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| To amend section 4501.023 of the Revised Code to | 1 |
| revise the requirements for the Bureau of Motor | 2 |
| Vehicles voter registration training program and | 3 |
| to create the Motor Voter Act Study Committee. | 4 |
| Section 1. That section 4501.023 of the Revised Code be | 5 |
| amended to read as follows: | 6 |
| Sec. 4501.023. (A) The registrar of motor vehicles shall | 7 |
| designate an employee of the bureau of motor vehicles to be in | 8 |
| charge of and responsible for voter registration within the | 9 |
| bureau. Each deputy registrar of motor vehicles shall designate an | 10 |
| employee in that deputy registrar's office to be in charge of and | 11 |
| responsible for voter registration within that office. | 12 |
| (B) The registrar shall provide, in cooperation with the | 13 |
| secretary of state, a voter registration training program and | 14 |
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materials | 15 |
| 16 | |
| employees of the registrar or of a deputy registrar, who interact | 17 |
| with individuals who are applying for or renewing driver's | 18 |
| licenses or identification cards issued under Chapter 4507. of the | 19 |
| Revised Code. | 20 |
| Each such deputy registrar shall complete the training | 21 |
| program not more than three months after the deputy registrar | 22 |
| enters into the deputy registrar's first contract with the | 23 |
| registrar and not less than once annually thereafter. Each such | 24 |
| employee shall complete the training program not more than three | 25 |
| months after beginning employment and not less than once annually | 26 |
| thereafter. A deputy registrar or employee who holds that position | 27 |
| as of the date this division applies to that person shall complete | 28 |
| the training program not more than one year after that date and | 29 |
| not less than once annually thereafter. | 30 |
| This division applies to a deputy registrar and that deputy | 31 |
| registrar's employees only after the deputy registrar enters into | 32 |
| a new contract with the registrar after the effective date of this | 33 |
| amendment. | 34 |
| (C) The registrar shall report to the secretary of state at | 35 |
| least once annually the number of applicants for licenses served | 36 |
| and the number of voter registration transactions completed and | 37 |
| transmitted to the board of elections by the registrar and all | 38 |
| deputy registrars. | 39 |
| Section 2. That existing section 4501.023 of the Revised | 40 |
| Code is hereby repealed. | 41 |
| Section 3. (A) There is hereby created the Motor Voter Act | 42 |
| Study Committee, consisting of eight members. Two members shall be | 43 |
| appointed by the President of the Senate, two members shall be | 44 |
| appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate, two members shall | 45 |
| be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and | 46 |
| two members shall be appointed by the Minority Leader of the House | 47 |
| of Representatives. The Committee shall elect from among its | 48 |
| members a co-chairperson from the House of Representatives and a | 49 |
| co-chairperson from the Senate, neither of whom shall be from the | 50 |
| same political party. The Committee shall hold a minimum of three | 51 |
| public meetings. | 52 |
| (B) The Committee shall do all of the following: | 53 |
| (1) Study whether Ohio is in compliance with the National | 54 |
| Voter Registration Act of 1993, also known as the Motor Voter Act; | 55 |
| (2) Determine whether Ohio is complying with its duties under | 56 |
| the Motor Voter Act and otherwise is in compliance with the Act, | 57 |
| and if Ohio is not in compliance, determine whether that lack of | 58 |
| compliance jeopardizes federal funding that assists with elections | 59 |
| in Ohio; | 60 |
| (3) Determine whether Ohio, through the Secretary of State, | 61 |
| county election officials, the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, and | 62 |
| deputy registrars, is meeting its obligation under federal and | 63 |
| state law to offer voter registration to every person who engages | 64 |
| in a transaction with the Bureau of Motor Vehicles or a deputy | 65 |
| registrar; | 66 |
| (4) Determine whether funding levels of the Department of | 67 |
| Public Safety and the Bureau of Motor Vehicles are adequate to | 68 |
| comply with the Motor Voter Act; | 69 |
| (5) Compare the rates of voter registration at offices of the | 70 |
| Bureau of Motor Vehicles and deputy registrars among and within | 71 |
| counties in Ohio and among Ohio and other states; | 72 |
| (6) Use resources such as census data, U.S. Election | 73 |
| Assistance Commission reports, and other data to evaluate how Ohio | 74 |
| compares with other states in terms of pro-active voter | 75 |
| registration efforts, dedication of resources to voter | 76 |
| registration, and compliance with the Motor Voter Act; | 77 |
| (7) Formulate recommendations as to how Ohio may improve its | 78 |
| voter registration process and carry out the purpose of the Motor | 79 |
| Voter Act, to promote the exercise of the fundamental right to | 80 |
| vote; | 81 |
| (8) Make recommendations to the General Assembly relative to | 82 |
| the measures that can be taken to improve voter registration | 83 |
| efforts through the offices of the Registrar of Motor Vehicles and | 84 |
| deputy registrars. | 85 |
| (C) The Committee shall consult with and receive input from | 86 |
| voters, voting rights advocates, county election officials, state | 87 |
| election officials from the office of the Secretary of State, | 88 |
| officials from the Department of Public Safety and Bureau of Motor | 89 |
| Vehicles, and deputy registrars. | 90 |
| The Bureau of Motor Vehicles, the Secretary of State, county | 91 |
| boards of elections, and deputy registrars shall cooperate with | 92 |
| the Committee and make records from their respective offices | 93 |
| available to the Committee in a prompt manner, and shall not | 94 |
| hinder the Committee in the performance of its duties. | 95 |
| (D) The Committee shall compile a report containing its | 96 |
| findings and recommendations, and not later than October 1, 2013, | 97 |
| shall furnish a copy of its report to the Governor, the President | 98 |
| of the Senate, the Minority Leader of the Senate, the Speaker of | 99 |
| the House of Representatives, and the Minority Leader of the House | 100 |
| of Representatives. After the reports have been so distributed, | 101 |
| the Committee shall cease to exist. | 102 |