due process requirements of section 615 of the "Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004," 20 U.S.C. 1415, apply to due process complaint notices and requests for due process hearings and to due process hearings held under division (G) of this section, including, but not limited to, timelines for requesting hearings, requirements for sufficient complaint notices, resolution sessions, and sufficiency and hearing decisions.
(2) Discussions that occur during a resolution session shall be confidential and shall not be used as evidence in any subsequent due process hearing or civil proceeding. If a resolution to the dispute is reached at a resolution session, the parties must execute a legally binding written settlement agreement which shall state that all discussions that occurred during the resolution process shall be confidential and shall not be used as evidence in any subsequent due process hearing or civil proceeding.
(3) A party to a hearing under division (G) of this section shall be accorded:
(a) The right to be accompanied and advised by counsel and by individuals with special knowledge or training with respect to the problems of children with disabilities;
(b) The right to present evidence and confront, cross-examine, and compel the attendance of witnesses;
(c) The right to a written or electronic verbatim record of the hearing;
(d) The right to written findings of fact and decisions, which findings of fact and decisions shall be made available to the public consistent with the requirements relating to the confidentiality of personally identifiable data, information, and records collected and maintained by state educational agencies and local educational agencies; and shall be transmitted to the advisory panel established and maintained by the department for the purpose of providing policy guidance with respect to special education and related services for children with disabilities in the state.
(H) An opportunity for any party aggrieved by the findings and decision rendered in a hearing under division (G) of this section to appeal within forty-five days of notification of the decision to the state board, which shall appoint a state level officer who shall review the case and issue a final order. The state level officer shall be appointed and shall review the case in accordance with standards and procedures adopted by the state board.
Any party aggrieved by the final order of the state level officer may appeal the final order, in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, within forty-five days after notification of the order to the court of common pleas of the county in which the child's school district of residence is located, or to a district court of the United States within ninety days after the date of the decision of the state level review officer, as provided in section 615(i)(2) of the "Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004," 20 U.S.C. 1415(i)(2).
Sec. 3323.09.  (A) As used in this section:
(1) "Home" has the meaning given in section 3313.64 of the Revised Code.
(2) "Preschool child" means a child who is at least age three but under age six on the thirtieth day of September of an academic year.
(B) Each county MR/DD DD board shall establish special education programs for all children with disabilities who in accordance with section 3323.04 of the Revised Code have been placed in special education programs operated by the county board and for preschool children who are developmentally delayed or at risk of being developmentally delayed. The board annually shall submit to the department of education a plan for the provision of these programs and, if applicable, a request for approval of units under section 3317.05 of the Revised Code. The superintendent of public instruction shall review the plan and approve or modify it in accordance with rules adopted by the state board of education under section 3301.07 of the Revised Code. The superintendent of public instruction shall compile the plans submitted by county boards and shall submit a comprehensive plan to the state board.
A county MR/DD DD board may combine transportation for children enrolled in classes funded under section 3317.20 or units approved under section 3317.05 with transportation for children and adults enrolled in programs and services offered by the board under section 5126.12 of the Revised Code.
(C) A county MR/DD DD board that during the school year provided special education pursuant to this section for any child with mental disabilities under twenty-two years of age shall prepare and submit the following reports and statements:
(1) The board shall prepare a statement for each child who at the time of receiving such special education was a resident of a home and was not in the legal or permanent custody of an Ohio resident or a government agency in this state, and whose natural or adoptive parents are not known to have been residents of this state subsequent to the child's birth. The statement shall contain the child's name, the name of the child's school district of residence, the name of the county board providing the special education, and the number of months, including any fraction of a month, it was provided. Not later than the thirtieth day of June, the board shall forward a certified copy of such statement to both the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities and to the home.
Within thirty days after its receipt of a statement, the home shall pay tuition to the county board computed in the manner prescribed by section 3323.141 of the Revised Code.
(2) The board shall prepare a report for each school district that is the school district of residence of one or more of such children for whom statements are not required by division (C)(1) of this section. The report shall contain the name of the county board providing special education, the name of each child receiving special education, the number of months, including fractions of a month, that the child received it, and the name of the child's school district of residence. Not later than the thirtieth day of June, the board shall forward certified copies of each report to the school district named in the report, the superintendent of public instruction, and the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities.
Sec. 3323.091.  (A) The department of mental health, the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, the department of youth services, and the department of rehabilitation and correction shall establish and maintain special education programs for children with disabilities in institutions under their jurisdiction according to standards adopted by the state board of education.
(B) The superintendent of each state institution required to provide services under division (A) of this section, and each county MR/DD DD board, providing special education for preschool children with disabilities under this chapter may apply to the state department of education for unit funding, which shall be paid in accordance with sections 3317.052 and 3317.053 of the Revised Code.
The superintendent of each state institution required to provide services under division (A) of this section may apply to the department of education for special education and related services weighted funding for children with disabilities other than preschool children with disabilities, calculated in accordance with section 3317.201 of the Revised Code.
Each county MR/DD DD board providing special education for children with disabilities other than preschool children with disabilities may apply to the department of education for base cost and special education and related services weighted funding calculated in accordance with section 3317.20 of the Revised Code.
(C) In addition to the authorization to apply for state funding described in division (B) of this section, each state institution required to provide services under division (A) of this section is entitled to tuition payments calculated in the manner described in division (C) of this section.
On or before the thirtieth day of June of each year, the superintendent of each institution that during the school year provided special education pursuant to this section shall prepare a statement for each child with a disability under twenty-two years of age who has received special education. The statement shall contain the child's data verification code assigned pursuant to division (D)(2) of section 3301.0714 of the Revised Code and the name of the child's school district of residence. Within sixty days after receipt of such statement, the department of education shall perform one of the following:
(1) For any child except a preschool child with a disability described in division (C)(2) of this section, pay to the institution submitting the statement an amount equal to the tuition calculated under division (A) of section 3317.08 of the Revised Code for the period covered by the statement, and deduct the same from the amount of state funds, if any, payable under sections 3317.022 and 3317.023 of the Revised Code, to the child's school district of residence or, if the amount of such state funds is insufficient, require the child's school district of residence to pay the institution submitting the statement an amount equal to the amount determined under this division.
(2) For any preschool child with a disability not included in a unit approved under division (B) of section 3317.05 of the Revised Code, perform the following:
(a) Pay to the institution submitting the statement an amount equal to the tuition calculated under division (B) of section 3317.08 of the Revised Code for the period covered by the statement, except that in calculating the tuition under that section the operating expenses of the institution submitting the statement under this section shall be used instead of the operating expenses of the school district of residence;
(b) Deduct from the amount of state funds, if any, payable under sections 3317.022 and 3317.023 of the Revised Code to the child's school district of residence an amount equal to the amount paid under division (C)(2)(a) of this section.
Sec. 3323.12.  The board of education of a school district shall provide home instruction for children with disabilities who are at least three years of age and less than twenty-two years of age and who are unable to attend school, even with the help of special transportation. The board may arrange for the provision of home instruction for a child by a cooperative agreement or contract with a county MR/DD DD board or other educational agency. For the purposes of determining formula ADM under section 3317.03 of the Revised Code, five hours of home instruction shall be equivalent to attendance for five school days.
Sec. 3323.141.  (A) When a child who is not in the legal or permanent custody of an Ohio resident or a government agency in this state and whose natural or adoptive parents are not known to have been residents of this state subsequent to the child's birth is a resident of a home as defined in section 3313.64 of the Revised Code and receives special education and related services from a school district or county MR/DD DD board, the home shall pay tuition to the board providing the special education.
(B) In the case of a child described in division (A) of this section who receives special education and related services from a school district, tuition shall be the amount determined under division (B)(1) or (2) of this section.
(1) For a child other than a child described in division (B)(2) of this section the tuition shall be an amount equal to the sum of the following:
(a) Tuition as determined in the manner provided for by division (B) of section 3317.081 of the Revised Code for the district that provides the special education;
(b) Such excess cost as is determined by using a formula established by rule of the department of education. The excess cost computed in this section shall not be used as excess cost computed under section 3323.14 of the Revised Code.
(2) For a child who is a preschool child with a disability not included in a unit approved under division (B) of section 3317.05 of the Revised Code, the tuition shall be computed as follows:
(a) Determine the amount of the tuition of the district providing the education for the child as calculated under division (B) of section 3317.08 of the Revised Code;
(b) For each type of special education service included in the computation of the amount of tuition under division (B)(2)(a) of this section, divide the amount determined for that computation under division (B)(2) of section 3317.08 of the Revised Code by the total number of preschool children with disabilities used for that computation under division (B)(3) of section 3317.08 of the Revised Code;
(c) Determine the sum of the quotients obtained under division (B)(2)(b) of this section;
(d) Determine the sum of the amounts determined under divisions (B)(2)(a) and (c) of this section.
(C) In the case of a child described in division (A) of this section who receives special education and related services from a county MR/DD DD board, tuition shall be the amount determined under division (C)(1) or (2) of this section.
(1) For a child other than a child described in division (C)(2) of this section, the tuition shall be an amount equal to such board's per capita cost of providing special education and related services for children at least three but less than twenty-two years of age as determined by using a formula established by rule of the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities.
(2) For a child who is a preschool child with a disability not included in a unit approved under division (B) of section 3317.05 of the Revised Code, the tuition shall equal the sum of the amounts of each such board's per capita cost of providing each of the special education or related service that the child receives. The calculation of tuition shall be made by using a formula established by rule of the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities. The formula for the calculation of per capita costs under division (C)(2) of this section shall be based only on each such MR/DD county DD board's cost of providing each type of special education or related service to preschool children with disabilities not included in a unit approved under division (B) of section 3317.05 of the Revised Code.
(D) If a home fails to pay the tuition required under this section, the board of education or county MR/DD DD board providing the education may recover in a civil action the tuition and the expenses incurred in prosecuting the action, including court costs and reasonable attorney's fees. If the prosecuting attorney or city director of law represents the board in such action, costs and reasonable attorney's fees awarded by the court, based upon the time spent preparing and presenting the case by the prosecuting attorney, director, or a designee of either, shall be deposited in the county or city general fund.
Sec. 3323.142.  This section does not apply to any preschool child with a disability except if included in a unit approved under division (B) of section 3317.05 of the Revised Code.
As used in this section, "per pupil amount" for a preschool child with a disability included in such an approved unit means the amount determined by dividing the amount received for the classroom unit in which the child has been placed by the number of children in the unit. For any other child, "per pupil amount" means the amount paid for the child under section 3317.20 of the Revised Code.
When a school district places or has placed a child with a county MR/DD DD board for special education, but another district is responsible for tuition under section 3313.64 or 3313.65 of the Revised Code and the child is not a resident of the territory served by the county MR/DD DD board, the board may charge the district responsible for tuition with the educational costs in excess of the per pupil amount received by the board under Chapter 3317. of the Revised Code. The amount of the excess cost shall be determined by the formula established by rule of the department of education under section 3323.14 of the Revised Code, and the payment for such excess cost shall be made by the school district directly to the county MR/DD DD board.
A school district board of education and the county MR/DD DD board that serves the school district may negotiate and contract, at or after the time of placement, for payments by the board of education to the county MR/DD DD board for additional services provided to a child placed with the county MR/DD DD board and whose individualized education program established pursuant to section 3323.08 of the Revised Code requires additional services that are not routinely provided children in the county MR/DD DD board's program but are necessary to maintain the child's enrollment and participation in the program. Additional services may include, but are not limited to, specialized supplies and equipment for the benefit of the child and instruction, training, or assistance provided by staff members other than staff members for which funding is received under Chapter 3317. of the Revised Code.
Sec. 3326.99. (A) Whoever violates division (F) of section 3326.24 of the Revised Code shall be punished as follows:
(1) Except as otherwise provided in division (A)(2) of this section, the person is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.
(2) The person is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree if both of the following conditions apply:
(a) The employee who is the subject of the report that the person fails to submit was required to be reported for the commission or alleged commission of an act or offense involving the infliction on a child of any physical or mental wound, injury, disability, or condition of a nature that constitutes abuse or neglect of the child;
(b) During the period between the violation of division (F) of section 3326.24 of the Revised Code and the conviction of or plea of guilty by the person for that violation, the employee who is the subject of the report that the person fails to submit inflicts on any child attending a school district, educational service center, public or nonpublic school, or county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities where the employee works any physical or mental wound, injury, disability, or condition of a nature that constitutes abuse or neglect of the child.
(B) Whoever violates division (B) of section 3326.243 of the Revised Code is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree.
Sec. 3701.93. As used in sections 3701.931 to 3701.936 of the Revised Code:
(A) "Board of health" has the same meaning as in section 3717.01 of the Revised Code.
(B) "Nonpublic school" means a chartered nonpublic school that meets the minimum education standards prescribed by the state board of education under section 3301.07 of the Revised Code. "Nonpublic school" includes facilities used for child care programs for preschool children operated by the school.
(C) "Public school" means either of the following:
(1) A school operated by a school district, educational service center, or county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, including facilities used for child care programs for preschool children operated by the district, center, or board;
(2) A community school established under Chapter 3314. of the Revised Code, including a facility operated by an internet- or computer-based community school, as defined in section 3314.02 of the Revised Code, that is used as a classroom or laboratory for one or more students. "Public school" does not mean the residence of a student enrolled in an internet- or computer-based community school.
(D) "School" does not mean any of the following:
(1) A child care program for preschool children that is licensed by the department of job and family services pursuant to Chapter 5104. of the Revised Code;
(2) A child care program for preschool children that is not operated by a public or nonpublic school;
(3) A chartered kindergarten that is associated with a freestanding preschool and that is not operated by a school district, educational service center, or county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities.
Sec. 3701.932. (A) Each board of health shall report the findings from the inspection of each public and nonpublic school building and associated grounds conducted under section 3701.931 of the Revised Code to all of the following:
(1) The principal or chief administrator of the building;
(2) The administrator responsible for facility operations and maintenance on behalf of the school district, educational service center, county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, or community school controlling the inspected building and grounds;
(3) In the case of a school operated by a school district, the superintendent and board of education of that district;
(4) In the case of a school operated by an educational service center or county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, the center or board;
(5) The auditor of state.
(B) Each report shall include recommendations for changes that the board of health determines may be needed to abate conditions that are hazardous to occupants. The report shall include recommendations made pursuant to an inspection conducted under section 3707.26 of the Revised Code.
(C) The report is a public record under section 149.43 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 3701.933.  The board of education of each school district, the governing board of each educational service center, the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, the governing authority of each community school, and the chief administrator of each nonpublic school shall submit to the board of health, by a deadline and in a manner established by the director of health, a written plan for abatement of the conditions determined to be hazardous to occupants, as described in the report submitted under section 3701.932 of the Revised Code. The plan shall include a schedule for completion of the abatement.
The board of health shall determine compliance with the written plan for abatement. On completion of any plan for abatement, the board of health shall submit a supplemental report to all parties specified in division (A) of section 3701.932 of the Revised Code.
The plan submitted under this section is a public record under section 149.43 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 4109.06.  (A) This chapter does not apply to the following:
(1) Minors who are students working on any properly guarded machines in the manual training department of any school when the work is performed under the personal supervision of an instructor;
(2) Students participating in a vocational program approved by the Ohio department of education;
(3) A minor participating in a play, pageant, or concert produced by an outdoor historical drama corporation, a professional traveling theatrical production, a professional concert tour, or a personal appearance tour as a professional motion picture star, or as an actor or performer in motion pictures or in radio or television productions in accordance with the rules adopted pursuant to division (A) of section 4109.05 of the Revised Code;
(4) The participation, without remuneration of a minor and with the consent of a parent or guardian, in a performance given by a church, school, or academy, or at a concert or entertainment given solely for charitable purposes, or by a charitable or religious institution;
(5) Minors who are employed by their parents in occupations other than occupations prohibited by rule adopted under this chapter;
(6) Minors engaged in the delivery of newspapers to the consumer;
(7) Minors who have received a high school diploma or a certificate of attendance from an accredited secondary school or a certificate of high school equivalence;
(8) Minors who are currently heads of households or are parents contributing to the support of their children;
(9) Minors engaged in lawn mowing, snow shoveling, and other related employment;
(10) Minors employed in agricultural employment in connection with farms operated by their parents, grandparents, or guardians where they are members of the guardians' household. Minors are not exempt from this chapter if they reside in agricultural labor camps as defined in section 3733.41 of the Revised Code;
(11) Students participating in a program to serve as precinct officers as authorized by section 3501.22 of the Revised Code.
(B) Sections 4109.02, 4109.08, 4109.09, and 4109.11 of the Revised Code do not apply to the following:
(1) Minors who work in a sheltered workshop operated by a county board of mental retardation developmental disabilities;
(2) Minors performing services for a nonprofit organization where the minor receives no compensation, except for any expenses incurred by the minor or except for meals provided to the minor;
(3) Minors who are employed in agricultural employment and who do not reside in agricultural labor camps.
(C) Division (D) of section 4109.07 of the Revised Code does not apply to minors who have their employment hours established as follows:
(1) A minor adjudicated to be an unruly child or delinquent child who, as a result of the adjudication, is placed on probation may either file a petition in the juvenile court in whose jurisdiction the minor resides, or apply to the superintendent or to the chief administrative officer who issued the minor's age and schooling certificate pursuant to section 3331.01 of the Revised Code, alleging the restrictions on the hours of employment described in division (D) of section 4109.07 of the Revised Code will cause a substantial hardship or are not in the minor's best interests. Upon receipt of a petition or application, the court, the superintendent, or the chief administrative officer, as appropriate, shall consult with the person required to supervise the minor on probation. If after that consultation, the court, the superintendent, or the chief administrative officer finds the minor has failed to show the restrictions will result in a substantial hardship or that the restrictions are not in the minor's best interests, the court, the superintendent, or the chief administrative officer shall uphold the restrictions. If after that consultation, the court, the superintendent, or the chief administrative officer finds the minor has shown the restricted hours will cause a substantial hardship or are not in the minor's best interests, the court, the superintendent, or the chief administrative officer shall establish differing hours of employment for the minor and notify the minor and the minor's employer of those hours, which shall be binding in lieu of the restrictions on the hours of employment described in division (D) of section 4109.07 of the Revised Code.
(2) Any minor to whom division (C)(1) of this section does not apply may either file a petition in the juvenile court in whose jurisdiction the person resides, or apply to the superintendent or to the chief administrative officer who issued the minor's age and schooling certificate pursuant to section 3331.01 of the Revised Code, alleging the restrictions on the hours of employment described in division (D) of section 4109.07 of the Revised Code will cause a substantial hardship or are not in the minor's best interests.
If, as a result of a petition or application, the court, the superintendent, or the chief administrative officer, as appropriate, finds the minor has failed to show such restrictions will result in a substantial hardship or that the restrictions are not in the minor's best interests, the court, the superintendent, or the chief administrative officer shall uphold the restrictions. If the court, the superintendent, or the chief administrative officer finds the minor has shown the restricted hours will cause a substantial hardship or are not in the minor's best interests, the court, the superintendent, or the chief administrative officer shall establish the hours of employment for the minor and shall notify the minor and the minor's employer of those hours.
(D) Section 4109.03, divisions (A) and (C) of section 4109.02, and division (B) of section 4109.08 of the Revised Code do not apply to minors who are sixteen or seventeen years of age and who are employed at a seasonal amusement or recreational establishment.
(E) As used in this section, "certificate of high school equivalence" means a statement issued by the state board of education or an equivalent agency of another state that the holder of the statement has achieved the equivalent of a high school education as measured by scores obtained on the tests of general educational development published by the American council on education.
Sec. 4141.29.  Each eligible individual shall receive benefits as compensation for loss of remuneration due to involuntary total or partial unemployment in the amounts and subject to the conditions stipulated in this chapter.
(A) No individual is entitled to a waiting period or benefits for any week unless the individual:
(1) Has filed a valid application for determination of benefit rights in accordance with section 4141.28 of the Revised Code;
(2) Has made a claim for benefits in accordance with section 4141.28 of the Revised Code;
(3) Has registered at an employment office or other registration place maintained or designated by the director of job and family services. Registration shall be made in accordance with the time limits, frequency, and manner prescribed by the director.
(4)(a)(i) Is able to work and available for suitable work and, except as provided in division (A)(4)(a)(ii) of this section, is actively seeking suitable work either in a locality in which the individual has earned wages subject to this chapter during the individual's base period, or if the individual leaves that locality, then in a locality where suitable work normally is performed.
(ii) The director may waive the requirement that a claimant be actively seeking work when the director finds that the individual has been laid off and the employer who laid the individual off has notified the director within ten days after the layoff, that work is expected to be available for the individual within a specified number of days not to exceed forty-five calendar days following the last day the individual worked. In the event the individual is not recalled within the specified period, this waiver shall cease to be operative with respect to that layoff.
(b) The individual shall be instructed as to the efforts that the individual must make in the search for suitable work, except where the active search for work requirement has been waived under division (A)(4)(a) of this section, and shall keep a record of where and when the individual has sought work in complying with those instructions and, upon request, shall produce that record for examination by the director.
(c) An individual who is attending a training course approved by the director meets the requirement of this division, if attendance was recommended by the director and the individual is regularly attending the course and is making satisfactory progress. An individual also meets the requirements of this division if the individual is participating and advancing in a training program, as defined in division (P) of section 5709.61 of the Revised Code, and if an enterprise, defined in division (B) of section 5709.61 of the Revised Code, is paying all or part of the cost of the individual's participation in the training program with the intention of hiring the individual for employment as a new employee, as defined in division (L) of section 5709.61 of the Revised Code, for at least ninety days after the individual's completion of the training program.
(d) An individual who becomes unemployed while attending a regularly established school and whose base period qualifying weeks were earned in whole or in part while attending that school, meets the availability and active search for work requirements of division (A)(4)(a) of this section if the individual regularly attends the school during weeks with respect to which the individual claims unemployment benefits and makes self available on any shift of hours for suitable employment with the individual's most recent employer or any other employer in the individual's base period, or for any other suitable employment to which the individual is directed, under this chapter.
(e) The director shall adopt any rules that the director deems necessary for the administration of division (A)(4) of this section.
(f) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this section, no otherwise eligible individual shall be denied benefits for any week because the individual is in training approved under section 236(a)(1) of the "Trade Act of 1974," 88 Stat. 1978, 19 U.S.C.A. 2296, nor shall that individual be denied benefits by reason of leaving work to enter such training, provided the work left is not suitable employment, or because of the application to any week in training of provisions in this chapter, or any applicable federal unemployment compensation law, relating to availability for work, active search for work, or refusal to accept work.
For the purposes of division (A)(4)(f) of this section, "suitable employment" means with respect to an individual, work of a substantially equal or higher skill level than the individual's past adversely affected employment, as defined for the purposes of the "Trade Act of 1974," 88 Stat. 1978, 19 U.S.C.A. 2101, and wages for such work at not less than eighty per cent of the individual's average weekly wage as determined for the purposes of that federal act.
(5) Is unable to obtain suitable work. An individual who is provided temporary work assignments by the individual's employer under agreed terms and conditions of employment, and who is required pursuant to those terms and conditions to inquire with the individual's employer for available work assignments upon the conclusion of each work assignment, is not considered unable to obtain suitable employment if suitable work assignments are available with the employer but the individual fails to contact the employer to inquire about work assignments.
(6) Participates in reemployment services, such as job search assistance services, if the individual has been determined to be likely to exhaust benefits under this chapter, including compensation payable pursuant to 5 U.S.C.A. Chapter 85, other than extended compensation, and needs reemployment services pursuant to the profiling system established by the director under division (K) of this section, unless the director determines that:
(a) The individual has completed such services; or
(b) There is justifiable cause for the claimant's failure to participate in such services.
(B) An individual suffering total or partial unemployment is eligible for benefits for unemployment occurring subsequent to a waiting period of one week and no benefits shall be payable during this required waiting period. Not more than one week of waiting period shall be required of any individual in any benefit year in order to establish the individual's eligibility for total or partial unemployment benefits.
(C) The waiting period for total or partial unemployment shall commence on the first day of the first week with respect to which the individual first files a claim for benefits at an employment office or other place of registration maintained or designated by the director or on the first day of the first week with respect to which the individual has otherwise filed a claim for benefits in accordance with the rules of the department of job and family services, provided such claim is allowed by the director.
(D) Notwithstanding division (A) of this section, no individual may serve a waiting period or be paid benefits under the following conditions:
(1) For any week with respect to which the director finds that:
(a) The individual's unemployment was due to a labor dispute other than a lockout at any factory, establishment, or other premises located in this or any other state and owned or operated by the employer by which the individual is or was last employed; and for so long as the individual's unemployment is due to such labor dispute. No individual shall be disqualified under this provision if either of the following applies:
(i) The individual's employment was with such employer at any factory, establishment, or premises located in this state, owned or operated by such employer, other than the factory, establishment, or premises at which the labor dispute exists, if it is shown that the individual is not financing, participating in, or directly interested in such labor dispute;
(ii) The individual's employment was with an employer not involved in the labor dispute but whose place of business was located within the same premises as the employer engaged in the dispute, unless the individual's employer is a wholly owned subsidiary of the employer engaged in the dispute, or unless the individual actively participates in or voluntarily stops work because of such dispute. If it is established that the claimant was laid off for an indefinite period and not recalled to work prior to the dispute, or was separated by the employer prior to the dispute for reasons other than the labor dispute, or that the individual obtained a bona fide job with another employer while the dispute was still in progress, such labor dispute shall not render the employee ineligible for benefits.
(b) The individual has been given a disciplinary layoff for misconduct in connection with the individual's work.
(2) For the duration of the individual's unemployment if the director finds that:
(a) The individual quit work without just cause or has been discharged for just cause in connection with the individual's work, provided division (D)(2) of this section does not apply to the separation of a person under any of the following circumstances:
(i) Separation from employment for the purpose of entering the armed forces of the United States if the individual is inducted into the armed forces within one of the following periods:
(I) Thirty days after separation;
(II) One hundred eighty days after separation if the individual's date of induction is delayed solely at the discretion of the armed forces.
(ii) Separation from employment pursuant to a labor-management contract or agreement, or pursuant to an established employer plan, program, or policy, which permits the employee, because of lack of work, to accept a separation from employment;
(iii) The individual has left employment to accept a recall from a prior employer or, except as provided in division (D)(2)(a)(iv) of this section, to accept other employment as provided under section 4141.291 of the Revised Code, or left or was separated from employment that was concurrent employment at the time of the most recent separation or within six weeks prior to the most recent separation where the remuneration, hours, or other conditions of such concurrent employment were substantially less favorable than the individual's most recent employment and where such employment, if offered as new work, would be considered not suitable under the provisions of divisions (E) and (F) of this section. Any benefits that would otherwise be chargeable to the account of the employer from whom an individual has left employment or was separated from employment that was concurrent employment under conditions described in division (D)(2)(a)(iii) of this section, shall instead be charged to the mutualized account created by division (B) of section 4141.25 of the Revised Code, except that any benefits chargeable to the account of a reimbursing employer under division (D)(2)(a)(iii) of this section shall be charged to the account of the reimbursing employer and not to the mutualized account, except as provided in division (D)(2) of section 4141.24 of the Revised Code.
(iv) When an individual has been issued a definite layoff date by the individual's employer and before the layoff date, the individual quits to accept other employment, the provisions of division (D)(2)(a)(iii) of this section apply and no disqualification shall be imposed under division (D) of this section. However, if the individual fails to meet the employment and earnings requirements of division (A)(2) of section 4141.291 of the Revised Code, then the individual, pursuant to division (A)(5) of this section, shall be ineligible for benefits for any week of unemployment that occurs prior to the layoff date.
(b) The individual has refused without good cause to accept an offer of suitable work when made by an employer either in person or to the individual's last known address, or has refused or failed to investigate a referral to suitable work when directed to do so by a local employment office of this state or another state, provided that this division shall not cause a disqualification for a waiting week or benefits under the following circumstances:
(i) When work is offered by the individual's employer and the individual is not required to accept the offer pursuant to the terms of the labor-management contract or agreement; or
(ii) When the individual is attending a training course pursuant to division (A)(4) of this section except, in the event of a refusal to accept an offer of suitable work or a refusal or failure to investigate a referral, benefits thereafter paid to such individual shall not be charged to the account of any employer and, except as provided in division (B)(1)(b) of section 4141.241 of the Revised Code, shall be charged to the mutualized account as provided in division (B) of section 4141.25 of the Revised Code.
(c) Such individual quit work to marry or because of marital, parental, filial, or other domestic obligations.
(d) The individual became unemployed by reason of commitment to any correctional institution.
(e) The individual became unemployed because of dishonesty in connection with the individual's most recent or any base period work. Remuneration earned in such work shall be excluded from the individual's total base period remuneration and qualifying weeks that otherwise would be credited to the individual for such work in the individual's base period shall not be credited for the purpose of determining the total benefits to which the individual is eligible and the weekly benefit amount to be paid under section 4141.30 of the Revised Code. Such excluded remuneration and noncredited qualifying weeks shall be excluded from the calculation of the maximum amount to be charged, under division (D) of section 4141.24 and section 4141.33 of the Revised Code, against the accounts of the individual's base period employers. In addition, no benefits shall thereafter be paid to the individual based upon such excluded remuneration or noncredited qualifying weeks.
For purposes of division (D)(2)(e) of this section, "dishonesty" means the commission of substantive theft, fraud, or deceitful acts.
(E) No individual otherwise qualified to receive benefits shall lose the right to benefits by reason of a refusal to accept new work if:
(1) As a condition of being so employed the individual would be required to join a company union, or to resign from or refrain from joining any bona fide labor organization, or would be denied the right to retain membership in and observe the lawful rules of any such organization.
(2) The position offered is vacant due directly to a strike, lockout, or other labor dispute.
(3) The work is at an unreasonable distance from the individual's residence, having regard to the character of the work the individual has been accustomed to do, and travel to the place of work involves expenses substantially greater than that required for the individual's former work, unless the expense is provided for.
(4) The remuneration, hours, or other conditions of the work offered are substantially less favorable to the individual than those prevailing for similar work in the locality.
(F) Subject to the special exceptions contained in division (A)(4)(f) of this section and section 4141.301 of the Revised Code, in determining whether any work is suitable for a claimant in the administration of this chapter, the director, in addition to the determination required under division (E) of this section, shall consider the degree of risk to the claimant's health, safety, and morals, the individual's physical fitness for the work, the individual's prior training and experience, the length of the individual's unemployment, the distance of the available work from the individual's residence, and the individual's prospects for obtaining local work.
(G) The "duration of unemployment" as used in this section means the full period of unemployment next ensuing after a separation from any base period or subsequent work and until an individual has become reemployed in employment subject to this chapter, or the unemployment compensation act of another state, or of the United States, and until such individual has worked six weeks and for those weeks has earned or been paid remuneration equal to six times an average weekly wage of not less than: eighty-five dollars and ten cents per week beginning on June 26, 1990; and beginning on and after January 1, 1992, twenty-seven and one-half per cent of the statewide average weekly wage as computed each first day of January under division (B)(3) of section 4141.30 of the Revised Code, rounded down to the nearest dollar, except for purposes of division (D)(2)(c) of this section, such term means the full period of unemployment next ensuing after a separation from such work and until such individual has become reemployed subject to the terms set forth above, and has earned wages equal to one-half of the individual's average weekly wage or sixty dollars, whichever is less.
(H) If a claimant is disqualified under division (D)(2)(a), (c), or (d) of this section or found to be qualified under the exceptions provided in division (D)(2)(a)(i), (iii), or (iv) of this section or division (A)(2) of section 4141.291 of the Revised Code, then benefits that may become payable to such claimant, which are chargeable to the account of the employer from whom the individual was separated under such conditions, shall be charged to the mutualized account provided in section 4141.25 of the Revised Code, provided that no charge shall be made to the mutualized account for benefits chargeable to a reimbursing employer, except as provided in division (D)(2) of section 4141.24 of the Revised Code. In the case of a reimbursing employer, the director shall refund or credit to the account of the reimbursing employer any over-paid benefits that are recovered under division (B) of section 4141.35 of the Revised Code. Amounts chargeable to other states, the United States, or Canada that are subject to agreements and arrangements that are established pursuant to section 4141.43 of the Revised Code shall be credited or reimbursed according to the agreements and arrangements to which the chargeable amounts are subject.
(I)(1) Benefits based on service in employment as provided in divisions (B)(2)(a) and (b) of section 4141.01 of the Revised Code shall be payable in the same amount, on the same terms, and subject to the same conditions as benefits payable on the basis of other service subject to this chapter; except that after December 31, 1977:
(a) Benefits based on service in an instructional, research, or principal administrative capacity in an institution of higher education, as defined in division (Y) of section 4141.01 of the Revised Code; or for an educational institution as defined in division (CC) of section 4141.01 of the Revised Code, shall not be paid to any individual for any week of unemployment that begins during the period between two successive academic years or terms, or during a similar period between two regular but not successive terms or during a period of paid sabbatical leave provided for in the individual's contract, if the individual performs such services in the first of those academic years or terms and has a contract or a reasonable assurance that the individual will perform services in any such capacity for any such institution in the second of those academic years or terms.
(b) Benefits based on service for an educational institution or an institution of higher education in other than an instructional, research, or principal administrative capacity, shall not be paid to any individual for any week of unemployment which begins during the period between two successive academic years or terms of the employing educational institution or institution of higher education, provided the individual performed those services for the educational institution or institution of higher education during the first such academic year or term and, there is a reasonable assurance that such individual will perform those services for any educational institution or institution of higher education in the second of such academic years or terms.
If compensation is denied to any individual for any week under division (I)(1)(b) of this section and the individual was not offered an opportunity to perform those services for an institution of higher education or for an educational institution for the second of such academic years or terms, the individual is entitled to a retroactive payment of compensation for each week for which the individual timely filed a claim for compensation and for which compensation was denied solely by reason of division (I)(1)(b) of this section. An application for retroactive benefits shall be timely filed if received by the director or the director's deputy within or prior to the end of the fourth full calendar week after the end of the period for which benefits were denied because of reasonable assurance of employment. The provision for the payment of retroactive benefits under division (I)(1)(b) of this section is applicable to weeks of unemployment beginning on and after November 18, 1983. The provisions under division (I)(1)(b) of this section shall be retroactive to September 5, 1982, only if, as a condition for full tax credit against the tax imposed by the "Federal Unemployment Tax Act," 53 Stat. 183 (1939), 26 U.S.C.A. 3301 to 3311, the United States secretary of labor determines that retroactivity is required by federal law.
(c) With respect to weeks of unemployment beginning after December 31, 1977, benefits shall be denied to any individual for any week which commences during an established and customary vacation period or holiday recess, if the individual performs any services described in divisions (I)(1)(a) and (b) of this section in the period immediately before the vacation period or holiday recess, and there is a reasonable assurance that the individual will perform any such services in the period immediately following the vacation period or holiday recess.
(d) With respect to any services described in division (I)(1)(a), (b), or (c) of this section, benefits payable on the basis of services in any such capacity shall be denied as specified in division (I)(1)(a), (b), or (c) of this section to any individual who performs such services in an educational institution or institution of higher education while in the employ of an educational service agency. For this purpose, the term "educational service agency" means a governmental agency or governmental entity that is established and operated exclusively for the purpose of providing services to one or more educational institutions or one or more institutions of higher education.
(e) Any individual employed by a public school district or a county board of mental retardation developmental disabilities shall be notified by the thirtieth day of April each year if the individual is not to be reemployed the following academic year.
(2) No disqualification will be imposed, between academic years or terms or during a vacation period or holiday recess under this division, unless the director or the director's deputy has received a statement in writing from the educational institution or institution of higher education that the claimant has a contract for, or a reasonable assurance of, reemployment for the ensuing academic year or term.
(3) If an individual has employment with an educational institution or an institution of higher education and employment with a noneducational employer, during the base period of the individual's benefit year, then the individual may become eligible for benefits during the between-term, or vacation or holiday recess, disqualification period, based on employment performed for the noneducational employer, provided that the employment is sufficient to qualify the individual for benefit rights separately from the benefit rights based on school employment. The weekly benefit amount and maximum benefits payable during a disqualification period shall be computed based solely on the nonschool employment.
(J) Benefits shall not be paid on the basis of employment performed by an alien, unless the alien had been lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence at the time the services were performed, was lawfully present for purposes of performing the services, or was otherwise permanently residing in the United States under color of law at the time the services were performed, under section 212(d)(5) of the "Immigration and Nationality Act," 66 Stat. 163, 8 U.S.C.A. 1101:
(1) Any data or information required of individuals applying for benefits to determine whether benefits are not payable to them because of their alien status shall be uniformly required from all applicants for benefits.
(2) In the case of an individual whose application for benefits would otherwise be approved, no determination that benefits to the individual are not payable because of the individual's alien status shall be made except upon a preponderance of the evidence that the individual had not, in fact, been lawfully admitted to the United States.
(K) The director shall establish and utilize a system of profiling all new claimants under this chapter that:
(1) Identifies which claimants will be likely to exhaust regular compensation and will need job search assistance services to make a successful transition to new employment;
(2) Refers claimants identified pursuant to division (K)(1) of this section to reemployment services, such as job search assistance services, available under any state or federal law;
(3) Collects follow-up information relating to the services received by such claimants and the employment outcomes for such claimant's subsequent to receiving such services and utilizes such information in making identifications pursuant to division (K)(1) of this section; and
(4) Meets such other requirements as the United States secretary of labor determines are appropriate.
Sec. 4511.21.  (A) No person shall operate a motor vehicle, trackless trolley, or streetcar at a speed greater or less than is reasonable or proper, having due regard to the traffic, surface, and width of the street or highway and any other conditions, and no person shall drive any motor vehicle, trackless trolley, or streetcar in and upon any street or highway at a greater speed than will permit the person to bring it to a stop within the assured clear distance ahead.
(B) It is prima-facie lawful, in the absence of a lower limit declared pursuant to this section by the director of transportation or local authorities, for the operator of a motor vehicle, trackless trolley, or streetcar to operate the same at a speed not exceeding the following:
(1)(a) Twenty miles per hour in school zones during school recess and while children are going to or leaving school during the opening or closing hours, and when twenty miles per hour school speed limit signs are erected; except that, on controlled-access highways and expressways, if the right-of-way line fence has been erected without pedestrian opening, the speed shall be governed by division (B)(4) of this section and on freeways, if the right-of-way line fence has been erected without pedestrian opening, the speed shall be governed by divisions (B)(9) and (10) of this section. The end of every school zone may be marked by a sign indicating the end of the zone. Nothing in this section or in the manual and specifications for a uniform system of traffic control devices shall be construed to require school zones to be indicated by signs equipped with flashing or other lights, or giving other special notice of the hours in which the school zone speed limit is in effect.
(b) As used in this section and in section 4511.212 of the Revised Code, "school" means any school chartered under section 3301.16 of the Revised Code and any nonchartered school that during the preceding year filed with the department of education in compliance with rule 3301-35-08 of the Ohio Administrative Code, a copy of the school's report for the parents of the school's pupils certifying that the school meets Ohio minimum standards for nonchartered, nontax-supported schools and presents evidence of this filing to the jurisdiction from which it is requesting the establishment of a school zone. "School" also includes a special elementary school that in writing requests the county engineer of the county in which the special elementary school is located to create a school zone at the location of that school. Upon receipt of such a written request, the county engineer shall create a school zone at that location by erecting the appropriate signs.
(c) As used in this section, "school zone" means that portion of a street or highway passing a school fronting upon the street or highway that is encompassed by projecting the school property lines to the fronting street or highway, and also includes that portion of a state highway. Upon request from local authorities for streets and highways under their jurisdiction and that portion of a state highway under the jurisdiction of the director of transportation or a request from a county engineer in the case of a school zone for a special elementary school, the director may extend the traditional school zone boundaries. The distances in divisions (B)(1)(c)(i), (ii), and (iii) of this section shall not exceed three hundred feet per approach per direction and are bounded by whichever of the following distances or combinations thereof the director approves as most appropriate:
(i) The distance encompassed by projecting the school building lines normal to the fronting highway and extending a distance of three hundred feet on each approach direction;
(ii) The distance encompassed by projecting the school property lines intersecting the fronting highway and extending a distance of three hundred feet on each approach direction;
(iii) The distance encompassed by the special marking of the pavement for a principal school pupil crosswalk plus a distance of three hundred feet on each approach direction of the highway.
Nothing in this section shall be construed to invalidate the director's initial action on August 9, 1976, establishing all school zones at the traditional school zone boundaries defined by projecting school property lines, except when those boundaries are extended as provided in divisions (B)(1)(a) and (c) of this section.
(d) As used in this division, "crosswalk" has the meaning given that term in division (LL)(2) of section 4511.01 of the Revised Code.
The director may, upon request by resolution of the legislative authority of a municipal corporation, the board of trustees of a township, or a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities created pursuant to Chapter 5126. of the Revised Code, and upon submission by the municipal corporation, township, or county board of such engineering, traffic, and other information as the director considers necessary, designate a school zone on any portion of a state route lying within the municipal corporation, lying within the unincorporated territory of the township, or lying adjacent to the property of a school that is operated by such county board, that includes a crosswalk customarily used by children going to or leaving a school during recess and opening and closing hours, whenever the distance, as measured in a straight line, from the school property line nearest the crosswalk to the nearest point of the crosswalk is no more than one thousand three hundred twenty feet. Such a school zone shall include the distance encompassed by the crosswalk and extending three hundred feet on each approach direction of the state route.
(e) As used in this section, "special elementary school" means a school that meets all of the following criteria:
(i) It is not chartered and does not receive tax revenue from any source.
(ii) It does not educate children beyond the eighth grade.
(iii) It is located outside the limits of a municipal corporation.
(iv) A majority of the total number of students enrolled at the school are not related by blood.
(v) The principal or other person in charge of the special elementary school annually sends a report to the superintendent of the school district in which the special elementary school is located indicating the total number of students enrolled at the school, but otherwise the principal or other person in charge does not report any other information or data to the superintendent.
(2) Twenty-five miles per hour in all other portions of a municipal corporation, except on state routes outside business districts, through highways outside business districts, and alleys;
(3) Thirty-five miles per hour on all state routes or through highways within municipal corporations outside business districts, except as provided in divisions (B)(4) and (6) of this section;
(4) Fifty miles per hour on controlled-access highways and expressways within municipal corporations;
(5) Fifty-five miles per hour on highways outside municipal corporations, other than highways within island jurisdictions as provided in division (B)(8) of this section and freeways as provided in division (B)(13) of this section;
(6) Fifty miles per hour on state routes within municipal corporations outside urban districts unless a lower prima-facie speed is established as further provided in this section;
(7) Fifteen miles per hour on all alleys within the municipal corporation;
(8) Thirty-five miles per hour on highways outside municipal corporations that are within an island jurisdiction;
(9) Fifty-five miles per hour at all times on freeways with paved shoulders inside municipal corporations, other than freeways as provided in division (B)(13) of this section;
(10) Fifty-five miles per hour at all times on freeways outside municipal corporations, other than freeways as provided in division (B)(13) of this section;
(11) Fifty-five miles per hour at all times on all portions of freeways that are part of the interstate system and on all portions of freeways that are not part of the interstate system, but are built to the standards and specifications that are applicable to freeways that are part of the interstate system for operators of any motor vehicle weighing in excess of eight thousand pounds empty weight and any noncommercial bus;
(12) Fifty-five miles per hour for operators of any motor vehicle weighing eight thousand pounds or less empty weight and any commercial bus at all times on all portions of freeways that are part of the interstate system and that had such a speed limit established prior to October 1, 1995, and freeways that are not part of the interstate system, but are built to the standards and specifications that are applicable to freeways that are part of the interstate system and that had such a speed limit established prior to October 1, 1995, unless a higher speed limit is established under division (L) of this section;
(13) Sixty-five miles per hour for operators of any motor vehicle weighing eight thousand pounds or less empty weight and any commercial bus at all times on all portions of the following:
(a) Freeways that are part of the interstate system and that had such a speed limit established prior to October 1, 1995, and freeways that are not part of the interstate system, but are built to the standards and specifications that are applicable to freeways that are part of the interstate system and that had such a speed limit established prior to October 1, 1995;
(b) Freeways that are part of the interstate system and freeways that are not part of the interstate system but are built to the standards and specifications that are applicable to freeways that are part of the interstate system, and that had such a speed limit established under division (L) of this section;
(c) Rural, divided, multi-lane highways that are designated as part of the national highway system under the "National Highway System Designation Act of 1995," 109 Stat. 568, 23 U.S.C.A. 103, and that had such a speed limit established under division (M) of this section.
(C) It is prima-facie unlawful for any person to exceed any of the speed limitations in divisions (B)(1)(a), (2), (3), (4), (6), (7), and (8) of this section, or any declared pursuant to this section by the director or local authorities and it is unlawful for any person to exceed any of the speed limitations in division (D) of this section. No person shall be convicted of more than one violation of this section for the same conduct, although violations of more than one provision of this section may be charged in the alternative in a single affidavit.
(D) No person shall operate a motor vehicle, trackless trolley, or streetcar upon a street or highway as follows:
(1) At a speed exceeding fifty-five miles per hour, except upon a freeway as provided in division (B)(13) of this section;
(2) At a speed exceeding sixty-five miles per hour upon a freeway as provided in division (B)(13) of this section except as otherwise provided in division (D)(3) of this section;
(3) If a motor vehicle weighing in excess of eight thousand pounds empty weight or a noncommercial bus as prescribed in division (B)(11) of this section, at a speed exceeding fifty-five miles per hour upon a freeway as provided in that division;
(4) At a speed exceeding the posted speed limit upon a freeway for which the director has determined and declared a speed limit of not more than sixty-five miles per hour pursuant to division (L)(2) or (M) of this section;
(5) At a speed exceeding sixty-five miles per hour upon a freeway for which such a speed limit has been established through the operation of division (L)(3) of this section;
(6) At a speed exceeding the posted speed limit upon a freeway for which the director has determined and declared a speed limit pursuant to division (I)(2) of this section.
(E) In every charge of violation of this section the affidavit and warrant shall specify the time, place, and speed at which the defendant is alleged to have driven, and in charges made in reliance upon division (C) of this section also the speed which division (B)(1)(a), (2), (3), (4), (6), (7), or (8) of, or a limit declared pursuant to, this section declares is prima-facie lawful at the time and place of such alleged violation, except that in affidavits where a person is alleged to have driven at a greater speed than will permit the person to bring the vehicle to a stop within the assured clear distance ahead the affidavit and warrant need not specify the speed at which the defendant is alleged to have driven.
(F) When a speed in excess of both a prima-facie limitation and a limitation in division (D)(1), (2), (3), (4), (5), or (6) of this section is alleged, the defendant shall be charged in a single affidavit, alleging a single act, with a violation indicated of both division (B)(1)(a), (2), (3), (4), (6), (7), or (8) of this section, or of a limit declared pursuant to this section by the director or local authorities, and of the limitation in division (D)(1), (2), (3), (4), (5), or (6) of this section. If the court finds a violation of division (B)(1)(a), (2), (3), (4), (6), (7), or (8) of, or a limit declared pursuant to, this section has occurred, it shall enter a judgment of conviction under such division and dismiss the charge under division (D)(1), (2), (3), (4), (5), or (6) of this section. If it finds no violation of division (B)(1)(a), (2), (3), (4), (6), (7), or (8) of, or a limit declared pursuant to, this section, it shall then consider whether the evidence supports a conviction under division (D)(1), (2), (3), (4), (5), or (6) of this section.
(G) Points shall be assessed for violation of a limitation under division (D) of this section in accordance with section 4510.036 of the Revised Code.
(H) Whenever the director determines upon the basis of a geometric and traffic characteristic study that any speed limit set forth in divisions (B)(1)(a) to (D) of this section is greater or less than is reasonable or safe under the conditions found to exist at any portion of a street or highway under the jurisdiction of the director, the director shall determine and declare a reasonable and safe prima-facie speed limit, which shall be effective when appropriate signs giving notice of it are erected at the location.
(I)(1) Except as provided in divisions (I)(2) and (K) of this section, whenever local authorities determine upon the basis of an engineering and traffic investigation that the speed permitted by divisions (B)(1)(a) to (D) of this section, on any part of a highway under their jurisdiction, is greater than is reasonable and safe under the conditions found to exist at such location, the local authorities may by resolution request the director to determine and declare a reasonable and safe prima-facie speed limit. Upon receipt of such request the director may determine and declare a reasonable and safe prima-facie speed limit at such location, and if the director does so, then such declared speed limit shall become effective only when appropriate signs giving notice thereof are erected at such location by the local authorities. The director may withdraw the declaration of a prima-facie speed limit whenever in the director's opinion the altered prima-facie speed becomes unreasonable. Upon such withdrawal, the declared prima-facie speed shall become ineffective and the signs relating thereto shall be immediately removed by the local authorities.
(2) A local authority may determine on the basis of a geometric and traffic characteristic study that the speed limit of sixty-five miles per hour on a portion of a freeway under its jurisdiction that was established through the operation of division (L)(3) of this section is greater than is reasonable or safe under the conditions found to exist at that portion of the freeway. If the local authority makes such a determination, the local authority by resolution may request the director to determine and declare a reasonable and safe speed limit of not less than fifty-five miles per hour for that portion of the freeway. If the director takes such action, the declared speed limit becomes effective only when appropriate signs giving notice of it are erected at such location by the local authority.
(J) Local authorities in their respective jurisdictions may authorize by ordinance higher prima-facie speeds than those stated in this section upon through highways, or upon highways or portions thereof where there are no intersections, or between widely spaced intersections, provided signs are erected giving notice of the authorized speed, but local authorities shall not modify or alter the basic rule set forth in division (A) of this section or in any event authorize by ordinance a speed in excess of fifty miles per hour.
Alteration of prima-facie limits on state routes by local authorities shall not be effective until the alteration has been approved by the director. The director may withdraw approval of any altered prima-facie speed limits whenever in the director's opinion any altered prima-facie speed becomes unreasonable, and upon such withdrawal, the altered prima-facie speed shall become ineffective and the signs relating thereto shall be immediately removed by the local authorities.
(K)(1) As used in divisions (K)(1), (2), (3), and (4) of this section, "unimproved highway" means a highway consisting of any of the following:
(a) Unimproved earth;
(b) Unimproved graded and drained earth;
(c) Gravel.
(2) Except as otherwise provided in divisions (K)(4) and (5) of this section, whenever a board of township trustees determines upon the basis of an engineering and traffic investigation that the speed permitted by division (B)(5) of this section on any part of an unimproved highway under its jurisdiction and in the unincorporated territory of the township is greater than is reasonable or safe under the conditions found to exist at the location, the board may by resolution declare a reasonable and safe prima-facie speed limit of fifty-five but not less than twenty-five miles per hour. An altered speed limit adopted by a board of township trustees under this division becomes effective when appropriate traffic control devices, as prescribed in section 4511.11 of the Revised Code, giving notice thereof are erected at the location, which shall be no sooner than sixty days after adoption of the resolution.
(3)(a) Whenever, in the opinion of a board of township trustees, any altered prima-facie speed limit established by the board under this division becomes unreasonable, the board may adopt a resolution withdrawing the altered prima-facie speed limit. Upon the adoption of such a resolution, the altered prima-facie speed limit becomes ineffective and the traffic control devices relating thereto shall be immediately removed.
(b) Whenever a highway ceases to be an unimproved highway and the board has adopted an altered prima-facie speed limit pursuant to division (K)(2) of this section, the board shall, by resolution, withdraw the altered prima-facie speed limit as soon as the highway ceases to be unimproved. Upon the adoption of such a resolution, the altered prima-facie speed limit becomes ineffective and the traffic control devices relating thereto shall be immediately removed.
(4)(a) If the boundary of two townships rests on the centerline of an unimproved highway in unincorporated territory and both townships have jurisdiction over the highway, neither of the boards of township trustees of such townships may declare an altered prima-facie speed limit pursuant to division (K)(2) of this section on the part of the highway under their joint jurisdiction unless the boards of township trustees of both of the townships determine, upon the basis of an engineering and traffic investigation, that the speed permitted by division (B)(5) of this section is greater than is reasonable or safe under the conditions found to exist at the location and both boards agree upon a reasonable and safe prima-facie speed limit of less than fifty-five but not less than twenty-five miles per hour for that location. If both boards so agree, each shall follow the procedure specified in division (K)(2) of this section for altering the prima-facie speed limit on the highway. Except as otherwise provided in division (K)(4)(b) of this section, no speed limit altered pursuant to division (K)(4)(a) of this section may be withdrawn unless the boards of township trustees of both townships determine that the altered prima-facie speed limit previously adopted becomes unreasonable and each board adopts a resolution withdrawing the altered prima-facie speed limit pursuant to the procedure specified in division (K)(3)(a) of this section.
(b) Whenever a highway described in division (K)(4)(a) of this section ceases to be an unimproved highway and two boards of township trustees have adopted an altered prima-facie speed limit pursuant to division (K)(4)(a) of this section, both boards shall, by resolution, withdraw the altered prima-facie speed limit as soon as the highway ceases to be unimproved. Upon the adoption of the resolution, the altered prima-facie speed limit becomes ineffective and the traffic control devices relating thereto shall be immediately removed.
(5) As used in division (K)(5) of this section:
(a) "Commercial subdivision" means any platted territory outside the limits of a municipal corporation and fronting a highway where, for a distance of three hundred feet or more, the frontage is improved with buildings in use for commercial purposes, or where the entire length of the highway is less than three hundred feet long and the frontage is improved with buildings in use for commercial purposes.
(b) "Residential subdivision" means any platted territory outside the limits of a municipal corporation and fronting a highway, where, for a distance of three hundred feet or more, the frontage is improved with residences or residences and buildings in use for business, or where the entire length of the highway is less than three hundred feet long and the frontage is improved with residences or residences and buildings in use for business.
Whenever a board of township trustees finds upon the basis of an engineering and traffic investigation that the prima-facie speed permitted by division (B)(5) of this section on any part of a highway under its jurisdiction that is located in a commercial or residential subdivision, except on highways or portions thereof at the entrances to which vehicular traffic from the majority of intersecting highways is required to yield the right-of-way to vehicles on such highways in obedience to stop or yield signs or traffic control signals, is greater than is reasonable and safe under the conditions found to exist at the location, the board may by resolution declare a reasonable and safe prima-facie speed limit of less than fifty-five but not less than twenty-five miles per hour at the location. An altered speed limit adopted by a board of township trustees under this division shall become effective when appropriate signs giving notice thereof are erected at the location by the township. Whenever, in the opinion of a board of township trustees, any altered prima-facie speed limit established by it under this division becomes unreasonable, it may adopt a resolution withdrawing the altered prima-facie speed, and upon such withdrawal, the altered prima-facie speed shall become ineffective, and the signs relating thereto shall be immediately removed by the township.
(L)(1) Within one hundred twenty days of February 29, 1996, the director of transportation, based upon a geometric and traffic characteristic study of a freeway that is part of the interstate system or that is not part of the interstate system, but is built to the standards and specifications that are applicable to freeways that are part of the interstate system, in consultation with the director of public safety and, if applicable, the local authority having jurisdiction over a portion of such freeway, may determine and declare that the speed limit of less than sixty-five miles per hour established on such freeway or portion of freeway either is reasonable and safe or is less than that which is reasonable and safe.
(2) If the established speed limit for such a freeway or portion of freeway is determined to be less than that which is reasonable and safe, the director of transportation, in consultation with the director of public safety and, if applicable, the local authority having jurisdiction over the portion of freeway, shall determine and declare a reasonable and safe speed limit of not more than sixty-five miles per hour for that freeway or portion of freeway.
