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| To enact sections 5.2288, 5101.91, and 5101.92 of the | 1 |
| Revised Code to create the Commission on Violence | 2 |
| Against Women and Children, to require the | 3 |
| Commission to prepare an annual report, and to | 4 |
| designate August as "Prevention of Violence | 5 |
| Against Women and Children Month." | 6 |
| Section 1. That sections 5.2288, 5101.91, and 5101.92 of the | 7 |
| Revised Code be enacted to read as follows: | 8 |
| Sec. 5.2288. The month of August is designated as | 9 |
| "Prevention of Violence Against Women and Children Month" to | 10 |
| increase awareness of and to encourage the prevention of violence | 11 |
| against women and children. | 12 |
| Sec. 5101.91. (A) The commission on violence against women | 13 |
| and children shall study the problem of violence against women and | 14 |
| children, including emotional, physical, and socio-economic forms | 15 |
| of violence, and shall prepare an annual report in which the | 16 |
| commission makes recommendations on implementing solutions for the | 17 |
| prevention of violence against women and children. The commission | 18 |
| also shall promote awareness of methods by which violence against | 19 |
| women and children may be prevented. In studying the problem of | 20 |
| violence against women and children and in addressing the problem | 21 |
| in its report, the commission shall do all of the following: | 22 |
| (1) Determine what factors lead to violence against women and | 23 |
| children; | 24 |
| (2) Summarize in the report the initial impact and aftermath | 25 |
| of violence against women and children; | 26 |
| (3) Summarize in the report the long-term implications of | 27 |
| violence against children; | 28 |
| (4) Gather data for this state regarding missing women and | 29 |
| children and violence against women and children, and submit the | 30 |
| data in its report; | 31 |
| (5) State in its report the best methods for the timely | 32 |
| reporting of and finding missing women and children, and for | 33 |
| preventing violence against women and children; and | 34 |
| (6) Identify and suggest in the report changes in the laws of | 35 |
| this state and in the policies of state and local government | 36 |
| agencies that will reduce the number of missing women and children | 37 |
| and will stop violence against women and children. | 38 |
| (B) On or before August 1, 2014, and on or before the first | 39 |
| day of August of each year thereafter, the commission shall submit | 40 |
| its report to the governor, president and minority leader of the | 41 |
| senate, speaker and minority leader of the house of | 42 |
| representatives, and chief justice of the supreme court. | 43 |
| Sec. 5101.92. The commission on violence against women and | 44 |
| children is hereby established. The commission shall consist of | 45 |
| the following members: | 46 |
| (A) One member of the senate appointed by the president of | 47 |
| the senate; | 48 |
| (B) One member of the senate appointed by the minority leader | 49 |
| of the senate; | 50 |
| (C) One member of the house of representatives appointed by | 51 |
| the speaker of the house of representatives; | 52 |
| (D) One member of the house of representatives appointed by | 53 |
| the minority leader of the house of representatives; | 54 |
| (E) The governor, or the governor's designee; | 55 |
| (F) One representative of the judicial branch of government | 56 |
| appointed by the chief justice of the supreme court; | 57 |
| (G) The directors of health and of job and family services, | 58 |
| and the superintendent of the state highway patrol, or their | 59 |
| designees; and | 60 |
| (H) Two representatives of local law enforcement agencies | 61 |
| appointed by the governor. These members shall have experience in | 62 |
| issues related to missing women or children or violence against | 63 |
| women or children. | 64 |
| The appointing authorities shall make initial appointments to | 65 |
| the commission on violence against women and children within | 66 |
| twenty days after the effective date of this section. Members may | 67 |
| be reappointed. Vacancies shall be filled in the manner provided | 68 |
| for original appointments and children. | 69 |
| Members appointed under divisions (F) and (H) of this section | 70 |
| shall serve terms of two years. A member appointed under those | 71 |
| divisions shall serve on the commission from the date of | 72 |
| appointment until the end of the term for which the member was | 73 |
| appointed. A member appointed under those divisions to fill a | 74 |
| vacancy occurring prior to the expiration date of the term for | 75 |
| which the member's predecessor was appointed shall serve on the | 76 |
| commission for the remainder of that term. A member appointed | 77 |
| under those divisions shall continue to serve on the commission | 78 |
| subsequent to the expiration date of the member's term until the | 79 |
| member's successor is appointed or until a period of sixty days | 80 |
| has elapsed, whichever occurs first. | 81 |
| Members shall serve without compensation but shall be | 82 |
| reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses. | 83 |
| From among its membership, the commission shall select a | 84 |
| chairperson. The chairperson shall select a member of the | 85 |
| commission to serve as the commission's secretary. The department | 86 |
| of job and family services shall provide staff and other support | 87 |
| services as necessary for the commission to fulfill its duties. | 88 |
| The director of job and family services shall designate an | 89 |
| individual from the department whose duties are to include | 90 |
| applying for grants and any other funding for the commission, and | 91 |
| to advocate on the federal level for the prevention of violence | 92 |
| against women and children. | 93 |
| The commission may accept gifts, grants, donations, | 94 |
| contributions, benefits, and other funds from any public agency or | 95 |
| private source to carry out any or all of the commission's duties. | 96 |
| The funds shall be deposited into the prevention of violence | 97 |
| against women and children fund, which is hereby created in the | 98 |
| state treasury. All gifts, grants, donations, contributions, | 99 |
| benefits, and other funds received by the commission shall be used | 100 |
| solely to support the operations of the commission. | 101 |
| All meetings of the commission shall be held at the call of | 102 |
| the chairperson, but the commission shall hold its initial meeting | 103 |
| not later than sixty days after the effective date of this | 104 |
| section. The presence of a majority of the members of the | 105 |
| commission constitutes a quorum for the conduct of the | 106 |
| commission's business. The concurrence of at least a majority of | 107 |
| the members of the commission is necessary for any action to be | 108 |
| taken by the commission. All meetings of the commission are public | 109 |
| meetings and shall be open to the public at all times. | 110 |
| Except as provided in section 149.43 of the Revised Code and | 111 |
| as consistent with the purposes of that section, all documents and | 112 |
| records in the possession of the commission are public records. | 113 |