(1) Public infrastructure capital improvements, which shall | 22 |
be limited to roads and bridges, waste water treatment systems, | 23 |
water supply systems, solid waste disposal facilities, and storm | 24 |
water and sanitary collection, storage, and treatment facilities, | 25 |
including real property, interests in real property, facilities, | 26 |
and equipment related to or incidental thereto, and shall include, | 27 |
without limitation, the cost of acquisition, construction, | 28 |
reconstruction, expansion, improvement, planning, and equipping; | 29 |
(2) Research and development in support of Ohio industry, | 30 |
commerce, and business (hereinafter referred to as "research and | 31 |
development purposes"), which shall include, without limitation, | 32 |
research and product innovation, development, and | 33 |
commercialization through efforts by and collaboration among Ohio | 34 |
business and industry, state and local public entities and | 35 |
agencies, public and private education institutions, or research | 36 |
organizations and institutions, all as may be further provided for | 37 |
by state or local law, but excluding purposes provided for in | 38 |
Section 15 of Article VIII, Ohio Constitution; and | 39 |
(1) Not more than one billion three hundred fifty million | 48 |
dollars principal amount of state general obligations may be | 49 |
issued under this section for public infrastructure capital | 50 |
improvements. Not more than one hundred twenty million dollars | 51 |
principal amount of those obligations may be issued in each of the | 52 |
first five fiscal years of issuance and not more than one hundred | 53 |
fifty million dollars principal amount of those obligations may be | 54 |
issued in each of the next five fiscal years of issuance, plus in | 55 |
each case the principal amount of those obligations that in any | 56 |
prior fiscal year could have been but were not issued within those | 57 |
fiscal year limits. No infrastructure obligations may be issued | 58 |
pursuant to this division and division (C) of this section until | 59 |
at least one billion one hundred ninety-nine million five hundred | 60 |
thousand dollars aggregate principal amount of state | 61 |
infrastructure obligations have been issued pursuant to Section 2m | 62 |
of Article VIII, Ohio Constitution. | 63 |
(C) Each issue of state general obligations for public | 85 |
infrastructure capital improvements or development of sites and | 86 |
facilities shall mature in not more than thirty years from the | 87 |
date of issuance, and each issue of state general obligations for | 88 |
research and development purposes shall mature in not more than | 89 |
twenty years from the date of issuance; or, if issued to retire or | 90 |
refund other obligations, within that number of years from the | 91 |
date the debt being retired or refunded was originally issued. If | 92 |
state general obligations are issued as notes in anticipation of | 93 |
the issuance of bonds, provision shall be made by law for the | 94 |
establishment and maintenance, during the period in which the | 95 |
notes are outstanding, of a special fund or funds into which shall | 96 |
be paid, from the sources authorized for the payment of such | 97 |
bonds, the amount that would have been sufficient, if bonds | 98 |
maturing during the permitted period of years had been issued | 99 |
without such prior issuance of notes, to pay the principal that | 100 |
would have been payable on such bonds during such period. Such | 101 |
fund or funds shall be used solely for the payment of principal of | 102 |
such notes or bonds in anticipation of which such notes have been | 103 |
issued. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in Section 2k or | 104 |
2m of Article VIII, obligations issued under this section or | 105 |
Section 2k or 2m to retire or refund obligations previously issued | 106 |
under this section or Section 2k or 2m shall not be counted | 107 |
against the fiscal year or total issuance limitations provided in | 108 |
this section or Section 2k or 2m, as applicable. | 109 |
The obligations issued under this division and division (B) | 110 |
of this section are general obligations of the state. The full | 111 |
faith and credit, revenue, and taxing power of the state shall be | 112 |
pledged to the payment of the principal of and premium and | 113 |
interest and other accreted amounts on outstanding obligations as | 114 |
they become due (hereinafter called debt service), and bond | 115 |
retirement fund provisions shall be made for payment of that debt | 116 |
service. Provision shall be made by law for the sufficiency and | 117 |
appropriation, for purposes of paying debt service, of excises, | 118 |
taxes, and revenues so pledged or committed to debt service, and | 119 |
for covenants to continue the levy, collection, and application of | 120 |
sufficient excises, taxes, and revenues to the extent needed for | 121 |