The director of transportation or local authority having jurisdiction over the freeway or portion of freeway shall erect appropriate signs giving notice of the speed limit at such location within one hundred fifty days of February 29, 1996. Such speed limit becomes effective only when such signs are erected at the location.
(3) If, within one hundred twenty days of February 29, 1996, the director of transportation does not make a determination and declaration of a reasonable and safe speed limit for a freeway or portion of freeway that is part of the interstate system or that is not part of the interstate system, but is built to the standards and specifications that are applicable to freeways that are part of the interstate system and that has a speed limit of less than sixty-five miles per hour, the speed limit on that freeway or portion of a freeway shall be sixty-five miles per hour. The director of transportation or local authority having jurisdiction over the freeway or portion of the freeway shall erect appropriate signs giving notice of the speed limit of sixty-five miles per hour at such location within one hundred fifty days of February 29, 1996. Such speed limit becomes effective only when such signs are erected at the location. A speed limit established through the operation of division (L)(3) of this section is subject to reduction under division (I)(2) of this section.
(M) Within three hundred sixty days after February 29, 1996, the director of transportation, based upon a geometric and traffic characteristic study of a rural, divided, multi-lane highway that has been designated as part of the national highway system under the "National Highway System Designation Act of 1995," 109 Stat. 568, 23 U.S.C.A. 103, in consultation with the director of public safety and, if applicable, the local authority having jurisdiction over a portion of the highway, may determine and declare that the speed limit of less than sixty-five miles per hour established on the highway or portion of highway either is reasonable and safe or is less than that which is reasonable and safe.
If the established speed limit for the highway or portion of highway is determined to be less than that which is reasonable and safe, the director of transportation, in consultation with the director of public safety and, if applicable, the local authority having jurisdiction over the portion of highway, shall determine and declare a reasonable and safe speed limit of not more than sixty-five miles per hour for that highway or portion of highway. The director of transportation or local authority having jurisdiction over the highway or portion of highway shall erect appropriate signs giving notice of the speed limit at such location within three hundred ninety days after February 29, 1996. The speed limit becomes effective only when such signs are erected at the location.
(N)(1)(a) If the boundary of two local authorities rests on the centerline of a highway and both authorities have jurisdiction over the highway, the speed limit for the part of the highway within their joint jurisdiction shall be either one of the following as agreed to by both authorities:
(i) Either prima-facie speed limit permitted by division (B) of this section;
(ii) An altered speed limit determined and posted in accordance with this section.
(b) If the local authorities are unable to reach an agreement, the speed limit shall remain as established and posted under this section.
(2) Neither local authority may declare an altered prima-facie speed limit pursuant to this section on the part of the highway under their joint jurisdiction unless both of the local authorities determine, upon the basis of an engineering and traffic investigation, that the speed permitted by this section is greater than is reasonable or safe under the conditions found to exist at the location and both authorities agree upon a uniform reasonable and safe prima-facie speed limit of less than fifty-five but not less than twenty-five miles per hour for that location. If both authorities so agree, each shall follow the procedure specified in this section for altering the prima-facie speed limit on the highway, and the speed limit for the part of the highway within their joint jurisdiction shall be uniformly altered. No altered speed limit may be withdrawn unless both local authorities determine that the altered prima-facie speed limit previously adopted becomes unreasonable and each adopts a resolution withdrawing the altered prima-facie speed limit pursuant to the procedure specified in this section.
(O) As used in this section:
(1) "Interstate system" has the same meaning as in 23 U.S.C.A. 101.
(2) "Commercial bus" means a motor vehicle designed for carrying more than nine passengers and used for the transportation of persons for compensation.
(3) "Noncommercial bus" includes but is not limited to a school bus or a motor vehicle operated solely for the transportation of persons associated with a charitable or nonprofit organization.
(P)(1) A violation of any provision of this section is one of the following:
(a) Except as otherwise provided in divisions (P)(1)(b), (1)(c), (2), and (3) of this section, a minor misdemeanor;
(b) If, within one year of the offense, the offender previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to two violations of any provision of this section or of any provision of a municipal ordinance that is substantially similar to any provision of this section, a misdemeanor of the fourth degree;
(c) If, within one year of the offense, the offender previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to three or more violations of any provision of this section or of any provision of a municipal ordinance that is substantially similar to any provision of this section, a misdemeanor of the third degree.
(2) If the offender has not previously been convicted of or pleaded guilty to a violation of any provision of this section or of any provision of a municipal ordinance that is substantially similar to this section and operated a motor vehicle faster than thirty-five miles an hour in a business district of a municipal corporation, faster than fifty miles an hour in other portions of a municipal corporation, or faster than thirty-five miles an hour in a school zone during recess or while children are going to or leaving school during the school's opening or closing hours, a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.
(3) Notwithstanding division (P)(1) of this section, if the offender operated a motor vehicle in a construction zone where a sign was then posted in accordance with section 4511.98 of the Revised Code, the court, in addition to all other penalties provided by law, shall impose upon the offender a fine of two times the usual amount imposed for the violation. No court shall impose a fine of two times the usual amount imposed for the violation upon an offender if the offender alleges, in an affidavit filed with the court prior to the offender's sentencing, that the offender is indigent and is unable to pay the fine imposed pursuant to this division and if the court determines that the offender is an indigent person and unable to pay the fine.
Sec. 4511.75.  (A) The driver of a vehicle, streetcar, or trackless trolley upon meeting or overtaking from either direction any school bus stopped for the purpose of receiving or discharging any school child, person attending programs offered by community boards of mental health and county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, or child attending a program offered by a head start agency, shall stop at least ten feet from the front or rear of the school bus and shall not proceed until such school bus resumes motion, or until signaled by the school bus driver to proceed.
It is no defense to a charge under this division that the school bus involved failed to display or be equipped with an automatically extended stop warning sign as required by division (B) of this section.
(B) Every school bus shall be equipped with amber and red visual signals meeting the requirements of section 4511.771 of the Revised Code, and an automatically extended stop warning sign of a type approved by the state board of education, which shall be actuated by the driver of the bus whenever but only whenever the bus is stopped or stopping on the roadway for the purpose of receiving or discharging school children, persons attending programs offered by community boards of mental health and county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, or children attending programs offered by head start agencies. A school bus driver shall not actuate the visual signals or the stop warning sign in designated school bus loading areas where the bus is entirely off the roadway or at school buildings when children or persons attending programs offered by community boards of mental health and county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities are loading or unloading at curbside or at buildings when children attending programs offered by head start agencies are loading or unloading at curbside. The visual signals and stop warning sign shall be synchronized or otherwise operated as required by rule of the board.
(C) Where a highway has been divided into four or more traffic lanes, a driver of a vehicle, streetcar, or trackless trolley need not stop for a school bus approaching from the opposite direction which has stopped for the purpose of receiving or discharging any school child, persons attending programs offered by community boards of mental health and county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, or children attending programs offered by head start agencies. The driver of any vehicle, streetcar, or trackless trolley overtaking the school bus shall comply with division (A) of this section.
(D) School buses operating on divided highways or on highways with four or more traffic lanes shall receive and discharge all school children, persons attending programs offered by community boards of mental health and county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, and children attending programs offered by head start agencies on their residence side of the highway.
(E) No school bus driver shall start the driver's bus until after any child, person attending programs offered by community boards of mental health and county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, or child attending a program offered by a head start agency who may have alighted therefrom has reached a place of safety on the child's or person's residence side of the road.
(F)(1) Whoever violates division (A) of this section may be fined an amount not to exceed five hundred dollars. A person who is issued a citation for a violation of division (A) of this section is not permitted to enter a written plea of guilty and waive the person's right to contest the citation in a trial but instead must appear in person in the proper court to answer the charge.
(2) In addition to and independent of any other penalty provided by law, the court or mayor may impose upon an offender who violates this section a class seven suspension of the offender's driver's license, commercial driver's license, temporary instruction permit, probationary license, or nonresident operating privilege from the range specified in division (A)(7) of section 4510.02 of the Revised Code. When a license is suspended under this section, the court or mayor shall cause the offender to deliver the license to the court, and the court or clerk of the court immediately shall forward the license to the registrar of motor vehicles, together with notice of the court's action.
(G) As used in this section:
(1) "Head start agency" has the same meaning as in section 3301.32 of the Revised Code.
(2) "School bus," as used in relation to children who attend a program offered by a head start agency, means a bus that is owned and operated by a head start agency, is equipped with an automatically extended stop warning sign of a type approved by the state board of education, is painted the color and displays the markings described in section 4511.77 of the Revised Code, and is equipped with amber and red visual signals meeting the requirements of section 4511.771 of the Revised Code, irrespective of whether or not the bus has fifteen or more children aboard at any time. "School bus" does not include a van owned and operated by a head start agency, irrespective of its color, lights, or markings.
Sec. 5101.35.  (A) As used in this section:
(1) "Agency" means the following entities that administer a family services program:
(a) The department of job and family services;
(b) A county department of job and family services;
(c) A public children services agency;
(d) A private or government entity administering, in whole or in part, a family services program for or on behalf of the department of job and family services or a county department of job and family services or public children services agency.
(2) "Appellant" means an applicant, participant, former participant, recipient, or former recipient of a family services program who is entitled by federal or state law to a hearing regarding a decision or order of the agency that administers the program.
(3) "Family services program" means assistance provided under a Title IV-A program as defined in section 5101.80 of the Revised Code or under Chapter 5104., 5111., or 5115. or section 173.35, 5101.141, 5101.46, 5101.461, 5101.54, 5153.163, or 5153.165 of the Revised Code, other than assistance provided under section 5101.46 of the Revised Code by the department of mental health, the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, a board of alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services, or a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities.
(B) Except as provided by divisions (G) and (H) of this section, an appellant who appeals under federal or state law a decision or order of an agency administering a family services program shall, at the appellant's request, be granted a state hearing by the department of job and family services. This state hearing shall be conducted in accordance with rules adopted under this section. The state hearing shall be recorded, but neither the recording nor a transcript of the recording shall be part of the official record of the proceeding. A state hearing decision is binding upon the agency and department, unless it is reversed or modified on appeal to the director of job and family services or a court of common pleas.
(C) Except as provided by division (G) of this section, an appellant who disagrees with a state hearing decision may make an administrative appeal to the director of job and family services in accordance with rules adopted under this section. This administrative appeal does not require a hearing, but the director or the director's designee shall review the state hearing decision and previous administrative action and may affirm, modify, remand, or reverse the state hearing decision. Any person designated to make an administrative appeal decision on behalf of the director shall have been admitted to the practice of law in this state. An administrative appeal decision is the final decision of the department and is binding upon the department and agency, unless it is reversed or modified on appeal to the court of common pleas.
(D) An agency shall comply with a decision issued pursuant to division (B) or (C) of this section within the time limits established by rules adopted under this section. If a county department of job and family services or a public children services agency fails to comply within these time limits, the department may take action pursuant to section 5101.24 of the Revised Code. If another agency fails to comply within the time limits, the department may force compliance by withholding funds due the agency or imposing another sanction established by rules adopted under this section.
(E) An appellant who disagrees with an administrative appeal decision of the director of job and family services or the director's designee issued under division (C) of this section may appeal from the decision to the court of common pleas pursuant to section 119.12 of the Revised Code. The appeal shall be governed by section 119.12 of the Revised Code except that:
(1) The person may appeal to the court of common pleas of the county in which the person resides, or to the court of common pleas of Franklin county if the person does not reside in this state.
(2) The person may apply to the court for designation as an indigent and, if the court grants this application, the appellant shall not be required to furnish the costs of the appeal.
(3) The appellant shall mail the notice of appeal to the department of job and family services and file notice of appeal with the court within thirty days after the department mails the administrative appeal decision to the appellant. For good cause shown, the court may extend the time for mailing and filing notice of appeal, but such time shall not exceed six months from the date the department mails the administrative appeal decision. Filing notice of appeal with the court shall be the only act necessary to vest jurisdiction in the court.
(4) The department shall be required to file a transcript of the testimony of the state hearing with the court only if the court orders the department to file the transcript. The court shall make such an order only if it finds that the department and the appellant are unable to stipulate to the facts of the case and that the transcript is essential to a determination of the appeal. The department shall file the transcript not later than thirty days after the day such an order is issued.
(F) The department of job and family services shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code to implement this section, including rules governing the following:
(1) State hearings under division (B) of this section. The rules shall include provisions regarding notice of eligibility termination and the opportunity of an appellant appealing a decision or order of a county department of job and family services to request a county conference with the county department before the state hearing is held.
(2) Administrative appeals under division (C) of this section;
(3) Time limits for complying with a decision issued under division (B) or (C) of this section;
(4) Sanctions that may be applied against an agency under division (D) of this section.
(G) The department of job and family services may adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code establishing an appeals process for an appellant who appeals a decision or order regarding a Title IV-A program identified under division (A)(4)(c), (d), (e), or (f) of section 5101.80 of the Revised Code that is different from the appeals process established by this section. The different appeals process may include having a state agency that administers the Title IV-A program pursuant to an interagency agreement entered into under section 5101.801 of the Revised Code administer the appeals process.
(H) If an appellant receiving medicaid through a health insuring corporation that holds a certificate of authority under Chapter 1751. of the Revised Code is appealing a denial of medicaid services based on lack of medical necessity or other clinical issues regarding coverage by the health insuring corporation, the person hearing the appeal may order an independent medical review if that person determines that a review is necessary. The review shall be performed by a health care professional with appropriate clinical expertise in treating the recipient's condition or disease. The department shall pay the costs associated with the review.
A review ordered under this division shall be part of the record of the hearing and shall be given appropriate evidentiary consideration by the person hearing the appeal.
(I) The requirements of Chapter 119. of the Revised Code apply to a state hearing or administrative appeal under this section only to the extent, if any, specifically provided by rules adopted under this section.
Sec. 5101.46.  (A) As used in this section:
(1) "Title XX" means Title XX of the "Social Security Act," 88 Stat. 2337 (1974), 42 U.S.C.A. 1397, as amended.
(2) "Respective local agency" means, with respect to the department of job and family services, a county department of job and family services; with respect to the department of mental health, a board of alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services; and with respect to the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities.
(3) "Federal poverty guidelines" means the poverty guidelines as revised annually by the United States department of health and human services in accordance with section 673(2) of the "Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981," 95 Stat. 511, 42 U.S.C.A. 9902, as amended, for a family size equal to the size of the family of the person whose income is being determined.
(B) The departments of job and family services, mental health, and mental retardation and developmental disabilities, with their respective local agencies, shall administer the provision of social services funded through grants made under Title XX. The social services furnished with Title XX funds shall be directed at the following goals:
(1) Achieving or maintaining economic self-support to prevent, reduce, or eliminate dependency;
(2) Achieving or maintaining self-sufficiency, including reduction or prevention of dependency;
(3) Preventing or remedying neglect, abuse, or exploitation of children and adults unable to protect their own interests, or preserving, rehabilitating, or reuniting families;
(4) Preventing or reducing inappropriate institutional care by providing for community-based care, home-based care, or other forms of less intensive care;
(5) Securing referral or admission for institutional care when other forms of care are not appropriate, or providing services to individuals in institutions.
(C)(1) All federal funds received under Title XX shall be appropriated as follows:
(a) Seventy-two and one-half per cent to the department of job and family services;
(b) Twelve and ninety-three one-hundreths per cent to the department of mental health;
(c) Fourteen and fifty-seven one-hundreths per cent to the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities.
(2) Each state department shall, subject to the approval of the controlling board, develop formulas for the distribution of their Title XX appropriations to their respective local agencies. The formulas shall take into account the total population of the area that is served by the agency, the percentage of the population in the area that falls below the federal poverty guidelines, and the agency's history of and ability to utilize Title XX funds.
(3) Each of the state departments shall expend no more than three per cent of its Title XX appropriation for state administrative costs. Each of the department's respective local agencies shall expend no more than fourteen per cent of its Title XX appropriation for local administrative costs.
(4) The department of job and family services shall expend no more than two per cent of its Title XX appropriation for the training of the following:
(a) Employees of county departments of job and family services;
(b) Providers of services under contract with the state departments' respective local agencies;
(c) Employees of a public children services agency directly engaged in providing Title XX services.
(D) The department of job and family services shall prepare a biennial comprehensive Title XX social services plan on the intended use of Title XX funds. The department shall develop a method for obtaining public comment during the development of the plan and following its completion.
For each state fiscal year, the department of job and family services shall prepare a report on the actual use of Title XX funds. The department shall make the annual report available for public inspection.
The departments of mental health and mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall prepare and submit to the department of job and family services the portions of each biennial plan and annual report that apply to services for mental health and mental retardation and developmental disabilities. Each respective local agency of the three state departments shall submit information as necessary for the preparation of biennial plans and annual reports.
(E) Each county department shall adopt a county profile for the administration and provision of Title XX social services in the county. In developing its county profile, the county department shall take into consideration the comments and recommendations received from the public by the county family services planning committee pursuant to section 329.06 of the Revised Code. As part of its preparation of the county profile, the county department may prepare a local needs report analyzing the need for Title XX social services.
The county department shall submit the county profile to the board of county commissioners for its review. Once the county profile has been approved by the board, the county department shall file a copy of the county profile with the department of job and family services. The department shall approve the county profile if the department determines the profile provides for the Title XX social services to meet the goals specified in division (B) of this section.
(F) Any of the three state departments and their respective local agencies may require that an entity under contract to provide social services with Title XX funds submit to an audit on the basis of alleged misuse or improper accounting of funds. If an audit is required, the social services provider shall reimburse the state department or local agency for the cost it incurred in conducting the audit or having the audit conducted.
If an audit demonstrates that a social services provider is responsible for one or more adverse findings, the provider shall reimburse the appropriate state department or its respective local agency the amount of the adverse findings. The amount shall not be reimbursed with Title XX funds received under this section. The three state departments and their respective local agencies may terminate or refuse to enter into a Title XX contract with a social services provider if there are adverse findings in an audit that are the responsibility of the provider.
(G) The department of job and family services may adopt rules to implement and carry out the purposes of this section. Rules governing financial and operational matters of the department or matters between the department and county departments of job and family services shall be adopted as internal management rules in accordance with section 111.15 of the Revised Code. Rules governing eligibility for services, program participation, and other matters pertaining to applicants and participants shall be adopted in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code.
Sec. 5101.611.  If a county department of job and family services knows or has reasonable cause to believe that the subject of a report made under section 5101.61 or of an investigation conducted under sections 5101.62 to 5101.64 or on the initiative of the department is mentally retarded or developmentally disabled as defined in section 5126.01 of the Revised Code, the department shall refer the case to the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities of that county for review pursuant to section 5126.31 of the Revised Code.
If a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities refers a case to the county department of job and family services in accordance with section 5126.31, the department shall proceed with the case in accordance with sections 5101.60 to 5101.71 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 5111.151. (A) This section applies to eligibility determinations for all cases involving medicaid provided pursuant to this chapter, qualified medicare beneficiaries, specified low-income medicare beneficiaries, qualifying individuals-1, qualifying individuals-2, and medical assistance for covered families and children.
(B) As used in this section:
(1) "Trust" means any arrangement in which a grantor transfers real or personal property to a trust with the intention that it be held, managed, or administered by at least one trustee for the benefit of the grantor or beneficiaries. "Trust" includes any legal instrument or device similar to a trust.
(2) "Legal instrument or device similar to a trust" includes, but is not limited to, escrow accounts, investment accounts, partnerships, contracts, and other similar arrangements that are not called trusts under state law but are similar to a trust and to which all of the following apply:
(a) The property in the trust is held, managed, retained, or administered by a trustee.
(b) The trustee has an equitable, legal, or fiduciary duty to hold, manage, retain, or administer the property for the benefit of the beneficiary.
(c) The trustee holds identifiable property for the beneficiary.
(3) "Grantor" is a person who creates a trust, including all of the following:
(a) An individual;
(b) An individual's spouse;
(c) A person, including a court or administrative body, with legal authority to act in place of or on behalf of an individual or an individual's spouse;
(d) A person, including a court or administrative body, that acts at the direction or on request of an individual or the individual's spouse.
(4) "Beneficiary" is a person or persons, including a grantor, who benefits in some way from a trust.
(5) "Trustee" is a person who manages a trust's principal and income for the benefit of the beneficiaries.
(6) "Person" has the same meaning as in section 1.59 of the Revised Code and includes an individual, corporation, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, and association.
(7) "Applicant" is an individual who applies for medicaid or the individual's spouse.
(8) "Recipient" is an individual who receives medicaid or the individual's spouse.
(9) "Revocable trust" is a trust that can be revoked by the grantor or the beneficiary, including all of the following, even if the terms of the trust state that it is irrevocable:
(a) A trust that provides that the trust can be terminated only by a court;
(b) A trust that terminates on the happening of an event, but only if the event occurs at the direction or control of the grantor, beneficiary, or trustee.
(10) "Irrevocable trust" is a trust that cannot be revoked by the grantor or terminated by a court and that terminates only on the occurrence of an event outside of the control or direction of the beneficiary or grantor.
(11) "Payment" is any disbursal from the principal or income of the trust, including actual cash, noncash or property disbursements, or the right to use and occupy real property.
(12) "Payments to or for the benefit of the applicant or recipient" is a payment to any person resulting in a direct or indirect benefit to the applicant or recipient.
(13) "Testamentary trust" is a trust that is established by a will and does not take effect until after the death of the person who created the trust.
(C) If an applicant or recipient is a beneficiary of a trust, the county department of job and family services shall determine what type of trust it is and shall treat the trust in accordance with the appropriate provisions of this section and rules adopted by the department of job and family services governing trusts. The county department of job and family services may determine that the trust or portion of the trust is one of the following:
(1) A countable resource;
(2) Countable income;
(3) A countable resource and countable income;
(4) Not a countable resource or countable income.
(D)(1) A trust or legal instrument or device similar to a trust shall be considered a medicaid qualifying trust if all of the following apply:
(a) The trust was established on or prior to August 10, 1993.
(b) The trust was not established by a will.
(c) The trust was established by an applicant or recipient.
(d) The applicant or recipient is or may become the beneficiary of all or part of the trust.
(e) Payment from the trust is determined by one or more trustees who are permitted to exercise any discretion with respect to the distribution to the applicant or recipient.
(2) If a trust meets the requirement of division (D)(1) of this section, the amount of the trust that is considered by the county department of job and family services as an available resource to the applicant or recipient shall be the maximum amount of payments permitted under the terms of the trust to be distributed to the applicant or recipient, assuming the full exercise of discretion by the trustee or trustees. The maximum amount shall include only amounts that are permitted to be distributed but are not distributed from either the income or principal of the trust.
(3) Amounts that are actually distributed from a medicaid qualifying trust to a beneficiary for any purpose shall be treated in accordance with rules adopted by the department of job and family services governing income.
(4) Availability of a medicaid qualifying trust shall be considered without regard to any of the following:
(a) Whether or not the trust is irrevocable or was established for purposes other than to enable a grantor to qualify for medicaid, medical assistance for covered families and children, or as a qualified medicare beneficiary, specified low-income medicare beneficiary, qualifying individual-1, or qualifying individual-2;
(b) Whether or not the trustee actually exercises discretion.
(5) If any real or personal property is transferred to a medicaid qualifying trust that is not distributable to the applicant or recipient, the transfer shall be considered an improper disposition of assets and shall be subject to section 5111.0116 of the Revised Code and rules to implement that section adopted under section 5111.011 of the Revised Code.
(6) The baseline date for the look-back period for disposition of assets involving a medicaid qualifying trust shall be the date on which the applicant or recipient is both institutionalized and first applies for medicaid.
(E)(1) A trust or legal instrument or device similar to a trust shall be considered a self-settled trust if all of the following apply:
(a) The trust was established on or after August 11, 1993.
(b) The trust was not established by a will.
(c) The trust was established by an applicant or recipient, spouse of an applicant or recipient, or a person, including a court or administrative body, with legal authority to act in place of or on behalf of an applicant, recipient, or spouse, or acting at the direction or on request of an applicant, recipient, or spouse.
(2) A trust that meets the requirements of division (E)(1) of this section and is a revocable trust shall be treated by the county department of job and family services as follows:
(a) The corpus of the trust shall be considered a resource available to the applicant or recipient.
(b) Payments from the trust to or for the benefit of the applicant or recipient shall be considered unearned income of the applicant or recipient.
(c) Any other payments from the trust shall be considered an improper disposition of assets and shall be subject to section 5111.0116 of the Revised Code and rules to implement that section adopted under section 5111.011 of the Revised Code.
(3) A trust that meets the requirements of division (E)(1) of this section and is an irrevocable trust shall be treated by the county department of job and family services as follows:
(a) If there are any circumstances under which payment from the trust could be made to or for the benefit of the applicant or recipient, including a payment that can be made only in the future, the portion from which payments could be made shall be considered a resource available to the applicant or recipient. The county department of job and family services shall not take into account when payments can be made.
(b) Any payment that is actually made to or for the benefit of the applicant or recipient from either the corpus or income shall be considered unearned income.
(c) If a payment is made to someone other than to the applicant or recipient and the payment is not for the benefit of the applicant or recipient, the payment shall be considered an improper disposition of assets and shall be subject to section 5111.0116 of the Revised Code and rules to implement that section adopted under section 5111.011 of the Revised Code.
(d) The date of the disposition shall be the later of the date of establishment of the trust or the date of the occurrence of the event.
(e) When determining the value of the disposed asset under this provision, the value of the trust shall be its value on the date payment to the applicant or recipient was foreclosed.
(f) Any income earned or other resources added subsequent to the foreclosure date shall be added to the total value of the trust.
(g) Any payments to or for the benefit of the applicant or recipient after the foreclosure date but prior to the application date shall be subtracted from the total value. Any other payments shall not be subtracted from the value.
(h) Any addition of assets after the foreclosure date shall be considered a separate disposition.
(4) If a trust is funded with assets of another person or persons in addition to assets of the applicant or recipient, the applicable provisions of this section and rules adopted by the department of job and family services governing trusts shall apply only to the portion of the trust attributable to the applicant or recipient.
(5) The availability of a self-settled trust shall be considered without regard to any of the following:
(a) The purpose for which the trust is established;
(b) Whether the trustees have exercised or may exercise discretion under the trust;
(c) Any restrictions on when or whether distributions may be made from the trust;
(d) Any restrictions on the use of distributions from the trust.
(6) The baseline date for the look-back period for dispositions of assets involving a self-settled trust shall be the date on which the applicant or recipient is both institutionalized and first applies for medicaid.
(F) The principal or income from any of the following shall be exempt from being counted as a resource by a county department of job and family services:
(1)(a) A special needs trust that meets all of the following requirements:
(i) The trust contains assets of an applicant or recipient under sixty-five years of age and may contain the assets of other individuals.
(ii) The applicant or recipient is disabled as defined in rules adopted by the department of job and family services.
(iii) The trust is established for the benefit of the applicant or recipient by a parent, grandparent, legal guardian, or a court.
(iv) The trust requires that on the death of the applicant or recipient the state will receive all amounts remaining in the trust up to an amount equal to the total amount of medicaid paid on behalf of the applicant or recipient.
(b) If a special needs trust meets the requirements of division (F)(1)(a) of this section and has been established for a disabled applicant or recipient under sixty-five years of age, the exemption for the trust granted pursuant to division (F) of this section shall continue after the disabled applicant or recipient becomes sixty-five years of age if the applicant or recipient continues to be disabled as defined in rules adopted by the department of job and family services. Except for income earned by the trust, the grantor shall not add to or otherwise augment the trust after the applicant or recipient attains sixty-five years of age. An addition or augmentation of the trust by the applicant or recipient with the applicant's own assets after the applicant or recipient attains sixty-five years of age shall be treated as an improper disposition of assets.
(c) Cash distributions to the applicant or recipient shall be counted as unearned income. All other distributions from the trust shall be treated as provided in rules adopted by the department of job and family services governing in-kind income.
(d) Transfers of assets to a special needs trust shall not be treated as an improper transfer of resources. Assets held prior to the transfer to the trust shall be considered as countable assets or countable income or countable assets and income.
(2)(a) A qualifying income trust that meets all of the following requirements:
(i) The trust is composed only of pension, social security, and other income to the applicant or recipient, including accumulated interest in the trust.
(ii) The income is received by the individual and the right to receive the income is not assigned or transferred to the trust.
(iii) The trust requires that on the death of the applicant or recipient the state will receive all amounts remaining in the trust up to an amount equal to the total amount of medicaid paid on behalf of the applicant or recipient.
(b) No resources shall be used to establish or augment the trust.
(c) If an applicant or recipient has irrevocably transferred or assigned the applicant's or recipient's right to receive income to the trust, the trust shall not be considered a qualifying income trust by the county department of job and family services.
(d) Income placed in a qualifying income trust shall not be counted in determining an applicant's or recipient's eligibility for medicaid. The recipient of the funds may place any income directly into a qualifying income trust without those funds adversely affecting the applicant's or recipient's eligibility for medicaid. Income generated by the trust that remains in the trust shall not be considered as income to the applicant or recipient.
(e) All income placed in a qualifying income trust shall be combined with any countable income not placed in the trust to arrive at a base income figure to be used for spend down calculations.
(f) The base income figure shall be used for post-eligibility deductions, including personal needs allowance, monthly income allowance, family allowance, and medical expenses not subject to third party payment. Any income remaining shall be used toward payment of patient liability. Payments made from a qualifying income trust shall not be combined with the base income figure for post-eligibility calculations.
(g) The base income figure shall be used when determining the spend down budget for the applicant or recipient. Any income remaining after allowable deductions are permitted as provided under rules adopted by the department of job and family services shall be considered the applicant's or recipient's spend down liability.
(3)(a) A pooled trust that meets all of the following requirements:
(i) The trust contains the assets of the applicant or recipient of any age who is disabled as defined in rules adopted by the department of job and family services.
(ii) The trust is established and managed by a nonprofit association.
(iii) A separate account is maintained for each beneficiary of the trust but, for purposes of investment and management of funds, the trust pools the funds in these accounts.
(iv) Accounts in the trust are established by the applicant or recipient, the applicant's or recipient's parent, grandparent, or legal guardian, or a court solely for the benefit of individuals who are disabled.
(v) The trust requires that, to the extent that any amounts remaining in the beneficiary's account on the death of the beneficiary are not retained by the trust, the trust pay to the state the amounts remaining in the trust up to an amount equal to the total amount of medicaid paid on behalf of the beneficiary.
(b) Cash distributions to the applicant or recipient shall be counted as unearned income. All other distributions from the trust shall be treated as provided in rules adopted by the department of job and family services governing in-kind income.
(c) Transfers of assets to a pooled trust shall not be treated as an improper disposition of assets. Assets held prior to the transfer to the trust shall be considered as countable assets, countable income, or countable assets and income.
(4) A supplemental services trust that meets the requirements of section 5815.28 of the Revised Code and to which all of the following apply:
(a) A person may establish a supplemental services trust pursuant to section 5815.28 of the Revised Code only for another person who is eligible to receive services through one of the following agencies:
(i) The department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities;
(ii) A county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities;
(iii) The department of mental health;
(iv) A board of alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services.
(b) A county department of job and family services shall not determine eligibility for another agency's program. An applicant or recipient shall do one of the following:
(i) Provide documentation from one of the agencies listed in division (F)(4)(a) of this section that establishes that the applicant or recipient was determined to be eligible for services from the agency at the time of the creation of the trust;
(ii) Provide an order from a court of competent jurisdiction that states that the applicant or recipient was eligible for services from one of the agencies listed in division (F)(4)(a) of this section at the time of the creation of the trust.
(c) At the time the trust is created, the trust principal does not exceed the maximum amount permitted. The maximum amount permitted in calendar year 2006 is two hundred twenty-two thousand dollars. Each year thereafter, the maximum amount permitted is the prior year's amount plus two thousand dollars.
(d) A county department of job and family services shall review the trust to determine whether it complies with the provisions of section 5815.28 of the Revised Code.
(e) Payments from supplemental services trusts shall be exempt as long as the payments are for supplemental services as defined in rules adopted by the department of job and family services. All supplemental services shall be purchased by the trustee and shall not be purchased through direct cash payments to the beneficiary.
(f) If a trust is represented as a supplemental services trust and a county department of job and family services determines that the trust does not meet the requirements provided in division (F)(4) of this section and section 5815.28 of the Revised Code, the county department of job and family services shall not consider it an exempt trust.
(G)(1) A trust or legal instrument or device similar to a trust shall be considered a trust established by an individual for the benefit of the applicant or recipient if all of the following apply:
(a) The trust is created by a person other than the applicant or recipient.
(b) The trust names the applicant or recipient as a beneficiary.
(c) The trust is funded with assets or property in which the applicant or recipient has never held an ownership interest prior to the establishment of the trust.
(2) Any portion of a trust that meets the requirements of division (G)(1) of this section shall be an available resource only if the trust permits the trustee to expend principal, corpus, or assets of the trust for the applicant's or recipient's medical care, care, comfort, maintenance, health, welfare, general well being, or any combination of these purposes.
(3) A trust that meets the requirements of division (G)(1) of this section shall be considered an available resource even if the trust contains any of the following types of provisions:
(a) A provision that prohibits the trustee from making payments that would supplant or replace medicaid or other public assistance;
(b) A provision that prohibits the trustee from making payments that would impact or have an effect on the applicant's or recipient's right, ability, or opportunity to receive medicaid or other public assistance;
(c) A provision that attempts to prevent the trust or its corpus or principal from being counted as an available resource.
(4) A trust that meets the requirements of division (G)(1) of this section shall not be counted as an available resource if at least one of the following circumstances applies:
(a) If a trust contains a clear statement requiring the trustee to preserve a portion of the trust for another beneficiary or remainderman, that portion of the trust shall not be counted as an available resource. Terms of a trust that grant discretion to preserve a portion of the trust shall not qualify as a clear statement requiring the trustee to preserve a portion of the trust.
(b) If a trust contains a clear statement requiring the trustee to use a portion of the trust for a purpose other than medical care, care, comfort, maintenance, welfare, or general well being of the applicant or recipient, that portion of the trust shall not be counted as an available resource. Terms of a trust that grant discretion to limit the use of a portion of the trust shall not qualify as a clear statement requiring the trustee to use a portion of the trust for a particular purpose.
(c) If a trust contains a clear statement limiting the trustee to making fixed periodic payments, the trust shall not be counted as an available resource and payments shall be treated in accordance with rules adopted by the department of job and family services governing income. Terms of a trust that grant discretion to limit payments shall not qualify as a clear statement requiring the trustee to make fixed periodic payments.
(d) If a trust contains a clear statement that requires the trustee to terminate the trust if it is counted as an available resource, the trust shall not be counted as an available resource. Terms of a trust that grant discretion to terminate the trust do not qualify as a clear statement requiring the trustee to terminate the trust.
(e) If a person obtains a judgment from a court of competent jurisdiction that expressly prevents the trustee from using part or all of the trust for the medical care, care, comfort, maintenance, welfare, or general well being of the applicant or recipient, the trust or that portion of the trust subject to the court order shall not be counted as a resource.
(f) If a trust is specifically exempt from being counted as an available resource by a provision of the Revised Code, rules, or federal law, the trust shall not be counted as a resource.
(g) If an applicant or recipient presents a final judgment from a court demonstrating that the applicant or recipient was unsuccessful in a civil action against the trustee to compel payments from the trust, the trust shall not be counted as an available resource.
(h) If an applicant or recipient presents a final judgment from a court demonstrating that in a civil action against the trustee the applicant or recipient was only able to compel limited or periodic payments, the trust shall not be counted as an available resource and payments shall be treated in accordance with rules adopted by the department of job and family services governing income.
(i) If an applicant or recipient provides written documentation showing that the cost of a civil action brought to compel payments from the trust would be cost prohibitive, the trust shall not be counted as an available resource.
(5) Any actual payments to the applicant or recipient from a trust that meet the requirements of division (G)(1) of this section, including trusts that are not counted as an available resource, shall be treated as provided in rules adopted by the department of job and family services governing income. Payments to any person other than the applicant or recipient shall not be considered income to the applicant or recipient. Payments from the trust to a person other than the applicant or recipient shall not be considered an improper disposition of assets.
Sec. 5111.871.  The department of job and family services shall enter into a contract with the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities under section 5111.91 of the Revised Code with regard to one or more of the components of the medicaid program established by the department of job and family services under one or more of the medicaid waivers sought under section 5111.87 of the Revised Code. The contract shall provide for the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities to administer the components in accordance with the terms of the waivers. The directors of job and family services and mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code governing the components.
If the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities or the department of job and family services denies an individual's application for home and community-based services provided under any of these medicaid components, the department that denied the services shall give timely notice to the individual that the individual may request a hearing under section 5101.35 of the Revised Code.
The departments of mental retardation and developmental disabilities and job and family services may approve, reduce, deny, or terminate a service included in the individualized service plan developed for a medicaid recipient eligible for home and community-based services provided under any of these medicaid components. The departments shall consider the recommendations a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities makes under division (A)(1)(c) of section 5126.055 of the Revised Code. If either department approves, reduces, denies, or terminates a service, that department shall give timely notice to the medicaid recipient that the recipient may request a hearing under section 5101.35 of the Revised Code.
If supported living, as defined in section 5126.01 of the Revised Code, is to be provided as a service under any of these components, any person or government entity with a current, valid medicaid provider agreement and a current, valid certificate under section 5123.161 of the Revised Code may provide the service.
If a service is to be provided under any of these components by a residential facility, as defined in section 5123.19 of the Revised Code, any person or government entity with a current, valid medicaid provider agreement and a current, valid license under section 5123.19 of the Revised Code may provide the service.
Sec. 5111.872. When the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities allocates enrollment numbers to a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities for home and community-based services specified in division (B)(1) of section 5111.87 of the Revised Code and provided under any of the components of the medicaid program that the department administers under section 5111.871 of the Revised Code, the department shall consider all of the following:
(A) The number of individuals with mental retardation or other developmental disability who are on a waiting list the county board establishes under division (C) of section 5126.042 of the Revised Code for those services and are given priority on the waiting list pursuant to division (D) or (E) of that section;
(B) The implementation component required by division (A)(3) of section 5126.054 of the Revised Code of the county board's plan approved under section 5123.046 of the Revised Code;
(C) Anything else the department considers necessary to enable county boards to provide those services to individuals in accordance with the priority requirements of divisions (D) and (E) of section 5126.042 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 5111.873. (A) Not later than the effective date of the first of any medicaid waivers the United States secretary of health and human services grants pursuant to a request made under section 5111.87 of the Revised Code, the director of job and family services shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code establishing statewide fee schedules for home and community-based services specified in division (B)(1) of section 5111.87 of the Revised Code and provided under the components of the medicaid program that the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities administers under section 5111.871 of the Revised Code. The rules shall provide for all of the following:
(1) The department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities arranging for the initial and ongoing collection of cost information from a comprehensive, statistically valid sample of persons and government entities providing the services at the time the information is obtained;
(2) The collection of consumer-specific information through an assessment instrument the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall provide to the department of job and family services;
(3) With the information collected pursuant to divisions (A)(1) and (2) of this section, an analysis of that information, and other information the director determines relevant, methods and standards for calculating the fee schedules that do all of the following:
(a) Assure that the fees are consistent with efficiency, economy, and quality of care;
(b) Consider the intensity of consumer resource need;
(c) Recognize variations in different geographic areas regarding the resources necessary to assure the health and welfare of consumers;
(d) Recognize variations in environmental supports available to consumers.
(B) As part of the process of adopting rules under this section, the director shall consult with the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, representatives of county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, persons who provide the home and community-based services, and other persons and government entities the director identifies.
(C) The directors of job and family services and mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall review the rules adopted under this section at times they determine to ensure that the methods and standards established by the rules for calculating the fee schedules continue to do everything that division (A)(3) of this section requires.
Sec. 5123.033. The program fee fund is hereby created in the state treasury. All fees collected pursuant to sections 5123.161, 5123.164, 5123.19, and 5126.25 of the Revised Code shall be credited to the fund. Money credited to the fund shall be used solely for the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities' duties under sections 5123.16 to 5123.169, 5123.19, and 5126.25 of the Revised Code and to provide continuing education and professional training to employees of county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities for the purpose of section 5126.25 of the Revised Code and other providers of services to individuals with mental retardation or a developmental disability. If the money credited to the fund is inadequate to pay all of the department's costs in performing those duties and providing the continuing education and professional training, the department may use other available funds appropriated to the department to pay the remaining costs of performing those duties and providing the continuing education and professional training.
Sec. 5123.04.  (A) The director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities is the executive head of the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities. All duties conferred on the department and its institutions by law or by order of the director shall be performed under such rules as the director prescribes, and shall be under the director's control. The director shall establish bylaws for the government of all institutions under the jurisdiction of the department. Except as otherwise is provided as to appointments by chiefs of divisions, the director shall appoint such employees as are necessary for the efficient conduct of the department, and shall prescribe their titles and duties. If the director is not a licensed physician, decisions relating to medical diagnosis and treatment shall be the responsibility of a licensed physician appointed by the director.
(B) The director shall adopt rules for the proper execution of the powers and duties of the department.
(C) The director shall adopt rules establishing standards that mental retardation programs and facilities shall follow when performing evaluations of the mental condition of defendants ordered by the court under section 2919.271 or 2945.371 of the Revised Code, and for the treatment of defendants who have been found incompetent to stand trial under section 2945.38 of the Revised Code, and certify the compliance of such programs and facilities with the standards.
(D) On behalf of the department, the director has the authority to, and responsibility for, entering into contracts and other agreements.
(E) The director shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code that do all of the following:
(1) Specify the supplemental services that may be provided through a trust authorized by section 5815.28 of the Revised Code;
(2) Establish standards for the maintenance and distribution to a beneficiary of assets of a trust authorized by section 5815.28 of the Revised Code.
(F) The director shall provide monitoring of county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities.
Sec. 5123.042.  (A) The director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code establishing the following:
(1) Uniform standards under which:
(a) A person or agency shall submit plans to the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities for the development of residential services for individuals with mental retardation or a developmental disability within the county;
(b) The county board must review the plans and recommend providers for the services.
(2) The eligibility criteria for selecting persons and agencies to provide residential services, which shall take into consideration the recommendations of the county board.
(B) The county board, in accordance with its comprehensive service plan, shall review all proposals for the development of residential services that are submitted to it and shall, if the proposals are acceptable to the county board, recommend providers for the development of residential services within the county. The department shall approve proposals for the development of residential services within counties based upon the availability of funds and in accordance with rules adopted under division (A)(2) of this section.
No county board shall recommend providers for the development of residential services if the county board is an applicant to provide services. In cases of possible conflict of interest, the director shall appoint a committee that shall, in accordance with the approved county comprehensive service plan, review and recommend to the director providers for the services.
If a county board fails to establish an approved comprehensive service plan, the director may establish residential services development goals for the county board based on documented need as determined by the department. If a county board fails to develop or implement such a plan in accordance with the rules adopted under this section, the department may, without the involvement of the county board, review and select providers for the development of residential services in the county.
Sec. 5123.043.  (A) The director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall adopt rules establishing procedures for administrative resolution of complaints filed under division (B) of this section and section 5126.06 of the Revised Code. The rules shall be adopted in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code.
(B) Except as provided in division (C) of this section, any person or county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities that has a complaint involving any of the programs, services, policies, or administrative practices of the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities or any of the entities under contract with the department, may file a complaint with the department. Prior to commencing a civil action regarding the complaint, a person or county board shall attempt to have the complaint resolved through the administrative resolution process established in the rules adopted under this section. After exhausting the administrative resolution process, the person or county board may commence a civil action if the complaint is not settled to the person's or county board's satisfaction.
(C) An employee of the department may not file under this section a complaint related to the terms and conditions of employment for the employee.
Sec. 5123.044. The department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall determine whether county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities are in compliance with section 5126.046 of the Revised Code. The department shall provide assistance to an individual with mental retardation or other developmental disability who requests assistance with the individual's right under section 5126.046 of the Revised Code to choose a provider of habilitation, vocational, community employment, residential, or supported living services if the department is notified of a county board's alleged violation of the individual's right to choose such a provider.
Sec. 5123.046. The department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall review each component of the three-calendar-year plan it receives from a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities under section 5126.054 of the Revised Code and, in consultation with the department of job and family services and office of budget and management, approve each component that includes all the information and conditions specified in that section. The third component of the plan shall be approved or disapproved not later than forty-five days after the third component is submitted to the department. If the department approves all three components of the plan, the plan is approved. Otherwise, the plan is disapproved. If the plan is disapproved, the department shall take action against the county board under division (B) of section 5126.056 of the Revised Code.
In approving plans under this section, the department shall ensure that the aggregate of all plans provide for the increased enrollment into home and community-based services during each state fiscal year of at least five hundred individuals who did not receive residential services, supported living, or home and community-based services the prior state fiscal year if the department has enough additional enrollment available for this purpose.
The department shall establish protocols that the department shall use to determine whether a county board is complying with the programmatic and financial accountability mechanisms and achieving outcomes specified in its approved plan. If the department determines that a county board is not in compliance with the mechanisms or achieving the outcomes specified in its approved plan, the department may take action under division (F) of section 5126.055 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 5123.047.  The department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall pay the nonfederal share of medicaid expenditures for medicaid case management services and home and community-based services for which no county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities is required by section 5126.059 or 5126.0510 of the Revised Code to pay.
Sec. 5123.048. The director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities may enter into an agreement with a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities under which the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities is to pay the nonfederal share of medicaid expenditures for one or more of the home and community-based services that the county board would, if not for the agreement, be required by section 5126.0510 of the Revised Code to pay. The agreement shall specify which home and community-based services the agreement covers. The department shall pay the nonfederal share of medicaid expenditures for the home and community-based services that the agreement covers as long as the agreement is in effect.
Sec. 5123.049. The director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code governing the authorization and payment of home and community-based services and medicaid case management services. The rules shall provide for private providers of the services to receive one hundred per cent of the medicaid allowable payment amount and for government providers of the services to receive the federal share of the medicaid allowable payment, less the amount withheld as a fee under section 5123.0412 of the Revised Code and any amount that may be required by rules adopted under section 5123.0413 of the Revised Code to be deposited into the state MR/DD risk fund. The rules shall establish the process by which county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall certify and provide the nonfederal share of medicaid expenditures that the county board is required by sections 5126.059 and 5126.0510 of the Revised Code to pay. The process shall require a county board to certify that the county board has funding available at one time for two months costs for those expenditures. The process may permit a county board to certify that the county board has funding available at one time for more than two months costs for those expenditures.
Sec. 5123.0411. The department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities may bring a mandamus action against a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities that fails to pay the nonfederal share of medicaid expenditures that the county board is required by sections 5126.059 and 5126.0510 of the Revised Code to pay. The department may bring the mandamus action in the court of common pleas of the county served by the county board or in the Franklin county court of common pleas.
Sec. 5123.0412. (A) The department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall charge each county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities an annual fee equal to one and one-half per cent of the total value of all medicaid paid claims for home and community-based services provided during the year to an individual eligible for services from the county board. No county board shall pass the cost of a fee charged to the county board under this section on to another provider of these services.
(B) The fees collected under this section shall be deposited into the ODMR/DD administration and oversight fund and the ODJFS administration and oversight fund, both of which are hereby created in the state treasury. The portion of the fees to be deposited into the ODMR/DD administration and oversight fund and the portion of the fees to be deposited into the ODJFS administration and oversight fund shall be the portion specified in an interagency agreement entered into under division (C) of this section. The department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall use the money in the ODMR/DD administration and oversight fund and the department of job and family services shall use the money in the ODJFS administration and oversight fund for both of the following purposes:
(1) The administrative and oversight costs of medicaid case management services and home and community-based services. The administrative and oversight costs shall include costs for staff, systems, and other resources the departments need and dedicate solely to the following duties associated with the services:
(a) Eligibility determinations;
(b) Training;
(c) Fiscal management;
(d) Claims processing;
(e) Quality assurance oversight;
(f) Other duties the departments identify.
(2) Providing technical support to county boards' local administrative authority under section 5126.055 of the Revised Code for the services.
(C) The departments of mental retardation and developmental disabilities and job and family services shall enter into an interagency agreement to do both of the following:
(1) Specify which portion of the fees collected under this section is to be deposited into the ODMR/DD administration and oversight fund and which portion is to be deposited into the ODJFS administration and oversight fund;
(2) Provide for the departments to coordinate the staff whose costs are paid for with money in the ODMR/DD administration and oversight fund and the ODJFS administration and oversight fund.
(D) The departments shall submit an annual report to the director of budget and management certifying how the departments spent the money in the ODMR/DD administration and oversight fund and the ODJFS administration and oversight fund for the purposes specified in division (B) of this section.
Sec. 5123.0413. (A) The department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, in consultation with the department of job and family services, office of budget and management, and county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code no later than January 1, 2002, establishing a method of paying for extraordinary costs, including extraordinary costs for services to individuals with mental retardation or other developmental disability, and ensure the availability of adequate funds in the event a county property tax levy for services for individuals with mental retardation or other developmental disability fails. The rules may provide for using and managing either or both of the following:
(1) A state MR/DD risk fund, which is hereby created in the state treasury;
(2) A state insurance against MR/DD risk fund, which is hereby created in the state treasury.
(B) Beginning January 1, 2002, the department of job and family services may not request approval from the United States secretary of health and human services to increase the number of slots for home and community-based services until the rules required by division (A) of this section are in effect.
Sec. 5123.0416.  (A) Subject to the availability of funds appropriated to the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities for medicaid waiver state match, the department shall expend, in fiscal year 2009 and each fiscal year thereafter, not less than the amount appropriated in appropriation item 322-416, medicaid waiver – state match, in fiscal year 2008 to do both of the following:
(1) Pay the nonfederal share of medicaid expenditures for home and community-based services that section 5123.047 of the Revised Code requires the department to pay;
(2) Assist county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities in paying the nonfederal share of medicaid expenditures for home and community-based services that section 5126.0510 of the Revised Code requires county boards to pay.
(B) The department shall make the expenditures required by division (A)(2) of this section in the form of allocations to county boards or by other means. If the department makes the expenditures in the form of allocations, the process for making the allocations shall conform to a process the department shall establish after consulting with representatives of county boards.
Sec. 5123.081.  (A) As used in this section:
(1) "Applicant" means a person who is under final consideration for appointment to or employment with the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, including, but not limited to, a person who is being transferred to the department and an employee who is being recalled or reemployed after a layoff.
(2) "Criminal records check" has the same meaning as in section 109.572 of the Revised Code.
(3) "Minor drug possession offense" has the same meaning as in section 2925.01 of the Revised Code.
(B) The director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall request the superintendent of the bureau of criminal identification and investigation to conduct a criminal records check with respect to each applicant, except that the director is not required to request a criminal records check for an employee of the department who is being considered for a different position or is returning after a leave of absence or seasonal break in employment, as long as the director has no reason to believe that the employee has committed any of the offenses listed or described in division (E) of this section.
If the applicant does not present proof that the applicant has been a resident of this state for the five-year period immediately prior to the date upon which the criminal records check is requested, the director shall request that the superintendent of the bureau obtain information from the federal bureau of investigation as a part of the criminal records check for the applicant. If the applicant presents proof that the applicant has been a resident of this state for that five-year period, the director may request that the superintendent of the bureau include information from the federal bureau of investigation in the criminal records check. For purposes of this division, an applicant may provide proof of residency in this state by presenting, with a notarized statement asserting that the applicant has been a resident of this state for that five-year period, a valid driver's license, notification of registration as an elector, a copy of an officially filed federal or state tax form identifying the applicant's permanent residence, or any other document the director considers acceptable.
(C) The director shall provide to each applicant a copy of the form prescribed pursuant to division (C)(1) of section 109.572 of the Revised Code, provide to each applicant a standard impression sheet to obtain fingerprint impressions prescribed pursuant to division (C)(2) of section 109.572 of the Revised Code, obtain the completed form and impression sheet from each applicant, and forward the completed form and impression sheet to the superintendent of the bureau of criminal identification and investigation at the time the criminal records check is requested.
Any applicant who receives pursuant to this division a copy of the form prescribed pursuant to division (C)(1) of section 109.572 of the Revised Code and a copy of an impression sheet prescribed pursuant to division (C)(2) of that section and who is requested to complete the form and provide a set of fingerprint impressions shall complete the form or provide all the information necessary to complete the form and shall provide the material with the impressions of the applicant's fingerprints. If an applicant, upon request, fails to provide the information necessary to complete the form or fails to provide impressions of the applicant's fingerprints, the director shall not employ the applicant.
(D) The director may request any other state or federal agency to supply the director with a written report regarding the criminal record of each applicant. With regard to an applicant who becomes a department employee, if the employee holds an occupational or professional license or other credentials, the director may request that the state or federal agency that regulates the employee's occupation or profession supply the director with a written report of any information pertaining to the employee's criminal record that the agency obtains in the course of conducting an investigation or in the process of renewing the employee's license or other credentials.
(E) Except as provided in division (K)(2) of this section and in rules adopted by the director in accordance with division (M) of this section, the director shall not employ a person to fill a position with the department who has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any of the following:
(1) A violation of section 2903.01, 2903.02, 2903.03, 2903.04, 2903.11, 2903.12, 2903.13, 2903.16, 2903.21, 2903.34, 2903.341, 2905.01, 2905.02, 2905.05, 2907.02, 2907.03, 2907.04, 2907.05, 2907.06, 2907.07, 2907.08, 2907.09, 2907.21, 2907.22, 2907.23, 2907.25, 2907.31, 2907.32, 2907.321, 2907.322, 2907.323, 2911.01, 2911.02, 2911.11, 2911.12, 2919.12, 2919.22, 2919.24, 2919.25, 2923.12, 2923.13, 2923.161, 2925.02, 2925.03, 2925.04, 2925.05, 2925.06, or 3716.11 of the Revised Code, a violation of section 2905.04 of the Revised Code as it existed prior to July 1, 1996, a violation of section 2919.23 of the Revised Code that would have been a violation of section 2905.04 of the Revised Code as it existed prior to July 1, 1996, had the violation occurred prior to that date, a violation of section 2925.11 of the Revised Code that is not a minor drug possession offense, or felonious sexual penetration in violation of former section 2907.12 of the Revised Code;
(2) A felony contained in the Revised Code that is not listed in this division, if the felony bears a direct and substantial relationship to the duties and responsibilities of the position being filled;
(3) Any offense contained in the Revised Code constituting a misdemeanor of the first degree on the first offense and a felony on a subsequent offense, if the offense bears a direct and substantial relationship to the position being filled and the nature of the services being provided by the department;
(4) A violation of an existing or former municipal ordinance or law of this state, any other state, or the United States, if the offense is substantially equivalent to any of the offenses listed or described in division (E)(1), (2), or (3) of this section.
(F) Prior to employing an applicant, the director shall require the applicant to submit a statement with the applicant's signature attesting that the applicant has not been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any of the offenses listed or described in division (E) of this section. The director also shall require the applicant to sign an agreement under which the applicant agrees to notify the director within fourteen calendar days if, while employed with the department, the applicant is ever formally charged with, convicted of, or pleads guilty to any of the offenses listed or described in division (E) of this section. The agreement shall inform the applicant that failure to report formal charges, a conviction, or a guilty plea may result in being dismissed from employment.
(G) The director shall pay to the bureau of criminal identification and investigation the fee prescribed pursuant to division (C)(3) of section 109.572 of the Revised Code for each criminal records check requested and conducted pursuant to this section.
