As Introduced

128th General Assembly
Regular Session
2009-2010
H. B. No. 202


Representative Mallory 

Cosponsors: Representatives Weddington, Yuko, Domenick, Letson 



A BILL
To amend section 5502.03 and to enact section 5502.04 1
of the Revised Code to create the Infrastructure 2
Protection Center within the Division of Homeland 3
Security of the Department of Public Safety.4


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

       Section 1. That section 5502.03 be amended and section 5
5502.04 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:6

       Sec. 5502.03. (A) There is hereby created in the department 7
of public safety a division of homeland security. 8

       (B) The division shall do all of the following: 9

       (1) Coordinate all homeland security activities of all state 10
agencies and be the liaison between state agencies and local 11
entities for the purposes of communicating homeland security 12
funding and policy initiatives; 13

       (2) Collect, analyze, maintain, and disseminate information 14
to support local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, 15
other government agencies, and private organizations in detecting, 16
deterring, preventing, preparing for, responding to, and 17
recovering from threatened or actual terrorist events. This 18
information is not a public record pursuant to section 149.43 of 19
the Revised Code. 20

       (3) CoordinateThrough the infrastructure protection center 21
created in section 5502.04 of the Revised Code, coordinate efforts 22
of state and local governments and private organizations to 23
enhance the security and protection of critical infrastructure 24
and key assets in this state; 25

       (4) Develop and coordinate policies, protocols, and 26
strategies that may be used to prevent, detect, prepare for, 27
respond to, and recover from terrorist acts or threats; 28

       (5) Develop, update, and coordinate the implementation of an 29
Ohio homeland security strategic plan that will guide state and 30
local governments in the achievement of homeland security in this 31
state. 32

       (C) The director of public safety shall appoint an executive 33
director, who shall be head of the division of homeland security 34
and who regularly shall advise the governor and the director on 35
matters pertaining to homeland security. The executive director 36
shall serve at the pleasure of the director of public safety. To 37
carry out the duties assigned under this section, the executive 38
director, subject to the direction and control of the director of 39
public safety, may appoint and maintain necessary staff and may 40
enter into any necessary agreements. 41

       (D) Except as otherwise provided by law, nothing in this 42
section shall be construed to give the director of public safety 43
or the executive director of the division of homeland security 44
authority over the incident management structure or 45
responsibilities of local emergency response personnel. 46

       (E) There is hereby created in the state treasury the 47
homeland security fund. The fund shall consist of sixty cents of 48
each fee collected under sections 4501.34, 4503.26, 4506.08, and 49
4509.05 of the Revised Code as specified in those sections, 50
plus on and after October 1, 2009, sixty cents of each fee 51
collected under sections 4505.14 and 4519.63 of the Revised 52
Code as specified in those sections. The fund shall be used to 53
pay the expenses of administering the law relative to the 54
powers and duties of the executive director of the division of 55
homeland security, except that the director of budget and 56
management may transfer excess money from the homeland security 57
fund to the state highway safety fund if the director of public 58
safety determines that the amount of money in the homeland 59
security fund exceeds the amount required to cover such costs 60
incurred by the division of homeland security and requests the 61
director of budget and management to make the transfer. 62

       Sec. 5502.04. (A) There is hereby created in the division of 63
homeland security the infrastructure protection center, to be 64
located in Cincinnati.65

       (B) The center shall do all of the following:66

       (1) Coordinate all infrastructure-related homeland security 67
and infrastructure protection activities of all state agencies and 68
be the liaison between state agencies, local entities, and the 69
public for the purposes of communicating infrastructure-related 70
homeland security services;71

       (2) Research and analyze infrastructure security and 72
intelligence information to detect, deter, prevent, prepare for, 73
respond to, and recover from potential or actual terrorist events 74
that threaten infrastructure. This information is not a public 75
record pursuant to section 149.43 of the Revised Code.76

       (3) Coordinate efforts of state and local governments and 77
private organizations to enhance the security and protection of 78
critical infrastructure and key assets in this state and to ensure 79
interoperability and compatibility of such efforts;80

       (4) Develop and coordinate policies, protocols, and 81
strategies that may be used to prevent, detect, prepare for, 82
respond to, and recover from terrorist acts or threats to 83
infrastructure, including emergency response and contingency 84
planning;85

       (5) Perform infrastructure risk assessments, including 86
individual site assessments and sector assessments, and recommend 87
strategies and methods to mitigate risk;88

       (6) Conduct prevention and deterrence exercises and provide 89
security analysis training.90

       (C) In performing its duties under division (B) of this 91
section, the center shall give priority to bridge security. The 92
center and the department of transportation cooperatively shall 93
identify those bridges considered most critical to the state, 94
establish inspection schedules and other methods to mitigate the 95
risk to bridges, and establish security procedures to protect 96
critical bridges.97

        (D) The director of public safety shall appoint a chief 98
administrator, who shall be head of the center and who shall 99
report to the executive director of the division of homeland 100
security on a regular basis concerning the duties and 101
responsibilities of the center and on any matters pertaining to 102
infrastructure protection. The chief administrator shall serve at 103
the pleasure of the director of public safety. To carry out the 104
duties assigned under this section, the chief administrator, 105
subject to the direction and control of the executive director of 106
the division of homeland security, may appoint and maintain 107
necessary staff and may enter into any necessary agreements.108

       (E) Except as otherwise provided by law, nothing in this 109
section shall be construed to give the director of public safety 110
or the chief administrator of the infrastructure protection center 111
authority over the incident management structure or 112
responsibilities of local emergency response personnel.113

       (F) This section shall not be construed to replace or 114
supersede infrastructure security standards the United States 115
department of homeland security and the transportation security 116
administration require, or safety standards the United States 117
department of transportation requires.118

       Section 2. That existing section 5502.03 of the Revised Code 119
is hereby repealed.120