As Reported by the Senate Health, Human Services and Aging Committee

128th General Assembly
Regular Session
2009-2010
Sub. S. B. No. 144


Senator Miller, R. 

Cosponsor: Senator Morano 



A BILL
To enact section 5101.345 of the Revised Code to 1
create the Ohio Family Stability Commission in the 2
Department of Job and Family Services and to 3
repeal section 5101.345 of the Revised Code four 4
years after the effective date of that section. 5


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

       Section 1. That section 5101.345 of the Revised Code be 6
enacted to read as follows: 7

       Sec. 5101.345.  (A) There is hereby created in the department 8
of job and family services the Ohio family stability commission. 9
The commission shall consist of twenty-five members, four of whom 10
shall be members of the general assembly and twenty-one of whom 11
shall be government agency representatives, private citizens, or 12
elected officials other than members of the general assembly. Two 13
of the four general assembly members shall be appointed by the 14
speaker of the house of representatives and shall be members of 15
different political parties. The other two general assembly 16
members shall be appointed by the president of the senate and 17
shall be members of different political parties. The remaining 18
twenty-one members who are government agency representatives, 19
private citizens, or elected officials shall be appointed by the 20
governor in accordance with the following: 21

       (1) Two shall have expertise in out-of-wedlock births;22

        (2) Two shall have expertise in marital divorce;23

       (3) One shall have expertise in education;24

       (4) One shall have expertise in employment;25

       (5) One shall have expertise in child support;26

       (6) One shall have expertise in child custody;27

       (7) One shall have expertise in child abuse and neglect;28

       (8) One shall have expertise in domestic violence;29

       (9) Two shall have expertise in the judicial system;30

       (10) Two shall have expertise in criminal justice;31

       (11) Two shall have expertise in faith-based initiatives;32

       (12) Two shall have expertise in fatherhood programs;33

       (13) Two shall have expertise in philanthropic or nonprofit 34
management;35

       (14) One shall have expertise in mass media or 36
communications. 37

       The members of the commission shall serve at the pleasure of 38
their appointing authorities. Vacancies shall be filled in the 39
manner provided for original appointments. Members shall serve 40
without compensation, except to the extent that serving on the 41
commission is considered part of their regular duties of 42
employment.43

       (B) The commission shall be staffed by personnel of the 44
department of job and family services. This division does not 45
require the department to employ personnel who the department 46
otherwise would not have employed.47

       (C)(1) During its first year of operation, the commission 48
shall conduct research and formulate recommendations to the 49
general assembly, appropriate state agencies, and other 50
appropriate entities concerning the following societal issues 51
that impact the stability of families in this state:52

       (a) The divorce rate in this state and measures and 53
strategies for reducing the divorce rate;54

       (b) The birth rate among unmarried individuals in this 55
state and measures and strategies for reducing the number of 56
births occurring outside of marriage;57

       (c) The rate of domestic violence, including child abuse, in 58
this state and measures and strategies for reducing that rate;59

       (d) Issues concerning child custody and child support.60

       The recommendations formulated under division (C)(1) of this 61
section shall provide the general assembly, appropriate state 62
agencies, and other appropriate entities with strategies, both 63
legal and otherwise, for addressing the issues studied under 64
divisions (C)(1)(a) to (d) of this section.65

       (2) During its second year of operation, the commission shall 66
work with the general assembly, appropriate state agencies, and 67
other appropriate entities to implement the recommendations 68
formulated under division (C)(1) of this section;69

       (3) During its third year of operation, the commission shall 70
continue to work for the implementation of the recommendations 71
formulated under division (C)(1) of this section and begin 72
monitoring their implementation. The commission shall issue a 73
report to the general assembly at the expiration of its third 74
year of operation regarding the status of the implementation of 75
the recommendations formulated under division (C)(1) of this 76
section.77

       (4) During its fourth year of operation, the commission shall 78
conduct activities ensuring the continued implementation and, if 79
applicable, the enforcement of the recommendations formulated 80
under division (C)(1) of this section. The commission shall 81
issue a report to the general assembly at the end of its fourth 82
year of operation regarding the status of the implementation of 83
the recommendations formulated under division (C)(1) of this 84
section.85

       (D) After the issuance of its report under division (C)(4) of 86
this section, the commission shall cease to exist.87

       Section 2. Section 5101.345 of the Revised Code is hereby 88
repealed effective the first day of the forty-ninth month after 89
the effective date of this act. 90