(H)(1) Any report obtained pursuant to this section is not a public record for purposes of section 149.43 of the Revised Code and shall not be made available to any person, other than the applicant who is the subject of the records check or criminal records check or the applicant's representative, the department or its representative, a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, and any court, hearing officer, or other necessary individual involved in a case dealing with the denial of employment to the applicant or the denial, suspension, or revocation of a certificate or evidence of registration under section 5123.082 of the Revised Code.
(2) An individual for whom the director has obtained reports under this section may submit a written request to the director to have copies of the reports sent to any state agency, entity of local government, or private entity. The individual shall specify in the request the agencies or entities to which the copies are to be sent. On receiving the request, the director shall send copies of the reports to the agencies or entities specified.
The director may request that a state agency, entity of local government, or private entity send copies to the director of any report regarding a records check or criminal records check that the agency or entity possesses, if the director obtains the written consent of the individual who is the subject of the report.
(I) The director shall request the registrar of motor vehicles to supply the director with a certified abstract regarding the record of convictions for violations of motor vehicle laws of each applicant who will be required by the applicant's employment to transport individuals with mental retardation or a developmental disability or to operate the department's vehicles for any other purpose. For each abstract provided under this section, the director shall pay the amount specified in section 4509.05 of the Revised Code.
(J) The director shall provide each applicant with a copy of any report or abstract obtained about the applicant under this section.
(K)(1) The director shall inform each person, at the time of the person's initial application for employment, that the person is required to provide a set of impressions of the person's fingerprints and that a criminal records check is required to be conducted and satisfactorily completed in accordance with section 109.572 of the Revised Code if the person comes under final consideration for employment as a precondition to employment in a position.
(2) The director may employ an applicant pending receipt of reports requested under this section. The director shall terminate employment of any such applicant if it is determined from the reports that the applicant failed to inform the director that the applicant had been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any of the offenses listed or described in division (E) of this section.
(L) The director may charge an applicant a fee for costs the director incurs in obtaining reports, abstracts, or fingerprint impressions under this section. A fee charged under this division shall not exceed the amount of the fees the director pays under divisions (G) and (I) of this section. If a fee is charged under this division, the director shall notify the applicant of the amount of the fee at the time of the applicant's initial application for employment and that, unless the fee is paid, the director will not consider the applicant for employment.
(M) The director shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code to implement this section, including rules specifying circumstances under which the director may employ a person who has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to an offense listed or described in division (E) of this section but who meets standards in regard to rehabilitation set by the director.
Sec. 5123.082.  (A) The director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code:
(1) Designating positions of employment for which the director determines that certification or evidence of registration is required as a condition of employment in the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, entities that contract with the department or county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities to operate programs or provide services to persons with mental retardation and developmental disabilities, or other positions of employment in programs that serve those persons. The rules shall designate the position of investigative agent, as defined in section 5126.20 of the Revised Code, as a position for which certification is required.
(2) Establishing levels of certification or registration for each position for which certification or registration is required;
(3) Establishing for each level of each position the requirements that must be met to obtain certification or registration, including standards regarding education, specialized training, and experience. The standards shall take into account the nature and needs of persons with mental retardation or a developmental disability and the specialized techniques needed to serve them. The requirements for an investigative agent shall be the same as the certification requirements for an investigative agent under section 5126.25 of the Revised Code.
(4) Establishing renewal schedules and renewal requirements for certification and registration, including standards regarding education, specialized training, and experience. The renewal requirements for an investigative agent shall be the same as the renewal requirements for an investigative agent under section 5126.25 of the Revised Code.
(5) Establishing procedures for denial, suspension, and revocation of a certificate or evidence of registration, including appeal procedures;
(6) Establishing other requirements needed to carry out this section.
(B) The director shall issue, renew, deny, suspend, or revoke a certificate or evidence of registration in accordance with rules adopted under this section. The director shall deny, suspend, or revoke a certificate or evidence of registration if the director finds, pursuant to an adjudication conducted in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, that an applicant for or holder of a certificate or evidence of registration is guilty of intemperate, immoral, or other conduct unbecoming to the applicant's or holder's position, or is guilty of incompetence or negligence within the scope of the applicant's or holder's duties. The director shall deny or revoke a certificate or evidence of registration after the director finds, pursuant to an adjudication conducted in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, that the applicant for or holder of the certificate or evidence of registration has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any of the offenses listed or described in division (E) of section 5126.28 of the Revised Code, unless the individual meets standards for rehabilitation that the director establishes in the rules adopted under that section. Evidence supporting such allegations must be presented to the director in writing, and the director shall provide prompt notice of the allegations to the person who is the subject of the allegations. A denial, suspension, or revocation may be appealed in accordance with the procedures established in rules adopted under this section.
(C) A person holding a valid certificate or evidence of registration under this section on the effective date of any rules adopted under this section that increase the certification or registration standards shall have the period that the rules prescribe, but not less than one year after the effective date of the rules, to meet the new standards.
(D) No person shall be employed in a position for which certification or registration is required under rules adopted under this section, unless the person holds a valid certificate or evidence of registration for the position.
Sec. 5123.16.  (A) As used in sections 5123.16 to 5123.169 of the Revised Code:
(1) "Provider" means a person or government entity certified by the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities to provide supported living.
(2) "Related party" means any of the following:
(a) In the case of a provider who is an individual, any of the following:
(i) The spouse of the provider;
(ii) A parent or stepparent of the provider or provider's spouse;
(iii) A child of the provider or provider's spouse;
(iv) A sibling, half sibling, or stepsibling of the provider or provider's spouse;
(v) A grandparent of the provider or provider's spouse;
(vi) A grandchild of the provider or provider's spouse;
(vii) An employee or employer of the provider or provider's spouse.
(b) In the case of a provider that is a person other than an individual, any of the following:
(i) An employee of the person;
(ii) An officer of the provider, including the chief executive officer, president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer;
(iii) A member of the provider's board of directors or trustees;
(iv) A person owning a financial interest of five per cent or more in the provider;
(v) A corporation that has a subsidiary relationship with the provider;
(vi) A person or government entity that has control over the provider's day-to-day operation;
(vii) A person over which the provider has control of the day-to-day operation.
(c) In the case of a provider that is a government entity, any of the following:
(i) An employee of the provider;
(ii) An officer of the provider;
(iii) A member of the provider's governing board;
(iv) A government entity that has control over the provider's day-to-day operation;
(v) A person or government entity over which the provider has control of the day-to-day operation.
(B) No person or government entity may provide supported living without a valid supported living certificate issued by the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities.
(C) A county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities may provide supported living only to the extent permitted by rules adopted under section 5123.169 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 5123.166.  (A) If good cause exists as specified in division (B) of this section and determined in accordance with procedures established in rules adopted under section 5123.169 of the Revised Code, the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities may issue an adjudication order requiring that one of the following actions be taken against a person or government entity seeking or holding a supported living certificate:
(1) Refusal to issue or renew a supported living certificate;
(2) Revocation of a supported living certificate;
(3) Suspension of a supported living certificate holder's authority to do either or both of the following:
(a) Continue to provide supported living to one or more individuals from one or more counties who receive supported living from the certificate holder at the time the director takes the action;
(b) Begin to provide supported living to one or more individuals from one or more counties who do not receive supported living from the certificate holder at the time the director takes the action.
(B) The following constitute good cause for taking action under division (A) of this section against a person or government entity seeking or holding a supported living certificate:
(1) The person or government entity's failure to meet or continue to meet the applicable certification standards established in rules adopted under section 5123.169 of the Revised Code;
(2) The person or government entity violates section 5123.165 of the Revised Code;
(3) The person or government entity's failure to satisfy the requirements of section 5123.52, 5126.28, or 5126.281 of the Revised Code;
(4) Misfeasance;
(5) Malfeasance;
(6) Nonfeasance;
(7) Confirmed abuse or neglect;
(8) Financial irresponsibility;
(9) Other conduct the director determines is or would be injurious to individuals who receive or would receive supported living from the person or government entity.
(C) Except as provided in division (D) of this section, the director shall issue an adjudication order under division (A) of this section in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code.
(D)(1) The director may issue an order requiring that action specified in division (A)(3) of this section be taken before a provider is provided notice and an opportunity for a hearing if all of the following are the case:
(a) The director determines such action is warranted by the provider's failure to continue to meet the applicable certification standards;
(b) The director determines that the failure either represents a pattern of serious noncompliance or creates a substantial risk to the health or safety of an individual who receives or would receive supported living from the provider;
(c) If the order will suspend the provider's authority to continue to provide supported living to an individual who receives supported living from the provider at the time the director issues the order, both of the following are the case:
(i) The director makes the individual, or the individual's guardian, aware of the director's determination under division (D)(1)(b) of this section and the individual or guardian does not select another provider.
(ii) A county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities has filed a complaint with a probate court under section 5123.33 of the Revised Code that includes facts describing the nature of abuse or neglect that the individual has suffered due to the provider's actions that are the basis for the director making the determination under division (D)(1)(b) of this section and the probate court does not issue an order authorizing the county board to arrange services for the individual pursuant to an individualized service plan developed for the individual under section 5123.31 of the Revised Code.
(2) If the director issues an order under division (D)(1) of this section, sections 119.091 to 119.13 of the Revised Code and all of the following apply:
(a) The director shall send the provider notice of the order by registered mail, return receipt requested, not later than twenty-four hours after issuing the order and shall include in the notice the reasons for the order, the citation to the law or rule directly involved, and a statement that the provider will be afforded a hearing if the provider requests it within ten days of the time of receiving the notice.
(b) If the provider requests a hearing within the required time and the provider has provided the director the provider's current address, the director shall immediately set, and notify the provider of, the date, time, and place for the hearing.
(c) The date of the hearing shall be not later than thirty days after the director receives the provider's timely request for the hearing.
(d) The hearing shall be conducted in accordance with section 119.09 of the Revised Code, except for all of the following:
(i) The hearing shall continue uninterrupted until its close, except for weekends, legal holidays, and other interruptions the provider and director agree to.
(ii) If the director appoints a referee or examiner to conduct the hearing, the referee or examiner, not later than ten days after the date the referee or examiner receives a transcript of the testimony and evidence presented at the hearing or, if the referee or examiner does not receive the transcript or no such transcript is made, the date that the referee or examiner closes the record of the hearing, shall submit to the director a written report setting forth the referee or examiner's findings of fact and conclusions of law and a recommendation of the action the director should take.
(iii) The provider may, not later than five days after the date the director, in accordance with section 119.09 of the Revised Code, sends the provider or the provider's attorney or other representative of record a copy of the referee or examiner's report and recommendation, file with the director written objections to the report and recommendation.
(iv) The director shall approve, modify, or disapprove the referee or examiner's report and recommendation not earlier than six days, and not later than fifteen days, after the date the director, in accordance with section 119.09 of the Revised Code, sends a copy of the report and recommendation to the provider or the provider's attorney or other representative of record.
(3) The director may lift an order issued under division (D)(1) of this section even though a hearing regarding the order is occurring or pending if the director determines that the provider has taken action eliminating the good cause for issuing the order. The hearing shall proceed unless the provider withdraws the request for the hearing in a written letter to the director.
(4) The director shall lift an order issued under division (D)(1) of this section if both of the following are the case:
(a) The provider provides the director a plan of compliance the director determines is acceptable.
(b) The director determines that the provider has implemented the plan of compliance correctly.
Sec. 5123.169.  The director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall adopt rules under Chapter 119. of the Revised Code establishing all of the following:
(A) The extent to which a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities may provide supported living;
(B) The application process for obtaining a supported living certificate under section 5123.161 of the Revised Code;
(C) The certification standards a person or government entity must meet to obtain a supported living certificate to provide supported living;
(D) The certification fee for a supported living certificate, which shall be deposited into the program fee fund created under section 5123.033 of the Revised Code;
(E) The period of time a supported living certificate is valid;
(F) The process for renewing a supported living certificate under section 5123.164 of the Revised Code;
(G) The renewal fee for a supported living certificate, which shall be deposited into the program fee fund created under section 5123.033 of the Revised Code;
(H) Procedures for conducting surveys under section 5123.162 of the Revised Code;
(I) Procedures for determining whether there is good cause to take action under section 5123.166 of the Revised Code against a person or government entity seeking or holding a supported living certificate.
Sec. 5123.171.  As used in this section, "respite care" means appropriate, short-term, temporary care provided to a mentally retarded or developmentally disabled person to sustain the family structure or to meet planned or emergency needs of the family.
The department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall provide respite care services to persons with mental retardation or a developmental disability for the purpose of promoting self-sufficiency and normalization, preventing or reducing inappropriate institutional care, and furthering the unity of the family by enabling the family to meet the special needs of a mentally retarded or developmentally disabled person.
In order to be eligible for respite care services under this section, the mentally retarded or developmentally disabled person must be in need of habilitation services as defined in section 5126.01 of the Revised Code.
Respite care may be provided in a facility licensed under section 5123.19 of the Revised Code or certified as an intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded under Title XIX of the "Social Security Act," 49 Stat. 620 (1935), 42 U.S.C. 301, as amended, or certified as a respite care home under section 5126.05 of the Revised Code.
The department shall develop a system for locating vacant beds that are available for respite care and for making information on vacant beds available to users of respite care services. Facilities certified as intermediate care facilities for the mentally retarded and facilities holding contracts with the department for the provision of residential services under section 5123.18 of the Revised Code shall report vacant beds to the department but shall not be required to accept respite care clients.
The director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall adopt, and may amend or rescind, rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code for both of the following:
(A) Certification by county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities of respite care homes;
(B) Provision of respite care services authorized by this section. Rules adopted under this division shall establish all of the following:
(1) A formula for distributing funds appropriated for respite care services;
(2) Standards for supervision, training and quality control in the provision of respite care services;
(3) Eligibility criteria for emergency respite care services.
Sec. 5123.172.  (A) As used in this section:
(1) "Provider" means any person or government agency that owns, operates, manages, or is employed or under contract to operate a residential facility licensed under section 5123.19 of the Revised Code.
(2) "Related to a provider" means that a person or government agency is affiliated with a provider, has control over the provider or is controlled by the provider, or is a member of the provider's family.
(3) "Member of the provider's family" means the provider's spouse, natural or adoptive parent, stepparent, natural or adoptive child, stepchild, sibling, stepsister, stepbrother, half-brother, half-sister, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, grandparent, or grandchild.
(B) Prior to entering into a contract with the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities under section 5123.18 of the Revised Code and as required thereafter, every provider holding or negotiating a contract with the department shall report upon the request of the department, in the form and on the schedule established in rules adopted by the department in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, the following information:
(1) The name and address of every person holding a financial interest of five per cent or more in the management or operation of the residential facility;
(2) The names and addresses of members of the board of trustees or directors of the residential facility or of the management contractor;
(3) Every contract or business transaction between the provider and any person or government agency related to the provider if such contract or transaction would affect rates of payment under section 5123.18 of the Revised Code.
(C) The department shall make reports filed under division (B) of this section available to the appropriate county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities and any other appropriate public agencies.
(D) Any provider who fails to comply with reporting requirements of this section shall be subject to a civil penalty not to exceed one thousand dollars for each violation and to possible license revocation.
Sec. 5123.18.  (A) As used in this section:
(1) "Contractor" means a person or government agency that enters into a contract with the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities under this section.
(2) "Government agency" means a state agency as defined in section 117.01 of the Revised Code or a similar agency of a political subdivision of the state.
(3) "Residential services" means the services necessary for an individual with mental retardation or a developmental disability to live in the community, including room and board, clothing, transportation, personal care, habilitation, supervision, and any other services the department considers necessary for the individual to live in the community.
(B)(1) The department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities may enter into a contract with a person or government agency to provide residential services to individuals with mental retardation or developmental disabilities in need of residential services. Contracts for residential services shall be of the following types:
(a) Companion home contracts - contracts under which the contractor is an individual, the individual is the primary caregiver, and the individual owns or leases and resides in the home in which the services are provided.
(b) Agency-operated companion home contracts - contracts under which the contractor subcontracts, for purposes of coordinating the provision of residential services, with one or more individuals who are primary caregivers and own or lease and reside in the homes in which the services are provided.
(c) Community home contracts - contracts for residential services under which the contractor owns or operates a home that is used solely to provide residential services.
(d) Combined agency-operated companion home and community home contracts.
(2) A companion home contract shall cover not more than one home. An agency-operated companion home contract or a community home contract may cover more than one home.
(C) Contracts shall be in writing and shall provide for payment to be made to the contractor at the times agreed to by the department and the contractor. Each contract shall specify the period during which it is valid, the amount to be paid for residential services, and the number of individuals for whom payment will be made. Contracts may be renewed.
(D) To be eligible to enter into a contract with the department under this section, the person or government agency and the home in which the residential services are provided must meet all applicable standards for licensing or certification by the appropriate government agency. In addition, if the residential facility is operated as a nonprofit entity, the members of the board of trustees or board of directors of the facility must not have a financial interest in or receive financial benefit from the facility, other than reimbursement for actual expenses incurred in attending board meetings.
(E)(1) The department shall determine the payment amount assigned to an initial contract. To the extent that the department determines sufficient funds are available, the payment amount assigned to an initial contract shall be equal to the average amount assigned to contracts for other homes that are of the same type and size and serve individuals with similar needs, except that if an initial contract is the result of a change of contractor or ownership, the payment amount assigned to the contract shall be the lesser of the amount assigned to the previous contract or the contract's total adjusted predicted funding need calculated under division (I) of this section.
(2) A renewed contract shall be assigned a payment amount in accordance with division (K) of this section.
(3) When a contractor relocates a home to another site at which residential services are provided to the same individuals, the payment amount assigned to the contract for the new home shall be the payment amount assigned to the contract at the previous location.
(F)(1) Annually, a contractor shall complete an assessment of each individual to whom the contractor provides residential services to predict the individual's need for routine direct services staff. The department shall establish by rule adopted in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code the assessment instrument to be used by contractors to make assessments. Assessments shall be submitted to the department not later than the thirty-first day of January of each year.
A contractor shall submit a revised assessment for an individual if there is a substantial, long-term change in the nature of the individual's needs. A contractor shall submit revised assessments for all individuals receiving residential services if there is a change in the composition of the home's residents.
(2) Annually, a contractor shall submit a cost report to the department specifying the costs incurred in providing residential services during the immediately preceding calendar year. Only costs actually incurred by a contractor shall be reported on a cost report. Cost reports shall be prepared according to a uniform chart of accounts approved by the department and shall be submitted on forms prescribed by the department.
(3) The department shall not renew the contract held by a contractor who fails to submit the assessments or cost reports required under this division.
(4) The department shall adopt rules as necessary regarding the submission of assessments and cost reports under this division. The rules shall be adopted in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code.
(G) Prior to renewing a contract entered into under this section, the department shall compute the contract's total predicted funding need and total adjusted predicted funding need. The department shall also compute the contract's unmet funding need if the payment amount assigned to the contract is less than the total adjusted predicted funding need. The results of these calculations shall be used to determine the payment amount assigned to the renewed contract.
(H)(1) A contract's total predicted funding need is an amount equal to the sum of the predicted funding needs for the following cost categories:
(a) Routine direct services staff;
(b) Dietary, program supplies, and specialized staff;
(c) Facility and general services;
(d) Administration.
(2) Based on the assessments submitted by the contractor, the department shall compute the contract's predicted funding need for the routine direct services staff cost category by multiplying the number of direct services staff predicted to be necessary for the home by the sum of the following:
(a) Entry level wages paid during the immediately preceding cost reporting period to comparable staff employed by the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities of the county in which the home is located;
(b) Fringe benefits and payroll taxes as determined by the department using state civil service statistics from the same period as the cost reporting period.
(3) The department shall establish by rule adopted in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code the method to be used to compute the predicted funding need for the dietary, program supplies, and specialized staff cost category; the facility and general services cost category; and the administration cost category. The rules shall not establish a maximum amount that may be attributed to the dietary, program supplies, and specialized staff cost category. The rules shall establish a process for determining the combined maximum amount that may be attributed to the facility and general services cost category and the administration cost category.
(I)(1) A contract's total adjusted predicted funding need is the contract's total predicted funding need with adjustments made for the following:
(a) Inflation, as provided under division (I)(2) of this section;
(b) The predicted cost of complying with new requirements established under federal or state law that were not taken into consideration when the total predicted funding need was computed;
(c) Changes in needs based on revised assessments submitted by the contractor.
(2) In adjusting the total predicted funding need for inflation, the department shall use either the consumer price index compound annual inflation rate calculated by the United States department of labor for all items or another index or measurement of inflation designated in rules that the department shall adopt in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code.
When a contract is being renewed for the first time, and the contract is to begin on the first day of July, the inflation adjustment applied to the contract's total predicted funding need shall be the estimated rate of inflation for the calendar year in which the contract is renewed. If the consumer price index is being used, the department shall base its estimate on the rate of inflation calculated for the three-month period ending the thirty-first day of March of that calendar year. If another index or measurement is being used, the department shall base its estimate on the most recent calculations of the rate of inflation available under the index or measurement. Each year thereafter, the inflation adjustment shall be estimated in the same manner, except that if the estimated rate of inflation for a year is different from the actual rate of inflation for that year, the difference shall be added to or subtracted from the rate of inflation estimated for the next succeeding year.
If a contract begins at any time other than July first, the inflation adjustment applied to the contract's total predicted funding need shall be determined by a method comparable to that used for contracts beginning July first. The department shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code establishing the method to be used.
(J) A contract's unmet funding need is the difference between the payment amount assigned to the contract and the total adjusted predicted funding need, if the payment amount assigned is less than the total adjusted predicted funding need.
(K) The payment amount to be assigned to a contract being renewed shall be determined by comparing the total adjusted predicted funding need with the payment amount assigned to the current contract.
(1) If the payment amount assigned to the current contract equals or exceeds the total adjusted predicted funding need, the payment amount assigned to the renewed contract shall be the same as that assigned to the current contract, unless a reduction is made pursuant to division (L) of this section.
(2) If the payment amount assigned to the current contract is less than the total adjusted predicted funding need, the payment amount assigned to the renewed contract shall be increased if the department determines that funds are available for such increases. The amount of a contract's increase shall be the same percentage of the available funds that the contract's unmet funding need is of the total of the unmet funding need for all contracts.
(L) When renewing a contract provided for in division (B) of this section other than a companion home contract, the department may reduce the payment amount assigned to a renewed contract if the sum of the contractor's allowable reported costs and the maximum efficiency incentive is less than ninety-one and one-half per cent of the amount received pursuant to this section during the immediately preceding contract year.
The department shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code establishing a formula to be used in computing the maximum efficiency incentive, which shall be at least four per cent of the weighted average payment amount to be made to all contractors during the contract year. The maximum efficiency incentive shall be computed annually.
(M) The department may increase the payment amount assigned to a contract based on the contract's unmet funding need at times other than when the contract is renewed. The department may develop policies for determining priorities in making such increases.
(N)(1) In addition to the contracts provided for in division (B) of this section, the department may enter into the following contracts:
(a) A contract to pay the cost of beginning operation of a new home that is to be funded under a companion home contract, agency-operated companion home contract, community home contract, or combined agency-operated companion home and community home contract.
(b) A contract to pay the cost associated with increasing the number of individuals served by a home funded under a companion home contract, agency-operated companion home contract, community home contract, or combined agency-operated companion home and community home contract.
(2) The department shall adopt rules as necessary regarding contracts entered into under this division. The rules shall be adopted in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code.
(O) Except for companion home contracts, the department shall conduct a reconciliation of the amount earned under a contract and the actual costs incurred by the contractor. An amount is considered to have been earned for delivering a service at the time the service is delivered. The department shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code establishing procedures for conducting reconciliations.
A reconciliation shall be based on the annual cost report submitted by the contractor. If a reconciliation reveals that a contractor owes money to the state, the amount owed shall be collected in accordance with section 5123.051 of the Revised Code.
When conducting reconciliations, the department shall review all reported costs that may be affected by transactions required to be reported under division (B)(3) of section 5123.172 of the Revised Code. If the department determines that such transactions have increased the cost reported by a contractor, the department may disallow or adjust the cost allowable for payment. The department shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code establishing standards for disallowances or adjustments.
(P) The department may audit the contracts it enters into under this section. Audits may be conducted by the department or an entity with which the department contracts to perform the audits. The department shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code establishing procedures for conducting audits.
An audit may include the examination of a contractor's financial books and records, the costs incurred by a contractor in providing residential services, and any other relevant information specified by the department. An audit shall not be commenced more than four years after the expiration of the contract to be audited, except in cases where the department has reasonable cause to believe that a contractor has committed fraud.
If an audit reveals that a contractor owes money to the state, the amount owed, subject to an adjudication hearing under this division, shall be collected in accordance with section 5123.051 of the Revised Code. If an audit reveals that a reconciliation conducted under this section resulted in the contractor erroneously paying money to the state, the department shall refund the money to the contractor, or, in lieu of making a refund, the department may offset the erroneous payment against any money determined as a result of the audit to be owed by the contractor to the state. The department is not required to pay interest on any money refunded under this division.
In conducting audits or making determinations of amounts owed by a contractor and amounts to be refunded or offset, the department shall not be bound by the results of reconciliations conducted under this section, except with regard to cases involving claims that have been certified pursuant to section 5123.051 of the Revised Code to the attorney general for collection for which a full and final settlement has been reached or a final judgment has been made from which all rights of appeal have expired or been exhausted.
Not later than ninety days after an audit's completion, the department shall provide the contractor a copy of a report of the audit. The report shall state the findings of the audit, including the amount of any money the contractor is determined to owe the state.
(Q) The department shall adopt rules specifying the amount that will be allowed under a reconciliation or audit for the cost incurred by a contractor for compensation of owners, administrators, and other personnel. The rules shall be adopted in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code.
(R) Each contractor shall, for at least seven years, maintain fiscal records related to payments received pursuant to this section.
(S) The department may enter into shared funding agreements with other government agencies to fund contracts entered into under this section. The amount of each agency's share of the cost shall be determined through negotiations with the department. The department's share shall not exceed the amount it would have paid without entering into the shared funding agreement, nor shall it be reduced by any amounts contributed by the other parties to the agreement.
(T) Except as provided in section 5123.194 of the Revised Code, an individual who receives residential services pursuant to divisions (A) through (U) of this section and the individual's liable relatives or guardians shall pay support charges in accordance with Chapter 5121. of the Revised Code.
(U) The department may make reimbursements or payments for any of the following pursuant to rules adopted under this division:
(1) Unanticipated, nonrecurring costs associated with the health or habilitation of a person who resides in a home funded under a contract provided for in division (B) of this section;
(2) The cost of staff development training for contractors if the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities has given prior approval for the training;
(3) Fixed costs that the department, pursuant to the rules, determines relate to the continued operation of a home funded under a contract provided for in division (B) of this section when a short term vacancy occurs and the contractor has diligently attempted to fill the vacancy.
The department shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code establishing standards for use in determining which costs it may make payment or reimbursements for under this division.
(V) In addition to the rules required or authorized to be adopted under this section, the department may adopt any other rules necessary to implement divisions (A) through (U) of this section. The rules shall be adopted in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code.
(W) The department may delegate to county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities its authority under this section to negotiate and enter into contracts or subcontracts for residential services. In the event that it elects to delegate its authority, the department shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code for the boards' administration of the contracts or subcontracts. In administering the contracts or subcontracts, the boards shall be subject to all applicable provisions of Chapter 5126. of the Revised Code and shall not be subject to the provisions of divisions (A) to (V) of this section.
Subject to the department's rules, a board may require the following to contribute to the cost of the residential services an individual receives pursuant to this division: the individual or the individual's estate, the individual's spouse, the individual's guardian, and, if the individual is under age eighteen, either or both of the individual's parents. Chapter 5121. of the Revised Code shall not apply to individuals or entities that are subject to making contributions under this division. In calculating contributions to be made under this division, a board, subject to the department's rules, may allow an amount to be kept for meeting the personal needs of the individual who receives residential services.
Sec. 5123.19.  (A) As used in this section and in sections 5123.191, 5123.194, 5123.196, 5123.198, and 5123.20 of the Revised Code:
(1)(a) "Residential facility" means a home or facility in which a mentally retarded or developmentally disabled person resides, except the home of a relative or legal guardian in which a mentally retarded or developmentally disabled person resides, a respite care home certified under section 5126.05 of the Revised Code, a county home or district home operated pursuant to Chapter 5155. of the Revised Code, or a dwelling in which the only mentally retarded or developmentally disabled residents are in an independent living arrangement or are being provided supported living.
(b) "Intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded" means a residential facility that is considered an intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded for the purposes of Chapter 5111. of the Revised Code.
(2) "Political subdivision" means a municipal corporation, county, or township.
(3) "Independent living arrangement" means an arrangement in which a mentally retarded or developmentally disabled person resides in an individualized setting chosen by the person or the person's guardian, which is not dedicated principally to the provision of residential services for mentally retarded or developmentally disabled persons, and for which no financial support is received for rendering such service from any governmental agency by a provider of residential services.
(4) "Licensee" means the person or government agency that has applied for a license to operate a residential facility and to which the license was issued under this section.
(5) "Related party" has the same meaning as in section 5123.16 of the Revised Code except that "provider" as used in the definition of "related party" means a person or government entity that held or applied for a license to operate a residential facility, rather than a person or government entity certified to provide supported living.
(B) Every person or government agency desiring to operate a residential facility shall apply for licensure of the facility to the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities unless the residential facility is subject to section 3721.02, 3722.04, 5103.03, or 5119.20 of the Revised Code. Notwithstanding Chapter 3721. of the Revised Code, a nursing home that is certified as an intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded under Title XIX of the "Social Security Act," 79 Stat. 286 (1965), 42 U.S.C.A. 1396, as amended, shall apply for licensure of the portion of the home that is certified as an intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded.
(C) Subject to section 5123.196 of the Revised Code, the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall license the operation of residential facilities. An initial license shall be issued for a period that does not exceed one year, unless the director denies the license under division (D) of this section. A license shall be renewed for a period that does not exceed three years, unless the director refuses to renew the license under division (D) of this section. The director, when issuing or renewing a license, shall specify the period for which the license is being issued or renewed. A license remains valid for the length of the licensing period specified by the director, unless the license is terminated, revoked, or voluntarily surrendered.
(D) If it is determined that an applicant or licensee is not in compliance with a provision of this chapter that applies to residential facilities or the rules adopted under such a provision, the director may deny issuance of a license, refuse to renew a license, terminate a license, revoke a license, issue an order for the suspension of admissions to a facility, issue an order for the placement of a monitor at a facility, issue an order for the immediate removal of residents, or take any other action the director considers necessary consistent with the director's authority under this chapter regarding residential facilities. In the director's selection and administration of the sanction to be imposed, all of the following apply:
(1) The director may deny, refuse to renew, or revoke a license, if the director determines that the applicant or licensee has demonstrated a pattern of serious noncompliance or that a violation creates a substantial risk to the health and safety of residents of a residential facility.
(2) The director may terminate a license if more than twelve consecutive months have elapsed since the residential facility was last occupied by a resident or a notice required by division (K) of this section is not given.
(3) The director may issue an order for the suspension of admissions to a facility for any violation that may result in sanctions under division (D)(1) of this section and for any other violation specified in rules adopted under division (H)(2) of this section. If the suspension of admissions is imposed for a violation that may result in sanctions under division (D)(1) of this section, the director may impose the suspension before providing an opportunity for an adjudication under Chapter 119. of the Revised Code. The director shall lift an order for the suspension of admissions when the director determines that the violation that formed the basis for the order has been corrected.
(4) The director may order the placement of a monitor at a residential facility for any violation specified in rules adopted under division (H)(2) of this section. The director shall lift the order when the director determines that the violation that formed the basis for the order has been corrected.
(5) If the director determines that two or more residential facilities owned or operated by the same person or government entity are not being operated in compliance with a provision of this chapter that applies to residential facilities or the rules adopted under such a provision, and the director's findings are based on the same or a substantially similar action, practice, circumstance, or incident that creates a substantial risk to the health and safety of the residents, the director shall conduct a survey as soon as practicable at each residential facility owned or operated by that person or government entity. The director may take any action authorized by this section with respect to any facility found to be operating in violation of a provision of this chapter that applies to residential facilities or the rules adopted under such a provision.
(6) When the director initiates license revocation proceedings, no opportunity for submitting a plan of correction shall be given. The director shall notify the licensee by letter of the initiation of the proceedings. The letter shall list the deficiencies of the residential facility and inform the licensee that no plan of correction will be accepted. The director shall also send a copy of the letter to the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities. The county board shall send a copy of the letter to each of the following:
(a) Each resident who receives services from the licensee;
(b) The guardian of each resident who receives services from the licensee if the resident has a guardian;
(c) The parent or guardian of each resident who receives services from the licensee if the resident is a minor.
(7) Pursuant to rules which shall be adopted in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, the director may order the immediate removal of residents from a residential facility whenever conditions at the facility present an immediate danger of physical or psychological harm to the residents.
(8) In determining whether a residential facility is being operated in compliance with a provision of this chapter that applies to residential facilities or the rules adopted under such a provision, or whether conditions at a residential facility present an immediate danger of physical or psychological harm to the residents, the director may rely on information obtained by a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities or other governmental agencies.
(9) In proceedings initiated to deny, refuse to renew, or revoke licenses, the director may deny, refuse to renew, or revoke a license regardless of whether some or all of the deficiencies that prompted the proceedings have been corrected at the time of the hearing.
(E) The director shall establish a program under which public notification may be made when the director has initiated license revocation proceedings or has issued an order for the suspension of admissions, placement of a monitor, or removal of residents. The director shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code to implement this division. The rules shall establish the procedures by which the public notification will be made and specify the circumstances for which the notification must be made. The rules shall require that public notification be made if the director has taken action against the facility in the eighteen-month period immediately preceding the director's latest action against the facility and the latest action is being taken for the same or a substantially similar violation of a provision of this chapter that applies to residential facilities or the rules adopted under such a provision. The rules shall specify a method for removing or amending the public notification if the director's action is found to have been unjustified or the violation at the residential facility has been corrected.
(F)(1) Except as provided in division (F)(2) of this section, appeals from proceedings initiated to impose a sanction under division (D) of this section shall be conducted in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code.
(2) Appeals from proceedings initiated to order the suspension of admissions to a facility shall be conducted in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, unless the order was issued before providing an opportunity for an adjudication, in which case all of the following apply:
(a) The licensee may request a hearing not later than ten days after receiving the notice specified in section 119.07 of the Revised Code.
(b) If a timely request for a hearing that includes the licensee's current address is made, the hearing shall commence not later than thirty days after the department receives the request.
(c) After commencing, the hearing shall continue uninterrupted, except for Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays, unless other interruptions are agreed to by the licensee and the director.
(d) If the hearing is conducted by a hearing examiner, the hearing examiner shall file a report and recommendations not later than ten days after the last of the following:
(i) The close of the hearing;
(ii) If a transcript of the proceedings is ordered, the hearing examiner receives the transcript;
(iii) If post-hearing briefs are timely filed, the hearing examiner receives the briefs.
(e) A copy of the written report and recommendation of the hearing examiner shall be sent, by certified mail, to the licensee and the licensee's attorney, if applicable, not later than five days after the report is filed.
(f) Not later than five days after the hearing examiner files the report and recommendations, the licensee may file objections to the report and recommendations.
(g) Not later than fifteen days after the hearing examiner files the report and recommendations, the director shall issue an order approving, modifying, or disapproving the report and recommendations.
(h) Notwithstanding the pendency of the hearing, the director shall lift the order for the suspension of admissions when the director determines that the violation that formed the basis for the order has been corrected.
(G) Neither a person or government agency whose application for a license to operate a residential facility is denied nor a related party of the person or government agency may apply for a license to operate a residential facility before the date that is one year after the date of the denial. Neither a licensee whose residential facility license is revoked nor a related party of the licensee may apply for a residential facility license before the date that is five years after the date of the revocation.
(H) In accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, the director shall adopt and may amend and rescind rules for licensing and regulating the operation of residential facilities, including intermediate care facilities for the mentally retarded. The rules for intermediate care facilities for the mentally retarded may differ from those for other residential facilities. The rules shall establish and specify the following:
(1) Procedures and criteria for issuing and renewing licenses, including procedures and criteria for determining the length of the licensing period that the director must specify for each license when it is issued or renewed;
(2) Procedures and criteria for denying, refusing to renew, terminating, and revoking licenses and for ordering the suspension of admissions to a facility, placement of a monitor at a facility, and the immediate removal of residents from a facility;
(3) Fees for issuing and renewing licenses, which shall be deposited into the program fee fund created under section 5123.033 of the Revised Code;
(4) Procedures for surveying residential facilities;
(5) Requirements for the training of residential facility personnel;
(6) Classifications for the various types of residential facilities;
(7) Certification procedures for licensees and management contractors that the director determines are necessary to ensure that they have the skills and qualifications to properly operate or manage residential facilities;
(8) The maximum number of persons who may be served in a particular type of residential facility;
(9) Uniform procedures for admission of persons to and transfers and discharges of persons from residential facilities;
(10) Other standards for the operation of residential facilities and the services provided at residential facilities;
(11) Procedures for waiving any provision of any rule adopted under this section.
(I) Before issuing a license, the director of the department or the director's designee shall conduct a survey of the residential facility for which application is made. The director or the director's designee shall conduct a survey of each licensed residential facility at least once during the period the license is valid and may conduct additional inspections as needed. A survey includes but is not limited to an on-site examination and evaluation of the residential facility, its personnel, and the services provided there.
In conducting surveys, the director or the director's designee shall be given access to the residential facility; all records, accounts, and any other documents related to the operation of the facility; the licensee; the residents of the facility; and all persons acting on behalf of, under the control of, or in connection with the licensee. The licensee and all persons on behalf of, under the control of, or in connection with the licensee shall cooperate with the director or the director's designee in conducting the survey.
Following each survey, unless the director initiates a license revocation proceeding, the director or the director's designee shall provide the licensee with a report listing any deficiencies, specifying a timetable within which the licensee shall submit a plan of correction describing how the deficiencies will be corrected, and, when appropriate, specifying a timetable within which the licensee must correct the deficiencies. After a plan of correction is submitted, the director or the director's designee shall approve or disapprove the plan. A copy of the report and any approved plan of correction shall be provided to any person who requests it.
The director shall initiate disciplinary action against any department employee who notifies or causes the notification to any unauthorized person of an unannounced survey of a residential facility by an authorized representative of the department.
(J) In addition to any other information which may be required of applicants for a license pursuant to this section, the director shall require each applicant to provide a copy of an approved plan for a proposed residential facility pursuant to section 5123.042 of the Revised Code. This division does not apply to renewal of a license.
(K) A licensee shall notify the owner of the building in which the licensee's residential facility is located of any significant change in the identity of the licensee or management contractor before the effective date of the change if the licensee is not the owner of the building.
Pursuant to rules which shall be adopted in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, the director may require notification to the department of any significant change in the ownership of a residential facility or in the identity of the licensee or management contractor. If the director determines that a significant change of ownership is proposed, the director shall consider the proposed change to be an application for development by a new operator pursuant to section 5123.042 of the Revised Code and shall advise the applicant within sixty days of the notification that the current license shall continue in effect or a new license will be required pursuant to this section. If the director requires a new license, the director shall permit the facility to continue to operate under the current license until the new license is issued, unless the current license is revoked, refused to be renewed, or terminated in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code.
(L) A county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, the legal rights service, and any interested person may file complaints alleging violations of statute or department rule relating to residential facilities with the department. All complaints shall be in writing and shall state the facts constituting the basis of the allegation. The department shall not reveal the source of any complaint unless the complainant agrees in writing to waive the right to confidentiality or until so ordered by a court of competent jurisdiction.
The department shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code establishing procedures for the receipt, referral, investigation, and disposition of complaints filed with the department under this division.
(M) The department shall establish procedures for the notification of interested parties of the transfer or interim care of residents from residential facilities that are closing or are losing their license.
(N) Before issuing a license under this section to a residential facility that will accommodate at any time more than one mentally retarded or developmentally disabled individual, the director shall, by first class mail, notify the following:
(1) If the facility will be located in a municipal corporation, the clerk of the legislative authority of the municipal corporation;
(2) If the facility will be located in unincorporated territory, the clerk of the appropriate board of county commissioners and the fiscal officer of the appropriate board of township trustees.
The director shall not issue the license for ten days after mailing the notice, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays, in order to give the notified local officials time in which to comment on the proposed issuance.
Any legislative authority of a municipal corporation, board of county commissioners, or board of township trustees that receives notice under this division of the proposed issuance of a license for a residential facility may comment on it in writing to the director within ten days after the director mailed the notice, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays. If the director receives written comments from any notified officials within the specified time, the director shall make written findings concerning the comments and the director's decision on the issuance of the license. If the director does not receive written comments from any notified local officials within the specified time, the director shall continue the process for issuance of the license.
(O) Any person may operate a licensed residential facility that provides room and board, personal care, habilitation services, and supervision in a family setting for at least six but not more than eight persons with mental retardation or a developmental disability as a permitted use in any residential district or zone, including any single-family residential district or zone, of any political subdivision. These residential facilities may be required to comply with area, height, yard, and architectural compatibility requirements that are uniformly imposed upon all single-family residences within the district or zone.
(P) Any person may operate a licensed residential facility that provides room and board, personal care, habilitation services, and supervision in a family setting for at least nine but not more than sixteen persons with mental retardation or a developmental disability as a permitted use in any multiple-family residential district or zone of any political subdivision, except that a political subdivision that has enacted a zoning ordinance or resolution establishing planned unit development districts may exclude these residential facilities from those districts, and a political subdivision that has enacted a zoning ordinance or resolution may regulate these residential facilities in multiple-family residential districts or zones as a conditionally permitted use or special exception, in either case, under reasonable and specific standards and conditions set out in the zoning ordinance or resolution to:
(1) Require the architectural design and site layout of the residential facility and the location, nature, and height of any walls, screens, and fences to be compatible with adjoining land uses and the residential character of the neighborhood;
(2) Require compliance with yard, parking, and sign regulation;
(3) Limit excessive concentration of these residential facilities.
(Q) This section does not prohibit a political subdivision from applying to residential facilities nondiscriminatory regulations requiring compliance with health, fire, and safety regulations and building standards and regulations.
(R) Divisions (O) and (P) of this section are not applicable to municipal corporations that had in effect on June 15, 1977, an ordinance specifically permitting in residential zones licensed residential facilities by means of permitted uses, conditional uses, or special exception, so long as such ordinance remains in effect without any substantive modification.
(S)(1) The director may issue an interim license to operate a residential facility to an applicant for a license under this section if either of the following is the case:
(a) The director determines that an emergency exists requiring immediate placement of persons in a residential facility, that insufficient licensed beds are available, and that the residential facility is likely to receive a permanent license under this section within thirty days after issuance of the interim license.
(b) The director determines that the issuance of an interim license is necessary to meet a temporary need for a residential facility.
(2) To be eligible to receive an interim license, an applicant must meet the same criteria that must be met to receive a permanent license under this section, except for any differing procedures and time frames that may apply to issuance of a permanent license.
(3) An interim license shall be valid for thirty days and may be renewed by the director for a period not to exceed one hundred fifty days.
(4) The director shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code as the director considers necessary to administer the issuance of interim licenses.
(T) Notwithstanding rules adopted pursuant to this section establishing the maximum number of persons who may be served in a particular type of residential facility, a residential facility shall be permitted to serve the same number of persons being served by the facility on the effective date of the rules or the number of persons for which the facility is authorized pursuant to a current application for a certificate of need with a letter of support from the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities and which is in the review process prior to April 4, 1986.
(U) The director or the director's designee may enter at any time, for purposes of investigation, any home, facility, or other structure that has been reported to the director or that the director has reasonable cause to believe is being operated as a residential facility without a license issued under this section.
The director may petition the court of common pleas of the county in which an unlicensed residential facility is located for an order enjoining the person or governmental agency operating the facility from continuing to operate without a license. The court may grant the injunction on a showing that the person or governmental agency named in the petition is operating a residential facility without a license. The court may grant the injunction, regardless of whether the residential facility meets the requirements for receiving a license under this section.
Sec. 5123.191.  (A) The court of common pleas or a judge thereof in the judge's county, or the probate court, may appoint a receiver to take possession of and operate a residential facility licensed by the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, in causes pending in such courts respectively, when conditions existing at the facility present a substantial risk of physical or mental harm to residents and no other remedies at law are adequate to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the residents. Conditions at the facility that may present such risk of harm include, but are not limited to, instances when any of the following occur:
(1) The residential facility is in violation of state or federal law or regulations.
(2) The facility has had its license revoked or procedures for revocation have been initiated, or the facility is closing or intends to cease operations.
(3) Arrangements for relocating residents need to be made.
(4) Insolvency of the operator, licensee, or landowner threatens the operation of the facility.
(5) The facility or operator has demonstrated a pattern and practice of repeated violations of state or federal laws or regulations.
(B) A court in which a petition is filed pursuant to this section shall notify the person holding the license for the facility and the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities of the filing. The court shall order the department to notify the legal rights service, facility owner, facility operator, county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, facility residents, and residents' parents and guardians of the filing of the petition.
The court shall provide a hearing on the petition within five court days of the time it was filed, except that the court may appoint a receiver prior to that time if it determines that the circumstances necessitate such action. Following a hearing on the petition, and upon a determination that the appointment of a receiver is warranted, the court shall appoint a receiver and notify the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities and appropriate persons of this action.
(C) A residential facility for which a receiver has been named is deemed to be in compliance with section 5123.19 and Chapter 3721. of the Revised Code for the duration of the receivership.
(D) When the operating revenue of a residential facility in receivership is insufficient to meet its operating expenses, including the cost of bringing the facility into compliance with state or federal laws or regulations, the court may order the state to provide necessary funding, except as provided in division (K) of this section. The state shall provide such funding, subject to the approval of the controlling board. The court may also order the appropriate authorities to expedite all inspections necessary for the issuance of licenses or the certification of a facility, and order a facility to be closed if it determines that reasonable efforts cannot bring the facility into substantial compliance with the law.
(E) In establishing a receivership, the court shall set forth the powers and duties of the receiver. The court may generally authorize the receiver to do all that is prudent and necessary to safely and efficiently operate the residential facility within the requirements of state and federal law, but shall require the receiver to obtain court approval prior to making any single expenditure of more than five thousand dollars to correct deficiencies in the structure or furnishings of a facility. The court shall closely review the conduct of the receiver it has appointed and shall require regular and detailed reports. The receivership shall be reviewed at least every sixty days.
(F) A receivership established pursuant to this section shall be terminated, following notification of the appropriate parties and a hearing, if the court determines either of the following:
(1) The residential facility has been closed and the former residents have been relocated to an appropriate facility.
(2) Circumstances no longer exist at the facility that present a substantial risk of physical or mental harm to residents, and there is no deficiency in the facility that is likely to create a future risk of harm.
Notwithstanding division (F)(2) of this section, the court shall not terminate a receivership for a residential facility that has previously operated under another receivership unless the responsibility for the operation of the facility is transferred to an operator approved by the court and the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities.
(G) The department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities may, upon its own initiative or at the request of an owner, operator, or resident of a residential facility, or at the request of a resident's guardian or relative, a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, or the legal rights service, petition the court to appoint a receiver to take possession of and operate a residential facility. When the department has been requested to file a petition by any of the parties listed above, it shall, within forty-eight hours of such request, either file such a petition or notify the requesting party of its decision not to file. If the department refuses to file, the requesting party may file a petition with the court requesting the appointment of a receiver to take possession of and operate a residential facility.
Petitions filed pursuant to this division shall include the following:
(1) A description of the specific conditions existing at the facility which present a substantial risk of physical or mental harm to residents;
(2) A statement of the absence of other adequate remedies at law;
(3) The number of individuals residing at the facility;
(4) A statement that the facts have been brought to the attention of the owner or licensee and that conditions have not been remedied within a reasonable period of time or that the conditions, though remedied periodically, habitually exist at the facility as a pattern or practice;
(5) The name and address of the person holding the license for the facility and the address of the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities.
The court may award to an operator appropriate costs and expenses, including reasonable attorney's fees, if it determines that a petitioner has initiated a proceeding in bad faith or merely for the purpose of harassing or embarrassing the operator.
(H) Except for the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities or a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, no party or person interested in an action shall be appointed a receiver pursuant to this section.
To assist the court in identifying persons qualified to be named as receivers, the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities or the director's designee shall maintain a list of the names of such persons. The director shall, in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, establish standards for evaluating persons desiring to be included on such a list.
(I) Before a receiver enters upon the duties of that person, the receiver must be sworn to perform the duties of receiver faithfully, and, with surety approved by the court, judge, or clerk, execute a bond to such person, and in such sum as the court or judge directs, to the effect that such receiver will faithfully discharge the duties of receiver in the action, and obey the orders of the court therein.
(J) Under the control of the appointing court, a receiver may bring and defend actions in the receiver's own name as receiver and take and keep possession of property.
The court shall authorize the receiver to do the following:
(1) Collect payment for all goods and services provided to the residents or others during the period of the receivership at the same rate as was charged by the licensee at the time the petition for receivership was filed, unless a different rate is set by the court;
(2) Honor all leases, mortgages, and secured transactions governing all buildings, goods, and fixtures of which the receiver has taken possession and continues to use, subject to the following conditions:
(a) In the case of a rental agreement, only to the extent of payments that are for the use of the property during the period of the receivership;
(b) In the case of a purchase agreement only to the extent of payments that come due during the period of the receivership;
(c) If the court determines that the cost of the lease, mortgage, or secured transaction was increased by a transaction required to be reported under division (B)(3) of section 5123.172 of the Revised Code, only to the extent determined by the court to be the fair market value for use of the property during the period of the receivership.
(3) If transfer of residents is necessary, provide for the orderly transfer of residents by doing the following:
(a) Cooperating with all appropriate state and local agencies in carrying out the transfer of residents to alternative community placements;
(b) Providing for the transportation of residents' belongings and records;
(c) Helping to locate alternative placements and develop discharge plans;
(d) Preparing residents for the trauma of discharge;
(e) Permitting residents or guardians to participate in transfer or discharge planning except when an emergency exists and immediate transfer is necessary.
(4) Make periodic reports on the status of the residential program to the appropriate state agency, county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, parents, guardians, and residents;
(5) Compromise demands or claims;
(6) Generally do such acts respecting the residential facility as the court authorizes.
(K) Neither the receiver nor the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities is liable for debts incurred by the owner or operator of a residential facility for which a receiver has been appointed.
(L) The department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities may contract for the operation of a residential facility in receivership. The department shall establish the conditions of a contract. A condition may be the same as, similar to, or different from a condition established by section 5123.18 of the Revised Code and the rules adopted under that section for a contract entered into under that section. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, contracts that are necessary to carry out the powers and duties of the receiver need not be competitively bid.
(M) The department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, the department of job and family services, and the department of health shall provide technical assistance to any receiver appointed pursuant to this section.
Sec. 5123.211.  (A) As used in this section, "residential services" has the same meaning as in section 5126.01 of the Revised Code.
(B) The department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall provide or arrange provision of residential services for each person who, on or after July 1, 1989, ceases to be a resident of a state institution because of closure of the institution or a reduction in the institution's population by forty per cent or more within a period of one year. The services shall be provided in the county in which the person chooses to reside and shall consist of one of the following as determined appropriate by the department in consultation with the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities of the county in which the services are to be provided:
(1) Residential services provided pursuant to section 5123.18 of the Revised Code;
(2) Residential services for which reimbursement is made under the medical assistance program established under section 5111.01 of the Revised Code;
(3) Residential services provided in a manner or setting approved by the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities.
(C) Not less than six months prior to closing a state institution or reducing a state institution's population by forty per cent or more within a period of one year, the department shall identify those counties in which individuals leaving the institution have chosen to reside and notify the county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities in those counties of the need to develop the services specified in division (B) of this section. The notice shall specify the number of individuals requiring services who plan to reside in the county and indicate the amount of funds the department will use to provide or arrange services for those individuals.
(D) In each county in which one or more persons receive residential services pursuant to division (B) of this section, the department shall provide or arrange provision of residential services, or shall distribute moneys to the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities to provide or arrange provision of residential services, for an equal number of persons with mental retardation or developmental disabilities in that county who the county board has determined need residential services but are not receiving them.
Sec. 5123.351.  The director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, with respect to the eligibility for state reimbursement of expenses incurred by facilities and programs established and operated under Chapter 5126. of the Revised Code for persons with mental retardation or a developmental disability, shall do all of the following:
(A) Make rules that may be necessary to carry out the purposes of Chapter 5126. and sections 5123.35, 5123.351, and 5123.36 of the Revised Code;
(B) Define minimum standards for qualifications of personnel, professional services, and in-service training and educational leave programs;
(C) Review and evaluate community programs and make recommendations for needed improvements to county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities and to program directors;
(D) Withhold state reimbursement, in whole or in part, from any county or combination of counties for failure to comply with Chapter 5126. or section 5123.35 or 5123.351 of the Revised Code or rules of the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities;
(E) Withhold state funds from an agency, corporation, or association denying or rendering service on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability as defined in section 4112.01 of the Revised Code, or inability to pay;
(F) Provide consultative staff service to communities to assist in ascertaining needs and in planning and establishing programs.
Sec. 5123.36.  (A) To the extent funds are available and on application by a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities or private nonprofit agency incorporated to provide mental retardation or developmental disability services, the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities may enter into an agreement with the county board or agency to assist the county board or agency with a mental retardation or developmental disability construction project. Except as provided by division (B) of this section, the director may provide up to ninety per cent of the total project cost where circumstances warrant. The director may, where circumstances warrant, use existing facilities or other in-kind match for the local share of the communities' share of the cost.
(B) Upon the recommendation of the director, for projects of the highest priority of the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, the controlling board may authorize the director to provide more than ninety per cent of the total cost of a project under this section.
(C) A county board is eligible for funds under this section for a project bid on or after January 1, 1992, under either section 153.07 or 307.86 of the Revised Code, as long as all other applicable requirements were followed.
(D) A private nonprofit agency that receives funds pursuant to this section for the construction of a single-family home, including, where appropriate, the acquisition and installation of a single-family home fabricated in an off-site facility, is not subject to the requirements of Chapter 153. of the Revised Code with respect to the construction project, notwithstanding any provision of that chapter to the contrary.
(E) The director may not assist a project under this section unless the controlling board or director of budget and management also approves the project pursuant to section 126.14 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 5123.37.  A county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities or private, nonprofit agency that receives state funds pursuant to an agreement with the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities under section 5123.36 of the Revised Code to acquire a facility may apply to the director for approval to sell the facility before the terms of the agreement expire for the purpose of acquiring a replacement facility to be used to provide mental retardation or developmental disability services to individuals the county board or agency serves. The application shall be made on a form the director shall prescribe. The county board or agency shall include in the application the specific purpose for which the replacement facility is to be used. The director may refuse to approve the application if the director determines that any of the following apply:
(A) The application is incomplete or indicates that the county board or agency is unable to purchase a replacement facility.
(B) The replacement facility would not be used to continue to provide mental retardation or developmental disability services that the director determines are appropriate for the individuals the county board or agency serves.
(C) The county board or agency has failed to comply with a provision of Chapter 5123. or 5126. of the Revised Code or a rule adopted by the director.
(D) Approving the application would be inconsistent with the plans and priorities of the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities.
Sec. 5123.371.  If the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities approves an application submitted under section 5123.37 of the Revised Code, the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities or private, nonprofit agency that submitted the application shall, after selling the facility for which the county board or agency received approval to sell, pay to the director the portion of the proceeds that equals the amount that the director determines the county board or agency owes the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, including the department's security interest in the facility, for the state funds used to acquire the facility.
