|
|
| To enact sections 193.01, 193.02, 193.03, 193.04, and | 1 |
| 193.05 of the Revised Code to create the Ohio | 2 |
| Economic Council on Women. | 3 |
| Section 1. That sections 193.01, 193.02, 193.03, 193.04, and | 4 |
| 193.05 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows: | 5 |
| Sec. 193.01. (A) There is hereby created within the | 6 |
| development services agency the Ohio economic council on women. | 7 |
| The council shall consist of the following members: | 8 |
| (1) Three members of the senate, two members appointed by the | 9 |
| president of the senate and one member appointed by the minority | 10 |
| leader of the senate; | 11 |
| (2) Three members of the house of representatives, two | 12 |
| members appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives | 13 |
| and one member appointed by the minority leader of the house of | 14 |
| representatives; | 15 |
| (3) Four members jointly appointed by the president of the | 16 |
| senate and the speaker of the house of representatives who have | 17 |
| knowledge of and experience regarding the economic concerns of | 18 |
| women; | 19 |
| (4) One member appointed by the governor who is recommended | 20 |
| by the advisory committee on women veterans; | 21 |
| (5) Two members, appointed by the governor from nominations | 22 |
| submitted by the Ohio board of regents, who are faculty or staff | 23 |
| from state or private four-year institutions of higher education | 24 |
| that have a graduate program and have research and teaching | 25 |
| experience in the field of economic concerns of women; | 26 |
| (6) Two members appointed by the governor, who may be | 27 |
| selected from lists of qualified persons submitted by interested | 28 |
| local, civic, and business groups involved in the advancement of | 29 |
| women. The interested groups shall actively seek persons from as | 30 |
| broad a range within each group as is reasonably possible and | 31 |
| shall ensure that these persons broadly represent the community in | 32 |
| areas such as age, sex, minority status, economic level, | 33 |
| employment, and political affiliation. | 34 |
| (B)(1)(a) Initial appointments to the council shall be made | 35 |
| not later than sixty days after the effective date of this | 36 |
| section. | 37 |
| (b) The Ohio board of regents or an interested party, as | 38 |
| applicable, shall submit recommendations for initial appointments | 39 |
| to be made pursuant to division (A)(5) or (6) of this section to | 40 |
| the governor not later than thirty days after the effective date | 41 |
| of this section. For appointments made pursuant to division (A)(5) | 42 |
| or (6) of this section subsequent to the initial appointments made | 43 |
| under those divisions, the board or interested party shall submit | 44 |
| recommendations not later than thirty days prior to the expiration | 45 |
| date of the term of the member for which the appointment is to be | 46 |
| made. | 47 |
| (2) Each member of the council appointed pursuant to division | 48 |
| (A)(1) or (2) of this section shall hold office during the general | 49 |
| assembly in which the member is appointed and until a successor | 50 |
| has been appointed, notwithstanding the adjournment sine die of | 51 |
| the general assembly in which the member was appointed or the | 52 |
| expiration of the member's term as a member of the general | 53 |
| assembly. Any vacancies occurring among these members of the | 54 |
| council shall be filled in the manner of the original appointment. | 55 |
| (3) Except as otherwise provided in division (B)(2) of this | 56 |
| section, terms of office shall be as follows: | 57 |
| (a) Of the four members appointed pursuant to division (A)(3) | 58 |
| of this section, the president of the senate and speaker of the | 59 |
| house shall jointly appoint two members to terms ending two years | 60 |
| after the effective date of this section and two members to terms | 61 |
| ending four years after the effective date of this section. | 62 |
| (b) Of the two members appointed pursuant to division (A)(5) | 63 |
| of this section, the governor shall appoint one member for a term | 64 |
| ending two years after the effective date of this section and one | 65 |
| for a term ending four years after the effective date of this | 66 |
| section. | 67 |
| (c) Of the two members appointed pursuant to division (A)(6) | 68 |
| of this section, the governor shall appoint one member for a term | 69 |
| ending two years after the effective date of this section and one | 70 |
| for a term ending four years after the effective date of this | 71 |
| section. | 72 |
| (d) Except as otherwise provided in division (B)(2) of this | 73 |
| section, all other members shall be appointed for terms ending | 74 |
| four years after the effective date of this section. | 75 |
| Thereafter, terms of office for members described in division | 76 |
| (B)(3) of this section shall be for four years, with each term | 77 |
| ending on the same day of the same month as did the term it | 78 |
| succeeds. Each of these members shall hold office from the date of | 79 |
| the member's appointment until the end of the term for which the | 80 |
| member was appointed. No member described in division (B)(3) of | 81 |
| this section shall be appointed to more than two consecutive | 82 |
