To amend sections 117.10 and 117.38 of the Revised Code to require certain public offices to publish a notice announcing the completion and availability of their annual financial reports instead of publishing the reports themselves, to make other changes regarding these reports, to require notification of the Auditor of State upon the creation or dissolution of a public office, and to allow the Auditor of State to audit the accounts of Medicaid providers receiving public money.

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

Sec. 117.10. The auditor of state shall audit all public offices as provided in this chapter. He THE AUDITOR OF STATE also may audit the accounts of private institutions, associations, boards, and corporations receiving public money for their use and may require of them annual reports in such form as he THE AUDITOR OF STATE prescribes.

THE AUDITOR OF STATE MAY AUDIT THE ACCOUNTS OF ANY PROVIDER AS DEFINED IN SECTION 5111.06 of the Revised Code.

If a public office has been audited by an agency of the United States government, the auditor of state may, if he is satisfied that the federal audit has been conducted according to principles and procedures not contrary to those of the auditor of state, use and adopt the federal audit and report in lieu of an audit by his THE AUDITOR OF STATE'S own office.

WITHIN THIRTY DAYS AFTER THE CREATION OR DISSOLUTION OR THE WINDING UP OF THE AFFAIRS OF ANY PUBLIC OFFICE, THAT PUBLIC OFFICE SHALL NOTIFY THE AUDITOR OF STATE IN WRITING THAT THIS ACTION HAS OCCURRED.

Sec. 117.38. A financial report of each EACH public office, other than a state agency, SHALL FILE A FINANCIAL REPORT for each fiscal year shall be made in accordance with forms prescribed by rule by the. THE auditor of state MAY PRESCRIBE FORMS BY RULE OR MAY ISSUE GUIDELINES, OR BOTH, FOR SUCH REPORTS. IF THE AUDITOR OF STATE HAS NOT PRESCRIBED A RULE REGARDING THE FORM FOR THE REPORT, THE PUBLIC OFFICE SHALL SUBMIT ITS REPORT ON THE FORM UTILIZED BY THE PUBLIC OFFICE.

The report shall be certified by the proper officer or board and filed with the auditor of state within ninety SIXTY days after the close of the fiscal year, except that public offices filing REPORTING pursuant to generally accepted accounting principles shall file their reports within one hundred fifty days after the close of the fiscal year. The auditor of state may extend the deadline for filing a financial report and establish terms and conditions for any such extension. At the time the report is filed with the auditor of state, the chief fiscal officer, except as otherwise provided in section 319.11 of the Revised Code, shall publish NOTICE in a newspaper published in the political subdivision or taxing district such portions of the report as prescribed by the auditor of state, and if there is no such newspaper, then in a newspaper of general circulation in the political subdivision or taxing district. THE NOTICE SHALL STATE THAT THE FINANCIAL REPORT HAS BEEN COMPLETED BY THE PUBLIC OFFICE AND IS AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC INSPECTION AT THE OFFICE OF THE CHIEF FISCAL OFFICER.

The report shall contain the following:

(A) Amount of collections and receipts, and accounts due from each source;

(B) Amount of expenditures for each purpose;

(C) Income of each public service industry owned or operated by a municipal corporation, and the cost of such ownership or operation;

(D) Amount of public debt of each taxing district, the purpose for which each item of such debt was created, and the provision made for the payment thereof. The substance of the report shall be published at the expense of the state in an annual volume of statistics, which shall be submitted to the governor. The auditor of state shall transmit the report to the general assembly at its next session.

Any public office, other than a state agency, that does not file its financial report at the time required by this section shall pay to the auditor of state twenty-five dollars for each day the report remains unfiled after the filing date; provided, that the penalty payments shall not exceed the sum of seven hundred fifty dollars. The auditor of state may waive all or any part of the penalty assessed under this section upon the filing of the past due financial report. All sums collected from such penalties shall be placed in the public audit expense fund--local government. The auditor of state may deduct penalties not paid within one year from the required filing date from any funds under the auditor of state's control belonging to the public office. If funds are withheld from a county because of the failure of a taxing district located in whole or in part within the county to file, the county may deduct the amount of penalty from any revenues due the delinquent district.

Every county agency, board, or commission shall provide to the county auditor, not later than the first day of March each year unless a later date is authorized by the county auditor, all information determined by the county auditor to be necessary for the preparation of the report required by this section.