Sec. 5123.372.  If the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities approves an application submitted under section 5123.37 of the Revised Code, the director shall establish a deadline by which the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities or private, nonprofit agency that submitted the application must notify the director that the county board or agency is ready to acquire a replacement facility to be used for the purpose stated in the application. The director may extend the deadline as many times as the director determines necessary.
Sec. 5123.373.  If, on or before the deadline or, if any, the last extended deadline established under section 5123.372 of the Revised Code for a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities or private, nonprofit agency, the county board or agency notifies the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities that the county board or agency is ready to acquire the replacement facility, the director shall enter into an agreement with the county board or agency that provides for the director to pay to the county board or agency a percentage of the cost of acquiring the replacement facility. The agreement shall specify the amount that the director shall pay. The amount may be the amount of the security interest that the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities had in the previous facility or a different amount. The agreement may provide for the department to hold a security interest in the replacement facility.
Sec. 5123.374.  (A) The director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities may rescind approval of an application submitted under section 5123.37 of the Revised Code if either of the following occurs:
(1) The county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities or private, nonprofit agency that submitted the application fails, on or before the deadline or, if any, the last extended deadline established under section 5123.372 of the Revised Code for the county board or agency, to notify the director that the county board or agency is ready to acquire the replacement facility.
(2) The county board or agency at any time notifies the director that the county board or agency no longer intends to acquire a replacement facility.
(B) If the director rescinds approval of an application, the director shall use any funds the county board or agency paid to the director under section 5123.371 of the Revised Code to assist mental retardation or developmental disabilities construction projects under section 5123.36 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 5123.375.  The MR/DD community capital replacement facilities fund is hereby created in the state treasury. The director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall credit all amounts paid to the director under section 5123.371 of the Revised Code to the fund. The director shall use the money in the fund as follows:
(A) To make payments to county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities and private, nonprofit agencies pursuant to agreements entered into under section 5123.373 of the Revised Code;
(B) To provide, pursuant to section 5123.374 of the Revised Code, assistance for mental retardation or developmental disabilities construction projects under section 5123.36 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 5123.38. (A) Except as provided in division (B) and (C) of this section, if an individual receiving supported living or home and community-based services funded by a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities is committed to a state-operated intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded pursuant to sections 5123.71 to 5123.76 of the Revised Code, the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall use the funds otherwise allocated to the county board as the nonfederal share of medicaid expenditures for the individual's care in the state-operated facility.
(B) Division (A) of this section does not apply if the county board, not later than ninety days after the date of the commitment of a person receiving supported services, commences funding of supported living for an individual who resides in a state-operated intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded on the date of the commitment or another eligible individual designated by the department.
(C) Division (A) of this section does not apply if the county board, not later than ninety days after the date of the commitment of a person receiving home and community-based services, commences funding of home and community-based services for an individual who resides in a state-operated intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded on the date of the commitment or another eligible individual designated by the department.
Sec. 5123.41.  As used in this section and sections 5123.42 to 5123.47 of the Revised Code:
(A) "Adult services" has the same meaning as in section 5126.01 of the Revised Code.
(B) "Certified supported living provider" means a person or government entity certified under section 5123.161 of the Revised Code.
(C) "Drug" has the same meaning as in section 4729.01 of the Revised Code.
(D) "Family support services" has the same meaning as in section 5126.01 of the Revised Code.
(E) "Health-related activities" means the following:
(1) Taking vital signs;
(2) Application of clean dressings that do not require health assessment;
(3) Basic measurement of bodily intake and output;
(4) Oral suctioning;
(5) Use of glucometers;
(6) External urinary catheter care;
(7) Emptying and replacing colostomy bags;
(8) Collection of specimens by noninvasive means.
(F) "Licensed health professional authorized to prescribe drugs" has the same meaning as in section 4729.01 of the Revised Code.
(G) "MR/DD personnel" means the employees and the workers under contract who provide specialized services to individuals with mental retardation and developmental disabilities. "MR/DD personnel" includes those who provide the services as follows:
(1) Through direct employment with the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities or a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities;
(2) Through an entity under contract with the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities or a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities;
(3) Through direct employment or by being under contract with private entities, including private entities that operate residential facilities.
(H) "Nursing delegation" means the process established in rules adopted by the board of nursing pursuant to Chapter 4723. of the Revised Code under which a registered nurse or licensed practical nurse acting at the direction of a registered nurse transfers the performance of a particular nursing activity or task to another person who is not otherwise authorized to perform the activity or task.
(I) "Prescribed medication" means a drug that is to be administered according to the instructions of a licensed health professional authorized to prescribe drugs.
(J) "Residential facility" means a facility licensed under section 5123.19 of the Revised Code or subject to section 5123.192 of the Revised Code.
(K) "Specialized services" has the same meaning as in section 5123.50 of the Revised Code.
(L) "Tube feeding" means the provision of nutrition to an individual through a gastrostomy tube or a jejunostomy tube.
Sec. 5123.47.  (A) As used in this section:
(1) "In-home care" means the supportive services provided within the home of an individual with mental retardation or a developmental disability who receives funding for the services through a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, including any recipient of residential services funded as home and community-based services, family support services provided under section 5126.11 of the Revised Code, or supported living provided in accordance with sections 5126.41 to 5126.47 of the Revised Code. "In-home care" includes care that is provided outside an individual's home in places incidental to the home, and while traveling to places incidental to the home, except that "in-home care" does not include care provided in the facilities of a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities or care provided in schools.
(2) "Parent" means either parent of a child, including an adoptive parent but not a foster parent.
(3) "Unlicensed in-home care worker" means an individual who provides in-home care but is not a health care professional.
(4) "Family member" means a parent, sibling, spouse, son, daughter, grandparent, aunt, uncle, cousin, or guardian of the individual with mental retardation or a developmental disability if the individual with mental retardation or developmental disabilities lives with the person and is dependent on the person to the extent that, if the supports were withdrawn, another living arrangement would have to be found.
(5) "Health care professional" means any of the following:
(a) A dentist who holds a valid license issued under Chapter 4715. of the Revised Code;
(b) A registered or licensed practical nurse who holds a valid license issued under Chapter 4723. of the Revised Code;
(c) An optometrist who holds a valid license issued under Chapter 4725. of the Revised Code;
(d) A pharmacist who holds a valid license issued under Chapter 4729. of the Revised Code;
(e) A person who holds a valid certificate issued under Chapter 4731. of the Revised Code to practice medicine and surgery, osteopathic medicine and surgery, podiatric medicine and surgery, or a limited brand of medicine;
(f) A physician assistant who holds a valid certificate issued under Chapter 4730. of the Revised Code;
(g) An occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant or a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant who holds a valid license issued under Chapter 4755. of the Revised Code;
(h) A respiratory care professional who holds a valid license issued under Chapter 4761. of the Revised Code.
(6) "Health care task" means a task that is prescribed, ordered, delegated, or otherwise directed by a health care professional acting within the scope of the professional's practice.
(B) Except as provided in division (E) of this section, a family member of an individual with mental retardation or a developmental disability may authorize an unlicensed in-home care worker to administer oral and topical prescribed medications or perform other health care tasks as part of the in-home care the worker provides to the individual, if all of the following apply:
(1) The family member is the primary supervisor of the care.
(2) The unlicensed in-home care worker has been selected by the family member or the individual receiving care and is under the direct supervision of the family member.
(3) The unlicensed in-home care worker is providing the care through an employment or other arrangement entered into directly with the family member and is not otherwise employed by or under contract with a person or government entity to provide services to individuals with mental retardation and developmental disabilities.
(C) A family member shall obtain a prescription, if applicable, and written instructions from a health care professional for the care to be provided to the individual. The family member shall authorize the unlicensed in-home care worker to provide the care by preparing a written document granting the authority. The family member shall provide the unlicensed in-home care worker with appropriate training and written instructions in accordance with the instructions obtained from the health care professional.
(D) A family member who authorizes an unlicensed in-home care worker to administer oral and topical prescribed medications or perform other health care tasks retains full responsibility for the health and safety of the individual receiving the care and for ensuring that the worker provides the care appropriately and safely. No entity that funds or monitors the provision of in-home care may be held liable for the results of the care provided under this section by an unlicensed in-home care worker, including such entities as the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities and the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities.
An unlicensed in-home care worker who is authorized under this section by a family member to provide care to an individual may not be held liable for any injury caused in providing the care, unless the worker provides the care in a manner that is not in accordance with the training and instructions received or the worker acts in a manner that constitutes wanton or reckless misconduct.
(E) A county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities may evaluate the authority granted by a family member under this section to an unlicensed in-home care worker at any time it considers necessary and shall evaluate the authority on receipt of a complaint. If the board determines that a family member has acted in a manner that is inappropriate for the health and safety of the individual receiving the care, the authorization granted by the family member to an unlicensed in-home care worker is void, and the family member may not authorize other unlicensed in-home care workers to provide the care. In making such a determination, the board shall use appropriately licensed health care professionals and shall provide the family member an opportunity to file a complaint under section 5126.06 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 5123.50.  As used in this section and sections 5123.51, 5123.52, and 5123.541 of the Revised Code:
(A) "Abuse" means all of the following:
(1) The use of physical force that can reasonably be expected to result in physical harm or serious physical harm;
(2) Sexual abuse;
(3) Verbal abuse.
(B) "Misappropriation" means depriving, defrauding, or otherwise obtaining the real or personal property of an individual by any means prohibited by the Revised Code, including violations of Chapter 2911. or 2913. of the Revised Code.
(C) "MR/DD employee" means all of the following:
(1) An employee of the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities;
(2) An employee of a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities;
(3) An employee in a position that includes providing specialized services to an individual with mental retardation or another developmental disability.
(D) "Neglect" means, when there is a duty to do so, failing to provide an individual with any treatment, care, goods, or services that are necessary to maintain the health and safety of the individual.
(E) "Physical harm" and "serious physical harm" have the same meanings as in section 2901.01 of the Revised Code.
(F) "Sexual abuse" means unlawful sexual conduct or sexual contact.
(G) "Specialized services" means any program or service designed and operated to serve primarily individuals with mental retardation or a developmental disability, including a program or service provided by an entity licensed or certified by the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities. A program or service available to the general public is not a specialized service.
(H) "Verbal abuse" means purposely using words to threaten, coerce, intimidate, harass, or humiliate an individual.
(I) "Sexual conduct," "sexual contact," and "spouse" have the same meanings as in section 2907.01 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 5123.52.  (A) The department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall establish a registry of MR/DD employees consisting of the names of MR/DD employees included in the registry pursuant to section 5123.51 of the Revised Code.
(B) Before a person or government entity hires, contracts with, or employs an individual as an MR/DD employee, the person or government entity shall inquire whether the individual is included in the registry.
(C) When it receives an inquiry regarding whether an individual is included in the registry, the department shall inform the person making the inquiry whether the individual is included in the registry.
(D)(1) Except as otherwise provided in a collective bargaining agreement entered into under Chapter 4117. of the Revised Code that is in effect on the effective date of this section November 22, 2000, no person or government entity shall hire, contract with, or employ as an MR/DD employee an individual who is included in the registry. Notwithstanding sections 4117.08 and 4117.10 of the Revised Code, no agreement entered into under Chapter 4117. of the Revised Code after the effective date of this section November 22, 2000, may contain any provision that in any way limits the effect or operation of this section.
(2) Neither the department nor any county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities may enter into a new contract or renew a contract with a person or government entity that fails to comply with division (D)(1) of this section until the department or board is satisfied that the person or government entity will comply.
(3) A person or government entity that fails to hire or retain as an MR/DD employee a person because the person is included in the registry shall not be liable in damages in a civil action brought by the employee or applicant for employment. Termination of employment pursuant to division (D)(1) of this section constitutes a discharge for just cause for the purposes of section 4141.29 of the Revised Code.
(E) Information contained in the registry is a public record for the purposes of section 149.43 of the Revised Code and is subject to inspection and copying under section 1347.08 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 5123.542.  (A) Each of the following shall annually provide a written notice to each of its MR/DD employees explaining the conduct for which an MR/DD employee may be included in the registry established under section 5123.52 of the Revised Code:
(1) The department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities;
(2) Each county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities;
(3) Each contracting entity, as defined in section 5126.281 of the Revised Code;
(4) Each owner, operator, or administrator of a residential facility, as defined in section 5123.19 of the Revised Code;
(5) Each owner, operator, or administrator of a program certified by the department to provide supported living.
(B) The notice described in division (A) of this section shall be in a form and provided in a manner prescribed by the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities. The form shall be the same for all persons and entities required to provide notice under division (A) of this section.
(C) The fact that an MR/DD employee does not receive the notice required by this section does not exempt the employee from inclusion in the registry established under section 5123.52 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 5123.60.  (A) A legal rights service is hereby created and established to protect and advocate the rights of mentally ill persons, mentally retarded persons, developmentally disabled persons, and other disabled persons who may be represented by the service pursuant to division (L) of this section; to receive and act upon complaints concerning institutional and hospital practices and conditions of institutions for mentally retarded or developmentally disabled persons and hospitals for the mentally ill; and to assure that all persons detained, hospitalized, discharged, or institutionalized, and all persons whose detention, hospitalization, discharge, or institutionalization is sought or has been sought under this chapter or Chapter 5122. of the Revised Code are fully informed of their rights and adequately represented by counsel in proceedings under this chapter or Chapter 5122. of the Revised Code and in any proceedings to secure the rights of those persons. Notwithstanding the definitions of "mentally retarded person" and "developmentally disabled person" in section 5123.01 of the Revised Code, the legal rights service shall determine who is a mentally retarded or developmentally disabled person for purposes of this section and sections 5123.601 to 5123.604 of the Revised Code.
(B)(1) In regard to those persons detained, hospitalized, or institutionalized under Chapter 5122. of the Revised Code, the legal rights service shall undertake formal representation only of those persons who are involuntarily detained, hospitalized, or institutionalized pursuant to sections 5122.10 to 5122.15 of the Revised Code, and those voluntarily detained, hospitalized, or institutionalized who are minors, who have been adjudicated incompetent, who have been detained, hospitalized, or institutionalized in a public hospital, or who have requested representation by the legal rights service.
(2) If a person referred to in division (A) of this section voluntarily requests in writing that the legal rights service terminate participation in the person's case, such involvement shall cease.
(3) Persons described in divisions (A) and (B)(1) of this section who are represented by the legal rights service are clients of the legal rights service.
(C) Any person voluntarily hospitalized or institutionalized in a public hospital under division (A) of section 5122.02 of the Revised Code, after being fully informed of the person's rights under division (A) of this section, may, by written request, waive assistance by the legal rights service if the waiver is knowingly and intelligently made, without duress or coercion.
The waiver may be rescinded at any time by the voluntary patient or resident, or by the voluntary patient's or resident's legal guardian.
(D)(1) The legal rights service commission is hereby created for the purposes of appointing an administrator of the legal rights service, advising the administrator, assisting the administrator in developing a budget, advising the administrator in establishing and annually reviewing a strategic plan, creating a procedure for filing and determination of grievances against the legal rights service, and establishing general policy guidelines, including guidelines for the commencement of litigation, for the legal rights service. The commission may adopt rules to carry these purposes into effect and may receive and act upon appeals of personnel decisions by the administrator.
(2) The commission shall consist of seven members. One member, who shall serve as chairperson, shall be appointed by the chief justice of the supreme court, three members shall be appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives, and three members shall be appointed by the president of the senate. At least two members shall have experience in the field of developmental disabilities, and at least two members shall have experience in the field of mental health. No member shall be a provider or related to a provider of services to mentally retarded, developmentally disabled, or mentally ill persons.
(3) Terms of office of the members of the commission shall be for three years, each term ending on the same day of the month of the year as did the term which it succeeds. Each member shall serve subsequent to the expiration of the member's term until a successor is appointed and qualifies, or until sixty days has elapsed, whichever occurs first. No member shall serve more than two consecutive terms.
All vacancies in the membership of the commission shall be filled in the manner prescribed for regular appointments to the commission and shall be limited to the unexpired terms.
(4) The commission shall meet at least four times each year. Members shall be reimbursed for their necessary and actual expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties.
(5) The administrator of the legal rights service shall serve at the pleasure of the commission.
The administrator shall be an attorney admitted to practice law in this state. The salary of the administrator shall be established in accordance with section 124.14 of the Revised Code.
(E) The legal rights service shall be completely independent of the department of mental health and the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities and, notwithstanding section 109.02 of the Revised Code, shall also be independent of the office of the attorney general. The administrator of the legal rights service, staff, and attorneys designated by the administrator to represent persons detained, hospitalized, or institutionalized under this chapter or Chapter 5122. of the Revised Code shall have ready access to the following:
(1) During normal business hours and at other reasonable times, all records, except records of community residential facilities and records of contract agencies of county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities and boards of alcohol, drug addiction and mental health services, relating to expenditures of state and federal funds or to the commitment, care, treatment, and habilitation of all persons represented by the legal rights service, including those who may be represented pursuant to division (L) of this section, or persons detained, hospitalized, institutionalized, or receiving services under this chapter or Chapter 340., 5119., 5122., or 5126. of the Revised Code that are records maintained by the following entities providing services for those persons: departments; institutions; hospitals; boards of alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services; county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities; and any other entity providing services to persons who may be represented by the service pursuant to division (L) of this section;
(2) Any records maintained in computerized data banks of the departments or boards or, in the case of persons who may be represented by the service pursuant to division (L) of this section, any other entity that provides services to those persons;
(3) During their normal working hours, personnel of the departments, facilities, boards, agencies, institutions, hospitals, and other service-providing entities;
(4) At any time, all persons detained, hospitalized, or institutionalized; persons receiving services under this chapter or Chapter 340., 5119., 5122., or 5126. of the Revised Code; and persons who may be represented by the service pursuant to division (L) of this section.
(5) Records of a community residential facility, a contract agency of a board of alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services, or a contract agency of a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities with one of the following consents:
(a) The consent of the person, including when the person is a minor or has been adjudicated incompetent;
(b) The consent of the person's guardian of the person, if any, or the parent if the person is a minor;
(c) No consent, if the person is unable to consent for any reason, and the guardian of the person, if any, or the parent of the minor, has refused to consent or has not responded to a request for consent and either of the following has occurred:
(i) A complaint regarding the person has been received by the legal rights service;
(ii) The legal rights service has determined that there is probable cause to believe that such person has been subjected to abuse or neglect.
(F) The administrator of the legal rights service shall do the following:
(1) Administer and organize the work of the legal rights service and establish administrative or geographic divisions as the administrator considers necessary, proper, and expedient;
(2) Adopt and promulgate rules that are not in conflict with rules adopted by the commission and prescribe duties for the efficient conduct of the business and general administration of the legal rights service;
(3) Appoint and discharge employees, and hire experts, consultants, advisors, or other professionally qualified persons as the administrator considers necessary to carry out the duties of the legal rights service;
(4) Apply for and accept grants of funds, and accept charitable gifts and bequests;
(5) Prepare and submit a budget to the general assembly for the operation of the legal rights service. At least thirty days prior to submitting the budget to the general assembly, the administrator shall provide a copy of the budget to the commission for review and comment. When submitting the budget to the general assembly, the administrator shall include a copy of any written comments returned by the commission to the administrator.
(6) Enter into contracts and make expenditures necessary for the efficient operation of the legal rights service;
(7) Annually prepare a report of activities and submit copies of the report to the governor, the chief justice of the supreme court, the president of the senate, the speaker of the house of representatives, the director of mental health, and the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, and make the report available to the public;
(8) Upon request of the commission or of the chairperson of the commission, report to the commission on specific litigation issues or activities.
(G)(1) The legal rights service may act directly or contract with other organizations or individuals for the provision of the services envisioned under this section.
(2) Whenever possible, the administrator shall attempt to facilitate the resolution of complaints through administrative channels. Subject to division (G)(3) of this section, if attempts at administrative resolution prove unsatisfactory, the administrator may pursue any legal, administrative, and other appropriate remedies or approaches that may be necessary to accomplish the purposes of this section.
(3) The administrator may not pursue a class action lawsuit under division (G)(2) of this section when attempts at administrative resolution of a complaint prove unsatisfactory under that division unless both of the following have first occurred:
(a) At least four members of the commission, by their affirmative vote, have consented to the pursuit of the class action lawsuit;
(b) At least five members of the commission are present at the meeting of the commission at which that consent is obtained.
(4) All records received or maintained by the legal rights service in connection with any investigation, representation, or other activity under this section shall be confidential and shall not be disclosed except as authorized by the person represented by the legal rights service or, subject to any privilege, a guardian of the person or parent of the minor. Subject to division (G)(5) of this section, relationships between personnel and the agents of the legal rights service and its clients shall be fiduciary relationships, and all communications shall be privileged as if between attorney and client.
(5) Any person who has been represented by the legal rights service or who has applied for and been denied representation and who files a grievance with the service concerning the representation or application may appeal the decision of the service on the grievance to the commission. The person may appeal notwithstanding any objections of the person's legal guardian. The commission may examine any records relevant to the appeal and shall maintain the confidentiality of any records that are required to be kept confidential.
(H) The legal rights service, on the order of the administrator, with the approval by an affirmative vote of at least four members of the commission, may compel by subpoena the appearance and sworn testimony of any person the administrator reasonably believes may be able to provide information or to produce any documents, books, records, papers, or other information necessary to carry out its duties. On the refusal of any person to produce or authenticate any requested documents, the legal rights service may apply to the Franklin county court of common pleas to compel the production or authentication of requested documents. If the court finds that failure to produce or authenticate any requested documents was improper, the court may hold the person in contempt as in the case of disobedience of the requirements of a subpoena issued from the court, or a refusal to testify in the court.
(I) The legal rights service may conduct public hearings.
(J) The legal rights service may request from any governmental agency any cooperation, assistance, services, or data that will enable it to perform its duties.
(K) In any malpractice action filed against the administrator of the legal rights service, a member of the staff of the legal rights service, or an attorney designated by the administrator to perform legal services under division (E) of this section, the state shall, when the administrator, member, or attorney has acted in good faith and in the scope of employment, indemnify the administrator, member, or attorney for any judgment awarded or amount negotiated in settlement, and for any court costs or legal fees incurred in defense of the claim.
This division does not limit or waive, and shall not be construed to limit or waive, any defense that is available to the legal rights service, its administrator or employees, persons under a personal services contract with it, or persons designated under division (E) of this section, including, but not limited to, any defense available under section 9.86 of the Revised Code.
(L) In addition to providing services to mentally ill, mentally retarded, or developmentally disabled persons, when a grant authorizing the provision of services to other individuals is accepted pursuant to division (F)(4) of this section, the legal rights service and its ombudsperson section may provide advocacy or ombudsperson services to those other individuals and exercise any other authority granted by this section or sections 5123.601 to 5123.604 of the Revised Code on behalf of those individuals. Determinations of whether an individual is eligible for services under this division shall be made by the legal rights service.
Sec. 5123.602.  (A) Except as provided in division (B) of this section, the ombudsperson section of the legal rights service may, in order to carry out its duties under this chapter, make necessary inquiries and obtain information it considers necessary. Upon receiving a complaint and in the course of conducting an investigation in accordance with division (B) of section 5123.601 of the Revised Code, the section shall have ready access to the premises and records of all providers of services to mentally retarded, developmentally disabled, or mentally ill persons and shall have the right to communicate in a private and confidential setting with any mentally retarded, developmentally disabled, or mentally ill persons, with their parents, guardians, or advocates, and with employees of any provider.
(B) Records held by community residential facilities, contract agencies of boards of alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services, and contract agencies of county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall only be accessible by the ombudsperson section of the legal rights service in a situation as described in division (E)(5) of section 5123.60 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 5123.61.  (A) As used in this section:
(1) "Law enforcement agency" means the state highway patrol, the police department of a municipal corporation, or a county sheriff.
(2) "Abuse" has the same meaning as in section 5123.50 of the Revised Code, except that it includes a misappropriation, as defined in that section.
(3) "Neglect" has the same meaning as in section 5123.50 of the Revised Code.
(B) The department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall establish a registry office for the purpose of maintaining reports of abuse, neglect, and other major unusual incidents made to the department under this section and reports received from county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities under section 5126.31 of the Revised Code. The department shall establish committees to review reports of abuse, neglect, and other major unusual incidents.
(C)(1) Any person listed in division (C)(2) of this section, having reason to believe that a person with mental retardation or a developmental disability has suffered or faces a substantial risk of suffering any wound, injury, disability, or condition of such a nature as to reasonably indicate abuse or neglect of that person, shall immediately report or cause reports to be made of such information to the entity specified in this division. Except as provided in section 5120.173 of the Revised Code or as otherwise provided in this division, the person making the report shall make it to a law enforcement agency or to the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities. If the report concerns a resident of a facility operated by the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities the report shall be made either to a law enforcement agency or to the department. If the report concerns any act or omission of an employee of a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, the report immediately shall be made to the department and to the county board.
(2) All of the following persons are required to make a report under division (C)(1) of this section:
(a) Any physician, including a hospital intern or resident, any dentist, podiatrist, chiropractor, practitioner of a limited branch of medicine as specified in section 4731.15 of the Revised Code, hospital administrator or employee of a hospital, nurse licensed under Chapter 4723. of the Revised Code, employee of an ambulatory health facility as defined in section 5101.61 of the Revised Code, employee of a home health agency, employee of an adult care facility licensed under Chapter 3722. of the Revised Code, or employee of a community mental health facility;
(b) Any school teacher or school authority, social worker, psychologist, attorney, peace officer, coroner, or residents' rights advocate as defined in section 3721.10 of the Revised Code;
(c) A superintendent, board member, or employee of a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities; an administrator, board member, or employee of a residential facility licensed under section 5123.19 of the Revised Code; an administrator, board member, or employee of any other public or private provider of services to a person with mental retardation or a developmental disability, or any MR/DD employee, as defined in section 5123.50 of the Revised Code;
(d) A member of a citizen's advisory council established at an institution or branch institution of the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities under section 5123.092 of the Revised Code;
(e) A clergyman who is employed in a position that includes providing specialized services to an individual with mental retardation or another developmental disability, while acting in an official or professional capacity in that position, or a person who is employed in a position that includes providing specialized services to an individual with mental retardation or another developmental disability and who, while acting in an official or professional capacity, renders spiritual treatment through prayer in accordance with the tenets of an organized religion.
(3)(a) The reporting requirements of this division do not apply to members of the legal rights service commission or to employees of the legal rights service.
(b) An attorney or physician is not required to make a report pursuant to division (C)(1) of this section concerning any communication the attorney or physician receives from a client or patient in an attorney-client or physician-patient relationship, if, in accordance with division (A) or (B) of section 2317.02 of the Revised Code, the attorney or physician could not testify with respect to that communication in a civil or criminal proceeding, except that the client or patient is deemed to have waived any testimonial privilege under division (A) or (B) of section 2317.02 of the Revised Code with respect to that communication and the attorney or physician shall make a report pursuant to division (C)(1) of this section, if both of the following apply:
(i) The client or patient, at the time of the communication, is a person with mental retardation or a developmental disability.
(ii) The attorney or physician knows or suspects, as a result of the communication or any observations made during that communication, that the client or patient has suffered or faces a substantial risk of suffering any wound, injury, disability, or condition of a nature that reasonably indicates abuse or neglect of the client or patient.
(4) Any person who fails to make a report required under division (C) of this section and who is an MR/DD employee, as defined in section 5123.50 of the Revised Code, shall be eligible to be included in the registry regarding misappropriation, abuse, neglect, or other specified misconduct by MR/DD employees established under section 5123.52 of the Revised Code.
(D) The reports required under division (C) of this section shall be made forthwith by telephone or in person and shall be followed by a written report. The reports shall contain the following:
(1) The names and addresses of the person with mental retardation or a developmental disability and the person's custodian, if known;
(2) The age of the person with mental retardation or a developmental disability;
(3) Any other information that would assist in the investigation of the report.
(E) When a physician performing services as a member of the staff of a hospital or similar institution has reason to believe that a person with mental retardation or a developmental disability has suffered injury, abuse, or physical neglect, the physician shall notify the person in charge of the institution or that person's designated delegate, who shall make the necessary reports.
(F) Any person having reasonable cause to believe that a person with mental retardation or a developmental disability has suffered or faces a substantial risk of suffering abuse or neglect may report or cause a report to be made of that belief to the entity specified in this division. Except as provided in section 5120.173 of the Revised Code or as otherwise provided in this division, the person making the report shall make it to a law enforcement agency or the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities. If the person is a resident of a facility operated by the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, the report shall be made to a law enforcement agency or to the department. If the report concerns any act or omission of an employee of a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, the report immediately shall be made to the department and to the county board.
(G)(1) Upon the receipt of a report concerning the possible abuse or neglect of a person with mental retardation or a developmental disability, the law enforcement agency shall inform the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities or, if the person is a resident of a facility operated by the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, the director of the department or the director's designee.
(2) On receipt of a report under this section that includes an allegation of action or inaction that may constitute a crime under federal law or the law of this state, the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall notify the law enforcement agency.
(3) When a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities receives a report under this section that includes an allegation of action or inaction that may constitute a crime under federal law or the law of this state, the superintendent of the board or an individual the superintendent designates under division (H) of this section shall notify the law enforcement agency. The superintendent or individual shall notify the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities when it receives any report under this section.
(4) When a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities receives a report under this section and believes that the degree of risk to the person is such that the report is an emergency, the superintendent of the board or an employee of the board the superintendent designates shall attempt a face-to-face contact with the person with mental retardation or a developmental disability who allegedly is the victim within one hour of the board's receipt of the report.
(H) The superintendent of the board may designate an individual to be responsible for notifying the law enforcement agency and the department when the county board receives a report under this section.
(I) An adult with mental retardation or a developmental disability about whom a report is made may be removed from the adult's place of residence only by law enforcement officers who consider that the adult's immediate removal is essential to protect the adult from further injury or abuse or in accordance with the order of a court made pursuant to section 5126.33 of the Revised Code.
(J) A law enforcement agency shall investigate each report of abuse or neglect it receives under this section. In addition, the department, in cooperation with law enforcement officials, shall investigate each report regarding a resident of a facility operated by the department to determine the circumstances surrounding the injury, the cause of the injury, and the person responsible. The investigation shall be in accordance with the memorandum of understanding prepared under section 5126.058 of the Revised Code. The department shall determine, with the registry office which shall be maintained by the department, whether prior reports have been made concerning an adult with mental retardation or a developmental disability or other principals in the case. If the department finds that the report involves action or inaction that may constitute a crime under federal law or the law of this state, it shall submit a report of its investigation, in writing, to the law enforcement agency. If the person with mental retardation or a developmental disability is an adult, with the consent of the adult, the department shall provide such protective services as are necessary to protect the adult. The law enforcement agency shall make a written report of its findings to the department.
If the person is an adult and is not a resident of a facility operated by the department, the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall review the report of abuse or neglect in accordance with sections 5126.30 to 5126.33 of the Revised Code and the law enforcement agency shall make the written report of its findings to the county board.
(K) Any person or any hospital, institution, school, health department, or agency participating in the making of reports pursuant to this section, any person participating as a witness in an administrative or judicial proceeding resulting from the reports, or any person or governmental entity that discharges responsibilities under sections 5126.31 to 5126.33 of the Revised Code shall be immune from any civil or criminal liability that might otherwise be incurred or imposed as a result of such actions except liability for perjury, unless the person or governmental entity has acted in bad faith or with malicious purpose.
(L) No employer or any person with the authority to do so shall discharge, demote, transfer, prepare a negative work performance evaluation, reduce pay or benefits, terminate work privileges, or take any other action detrimental to an employee or retaliate against an employee as a result of the employee's having made a report under this section. This division does not preclude an employer or person with authority from taking action with regard to an employee who has made a report under this section if there is another reasonable basis for the action.
(M) Reports made under this section are not public records as defined in section 149.43 of the Revised Code. Information contained in the reports on request shall be made available to the person who is the subject of the report, to the person's legal counsel, and to agencies authorized to receive information in the report by the department or by a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities.
(N) Notwithstanding section 4731.22 of the Revised Code, the physician-patient privilege shall not be a ground for excluding evidence regarding the injuries or physical neglect of a person with mental retardation or a developmental disability or the cause thereof in any judicial proceeding resulting from a report submitted pursuant to this section.
Sec. 5123.611.  (A) As used in this section, "MR/DD employee" means all of the following:
(1) An employee of the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities;
(2) An employee of a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities;
(3) An employee in a position that includes providing specialized services, as defined in section 5123.50 of the Revised Code, to an individual with mental retardation or a developmental disability.
(B) At the conclusion of a review of a report of abuse, neglect, or a major unusual incident that is conducted by a review committee established pursuant to section 5123.61 of the Revised Code, the committee shall issue recommendations to the department. The department shall review the committee's recommendations and issue a report of its findings. The department shall make the report available to all of the following:
(1) The individual with mental retardation or a developmental disability who is the subject of the report;
(2) That individual's guardian or legal counsel;
(3) The licensee, as defined in section 5123.19 of the Revised Code, of a residential facility in which the individual resides;
(4) The employer of any MR/DD employee who allegedly committed or was responsible for the abuse, neglect, or major unusual incident.
(C) Except as provided in this section, the department shall not disclose its report to any person or government entity that is not authorized to investigate reports of abuse, neglect, or other major unusual incidents, unless the individual with mental retardation or a developmental disability who is the subject of the report or the individual's guardian gives the department written consent.
Sec. 5123.613.  (A) When a person who is the subject of a report under section 5123.61 of the Revised Code dies, the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities or the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, whichever is applicable, shall, on written request, provide to both of the following persons the report and any records relating to the report:
(1) If the report or records are necessary to administer the estate of the person who is the subject of the report, to the executor or administrator of the person's estate;
(2) To the guardian of the person who is the subject of the report or, if the individual had no guardian at the time of death, to a person in the first applicable of the following categories:
(a) The person's spouse;
(b) The person's children;
(c) The person's parents;
(d) The person's brothers or sisters;
(e) The person's uncles or aunts;
(f) The person's closest relative by blood or adoption;
(g) The person's closest relative by marriage.
(B) The department or county board shall provide the report and related records as required by this section not later than thirty days after receipt of the request."
Sec. 5123.614. (A) Subject to division (B) of this section, on receipt of a report of a major unusual incident made pursuant to section 5123.61 or 5126.31 of the Revised Code or rules adopted under section 5123.612 of the Revised Code, the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities may do either of the following:
(1) Conduct an independent review or investigation of the incident;
(2) Request that an independent review or investigation of the incident be conducted by a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities that is not implicated in the report, a regional council of government, or any other entity authorized to conduct such investigations.
(B) If a report described in division (A) of this section concerning the health or safety of a person with mental retardation or a developmental disability involves an allegation that an employee of a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities has created a substantial risk of serious physical harm to a person with mental retardation or a developmental disability, the department shall do one of the following:
(1) Conduct an independent investigation regarding the incident;
(2) Request that an independent review or investigation of the incident be conducted by a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities that is not implicated in the report, a regional council of government, or any other entity authorized to conduct such investigations.
Sec. 5123.63.  Every state agency, county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, or political subdivision that provides services, either directly or through a contract, to persons with mental retardation or a developmental disability shall give each provider a copy of the list of rights contained in section 5123.62 of the Revised Code. Each public and private provider of services shall carry out the requirements of this section in addition to any other posting or notification requirements imposed by local, state, or federal law or rules.
The provider shall make copies of the list of rights and shall be responsible for an initial distribution of the list to each individual receiving services from the provider. If the individual is unable to read the list, the provider shall communicate the contents of the list to the individual to the extent practicable in a manner that the individual understands. The individual receiving services or the parent, guardian, or advocate of the individual shall sign an acknowledgement of receipt of a copy of the list of rights, and a copy of the signed acknowledgement shall be placed in the individual's file. The provider shall also be responsible for answering any questions and giving any explanations necessary to assist the individual to understand the rights enumerated. Instruction in these rights shall be documented.
Each provider shall make available to all persons receiving services and all employees and visitors a copy of the list of rights and the addresses and telephone numbers of the legal rights service, the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, and the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities of the county in which the provider provides services.
Sec. 5123.64.  (A) Every provider of services to persons with mental retardation or a developmental disability shall establish policies and programs to ensure that all staff members are familiar with the rights enumerated in section 5123.62 of the Revised Code and observe those rights in their contacts with persons receiving services. Any policy, procedure, or rule of the provider that conflicts with any of the rights enumerated shall be null and void. Every provider shall establish written procedures for resolving complaints of violations of those rights. A copy of the procedures shall be provided to any person receiving services or to any parent, guardian, or advocate of a person receiving services.
(B) Any person with mental retardation or a developmental disability who believes that the person's rights as enumerated in section 5123.62 of the Revised Code have been violated may:
(1) Bring the violation to the attention of the provider for resolution;
(2) Report the violation to the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, the ombudsperson section of the legal rights service, or the appropriate county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities;
(3) Take any other appropriate action to ensure compliance with sections 5123.60 to 5123.64 of the Revised Code, including the filing of a legal action to enforce rights or to recover damages for violation of rights.
Sec. 5123.71.  (A)(1) Proceedings for the involuntary institutionalization of a person pursuant to sections 5123.71 to 5123.76 of the Revised Code shall be commenced by the filing of an affidavit with the probate division of the court of common pleas of the county where the person resides or where the person is institutionalized, in the manner and form prescribed by the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities either on information or actual knowledge, whichever is determined to be proper by the court. The affidavit may be filed only by a person who has custody of the individual as a parent, guardian, or service provider or by a person acting on behalf of the department or a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities. This section does not apply regarding the institutionalization of a person pursuant to section 2945.39, 2945.40, 2945.401, or 2945.402 of the Revised Code.
The affidavit shall contain an allegation setting forth the specific category or categories under division (O) of section 5123.01 of the Revised Code upon which the commencement of proceedings is based and a statement of the factual ground for the belief that the person is a mentally retarded person subject to institutionalization by court order. Except as provided in division (A)(2) of this section, the affidavit shall be accompanied by both of the following:
(a) A comprehensive evaluation report prepared by the person's evaluation team that includes a statement by the members of the team certifying that they have performed a comprehensive evaluation of the person and that they are of the opinion that the person is a mentally retarded person subject to institutionalization by court order;
(b) An assessment report prepared by the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities under section 5123.711 of the Revised Code specifying that the individual is in need of services on an emergency or priority basis.
(2) In lieu of the comprehensive evaluation report, the affidavit may be accompanied by a written and sworn statement that the person or the guardian of a person adjudicated incompetent has refused to allow a comprehensive evaluation and county board assessment and assessment reports. Immediately after accepting an affidavit that is not accompanied by the reports of a comprehensive evaluation and county board assessment, the court shall cause a comprehensive evaluation and county board assessment of the person named in the affidavit to be performed. The evaluation shall be conducted in the least restrictive environment possible and the assessment shall be conducted in the same manner as assessments conducted under section 5123.711 of the Revised Code. The evaluation and assessment must be completed before a probable cause hearing or full hearing may be held under section 5123.75 or 5123.76 of the Revised Code.
A written report of the evaluation team's findings and the county board's assessment shall be filed with the court. The reports shall, consistent with the rules of evidence, be accepted as probative evidence in any proceeding under section 5123.75 or 5123.76 of the Revised Code. If the counsel for the person who is evaluated or assessed is known, the court shall send to the counsel a copy of the reports as soon as possible after they are filed and prior to any proceedings under section 5123.75 or 5123.76 of the Revised Code.
(B) Any person who is involuntarily detained in an institution or otherwise is in custody under this chapter shall be informed of the right to do the following:
(1) Immediately make a reasonable number of telephone calls or use other reasonable means to contact an attorney, a physician, or both, to contact any other person or persons to secure representation by counsel, or to obtain medical assistance, and be provided assistance in making calls if the assistance is needed and requested;
(2) Retain counsel and have independent expert evaluation and, if the person is an indigent person, be represented by court-appointed counsel and have independent expert evaluation at court expense;
(3) Upon request, have a hearing to determine whether there is probable cause to believe that the person is a mentally retarded person subject to institutionalization by court order.
(C) No person who is being treated by spiritual means through prayer alone in accordance with a recognized religious method of healing may be ordered detained or involuntarily committed unless the court has determined that the person represents a very substantial risk of self-impairment, self-injury, or impairment or injury to others.
Sec. 5123.711.  (A) As used in this section:
(1) "Emergency" means either of the following that creates a risk of substantial harm to an individual or others if action is not taken within thirty days:
(a) Health and safety conditions that pose a serious risk of immediate harm or death to the individual or others;
(b) Changes in the emotional or physical condition of an individual that necessitates substantial accommodation that cannot reasonably be provided by the individual's existing caretaker.
(2) "Priority" means a situation creating a risk of substantial harm to an individual or others, but for which action within thirty days is not necessary.
(3) "Resources" has the same meaning as in section 5126.01 of the Revised Code.
(B) Prior to filing an affidavit under section 5123.71 of the Revised Code for the involuntary institutionalization of an individual, a person who is eligible to file under that section and intends to do so shall request that the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities conduct an assessment of the individual's needs. Not later than thirty days after the date a request is received, the board shall complete the assessment and provide to the person a report of its findings and recommendations. The report shall be delivered by certified mail.
Within three working days after receiving a request for an assessment, the board shall notify the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities that the request has been made and that there is the potential for court-ordered institutionalization of an individual. The department may provide assistance to the board in the performance of the assessment.
(C) The board's assessment of an individual's needs shall include the following:
(1) A determination of the current needs of the individual, including an appropriate plan for services;
(2) A determination of whether the community is the least restrictive environment in which the individual may be appropriately served;
(3) A determination of whether the individual meets the conditions for assistance on an emergency or priority basis;
(4) Identification of available resources to meet the individual's needs, including service providers with the capability of appropriately meeting those needs, special ancillary services, and moneys to pay for the services necessary to meet the individual's needs within the community rather than in a state institution.
(D) If the board's assessment of an individual identifies that county resources are available to meet the individual's needs in the community, the board shall provide services to the individual or arrange for the provision of services. If county resources are not available, the board shall petition the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities for necessary resources that may be available from the department.
Sec. 5123.74.  (A) On receipt of an affidavit under section 5123.71 of the Revised Code, the probate division of the court of common pleas may, if it has probable cause to believe that the person named in the affidavit is a mentally retarded person subject to institutionalization by court order and that emergency institutionalization is required, do any of the following:
(1) Issue a temporary order of detention ordering any health or police officer or sheriff to take into custody and transport such person to an institution or other place as designated in section 5123.77 of the Revised Code;
(2) Order the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities to provide services to the individual in the community if the board's assessment of the individual conducted under section 5123.711 of the Revised Code identifies that resources are available to meet the individual's needs in an appropriate manner within the community as an alternative to institutionalization;
(3) Set the matter for further hearing.
(B) A managing officer of a nonpublic institution may, and the managing officer of a public institution shall, receive for observation, diagnosis, habilitation, and care any person whose admission is ordered pursuant to division (A)(1) of this section.
The alternatives to institutionalization that may be ordered under division (A)(2) of this section are limited to those that are necessary to remediate the emergency condition; necessary for the person's health, safety or welfare; and necessary for the protection of society, if applicable.
(C) A person detained under this section may be observed and habilitated until the probable cause hearing provided for in section 5123.75 of the Revised Code. If no probable cause hearing is requested or held, the person may be evaluated and shall be provided with habilitative services until the full hearing is held pursuant to section 5123.76 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 5126.01.  As used in this chapter:
(A) As used in this division, "adult" means an individual who is eighteen years of age or over and not enrolled in a program or service under Chapter 3323. of the Revised Code and an individual sixteen or seventeen years of age who is eligible for adult services under rules adopted by the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities pursuant to Chapter 119. of the Revised Code.
(1) "Adult services" means services provided to an adult outside the home, except when they are provided within the home according to an individual's assessed needs and identified in an individual service plan, that support learning and assistance in the area of self-care, sensory and motor development, socialization, daily living skills, communication, community living, social skills, or vocational skills.
(2) "Adult services" includes all of the following:
(a) Adult day habilitation services;
(b) Adult day care;
(c) Prevocational services;
(d) Sheltered employment;
(e) Educational experiences and training obtained through entities and activities that are not expressly intended for individuals with mental retardation and developmental disabilities, including trade schools, vocational or technical schools, adult education, job exploration and sampling, unpaid work experience in the community, volunteer activities, and spectator sports;
(f) Community employment services and supported employment services.
(B)(1) "Adult day habilitation services" means adult services that do the following:
(a) Provide access to and participation in typical activities and functions of community life that are desired and chosen by the general population, including such activities and functions as opportunities to experience and participate in community exploration, companionship with friends and peers, leisure activities, hobbies, maintaining family contacts, community events, and activities where individuals without disabilities are involved;
(b) Provide supports or a combination of training and supports that afford an individual a wide variety of opportunities to facilitate and build relationships and social supports in the community.
(2) "Adult day habilitation services" includes all of the following:
(a) Personal care services needed to ensure an individual's ability to experience and participate in vocational services, educational services, community activities, and any other adult day habilitation services;
(b) Skilled services provided while receiving adult day habilitation services, including such skilled services as behavior management intervention, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, physical therapy, and nursing services;
(c) Training and education in self-determination designed to help the individual do one or more of the following: develop self-advocacy skills, exercise the individual's civil rights, acquire skills that enable the individual to exercise control and responsibility over the services received, and acquire skills that enable the individual to become more independent, integrated, or productive in the community;
(d) Recreational and leisure activities identified in the individual's service plan as therapeutic in nature or assistive in developing or maintaining social supports;
(e) Counseling and assistance provided to obtain housing, including such counseling as identifying options for either rental or purchase, identifying financial resources, assessing needs for environmental modifications, locating housing, and planning for ongoing management and maintenance of the housing selected;
(f) Transportation necessary to access adult day habilitation services;
(g) Habilitation management, as described in section 5126.14 of the Revised Code.
(3) "Adult day habilitation services" does not include activities that are components of the provision of residential services, family support services, or supported living services.
(C) "Appointing authority" means the following:
(1) In the case of a member of a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities appointed by, or to be appointed by, a board of county commissioners, the board of county commissioners;
(2) In the case of a member of a county board appointed by, or to be appointed by, a senior probate judge, the senior probate judge.
(D) "Community employment services" or "supported employment services" means job training and other services related to employment outside a sheltered workshop. "Community employment services" or "supported employment services" include all of the following:
(1) Job training resulting in the attainment of competitive work, supported work in a typical work environment, or self-employment;
(2) Supervised work experience through an employer paid to provide the supervised work experience;
(3) Ongoing work in a competitive work environment at a wage commensurate with workers without disabilities;
(4) Ongoing supervision by an employer paid to provide the supervision.
(E) As used in this division, "substantial functional limitation," "developmental delay," and "established risk" have the meanings established pursuant to section 5123.011 of the Revised Code.
"Developmental disability" means a severe, chronic disability that is characterized by all of the following:
(1) It is attributable to a mental or physical impairment or a combination of mental and physical impairments, other than a mental or physical impairment solely caused by mental illness as defined in division (A) of section 5122.01 of the Revised Code;
(2) It is manifested before age twenty-two;
(3) It is likely to continue indefinitely;
(4) It results in one of the following:
(a) In the case of a person under age three, at least one developmental delay or an established risk;
(b) In the case of a person at least age three but under age six, at least two developmental delays or an established risk;
(c) In the case of a person age six or older, a substantial functional limitation in at least three of the following areas of major life activity, as appropriate for the person's age: self-care, receptive and expressive language, learning, mobility, self-direction, capacity for independent living, and, if the person is at least age sixteen, capacity for economic self-sufficiency.
(5) It causes the person to need a combination and sequence of special, interdisciplinary, or other type of care, treatment, or provision of services for an extended period of time that is individually planned and coordinated for the person.
(F) "Early childhood services" means a planned program of habilitation designed to meet the needs of individuals with mental retardation or other developmental disabilities who have not attained compulsory school age.
(G)(1) "Environmental modifications" means the physical adaptations to an individual's home, specified in the individual's service plan, that are necessary to ensure the individual's health, safety, and welfare or that enable the individual to function with greater independence in the home, and without which the individual would require institutionalization.
(2) "Environmental modifications" includes such adaptations as installation of ramps and grab-bars, widening of doorways, modification of bathroom facilities, and installation of specialized electric and plumbing systems necessary to accommodate the individual's medical equipment and supplies.
(3) "Environmental modifications" does not include physical adaptations or improvements to the home that are of general utility or not of direct medical or remedial benefit to the individual, including such adaptations or improvements as carpeting, roof repair, and central air conditioning.
(H) "Family support services" means the services provided under a family support services program operated under section 5126.11 of the Revised Code.
(I) "Habilitation" means the process by which the staff of the facility or agency assists an individual with mental retardation or other developmental disability in acquiring and maintaining those life skills that enable the individual to cope more effectively with the demands of the individual's own person and environment, and in raising the level of the individual's personal, physical, mental, social, and vocational efficiency. Habilitation includes, but is not limited to, programs of formal, structured education and training.
(J) "Home and community-based services" means medicaid-funded home and community-based services specified in division (B)(1) of section 5111.87 of the Revised Code and provided under the medicaid waiver components the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities administers pursuant to section 5111.871 of the Revised Code.
(K) "Immediate family" means parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, spouses, sons, daughters, aunts, uncles, mothers-in-law, fathers-in-law, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, sons-in-law, and daughters-in-law.
(L) "Medicaid" has the same meaning as in section 5111.01 of the Revised Code.
(M) "Medicaid case management services" means case management services provided to an individual with mental retardation or other developmental disability that the state medicaid plan requires.
(N) "Mental retardation" means a mental impairment manifested during the developmental period characterized by significantly subaverage general intellectual functioning existing concurrently with deficiencies in the effectiveness or degree with which an individual meets the standards of personal independence and social responsibility expected of the individual's age and cultural group.
(O) "Residential services" means services to individuals with mental retardation or other developmental disabilities to provide housing, food, clothing, habilitation, staff support, and related support services necessary for the health, safety, and welfare of the individuals and the advancement of their quality of life. "Residential services" includes program management, as described in section 5126.14 of the Revised Code.
(P) "Resources" means available capital and other assets, including moneys received from the federal, state, and local governments, private grants, and donations; appropriately qualified personnel; and appropriate capital facilities and equipment.
(Q) "Senior probate judge" means the current probate judge of a county who has served as probate judge of that county longer than any of the other current probate judges of that county. If a county has only one probate judge, "senior probate judge" means that probate judge.
(R) "Service and support administration" means the duties performed by a service and support administrator pursuant to section 5126.15 of the Revised Code.
(S)(1) "Specialized medical, adaptive, and assistive equipment, supplies, and supports" means equipment, supplies, and supports that enable an individual to increase the ability to perform activities of daily living or to perceive, control, or communicate within the environment.
(2) "Specialized medical, adaptive, and assistive equipment, supplies, and supports" includes the following:
(a) Eating utensils, adaptive feeding dishes, plate guards, mylatex straps, hand splints, reaches, feeder seats, adjustable pointer sticks, interpreter services, telecommunication devices for the deaf, computerized communications boards, other communication devices, support animals, veterinary care for support animals, adaptive beds, supine boards, prone boards, wedges, sand bags, sidelayers, bolsters, adaptive electrical switches, hand-held shower heads, air conditioners, humidifiers, emergency response systems, folding shopping carts, vehicle lifts, vehicle hand controls, other adaptations of vehicles for accessibility, and repair of the equipment received.
(b) Nondisposable items not covered by medicaid that are intended to assist an individual in activities of daily living or instrumental activities of daily living.
(T) "Supportive home services" means a range of services to families of individuals with mental retardation or other developmental disabilities to develop and maintain increased acceptance and understanding of such persons, increased ability of family members to teach the person, better coordination between school and home, skills in performing specific therapeutic and management techniques, and ability to cope with specific situations.
(U)(1) "Supported living" means services provided for as long as twenty-four hours a day to an individual with mental retardation or other developmental disability through any public or private resources, including moneys from the individual, that enhance the individual's reputation in community life and advance the individual's quality of life by doing the following:
(a) Providing the support necessary to enable an individual to live in a residence of the individual's choice, with any number of individuals who are not disabled, or with not more than three individuals with mental retardation and developmental disabilities unless the individuals are related by blood or marriage;
(b) Encouraging the individual's participation in the community;
(c) Promoting the individual's rights and autonomy;
(d) Assisting the individual in acquiring, retaining, and improving the skills and competence necessary to live successfully in the individual's residence.
(2) "Supported living" includes the provision of all of the following:
(a) Housing, food, clothing, habilitation, staff support, professional services, and any related support services necessary to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of the individual receiving the services;
(b) A combination of lifelong or extended-duration supervision, training, and other services essential to daily living, including assessment and evaluation and assistance with the cost of training materials, transportation, fees, and supplies;
(c) Personal care services and homemaker services;
(d) Household maintenance that does not include modifications to the physical structure of the residence;
(e) Respite care services;
(f) Program management, as described in section 5126.14 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 5126.011. Whenever a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities is referred to or designated in any statute, rule, contract, grant, or other document, the reference or designation shall be deemed to refer to a county board of developmental disabilities.
Sec. 5126.02.  (A) Each county shall either have its own county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities or, pursuant to section 5126.021 or 5126.022 of the Revised Code, be a member of a multicounty board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities. Subject to division (B) of this section:
(1) A county board shall be operated as a separate administrative and service entity.
(2) The functions of a county board shall not be combined with the functions of any other entity of county government.
(B) Division (A) of this section does not prohibit or restrict any county board from sharing administrative functions or personnel with one or more other county boards, including entering into an arrangement authorized by division (B) of section 5126.0226 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 5126.021.  Subject to sections 5126.024 and 5126.025 of the Revised Code, a multicounty board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities may be created if each of the following, before January 1, 2007, and within a one-hundred-eighty-day period, adopt an identical resolution or issue an identical order providing for the creation of the multicounty board:
(A) A majority of the members of each of the boards of county commissioners seeking to create the multicounty board;
(B) The senior probate judge of each county served by those boards of county commissioners.
Sec. 5126.022.  Subject to sections 5126.024 and 5126.025 of the Revised Code, a county that is not part of the creation of a multicounty board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities under section 5126.021 of the Revised Code may join the multicounty board if each of the following, within a sixty-day period, adopt an identical resolution or issue an identical order providing for the county to join the multicounty board:
(A) A majority of the members of the board of county commissioners of the county seeking to join the multicounty board;
(B) A majority of the members of each of the boards of county commissioners that are members of the multicounty board;
(C) The senior probate judge of the county seeking to join the multicounty board;
(D) The senior probate judge of each of the counties that are members of the multicounty board.
Sec. 5126.023.  (A) Subject to section 5126.024 of the Revised Code, the board of county commissioners of a county that is a member of a multicounty board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities and the senior probate judge of that county may terminate the county's membership in the multicounty board in the manner provided in this section. To terminate the county's membership in the multicounty board, the board of county commissioners shall adopt a resolution, and the senior probate judge shall issue an order, providing for the termination.
(B) A resolution and order of termination adopted or issued under this section shall specify the last day that the county will be a member of the multicounty board. The resolution and order also shall provide for the county to do one of the following on the day immediately following the last day that the county will be a member of the multicounty board:
(1) Create a single county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities;
(2) If the day immediately following the last day that the county will be a member of the current multicounty board is before January 1, 2007, co-create a new multicounty board pursuant to section 5126.021 of the Revised Code;
(3) Join a different multicounty board pursuant to section 5126.022 of the Revised Code.