| four-year terms. Vacancies shall be filled by appointment pursuant | 83 |
| to the criteria in this section only for the remainder of the | 84 |
| unexpired term. Any member initially appointed to a four-year term | 85 |
| shall not be eligible for reappointment without a two-year absence | 86 |
| from council membership. | 87 |
| (C) The council shall elect at the first regular meeting of | 88 |
| each calendar year a chair, a vice-chair, and three | 89 |
| representatives, who comprise the five-member executive committee | 90 |
| to function between quarterly meetings. The chair or the director | 91 |
| of development services may call meetings of the executive | 92 |
| committee. The executive committee shall carry out the matters | 93 |
| delegated to it by the council. | 94 |
| (D) The council shall meet as necessary to transact business, | 95 |
| provided that the council shall meet at least quarterly. | 96 |
| Additional meetings may be called by the chair or by three members | 97 |
| of the council upon delivery of written notice to each member of | 98 |
| the council. The director shall notify all members of the time and | 99 |
| place of any regular or special meeting at least seven days in | 100 |
| advance of that meeting. | 101 |
| (E) A majority of council members shall constitute a quorum. | 102 |
| The concurrence of a majority of those members present and voting | 103 |
| in any matter within the council's duties is required for a | 104 |
| determination of matters within the council's jurisdiction. | 105 |
| (F) Council members shall receive no compensation but shall | 106 |
| be reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses incurred in the | 107 |
| performance of council duties. | 108 |
| Sec. 193.02. (A) The Ohio economic council on women shall | 109 |
| examine the economic concerns and needs of women in Ohio, | 110 |
| including employment policies and practices, educational needs and | 111 |
| opportunities, child care, property rights, health care, domestic | 112 |
| relations, and the effect of federal and state laws on women. To | 113 |
| address these concerns and needs, the council may conduct | 114 |
| research, hold hearings, develop recommendations and policy, | 115 |
| educate the public, and engage in activities for the benefit of | 116 |
| women. | 117 |
| (B) The council may request funds from the federal government | 118 |
| and private sources to implement division (A) of this section and | 119 |
| may request assistance from state agencies and local governments | 120 |
| as needed. | 121 |
| (C) The council shall do all of the following: | 122 |
| (1) Consult with and report to the governor, the general | 123 |
| assembly, and the pertinent agencies, departments, boards, | 124 |
| commissions, and other entities of state and local governments on | 125 |
| matters pertaining to women; | 126 |
| (2) Serve as an advocate for women; | 127 |
| (3) Establish and maintain a program to find and encourage | 128 |
| women to serve on state boards and commissions; | 129 |
| (4) To the extent resources exist, evaluate and quantify the | 130 |
| results of job training programs and evaluate whether they assist | 131 |
| women to obtain better employment. | 132 |
| Sec. 193.03. (A) Not later than September 1, 2016, and every | 133 |
| two years thereafter, the Ohio economic council on women shall | 134 |
| submit a report to the governor and the general assembly. The | 135 |
| council shall include all of the following in the report: | 136 |
| (1) A summary of the activities and findings of the council | 137 |
| on the economic status of women in the state of Ohio during the | 138 |
| immediately preceding two years; | 139 |
| (2) Recommendations for more effective use of existing | 140 |
| resources and services for women; | 141 |
| (3) Proposals for the development of programs, opportunities, | 142 |
| and services that are not otherwise provided to advance a | 143 |
| comprehensive and coordinated system of services for women; | 144 |
| (4) Any other recommendations as the council finds | 145 |
| appropriate. | 146 |
| (B) A copy of the report shall be made available to the | 147 |
| public on the web site maintained by the development services | 148 |
| agency. | 149 |
| Sec. 193.04. (A) The director of development services shall | 150 |
| be the chief administrative officer of the council. | 151 |
| The director may conduct the ordinary and necessary business | 152 |
| in the name of the council in accordance with this chapter or as | 153 |
| determined by the council. | 154 |
| (B) The director shall do all of the following with respect | 155 |
| to the duties of the council: | 156 |
| (1) Supervise the expenditure of funds and be responsible for | 157 |
| complying with all applicable provisions of state and federal law | 158 |
| in the receipt and disbursement of funds; | 159 |
| (2) Serve as an advocate for women; | 160 |
| (3) Employ personnel as authorized by the council. | 161 |
| Sec. 193.05. There is hereby created in the state treasury | 162 |
| the economic council on women fund. Money received by the Ohio | 163 |
| economic council on women pursuant to division (B) of section | 164 |
| 193.02 of the Revised Code shall be credited to the fund. The | 165 |
| council shall use the money in the fund to implement division (A) | 166 |
| of section 193.02 of the Revised Code. | 167 |