that purpose. Notwithstanding Section 22 of Article II, Ohio | 122 |
Constitution, no further act of appropriation shall be necessary | 123 |
for that purpose. The obligations and the provision for the | 124 |
payment of debt service, and repayment by governmental entities of | 125 |
any loans made under this section, are not subject to Sections 5, | 126 |
6, and 11 of Article XII, Ohio Constitution. Moneys referred to in | 127 |
Section 5a of Article XII, Ohio Constitution may not be pledged or | 128 |
used for the payment of that debt service. Debt service on | 129 |
obligations issued for research and development purposes and for | 130 |
development of sites and facilities shall not be included in the | 131 |
calculation of total debt service for purposes of division (A) of | 132 |
Section 17 of Article VIII, Ohio Constitution. | 133 |
(D)(1) The state may participate in any public infrastructure | 134 |
capital improvement under this section with municipal | 135 |
corporations, counties, townships, or other governmental entities | 136 |
as designated by law, or any one or more of them. Such | 137 |
participation may be by grants, loans, or contributions to them | 138 |
for any such capital improvements. The entire proceeds of the | 139 |
infrastructure obligations shall be used for public infrastructure | 140 |
capital improvements of municipal corporations, counties, | 141 |
townships, and other governmental entities, except to the extent | 142 |
that the General Assembly provides by law that the state may | 143 |
reasonably be compensated from such moneys for planning, financial | 144 |
management, or administrative services performed in relation to | 145 |
the issuance of infrastructure obligations. | 146 |
(2)(a) Implementation of the research and development | 147 |
purposes includes supporting any and all related matters and | 148 |
activities, including: attracting researchers and research teams | 149 |
by endowing research chairs or otherwise; activities to develop | 150 |
and commercialize products and processes; intellectual property | 151 |
matters such as copyrights and patents; property interests, | 152 |
including time sharing arrangements; and financial rights and | 153 |
matters such as royalties, licensing, and other financial gain or | 154 |
sharing resulting from research and development purposes. State | 155 |
and local public moneys, including the proceeds of bonds, notes, | 156 |
and other obligations, may be used to pay costs of or in support | 157 |
of or related to these research and development purposes, | 158 |
including, without limitation, capital formation, direct operating | 159 |
costs, costs of research and facilities, including interests in | 160 |
real property therefor, and support for public and private | 161 |
institutions of higher education, research organizations or | 162 |
institutions, and private sector entities. The exercise of these | 163 |
powers by the state and state agencies, including state-supported | 164 |
and state-assisted institutions of higher education, and local | 165 |
public entities and agencies, may be jointly or in coordination | 166 |
with each other, with researchers or research organizations and | 167 |
institutions, with private institutions of higher education, with | 168 |
individuals, or with private sector entities. State and local | 169 |
public participation may be in such manner as the entity or agency | 170 |
determines, including by any one or a combination of grants, loans | 171 |
including loans to lenders or the purchase of loans, subsidies, | 172 |
contributions, advances, or guarantees, or by direct investments | 173 |
of or payment or reimbursement from available moneys, or by | 174 |
providing staffing or other support, including computer or other | 175 |
technology capacity, or equipment or facilities, including | 176 |
interests in real property therefor, and either alone or jointly, | 177 |
in collaborative or cooperative ventures, with other public | 178 |
agencies and private sector entities including not for profit | 179 |
entities. In addition to other state-level monetary participation | 180 |
as referred to in this section or otherwise, state-supported and | 181 |
state-assisted institutions of higher education may, as authorized | 182 |
from time to time by the General Assembly, issue obligations to | 183 |
pay costs of participating in and implementing research and | 184 |
development purposes. In addition to the other obligations | 185 |
authorized in or pursuant to this section, the General Assembly | 186 |
also may authorize the state and state agencies and local public | 187 |
entities and agencies, and corporations not for profit designated | 188 |
by any of them as such agencies or instrumentalities, to issue | 189 |
obligations to borrow and loan or otherwise provide moneys for | 190 |
research and development purposes, including, but not limited to, | 191 |