(C) A resolution and an order of termination adopted or issued under this section shall include a plan for the equitable adjustment and division of all services, assets, property, debts, and obligations, if any, of the multicounty board that the county will cease to be a member of.
(D) Any county terminating its membership in a multicounty board shall continue to have levied against its tax list and duplicate any tax levied by the board of county commissioners for mental retardation and developmental disability services during the period in which the county was a member of the multicounty board until the levy expires or is renewed or replaced.
Sec. 5126.024.  (A) If a board of county commissioners and senior probate judge propose to join in the creation of, join, or terminate the county's membership in a multicounty board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities as provided in section 5126.021, 5126.022, or 5126.023 of the Revised Code, the board of county commissioners and judge shall do both of the following:
(1) Notify the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities in writing of their intent to join in the creation of, join, or terminate the county's membership in a multicounty board, including a written explanation of the administrative, fiscal, and performance considerations underlying the proposed action;
(2) Provide the county board an opportunity to comment on the proposed action.
(B) If the county board, not more than sixty days after receiving the notice under division (A) of this section, votes to oppose the proposed action and notifies the board of county commissioners and judge of the vote, the county may join in creation of a multicounty board, join a multicounty board, or terminate the county's membership in a multicounty board only on the unanimous vote of the board of county commissioners and the order of that judge to proceed with the creation of, joining, or termination of the county's membership in a multicounty board.
Sec. 5126.025.  Not more than five counties may be members of the same multicounty board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities. Only contiguous counties may be members of the same multicounty board.
Sec. 5126.027.  (A) A reference to a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities in a law enacted by the general assembly shall mean the following:
(1) In the case of a county with its own county board, a single county board;
(2) In the case of a county that is a member of a multicounty board, a multicounty board.
(B) Unless the context provides otherwise, a law enacted by the general assembly that refers to a county, or an entity or official of a county, that a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities serves shall be deemed to refer to the following:
(1) In the case of a county with a single county board, that county or the county entity or official specified in the law;
(2) In the case of a county that is a member of a multicounty board, each of the counties that are members of the multicounty board or the specified entity or official of each of those counties.
Sec. 5126.028.  Each county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall consist of seven members. In the case of a single county board, the board of county commissioners of the county shall appoint five members and the senior probate judge of the county shall appoint two members. In the case of a multicounty board, the membership shall be appointed as follows:
(A) If there are five member counties, the board of county commissioners of each of the member counties shall each appoint one member and the senior probate judges of the member counties with the largest and second largest population shall each appoint one member.
(B) If there are four member counties, the board of county commissioners of the member county with the largest population shall appoint two members, the other three boards of county commissioners shall each appoint one member, and the senior probate judges of the member counties with the largest and second largest population shall each appoint one member.
(C) If there are three member counties, the boards of county commissioners of the member counties with the largest and second largest populations shall each appoint two members, the other board of county commissioners shall appoint one member, and the senior probate judges of the member counties with the largest and second largest population shall each appoint one member.
(D) If there are two member counties, the board of county commissioners of the member county with the largest population shall appoint three members, the board of county commissioners of the other county shall appoint two members, and the senior probate judge of each county shall each appoint one member.
Sec. 5126.029.  (A) When making appointments to a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, an appointing authority shall do all of the following:
(1) Appoint only individuals who are residents of the county the appointing authority serves, citizens of the United States, and interested and knowledgeable in the field of mental retardation and other allied fields;
(2) If the appointing authority is a board of county commissioners, appoint, subject to division (B) of this section, at least two individuals who are immediate family members of individuals eligible for services provided by the county board and, whenever possible, ensure that one of those two members is an immediate family member of an individual eligible for adult services and the other is an immediate family member of an individual eligible for early intervention services or services for preschool or school-age children;
(3) If the appointing authority is a senior probate judge, appoint, subject to division (B) of this section, at least one individual who is an immediate family member of an individual eligible for residential services or supported living;
(4) Appoint, to the maximum extent possible, individuals who have professional training and experience in business management, finance, law, health care practice, personnel administration, or government service;
(5) Provide for the county board's membership to reflect, as nearly as possible, the composition of the county or counties that the county board serves.
(B) The appointing authorities of a multicounty board shall coordinate their appointments to the extent necessary to satisfy the requirements of this section. The coordination may provide for one of the boards of county commissioners making one of the two appointments required by division (A)(2) of this section and another board of county commissioners making the other appointment required by that division. The coordination shall ensure that at least one of the senior probate judges satisfies the requirement of division (A)(3) of this section.
Sec. 5126.0210.  (A) None of the following individuals may serve as a member of a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities:
(1) An elected public official, except for a township trustee, township fiscal officer, or individual excluded from the definition of public official or employee in division (B) of section 102.01 of the Revised Code;
(2) An immediate family member of another county board member;
(3) A county board employee or immediate family member of a county board employee;
(4) A former employee of the county board whose employment with the county board ceased less than one calendar year before the former employee would begin to serve as a member of the county board;
(5) An individual who or whose immediate family member is a board member or an employee of an agency licensed or certified by the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities to provide services to individuals with mental retardation or developmental disabilities;
(6) An individual who or whose immediate family member is a board member or employee of an agency contracting with the county board that is not licensed or certified by the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities to provide services to individuals with mental retardation or developmental disabilities unless there is no conflict of interest;
(7) An individual with an immediate family member who serves as a county commissioner of a county served by the county board unless the individual was a member of the county board before October 31, 1980.
(B) All questions relating to the existence of a conflict of interest for the purpose of division (A)(6) of this section shall be submitted to the local prosecuting attorney for resolution. The Ohio ethics commission may examine any issues arising under Chapter 102. and sections 2921.42, 2921.421, and 2921.43 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 5126.0211.  (A) No individual may be appointed or reappointed to a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities unless the individual, before the appointment or reappointment, provides to the appointing authority a written declaration specifying both of the following:
(1) That no circumstance described in section 5126.0210 of the Revised Code exists that bars the individual from serving on the county board;
(2) Whether the individual or an immediate family member of the individual has an ownership interest in or is under contract with an agency contracting with the county board, and, if such an ownership interest or contract exists, the identity of the agency and the nature of the relationship to that agency.
(B) On appointment or reappointment of an individual to the county board, the appointing authority shall provide a copy of the individual's declaration to the superintendent of the county board. The declaration is a public record for the purpose of section 149.43 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 5126.0212.  Except for members appointed under section 5126.0214 of the Revised Code to fill a vacancy, members of a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall be appointed or reappointed not later than the last day of November, commence their terms on the date of the stated annual organizational meeting in the following January as provided under section 5126.0216 of the Revised Code, and serve terms of four years. The membership of an individual appointed as an immediate family member of a recipient of services shall not be terminated because the services are no longer received.
Sec. 5126.0213.  Except as otherwise provided in this section and section 5126.0225 of the Revised Code, a member of a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities may be reappointed to the county board. Prior to making a reappointment, the appointing authority shall ascertain, through written communication with the board, that the member being considered for reappointment meets the requirements of sections 5126.029 and 5126.0225 of the Revised Code.
A member who has served during each of three consecutive terms shall not be reappointed for a subsequent term until two years after ceasing to be a member of the county board, except that a member who has served for ten years or less within three consecutive terms may be reappointed for a subsequent term before becoming ineligible for reappointment for two years.
Sec. 5126.0214.  Within sixty days after a vacancy on a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities occurs, including a vacancy created under section 5126.0220 of the Revised Code, the appointing authority shall fill the vacancy for the unexpired term. Before filling a vacancy, the appointing authority shall cause a notice of the vacancy to be published on at least two separate dates in one or more newspapers serving the county or counties the county board serves.
A member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring before the expiration of the term for which the member's predecessor was appointed shall hold office for the remainder of that term.
Sec. 5126.0215.  Members of a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall serve without compensation, but shall be reimbursed for necessary expenses incurred in the conduct of county board business, including expenses that are incurred in the member's county of residence in accordance with an established policy of the county board.
Sec. 5126.0216.  Each county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall hold an organizational meeting no later than the thirty-first day of January of each year and shall elect its officers, which shall include a president, vice-president, and recording secretary. After its annual organizational meeting, the board shall meet in such manner and at such times as prescribed by rules adopted by the board, but the board shall meet at least ten times annually in regularly scheduled sessions in accordance with section 121.22 of the Revised Code, not including in-service training sessions. A majority of the board constitutes a quorum. The board shall adopt rules for the conduct of its business and a record shall be kept of board proceedings, which shall be open for public inspection.
Sec. 5126.0217.  Each year, each member of a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall attend at least four hours of in-service training provided or approved by the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities. This training shall not be considered regularly scheduled meetings of the county board.
Sec. 5126.0218.  A member of a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall be considered present at an in-service training session even though the member is not physically present in the room in which the session is held if the member is connected to the session through a system that enables the member to communicate with the individuals participating in the session and such individuals to communicate with the member.
Sec. 5126.0219.  In no circumstance shall a member of a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities participate in or vote on any matter before the county board concerning a contract agency of which the member or an immediate family member of the member is also a board member or an employee.
Sec. 5126.0220.  (A) Subject to sections 5126.0221 and 5126.0223 of the Revised Code, an appointing authority shall remove a member of a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities for any of the following reasons:
(1) Neglect of duty;
(2) Misconduct;
(3) Malfeasance;
(4) Ineligibility to serve on the county board pursuant to section 5126.0210 of the Revised Code;
(5) Failure to attend at least four hours of in-service training session each year;
(6) Failure to attend within one year four regularly scheduled board meetings;
(7) Failure to attend within one year two regularly scheduled board meetings if the member gave no prior notice of the member's absence;
(8) Consistently poor performance on the county board, as demonstrated by documentation that the president of the county board provides to the appointing authority and the appointing authority determines is convincing evidence.
(B) The removal provisions of divisions (A)(6) and (7) of this section do not apply to absences from special meetings or work sessions.
Sec. 5126.0221.  An appointing authority shall not remove a member of a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities from the county board by reason of division (A)(5), (6), or (7) of section 5126.0220 of the Revised Code if the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities waives the requirement that the member be removed. The director may issue the waiver only if the appointing authority requests that the director issue the waiver and provides the director evidence that is satisfactory to the director that the member's absences from the in-service training sessions or regularly scheduled board meetings are due to a serious health problem of the member or a member of the member's immediate family. The director's decision on whether to issue the waiver is final and not subject to appeal.
The county board on which the member serves may pass a resolution urging the appointing authority to request that the director issue the waiver. The member whose absences from the sessions or meetings are at issue may not vote on the resolution. The appointing authority may request the waiver regardless of whether the county board adopts the resolution.
Sec. 5126.0222.  If there are grounds for the mandatory removal of a member of a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities under section 5126.0220 of the Revised Code, the county board shall supply the board member and the member's appointing authority with written notice of the grounds.
Sec. 5126.0223.  An appointing authority shall afford a member of a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities an opportunity for a hearing on the member's proposed removal in accordance with procedures the appointing authority shall establish, unless the appointing authority requested that the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities waive the mandatory removal under section 5126.0221 of the Revised Code and the director refused to issue the waiver. The appointing authority shall hold the hearing if the member requests the hearing not later than thirty days after the date that the county board sends the member the notice required by section 5126.0222 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 5126.0224.  If a member of a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities requests a hearing within the time required by section 5126.0223 of the Revised Code, the appointing authority may not remove the member from the board before the conclusion of the hearing.
Sec. 5126.0225.  A member of a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities who is removed from the county board is ineligible for reappointment to the board for not less than one year. The appointing authority shall specify the time during which the member is ineligible for reappointment. If the member is removed under division (A)(5) of section 5126.0220 of the Revised Code, the county board shall specify the training the member must complete before being eligible for reappointment.
Sec. 5126.0226.  (A) Each county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall either employ a superintendent or obtain the services of the superintendent of another county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities. The board shall provide for a superintendent who is qualified, as specified in rules adopted by the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code. The superintendent shall have no voting privileges on the board.
The board shall prescribe the duties of its superintendent and review the superintendent's performance. The superintendent may be removed, suspended, or demoted for cause pursuant to section 5126.23 of the Revised Code. The board shall fix the superintendent's compensation and reimburse the superintendent for actual and necessary expenses.
Each county board that employs its own superintendent shall employ the superintendent under a contract. To enter into a contract, the board shall adopt a resolution agreeing to the contract. Each contract for employment or re-employment of a superintendent shall be for a term of not less than one and not more than five years. At the expiration of a superintendent's current term of employment, the superintendent may be re-employed. If the board intends not to re-employ the superintendent, the board shall give the superintendent written notification of its intention. The notice shall be given not less than ninety days prior to the expiration of the superintendent's contract.
(B) Two or more county boards may enter into an arrangement under which the superintendent of one county board acts as the superintendent of another county board. To enter into such an arrangement, each board shall adopt a resolution agreeing to the arrangement. The resolutions shall specify the duration of the arrangement and the contribution each board is to make to the superintendent's compensation and reimbursement for expenses.
(C) If a vacancy occurs in the position of superintendent, a county board may appoint a person who holds a valid superintendent's certificate issued under the rules of the department to work under a contract for an interim period not to exceed one hundred eighty days until a permanent superintendent can be employed or arranged for under division (A) or (B) of this section. The director of the department may approve additional periods of time for these types of interim appointments when so requested by a resolution adopted by a county board, if the director determines that the additional periods are warranted and the services of a permanent superintendent are not available.
Sec. 5126.0227.  The superintendent of the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall:
(A) Administer the work of the board, subject to the board's rules;
(B) Recommend to the board the changes necessary to increase the effectiveness of the programs and services offered pursuant to Chapters 3323. and 5126. of the Revised Code;
(C) Employ persons for all positions authorized by the board, approve contracts of employment for management employees that are for a term of one year or less, and approve personnel actions that involve employees in the classified civil service as may be necessary for the work of the board;
(D) Approve compensation for employees within the limits set by the salary schedule and budget set by the board and in accordance with section 5126.26 of the Revised Code, and ensure that all employees and consultants are properly reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of official duties;
(E) Provide consultation to public agencies as defined in division (C) of section 102.01 of the Revised Code, including other county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, and to individuals, agencies, or organizations providing services supported by the board.
The superintendent may authorize the payment of board obligations by the county auditor.
Sec. 5126.0228. (A) As used in this section, "specialized services" has the same meaning as in section 5126.281 of the Revised Code.
(B) Except as provided in division (C) of section 5126.033 of the Revised Code, none of the following individuals may be employed by a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities:
(1) An employee of an agency contracting with the county board;
(2) An immediate family member of an employee of an agency contracting with the county board unless the county board adopts a resolution authorizing the immediate family member's employment with the county board or the employment is consistent with a policy adopted by the board establishing parameters for such employment and the policy is consistent with Chapter 102. and sections 2921.42, 2921.421, and 2921.43 of the Revised Code;
(3) An individual with an immediate family member who serves as a county commissioner of any of the counties served by the county board unless the individual was an employee of the county board before October 31, 1980;
(4) An individual who is employed by, has an ownership interest in, performs or provides administrative duties for, or is a member of the governing board of an entity that provides specialized services, regardless of whether the entity contracts with the county board to provide specialized services.
Sec. 5126.0229.  As used in this section, "specialized services" has the same meaning as in section 5126.281 of the Revised Code.
Notwithstanding any provision of the Revised Code to the contrary, including applicable provisions of sections 102.03, 102.04, 2921.42, and 2921.43 of the Revised Code, an employee of a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities also may be a member of the governing board of a political subdivision, including the board of education of a school district, or an agency that does not provide specialized services. The county board may contract with such a governing board even though the governing board includes an individual who is an employee of the county board. That member of the governing board may not vote on any matter before the governing board concerning a contract with the county board or participate in any discussion or debate regarding such a contract.
Sec. 5126.03.  As used in this section and in sections 5126.031 to 5126.034 of the Revised Code:
(A) "Direct services contract" means any legally enforceable agreement with an individual, agency, or other entity that, pursuant to its terms or operation, may result in a payment from a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities to an eligible person or to a member of the immediate family of an eligible person for services rendered to the eligible person. "Direct services contract" includes a contract for supported living pursuant to sections 5126.40 to 5126.47 of the Revised Code, family support services under section 5126.11 of the Revised Code, and reimbursement for transportation expenses.
(B) "Eligible person" means a person eligible to receive services from a county board or from an entity under contract with a county board.
(C) "Former board member" means a person whose service on the county board ended less than one year prior to commencement of services under a direct services contract.
(D) "Former employee" means a person whose employment by the county board ended less than one year prior to commencement of services under a direct services contract.
Sec. 5126.031.  (A) Except as provided in division (B) of this section, annually at the organizational meeting required by section 5126.0216 of the Revised Code, the chairperson of the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall appoint three members of the board to an ethics council to review all direct services contracts. The board's chairperson may be one of those appointed. The superintendent of the board shall be a nonvoting member of the council. The chairperson shall not appoint a person to the council if the person, or any member of the person's immediate family, will have any interest in any direct services contract under review by the council while the person serves on the council or during the twelve-month period after completing service on the council. If a council member or a member of the council member's immediate family has or will have such an interest, the chairperson shall replace the member by appointing another board member to the council.
The council shall meet regularly as directed by the board to perform its duties. Minutes shall be kept of the actions of the council. The minutes shall be part of the public record of the county board.
Any action taken by the council on direct services contracts under its review shall be in public. The council shall afford an affected party the opportunity to meet with the council on matters related to a direct services contract or any action taken by the council.
(B) If a county board establishes a policy specifying that the board is not willing to enter into direct services contracts with any person who is a board member or former board member or a member of the immediate family of a board member or former board member, the board may assume the responsibilities and perform the duties of an ethics council specified in section 5126.032 of the Revised Code. The policy shall be established by resolution adopted by a majority of the members of the board in attendance at a meeting at which there is a quorum and shall be in effect for one year after its adoption, at which time the board shall, by resolution adopted in the same manner as the initial resolution, either renew the policy or establish a new one.
Sec. 5126.032.  (A) The ethics council appointed for a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall review all direct services contracts, and approve or disapprove each contract in accordance with the standards in section 5126.033 of the Revised Code. The council shall develop, in consultation with the prosecuting attorney, and recommend to the board ethical standards, contract audit procedures, and grievance procedures with respect to the award and reconciliation of direct services contracts. The superintendent, or an employee of the county board designated by the superintendent, shall, in accordance with a policy established by the county board, certify to the council a copy of each proposed direct services contract or contract renewal at a reasonable time before the contract would take effect if entered into or renewed, if, at the time the contract or renewal is proposed, resources approved by the board for such purposes are available.
The council shall promptly review each direct services contract certified to it. If the contract does not meet the conditions specified in section 5126.033 of the Revised Code, the council shall recommend that the board not enter into the contract or suggest specified revisions. The superintendent shall provide all the information the council needs to make its determinations.
The council shall certify to the board its recommendation with regard to each contract. Except as provided in division (B) of this section, the board, by resolution, shall enter into each direct services contract that the council recommends or recommends with specified revisions. The board shall not enter into any contract that is not recommended by the council or enter into any contract to which revisions are suggested if the contract does not include the specified revisions.
(B) The prosecuting attorney, at the request of the board, shall prepare a legal review of any direct services contract that has been recommended, or recommended with revisions, by the council. The board shall enter into only those contracts submitted for review that are determined by the prosecuting attorney to be in compliance with state law.
Sec. 5126.033.  (A) A county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall not enter into a direct services contract unless the contract is limited either to the actual amount of the expenses or to a reasonable and allowable amount projected by the board.
(B) A county board shall not enter into a direct services contract that would result in payment to a board member, former board member, employee, former employee, or member of the immediate family of a board member, former board member, employee, or former employee if the person who would receive services under the contract stands to receive any preferential treatment or any unfair advantage over other eligible persons.
(C) A county board shall not enter into a direct services contract for services provided in accordance with section 5126.11 or sections 5126.40 to 5126.46 of the Revised Code under which an individual, agency, or other entity will employ an individual who is also an employee of that county board unless all of the following conditions are met:
(1) The employee is not in a capacity to influence the award of the contract.
(2) The employee has not attempted in any manner to secure the contract on behalf of the individual, agency, or other entity.
(3) The employee is not employed in management level two or three according to rules adopted by the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities and does not provide service and support administration.
(4) The employee is not employed by the board during the period when the contract is developed as an administrator or supervisor responsible for approving or supervising services to be provided under the contract and agrees not to take such a position while the contract is in effect, regardless of whether the position is related to the services provided under the contract.
(5) The employee has not taken any actions that create the need for the services to be provided under the contract.
(6) The individual, agency, or other entity seeks the services of the employee because of the employee's expertise and familiarity with the care and condition of one or more eligible persons and other individuals with such expertise and familiarity are unavailable, or an eligible person has requested to have the services provided by that employee.
The superintendent of the county board shall notify the employee and the individual, agency, or other entity that seeks the employee's services of the ethics council's determination under section 5126.032 of the Revised Code regarding the contract. The council's determination shall be binding on all parties.
The employee who is the subject of the contract shall inform the superintendent of the county board of any employment the employee has outside the county board that is with any individual, agency, or other entity that has a contract with the county board.
Sec. 5126.034.  (A) If the requirements of section 5126.033 of the Revised Code have been met for a particular direct services contract, a member or former member of a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, an employee or former employee of a county board, or an immediate family member of a member, former member, employee, or former employee of a county board is not in violation of the restrictions in Chapter 102. and sections 2921.42 and 5126.0210 of the Revised Code with regard to that contract.
(B) Nothing in section 5126.033 of the Revised Code shall be construed to allow a member or employee of a county board to authorize, or use the authority of the member's or employee's office or employment to secure authorization of, a contract that could result in receipt by the county board member or employee or a member of the immediate family of the county board member or employee of payment for expenses incurred on behalf of an immediate family member who is an eligible person.
Sec. 5126.037.  No county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall contract with a nongovernmental agency whose board includes a county commissioner of any of the counties served by the county board.
Sec. 5126.038. (A) As used in this section, "professional services" means all of the following services provided on behalf of a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, members or employees of a county board, or both:
(1) Lobbying and other governmental affairs services;
(2) Legal services other than the legal services provided by a county prosecutor or provided for the purpose of collective bargaining;
(3) Public relation services;
(4) Consulting services;
(5) Personnel training services, not including tuition or professional growth reimbursement programs for county board members or employees.
(B) Each county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall submit to the board of county commissioners of each county that is served by the county board, in accordance with the normal budget process and as part of its budget request, a list identifying the total expenditures projected for any of the following:
(1) Any membership dues of the members or employees of the county board, in any organization, association, or other entity;
(2) Any professional services of the county board, its members or employees, or both;
(3) Any training of the members or employees of the county board.
Sec. 5126.04.  (A) Each county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall plan and set priorities based on available resources for the provision of facilities, programs, and other services to meet the needs of county residents who are individuals with mental retardation and other developmental disabilities, former residents of the county residing in state institutions or placed under purchase of service agreements under section 5123.18 of the Revised Code, and children subject to a determination made pursuant to section 121.38 of the Revised Code.
Each county board shall assess the facility and service needs of the individuals with mental retardation and other developmental disabilities who are residents of the county or former residents of the county residing in state institutions or placed under purchase of service agreements under section 5123.18 of the Revised Code.
Each county board shall require individual habilitation or service plans for individuals with mental retardation and other developmental disabilities who are being served or who have been determined eligible for services and are awaiting the provision of services. Each board shall ensure that methods of having their service needs evaluated are available.
(B)(1) If a foster child is in need of assessment for eligible services or is receiving services from a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities and that child is placed in a different county, the agency that placed the child, immediately upon placement, shall inform the county board in the new county all of the following:
(a) That a foster child has been placed in that county;
(b) The name and other identifying information of the foster child;
(c) The name of the foster child's previous county of residence;
(d) That the foster child was in need of assessment for eligible services or was receiving services from the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities in the previous county.
(2) Upon receiving the notice described in division (B)(1) of this section or otherwise learning that the child was in need of assessment for eligible services or was receiving services from a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities in the previous county, the county board in the new county shall communicate with the county board of the previous county to determine how services for the foster child shall be provided in accordance with each board's plan and priorities as described in division (A) of this section.
If the two county boards are unable to reach an agreement within ten days of the child's placement, the county board in the new county shall send notice to the Ohio department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities of the failure to agree. The department shall decide how services shall be provided for the foster child within ten days of receiving notice that the county boards could not reach an agreement. The department may decide that one, or both, of the county boards shall provide services. The services shall be provided in accordance with the board's plan and priorities as described in division (A) of this section.
(C) The department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities may adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code as necessary to implement this section. To the extent that rules adopted under this section apply to the identification and placement of children with disabilities under Chapter 3323. of the Revised Code, the rules shall be consistent with the standards and procedures established under sections 3323.03 to 3323.05 of the Revised Code.
(D) The responsibility or authority of a county board to provide services under this chapter does not affect the responsibility of any other entity of state or local government to provide services to individuals with mental retardation and developmental disabilities.
(E) On or before the first day of February prior to a school year, a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities may elect not to participate during that school year in the provision of or contracting for educational services for children ages six through twenty-one years of age, provided that on or before that date the board gives notice of this election to the superintendent of public instruction, each school district in the county, and the educational service center serving the county. If a board makes this election, it shall not have any responsibility for or authority to provide educational services that school year for children ages six through twenty-one years of age. If a board does not make an election for a school year in accordance with this division, the board shall be deemed to have elected to participate during that school year in the provision of or contracting for educational services for children ages six through twenty-one years of age.
(F) If a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities elects to provide educational services during a school year to individuals six through twenty-one years of age who have multiple disabilities, the board may provide these services to individuals who are appropriately identified and determined eligible pursuant to Chapter 3323. of the Revised Code, and in accordance with applicable rules of the state board of education. The county board may also provide related services to individuals six through twenty-one years of age who have one or more disabling conditions, in accordance with section 3317.20 and Chapter 3323. of the Revised Code and applicable rules of the state board of education.
Sec. 5126.041.  (A) As used in this section:
(1) "Biological risk" and "environmental risk" have the meanings established pursuant to section 5123.011 of the Revised Code.
(2) "Preschool child with a disability" has the same meaning as in section 3323.01 of the Revised Code.
(3) "State institution" means all or part of an institution under the control of the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities pursuant to section 5123.03 of the Revised Code and maintained for the care, treatment, and training of the mentally retarded.
(B) Except as provided in division (C) of this section, each county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall make eligibility determinations in accordance with the definition of "developmental disability" in section 5126.01 of the Revised Code. Pursuant to rules the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall adopt in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, a county board may establish eligibility for programs and services for either of the following:
(1) Individuals under age six who have a biological risk or environmental risk of a developmental delay;
(2) Any preschool child with a disability eligible for services under section 3323.02 of the Revised Code whose disability is not attributable solely to mental illness as defined in section 5122.01 of the Revised Code.
(C)(1) A county board shall make determinations of eligibility for service and support administration in accordance with rules adopted under section 5126.08 of the Revised Code.
(2) All persons who were eligible for services and enrolled in programs offered by a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities pursuant to this chapter on July 1, 1991, shall continue to be eligible for those services and to be enrolled in those programs as long as they are in need of services.
(3) A person who resided in a state institution on or before October 29, 1993, is eligible for programs and services offered by a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, unless the person is determined by the county board not to be in need of those programs and services.
(D) A county board shall refer a person who requests but is not eligible for programs and services offered by the board to other entities of state and local government or appropriate private entities that provide services.
(E) Membership of a person on, or employment of a person by, a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities does not affect the eligibility of any member of that person's family for services provided by the board or by any entity under contract with the board.
Sec. 5126.042.  (A) As used in this section:
(1) "Emergency" means any situation that creates for an individual with mental retardation or developmental disabilities a risk of substantial self-harm or substantial harm to others if action is not taken within thirty days. An "emergency" may include one or more of the following situations:
(a) Loss of present residence for any reason, including legal action;
(b) Loss of present caretaker for any reason, including serious illness of the caretaker, change in the caretaker's status, or inability of the caretaker to perform effectively for the individual;
(c) Abuse, neglect, or exploitation of the individual;
(d) Health and safety conditions that pose a serious risk to the individual or others of immediate harm or death;
(e) Change in the emotional or physical condition of the individual that necessitates substantial accommodation that cannot be reasonably provided by the individual's existing caretaker.
(2) "Service substitution list" means a service substitution list established by a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities before the effective date of this amendment September 1, 2008, pursuant to division (B) of this section as this section existed on the day immediately before the effective date of this amendment September 1, 2008.
(B) If a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities determines that available resources are not sufficient to meet the needs of all individuals who request programs and services and may be offered the programs and services, it shall establish waiting lists for services. The board may establish priorities for making placements on its waiting lists according to an individual's emergency status and shall establish priorities in accordance with divisions (D) and (E) of this section.
The individuals who may be placed on a waiting list include individuals with a need for services on an emergency basis and individuals who have requested services for which resources are not available.
An individual placed on a county board's service substitution list before the effective date of this amendment September 1, 2008, for the purpose of obtaining home and community-based services shall be deemed to have been placed on the county board's waiting list for home and community-based services on the date the individual made a request to the county board that the individual receive home and community-based services instead of the services the individual received at the time the request for home and community-based services was made to the county board.
(C) A county board shall establish a separate waiting list for each of the following categories of services, and may establish separate waiting lists within the waiting lists:
(1) Early childhood services;
(2) Educational programs for preschool and school age children;
(3) Adult services;
(4) Service and support administration;
(5) Residential services and supported living;
(6) Transportation services;
(7) Other services determined necessary and appropriate for persons with mental retardation or a developmental disability according to their individual habilitation or service plans;
(8) Family support services provided under section 5126.11 of the Revised Code.
(D) Except as provided in division (G) of this section, a county board shall do, as priorities, all of the following in accordance with the assessment component, approved under section 5123.046 of the Revised Code, of the county board's plan developed under section 5126.054 of the Revised Code:
(1) For the purpose of obtaining additional federal medicaid funds for home and community-based services and medicaid case management services, do both of the following:
(a) Give an individual who is eligible for home and community-based services and meets both of the following requirements priority over any other individual on a waiting list established under division (C) of this section for home and community-based services that include supported living, residential services, or family support services:
(i) Is twenty-two years of age or older;
(ii) Receives supported living or family support services.
(b) Give an individual who is eligible for home and community-based services and meets both of the following requirements priority over any other individual on a waiting list established under division (C) of this section for home and community-based services that include adult services:
(i) Resides in the individual's own home or the home of the individual's family and will continue to reside in that home after enrollment in home and community-based services;
(ii) Receives adult services from the county board.
(2) As federal medicaid funds become available pursuant to division (D)(1) of this section, give an individual who is eligible for home and community-based services and meets any of the following requirements priority for such services over any other individual on a waiting list established under division (C) of this section:
(a) Does not receive residential services or supported living, either needs services in the individual's current living arrangement or will need services in a new living arrangement, and has a primary caregiver who is sixty years of age or older;
(b) Is less than twenty-two years of age and has at least one of the following service needs that are unusual in scope or intensity:
(i) Severe behavior problems for which a behavior support plan is needed;
(ii) An emotional disorder for which anti-psychotic medication is needed;
(iii) A medical condition that leaves the individual dependent on life-support medical technology;
(iv) A condition affecting multiple body systems for which a combination of specialized medical, psychological, educational, or habilitation services are needed;
(v) A condition the county board determines to be comparable in severity to any condition described in divisions (D)(2)(b)(i) to (iv) of this section and places the individual at significant risk of institutionalization.
(c) Is twenty-two years of age or older, does not receive residential services or supported living, and is determined by the county board to have intensive needs for home and community-based services on an in-home or out-of-home basis.
(E) Except as provided in division (G) of this section and for a number of years and beginning on a date specified in rules adopted under division (K) of this section, a county board shall give an individual who is eligible for home and community-based services, resides in a nursing facility, and chooses to move to another setting with the help of home and community-based services, priority over any other individual on a waiting list established under division (C) of this section for home and community-based services who does not meet these criteria.
(F) If two or more individuals on a waiting list established under division (C) of this section for home and community-based services have priority for the services pursuant to division (D)(1) or (2) or (E) of this section, a county board may use criteria specified in rules adopted under division (K)(2) of this section in determining the order in which the individuals with priority will be offered the services. Otherwise, the county board shall offer the home and community-based services to such individuals in the order they are placed on the waiting list.
(G) No individual may receive priority for services pursuant to division (D) or (E) of this section over an individual placed on a waiting list established under division (C) of this section on an emergency status.
(H) Prior to establishing any waiting list under this section, a county board shall develop and implement a policy for waiting lists that complies with this section and rules adopted under division (K) of this section.
Prior to placing an individual on a waiting list, the county board shall assess the service needs of the individual in accordance with all applicable state and federal laws. The county board shall place the individual on the appropriate waiting list and may place the individual on more than one waiting list. The county board shall notify the individual of the individual's placement and position on each waiting list on which the individual is placed.
At least annually, the county board shall reassess the service needs of each individual on a waiting list. If it determines that an individual no longer needs a program or service, the county board shall remove the individual from the waiting list. If it determines that an individual needs a program or service other than the one for which the individual is on the waiting list, the county board shall provide the program or service to the individual or place the individual on a waiting list for the program or service in accordance with the board's policy for waiting lists.
When a program or service for which there is a waiting list becomes available, the county board shall reassess the service needs of the individual next scheduled on the waiting list to receive that program or service. If the reassessment demonstrates that the individual continues to need the program or service, the board shall offer the program or service to the individual. If it determines that an individual no longer needs a program or service, the county board shall remove the individual from the waiting list. If it determines that an individual needs a program or service other than the one for which the individual is on the waiting list, the county board shall provide the program or service to the individual or place the individual on a waiting list for the program or service in accordance with the board's policy for waiting lists. The county board shall notify the individual of the individual's placement and position on the waiting list on which the individual is placed.
(I) A child subject to a determination made pursuant to section 121.38 of the Revised Code who requires the home and community-based services provided through a medicaid component that the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities administers under section 5111.871 of the Revised Code shall receive services through that medicaid component. For all other services, a child subject to a determination made pursuant to section 121.38 of the Revised Code shall be treated as an emergency by the county boards and shall not be subject to a waiting list.
(J) Not later than the fifteenth day of March of each even-numbered year, each county board shall prepare and submit to the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities its recommendations for the funding of services for individuals with mental retardation and developmental disabilities and its proposals for reducing the waiting lists for services.
(K)(1) The department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code governing waiting lists established under this section. The rules shall include procedures to be followed to ensure that the due process rights of individuals placed on waiting lists are not violated.
(2) As part of the rules adopted under this division, the department shall adopt rules establishing criteria a county board may use under division (F) of this section in determining the order in which individuals with priority for home and community-based services will be offered the services. The rules shall also specify conditions under which a county board, when there is no individual with priority for home and community-based services pursuant to division (D)(1) or (2) or (E) of this section available and appropriate for the services, may offer the services to an individual on a waiting list for the services but not given such priority for the services.
(3) As part of the rules adopted under this division, the department shall adopt rules specifying both of the following for the priority category established under division (E) of this section:
(a) The number of years, which shall not exceed five, that the priority category will be in effect;
(b) The date that the priority category is to go into effect.
(L) The following shall take precedence over the applicable provisions of this section:
(1) Medicaid rules and regulations;
(2) Any specific requirements that may be contained within a medicaid state plan amendment or waiver program that a county board has authority to administer or with respect to which it has authority to provide services, programs, or supports.
Sec. 5126.044.  (A) As used in this section, "eligible person" has the same meaning as in section 5126.03 of the Revised Code.
(B) Except as provided in division (D) of this section, no person shall disclose the identity of an individual who requests programs or services under this chapter or release a record or report regarding an eligible person that is maintained by a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities or an entity under contract with a county board unless one of the following circumstances exists:
(1) The individual, eligible person, or the individual's guardian, or, if the individual is a minor, the individual's parent or guardian, makes a written request to the county board or entity for or approves in writing disclosure of the individual's identity or release of the record or report regarding the eligible person.
(2) Disclosure of the identity of an individual is needed for approval of a direct services contract under section 5126.032 or 5126.033 of the Revised Code. The county board shall release only the individual's name and the general nature of the services to be provided.
(3) Disclosure of the identity of the individual is needed to ascertain that the county board's waiting lists for programs or services are being maintained in accordance with section 5126.042 of the Revised Code and the rules adopted under that section. The county board shall release only the individual's name, the general nature of the programs or services to be provided the individual, the individual's rank on each waiting list that includes the individual, and any circumstances under which the individual was given priority when placed on a waiting list.
(C) A board or entity that discloses an individual's identity or releases a record or report regarding an eligible person shall maintain a record of when and to whom the disclosure or release was made.
(D)(1) At the request of an eligible person or the person's guardian or, if the eligible person is a minor, the person's parent or guardian, a county board or entity under contract with a county board shall provide the person who made the request access to records and reports regarding the eligible person. On written request, the county board or entity shall provide copies of the records and reports to the eligible person, guardian, or parent. The county board or entity may charge a reasonable fee to cover the costs of copying. The county board or entity may waive the fee in cases of hardship.
(2) A county board shall provide access to any waiting list or record or report regarding an eligible person maintained by the board to any state agency responsible for monitoring and reviewing programs and services provided or arranged by the county board, any state agency involved in the coordination of services for an eligible person, and any agency under contract with the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities for the provision of protective service pursuant to section 5123.56 of the Revised Code.
(3) When an eligible person who requests programs or services under this chapter dies, the county board or entity under contract with the county board, shall, on written request, provide to both of the following persons any reports and records in the board or entity's possession concerning the eligible person:
(a) If the report or records are necessary to administer the estate of the person who is the subject of the reports or records, to the executor or administrator of the person's estate;
(b) To the guardian of the person who is the subject of the reports or records or, if the individual had no guardian at the time of death, to a person in the first applicable of the following categories:
(i) The person's spouse;
(ii) The person's children;
(iii) The person's parents;
(iv) The person's brothers or sisters;
(v) The person's uncles or aunts;
(vi) The person's closest relative by blood or adoption;
(vii) The person's closest relative by marriage.
The county board or entity shall provide the reports and records as required by division (D)(3) of this section not later than thirty days after receipt of the request.
(E) A county board shall notify an eligible person, the person's guardian, or, if the eligible person is a minor, the person's parent or guardian, prior to destroying any record or report regarding the eligible person.
Sec. 5126.045.  (A) As used in this section, "eligible person" means a person eligible to receive services from a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities or from an entity under contract with a county board.
(B) A county board shall establish fees for services rendered to eligible persons if such fees are required by federal regulation and by rule adopted by the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities.
A county board may provide services to a person who does not meet the standards for eligibility. The board may establish fees for these services, which may be paid for by the person, by another person on the person's behalf of the ineligible person, or by another governmental entity.
Sec. 5126.046. (A) Each county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities that has medicaid local administrative authority under division (A) of section 5126.055 of the Revised Code for habilitation, vocational, or community employment services provided as part of home and community-based services shall create a list of all persons and government entities eligible to provide such habilitation, vocational, or community employment services. If the county board chooses and is eligible to provide such habilitation, vocational, or community employment services, the county board shall include itself on the list. The county board shall make the list available to each individual with mental retardation or other developmental disability who resides in the county and is eligible for such habilitation, vocational, or community employment services. The county board shall also make the list available to such individuals' families.
An individual with mental retardation or other developmental disability who is eligible for habilitation, vocational, or community employment services may choose the provider of the services.
(B) Each month, the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall create a list of all persons and government entities eligible to provide residential services and supported living. The department shall include on the list all residential facilities licensed under section 5123.19 of the Revised Code and all supported living providers certified under section 5123.161 of the Revised Code. The department shall distribute the monthly lists to county boards that have local administrative authority under division (A) of section 5126.055 of the Revised Code for residential services and supported living provided as part of home and community-based services. A county board that receives a list shall make it available to each individual with mental retardation or other developmental disability who resides in the county and is eligible for such residential services or supported living. The county board shall also make the list available to the families of those individuals.
An individual who is eligible for residential services or supported living may choose the provider of the residential services or supported living.
(C) If a county board that has medicaid local administrative authority under division (A) of section 5126.055 of the Revised Code for home and community-based services violates the right established by this section of an individual to choose a provider that is qualified and willing to provide services to the individual, the individual shall receive timely notice that the individual may request a hearing under section 5101.35 of the Revised Code.
(D) The departments of mental retardation and developmental disabilities and job and family services shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code governing the implementation of this section. The rules shall include procedures for individuals to choose their service providers. The rules shall not be limited by a provider selection system established under section 5126.42 of the Revised Code, including any pool of providers created pursuant to a provider selection system.
Sec. 5126.05.  (A) Subject to the rules established by the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities pursuant to Chapter 119. of the Revised Code for programs and services offered pursuant to this chapter, and subject to the rules established by the state board of education pursuant to Chapter 119. of the Revised Code for programs and services offered pursuant to Chapter 3323. of the Revised Code, the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall:
(1) Administer and operate facilities, programs, and services as provided by this chapter and Chapter 3323. of the Revised Code and establish policies for their administration and operation;
(2) Coordinate, monitor, and evaluate existing services and facilities available to individuals with mental retardation and developmental disabilities;
(3) Provide early childhood services, supportive home services, and adult services, according to the plan and priorities developed under section 5126.04 of the Revised Code;
(4) Provide or contract for special education services pursuant to Chapters 3317. and 3323. of the Revised Code and ensure that related services, as defined in section 3323.01 of the Revised Code, are available according to the plan and priorities developed under section 5126.04 of the Revised Code;
(5) Adopt a budget, authorize expenditures for the purposes specified in this chapter and do so in accordance with section 319.16 of the Revised Code, approve attendance of board members and employees at professional meetings and approve expenditures for attendance, and exercise such powers and duties as are prescribed by the director;
(6) Submit annual reports of its work and expenditures, pursuant to sections 3323.09 and 5126.12 of the Revised Code, to the director, the superintendent of public instruction, and the board of county commissioners at the close of the fiscal year and at such other times as may reasonably be requested;
(7) Authorize all positions of employment, establish compensation, including but not limited to salary schedules and fringe benefits for all board employees, approve contracts of employment for management employees that are for a term of more than one year, employ legal counsel under section 309.10 of the Revised Code, and contract for employee benefits;
(8) Provide service and support administration in accordance with section 5126.15 of the Revised Code;
(9) Certify respite care homes pursuant to rules adopted under section 5123.171 of the Revised Code by the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities.
(B) To the extent that rules adopted under this section apply to the identification and placement of children with disabilities under Chapter 3323. of the Revised Code, they shall be consistent with the standards and procedures established under sections 3323.03 to 3323.05 of the Revised Code.
(C) Any county board may enter into contracts with other such boards and with public or private, nonprofit, or profit-making agencies or organizations of the same or another county, to provide the facilities, programs, and services authorized or required, upon such terms as may be agreeable, and in accordance with this chapter and Chapter 3323. of the Revised Code and rules adopted thereunder and in accordance with sections 307.86 and 5126.071 of the Revised Code.
(D) A county board may combine transportation for children and adults enrolled in programs and services offered under section 5126.12 with transportation for children enrolled in classes funded under section 3317.20 or units approved under section 3317.05 of the Revised Code.
(E) A county board may purchase all necessary insurance policies, may purchase equipment and supplies through the department of administrative services or from other sources, and may enter into agreements with public agencies or nonprofit organizations for cooperative purchasing arrangements.
(F) A county board may receive by gift, grant, devise, or bequest any moneys, lands, or property for the benefit of the purposes for which the board is established and hold, apply, and dispose of the moneys, lands, and property according to the terms of the gift, grant, devise, or bequest. All money received by gift, grant, bequest, or disposition of lands or property received by gift, grant, devise, or bequest shall be deposited in the county treasury to the credit of such board and shall be available for use by the board for purposes determined or stated by the donor or grantor, but may not be used for personal expenses of the board members. Any interest or earnings accruing from such gift, grant, devise, or bequest shall be treated in the same manner and subject to the same provisions as such gift, grant, devise, or bequest.
(G) The board of county commissioners shall levy taxes and make appropriations sufficient to enable the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities to perform its functions and duties, and may utilize any available local, state, and federal funds for such purpose.
Sec. 5126.051.  (A) To the extent that resources are available, a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall provide for or arrange residential services and supported living for individuals with mental retardation and developmental disabilities.
A county board may acquire, convey, lease, or sell property for residential services and supported living and enter into loan agreements, including mortgages, for the acquisition of such property. A county board is not required to comply with provisions of Chapter 307. of the Revised Code providing for competitive bidding or sheriff sales in the acquisition, lease, conveyance, or sale of property under this division, but the acquisition, lease, conveyance, or sale must be at fair market value determined by appraisal of one or more disinterested persons appointed by the board.
Any action taken by a county board under this division that will incur debt on the part of the county shall be taken in accordance with Chapter 133. of the Revised Code. A county board shall not incur any debt on the part of the county without the prior approval of the board of county commissioners.
(B)(1) To the extent that resources are available, in addition to sheltered employment and work activities provided as adult services pursuant to division (A)(3) of section 5126.05 of the Revised Code, a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities may provide or arrange for job training, vocational evaluation, and community employment services to mentally retarded and developmentally disabled individuals who are age eighteen and older and not enrolled in a program or service under Chapter 3323. of the Revised Code or age sixteen or seventeen and eligible for adult services under rules adopted by the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities under Chapter 119. of the Revised Code. These services shall be provided in accordance with the individual's individual service or habilitation plan and shall include support services specified in the plan.
(2) A county board may, in cooperation with the Ohio rehabilitation services commission, seek federal funds for job training and community employment.
(3) A county board may contract with any agency, board, or other entity that is accredited by the commission on accreditation of rehabilitation facilities to provide services. A county board that is accredited by the commission on accreditation of rehabilitation facilities may provide services for which it is certified by the commission.
(C) To the extent that resources are available, a county board may provide services to an individual with mental retardation or other developmental disability in addition to those provided pursuant to this section, section 5126.05 of the Revised Code, or any other section of this chapter. The services shall be provided in accordance with the individual's habilitation or service plan and may be provided in collaboration with other entities of state or local government.
Sec. 5126.052.  (A) The superintendent of a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities providing transportation for pupils to special education programs under this chapter may establish a volunteer bus rider assistance program under which qualified persons may be authorized to ride with pupils to and from such programs. Volunteers shall not be compensated for their services and are not employees for purposes of Chapter 4117. or 4123. of the Revised Code. Nothing in this section authorizes a superintendent or board to adversely affect the employment of any employee of the board.
Volunteers may be assigned duties or responsibilities by the superintendent, including but not limited to, assisting pupils in embarking and disembarking from buses and in crossing streets where necessary to ensure the safety of the pupil, assisting the bus driver, and such other activities as the superintendent determines will aid in the safe and efficient transportation of pupils.
(B) The superintendent shall ensure that each pupil receiving transportation under this chapter is instructed in school bus safety, proper bus rider behavior, and the potential problems and hazards associated with school bus ridership. Such instruction shall occur within two weeks after the pupil first receives transportation under this chapter.
Sec. 5126.054.  (A) Each county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall, by resolution, develop a three-calendar year plan that includes the following three components:
(1) An assessment component that includes all of the following:
(a) The number of individuals with mental retardation or other developmental disability residing in the county who need the level of care provided by an intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded, may seek home and community-based services, are given priority for the services pursuant to division (D) of section 5126.042 of the Revised Code; the service needs of those individuals; and the projected annualized cost for services;
(b) The source of funds available to the county board to pay the nonfederal share of medicaid expenditures that the county board is required by sections 5126.059 and 5126.0510 of the Revised Code to pay;
(c) Any other applicable information or conditions that the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities requires as a condition of approving the component under section 5123.046 of the Revised Code.
(2) (A preliminary implementation component that specifies the number of individuals to be provided, during the first year that the plan is in effect, home and community-based services pursuant to the priority given to them under divisions (D)(1) and (2) of section 5126.042 of the Revised Code and the types of home and community-based services the individuals are to receive;
(3) A component that provides for the implementation of medicaid case management services and home and community-based services for individuals who begin to receive the services on or after the date the plan is approved under section 5123.046 of the Revised Code. A county board shall include all of the following in the component:
(a) If the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities or department of job and family services requires, an agreement to pay the nonfederal share of medicaid expenditures that the county board is required by sections 5126.059 and 5126.0510 of the Revised Code to pay;
(b) How the services are to be phased in over the period the plan covers, including how the county board will serve individuals on a waiting list established under division (C) of section 5126.042 who are given priority status under division (D)(1) of that section;
(c) Any agreement or commitment regarding the county board's funding of home and community-based services that the county board has with the department at the time the county board develops the component;
(d) Assurances adequate to the department that the county board will comply with all of the following requirements:
(i) To provide the types of home and community-based services specified in the preliminary implementation component required by division (A)(2) of this section to at least the number of individuals specified in that component;
(ii) To use any additional funds the county board receives for the services to improve the county board's resource capabilities for supporting such services available in the county at the time the component is developed and to expand the services to accommodate the unmet need for those services in the county;
(iii) To employ a business manager who is either a new employee who has earned at least a bachelor's degree in business administration or a current employee who has the equivalent experience of a bachelor's degree in business administration. If the county board will employ a new employee, the county board shall include in the component a timeline for employing the employee.
(iv) To employ or contract with a medicaid services manager who is either a new employee who has earned at least a bachelor's degree or a current employee who has the equivalent experience of a bachelor's degree. If the county board will employ a new employee, the county board shall include in the component a timeline for employing the employee. Two or three county boards that have a combined total enrollment in county board services not exceeding one thousand individuals as determined pursuant to certifications made under division (B) of section 5126.12 of the Revised Code may satisfy this requirement by sharing the services of a medicaid services manager or using the services of a medicaid services manager employed by or under contract with a regional council that the county boards establish under section 5126.13 of the Revised Code.
(e) Programmatic and financial accountability measures and projected outcomes expected from the implementation of the plan;
(f) Any other applicable information or conditions that the department requires as a condition of approving the component under section 5123.046 of the Revised Code.
(B) A county board whose plan developed under division (A) of this section is approved by the department under section 5123.046 of the Revised Code shall update and renew the plan in accordance with a schedule the department shall develop.
Sec. 5126.055.  (A) Except as provided in section 5126.056 of the Revised Code, a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities has medicaid local administrative authority to, and shall, do all of the following for an individual with mental retardation or other developmental disability who resides in the county that the county board serves and seeks or receives home and community-based services:
(1) Perform assessments and evaluations of the individual. As part of the assessment and evaluation process, the county board shall do all of the following:
(a) Make a recommendation to the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities on whether the department should approve or deny the individual's application for the services, including on the basis of whether the individual needs the level of care an intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded provides;
(b) If the individual's application is denied because of the county board's recommendation and the individual requests a hearing under section 5101.35 of the Revised Code, present, with the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities or department of job and family services, whichever denies the application, the reasons for the recommendation and denial at the hearing;
(c) If the individual's application is approved, recommend to the departments of mental retardation and developmental disabilities and job and family services the services that should be included in the individual's individualized service plan and, if either department approves, reduces, denies, or terminates a service included in the individual's individualized service plan under section 5111.871 of the Revised Code because of the county board's recommendation, present, with the department that made the approval, reduction, denial, or termination, the reasons for the recommendation and approval, reduction, denial, or termination at a hearing under section 5101.35 of the Revised Code.
(2) In accordance with the rules adopted under section 5126.046 of the Revised Code, perform the county board's duties under that section regarding assisting the individual's right to choose a qualified and willing provider of the services and, at a hearing under section 5101.35 of the Revised Code, present evidence of the process for appropriate assistance in choosing providers;
(3) If the county board is certified under section 5123.161 of the Revised Code to provide the services and agrees to provide the services to the individual and the individual chooses the county board to provide the services, furnish, in accordance with the county board's medicaid provider agreement and for the authorized reimbursement rate, the services the individual requires;
(4) Monitor the services provided to the individual and ensure the individual's health, safety, and welfare. The monitoring shall include quality assurance activities. If the county board provides the services, the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall also monitor the services.
(5) Develop, with the individual and the provider of the individual's services, an effective individualized service plan that includes coordination of services, recommend that the departments of mental retardation and developmental disabilities and job and family services approve the plan, and implement the plan unless either department disapproves it;
(6) Have an investigative agent conduct investigations under section 5126.313 of the Revised Code that concern the individual;
(7) Have a service and support administrator perform the duties under division (B)(9) of section 5126.15 of the Revised Code that concern the individual.
(B) A county board shall perform its medicaid local administrative authority under this section in accordance with all of the following:
(1) The county board's plan that the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities approves under section 5123.046 of the Revised Code;
(2) All applicable federal and state laws;
(3) All applicable policies of the departments of mental retardation and developmental disabilities and job and family services and the United States department of health and human services;
(4) The department of job and family services' supervision under its authority under section 5111.01 of the Revised Code to act as the single state medicaid agency;
(5) The department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities' oversight.
(C) The departments of mental retardation and developmental disabilities and job and family services shall communicate with and provide training to county boards regarding medicaid local administrative authority granted by this section. The communication and training shall include issues regarding audit protocols and other standards established by the United States department of health and human services that the departments determine appropriate for communication and training. County boards shall participate in the training. The departments shall assess the county board's compliance against uniform standards that the departments shall establish.
(D) A county board may not delegate its medicaid local administrative authority granted under this section but may contract with a person or government entity, including a council of governments, for assistance with its medicaid local administrative authority. A county board that enters into such a contract shall notify the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities. The notice shall include the tasks and responsibilities that the contract gives to the person or government entity. The person or government entity shall comply in full with all requirements to which the county board is subject regarding the person or government entity's tasks and responsibilities under the contract. The county board remains ultimately responsible for the tasks and responsibilities.
(E) A county board that has medicaid local administrative authority under this section shall, through the departments of mental retardation and developmental disabilities and job and family services, reply to, and cooperate in arranging compliance with, a program or fiscal audit or program violation exception that a state or federal audit or review discovers. The department of job and family services shall timely notify the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities and the county board of any adverse findings. After receiving the notice, the county board, in conjunction with the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, shall cooperate fully with the department of job and family services and timely prepare and send to the department a written plan of correction or response to the adverse findings. The county board is liable for any adverse findings that result from an action it takes or fails to take in its implementation of medicaid local administrative authority.
(F) If the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities or department of job and family services determines that a county board's implementation of its medicaid local administrative authority under this section is deficient, the department that makes the determination shall require that county board do the following:
(1) If the deficiency affects the health, safety, or welfare of an individual with mental retardation or other developmental disability, correct the deficiency within twenty-four hours;
(2) If the deficiency does not affect the health, safety, or welfare of an individual with mental retardation or other developmental disability, receive technical assistance from the department or submit a plan of correction to the department that is acceptable to the department within sixty days and correct the deficiency within the time required by the plan of correction.
Sec. 5126.056. (A) The department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall take action under division (B) of this section against a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities if any of the following are the case:
(1) The county board fails to submit to the department all the components of its three-year plan required by section 5126.054 of the Revised Code.
(2) The department disapproves the county board's three-year plan under section 5123.046 of the Revised Code.
(3) The county board fails, as required by division (B) of section 5126.054 of the Revised Code, to update and renew its three-year plan in accordance with a schedule the department develops under that section.
(4) The county board fails to implement its initial or renewed three-year plan approved by the department.
(5) The county board fails to correct a deficiency within the time required by division (F) of section 5126.055 of the Revised Code to the satisfaction of the department.
(6) The county board fails to submit an acceptable plan of correction to the department within the time required by division (F)(2) of section 5126.055 of the Revised Code.
(B) If required by division (A) of this section to take action against a county board, the department shall issue an order terminating the county board's medicaid local administrative authority over all or part of home and community-based services, medicaid case management services, or all or part of both of those services. The department shall provide a copy of the order to the board of county commissioners, senior probate judge, county auditor, and president and superintendent of the county board. The department shall specify in the order the medicaid local administrative authority that the department is terminating, the reason for the termination, and the county board's option and responsibilities under this division.
A county board whose medicaid local administrative authority is terminated may, not later than thirty days after the department issues the termination order, recommend to the department that another county board that has not had any of its medicaid local administrative authority terminated or another entity the department approves administer the services for which the county board's medicaid local administrative authority is terminated. The department may contract with the other county board or entity to administer the services. If the department enters into such a contract, the county board shall adopt a resolution giving the other county board or entity full medicaid local administrative authority over the services that the other county board or entity is to administer. The other county board or entity shall be known as the contracting authority.
If the department rejects the county board's recommendation regarding a contracting authority, the county board may appeal the rejection under section 5123.043 of the Revised Code.
If the county board does not submit a recommendation to the department regarding a contracting authority within the required time or the department rejects the county board's recommendation and the rejection is upheld pursuant to an appeal, if any, under section 5123.043 of the Revised Code, the department shall appoint an administrative receiver to administer the services for which the county board's medicaid local administrative authority is terminated. To the extent necessary for the department to appoint an administrative receiver, the department may utilize employees of the department, management personnel from another county board, or other individuals who are not employed by or affiliated with in any manner a person that provides home and community-based services or medicaid case management services pursuant to a contract with any county board. The administrative receiver shall assume full administrative responsibility for the county board's services for which the county board's medicaid local administrative authority is terminated.
The contracting authority or administrative receiver shall develop and submit to the department a plan of correction to remediate the problems that caused the department to issue the termination order. If, after reviewing the plan, the department approves it, the contracting authority or administrative receiver shall implement the plan.
The county board shall transfer control of state and federal funds it is otherwise eligible to receive for the services for which the county board's medicaid local administrative authority is terminated and funds the county board may use under division (A) of section 5126.0511 of the Revised Code to pay the nonfederal share of the services that the county board is required by sections 5126.059 and 5126.0510 of the Revised Code to pay. The county board shall transfer control of the funds to the contracting authority or administrative receiver administering the services. The amount the county board shall transfer shall be the amount necessary for the contracting authority or administrative receiver to fulfill its duties in administering the services, including its duties to pay its personnel for time worked, travel, and related matters. If the county board fails to make the transfer, the department may withhold the state and federal funds from the county board and bring a mandamus action against the county board in the court of common pleas of the county served by the county board or in the Franklin county court of common pleas. The mandamus action may not require that the county board transfer any funds other than the funds the county board is required by division (B) of this section to transfer.
The contracting authority or administrative receiver has the right to authorize the payment of bills in the same manner that the county board may authorize payment of bills under this chapter and section 319.16 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 5126.058. (A) Each county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall prepare a memorandum of understanding that is developed by all of the following and that is signed by the persons identified in divisions (A)(2) to (7) of this section:
(1) The senior probate judge of the county or the senior probate judge's representative;
(2) The county peace officer;
(3) All chief municipal peace officers within the county;
(4) Other law enforcement officers handling abuse, neglect, and exploitation of mentally retarded and developmentally disabled persons in the county;
(5) The prosecuting attorney of the county;
(6) The public children services agency;
(7) The coroner of the county.
(B) A memorandum of understanding shall set forth the normal operating procedure to be employed by all concerned officials in the execution of their respective responsibilities under this section and sections 313.12, 2151.421, 2903.16, 5126.31, and 5126.33 of the Revised Code and shall have as its primary goal the elimination of all unnecessary interviews of persons who are the subject of reports made pursuant to this section. A failure to follow the procedure set forth in the memorandum by the concerned officials is not grounds for, and shall not result in, the dismissal of any charge or complaint arising from any reported case of abuse, neglect, or exploitation or the suppression of any evidence obtained as a result of any reported abuse, neglect, or exploitation and does not give any rights or grounds for appeal or post-conviction relief to any person.
(C) A memorandum of understanding shall include, but is not limited to, all of the following:
(1) The roles and responsibilities for handling emergency and nonemergency cases of abuse, neglect, or exploitation;
(2) The roles and responsibilities for handling and coordinating investigations of reported cases of abuse, neglect, or exploitation and methods to be used in interviewing the person who is the subject of the report and who allegedly was abused, neglected, or exploited;
(3) The roles and responsibilities for addressing the categories of persons who may interview the person who is the subject of the report and who allegedly was abused, neglected, or exploited;
(4) The roles and responsibilities for providing victim services to mentally retarded and developmentally disabled persons pursuant to Chapter 2930. of the Revised Code;
(5) The roles and responsibilities for the filing of criminal charges against persons alleged to have abused, neglected, or exploited mentally retarded or developmentally disabled persons.
(D) A memorandum of understanding may be signed by victim advocates, municipal court judges, municipal prosecutors, and any other person whose participation furthers the goals of a memorandum of understanding, as set forth in this section.
Sec. 5126.059.  A county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall pay the nonfederal share of medicaid expenditures for medicaid case management services the county board provides to an individual with mental retardation or other developmental disability who the county board determines under section 5126.041 of the Revised Code is eligible for county board services.
Sec. 5126.0510.  (A) Except as otherwise provided in an agreement entered into under section 5123.048 of the Revised Code and subject to divisions (B), (C), and (D) of this section, a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall pay the nonfederal share of medicaid expenditures for the following home and community-based services provided to an individual with mental retardation or other developmental disability who the county board determines under section 5126.041 of the Revised Code is eligible for county board services:
(1) Home and community-based services provided by the county board to such an individual;
(2) Home and community-based services provided by a provider other than the county board to such an individual who is enrolled as of June 30, 2007, in the medicaid waiver component under which the services are provided;
(3) Home and community-based services provided by a provider other than the county board to such an individual who, pursuant to a request the county board makes, enrolls in the medicaid waiver component under which the services are provided after June 30, 2007;
(4) Home and community-based services provided by a provider other than the county board to such an individual for whom there is in effect an agreement entered into under division (E) of this section between the county board and director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities.
(B) In the case of medicaid expenditures for home and community-based services for which division (A)(2) of this section requires a county board to pay the nonfederal share, the following shall apply to such services provided during fiscal year 2008 under the individual options medicaid waiver component:
(1) The county board shall pay no less than the total amount the county board paid as the nonfederal share for home and community-based services provided in fiscal year 2007 under the individual options medicaid waiver component;
(2) The county board shall pay no more than the sum of the following:
(a) The total amount the county board paid as the nonfederal share for home and community-based services provided in fiscal year 2007 under the individual options medicaid waiver component;
(b) An amount equal to one per cent of the total amount the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities and county board paid as the nonfederal share for home and community-based services provided in fiscal year 2007 under the individual options medicaid waiver component to individuals the county board determined under section 5126.041 of the Revised Code are eligible for county board services.
(C) A county board is not required to pay the nonfederal share of home and community-based services provided after June 30, 2008, that the county board is otherwise required by division (A)(2) of this section to pay if the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities fails to comply with division (A) of section 5123.0416 of the Revised Code.
(D) A county board is not required to pay the nonfederal share of home and community-based services that the county board is otherwise required by division (A)(3) of this section to pay if both of the following apply:
(1) The services are provided to an individual who enrolls in the medicaid waiver component under which the services are provided as the result of an order issued following a state hearing, administrative appeal, or appeal to a court of common pleas made under section 5101.35 of the Revised Code;
(2) There are more individuals who are eligible for services from the county board enrolled in the medicaid waiver component than is required by section 5126.0512 of the Revised Code.
(E) A county board may enter into an agreement with the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities under which the county board agrees to pay the nonfederal share of medicaid expenditures for one or more home and community-based services that the county board is not otherwise required by division (A)(1), (2), or (3) of this section to pay and that are provided to an individual the county board determines under section 5126.041 of the Revised Code is eligible for county board services. The agreement shall specify which home and community-based services the agreement covers. The county board shall pay the nonfederal share of medicaid expenditures for the home and community-based services that the agreement covers as long as the agreement is in effect.
Sec. 5126.0511. (A) A county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities may use the following funds to pay the nonfederal share of the medicaid expenditures that the county board is required by sections 5126.059 and 5126.0510 of the Revised Code to pay:
(1) To the extent consistent with the levy that generated the taxes, the following taxes:
(a) Taxes levied pursuant to division (L) of section 5705.19 of the Revised Code and section 5705.222 of the Revised Code;
(b) Taxes levied under section 5705.191 of the Revised Code that the board of county commissioners allocates to the county board.
(2) Funds that the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities distributes to the county board under sections 5126.11 and 5126.18 of the Revised Code;
(3) Earned federal revenue funds the county board receives for medicaid services the county board provides pursuant to the county board's valid medicaid provider agreement;
(4) Funds that the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities distributes to the county board as subsidy payments;
(5) In the case of medicaid expenditures for home and community-based services, funds allocated to or otherwise made available for the county board under section 5123.0416 of the Revised Code to pay the nonfederal share of such medicaid expenditures.
Each year, each county board shall adopt a resolution specifying the amount of funds it will use in the next year to pay the nonfederal share of the medicaid expenditures that the county board is required by sections 5126.059 and 5126.0510 of the Revised Code to pay. The amount specified shall be adequate to assure that the services for which the medicaid expenditures are made will be available in the county in a manner that conforms to all applicable state and federal laws. A county board shall state in its resolution that the payment of the nonfederal share represents an ongoing financial commitment of the county board. A county board shall adopt the resolution in time for the county auditor to make the determination required by division (C) of this section.
(C) Each year, a county auditor shall determine whether the amount of funds a county board specifies in the resolution it adopts under division (B) of this section will be available in the following year for the county board to pay the nonfederal share of the medicaid expenditures that the county board is required by sections 5126.059 and 5126.0510 of the Revised Code to pay. The county auditor shall make the determination not later than the last day of the year before the year in which the funds are to be used.
Sec. 5126.0512.  (A) As used in this section, "medicaid waiver component" means a medicaid waiver component as defined in section 5111.85 of the Revised Code under which home and community-based services are provided.
(B) Effective July 1, 2007, each county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall ensure, for each medicaid waiver component, that the number of individuals eligible under section 5126.041 of the Revised Code for services from the county board who are enrolled in a medicaid waiver component is no less than the sum of the following:
(1) The number of individuals eligible for services from the county board who are enrolled in the medicaid waiver component on June 30, 2007;
(2) The number of medicaid waiver component slots the county board requested before July 1, 2007, that were assigned to the county board before that date but in which no individual was enrolled before that date.
(C) An individual enrolled in a medicaid waiver component after March 1, 2007, due to an emergency reserve capacity waiver assignment shall not be counted in determining the number of individuals a county board must ensure under division (B) of this section are enrolled in a medicaid waiver component.
(D) An individual who is enrolled in a medicaid waiver component to comply with the terms of the consent order filed March 5, 2007, in Martin v. Strickland, Case No. 89-CV-00362, in the United States district court for the southern district of Ohio, eastern division, shall be excluded in determining whether a county board has complied with division (B) of this section.
(E) A county board shall make as many requests for individuals to be enrolled in a medicaid waiver component as necessary for the county board to comply with division (B) of this section.
Sec. 5126.06.  (A) Except as provided in division (B) of this section, any person who has a complaint involving any of the programs, services, policies, or administrative practices of a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities or any of the entities under contract with the county board, may file a complaint with the board. Prior to commencing a civil action regarding the complaint, a person shall attempt to have the complaint resolved through the administrative resolution process established in the rules adopted under section 5123.043 of the Revised Code. After exhausting the administrative resolution process, the person may commence a civil action if the complaint is not settled to the person's satisfaction.
(B) An employee of a county board may not file under this section a complaint related to the terms and conditions of employment of the employee.
Sec. 5126.07.  No county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities or any agency, corporation, or association under contract with a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall discriminate in the provision of services under its authority or contract on the basis of race, color, sex, creed, disability, national origin, or the inability to pay.
Each county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall provide a plan of affirmative action describing its goals and methods for the provision of equal employment opportunities for all persons under its authority and shall ensure nondiscrimination in employment under its authority or contract on the basis of race, color, sex, creed, disability, or national origin.
Sec. 5126.071.  (A) As used in this section, "minority business enterprise" has the meaning given in division (E)(1) of section 122.71 of the Revised Code.
(B) Any minority business enterprise that desires to bid on a contract under division (C) or (D) of this section shall first apply to the equal employment opportunity coordinator in the department of administrative services for certification as a minority business enterprise. The coordinator shall approve the application of any minority business enterprise that complies with the rules adopted under section 122.71 of the Revised Code. The coordinator shall prepare and maintain a list of minority business enterprises certified under this section.
(C) From the contracts to be awarded for the purchases of equipment, materials, supplies, insurance, and nonprogram services, other than contracts entered into and exempt under sections 307.86 and 5126.05 of the Revised Code, each county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall select a number of contracts with an aggregate value of approximately fifteen per cent of the total estimated value of such contracts to be awarded in the current calendar year. The board shall set aside the contracts so selected for bidding by minority business enterprises only. The bidding procedures for such contracts shall be the same as for all other contracts awarded under section 307.86 of the Revised Code, except that only minority business enterprises certified and listed under division (B) of this section shall be qualified to submit bids. Contracts set aside and awarded under this section shall not include contracts for the purchase of services such as direct and ancillary services, service and support administration, residential services, and family support services.
(D) To the extent that a board is authorized to enter into contracts for construction which are not exempt from the competitive bidding requirements of section 307.86 of the Revised Code, the board shall set aside a number of contracts the aggregate value of which equals approximately five per cent of the aggregate value of construction contracts for the current calendar year for bidding by minority business enterprises only. The bidding procedures for the contracts set aside for minority business enterprises shall be the same as for all other contracts awarded by the board, except that only minority business enterprises certified and listed under division (B) of this section shall be qualified to submit bids.
Any contractor awarded a construction contract pursuant to this section shall make every effort to ensure that certified minority business subcontractors and materials suppliers participate in the contract. In the case of contracts specified in this division, the total value of subcontracts awarded to and materials and services purchased from minority businesses shall be at least ten per cent of the total value of the contract, wherever possible and whenever the contractor awards subcontracts or purchases materials or services.
(E) In the case of contracts set aside under divisions (C) and (D) of this section, if no bid is submitted by a minority business enterprise, the contract shall be awarded according to normal bidding procedures. The board shall from time to time set aside such additional contracts as are necessary to replace those contracts previously set aside on which no minority business enterprise bid.
(F) This section does not preclude any minority business enterprise from bidding on any other contract not specifically set aside for minority business enterprises.
(G) Within ninety days after the beginning of each calendar year, each county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall file a report with the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities that shows for that calendar year the name of each minority business enterprise with which the board entered into a contract, the value and type of each such contract, the total value of contracts awarded under divisions (C) and (D) of this section, the total value of contracts awarded for the purchases of equipment, materials, supplies, or services, other than contracts entered into under the exemptions of sections 307.86 and 5126.05 of the Revised Code, and the total value of contracts entered into for construction.
(H) Any person who intentionally misrepresents that person as owning, controlling, operating, or participating in a minority business enterprise for the purpose of obtaining contracts or any other benefits under this section shall be guilty of theft by deception as provided for in section 2913.02 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 5126.08.  (A) The director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code for all programs and services offered by a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities. Such rules shall include, but are not limited to, the following:
(1) Determination of what constitutes a program or service;
(2) Standards to be followed by a board in administering, providing, arranging, or operating programs and services;
(3) Standards for determining the nature and degree of mental retardation, including mild mental retardation, or developmental disability;
(4) Standards for determining eligibility for programs and services under sections 5126.042 and 5126.15 of the Revised Code;
(5) Procedures for obtaining consent for the arrangement of services under section 5126.31 of the Revised Code and for obtaining signatures on individual service plans under that section;
(6) Specification of the service and support administration to be provided by a county board and standards for resolving grievances in connection with service and support administration;
(7) Standards for the provision of environmental modifications, including standards that require adherence to all applicable state and local building codes;
(8) Standards for the provision of specialized medical, adaptive, and assistive equipment, supplies, and supports.
(B) The director shall be the final authority in determining the nature and degree of mental retardation or developmental disability.
Sec. 5126.081.  (A) In addition to the rules adopted under division (A)(2) of section 5126.08 of the Revised Code establishing standards for the administration, provision, arrangement, and operation of programs and services by county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall establish a system of accreditation for county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities to ensure that the boards are in compliance with federal and state statutes and rules. The department shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code governing the system of accreditation. The rules shall include appropriate timelines for compliance when a board is found to be not in compliance and appropriate actions to be taken by boards in complying with the accreditation requirements.
(B) Prior to accrediting a board, the department shall conduct a comprehensive, on-site review of the board. During the review, the department shall document the board's compliance with the department's accreditation requirements. After completing the review, the department shall conduct an exit conference with the president of the board, the superintendent of the board, and any other officials the board asks to have present. The department shall discuss its findings from the review with the board's representatives and provide a written report of its findings not later than thirty days following the exit conference. If the department finds that the board is in compliance with the requirements for accreditation, the department shall issue evidence of accreditation to the board.
Accreditation may be granted for periods of up to five years and may be renewed. Not less than once prior to the date a board's accreditation is scheduled to expire, the department shall conduct a comprehensive, on-site review of the board.
Each board shall conduct an annual audit of itself to evaluate its compliance with the requirements for accreditation. The department may conduct an interim review of any new program or service initiated by a board after its last comprehensive review. The department may conduct other reviews and investigations as necessary to enforce this section.
(C) If the department determines through its review of a board that the board is not in compliance with the requirements for accreditation, the department shall, except as provided in division (F) of this section, grant the board an opportunity to correct the matters in which it is not in compliance. The department shall grant the board an appropriate length of time to comply with the requirements prior to taking any action to deny accreditation to the board. To avoid denial of accreditation, the board superintendent shall prepare a plan of correction to remediate the matters specified in the department's written report as not being in compliance with the requirements for accreditation. The superintendent shall submit the plan to the board for review, and the board shall review the plan. If the board believes that the plan is sufficient to correct the matters, the board shall approve the plan by resolution and submit the plan to the department for its review. The department shall review the plan of correction. If the department approves the plan, the board shall commence action to implement the plan. The department shall, as necessary, conduct follow-up reviews of the board to determine whether it has met the requirements for accreditation. If the plan of correction submitted by a board is disapproved, the department shall inform the board of the reasons for disapproval and may grant the board an opportunity to submit a revised plan of correction.
A board may request technical assistance from the department, other boards, or professional organizations in preparing plans of correction and in implementing plans of correction.
(D) If, after being given the opportunity to implement a plan of correction, a board continues to fail to meet the requirements for accreditation, the department shall issue an order denying accreditation to the board. The department may deny accreditation to the board for all or part of the programs or services offered by the board.
The department shall simultaneously notify all of the following officials in the county: the members of the board of county commissioners, the senior probate judge, the county auditor, and the president and superintendent of the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities. The notice shall identify the programs and services that have been denied accreditation, the requirements for accreditation with which the board is not in compliance, and the responsibilities of the county officials to contract under division (E)(1) of this section to have the board's programs and services administered by another party or become subject to administrative receivership under division (E)(2) of this section.
(E)(1) When a board is denied accreditation, the department shall first give the board the option of contracting to have the board's programs and services that were denied accreditation administered by an accredited county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities or another qualified entity subject to the approval of the department. The board may contract with more than one board that has been accredited. When a board enters into a contract, the board shall, by resolution, give the contractor full administrative authority over the programs and services that the contractor will administer.
(2) If a board fails to exercise its option of entering into a contract under division (E)(1) of this section sooner than thirty days after the department denies accreditation, the department shall appoint an administrative receiver of the board's programs and services that were denied accreditation. The department may appoint employees of the department, management personnel from county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, or individuals from other entities as necessary to meet its needs for appointing an administrative receiver, except that individuals from other entities may be appointed only when qualified department employees or board management personnel are unavailable. The department may not appoint an individual who is employed by or affiliated with an entity that is under contract with the board. The administrative receiver shall assume full administrative responsibility for the board's programs and services that were denied accreditation.
(3) The board or entity that contracts with a board under division (E)(1) of this section, or the administrative receiver appointed under division (E)(2) of this section, shall develop and implement a plan of correction to remediate the matters that caused the department to deny accreditation. The contractor or administrative receiver shall submit the plan to the department, and the department shall review the plan. If the plan is approved by the department, the contractor or administrative receiver shall commence action to implement the plan. The contractor or administrative receiver shall report to the department any findings it can make pertaining to issues or circumstances that are beyond the control of the board and result in the unlikelihood that compliance with the requirements for accreditation can be achieved unless the issues or circumstances are remediated.
(4) For purposes of divisions (E)(1) and (2) of this section, the department shall require the board that has been denied accreditation to transfer control of state and federal funds it is eligible to receive for the board's programs and services that have been denied accreditation in an amount necessary for the contractor or administrative receiver to fulfill its duties in administering the programs and services for the board. The transfer of control of funds does not cause any programs and services of the board that are accredited to lose their accreditation. If the board refuses to transfer control of funds, the department may withhold state and federal funds from the board in an amount necessary for the contractor or administrative receiver to fulfill its duties. The amount transferred or withheld from a board shall include reimbursements for the personnel of the contractor or administrative receiver, including amounts for time worked, travel, and related expenses.
A contractor or administrative receiver that has assumed the administration of a board's programs and services has the right to authorize the payment of bills in the same manner that a board may authorize payment of bills under this chapter and section 319.16 of the Revised Code.
(F) When the department's review of a board reveals serious health and safety issues within the programs and services offered by the board, the department shall order the board to correct the violations immediately or appoint an administrative receiver.
(G) At any time a board can demonstrate that it is capable of assuming its duties in compliance with the department's requirements for accreditation, the department shall reverse its order denying accreditation and issue evidence of accreditation to the board.
A board may appeal the department's denial of accreditation or refusal to reverse a denial of accreditation only by filing a complaint under section 5123.043 of the Revised Code. If in its appeal the board can demonstrate that it is capable of assuming its duties in compliance with the department's requirements for accreditation, the department shall reverse its order denying accreditation and shall issue evidence of accreditation to the board.
(H) All notices issued to a board by the department under this section shall be delivered to the board's president and superintendent.
(I) A board's president may designate another member of the board as the individual to be responsible for fulfilling all or part of the president's responsibilities established under this section.
Sec. 5126.082.  (A) In addition to the rules adopted under division (A)(2) of section 5126.08 of the Revised Code establishing standards to be followed by county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities in administering, providing, arranging, and operating programs and services and in addition to the board accreditation system established under section 5126.081 of the Revised Code, the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code establishing standards for promoting and advancing the quality of life of individuals with mental retardation and developmental disabilities receiving any of the following:
(1) Early childhood services pursuant to section 5126.05 of the Revised Code for children under age three;
(2) Adult services pursuant to section 5126.05 and division (B) of section 5126.051 of the Revised Code for individuals age sixteen or older;
(3) Family support services pursuant to section 5126.11 of the Revised Code.
(B) The rules adopted under this section shall specify the actions county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities and the agencies with which they contract should take to do the following:
(1) Offer individuals with mental retardation and developmental disabilities, and their families when appropriate, choices in programs and services that are centered on the needs and desires of those individuals;
(2) Maintain infants with their families whenever possible by collaborating with other agencies that provide services to infants and their families and taking other appropriate actions;
(3) Provide families that have children with mental retardation and developmental disabilities under age eighteen residing in their homes the resources necessary to allow the children to remain in their homes;
(4) Create and implement community employment services based on the needs and desires of adults with mental retardation and developmental disabilities;
(5) Create, in collaboration with other agencies, transportation systems that provide safe and accessible transportation within the county to individuals with disabilities;
(6) Provide services that allow individuals with disabilities to be integrated into the community by engaging in educational, vocational, and recreational activities with individuals who do not have disabilities;
(7) Provide age-appropriate retirement services for individuals age sixty-five and older with mental retardation and developmental disabilities;
(8) Establish residential services and supported living for individuals with mental retardation and developmental disabilities in accordance with their needs.
(C) To assist in funding programs and services that meet the standards established under this section, each county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall make a good faith effort to acquire available federal funds, including reimbursements under Title XIX of the "Social Security Act," 79 Stat. 286 (1965), 42 U.S.C.A. 1396, as amended.
(D) Each county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall work toward full compliance with the standards established under this section, based on its available resources. Funds received under this chapter shall be used to comply with the standards. Annually, each board shall conduct a self audit to evaluate the board's progress in complying fully with the standards.
(E) The department shall complete a program quality review of each county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities to determine the extent to which the board has complied with the standards. The review shall be conducted in conjunction with the comprehensive accreditation review of the board that is conducted under section 5126.081 of the Revised Code.
Notwithstanding any provision of this chapter or Chapter 5123. of the Revised Code requiring the department to distribute funds to county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, the department may withhold funds from a board if it finds that the board is not in substantial compliance with the standards established under this section.
(F) When the standards for accreditation from the commission on accreditation of rehabilitation facilities, or another accrediting agency, meet or exceed the standards established under this section, the director may accept accreditation from the commission or other agency as evidence that the board is in compliance with all or part of the standards established under this section. Programs and services accredited by the commission or agency are exempt from the program quality reviews required by division (E) of this section.
Sec. 5126.09.  A county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities may procure a policy or policies of insurance insuring board members or employees of the board or agencies with which the board contracts or volunteer bus rider assistants authorized by section 5126.061 of the Revised Code against liability arising from the performance of their official duties.
Sec. 5126.10.  The director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code establishing standard cost allocation procedures and shall require county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities to use such procedures to allocate all indirect costs to services provided pursuant to Chapters 3323. and 5126. of the Revised Code.
Sec. 5126.11.  (A) As used in this section, "respite care" means appropriate, short-term, temporary care that is provided to a mentally retarded or developmentally disabled person to sustain the family structure or to meet planned or emergency needs of the family.
(B) Subject to rules adopted by the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, and subject to the availability of money from state and federal sources, the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall establish a family support services program. Under such a program, the board shall make payments to an individual with mental retardation or other developmental disability or the family of an individual with mental retardation or other developmental disability who desires to remain in and be supported in the family home. Payments shall be made for all or part of costs incurred or estimated to be incurred for services that would promote self-sufficiency and normalization, prevent or reduce inappropriate institutional care, and further the unity of the family by enabling the family to meet the special needs of the individual and to live as much like other families as possible. Payments may be made in the form of reimbursement for expenditures or in the form of vouchers to be used to purchase services.
(C) Payment shall not be made under this section to an individual or the individual's family if the individual is living in a residential facility that is providing residential services under contract with the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities or a county board.
(D) Payments may be made for the following services:
(1) Respite care, in or out of the home;
(2) Counseling, supervision, training, and education of the individual, the individual's caregivers, and members of the individual's family that aid the family in providing proper care for the individual, provide for the special needs of the family, and assist in all aspects of the individual's daily living;
(3) Special diets, purchase or lease of special equipment, or modifications of the home, if such diets, equipment, or modifications are necessary to improve or facilitate the care and living environment of the individual;
(4) Providing support necessary for the individual's continued skill development, including such services as development of interventions to cope with unique problems that may occur within the complexity of the family, enrollment of the individual in special summer programs, provision of appropriate leisure activities, and other social skills development activities;
(5) Any other services that are consistent with the purposes specified in division (B) of this section and specified in the individual's service plan.
(E) In order to be eligible for payments under a family support services program, the individual or the individual's family must reside in the county served by the county board, and the individual must be in need of habilitation. Payments shall be adjusted for income in accordance with the payment schedule established in rules adopted under this section. Payments shall be made only after the county board has taken into account all other available assistance for which the individual or family is eligible.
(F) Before incurring expenses for a service for which payment will be sought under a family support services program, the individual or family shall apply to the county board for a determination of eligibility and approval of the service. The service need not be provided in the county served by the county board. After being determined eligible and receiving approval for the service, the individual or family may incur expenses for the service or use the vouchers received from the county board for the purchase of the service.
If the county board refuses to approve a service, an appeal may be made in accordance with rules adopted by the department under this section.
(G) To be reimbursed for expenses incurred for approved services, the individual or family shall submit to the county board a statement of the expenses incurred accompanied by any evidence required by the board. To redeem vouchers used to purchase approved services, the entity that provided the service shall submit to the county board evidence that the service was provided and a statement of the charges. The county board shall make reimbursements and redeem vouchers no later than forty-five days after it receives the statements and evidence required by this division.
(H) A county board shall consider the following objectives in carrying out a family support services program:
(1) Enabling individuals to return to their families from an institution under the jurisdiction of the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities;
(2) Enabling individuals found to be subject to institutionalization by court order under section 5123.76 of the Revised Code to remain with their families with the aid of payments provided under this section;
(3) Providing services to eligible children and adults currently residing in the community;
(4) Providing services to individuals with developmental disabilities who are not receiving other services from the board.
(I) The director shall adopt, and may amend and rescind, rules for the implementation of family support services programs by county boards. Such rules shall include the following:
(1) A payment schedule adjusted for income;
(2) A formula for distributing to county boards the money appropriated for family support services;
(3) Standards for supervision, training, and quality control in the provision of respite care services;
(4) Eligibility standards and procedures for providing temporary emergency respite care;
(5) Procedures for hearing and deciding appeals made under division (F) of this section;
(6) Requirements to be followed by county boards regarding reports submitted under division (K) of this section.
Rules adopted under divisions (I)(1) and (2) of this section shall be adopted in accordance with section 111.15 of the Revised Code. Rules adopted under divisions (I)(3) to (6) of this section shall be adopted in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code.
(J) All individuals certified by the superintendent of the county board as eligible for temporary emergency respite care in accordance with rules adopted under this section shall be considered eligible for temporary emergency respite care for not more than five days to permit the determination of eligibility for family support services. The requirements of divisions (E) and (F) of this section do not apply to temporary emergency respite care.
(K) The department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall distribute to county boards money appropriated for family support services in quarterly installments of equal amounts. The installments shall be made not later than the thirtieth day of September, the thirty-first day of December, the thirty-first day of March, and the thirtieth day of June. A county board shall use no more than seven per cent of the funds for administrative costs. Each county board shall submit reports to the department on payments made under this section. The reports shall be submitted at those times and in the manner specified in rules adopted under this section.
(L) The county board shall not be required to make payments for family support services at a level that exceeds available state and federal funds for such payments.
Sec. 5126.12.  (A) As used in this section:
(1) "Approved school age class" means a class operated by a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities and funded by the department of education under section 3317.20 of the Revised Code.
(2) "Approved preschool unit" means a class or unit operated by a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities and approved under division (B) of section 3317.05 of the Revised Code.
(3) "Active treatment" means a continuous treatment program, which includes aggressive, consistent implementation of a program of specialized and generic training, treatment, health services, and related services, that is directed toward the acquisition of behaviors necessary for an individual with mental retardation or other developmental disability to function with as much self-determination and independence as possible and toward the prevention of deceleration, regression, or loss of current optimal functional status.
(4) "Eligible for active treatment" means that an individual with mental retardation or other developmental disability resides in an intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded certified under Title XIX of the "Social Security Act," 79 Stat. 286 (1965), 42 U.S.C. 1396, as amended; resides in a state institution operated by the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities; or is enrolled in home and community-based services.
(5) "Traditional adult services" means vocational and nonvocational activities conducted within a sheltered workshop or adult activity center or supportive home services.
(B) Each county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall certify to the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities all of the following:
(1) On or before the fifteenth day of October, the average daily membership for the first full week of programs and services during October receiving:
(a) Early childhood services provided pursuant to section 5126.05 of the Revised Code for children who are less than three years of age on the thirtieth day of September of the academic year;
(b) Special education for children with disabilities in approved school age classes;
(c) Adult services for persons sixteen years of age and older operated pursuant to section 5126.05 and division (B) of section 5126.051 of the Revised Code. Separate counts shall be made for the following:
(i) Persons enrolled in traditional adult services who are eligible for but not enrolled in active treatment;
(ii) Persons enrolled in traditional adult services who are eligible for and enrolled in active treatment;
(iii) Persons enrolled in traditional adult services but who are not eligible for active treatment;
(iv) Persons participating in community employment services. To be counted as participating in community employment services, a person must have spent an average of no less than ten hours per week in that employment during the preceding six months.
(d) Other programs in the county for individuals with mental retardation and developmental disabilities that have been approved for payment of subsidy by the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities.
The membership in each such program and service in the county shall be reported on forms prescribed by the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities.
The department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall adopt rules defining full-time equivalent enrollees and for determining the average daily membership therefrom, except that certification of average daily membership in approved school age classes shall be in accordance with rules adopted by the state board of education. The average daily membership figure shall be determined by dividing the amount representing the sum of the number of enrollees in each program or service in the week for which the certification is made by the number of days the program or service was offered in that week. No enrollee may be counted in average daily membership for more than one program or service.
(2) By the fifteenth day of December, the number of children enrolled in approved preschool units on the first day of December;
(3) On or before the thirtieth day of April, an itemized report of all income and operating expenditures for the immediately preceding calendar year, in the format specified by the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities;
(4) That each required certification and report is in accordance with rules established by the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities and the state board of education for the operation and subsidization of the programs and services.
Sec. 5126.121.  Each county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities may be eligible to receive a subsidy from the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities for the employment of a business manager as provided in this section. The department shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code specifying standards for the employment of such a business manager. The rules shall include the minimum education and experience requirements for the position of business manager and shall specify requirements for courses in fiscal and business management that are annually sponsored or certified by the department and that are applicable to the position and designed to teach effective business practices. Each county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities that employs a business manager in accordance with the standards adopted under this section may receive a subsidy from the department.
The department shall distribute this subsidy to eligible county boards in quarterly installments of equal amounts. The installments shall be made not later than the thirtieth day of September, the thirty-first day of December, the thirty-first day of March, and the thirtieth day of June.
Sec. 5126.13.  (A) A county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities may enter into an agreement with one or more other county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities to establish a regional council in accordance with Chapter 167. of the Revised Code. The agreement shall specify the duties and functions to be performed by the council, which may include any duty or function a county board is required or authorized to perform under this chapter. If directed to do so by a resolution adopted by a county board that is a member of a regional council, the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall make any distributions of money for that county for the duties or functions performed by the council pursuant to its agreement that are otherwise required to be made to the county board under this chapter to the fiscal officer of the council designated under section 167.04 of the Revised Code.
A county board may also enter into an agreement with one or more school districts or other political subdivisions to establish a regional council in accordance with Chapter 167. of the Revised Code.
(B) On or before the thirtieth day of March, the fiscal officer of a regional council described in this section shall report to the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, in the format specified by the department, all income and operating expenditures of the council for the immediately preceding calendar year.
Sec. 5126.14. The entity responsible for the habilitation management included in adult day habilitation services, the program management included in residential services, and the program management included in supported living shall provide administrative oversight by doing all of the following:
(A) Having available supervisory personnel to monitor and ensure implementation of all interventions in accordance with every individual service plan implemented by the staff who work with the individuals receiving the services;
(B) Providing appropriate training and technical assistance for all staff who work with the individuals receiving services;
(C) Communicating with service and support administration staff for the purpose of coordinating activities to ensure that services are provided to individuals in accordance with individual service plans and intended outcomes;
(D) Monitoring for unusual and major unusual incidents and cases of abuse, neglect, exploitation, or misappropriation of funds involving the individual under the care of staff who are providing the services; taking immediate actions as necessary to maintain the health, safety, and welfare of the individuals receiving the services; and providing notice of unusual and major unusual incidents and suspected cases of abuse, neglect, exploitation, or misappropriation of funds to the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities;
(E) Performing other administrative duties as required by state or federal law or by the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities through contracts with providers.
Sec. 5126.15.  (A) A county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall provide service and support administration to each individual three years of age or older who is eligible for service and support administration if the individual requests, or a person on the individual's behalf requests, service and support administration. A board shall provide service and support administration to each individual receiving home and community-based services. A board may provide, in accordance with the service coordination requirements of 34 C.F.R. 303.23, service and support administration to an individual under three years of age eligible for early intervention services under 34 C.F.R. part 303. A board may provide service and support administration to an individual who is not eligible for other services of the board. Service and support administration shall be provided in accordance with rules adopted under section 5126.08 of the Revised Code.
A board may provide service and support administration by directly employing service and support administrators or by contracting with entities for the performance of service and support administration. Individuals employed or under contract as service and support administrators shall not be in the same collective bargaining unit as employees who perform duties that are not administrative.
Individuals employed by a board as service and support administrators shall not be assigned responsibilities for implementing other services for individuals and shall not be employed by or serve in a decision-making or policy-making capacity for any other entity that provides programs or services to individuals with mental retardation or developmental disabilities. An individual employed as a conditional status service and support administrator shall perform the duties of service and support administration only under the supervision of a management employee who is a service and support administration supervisor.
(B) The individuals employed by or under contract with a board to provide service and support administration shall do all of the following:
(1) Establish an individual's eligibility for the services of the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities;
(2) Assess individual needs for services;
(3) Develop individual service plans with the active participation of the individual to be served, other persons selected by the individual, and, when applicable, the provider selected by the individual, and recommend the plans for approval by the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities when services included in the plans are funded through medicaid;
(4) Establish budgets for services based on the individual's assessed needs and preferred ways of meeting those needs;
(5) Assist individuals in making selections from among the providers they have chosen;
(6) Ensure that services are effectively coordinated and provided by appropriate providers;
(7) Establish and implement an ongoing system of monitoring the implementation of individual service plans to achieve consistent implementation and the desired outcomes for the individual;
(8) Perform quality assurance reviews as a distinct function of service and support administration;
(9) Incorporate the results of quality assurance reviews and identified trends and patterns of unusual incidents and major unusual incidents into amendments of an individual's service plan for the purpose of improving and enhancing the quality and appropriateness of services rendered to the individual;
(10) Ensure that each individual receiving services has a designated person who is responsible on a continuing basis for providing the individual with representation, advocacy, advice, and assistance related to the day-to-day coordination of services in accordance with the individual's service plan. The service and support administrator shall give the individual receiving services an opportunity to designate the person to provide daily representation. If the individual declines to make a designation, the administrator shall make the designation. In either case, the individual receiving services may change at any time the person designated to provide daily representation.
Sec. 5126.18.  (A) As used in this section:
(1) "County board" means a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities.
(2) Notwithstanding section 5126.01 of the Revised Code, "adult services" means the following services, as they are identified on individual information forms submitted by county boards to the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, provided to an individual with mental retardation or other developmental disability who is at least twenty-two years of age:
(a) Assessment;
(b) Home service;
(c) Adult program;
(d) Community employment services;
(e) Retirement.
(3) "Adult services enrollment" means a county board's average daily membership in adult services, exclusive of such services provided to individuals served solely through service and support administration provided pursuant to section 5126.15 of the Revised Code or family support services provided pursuant to section 5126.11 of the Revised Code.
(4) "Taxable value" means the taxable value of a county board certified under division (B)(1) of this section.
(5) "Per-mill yield" of a county board means the quotient obtained by dividing (a) the taxable value of the county board by (b) one thousand.
(6) "Local adult services cost" means a county board's expenditures for adult services, excluding all federal and state reimbursements and subsidy allocations received by such boards and expended for such services, as certified under section 5126.12 of the Revised Code.
(7) "Statewide average millage" means one thousand multiplied by the quotient obtained by dividing (a) the total of the local adult services costs of all county boards by (b) the total of the taxable values of all county boards.
(8) "County yield" of a county board means the product obtained by multiplying (a) the statewide average millage by (b) the per-mill yield of the county board.
(9) "County yield per enrollee" of a county board means the quotient obtained by dividing (a) the county yield of the county board by (b) the adult enrollment of the county board.
(10) "Statewide yield per enrollee" means the quotient obtained by dividing (a) the sum of the county yields of all county boards by (b) the sum of the adult enrollments of all county boards.
(11) "Local tax effort for adult services" of a county board means one thousand multiplied by the quotient obtained by dividing (a) the local adult services cost of the county board by (b) the taxable value of the county board.
(12) "Funding percentage" for a fiscal year means the percentage that the amount appropriated to the department for the purpose of making payments under this section in the fiscal year is of the amount computed under division (C)(3) of this section for the fiscal year.
(13) "Funding-adjusted required millage" for a fiscal year means the statewide average millage multiplied by the funding percentage for that fiscal year.
(B)(1) On the request of the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, the tax commissioner shall provide to the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities information specifying the taxable value of property on each county's tax list of real and public utility property and tax list of personal property for the most recent tax year for which such information is available. The director may request any other tax information necessary for the purposes of this section.
(2) On the request of the director, each county board shall report the county board's adult services enrollment and local adult services cost.
(C) Each year, the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall compute the following:
(1) For each county board, the amount, if any, by which the statewide yield per enrollee exceeds the county yield per enrollee;
(2) For each county board, the amount of any excess computed under division (C)(1) of this section multiplied by the adult services enrollment of the county board;
(3) The sum of the amounts computed under division (C)(2) of this section for all county boards.
(D) From money appropriated for the purpose, the department shall provide for payment to each county board of the amount computed for that county board under division (C)(2) of this section, subject to any reduction or adjustment under division (E), (F), or (G) of this section. The department shall make the payments in quarterly installments of equal amounts. The installments shall be made not later than the thirtieth day of September, thirty-first day of December, thirty-first day of March, and thirtieth day of June.
(E) If a county board's local tax effort for adult services is less than the funding-adjusted required millage, the director shall reduce the amount of payment otherwise computed under division (C)(2) of this section so that the amount paid, after the reduction, is the same percentage of the amount computed under division (C)(2) of this section as the county board's local tax effort for adult services is of the funding-adjusted required millage.
If the director reduces the amount of a county board's payment under this division, the department, not later than the fifteenth day of July, shall notify the county board of the reduction and the amount of the reduction. The notice shall include a statement that the county board may request to be exempted from the reduction by filing a request with the director, in the manner and form prescribed by the director, within twenty-one days after such notification is issued. The board may present evidence of its attempt to obtain passage of levies or any other extenuating circumstances the board considers relevant. If the county board requests a hearing before the director to present such evidence, the director shall conduct a hearing on the request unless the director exempts the board from the reduction on the basis of the evidence presented in the request filed by the board. Upon receiving a properly and timely filed request for exemption, but not later than the thirty-first day of August, the director shall determine whether the county board shall be exempted from all or a part of the reduction. The director may exempt the board from all or part of the reduction if the director finds that the board has made good faith efforts to obtain passage of tax levies or that there are extenuating circumstances.
(F) If a payment is reduced under division (E) of this section and the director does not exempt the county board from the reduction, the amount of the reduction shall be apportioned among all county boards entitled to payments under this section for which payments were not so reduced. The amount apportioned to each county board shall be proportionate to the amount of the board's payment as computed under division (C)(2) of this section.
(G) If, for any fiscal year, the amount appropriated to the department for the purpose of this section is less than the amount computed under division (C)(3) of this section for the fiscal year, the department shall adjust the amount of each payment as computed under divisions (C)(2), (E), and (F) of this section by multiplying that amount by the funding percentage.
(H) The payments authorized by this section are supplemental to all other funds that may be received by a county board. A county board shall use the payments solely to pay the nonfederal share of medicaid expenditures that sections 5126.059 and 5126.0510 of the Revised Code require the county board to pay.
Sec. 5126.19.  (A) The director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities may grant temporary funding from the community mental retardation and developmental disabilities trust fund based on allocations to county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities. The director may distribute all or part of the funding directly to a county board, the persons who provide the services for which the funding is granted, or persons with mental retardation or developmental disabilities who are to receive those services.
(B) Funding granted under division (A) of this section shall be granted according to the availability of moneys in the fund and priorities established by the director. Funding may be granted for any of the following purposes:
(1) Behavioral or short-term interventions for persons with mental retardation or developmental disabilities that assist them in remaining in the community by preventing institutionalization;
(2) Emergency respite care services, as defined in section 5126.11 of the Revised Code;
(3) Family support services provided under section 5126.11 of the Revised Code;
(4) Supported living, as defined in section 5126.01 of the Revised Code;
(5) Staff training for county board employees, employees of providers of residential services as defined in section 5126.01 of the Revised Code, and other personnel under contract with a county board, to provide the staff with necessary training in serving mentally retarded or developmentally disabled persons in the community;
(6) Short-term provision of early childhood services provided under section 5126.05, adult services provided under sections 5126.05 and 5126.051, and service and support administration provided under section 5126.15 of the Revised Code, when local moneys are insufficient to meet the need for such services due to the successive failure within a two-year period of three or more proposed levies for the services;
(7) Contracts with providers of residential services to maintain persons with mental retardation and developmental disabilities in their programs and avoid institutionalization.
(C) If the trust fund contains more than ten million dollars on the first day of July the director shall use one million dollars for payments under section 5126.18 of the Revised Code, two million dollars for subsidies to county boards for supported living, and one million dollars for subsidies to county boards for early childhood services and adult services provided under section 5126.05 of the Revised Code. Distributions of funds under this division shall be made prior to August 31 of the state fiscal year in which the funds are available. The funds shall be allocated to a county board in an amount equal to the same percentage of the total amount allocated to the county board the immediately preceding state fiscal year.
(D) In addition to making grants under division (A) of this section, the director may use money available in the trust fund for the same purposes that rules adopted under section 5123.0413 of the Revised Code provide for money in the state MR/DD risk fund and the state insurance against MR/DD risk fund, both created under that section, to be used.
Sec. 5126.20.  As used in this section and sections 5126.21 to 5126.29 of the Revised Code:
(A) "Service employee" means a person employed by a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities in a position which may require evidence of registration under section 5126.25 of the Revised Code but for which a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university is not required, and includes employees in the positions listed in division (C) of section 5126.22 of the Revised Code.
(B)(1) "Professional employee" means both of the following:
(a) A person employed by a board in a position for which either a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university or a license or certificate issued under Title XLVII of the Revised Code is a minimum requirement;
(b) A person employed by a board as a conditional status service and support administrator.
(2) "Professional employee" includes employees in the positions listed in division (B) of section 5126.22 of the Revised Code.
(C) "Management employee" means a person employed by a board in a position having supervisory or managerial responsibilities and duties, and includes employees in the positions listed in division (A) of section 5126.22 of the Revised Code.
(D) "Limited contract" means a contract of limited duration which is renewable at the discretion of the superintendent.
(E) "Continuing contract" means a contract of employment that was issued prior to June 24, 1988, to a classified employee under which the employee has completed the employee's probationary period and under which the employee retains employment until the employee retires or resigns, is removed pursuant to section 5126.23 of the Revised Code, or is laid off.
(F) "Supervisory responsibilities and duties" includes the authority to hire, transfer, suspend, lay off, recall, promote, discharge, assign, reward, or discipline other employees of the board; to responsibly direct them; to adjust their grievances; or to effectively recommend such action, if the exercise of that authority is not of a merely routine or clerical nature but requires the use of independent judgment.
(G) "Managerial responsibilities and duties" includes formulating policy on behalf of the board, responsibly directing the implementation of policy, assisting in the preparation for the conduct of collective negotiations, administering collectively negotiated agreements, or having a major role in personnel administration.
(H) "Investigative agent" means an individual who conducts investigations under section 5126.313 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 5126.201. A person may be employed by a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities as a conditional status service and support administrator only if either of the following is true:
(A) The person has at least an appropriate associate degree;
(B) The person meets both of the following requirements:
(1) The person was employed by the county board and performed service and support administration duties on June 30, 2005;
(2) The person holds a high school diploma or a general educational development certificate of high school equivalence.
Sec. 5126.21.  As used in this section, "management employee" does not include the superintendent of a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities.
(A)(1) Each management employee of a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall hold a limited contract for a period of not less than one year and not more than five years, except that a management employee hired after the beginning of a program year may be employed under a limited contract expiring at the end of the program year. The board shall approve all contracts of employment for management employees that are for a term of more than one year. A management employee shall receive notice of the superintendent's intention not to rehire the employee at least ninety days prior to the expiration of the contract. If the superintendent fails to notify a management employee, the employee shall be reemployed under a limited contract of one year at the same salary plus any authorized salary increases.
(2) During the term of a contract a management employee's salary may be increased, but shall not be reduced unless the reduction is part of a uniform plan affecting all employees of the board.
(B) All management employees may be removed, suspended, or demoted for cause pursuant to section 5126.23 of the Revised Code.
(C) All management employees shall receive employee benefits that shall include sick leave, vacation leave, holiday pay, and such other benefits as are established by the board. Sections 124.38 and 325.19 of the Revised Code do not apply to management employees.
(D) The superintendent of a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall notify all management employees of the board of their salary no later than thirty days before the first day of the new contract year.
(E) All management employees of a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities who were given continuing contract status prior to the effective date of this section have continuing contract status so long as they maintain employment with the board.
(F) All management employees who were probationary employees on the effective date of this section shall, upon completion of their probationary period, be granted continuing contract status if retained in employment.
(G) Each county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall establish a lay-off policy to be followed if it determines a reduction in the number of management employees is necessary.
Sec. 5126.22.  (A) Employees who hold the following positions in a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities are management employees:
assistant superintendent
director of business
director of personnel
adult services director
workshop director
habilitation manager
director of residential services
principal (director of children services)
program or service supervisor
plant manager
production manager
service and support administration supervisor
investigative agent
confidential employees as defined in section 4117.01 of the Revised Code
positions designated by the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities as having managerial or supervisory responsibilities and duties
positions designated by the county board in accordance with division (D) of this section.
(B) Employees who hold the following positions in a board are professional employees:
personnel certified pursuant to Chapter 3319. of the Revised Code
early intervention specialist
physical development specialist
habilitation specialist
work adjustment specialist
placement specialist
vocational evaluator
psychologist
occupational therapist
speech and language pathologist
recreation specialist
behavior management specialist
physical therapist
supportive home services specialist
licensed practical nurse or registered nurse
rehabilitation counselor
doctor of medicine and surgery or of osteopathic medicine and surgery
dentist
service and support administrator
conditional status service and support administrator
social worker
any position that is not a management position and for which the standards for certification established by the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities under section 5126.25 of the Revised Code require a bachelor's or higher degree
professional positions designated by the director
professional positions designated by the county board in accordance with division (D) of this section.
(C) Employees who hold positions in a board that are neither management positions nor professional positions are service employees. Service employee positions include:
workshop specialist
workshop specialist assistant
contract procurement specialist
community employment specialist
any assistant to a professional employee certified to provide, or supervise the provision of, adult services or service and support administration
service positions designated by the director
service positions designated by a county board in accordance with division (D) of this section.
(D) A county board may designate a position only if the position does not include directly providing, or supervising employees who directly provide, service or instruction to individuals with mental retardation or developmental disabilities.
(E) If a county board desires to have a position established that is not specifically listed in this section that includes directly providing, or supervising employees who directly provide, services or instruction to individuals with mental retardation or developmental disabilities, the board shall submit to the director a written description of the position and request that the director designate the position as a management, professional, or service position under this section. The director shall consider each request submitted under this division and respond within thirty days. If the director approves the request, the director shall designate the position as a management, professional, or service position.
(F) A county board shall not terminate its employment of any management, professional, or service employee solely because a position is added to or eliminated from those positions listed in this section or because a position is designated or no longer designated by the director or a county board.
Sec. 5126.221.  Each county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall employ at least one investigative agent or contract with a person or government entity, including another county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities or a regional council established under section 5126.13 of the Revised Code, for the services of an investigative agent. Neither a county board nor a person or government entity with which a county board contracts for the services of an investigative agent shall assign any duties to an investigative agent other than conducting investigations under section 5126.313 of the Revised Code.
All investigative agents shall be trained in civil and criminal investigatory practices. The person responsible for supervising the work of the investigative agents shall report directly to a county board's superintendent regarding the investigative agents.
No investigative agent shall do anything that interferes with the investigative agent's objectivity in conducting investigations under section 5126.313 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 5126.23.  (A) As used in this section, "employee" means a management employee or superintendent of a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities.
(B) An employee may be removed, suspended, or demoted in accordance with this section for violation of written rules set forth by the board or for incompetency, inefficiency, dishonesty, drunkenness, immoral conduct, insubordination, discourteous treatment of the public, neglect of duty, or other acts of misfeasance, malfeasance, or nonfeasance.
(C) Prior to the removal, suspension, or demotion of an employee pursuant to this section, the employee shall be notified in writing of the charges against him the employee. Except as otherwise provided in division (H) of this section, not later than thirty days after receiving such notification, a predisciplinary conference shall be held to provide the employee an opportunity to refute the charges against him the employee. At least seventy-two hours prior to the conference, the employee shall be given a copy of the charges against him the employee.
If the removal, suspension, or demotion action is directed against a management employee, the conference shall be held by the superintendent or a person he the superintendent designates, and the superintendent shall notify the management employee within fifteen days after the conference of the decision made with respect to the charges. If the removal, suspension, or demotion action is directed against a superintendent, the conference shall be held by the members of the board or their designees, and the board shall notify the superintendent within fifteen days after the conference of its decision with respect to the charges.
(D) Within fifteen days after receiving notification of the results of the predisciplinary conference, an employee may file with the board a written demand for a hearing before the board or before a referee, and the board shall set a time for the hearing which shall be within thirty days from the date of receipt of the written demand, and the board shall give the employee at least twenty days notice in writing of the time and place of the hearing.
(E) If a referee is demanded by an employee or a county board, the hearing shall be conducted by a referee selected in accordance with division (F) of this section; otherwise, it shall be conducted by a majority of the members of the board and shall be confined to the charges enumerated at the predisciplinary conference.
(F) Referees for the hearings required by this section shall be selected from the list of names compiled by the superintendent of public instruction pursuant to section 3319.161 of the Revised Code. Upon receipt of notice that a referee has been demanded by an employee or a county board, the superintendent of public instruction shall immediately designate three persons from such list, from whom the referee for the hearing shall be chosen, and he the superintendent of public instruction shall immediately notify the designees, the county board, and the employee. If within five days of receipt of the notice, the county board and employee are unable to agree upon one of the designees to serve as referee, the superintendent of public instruction shall appoint one of the designees to serve as referee. The appointment of the referee shall be entered in the minutes of the county board. The referee appointed shall be paid his the referee's usual and customary fee for attending the hearing which shall be paid from the general fund of the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities.
(G) The board shall provide for a complete stenographic record of the proceedings, and a copy of the record shall be furnished to the employee.
Both parties may be present at the hearing, be represented by counsel, require witnesses to be under oath, cross-examine witnesses, take a record of the proceedings, and require the presence of witnesses in their behalf upon subpoena to be issued by the county board. If any person fails to comply with a subpoena, a judge of the court of common pleas of the county in which the person resides, upon application of any interested party, shall compel attendance of the person by attachment proceedings as for contempt. Any member of the board or the referee may administer oaths to witnesses. After a hearing by a referee, the referee shall file his a report within ten days after the termination of the hearing. After consideration of the referee's report, the board, by a majority vote, may accept or reject the referee's recommendation. After a hearing by the board, the board, by majority vote, may enter its determination upon its minutes. If the decision, after hearing, is in favor of the employee, the charges and the record of the hearing shall be physically expunged from the minutes and, if the employee has suffered any loss of salary by reason of being suspended, he the employee shall be paid his the employee's full salary for the period of such suspension.