obligations for which moneys raised by taxation shall not be | 192 |
obligated or pledged for the payment of debt service and which are | 193 |
therefore not subject to Sections 5, 6, and 11 of Article XII, | 194 |
Ohio Constitution. | 195 |
(3) Development of sites and facilities for and in support of | 213 |
industry, commerce, distribution, and research and development | 214 |
purposes includes acquisition of real estate and interests in real | 215 |
estate, site preparation including any necessary remediation and | 216 |
cleanup, constructing and improving facilities, and providing | 217 |
public infrastructure capital improvements and other | 218 |
transportation and communications infrastructure improvements for | 219 |
and in support of the use of those sites and facilities for those | 220 |
purposes. State and local public moneys, including the proceeds of | 221 |
bonds, notes, and other obligations, may be used to pay costs of | 222 |
those purposes. The exercise of these powers by the state and | 223 |
state agencies and local public entities and agencies, may be | 224 |
jointly or in coordination with each other, and with individuals | 225 |
or private sector business entities. State and local public | 226 |
participation may be in such manner as the entity or agency | 227 |
determines, including by any one or a combination of grants, loans | 228 |
including loans to lenders or the purchase of loans, subsidies, | 229 |
contributions, advances, or guarantees, or by direct investments | 230 |
of or payment or reimbursement from available moneys. In addition | 231 |
to other state-level monetary participation as referred to in this | 232 |
section or otherwise, state-supported and state-assisted | 233 |
institutions of higher education, and local public entities and | 234 |
agencies may, as authorized from time to time by the General | 235 |
Assembly, issue obligations to pay costs of participating in and | 236 |
implementing the development of sites and facilities. | 237 |
(E) Obligations issued under authority of this section for | 238 |
research and development purposes and site and facility | 239 |
development purposes, provisions for the payment of debt service | 240 |
on them, the purposes and uses to which and the manner in which | 241 |
the proceeds of those obligations or moneys from other sources are | 242 |
to or may be applied, and other implementation of those | 243 |
development purposes as referred to in this section, are not | 244 |
subject to Sections 4 and 6 of Article VIII, Ohio Constitution. | 245 |
Obligations issued under authority of this section, the transfer | 246 |
thereof, and the interest, interest equivalent, and other income | 247 |
and accreted amounts therefrom, including any profit made on the | 248 |
sale, exchange, or other disposition thereof, shall at all times | 249 |
be free from taxation within the state. | 250 |
(F) This section shall otherwise be implemented in the manner | 251 |
and to the extent provided by law by the General Assembly, | 252 |
including provision for the procedure for incurring and issuing | 253 |
obligations, separately or in combination with other obligations, | 254 |
and refunding, retiring, and evidencing obligations; provision for | 255 |
ensuring the accountability of all state funding provided for the | 256 |
development purposes referred to in division (A) of this section; | 257 |
provision for restricting or limiting the taking of private | 258 |
property under Section 19 of Article I for disposition to private | 259 |
sector entities for the purposes identified in divisions (A)(2) | 260 |
and (3) of this section or restricting the disposition of that | 261 |
property to private sector entities or individuals; and provision | 262 |
for the implementation of the development purposes referred to in | 263 |
division (A) of this section to benefit people and businesses | 264 |
otherwise qualified for receipt of funding for the development | 265 |
purposes referred to in division (A) of this section, including | 266 |
economically disadvantaged businesses and individuals in all areas | 267 |
of this state, including by the use to the extent practicable of | 268 |
Ohio products, materials, services, and labor. | 269 |
(G) The powers and authority granted or confirmed by and | 270 |
under, and the determinations in, this section are independent of, | 271 |
in addition to, and not in derogation of or a limitation on, | 272 |
powers, authority, determinations, or confirmations under laws or | 273 |
under other provisions of the Ohio Constitution including, without | 274 |
limitation, Section 7 of Article I, Section 5 of Article VI, | 275 |
Sections 2i, 2n, 2o, 13, and 15 of Article VIII, Article X, and | 276 |
Section 3 of Article XVIII, and do not impair any previously | 277 |
adopted provisions of the Ohio Constitution or any law previously | 278 |
enacted by the General Assembly or by a local public agency. | 279 |