Any employee affected by a determination of the board under this division may appeal to the court of common pleas of the county in which the board is located within thirty days after receipt of notice of the entry of such determination. The appeal shall be an original action in the court and shall be commenced by the filing of a complaint against the board, in which complaint the facts shall be alleged upon which the employee relies for a reversal or modification of such determination. Upon service or waiver of summons in that appeal, the board immediately shall transmit to the clerk of the court for filing a transcript of the original papers filed with the board, a certified copy of the minutes of the board into which the determination was entered, and a certified transcript of all evidence adduced at the hearing or hearings before the board or a certified transcript of all evidence adduced at the hearing or hearings before the referee, whereupon the cause shall be at issue without further pleading and shall be advanced and heard without delay. The court shall examine the transcript and record of the hearing and shall hold such additional hearings as it considers advisable, at which it may consider other evidence in addition to the transcript and record.
Upon final hearing, the court shall grant or deny the relief prayed for in the complaint as may be proper in accordance with the evidence adduced in the hearing. Such an action is a special proceeding, and either the employee or the board may appeal from the decision of the court of common pleas pursuant to the Rules of Appellate Procedure and, to the extent not in conflict with those rules, Chapter 2505. of the Revised Code.
(H) Notwithstanding divisions (C) to (G) of this section, a county board and an employee may agree to submit issues regarding the employee's removal, suspension, or demotion to binding arbitration. The terms of the submission, including the method of selecting the arbitrator or arbitrators and the responsibility for compensating the arbitrator, shall be provided for in the arbitration agreement. The arbitrator shall be selected within fifteen days of the execution of the agreement. Chapter 2711. of the Revised Code governs the arbitration proceedings.
Sec. 5126.24.  (A) As used in this section:
(1) "License" means an educator license issued by the state board of education under section 3319.22 of the Revised Code or a certificate issued by the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities.
(2) "Teacher" means a person employed by a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities in a position that requires a license.
(3) "Nonteaching employee" means a person employed by a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities in a position that does not require a license.
(4) "Years of service" includes all service described in division (A) of section 3317.13 of the Revised Code.
(B) Subject to rules established by the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities pursuant to Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, each county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall annually adopt separate salary schedules for teachers and nonteaching employees.
(C) The teachers' salary schedule shall provide for increments based on training and years of service. The board may establish its own service requirements provided no teacher receives less than the salary the teacher would be paid under section 3317.13 of the Revised Code if the teacher were employed by a school district board of education and provided full credit for a minimum of five years of actual teaching and military experience as defined in division (A) of such section is given to each teacher.
Each teacher who has completed training that would qualify the teacher for a higher salary bracket pursuant to this section shall file by the fifteenth day of September with the fiscal officer of the board, satisfactory evidence of the completion of such additional training. The fiscal officer shall then immediately place the teacher, pursuant to this section, in the proper salary bracket in accordance with training and years of service. No teacher shall be paid less than the salary to which the teacher would be entitled under section 3317.13 of the Revised Code if the teacher were employed by a school district board of education.
The superintendent of each county board, on or before the fifteenth day of October of each year, shall certify to the state board of education the name of each teacher employed, on an annual salary, in each special education program operated pursuant to section 3323.09 of the Revised Code during the first full school week of October. The superintendent further shall certify, for each teacher, the number of years of training completed at a recognized college, the degrees earned from a college recognized by the state board, the type of license held, the number of months employed by the board, the annual salary, and other information that the state board may request.
(D) The nonteaching employees' salary schedule established by the board shall be based on training, experience, and qualifications with initial salaries no less than salaries in effect on July 1, 1985. Each board shall prepare and may amend from time to time, specifications descriptive of duties, responsibilities, requirements, and desirable qualifications of the classifications of employees required to perform the duties specified in the salary schedule. All nonteaching employees shall be notified of the position classification to which they are assigned and the salary for the classification. The compensation of all nonteaching employees working for a particular board shall be uniform for like positions except as compensation would be affected by salary increments based upon length of service.
On the fifteenth day of October of each year the nonteaching employees' salary schedule and list of job classifications and salaries in effect on that date shall be filed by each board with the superintendent of public instruction. If such salary schedule and classification plan is not filed, the superintendent of public instruction shall order the board to file such schedule and list forthwith. If this condition is not corrected within ten days after receipt of the order from the superintendent, no money shall be distributed to the district under Chapter 3317. of the Revised Code until the superintendent has satisfactory evidence of the board's full compliance with such order.
Sec. 5126.25.  (A) The director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code establishing uniform standards and procedures for the certification of persons for employment by county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities as superintendents, management employees, and professional employees and uniform standards and procedures for the registration of persons for employment by county boards as registered service employees. As part of the rules, the director may establish continuing education and professional training requirements for renewal of certificates and evidence of registration and shall establish such requirements for renewal of an investigative agent certificate. In the rules, the director shall establish certification standards for employment in the position of investigative agent that require an individual to have or obtain no less than an associate degree from an accredited college or university or have or obtain comparable experience or training. The director shall not adopt rules that require any service employee to have or obtain a bachelor's or higher degree.
The director shall adopt the rules in a manner that provides for the issuance of certificates and evidence of registration according to categories, levels, and grades. The rules shall describe each category, level, and grade.
The rules adopted under this division shall apply to persons employed or seeking employment in a position that includes directly providing, or supervising persons who directly provide, services or instruction to or on behalf of individuals with mental retardation or developmental disabilities, except that the rules shall not apply to persons who hold a valid license issued under Chapter 3319. of the Revised Code and perform no duties other than teaching or supervision of a teaching program or persons who hold a valid license or certificate issued under Title XLVII of the Revised Code and perform only those duties governed by the license or certificate. The rules shall specify the positions that require certification or registration. The rules shall specify that the position of investigative agent requires certification.
(B) The director shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code establishing standards for approval of courses of study to prepare persons to meet certification requirements. The director shall approve courses of study meeting the standards and provide for the inspection of the courses to ensure the maintenance of satisfactory training procedures. The director shall approve courses of study only if given by a state university or college as defined in section 3345.32 of the Revised Code, a state university or college of another state, or an institution that has received a certificate of authorization to confer degrees from the board of regents pursuant to Chapter 1713. of the Revised Code or from a comparable agency of another state.
(C) Each applicant for a certificate for employment or evidence of registration for employment by a county board shall apply to the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities on forms that the director of the department shall prescribe and provide. The application shall be accompanied by the application fee established in rules adopted under this section.
(D) The director shall issue a certificate for employment to each applicant who meets the standards for certification established under this section and shall issue evidence of registration for employment to each applicant who meets the standards for registration established under this section. Each certificate or evidence of registration shall state the category, level, and grade for which it is issued.
The director shall issue, renew, deny, suspend, or revoke certificates and evidence of registration in accordance with rules adopted under this section. The director shall deny, suspend, or revoke a certificate or evidence of registration if the director finds, pursuant to an adjudication conducted in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, that the applicant for or holder of the certificate or evidence of registration is guilty of intemperate, immoral, or other conduct unbecoming to the applicant's or holder's position, or is guilty of incompetence or negligence within the scope of the applicant's or holder's duties. The director shall deny or revoke a certificate or evidence of registration if the director finds, pursuant to an adjudication conducted in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, that the applicant for or holder of the certificate or evidence of registration has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any of the offenses described in division (E) of section 5126.28 of the Revised Code, unless the individual meets standards for rehabilitation that the director establishes in the rules adopted under that section. Evidence supporting such allegations shall be presented to the director in writing and the director shall provide prompt notice of the allegations to the person who is the subject of the allegations. A denial, suspension, or revocation may be appealed in accordance with procedures the director shall establish in the rules adopted under this section.
(E)(1) A person holding a valid certificate under this section on the effective date of any rules adopted under this section that increase certification standards shall have such period as the rules prescribe, but not less than one year after the effective date of the rules, to meet the new certification standards.
A person who is registered under this section on the effective date of any rule that changes the standards adopted under this section shall have such period as the rules prescribe, but not less than one year, to meet the new registration standards.
(2) If an applicant for a certificate for employment has not completed the courses of instruction necessary to meet the department's standards for certification, the department shall inform the applicant of the courses the applicant must successfully complete to meet the standards and shall specify the time within which the applicant must complete the courses. The department shall grant the applicant at least one year to complete the courses and shall not require the applicant to complete more than four courses in any one year. The applicant is not subject to any changes regarding the courses required for certification that are made after the department informs the applicant of the courses the applicant must complete, unless the applicant does not successfully complete the courses within the time specified by the department.
(F) A person who holds a certificate or evidence of registration, other than one designated as temporary, is qualified to be employed according to that certificate or evidence of registration by any county board.
(G) The director shall monitor county boards to ensure that their employees who must be certified or registered are appropriately certified or registered and performing those functions they are authorized to perform under their certificate or evidence of registration.
(H) A county board superintendent or the superintendent's designee may certify to the director that county board employees who are required to meet continuing education or professional training requirements as a condition of renewal of certificates or evidence of registration have met the requirements. The superintendent or the superintendent's designee shall maintain in appropriate personnel files evidence acceptable to the director that the employees have met the requirements and permit representatives of the department access to the evidence on request.
(I) All fees collected pursuant to this section shall be deposited in the state treasury to the credit of the program fee fund created under section 5123.033 of the Revised Code.
(J) Employees of entities that contract with county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities to operate programs and services for individuals with mental retardation and developmental disabilities are subject to the certification and registration requirements established under section 5123.082 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 5126.252.  Notwithstanding sections 5123.082, 5126.25, and 5126.26 of the Revised Code, the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities may authorize county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities to establish and administer in their counties programs for the certification and registration of persons for employment by the boards. A certificate or evidence of registration issued by a board participating in programs under this section shall have the same force and effect as a certificate or evidence of registration issued by the department under section 5123.082 or 5126.25 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 5126.253.  (A) As used in this section:
(1) "Conduct unbecoming to the teaching profession" shall be as described in rules adopted by the state board of education.
(2) "Intervention in lieu of conviction" means intervention in lieu of conviction under section 2951.041 of the Revised Code.
(3) "License" has the same meaning as in section 3319.31 of the Revised Code.
(4) "Pre-trial diversion program" means a pre-trial diversion program under section 2935.36 of the Revised Code or a similar diversion program under rules of a court.
(B) The superintendent of each county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities or the president of the board, if division (C) of this section applies, shall promptly submit to the superintendent of public instruction the information prescribed in division (D) of this section when any of the following conditions applies to an employee of the board who holds a license issued by the state board of education:
(1) The superintendent or president knows that the employee has pleaded guilty to, has been found guilty by a jury or court of, has been convicted of, has been found to be eligible for intervention in lieu of conviction for, or has agreed to participate in a pre-trial diversion program for an offense described in division (B)(2) or (C) of section 3319.31 or division (B)(1) of section 3319.39 of the Revised Code.
(2) The board has initiated termination or nonrenewal proceedings against, has terminated, or has not renewed the contract of the employee because the board has reasonably determined that the employee has committed an act unbecoming to the teaching profession or an offense described in division (B)(2) or (C) of section 3319.31 or division (B)(1) of section 3319.39 of the Revised Code.
(3) The employee has resigned under threat of termination or nonrenewal as described in division (B)(2) of this section.
(4) The employee has resigned because of or in the course of an investigation by the board regarding whether the employee has committed an act unbecoming to the teaching profession or an offense described in division (B)(2) or (C) of section 3319.31 or division (B)(1) of section 3319.39 of the Revised Code.
(C) If the employee to whom any of the conditions prescribed in divisions (B)(1) to (4) of this section applies is the superintendent of a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, the president of the board shall make the report required under this section.
(D) If a report is required under this section, the superintendent or president shall submit to the superintendent of public instruction the name and social security number of the employee about whom information is required and a factual statement regarding any of the conditions prescribed in divisions (B)(1) to (4) of this section that applies to the employee.
(E) A determination made by the board as described in division (B)(2) of this section or a termination, nonrenewal, resignation, or other separation described in divisions (B)(2) to (4) of this section does not create a presumption of the commission or lack of the commission by the employee of an act unbecoming to the teaching profession or an offense described in division (B)(2) or (C) of section 3319.31 or division (B)(1) of section 3319.39 of the Revised Code.
(F) No individual required to submit a report under division (B) of this section shall knowingly fail to comply with that division.
(G) An individual who provides information to the superintendent of public instruction in accordance with this section in good faith shall be immune from any civil liability that otherwise might be incurred or imposed for injury, death, or loss to person or property as a result of the provision of that information.
Sec. 5126.254.  The superintendent of each county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall require that the reports of any investigation by the board of an employee regarding whether the employee has committed an act or offense for which the superintendent is required to make a report to the superintendent of public instruction under section 5126.253 of the Revised Code be kept in the employee's personnel file. If, after an investigation under division (A) of section 3319.311 of the Revised Code, the superintendent of public instruction determines that the results of that investigation do not warrant initiating action under section 3319.31 of the Revised Code, the superintendent of the county board shall require the reports of the board's investigation to be moved from the employee's personnel file to a separate public file.
Sec. 5126.26.  Except as otherwise provided in this section and section 5126.27 of the Revised Code, no person shall be employed or compensated by a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities if he the person does not hold the certificate, evidence of registration, or license required for the position under the rules of the department or the department of education, but the superintendent of a county board may employ, and the board shall compensate, a person pending the issuance of an initial certificate or registration if he the person meets the requirements for certification or registration, he the person has applied for certification or registration, and the application has not been denied. A person's employment shall be terminated if a required license, certificate, or registration is denied, permanently revoked, or not renewed.
Sec. 5126.27.  (A) A county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall allow a professional employee hired by the board prior to July 17, 1990, who does not meet the standards for certification established under section 5126.25 of the Revised Code for the position he holds on July 17, 1990, to elect to do one of the following:
(1) Accept a position with the board, if such a position is available, for which he the employee meets the certification standards;
(2) Remain in the position he the employee holds on July 17, 1990, and comply with the provisions of a professional development plan prescribed by the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities under division (B) of this section.
If the employee accepts a position under division (A)(1) of this section, his the employee's compensation shall be not less than the compensation he the employee received in the position he the employee held on July 17, 1990.
(B) If an employee elects the option described in division (A)(2) of this section, the board shall notify the department. The director shall issue a temporary certificate to the employee for the position he the employee holds and develop a professional development plan for him the employee. The temporary certificate shall be valid only during the period required for completion of the professional development plan and only while the employee is employed by the board by which he the employee was employed on July 17, 1990. The plan shall specify the coursework the employee must successfully complete and any other requirements for certification and the schedule for completion of the plan, except:
(1) The plan shall not require that the employee complete more than six semester hours, or the equivalent, of coursework in any twelve-month period;
(2) All coursework must be completed at an accredited college or university recognized by the department;
(3) The plan shall not require the employee to complete more than sixty semester hours, or the equivalent, of coursework, or to obtain a bachelor's or higher degree if a greater number of hours of coursework would be required to do so.
Notwithstanding any standards for certification established by the director under section 5126.25 of the Revised Code, if the employee successfully completes the professional development plan within the time specified, the director shall grant him the employee the appropriate certificate for the position he the employer holds.
Sec. 5126.28.  (A) As used in this section:
(1) "Applicant" means a person who is under final consideration for appointment to or employment in a position with a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, including, but not limited to, a person who is being transferred to the county board and an employee who is being recalled or reemployed after a layoff.
(2) "Criminal records check" has the same meaning as in section 109.572 of the Revised Code.
(3) "Minor drug possession offense" has the same meaning as in section 2925.01 of the Revised Code.
(B) The superintendent of a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall request the superintendent of the bureau of criminal identification and investigation to conduct a criminal records check with respect to any applicant who has applied to the board for employment in any position, except that a county board superintendent is not required to request a criminal records check for an employee of the board who is being considered for a different position or is returning after a leave of absence or seasonal break in employment, as long as the superintendent has no reason to believe that the employee has committed any of the offenses listed or described in division (E) of this section.
If the applicant does not present proof that the applicant has been a resident of this state for the five-year period immediately prior to the date upon which the criminal records check is requested, the county board superintendent shall request that the superintendent of the bureau obtain information from the federal bureau of investigation as a part of the criminal records check for the applicant. If the applicant presents proof that the applicant has been a resident of this state for that five-year period, the county board superintendent may request that the superintendent of the bureau include information from the federal bureau of investigation in the criminal records check. For purposes of this division, an applicant may provide proof of residency in this state by presenting, with a notarized statement asserting that the applicant has been a resident of this state for that five-year period, a valid driver's license, notification of registration as an elector, a copy of an officially filed federal or state tax form identifying the applicant's permanent residence, or any other document the superintendent considers acceptable.
(C) The county board superintendent shall provide to each applicant a copy of the form prescribed pursuant to division (C)(1) of section 109.572 of the Revised Code, provide to each applicant a standard impression sheet to obtain fingerprint impressions prescribed pursuant to division (C)(2) of section 109.572 of the Revised Code, obtain the completed form and impression sheet from each applicant, and forward the completed form and impression sheet to the superintendent of the bureau of criminal identification and investigation at the time the criminal records check is requested.
Any applicant who receives pursuant to this division a copy of the form prescribed pursuant to division (C)(1) of section 109.572 of the Revised Code and a copy of an impression sheet prescribed pursuant to division (C)(2) of that section and who is requested to complete the form and provide a set of fingerprint impressions shall complete the form or provide all the information necessary to complete the form and shall provide the impression sheet with the impressions of the applicant's fingerprints. If an applicant, upon request, fails to provide the information necessary to complete the form or fails to provide impressions of the applicant's fingerprints, the county board superintendent shall not employ that applicant.
(D) A county board superintendent may request any other state or federal agency to supply the board with a written report regarding the criminal record of each applicant. With regard to an applicant who becomes a board employee, if the employee holds an occupational or professional license or other credentials, the superintendent may request that the state or federal agency that regulates the employee's occupation or profession supply the board with a written report of any information pertaining to the employee's criminal record that the agency obtains in the course of conducting an investigation or in the process of renewing the employee's license or other credentials.
(E) Except as provided in division (K)(2) of this section and in rules adopted by the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities in accordance with division (M) of this section, no county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall employ a person to fill a position with the board who has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any of the following:
(1) A violation of section 2903.01, 2903.02, 2903.03, 2903.04, 2903.11, 2903.12, 2903.13, 2903.16, 2903.21, 2903.34, 2903.341, 2905.01, 2905.02, 2905.05, 2907.02, 2907.03, 2907.04, 2907.05, 2907.06, 2907.07, 2907.08, 2907.09, 2907.21, 2907.22, 2907.23, 2907.25, 2907.31, 2907.32, 2907.321, 2907.322, 2907.323, 2911.01, 2911.02, 2911.11, 2911.12, 2919.12, 2919.22, 2919.24, 2919.25, 2923.12, 2923.13, 2923.161, 2925.02, 2925.03, 2925.04, 2925.05, 2925.06, or 3716.11 of the Revised Code, a violation of section 2905.04 of the Revised Code as it existed prior to July 1, 1996, a violation of section 2919.23 of the Revised Code that would have been a violation of section 2905.04 of the Revised Code as it existed prior to July 1, 1996, had the violation occurred prior to that date, a violation of section 2925.11 of the Revised Code that is not a minor drug possession offense, or felonious sexual penetration in violation of former section 2907.12 of the Revised Code;
(2) A felony contained in the Revised Code that is not listed in this division, if the felony bears a direct and substantial relationship to the duties and responsibilities of the position being filled;
(3) Any offense contained in the Revised Code constituting a misdemeanor of the first degree on the first offense and a felony on a subsequent offense, if the offense bears a direct and substantial relationship to the position being filled and the nature of the services being provided by the county board;
(4) A violation of an existing or former municipal ordinance or law of this state, any other state, or the United States, if the offense is substantially equivalent to any of the offenses listed or described in division (E)(1), (2), or (3) of this section.
(F) Prior to employing an applicant, the county board superintendent shall require the applicant to submit a statement with the applicant's signature attesting that the applicant has not been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any of the offenses listed or described in division (E) of this section. The superintendent also shall require the applicant to sign an agreement under which the applicant agrees to notify the superintendent within fourteen calendar days if, while employed by the board, the applicant is ever formally charged with, convicted of, or pleads guilty to any of the offenses listed or described in division (E) of this section. The agreement shall inform the applicant that failure to report formal charges, a conviction, or a guilty plea may result in being dismissed from employment.
(G) A county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall pay to the bureau of criminal identification and investigation the fee prescribed pursuant to division (C)(3) of section 109.572 of the Revised Code for each criminal records check requested and conducted pursuant to this section.
(H)(1) Any report obtained pursuant to this section is not a public record for purposes of section 149.43 of the Revised Code and shall not be made available to any person, other than the applicant who is the subject of the records check or criminal records check or the applicant's representative, the board requesting the records check or criminal records check or its representative, the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, and any court, hearing officer, or other necessary individual involved in a case dealing with the denial of employment to the applicant or the denial, suspension, or revocation of a certificate or evidence of registration under section 5126.25 of the Revised Code.
(2) An individual for whom a county board superintendent has obtained reports under this section may submit a written request to the county board to have copies of the reports sent to any state agency, entity of local government, or private entity. The individual shall specify in the request the agencies or entities to which the copies are to be sent. On receiving the request, the county board shall send copies of the reports to the agencies or entities specified.
A county board may request that a state agency, entity of local government, or private entity send copies to the board of any report regarding a records check or criminal records check that the agency or entity possesses, if the county board obtains the written consent of the individual who is the subject of the report.
(I) Each county board superintendent shall request the registrar of motor vehicles to supply the superintendent with a certified abstract regarding the record of convictions for violations of motor vehicle laws of each applicant who will be required by the applicant's employment to transport individuals with mental retardation or developmental disabilities or to operate the board's vehicles for any other purpose. For each abstract provided under this section, the board shall pay the amount specified in section 4509.05 of the Revised Code.
(J) The county board superintendent shall provide each applicant with a copy of any report or abstract obtained about the applicant under this section. At the request of the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, the superintendent also shall provide the director with a copy of a report or abstract obtained under this section.
(K)(1) The county board superintendent shall inform each person, at the time of the person's initial application for employment, that the person is required to provide a set of impressions of the person's fingerprints and that a criminal records check is required to be conducted and satisfactorily completed in accordance with section 109.572 of the Revised Code if the person comes under final consideration for appointment or employment as a precondition to employment in a position.
(2) A board may employ an applicant pending receipt of reports requested under this section. The board shall terminate employment of any such applicant if it is determined from the reports that the applicant failed to inform the county board that the applicant had been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any of the offenses listed or described in division (E) of this section.
(L) The board may charge an applicant a fee for costs it incurs in obtaining reports, abstracts, or fingerprint impressions under this section. A fee charged under this division shall not exceed the amount of the fees the board pays under divisions (G) and (I) of this section. If a fee is charged under this division, the board shall notify the applicant of the amount of the fee at the time of the applicant's initial application for employment and that, unless the fee is paid, the board will not consider the applicant for employment.
(M) The department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall adopt rules pursuant to Chapter 119. of the Revised Code to implement this section and section 5126.281 of the Revised Code, including rules specifying circumstances under which a county board or contracting entity may hire a person who has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to an offense listed or described in division (E) of this section but who meets standards in regard to rehabilitation set by the department. The rules may not authorize a county board or contracting entity to hire an individual who is included in the registry established under section 5123.52 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 5126.281.  (A) As used in this section:
(1) "Contracting entity" means an entity under contract with a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities for the provision of specialized services to individuals with mental retardation or a developmental disability.
(2) "Direct services position" means an employment position in which the employee has physical contact with, the opportunity to be alone with, or exercises supervision or control over one or more individuals with mental retardation or a developmental disability.
(3) "Specialized services" means any program or service designed and operated to serve primarily individuals with mental retardation or a developmental disability, including a program or service provided by an entity licensed or certified by the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities. If there is a question as to whether a contracting entity is providing specialized services, the contracting entity may request that the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities make a determination. The director's determination is final.
(B)(1) Except as provided in division (B)(2) of this section, each contracting entity shall conduct background investigations in the same manner county boards conduct investigations under section 5126.28 of the Revised Code of all persons under final consideration for employment with the contracting entity in a direct services position. On request, the county board shall assist a contracting entity in obtaining reports from the bureau of criminal identification and investigation or any other state or federal agency and in obtaining abstracts from the registrar of motor vehicles.
(2) A contracting entity is not required to request a criminal records check for either of the following:
(a) An employee of the entity who is in a direct services position and being considered for a different direct services position or is returning after a leave of absence or seasonal break in employment, as long as the contracting entity has no reason to believe that the employee has committed any of the offenses listed or described in division (E) of section 5126.28 of the Revised Code;
(b) A person who will provide only respite care under a family support services program established under section 5126.11 of the Revised Code, if the person is selected by a family member of the individual with mental retardation or a developmental disability who is to receive the respite care.
(C) No contracting entity shall place a person in a direct services position if the person has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any offense listed or described in division (E) of section 5126.28 of the Revised Code, unless the person meets the standards for rehabilitation established by rules adopted under section 5126.28 of the Revised Code.
(D) A contracting entity may place a person in a direct services position pending receipt of information concerning the person's background investigation from the bureau of criminal identification and investigation, the registrar of motor vehicles, or any other state or federal agency if the person submits to the contracting entity a statement with the person's signature that the person has not been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any of the offenses listed or described in division (E) of section 5126.28 of the Revised Code. No contracting entity shall fail to terminate the placement of such person if the contracting entity is informed that the person has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any of the offenses listed or described in division (E) of section 5126.28 of the Revised Code.
(E) Prior to employing a person in a direct services position, the contracting entity shall require the person to submit a statement with the applicant's signature attesting that the applicant has not been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any of the offenses listed or described in division (E) of section 5126.28 of the Revised Code. The contracting entity also shall require the person to sign an agreement to notify the contracting entity within fourteen calendar days if, while employed by the entity, the person is ever formally charged with, convicted of, or pleads guilty to any of the offenses listed or described in division (E) of section 5126.28 of the Revised Code. The agreement shall inform the person that failure to report formal charges, a conviction, or a guilty plea may result in being dismissed from employment.
(F) A county board may take appropriate action against a contracting entity that violates this section, including terminating the contracting entity's contract with the board.
Sec. 5126.29.  (A) No professional or management employee in a position that requires a license issued by the state board of education under sections 3319.22 to 3319.31 of the Revised Code or a certificate issued by the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities under section 5126.25 of the Revised Code shall terminate the employee's employment contract with a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities without obtaining the written consent of the board prior to the termination or giving the board written notice of the termination at least thirty days before its effective date.
(B) Upon complaint by a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities that a person holding a license issued under sections 3319.22 to 3319.31 of the Revised Code has violated division (A) of this section, the state board of education shall investigate the complaint. If the state board determines that the person did violate division (A) of this section, it may suspend the person's license for a period of time not exceeding one year as determined by the state board.
(C) Upon complaint by a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities that a person holding a certificate issued under section 5126.25 of the Revised Code has violated division (A) of this section, the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall investigate the complaint. If the director determines that the person did violate division (A) of this section, the director may suspend the person's certificate for a period of time not exceeding one year as determined by the director.
Sec. 5126.30.  As used in sections 5126.30 to 5126.34 of the Revised Code:
(A) "Adult" means a person eighteen years of age or older with mental retardation or a developmental disability.
(B) "Caretaker" means a person who is responsible for the care of an adult by order of a court, including an order of guardianship, or who assumes the responsibility for the care of an adult as a volunteer, as a family member, by contract, or by the acceptance of payment for care.
(C) "Abuse" has the same meaning as in section 5123.50 of the Revised Code, except that it includes a misappropriation, as defined in that section.
(D) "Neglect" has the same meaning as in section 5123.50 of the Revised Code.
(E) "Exploitation" means the unlawful or improper act of a caretaker using an adult or an adult's resources for monetary or personal benefit, profit, or gain, including misappropriation, as defined in section 5123.50 of the Revised Code, of an adult's resources.
(F) "Working day" means Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday, except when that day is a holiday as defined in section 1.14 of the Revised Code.
(G) "Incapacitated" means lacking understanding or capacity, with or without the assistance of a caretaker, to make and carry out decisions regarding food, clothing, shelter, health care, or other necessities, but does not include mere refusal to consent to the provision of services.
(H) "Emergency protective services" means protective services furnished to a person with mental retardation or a developmental disability to prevent immediate physical harm.
(I) "Protective services" means services provided by the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities to an adult with mental retardation or a developmental disability for the prevention, correction, or discontinuance of an act of as well as conditions resulting from abuse, neglect, or exploitation.
(J) "Protective service plan" means an individualized plan developed by the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities to prevent the further abuse, neglect, or exploitation of an adult with mental retardation or a developmental disability.
(K) "Substantial risk" has the same meaning as in section 2901.01 of the Revised Code.
(L) "Party" means all of the following:
(1) An adult who is the subject of a probate proceeding under sections 5126.30 to 5126.33 of the Revised Code;
(2) A caretaker, unless otherwise ordered by the probate court;
(3) Any other person designated as a party by the probate court including but not limited to, the adult's spouse, custodian, guardian, or parent.
(M) "Board" means a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities.
Sec. 5126.31.  (A) A county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall review reports of abuse and neglect made under section 5123.61 of the Revised Code and reports referred to it under section 5101.611 of the Revised Code to determine whether the person who is the subject of the report is an adult with mental retardation or a developmental disability in need of services to deal with the abuse or neglect. The board shall give notice of each report to the registry office of the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities established pursuant to section 5123.61 of the Revised Code on the first working day after receipt of the report. If the report alleges that there is a substantial risk to the adult of immediate physical harm or death, the board shall initiate review within twenty-four hours of its receipt of the report. If the board determines that the person is sixty years of age or older but does not have mental retardation or a developmental disability, it shall refer the case to the county department of job and family services. If the board determines that the person is an adult with mental retardation or a developmental disability, it shall continue its review of the case.
(B) For each review over which the board retains responsibility under division (A) of this section, it shall do all of the following:
(1) Give both written and oral notice of the purpose of the review to the adult and, if any, to the adult's legal counsel or caretaker, in simple and clear language;
(2) Visit the adult, in the adult's residence if possible, and explain the notice given under division (B)(1) of this section;
(3) Request from the registry office any prior reports concerning the adult or other principals in the case;
(4) Consult, if feasible, with the person who made the report under section 5101.61 or 5123.61 of the Revised Code and with any agencies or persons who have information about the alleged abuse or neglect;
(5) Cooperate fully with the law enforcement agency responsible for investigating the report and for filing any resulting criminal charges and, on request, turn over evidence to the agency;
(6) Determine whether the adult needs services, and prepare a written report stating reasons for the determination. No adult shall be determined to be abused, neglected, or in need of services for the sole reason that, in lieu of medical treatment, the adult relies on or is being furnished spiritual treatment through prayer alone in accordance with the tenets and practices of a church or religious denomination of which the adult is a member or adherent.
(C) The board shall arrange for the provision of services for the prevention, correction or discontinuance of abuse or neglect or of a condition resulting from abuse or neglect for any adult who has been determined to need the services and consents to receive them. These services may include, but are not limited to, service and support administration, fiscal management, medical, mental health, home health care, homemaker, legal, and residential services and the provision of temporary accommodations and necessities such as food and clothing. The services do not include acting as a guardian, trustee, or protector as defined in section 5123.55 of the Revised Code. If the provision of residential services would require expenditures by the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, the board shall obtain the approval of the department prior to arranging the residential services.
To arrange services, the board shall:
(1) Develop an individualized service plan identifying the types of services required for the adult, the goals for the services, and the persons or agencies that will provide them;
(2) In accordance with rules established by the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, obtain the consent of the adult or the adult's guardian to the provision of any of these services and obtain the signature of the adult or guardian on the individual service plan. An adult who has been found incompetent under Chapter 2111. of the Revised Code may consent to services. If the board is unable to obtain consent, it may seek, if the adult is incapacitated, a court order pursuant to section 5126.33 of the Revised Code authorizing the board to arrange these services.
(D) The board shall ensure that the adult receives the services arranged by the board from the provider and shall have the services terminated if the adult withdraws consent.
(E) On completion of a review, the board shall submit a written report to the registry office established under section 5123.61 of the Revised Code. If the report includes a finding that a person with mental retardation or a developmental disability is a victim of action or inaction that may constitute a crime under federal law or the law of this state, the board shall submit the report to the law enforcement agency responsible for investigating the report. Reports prepared under this section are not public records as defined in section 149.43 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 5126.311.  (A) Notwithstanding the requirement of section 5126.31 of the Revised Code that a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities review reports of abuse and neglect, one of the following government entities, at the request of the county board or the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, shall review the report instead of the county board if circumstances specified in rules adopted under division (B) of this section exist:
(1) Another county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities;
(2) The department;
(3) A regional council of government established pursuant to Chapter 167. of the Revised Code;
(4) Any other government entity authorized to investigate reports of abuse and neglect.
(B) The director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code specifying circumstances under which it is inappropriate for a county board to review reports of abuse and neglect.
Sec. 5126.313.  (A) After reviewing a report of abuse or neglect under section 5126.31 of the Revised Code or a report of a major unusual incident made in accordance with rules adopted under section 5123.612 of the Revised Code, a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall conduct an investigation if circumstances specified in rules adopted under division (B) of this section exist. If the circumstances specified in the rules exist, the county board shall conduct the investigation in the manner specified by the rules.
(B) The director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code specifying circumstances under which a county board shall conduct investigations under division (A) of this section and the manner in which the county board shall conduct the investigation.
Sec. 5126.33.  (A) A county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities may file a complaint with the probate court of the county in which an adult with mental retardation or a developmental disability resides for an order authorizing the board to arrange services described in division (C) of section 5126.31 of the Revised Code for that adult if the adult is eligible to receive services or support under section 5126.041 of the Revised Code and the board has been unable to secure consent. The complaint shall include:
(1) The name, age, and address of the adult;
(2) Facts describing the nature of the abuse, neglect, or exploitation and supporting the board's belief that services are needed;
(3) The types of services proposed by the board, as set forth in the protective service plan described in division (J) of section 5126.30 of the Revised Code and filed with the complaint;
(4) Facts showing the board's attempts to obtain the consent of the adult or the adult's guardian to the services.
(B) The board shall give the adult notice of the filing of the complaint and in simple and clear language shall inform the adult of the adult's rights in the hearing under division (C) of this section and explain the consequences of a court order. This notice shall be personally served upon all parties, and also shall be given to the adult's legal counsel, if any, and the legal rights service. The notice shall be given at least twenty-four hours prior to the hearing, although the court may waive this requirement upon a showing that there is a substantial risk that the adult will suffer immediate physical harm in the twenty-four hour period and that the board has made reasonable attempts to give the notice required by this division.
(C) Upon the filing of a complaint for an order under this section, the court shall hold a hearing at least twenty-four hours and no later than seventy-two hours after the notice under division (B) of this section has been given unless the court has waived the notice. All parties shall have the right to be present at the hearing, present evidence, and examine and cross-examine witnesses. The Ohio Rules of Evidence shall apply to a hearing conducted pursuant to this division. The adult shall be represented by counsel unless the court finds that the adult has made a voluntary, informed, and knowing waiver of the right to counsel. If the adult is indigent, the court shall appoint counsel to represent the adult. The board shall be represented by the county prosecutor or an attorney designated by the board.
(D)(1) The court shall issue an order authorizing the board to arrange the protective services if it finds, on the basis of clear and convincing evidence, all of the following:
(a) The adult has been abused, neglected, or exploited;
(b) The adult is incapacitated;
(c) There is a substantial risk to the adult of immediate physical harm or death;
(d) The adult is in need of the services;
(e) No person authorized by law or court order to give consent for the adult is available or willing to consent to the services.
(2) The board shall develop a detailed protective service plan describing the services that the board will provide, or arrange for the provision of, to the adult to prevent further abuse, neglect, or exploitation. The board shall submit the plan to the court for approval. The protective service plan may be changed only by court order.
(3) In formulating the order, the court shall consider the individual protective service plan and shall specifically designate the services that are necessary to deal with the abuse, neglect, or exploitation or condition resulting from abuse, neglect, or exploitation and that are available locally, and authorize the board to arrange for these services only. The court shall limit the provision of these services to a period not exceeding six months, renewable for an additional six-month period on a showing by the board that continuation of the order is necessary.
(E) If the court finds that all other options for meeting the adult's needs have been exhausted, it may order that the adult be removed from the adult's place of residence and placed in another residential setting. Before issuing that order, the court shall consider the adult's choice of residence and shall determine that the new residential setting is the least restrictive alternative available for meeting the adult's needs and is a place where the adult can obtain the necessary requirements for daily living in safety. The court shall not order an adult to a hospital or public hospital as defined in section 5122.01 or a state institution as defined in section 5123.01 of the Revised Code.
(F) The court shall not authorize a change in an adult's placement ordered under division (E) of this section unless it finds compelling reasons to justify a change. The parties to whom notice was given in division (B) of this section shall be given notice of a proposed change at least five working days prior to the change.
(G) The adult, the board, or any other person who received notice of the petition may file a motion for modification of the court order at any time.
(H) The county board shall pay court costs incurred in proceedings brought pursuant to this section. The adult shall not be required to pay for court-ordered services.
(I)(1) After the filing of a complaint for an order under this section, the court, prior to the final disposition, may enter any temporary order that the court finds necessary to protect the adult with mental retardation or a developmental disability from abuse, neglect, or exploitation including, but not limited to, the following:
(a) A temporary protection order;
(b) An order requiring the evaluation of the adult;
(c) An order requiring a party to vacate the adult's place of residence or legal settlement, provided that, subject to division (K)(1)(d) of this section, no operator of a residential facility licensed by the department may be removed under this division;
(d) In the circumstances described in, and in accordance with the procedures set forth in, section 5123.191 of the Revised Code, an order of the type described in that section that appoints a receiver to take possession of and operate a residential facility licensed by the department.
(2) The court may grant an ex parte order pursuant to this division on its own motion or if a party files a written motion or makes an oral motion requesting the issuance of the order and stating the reasons for it if it appears to the court that the best interest and the welfare of the adult require that the court issue the order immediately. The court, if acting on its own motion, or the person requesting the granting of an ex parte order, to the extent possible, shall give notice of its intent or of the request to all parties, the adult's legal counsel, if any, and the legal rights service. If the court issues an ex parte order, the court shall hold a hearing to review the order within seventy-two hours after it is issued or before the end of the next day after the day on which it is issued, whichever occurs first. The court shall give written notice of the hearing to all parties to the action.
Sec. 5126.331. (A) A probate court, through a probate judge or magistrate, may issue by telephone an ex parte emergency order authorizing any of the actions described in division (B) of this section if all of the following are the case:
(1) The court receives notice from the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, or an authorized employee of the board, that the board or employee believes an emergency order is needed as described in this section.
(2) The adult who is the subject of the notice is eligible to receive services or support under section 5126.041 of the Revised Code.
(3) There is reasonable cause to believe that the adult is incapacitated.
(4) There is reasonable cause to believe that there is a substantial risk to the adult of immediate physical harm or death.
(B) An order issued under this section may authorize the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities to do any of the following:
(1) Provide, or arrange for the provision of, emergency protective services for the adult;
(2) Remove the adult from the adult's place of residence or legal settlement;
(3) Remove the adult from the place where the abuse, neglect, or exploitation occurred.
(C) A court shall not issue an order under this section to remove an adult from a place described in division (B)(2) or (3) of this section until the court is satisfied that reasonable efforts have been made to notify the adult and any person with whom the adult resides of the proposed removal and the reasons for it, except that, the court may issue an order prior to giving the notice if one of the following is the case:
(1) Notification could jeopardize the physical or emotional safety of the adult.
(2) The notification could result in the adult being removed from the court's jurisdiction.
(D) An order issued under this section shall be in effect for not longer than twenty-four hours, except that if the day following the day on which the order is issued is a weekend-day or legal holiday, the order shall remain in effect until the next business day.
(E)(1) Except as provided in division (E)(2) of this section, not later than twenty-four hours after an order is issued under this section, the county board or employee that provided notice to the probate court shall file a complaint with the court in accordance with division (A) of section 5126.33 of the Revised Code.
(2) If the day following the day on which the order was issued is a weekend-day or a holiday, the county board or employee shall file the complaint with the probate court on the next business day.
(3) Except as provided in section 5126.332 of the Revised Code, proceedings on the complaint filed pursuant to this division shall be conducted in accordance with section 5126.33 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 5126.333. Any person who has reason to believe that there is a substantial risk to an adult with mental retardation or a developmental disability of immediate physical harm or death and that the responsible county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities has failed to seek an order pursuant to section 5126.33 or 5126.331 of the Revised Code may notify the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities. Within twenty-four hours of receipt of such notice, the department shall cause an investigation to be conducted regarding the notice. The department shall provide assistance to the county board to provide for the health and safety of the adult as permitted by law.
Sec. 5126.34.  Each county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall provide comprehensive, formal training for county board employees and other persons authorized to implement sections 5126.30 to 5126.34 of the Revised Code.
The department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall adopt rules establishing minimum standards for the training provided by county boards pursuant to this section. The training provided by the county boards shall meet the minimum standards prescribed by the rules.
Sec. 5126.36. (A) As used in this section, "health-related activities," "prescribed medication," and "tube feeding" have the same meanings as in section 5123.41 of the Revised Code.
(B) In accordance with sections 5123.42 and 5123.651 of the Revised Code, an employee of a county board of mental retardation or developmental disabilities or an entity under contract with the board who is not specifically authorized by other provisions of the Revised Code to administer prescribed medications, perform health-related activities, perform tube feedings, or provide assistance in the self-administration of prescribed medications may do so pursuant to the authority granted under those sections.
Sec. 5126.41.  The county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall identify residents of the county for whom supported living is to be provided. Identification of the residents shall be made in accordance with the priorities set under section 5126.04 of the Revised Code and the waiting list policies developed under section 5126.042 of the Revised Code. The board shall assist the residents in identifying their individual service needs.
To arrange supported living for an individual, the board shall assist the individual in developing an individual service plan. In developing the plan, the individual shall choose a residence that is appropriate according to local standards; the individuals, if any, with whom the individual will live in the residence; the services the individual needs to live in the individual's residence of choice; and the providers from which the services will be received. The choices available to an individual shall be based on available resources.
The board shall obtain the consent of the individual or the individual's guardian and the signature of the individual or guardian on the individual service plan. The county board shall ensure that the individual receives from the provider the services contracted for under section 5126.45 of the Revised Code.
An individual service plan for supported living shall be effective for a period of time agreed to by the county board and the individual. In determinating that period, the county board and the individual shall consider the nature of the services to be provided and the manner in which they are customarily provided.
Sec. 5126.42.  (A) A county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall establish an advisory council composed of board members or employees of the board, providers, individuals receiving supported living, and advocates for individuals receiving supported living to provide on-going communication among all persons concerned with supported living.
(B) The board shall develop procedures for the resolution of grievances between the board and providers or between the board and an entity with which it has a shared funding agreement.
(C) The board shall develop and implement a provider selection system. Each system shall enable an individual to choose to continue receiving supported living from the same providers, to select additional providers, or to choose alternative providers. Annually, the board shall review its provider selection system to determine whether it has been implemented in a manner that allows individuals fair and equitable access to providers.
In developing a provider selection system, the county board shall create a pool of providers for individuals to use in choosing their providers of supported living. The pool shall be created by placing in the pool all providers on record with the board or by placing in the pool all providers approved by the board through soliciting requests for proposals for supported living contracts. In either case, only providers that are certified by the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities may be placed in the pool.
If the board places all providers on record in the pool, the board shall review the pool at least annually to determine whether each provider has continued interest in being a provider and has maintained its certification by the department. At any time, an interested and certified provider may make a request to the board that it be added to the pool, and the board shall add the provider to the pool not later than seven days after receiving the request.
If the board solicits requests for proposals for inclusion of providers in the pool, the board shall develop standards for selecting the providers to be included. Requests for proposals shall be solicited at least annually. When requests are solicited, the board shall cause legal notices to be published at least once each week for two consecutive weeks in a newspaper with general circulation within the county. The board's formal request for proposals shall include a description of any applicable contract terms, the standards that are used to select providers for inclusion in the pool, and the process the board uses to resolve disputes arising from the selection process. The board shall accept requests from any entity interested in being a provider of supported living for individuals served by the board. Requests shall be approved or denied according to the standards developed by the board. Providers that previously have been placed in the pool are not required to resubmit a request for proposal to be included in the pool, unless the board's standards have been changed.
In assisting an individual in choosing a provider, the county board shall provide the individual with uniform and consistent information pertaining to each provider in the pool. An individual may choose to receive supported living from a provider that is not included in the pool, if the provider is certified by the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities.
Sec. 5126.43.  (A) After receiving notice from the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities of the amount of state funds to be distributed to it for planning, developing, contracting for, and providing supported living, the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall arrange for supported living on behalf of and with the consent of individuals based on their individual service plans developed under section 5126.41 of the Revised Code. With the state distribution and any other money designated by the board for supported living, the board shall arrange for supported living in one or more of the following ways:
(1) By contracting under section 5126.45 of the Revised Code with providers selected by the individual to be served;
(2) By entering into shared funding agreements with state agencies, local public agencies, or political subdivisions at rates negotiated by the board;
(3) By providing direct payment or vouchers to be used to purchase supported living, pursuant to a written contract in an amount determined by the board, to the individual or a person providing the individual with protective services as defined in section 5123.55 of the Revised Code.
(B) The board may arrange for supported living only with providers that are certified by the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities.
When no certified provider is willing and able to provide supported living for an individual in accordance with the terms of the individual service plan for that individual, a county board may provide supported living directly if it is certified by the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities to provide supported living.
A county board may, for a period not to exceed ninety days, contract for or provide supported living without meeting the requirements of this section for an individual it determines to be in emergency need of supported living. Thereafter, the individual shall choose providers in accordance with sections 5126.41 and 5126.42 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 5126.45.  (A) A contract between a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities and a provider of supported living shall be in writing and shall be based on the individual service plan developed by the individual under section 5126.41 of the Revised Code. The plan may be submitted as an addendum to the contract. An individual receiving services pursuant to a contract shall be considered a third-party beneficiary to the contract.
(B) The contract shall be negotiated between the provider and the county board. The terms of the contract shall include at least the following:
(1) The contract period and conditions for renewal;
(2) The services to be provided pursuant to the individual service plan;
(3) The rights and responsibilities of all parties to the contract;
(4) The methods that will be used to evaluate the services delivered by the provider;
(5) Procedures for contract modification that ensure all parties affected by the modification are involved and agree;
(6) A process for resolving conflicts between individuals receiving services, the county board, and the provider, as applicable;
(7) Procedures for the retention of applicable records;
(8) Provisions for contract termination by any party involved that include requirements for an appropriate notice of intent to terminate the contract;
(9) Methods to be used to document services provided;
(10) Procedures for submitting reports required by the county board as a condition of receiving payment under the contract;
(11) The method and schedule the board will use to make payments to the provider and whether periodic payment adjustments will be made to the provider;
(12) Provisions for conducting fiscal reconciliations for payments made through methods other than a fee-for-service arrangement.
(C) Payments to the provider under a supported living contract must be determined by the board to be reasonable in accordance with policies and procedures developed by the board. Goods or services provided without charge to the provider shall not be included as expenditures of the provider.
(D) The board shall establish procedures for reconciling expenditures and payments, other than those made under a fee-for-service arrangement, for the prior contract year when a contract is not renewed and shall reconcile expenditures and payments in accordance with these procedures.
(E) A provider or an entity with which the board has entered into a shared funding agreement may appeal a negotiated contract or proposed shared funding rate to the county board using the procedures established by the board under section 5126.42 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 5126.46.  (A) No county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall be obligated to use any money other than money in the community mental retardation and developmental disabilities residential services fund to furnish residential services.
(B) Except with respect to a child required to be provided services pursuant to section 121.38 of the Revised Code, no court or other entity of state or local government shall order or otherwise require a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities to use money from local sources for residential services for an individual with mental retardation or developmental disabilities or to arrange for residential services for such an individual unless a vacancy exists in an appropriate residential setting within the county.
Sec. 5126.47.  A county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities may, pursuant to a resolution adopted by an affirmative vote of the majority of its members, establish, by agreement with one or more other county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, a residential services consortium to jointly provide residential services and supported living. The agreement shall designate one board to assume the fiscal responsibilities for the consortium. The county auditor of the designated county shall establish a community mental retardation and developmental disabilities residential services fund for the consortium. Each board that is a member of the consortium shall cause to be deposited in the fund any state or federal money received for community residential services the county board has agreed to contribute to the consortium.
Sec. 5126.49.  The county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities may adopt a resolution requesting the board of county commissioners to implement a residential facility linked deposit program under sections 5126.51 to 5126.62 of the Revised Code if the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities finds all of the following:
(A) There is a shortage of residential facilities in the county for individuals with mental retardation or developmental disabilities.
(B) Eligible organizations, otherwise willing and able to develop residential facilities in the county, have been unable to do so because of high interest rates.
(C) Placement of residential facility linked deposits will assist in financing the development of residential facilities in the county that otherwise would not be developed because of high interest rates.
The board shall transmit a certified copy of the resolution to the board of county commissioners.
Sec. 5126.50.  If the board of county commissioners adopts a resolution under sections 135.801 and 135.802 of the Revised Code implementing a residential facility linked deposit program, the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall adopt a resolution that does all of the following:
(A) Establishes standards for its review of applications and its approval or disapproval of proposed residential facilities under section 5126.55 of the Revised Code;
(B) Prescribes the form of applications under section 5126.54 of the Revised Code;
(C) Establishes standards for approval or disapproval of applications for linked deposit loans under section 5126.58 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 5126.54.  An eligible organization that seeks a residential facility linked deposit loan to finance all or part of the development of a residential facility shall obtain approval of the proposed project from the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities of the county in which the facility will be developed. The application shall be in the form prescribed by the board and include all of the following:
(A) The organization's name, business address, and telephone number;
(B) The name of an officer or employee of the organization who may be contacted with regard to the application;
(C) A description of the residential facility and a timetable showing the time at which each phase of its development is expected to be completed;
(D) The amount of the loan to be applied for;
(E) Any other information the board considers necessary to successfully review the application.
Whoever knowingly makes a false statement on an application is guilty of the offense of falsification under section 2921.13 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 5126.55.  The county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall review each application filed under section 5126.54 of the Revised Code and adopt a resolution approving or disapproving development of the proposed residential facility. The board shall not approve development of the proposed residential facility unless it finds, based upon the application and its evaluation of the applicant, that development of the residential facility is consistent with its plan and priorities, under section 5126.05 of the Revised Code, for the provision of residential facilities for individuals with mental retardation or developmental disabilities residing in the county.
The resolution shall include specific findings of fact justifying the approval or disapproval.
The board shall transmit a certified copy of the resolution to the applicant and to the board of county commissioners.
Sec. 5126.57.  In reviewing an application for a residential facility linked deposit loan, the eligible lending institution shall apply the same lending standards as it customarily applies to applications for loans for the development of residential property. The lending institution shall either approve or disapprove an application for a residential facility linked deposit loan within a reasonable time, in accordance with commercial practice.
If the lending institution approves an application, it shall prepare and transmit each of the following to the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities:
(A) A certification that it is an eligible lending institution;
(B) A statement that it has approved a residential facility linked deposit loan to the eligible organization and the amount of the loan;
(C) A copy of the eligible organization's loan application and a copy of the resolution of the eligible organization's board of trustees included with the loan application;
(D) Any other information the board of county commissioners requires in the resolution adopted under sections 135.801 and 135.802 of the Revised Code.
If the lending institution does not approve an application for a residential facility linked deposit loan, it shall promptly notify the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities of such disapproval.
Sec. 5126.58.  The county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall adopt a resolution approving or disapproving an eligible organization's application for a residential facility linked deposit loan. The board shall disapprove an application unless it finds, based on the application and its evaluation of the applicant, each of the following:
(A) The applicant has fully complied with sections 5126.54 and 5126.56 of the Revised Code.
(B) Development of the residential facility will materially contribute to alleviating the shortage of residential facilities in the county for individuals with mental retardation or developmental disabilities.
(C) The applicant is ready to proceed with development of the residential facility, but is unable to do so because of high interest rates.
(D) The board of county commissioners has certified that public moneys of the county are currently available for placement of the residential facility linked deposit necessary to provide low-cost financing to the applicant.
(E) Placement of the residential facility linked deposit, considered in the aggregate with all other residential facility linked deposits under the county's residential facility linked deposit program, will not cause the total amount of the county's residential facility linked deposits to exceed an amount equal to ten per cent of the operating budget of the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities for the current year. If placement of the residential facility linked deposit would cause the total amount of the county's residential facility linked deposits to exceed the maximum established by this division, the board may accept the application but limit the amount of the residential facility linked deposit accordingly.
The resolution shall include specific findings of fact justifying acceptance or rejection of the application. If the board accepts the application, it shall specify the amount of the residential facility linked deposit in the resolution.
The board shall transmit a certified copy of the resolution to the applicant, the eligible lending institution, and the county's investing authority.
Sec. 5126.59.  On acceptance of a residential facility linked deposit loan by the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, the county's investing authority shall enter into a residential facility linked deposit agreement with the eligible lending institution. The agreement shall include all of the following terms:
(A) An agreement by the investing authority to place certificates of deposit with the eligible lending institution, in the amount of the residential facility linked deposit specified in the resolution, at an interest rate of up to five per cent per year below current annual market rates, for a term considered appropriate by the investing authority, not to exceed five years, and to renew the certificates of deposit for up to four additional terms, each additional term not to exceed five years;
(B) An agreement by the eligible lending institution to lend the value of the certificates of deposit placed with the institution to the eligible organization at an annual interest rate that is the same number of percentage points below the annual borrowing rate currently applicable to similar loans as the annual interest rate agreed to for certificates of deposit placed pursuant to division (A) of this section is below current annual market rates;
(C) An agreement by the eligible lending institution to pay interest on the certificates of deposit at times determined by the investing authority;
(D) The form in which the eligible lending institution is to make the certification required by section 5126.60 of the Revised Code;
(E) Any other terms necessary to carry out the purpose of sections 5126.51 to 5126.62 of the Revised Code.
The agreement may contain terms specifying the period of time during which the eligible lending institution is to lend funds upon placement of the residential facility linked deposit.
The investing authority shall determine current market rates under the agreement.
Sec. 5126.61.  The county investing authority shall monitor the compliance with sections 5126.51 to 5126.62 of the Revised Code of eligible lending institutions and eligible organizations receiving residential facility linked deposits and loans.
The investing authority shall annually report to the board of county commissioners and county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities with regard to the operation of the county's residential facility linked deposit program. The report shall list the eligible organizations receiving residential facility linked deposit loans under the residential facility linked deposit program.
Sec. 5126.62.  The county, board of county commissioners, county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, and county investing authority are not liable to any eligible lending institution in any manner for payment of the principal or interest on a loan to an eligible organization. Delay in payment or default on the part of an eligible organization does not in any manner affect the residential facility linked deposit agreement between the county investing authority and the eligible lending institution.
Sec. 5126.99. (A) Whoever violates division (B) of section 5126.044 of the Revised Code is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree.
(B) Whoever violates division (F) of section 5126.253 of the Revised Code shall be punished as follows:
(1) Except as otherwise provided in division (B)(2) of this section, the person is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.
(2) The person is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree if both of the following conditions apply:
(a) The employee who is the subject of the report that the person fails to submit was required to be reported for the commission or alleged commission of an act or offense involving the infliction on a child of any physical or mental wound, injury, disability, or condition of a nature that constitutes abuse or neglect of the child;
(b) During the period between the violation of division (F) of section 5126.253 of the Revised Code and the conviction of or plea of guilty by the person for that violation, the employee who is the subject of the report that the person fails to submit inflicts on any child attending a school district, educational service center, public or nonpublic school, or county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities where the employee works any physical or mental wound, injury, disability, or condition of a nature that constitutes abuse or neglect of the child.
Sec. 5153.16.  (A) Except as provided in section 2151.422 of the Revised Code, in accordance with rules adopted under section 5153.166 of the Revised Code, and on behalf of children in the county whom the public children services agency considers to be in need of public care or protective services, the public children services agency shall do all of the following:
(1) Make an investigation concerning any child alleged to be an abused, neglected, or dependent child;
(2) Enter into agreements with the parent, guardian, or other person having legal custody of any child, or with the department of job and family services, department of mental health, department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, other department, any certified organization within or outside the county, or any agency or institution outside the state, having legal custody of any child, with respect to the custody, care, or placement of any child, or with respect to any matter, in the interests of the child, provided the permanent custody of a child shall not be transferred by a parent to the public children services agency without the consent of the juvenile court;
(3) Accept custody of children committed to the public children services agency by a court exercising juvenile jurisdiction;
(4) Provide such care as the public children services agency considers to be in the best interests of any child adjudicated to be an abused, neglected, or dependent child the agency finds to be in need of public care or service;
(5) Provide social services to any unmarried girl adjudicated to be an abused, neglected, or dependent child who is pregnant with or has been delivered of a child;
(6) Make available to the bureau for children with medical handicaps of the department of health at its request any information concerning a crippled child found to be in need of treatment under sections 3701.021 to 3701.028 of the Revised Code who is receiving services from the public children services agency;
(7) Provide temporary emergency care for any child considered by the public children services agency to be in need of such care, without agreement or commitment;
(8) Find certified foster homes, within or outside the county, for the care of children, including handicapped children from other counties attending special schools in the county;
(9) Subject to the approval of the board of county commissioners and the state department of job and family services, establish and operate a training school or enter into an agreement with any municipal corporation or other political subdivision of the county respecting the operation, acquisition, or maintenance of any children's home, training school, or other institution for the care of children maintained by such municipal corporation or political subdivision;
(10) Acquire and operate a county children's home, establish, maintain, and operate a receiving home for the temporary care of children, or procure certified foster homes for this purpose;
(11) Enter into an agreement with the trustees of any district children's home, respecting the operation of the district children's home in cooperation with the other county boards in the district;
(12) Cooperate with, make its services available to, and act as the agent of persons, courts, the department of job and family services, the department of health, and other organizations within and outside the state, in matters relating to the welfare of children, except that the public children services agency shall not be required to provide supervision of or other services related to the exercise of parenting time rights granted pursuant to section 3109.051 or 3109.12 of the Revised Code or companionship or visitation rights granted pursuant to section 3109.051, 3109.11, or 3109.12 of the Revised Code unless a juvenile court, pursuant to Chapter 2151. of the Revised Code, or a common pleas court, pursuant to division (E)(6) of section 3113.31 of the Revised Code, requires the provision of supervision or other services related to the exercise of the parenting time rights or companionship or visitation rights;
(13) Make investigations at the request of any superintendent of schools in the county or the principal of any school concerning the application of any child adjudicated to be an abused, neglected, or dependent child for release from school, where such service is not provided through a school attendance department;
(14) Administer funds provided under Title IV-E of the "Social Security Act," 94 Stat. 501 (1980), 42 U.S.C.A. 671, as amended, in accordance with rules adopted under section 5101.141 of the Revised Code;
(15) In addition to administering Title IV-E adoption assistance funds, enter into agreements to make adoption assistance payments under section 5153.163 of the Revised Code;
(16) Implement a system of safety and risk assessment, in accordance with rules adopted by the director of job and family services, to assist the public children services agency in determining the risk of abuse or neglect to a child;
(17) Enter into a plan of cooperation with the board of county commissioners under section 307.983 of the Revised Code and comply with each fiscal agreement the board enters into under section 307.98 of the Revised Code that include family services duties of public children services agencies and contracts the board enters into under sections 307.981 and 307.982 of the Revised Code that affect the public children services agency;
(18) Make reasonable efforts to prevent the removal of an alleged or adjudicated abused, neglected, or dependent child from the child's home, eliminate the continued removal of the child from the child's home, or make it possible for the child to return home safely, except that reasonable efforts of that nature are not required when a court has made a determination under division (A)(2) of section 2151.419 of the Revised Code;
(19) Make reasonable efforts to place the child in a timely manner in accordance with the permanency plan approved under division (E) of section 2151.417 of the Revised Code and to complete whatever steps are necessary to finalize the permanent placement of the child;
(20) Administer a Title IV-A program identified under division (A)(4)(c) or (f) of section 5101.80 of the Revised Code that the department of job and family services provides for the public children services agency to administer under the department's supervision pursuant to section 5101.801 of the Revised Code;
(21) Administer the kinship permanency incentive program created under section 5101.802 of the Revised Code under the supervision of the director of job and family services;
(22) Provide independent living services pursuant to sections 2151.81 to 2151.84 of the Revised Code.
(B) The public children services agency shall use the system implemented pursuant to division (A)(16) of this section in connection with an investigation undertaken pursuant to division (F)(1) of section 2151.421 of the Revised Code to assess both of the following:
(1) The ongoing safety of the child;
(2) The appropriateness of the intensity and duration of the services provided to meet child and family needs throughout the duration of a case.
(C) Except as provided in section 2151.422 of the Revised Code, in accordance with rules of the director of job and family services, and on behalf of children in the county whom the public children services agency considers to be in need of public care or protective services, the public children services agency may do the following:
(1) Provide or find, with other child serving systems, specialized foster care for the care of children in a specialized foster home, as defined in section 5103.02 of the Revised Code, certified under section 5103.03 of the Revised Code;
(2)(a) Except as limited by divisions (C)(2)(b) and (c) of this section, contract with the following for the purpose of assisting the agency with its duties:
(i) County departments of job and family services;
(ii) Boards of alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services;
(iii) County boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities;
(iv) Regional councils of political subdivisions established under Chapter 167. of the Revised Code;
(v) Private and government providers of services;
(vi) Managed care organizations and prepaid health plans.
(b) A public children services agency contract under division (C)(2)(a) of this section regarding the agency's duties under section 2151.421 of the Revised Code may not provide for the entity under contract with the agency to perform any service not authorized by the department's rules.
(c) Only a county children services board appointed under section 5153.03 of the Revised Code that is a public children services agency may contract under division (C)(2)(a) of this section. If an entity specified in division (B) or (C) of section 5153.02 of the Revised Code is the public children services agency for a county, the board of county commissioners may enter into contracts pursuant to section 307.982 of the Revised Code regarding the agency's duties.
Sec. 5153.99. Whoever violates division (F) of section 5153.176 of the Revised Code shall be punished as follows:
(A) Except as otherwise provided in division (B) of this section, the person is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.
(B) The person is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree if, during the period between the violation and the conviction of or plea of guilty by the person for that violation, the license holder who is the subject of the investigation about which the person fails to provide information inflicts on any child attending a school district, educational service center, public or nonpublic school, or county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities where the license holder works any physical or mental wound, injury, disability, or condition of a nature that constitutes abuse or neglect of the child.
Sec. 5543.011.  A county engineer may sell directly to a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities gasoline and diesel fuel that has been purchased for the use of the county engineer's office.
Sec. 5705.091.  The board of county commissioners of each county shall establish a county mental retardation and developmental disabilities general fund. Notwithstanding section 5705.10 of the Revised Code, proceeds from levies under section 5705.222 and division (L) of section 5705.19 of the Revised Code shall be deposited to the credit of the county mental retardation and developmental disabilities general fund. Accounts shall be established within the county mental retardation and developmental disabilities general fund for each of the several particular purposes of the levies as specified in the resolutions under which the levies were approved, and proceeds from different levies that were approved for the same particular purpose shall be credited to accounts for that purpose. Other money received by the county for the purposes of Chapters 3323. and 5126. of the Revised Code and not required by state or federal law to be deposited to the credit of a different fund shall also be deposited to the credit of the county mental retardation and developmental disabilities general fund, in an account appropriate to the particular purpose for which the money was received. Unless otherwise provided by law, an unexpended balance at the end of a fiscal year in any account in the county mental retardation and developmental disabilities general fund shall be appropriated the next fiscal year to the same fund.
A county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities may request, by resolution, that the board of county commissioners establish a county mental retardation and developmental disabilities capital fund for money to be used for acquisition, construction, or improvement of capital facilities or acquisition of capital equipment used in providing services to mentally retarded and developmentally disabled persons. The county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall transmit a certified copy of the resolution to the board of county commissioners. Upon receiving the resolution, the board of county commissioners shall establish a county mental retardation and developmental disabilities capital fund.
Sec. 5705.14.  No transfer shall be made from one fund of a subdivision to any other fund, by order of the court or otherwise, except as follows:
(A) The unexpended balance in a bond fund that is no longer needed for the purpose for which such fund was created shall be transferred to the sinking fund or bond retirement fund from which such bonds are payable.
(B) The unexpended balance in any specific permanent improvement fund, other than a bond fund, after the payment of all obligations incurred in the acquisition of such improvement, shall be transferred to the sinking fund or bond retirement fund of the subdivision; provided that if such money is not required to meet the obligations payable from such funds, it may be transferred to a special fund for the acquisition of permanent improvements, or, with the approval of the court of common pleas of the county in which such subdivision is located, to the general fund of the subdivision.
(C) The unexpended balance in the sinking fund or bond retirement fund of a subdivision, after all indebtedness, interest, and other obligations for the payment of which such fund exists have been paid and retired, shall be transferred, in the case of the sinking fund, to the bond retirement fund, and in the case of the bond retirement fund, to the sinking fund; provided that if such transfer is impossible by reason of the nonexistence of the fund to receive the transfer, such unexpended balance, with the approval of the court of common pleas of the county in which such division is located, may be transferred to any other fund of the subdivision.
(D) The unexpended balance in any special fund, other than an improvement fund, existing in accordance with division (D), (F), or (G) of section 5705.09 or section 5705.12 of the Revised Code, may be transferred to the general fund or to the sinking fund or bond retirement fund after the termination of the activity, service, or other undertaking for which such special fund existed, but only after the payment of all obligations incurred and payable from such special fund.
(E) Money may be transferred from the general fund to any other fund of the subdivision.
(F) Moneys retained or received by a county under section 4501.04 or division (A)(3) of section 5735.27 of the Revised Code may be transferred from the fund into which they were deposited to the sinking fund or bond retirement fund from which any principal, interest, or charges for which such moneys may be used is payable.
(G) Moneys retained or received by a municipal corporation under section 4501.04 or division (A)(1) or (2) of section 5735.27 of the Revised Code may be transferred from the fund into which they were deposited to the sinking fund or bond retirement fund from which any principal, interest, or charges for which such moneys may be used is payable.
(H)(1) Money may be transferred from the county mental retardation and developmental disabilities general fund to the county mental retardation and developmental disabilities capital fund established under section 5705.091 of the Revised Code or to any other fund created for the purposes of the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, so long as money in the fund to which the money is transferred can be spent for the particular purpose of the transferred money. The county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities may request, by resolution, that the board of county commissioners make the transfer. The county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall transmit a certified copy of the resolution to the board of county commissioners. Upon receiving the resolution, the board of county commissioners may make the transfer. Money transferred to a fund shall be credited to an account appropriate to its particular purpose.
(2) An unexpended balance in an account in the county mental retardation and developmental disabilities capital fund or any other fund created for the purposes of the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities may be transferred back to the county mental retardation and developmental disabilities general fund. The transfer may be made if the unexpended balance is no longer needed for its particular purpose and all outstanding obligations have been paid. Money transferred back to the county mental retardation and developmental disabilities general fund shall be credited to an account for current expenses within that fund. The county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities may request, by resolution, that the board of county commissioners make the transfer. The county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall transmit a certified copy of the resolution to the board of county commissioners. Upon receiving the resolution, the board of county commissioners may make the transfer.
Except in the case of transfer pursuant to division (E) of this section, transfers authorized by this section shall only be made by resolution of the taxing authority passed with the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members.
Sec. 5705.191.  The taxing authority of any subdivision, other than the board of education of a school district or the taxing authority of a county school financing district, by a vote of two-thirds of all its members, may declare by resolution that the amount of taxes that may be raised within the ten-mill limitation by levies on the current tax duplicate will be insufficient to provide an adequate amount for the necessary requirements of the subdivision, and that it is necessary to levy a tax in excess of such limitation for any of the purposes in section 5705.19 of the Revised Code, or to supplement the general fund for the purpose of making appropriations for one or more of the following purposes: public assistance, human or social services, relief, welfare, hospitalization, health, and support of general hospitals, and that the question of such additional tax levy shall be submitted to the electors of the subdivision at a general, primary, or special election to be held at a time therein specified. Such resolution shall not include a levy on the current tax list and duplicate unless such election is to be held at or prior to the general election day of the current tax year. Such resolution shall conform to the requirements of section 5705.19 of the Revised Code, except that a levy to supplement the general fund for the purposes of public assistance, human or social services, relief, welfare, hospitalization, health, or the support of general or tuberculosis hospitals may not be for a longer period than ten years. All other levies under this section may not be for a longer period than five years unless a longer period is permitted by section 5705.19 of the Revised Code, and the resolution shall specify the date of holding such election, which shall not be earlier than seventy-five days after the adoption and certification of such resolution. The resolution shall go into immediate effect upon its passage and no publication of the same is necessary other than that provided for in the notice of election. A copy of such resolution, immediately after its passage, shall be certified to the board of elections of the proper county or counties in the manner provided by section 5705.25 of the Revised Code, and such section shall govern the arrangements for the submission of such question and other matters with respect to such election, to which section 5705.25 of the Revised Code refers, excepting that such election shall be held on the date specified in the resolution, which shall be consistent with the requirements of section 3501.01 of the Revised Code, provided that only one special election for the submission of such question may be held in any one calendar year and provided that a special election may be held upon the same day a primary election is held. Publication of notice of that election shall be made in one or more newspapers of general circulation in the county once a week for two consecutive weeks prior to the election, and, if the board of elections operates and maintains a web site, the board of elections shall post notice of the election on its web site for thirty days prior to the election.
If a majority of the electors voting on the question vote in favor thereof, the taxing authority of the subdivision may make the necessary levy within such subdivision at the additional rate or at any lesser rate outside the ten-mill limitation on the tax list and duplicate for the purpose stated in the resolution. Such tax levy shall be included in the next annual tax budget that is certified to the county budget commission.
After the approval of such a levy by the electors, the taxing authority of the subdivision may anticipate a fraction of the proceeds of such levy and issue anticipation notes. In the case of a continuing levy that is not levied for the purpose of current expenses, notes may be issued at any time after approval of the levy in an amount not more than fifty per cent of the total estimated proceeds of the levy for the succeeding ten years, less an amount equal to the fraction of the proceeds of the levy previously anticipated by the issuance of anticipation notes. In the case of a levy for a fixed period that is not for the purpose of current expenses, notes may be issued at any time after approval of the levy in an amount not more than fifty per cent of the total estimated proceeds of the levy throughout the remaining life of the levy, less an amount equal to the fraction of the proceeds of the levy previously anticipated by the issuance of anticipation notes. In the case of a levy for current expenses, notes may be issued after the approval of the levy by the electors and prior to the time when the first tax collection from the levy can be made. Such notes may be issued in an amount not more than fifty per cent of the total estimated proceeds of the levy throughout the term of the levy in the case of a levy for a fixed period, or fifty per cent of the total estimated proceeds for the first ten years of the levy in the case of a continuing levy.
No anticipation notes that increase the net indebtedness of a county may be issued without the prior consent of the board of county commissioners of that county. The notes shall be issued as provided in section 133.24 of the Revised Code, shall have principal payments during each year after the year of their issuance over a period not exceeding the life of the levy anticipated, and may have a principal payment in the year of their issuance.
"Taxing authority" and "subdivision" have the same meanings as in section 5705.01 of the Revised Code.
"Human or social services" includes a county's contributions to a multicounty board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities of which the county is a member.
This section is supplemental to and not in derogation of sections 5705.20, 5705.21, and 5705.22 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 5705.222.  (A) At any time the board of county commissioners of any county by a majority vote of the full membership may declare by resolution and certify to the board of elections of the county that the amount of taxes which may be raised within the ten-mill limitation by levies on the current tax duplicate will be insufficient to provide the necessary requirements of the single county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities established pursuant to Chapter 5126. of the Revised Code, or the county's contribution to a multicounty board created under that chapter of which the county is a member, and that it is necessary to levy a tax in excess of such limitation for the operation of programs and services by county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities and for the acquisition, construction, renovation, financing, maintenance, and operation of mental retardation and developmental disabilities facilities.
Such resolution shall conform to section 5705.19 of the Revised Code, except that the increased rate may be in effect for any number of years not exceeding ten or for a continuing period of time.
The resolution shall be certified and submitted in the manner provided in section 5705.25 of the Revised Code, except that it may be placed on the ballot in any election, and shall be certified to the board of elections not less than seventy-five days before the election at which it will be voted upon.
If the majority of the electors voting on a levy for the support of the programs and services of the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities vote in favor of the levy, the board of county commissioners may levy a tax within the county at the additional rate outside the ten-mill limitation during the specified or continuing period, for the purpose stated in the resolution. The county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, within its budget and with the approval of the board of county commissioners through annual appropriations, shall use the proceeds of a levy approved under this section solely for the purposes authorized by this section.
(B) When electors have approved a tax levy under this section, the county commissioners may anticipate a fraction of the proceeds of the levy and issue anticipation notes in accordance with section 5705.191 or 5705.193 of the Revised Code.
(C) The county auditor, upon receipt of a resolution from the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, shall establish a capital improvements account or a reserve balance account, or both, as specified in the resolution. The capital improvements account shall be a contingency account for the necessary acquisition, replacement, renovation, or construction of facilities and movable and fixed equipment. Upon the request of the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, moneys not needed to pay for current expenses may be appropriated to this account, in amounts such that this account does not exceed twenty-five per cent of the replacement value of all capital facilities and equipment currently used by the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities for mental retardation and developmental disabilities programs and services. Other moneys available for current capital expenses from federal, state, or local sources may also be appropriated to this account.
The reserve balance account shall contain those moneys that are not needed to pay for current operating expenses and not deposited in the capital improvements account but that will be needed to pay for operating expenses in the future. Upon the request of a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, the board of county commissioners may appropriate moneys to the reserve balance account.
Sec. 5705.28.  (A) Except as provided in division (B)(1) or (2) of this section or in section 5705.281 of the Revised Code, the taxing authority of each subdivision or other taxing unit shall adopt a tax budget for the next succeeding fiscal year:
(1) On or before the fifteenth day of January in the case of a school district;
(2) On or before the fifteenth day of July in the case of all other subdivisions and taxing units.
(B)(1) Before the first day of June in each year, the board of trustees of a school library district entitled to participate in any appropriation or revenue of a school district or to have a tax proposed by the board of education of a school district shall file with the board of education of the school district a tax budget for the ensuing fiscal year. On or before the fifteenth day of July in each year, the board of education of a school district to which a school library district tax budget was submitted under this division shall adopt such tax budget on behalf of the library district, but such budget shall not be part of the school district's tax budget.
(2)(a) The taxing authority of a taxing unit that does not levy a tax is not required to adopt a tax budget pursuant to division (A) of this section. Instead, on or before the fifteenth day of July each year, such taxing authority shall adopt an operating budget for the taxing unit for the ensuing fiscal year. The operating budget shall include an estimate of receipts from all sources, a statement of all taxing unit expenses that are anticipated to occur, and the amount required for debt charges during the fiscal year. The operating budget is not required to be filed with the county auditor or the county budget commission.
(b) Except for this section and sections 5705.36, 5705.38, 5705.40, 5705.41, 5705.43, 5705.44, and 5705.45 of the Revised Code, a taxing unit that does not levy a tax is not a taxing unit for purposes of Chapter 5705. of the Revised Code. Documents prepared in accordance with such sections are not required to be filed with the county auditor or county budget commission.
(c) The total appropriations from each fund of a taxing unit that does not levy a tax shall not exceed the total estimated revenue available for expenditures from the fund, and appropriations shall be made from each fund only for the purposes for which the fund is established.
(C)(1) To assist in the preparation of the tax budget, the head of each department, board, commission, and district authority entitled to participate in any appropriation or revenue of a subdivision shall file with the taxing authority, or in the case of a municipal corporation, with its chief executive officer, before the forty-fifth day prior to the date on which the budget must be adopted, an estimate of contemplated revenue and expenditures for the ensuing fiscal year, in such form as is prescribed by the taxing authority of the subdivision or by the auditor of state. The taxing authority shall include in its budget of expenditures the full amounts requested by district authorities, not to exceed the amount authorized by law, if such authorities may fix the amount of revenue they are to receive from the subdivision. In a municipal corporation in which a special levy for a municipal university has been authorized to be levied in excess of the ten-mill limitation, or is required by the charter of the municipal corporation, the taxing authority shall include an amount not less than the estimated yield of such levy, if such amount is requested by the board of directors of the municipal university.
(2) A county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities may include within its estimate of contemplated revenue and expenditures a reserve balance account in the community mental retardation and developmental disabilities residential services fund. The account shall contain money that is not needed to pay for current expenses for residential services and supported living but will be needed to pay for expenses for such services in the future or may be needed for unanticipated emergency expenses. On the request of the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, the board of county commissioners shall include such an account in its budget of expenditures and appropriate money to the account from residential service moneys for the county board.
(D) The board of trustees of any public library desiring to participate in the distribution of the county public library fund shall adopt appropriate rules extending the benefits of the library service of such library to all the inhabitants of the county on equal terms, unless such library service is by law available to all such inhabitants, and shall certify a copy of such rules to the taxing authority with its estimate of contemplated revenue and expenditures. Where such rules have been so certified or where the adoption of such rules is not required, the taxing authority shall include in its budget of receipts such amounts as are specified by such board as contemplated revenue from the county public library fund, and in its budget of expenditures the full amounts requested therefrom by such board. No library association, incorporated or unincorporated, is entitled to participate in the proceeds of the county public library fund unless such association both was organized and operating prior to January 1, 1968, and participated in the distribution of the proceeds of the county public library fund prior to December 31, 2005.
Sec. 5705.44.  When contracts or leases run beyond the termination of the fiscal year in which they are made, the fiscal officer of the taxing authority shall make a certification for the amount required to meet the obligation of such contract or lease maturing in such fiscal year. The amount of the obligation under such contract or lease remaining unfulfilled at the end of a fiscal year, and which will become payable during the next fiscal year, shall be included in the annual appropriation measure for the next year as a fixed charge.
The certificate required by section 5705.41 of the Revised Code as to money in the treasury shall not be required for contracts on which payments are to be made from the earnings of a publicly operated water works or public utility, but in the case of any such contract made without such certification, no payment shall be made on account thereof, and no claim or demand thereon shall be recoverable, except out of such earnings. That certificate also shall not be required if requiring the certificate makes it impossible for a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities to pay the nonfederal share of medicaid expenditures that the county board is required by sections 5126.059 and 5126.0510 of the Revised Code to pay.
Sec. 5735.142. (A)(1) Any person who uses any motor fuel, on which the tax imposed by sections 5735.05, 5735.25, and 5735.29 of the Revised Code has been paid, for the purpose of operating a transit bus shall be reimbursed in the amount of the tax paid on motor fuel used by public transportation systems providing transit or paratransit service on a regular and continuing basis within the state;
(2) A city, exempted village, joint vocational, or local school district or educational service center that purchases any motor fuel for school district or service center operations, on which any tax imposed by section 5735.29 of the Revised Code that became effective on or after July 1, 2003, has been paid, may, if an application is filed under this section, be reimbursed in the amount of all but two cents per gallon of the total tax imposed by such section and paid on motor fuel.
(3) A county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities that, on or after July 1, 2005, purchases any motor fuel for county board operations, on which any tax imposed by section 5735.29 of the Revised Code has been paid may, if an application is filed under this section, be reimbursed in the amount of all but two cents per gallon of the total tax imposed by such section and paid on motor fuel purchased on or after July 1, 2005.
(B) Such person, school district, educational service center, or county board shall file with the tax commissioner an application for refund within one year from the date of purchase, stating the quantity of fuel used for operating transit buses used by local transit systems in furnishing scheduled common carrier, public passenger land transportation service along regular routes primarily in one or more municipal corporations or for operating vehicles used for school district, service center, or county board operations. However, no claim shall be made for the tax on fewer than one hundred gallons of motor fuel. A school district, educational service center, or county board shall not apply for a refund for any tax paid on motor fuel that is sold by the district, service center, or county board. The application shall be accompanied by the statement described in section 5735.15 of the Revised Code showing the purchase, together with evidence of payment thereof.
(C) After consideration of the application and statement, the commissioner shall determine the amount of refund to which the applicant is entitled. If the amount is not less than that claimed, the commissioner shall certify the amount to the director of budget and management and treasurer of state for payment from the tax refund fund created by section 5703.052 of the Revised Code. If the amount is less than that claimed, the commissioner shall proceed in accordance with section 5703.70 of the Revised Code.
The commissioner may require that the application be supported by the affidavit of the claimant. No refund shall be authorized or ordered for any single claim for the tax on fewer than one hundred gallons of motor fuel. No refund shall be authorized or ordered on motor fuel that is sold by a school district, educational service center, or county board.
(D) The refund authorized by this section or section 5703.70 of the Revised Code shall be reduced by the cents per gallon amount of any qualified fuel credit received under section 5735.145 of the Revised Code, as determined by the commissioner, for each gallon of qualified fuel included in the total gallonage of motor fuel upon which the refund is computed.
(E) The right to receive any refund under this section or section 5703.70 of the Revised Code is not assignable. The payment of this refund shall not be made to any person or entity other than the person or entity originally entitled thereto who used the motor fuel upon which the claim for refund is based, except that the refund when allowed and certified, as provided in this section, may be paid to the executor, the administrator, the receiver, the trustee in bankruptcy, or the assignee in insolvency proceedings of the person.
Sec. 5815.28.  (A) As used in this section:
(1) "Ascertainable standard" includes a standard in a trust instrument requiring the trustee to provide for the care, comfort, maintenance, welfare, education, or general well-being of the beneficiary.
(2) "Disability" means any substantial, medically determinable impairment that can be expected to result in death or that has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of at least twelve months, except that "disability" does not include an impairment that is the result of abuse of alcohol or drugs.
(3) "Political subdivision" and "state" have the same meanings as in section 2744.01 of the Revised Code.
(4) "Supplemental services" means services specified by rule of the department of mental health under section 5119.01 of the Revised Code or the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities under section 5123.04 of the Revised Code that are provided to an individual with a disability in addition to services the individual is eligible to receive under programs authorized by federal or state law.
(B) Any person may create a trust under this section to provide funding for supplemental services for the benefit of another individual who meets either of the following conditions:
(1) The individual has a physical or mental disability and is eligible to receive services through the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities or a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities;
(2) The individual has a mental disability and is eligible to receive services through the department of mental health or a board of alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services.
The trust may confer discretion upon the trustee and may contain specific instructions or conditions governing the exercise of the discretion.
(C) The general division of the court of common pleas and the probate court of the county in which the beneficiary of a trust authorized by division (B) of this section resides or is confined have concurrent original jurisdiction to hear and determine actions pertaining to the trust. In any action pertaining to the trust in a court of common pleas or probate court and in any appeal of the action, all of the following apply to the trial or appellate court:
(1) The court shall render determinations consistent with the testator's or other settlor's intent in creating the trust, as evidenced by the terms of the trust instrument.
(2) The court may order the trustee to exercise discretion that the trust instrument confers upon the trustee only if the instrument contains specific instructions or conditions governing the exercise of that discretion and the trustee has failed to comply with the instructions or conditions. In issuing an order pursuant to this division, the court shall require the trustee to exercise the trustee's discretion only in accordance with the instructions or conditions.
(3) The court may order the trustee to maintain the trust and distribute assets in accordance with rules adopted by the director of mental health under section 5119.01 of the Revised Code or the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities under section 5123.04 of the Revised Code if the trustee has failed to comply with such rules.
(D) To the extent permitted by federal law and subject to the provisions of division (C)(2) of this section pertaining to the enforcement of specific instructions or conditions governing a trustee's discretion, a trust authorized by division (B) of this section that confers discretion upon the trustee shall not be considered an asset or resource of the beneficiary, the beneficiary's estate, the settlor, or the settlor's estate and shall be exempt from the claims of creditors, political subdivisions, the state, other governmental entities, and other claimants against the beneficiary, the beneficiary's estate, the settlor, or the settlor's estate, including claims based on provisions of Chapters 5111., 5121., or 5123. of the Revised Code and claims sought to be satisfied by way of a civil action, subrogation, execution, garnishment, attachment, judicial sale, or other legal process, if all of the following apply:
(1) At the time the trust is created, the trust principal does not exceed the maximum amount determined under division (E) of this section;
(2) The trust instrument contains a statement of the settlor's intent, or otherwise clearly evidences the settlor's intent, that the beneficiary does not have authority to compel the trustee under any circumstances to furnish the beneficiary with minimal or other maintenance or support, to make payments from the principal of the trust or from the income derived from the principal, or to convert any portion of the principal into cash, whether pursuant to an ascertainable standard specified in the instrument or otherwise;
(3) The trust instrument provides that trust assets can be used only to provide supplemental services, as defined by rule of the director of mental health under section 5119.01 of the Revised Code or the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities under section 5123.04 of the Revised Code, to the beneficiary;
(4) The trust is maintained and assets are distributed in accordance with rules adopted by the director of mental health under section 5119.01 of the Revised Code or the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities under section 5123.04 of the Revised Code;
(5) The trust instrument provides that on the death of the beneficiary, a portion of the remaining assets of the trust, which shall be not less than fifty per cent of such assets, will be deposited to the credit of the services fund for individuals with mental illness created by section 5119.17 of the Revised Code or the services fund for individuals with mental retardation and developmental disabilities created by section 5123.40 of the Revised Code.
(E) In 1994, the trust principal maximum amount for a trust created under this section shall be two hundred thousand dollars. The maximum amount for a trust created under this section prior to November 11, 1994, may be increased to two hundred thousand dollars.
In 1995, the maximum amount for a trust created under this section shall be two hundred two thousand dollars. Each year thereafter, the maximum amount shall be the prior year's amount plus two thousand dollars.
(F) This section does not limit or otherwise affect the creation, validity, interpretation, or effect of any trust that is not created under this section.
(G) Once a trustee takes action on a trust created by a settlor under this section and disburses trust funds on behalf of the beneficiary of the trust, then the trust may not be terminated or otherwise revoked by a particular event or otherwise without payment into the services fund created pursuant to section 5119.17 or 5123.40 of the Revised Code of an amount that is equal to the disbursements made on behalf of the beneficiary for medical care by the state from the date the trust vests but that is not more than fifty per cent of the trust corpus.
Section 2. That existing sections 101.37, 109.57, 109.572, 117.102, 121.36, 121.37, 124.11, 124.23, 124.241, 124.38, 135.801, 135.802, 135.803, 140.03, 140.05, 145.297, 305.14, 307.10, 307.86, 309.10, 319.16, 325.19, 329.06, 1751.01, 1751.02, 2108.521, 2151.421, 3109.18, 3301.07, 3301.52, 3301.53, 3301.55, 3301.57, 3301.58, 3314.022, 3314.99, 3317.01, 3317.02, 3317.024, 3317.03, 3317.032, 3317.05, 3317.051, 3317.052, 3317.07, 3317.15, 3317.20, 3319.22, 3319.99, 3323.01, 3323.02, 3323.021, 3323.03, 3323.04, 3323.05, 3323.09, 3323.091, 3323.12, 3323.141, 3323.142, 3326.99, 3701.93, 3701.932, 3701.933, 4109.06, 4141.29, 4511.21, 4511.75, 5101.35, 5101.46, 5101.611, 5111.151, 5111.871, 5111.872, 5111.873, 5123.033, 5123.04, 5123.042, 5123.043, 5123.044, 5123.046, 5123.047, 5123.048, 5123.049, 5123.0411, 5123.0412, 5123.0413, 5123.0416, 5123.081, 5123.082, 5123.16, 5123.166, 5123.169, 5123.171, 5123.172, 5123.18, 5123.19, 5123.191, 5123.211, 5123.351, 5123.36, 5123.37, 5123.371, 5123.372, 5123.373, 5123.374, 5123.375, 5123.38, 5123.41, 5123.47, 5123.50, 5123.52, 5123.542, 5123.60, 5123.602, 5123.61, 5123.611, 5123.613, 5123.614, 5123.63, 5123.64, 5123.71, 5123.711, 5123.74, 5126.01, 5126.02, 5126.021, 5126.022, 5126.023, 5126.024, 5126.025, 5126.027, 5126.028, 5126.029, 5126.0210, 5126.0211, 5126.0212, 5126.0213, 5126.0214, 5126.0215, 5126.0216, 5126.0217, 5126.0218, 5126.0219, 5126.0220, 5126.0221, 5126.0222, 5126.0223, 5126.0224, 5126.0225, 5126.0226, 5126.0227, 5126.0228, 5126.0229, 5126.03, 5126.031, 5126.032, 5126.033, 5126.034, 5126.037, 5126.038, 5126.04, 5126.041, 5126.042, 5126.044, 5126.045, 5126.046, 5126.05, 5126.051, 5126.052, 5126.054, 5126.055, 5126.056, 5126.058, 5126.059, 5126.0510, 5126.0511, 5126.0512, 5126.06, 5126.07, 5126.071, 5126.08, 5126.081, 5126.082, 5126.09, 5126.10, 5126.11, 5126.12, 5126.121, 5126.13, 5126.14, 5126.15, 5126.18, 5126.19, 5126.20, 5126.201, 5126.21, 5126.22, 5126.221, 5126.23, 5126.24, 5126.25, 5126.252, 5126.253, 5126.254, 5126.26, 5126.27, 5126.28, 5126.281, 5126.29, 5126.30, 5126.31, 5126.311, 5126.313, 5126.33, 5126.331, 5126.333, 5126.34, 5126.36, 5126.41, 5126.42, 5126.43, 5126.45, 5126.46, 5126.47, 5126.49, 5126.50, 5126.54, 5126.55, 5126.57, 5126.58, 5126.59, 5126.61, 5126.62, 5126.99, 5153.16, 5153.99, 5543.011, 5705.091, 5705.14, 5705.191, 5705.222, 5705.28, 5705.44, 5735.142, and 5815.28 of the Revised Code are hereby repealed.
Section 3. That Sections 269.20.40, 269.20.80, 269.20.90, 269.30.50, 337.30.30, 337.30.40, 337.30.60, and 337.40.30 of Am. Sub. H.B. 119 of the 127th General Assembly be amended to read as follows:
Sec. 269.20.40. EDUCATION MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM
The foregoing appropriation item 200-446, Education Management Information System, shall be used by the Department of Education to improve the Education Management Information System (EMIS).
Of the foregoing appropriation item 200-446, Education Management Information System, up to $1,338,620 in fiscal year 2008 and up to $1,372,085 in fiscal year 2009 shall be distributed to designated information technology centers for costs relating to processing, storing, and transferring data for the effective operation of the EMIS. These costs may include, but are not limited to, personnel, hardware, software development, communications connectivity, professional development, and support services, and to provide services to participate in the State Education Technology Plan pursuant to section 3301.07 of the Revised Code.
Of the foregoing appropriation item 200-446, Education Management Information System, up to $8,256,569 in fiscal year 2008 and up to $8,462,984 in fiscal year 2009 shall be distributed on a per-pupil basis to school districts, community schools established under Chapter 3314. of the Revised Code, educational service centers, joint vocational school districts, and any other education entity that reports data through EMIS. From this funding, each school district or community school established under Chapter 3314. of the Revised Code with enrollment greater than 100 students and each vocational school district shall receive a minimum of $5,000 in each fiscal year. Each school district or community school established under Chapter 3314. of the Revised Code with enrollment between one and one hundred and each educational service center and each county board of MR/DD developmental disabilities that submits data through EMIS shall receive $3,000 in each fiscal year. This subsidy shall be used for costs relating to reporting, processing, storing, transferring, and exchanging data necessary to meet requirements of the Department of Education's data system.
The remainder of appropriation item 200-446, Education Management Information System, shall be used to develop and support a common core of data definitions and standards as adopted by the Education Management Information System Advisory Board, including the ongoing development and maintenance of the data dictionary and data warehouse. In addition, such funds shall be used to support the development and implementation of data standards and the design, development, and implementation of a new data exchange system.
Any provider of software meeting the standards approved by the Education Management Information System Advisory Board shall be designated as an approved vendor and may enter into contracts with local school districts, community schools, information technology centers, or other educational entities for the purpose of collecting and managing data required under Ohio's education management information system (EMIS) laws. On an annual basis, the Department of Education shall convene an advisory group of school districts, community schools, and other education-related entities to review the Education Management Information System data definitions and data format standards. The advisory group shall recommend changes and enhancements based upon surveys of its members, education agencies in other states, and current industry practices, to reflect best practices, align with federal initiatives, and meet the needs of school districts.
School districts and community schools not implementing a common and uniform set of data definitions and data format standards for Education Management Information System purposes shall have all EMIS funding withheld until they are in compliance.
Sec. 269.20.80. PUPIL TRANSPORTATION
Of the foregoing appropriation item 200-502, Pupil Transportation, up to $830,624 in fiscal year 2008 and up to $838,930 in fiscal year 2009 may be used by the Department of Education for training prospective and experienced school bus drivers in accordance with training programs prescribed by the Department. Up to $59,870,514 in fiscal year 2008 and up to $60,469,220 in fiscal year 2009 may be used by the Department of Education for special education transportation reimbursements to school districts and county MR/DD boards of developmental disabilities for transportation operating costs as provided in division (J) of section 3317.024 of the Revised Code. The remainder of appropriation item 200-502, Pupil Transportation, shall be used for the state reimbursement of public school districts' costs in transporting pupils to and from the school they attend in accordance with the district's policy, State Board of Education standards, and the Revised Code.
Notwithstanding the distribution formula outlined in division (D) of section 3317.022 of the Revised Code, each school district shall receive an additional one per cent in state funding for transportation in fiscal year 2008 over what was received in fiscal year 2007, and the local share of transportation costs that is used in the calculation of the charge-off supplement under section 3317.0216 of the Revised Code and the excess cost supplement under division (F) of section 3317.022 of the Revised Code for each school district in fiscal year 2008 shall be increased by one per cent from that used in calculations in fiscal year 2007.
Notwithstanding the distribution formula outlined in division (D) of section 3317.022 of the Revised Code, each school district shall receive an additional one per cent in state funding for transportation in fiscal year 2009 over what was received in fiscal year 2008, and the local share of transportation costs that is used in the calculation of the charge-off supplement under section 3317.0216 of the Revised Code and the excess cost supplement under division (F) of section 3317.022 of the Revised Code for each school district in fiscal year 2009 shall be increased by one per cent from that used in calculations in fiscal year 2008.
School districts not receiving state funding for transportation in fiscal year 2005 under division (D) of section 3317.022 of the Revised Code shall not receive state funding for transportation in fiscal year 2008 or fiscal year 2009.
Sec. 269.20.90. BUS PURCHASE ALLOWANCE
The foregoing appropriation item 200-503, Bus Purchase Allowance, shall be distributed to school districts, educational service centers, and county MR/DD boards of developmental disabilities pursuant to rules adopted under section 3317.07 of the Revised Code. Up to 28 per cent of the amount appropriated may be used to reimburse school districts and educational service centers for the purchase of buses to transport students with disabilities and nonpublic school students and to county MR/DD boards of developmental disabilities, the Ohio School for the Deaf, and the Ohio School for the Blind for the purchase of buses to transport students with disabilities.
SCHOOL LUNCH MATCH
The foregoing appropriation item 200-505, School Lunch Match, shall be used to provide matching funds to obtain federal funds for the school lunch program.
Sec. 269.30.50. SPECIAL EDUCATION ENHANCEMENTS
Of the foregoing appropriation item 200-540, Special Education Enhancements, up to $2,906,875 in each fiscal year shall be used for home instruction for children with disabilities; up to $1,462,500 in each fiscal year shall be used for parent mentoring programs; and up to $2,783,396 in each fiscal year may be used for school psychology interns.
Of the foregoing appropriation item 200-540, Special Education Enhancements, $750,000 in each fiscal year shall be used for the Out of School Initiative of Sinclair Community College.
Of the foregoing appropriation item 200-540, Special Education Enhancements, $200,000 shall be used for a preschool special education pilot program in Bowling Green City School District.
Of the foregoing appropriation item 200-540, Special Education Enhancements, $200,000 in each fiscal year shall be used to support the Bellefaire Jewish Children's Bureau.
Of the foregoing appropriation item 200-540, Special Education Enhancements, up to $82,707,558 in fiscal year 2008 and up to $83,371,505 in fiscal year 2009 shall be distributed by the Department of Education to county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, educational service centers, and school districts for preschool special education units and preschool supervisory units under section 3317.052 of the Revised Code. To the greatest extent possible, the Department of Education shall allocate these units to school districts and educational service centers.
The Department may reimburse county MR/DD boards of developmental disabilities, educational service centers, and school districts for services provided by instructional assistants, related services as defined in rule 3301-51-11 of the Administrative Code, physical therapy services provided by a licensed physical therapist or physical therapist assistant under the supervision of a licensed physical therapist as required under Chapter 4755. of the Revised Code and Chapter 4755-27 of the Administrative Code and occupational therapy services provided by a licensed occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant under the supervision of a licensed occupational therapist as required under Chapter 4755. of the Revised Code and Chapter 4755-7 of the Administrative Code. Nothing in this section authorizes occupational therapy assistants or physical therapist assistants to generate or manage their own caseloads.
The Department of Education shall require school districts, educational service centers, and county MR/DD boards of developmental disabilities serving preschool children with disabilities to document child progress using research-based indicators prescribed by the Department and report results annually. The reporting dates and method shall be determined by the Department.
Of the foregoing appropriation item 200-540, Special Education Enhancements, $650,000 in each fiscal year shall be used for the Collaborative Language and Literacy Instruction Project.
Of the foregoing appropriation item 200-540, Special Education Enhancements, $325,000 in each fiscal year shall be used by the Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence to contract with the Delaware-Union Educational Service Center for the provision of autism transition services.
Of the foregoing appropriation item 200-540, Special Education Enhancements, $75,000 in each fiscal year shall be used for Leaf Lake/Geauga Educational Assistance Funding.
Of the foregoing appropriation item 200-540, Special Education Enhancements, $650,000 in each fiscal year shall be used to support Project More for one-to-one reading mentoring.
The remainder of appropriation item 200-540, Special Education Enhancements, shall be used to fund special education and related services at county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities for eligible students under section 3317.20 of the Revised Code and at institutions for eligible students under section 3317.201 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 337.30.30. MEDICAID WAIVER - STATE MATCH (GRF)
Except as otherwise provided in section 5123.0416 of the Revised Code, the purposes for which the foregoing appropriation item 322-416, Medicaid Waiver - State Match, shall be used include the following:
(A) Home and community-based waiver services under Title XIX of the "Social Security Act," 49 Stat. 620 (1935), 42 U.S.C. 301, as amended.
(B) To pay the nonfederal share of the cost of one or more new intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded certified beds, if the Director of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities is required by this act Am. Sub. H.B. 119 of the 127th General Assembly to transfer to the Director of Job and Family Services funds to pay such nonfederal share.
Except as otherwise provided in section 5123.0416 of the Revised Code, the Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities may designate a portion of appropriation item 322-416, Medicaid Waiver - State Match, to county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities that have greater need for various residential and support services because of a low percentage of residential and support services development in comparison to the number of individuals with mental retardation or developmental disabilities in the county.
Sec. 337.30.40. STATE SUBSIDY TO COUNTY MR/DD BOARDS OF DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES
Except as otherwise provided in Section 337.40.30 of this act Am. Sub. H.B. 119 of the 127th General Assembly, the Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities shall use the foregoing appropriation item 322-501, County Boards Subsidy, to pay each county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities in each fiscal year of the biennium an amount that is equal to the amount such board received in fiscal year 2007 from former appropriation items 322-417, Supported Living; 322-452, Service and Support Administration; and 322-501, County Boards Subsidies.
Except as otherwise provided in section 5126.0511 of the Revised Code, county boards shall use the subsidy for early childhood services and adult services provided under section 5126.05 of the Revised Code, service and support administration provided under section 5126.15 of the Revised Code, and supported living as defined in section 5126.01 of the Revised Code.
In the event that the appropriation in appropriation item 322-501, County Board Subsidy, for fiscal year 2008 or fiscal year 2009 is greater than the subsidy paid by the Department for fiscal year 2007 from former appropriation items 332-417, Supported Living; 322-452, Services and Support Administration; and 322-501, County Boards Subsidies, the Department and county boards shall develop a formula for allocating the additional appropriation to each county board to support priorities determined by the Department and county boards.
The Department shall distribute this subsidy to county boards in quarterly installments of equal amounts. The installments shall be made not later than the thirtieth day of September, the thirty-first day of December, the thirty-first day of March, and thirtieth day of June.
The Department also may use the foregoing appropriation item 322-501, County Boards Subsidy, to pay the nonfederal share of the cost of one or more new intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded certified beds, if the Director of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities is required by this act Am. Sub. H.B. 119 of the 127th General Assembly to transfer to the Director of Job and Family Services funds to pay such nonfederal share.
Sec. 337.30.60. TARGETED CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES
County boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall pay the nonfederal portion of targeted case management costs to the Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities. The Director of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities shall withhold any amount owed to the Department from subsequent disbursements from any appropriation item or money otherwise due to a nonpaying county.
The Departments of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities and Job and Family Services may enter into an interagency agreement under which the Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities shall pay the Department of Job and Family Services the nonfederal portion of the cost of targeted case management services paid by county boards and the Department of Job and Family Services shall pay the total cost of targeted case management claims.
Sec. 337.40.30. NONFEDERAL SHARE OF NEW ICF/MR BEDS
(A) As used in this section, "intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded" has the same meaning as in section 5111.20 of the Revised Code.
(B) If one or more new beds obtain certification as an intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded bed on or after July 1, 2007, the Director of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities shall transfer funds to the Department of Job and Family Services to pay the nonfederal share of the cost under the Medicaid Program for those beds. Except as otherwise provided in section 5123.0416 of the Revised Code, the Director shall use only the following funds for the transfer:
(1) Funds appropriated to the Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities in appropriation item 322-416, Medicaid Waiver - State Match;
(2) Funds appropriated to the Department in appropriation item 322-501, County Boards Subsidies.
(C) If the beds are located in a county served by a county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities that initiates or supports the beds' certification, the funds that the Director transfers under division (B) of this section shall be funds that the Director has allocated to the county board serving the county in which the beds are located unless the amount of the allocation is insufficient to pay the entire nonfederal share of the cost under the Medicaid Program for those beds. If the allocation is insufficient, the Director shall use as much of such funds allocated to other counties as is needed to make up the difference.
Section 4. That existing Sections 269.20.40, 269.20.80, 269.20.90, 269.30.50, 337.30.30, 337.30.40, 337.30.60, and 337.40.30 of Am. Sub. H.B. 119 of the 127th General Assembly are hereby repealed.
Section 5. That Section 337.30.43 of Am. Sub. H.B. 119 of the 127th General Assembly, as amended by Am. Sub. H.B. 562 of the 127th General Assembly, be amended to read as follows:
Sec. 337.30.43. TAX EQUITY
Notwithstanding section 5126.18 of the Revised Code, for fiscal year 2009, if the Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities determines that sufficient funds are available, the Department shall use the foregoing appropriation item 322-503, Tax Equity, to pay each county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities an amount that is equal to the amount the board received for fiscal year 2008. If the Department determines that there are not sufficient funds available in the appropriation item for this purpose, the Department shall pay to each county board an amount that is proportionate to the amount the board received for fiscal year 2008. Proportionality shall be determined by dividing the total tax equity payments distributed to county boards for fiscal year 2008 by the tax equity payment a county board received for fiscal year 2008.
Section 6. That existing Section 337.30.43 of Am. Sub. H.B. 119 of the 127th General Assembly, as amended by Am. Sub. H.B. 562 of the 127th General Assembly, is hereby repealed.
Section 7. That Section 201.60.30 of H.B. 496 of the 127th General Assembly be amended to read as follows:
Reappropriations
Sec. 201.60.30.  DMR DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL RETARDATION AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES
STATEWIDE PROJECTS
C59000 Asbestos Abatement $ 999,637
C59004 Community Assistance Projects $ 1,202,040
C59019 North Olmsted Welcome House $ 100,000
C59020 Kamp Dovetail Project at Rocky Fork Lake State Park $ 100,000
C59022 Razing of Buildings $ 80,595
C59024 Telecommunications Systems Improvement $ 774,454
C59029 Emergency Generator Replacement $ 1,049,606
C59034 Statewide Developmental Centers $ 5,479,662
C59050 Emergency Improvements $ 634,970
Total Statewide and Central Office Projects $ 10,420,964

COMMUNITY ASSISTANCE PROJECTS
The foregoing appropriation item C59004, Community Assistance Projects, may be used to provide community assistance funds for the construction or renovation of facilities for day programs or residential programs that provide services to persons eligible for services from the Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities or county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities. Any funds provided to nonprofit agencies for the construction or renovation of facilities for persons eligible for services from the Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities and county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities are subject to the prevailing wage provisions in section 176.05 of the Revised Code.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, of the foregoing appropriation item C59004, Community Assistance Projects, $75,000 shall be used for the Hanson Home.
STATEWIDE DEVELOPMENTAL CENTERS
CAMBRIDGE DEVELOPMENTAL CENTER
C59005 Residential Renovations - CAMDC $ 41,398
C59023 HVAC Renovations - Residential Buildings $ 1,000
C59025 Cambridge HVAC Upgrade - Activity Center $ 3,538
C59046 Utility Upgrade Centerwide $ 5,960
Total Cambridge Developmental Center $ 51,896

COLUMBUS DEVELOPMENTAL CENTER
C59036 Columbus Developmental Center $ 8,162
Total Columbus Developmental Center $ 8,162

GALLIPOLIS DEVELOPMENTAL CENTER
C59027 HVAC Replacements $ 4,873
C59037 Gallipolis Developmental Center $ 21,849
Total Gallipolis Developmental Center $ 26,722

MONTGOMERY DEVELOPMENTAL CENTER
C59038 Montgomery Developmental Center $ 43,634
Total Montgomery Developmental Center $ 43,634

MOUNT VERNON DEVELOPMENTAL CENTER
C59039 Mount Vernon Developmental Center $ 160,353
Total Mount Vernon Developmental Center $ 160,353

NORTHWEST OHIO DEVELOPMENTAL CENTER
C59030 Replace Chiller $ 8,535
C59040 Northwest Ohio Developmental Center $ 11,171
Total Northwest Ohio Developmental Center $ 19,706

SOUTHWEST OHIO DEVELOPMENTAL CENTER
C59016 Residential Renovation - HVAC Upgrade $ 23,075
C59041 Southwest Ohio Developmental Center $ 14,566
C59048 Renovation Program and Support Services Building $ 3,900
Total Southwest Ohio Developmental Center $ 41,541

TIFFIN DEVELOPMENTAL CENTER
C59026 Roof and Exterior Renovations $ 19,666
C59043 Tiffin Developmental Center $ 20,696
Total Tiffin Developmental Center $ 40,362

WARRENSVILLE DEVELOPMENTAL CENTER
C59017 Residential Renovations - WDC $ 5,057
C59021 Water Line Replacement - WDC $ 16,267
C59031 ADA Compliance - WDC $ 3,628
C59044 Warrensville Developmental Center $ 29,860
Total Warrensville Developmental Center $ 54,812

YOUNGSTOWN DEVELOPMENTAL CENTER
C59045 Youngstown Developmental Center $ 24,400
Total Youngstown Developmental Center $ 24,400

TOTAL Department of Mental Retardation
and Developmental Disabilities $ 10,892,552
TOTAL Mental Health Facilities Improvement Fund $ 43,684,415

Section 8. That existing Section 201.60.30 of H.B. 496 of the 127th General Assembly is hereby repealed.
Section 9. That Section 231.20.30 of Am. Sub. H.B. 562 of the 127th General Assembly be amended to read as follows:
Appropriations
Sec. 231.20.30. DMR DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL RETARDATION AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES
STATEWIDE AND CENTRAL OFFICE PROJECTS
C59004 Community Assistance Projects $ 13,301,537
C59022 Razing of Buildings $ 200,000
C59024 Telecommunications $ 400,000
C59029 Generator Replacement $ 1,000,000
C59034 Statewide Developmental Centers $ 4,294,237
C59050 Emergency Improvements $ 500,000
C59051 Energy Conservation $ 500,000
C59052 Guernsey County MRDD Boiler Replacement $ 275,000
C59053 Magnolia Clubhouse $ 250,000
C59054 Recreation Unlimited Life Center - Delaware $ 150,000
C59055 Camp McKinley Improvements $ 30,000
C59056 The Hope Learning Center $ 250,000
C59057 North Olmstead Welcome House $ 150,000
Total Statewide and Central Office Projects $ 21,300,774
TOTAL Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities $ 21,300,774
TOTAL Mental Health Facilities Improvement Fund $ 127,330,774

COMMUNITY ASSISTANCE PROJECTS
The foregoing appropriation item C59004, Community Assistance Projects, may be used to provide community assistance funds for the development, purchase, construction, or renovation of facilities for day programs or residential programs that provide services to persons eligible for services from the Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities or county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities. Any funds provided to nonprofit agencies for the construction or renovation of facilities for persons eligible for services from the Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities and county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities shall be governed by the prevailing wage provisions in section 176.05 of the Revised Code.
Section 10. That existing Section 231.20.30 of Am. Sub. H.B. 562 of the 127th General Assembly is hereby repealed.
Section 11. The General Assembly, applying the principle stated in division (B) of section 1.52 of the Revised Code that amendments are to be harmonized if reasonably capable of simultaneous operation, finds that the following sections, presented in this act as composites of the sections as amended by the acts indicated, are the resulting versions of the sections in effect prior to the effective date of the sections as presented in this act:
Section 109.57 of the Revised Code as amended by both Sub. H.B. 428 and Sub. S.B. 163 of the 127th General Assembly.
Section 109.572 of the Revised Code as amended by Sub. H.B. 195, Sub. H.B. 545, and Sub. S.B. 247, all of the 127th General Assembly.
Section 121.37 of the Revised Code as amended by both Sub. H.B. 289 and Am. Sub. H.B. 530 of the 126th General Assembly.
Section 325.19 of the Revised Code as amended by both Sub. H.B. 187 and Sub. S.B. 126 of the 126th General Assembly.
Section 1751.01 of the Revised Code as amended by both Am. Sub. H.B. 562 and Sub. S.B. 186 of the 127th General Assembly.
Section 2151.421 of the Revised Code as amended by both Am. H.B. 314 and Sub. S.B. 163 of the 127th General Assembly.
Section 3109.18 of the Revised Code as amended by both Am. Sub. H.B. 11 and Sub. S.B. 66 of the 125th General Assembly.
Section 5126.04 of the Revised Code as amended by both Am. Sub. H.B. 119 and Am. Sub. H.B. 214 of the 127th General Assembly.