To amend sections 149.011, 149.31, 149.38, 149.39, 149.41, 149.42, 149.43, 321.46, 2923.129, 3319.321, and 4123.88 and to enact sections 109.43, 149.411, and 149.412 of the Revised Code and to amend Section 1 of Sub. H.B. 101 of the 126th General Assembly to revise the Public Records Law, to create a library records commission in each public library and a special taxing district records commission in each special taxing district, to allow county treasurers to use certain public records training to satisfy part of their continuing education requirement, to extend the Local Government Public Notice Task Force until May 1, 2008, and to revise the records commissions laws.

SECTION 1. That sections 149.011, 149.31, 149.38, 149.39, 149.41, 149.42, 149.43, 321.46, 2923.129, 3319.321, and 4123.88 be amended and sections 109.43, 149.411, and 149.412 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:

Sec. 109.43. (A) As used in this section:

(1) "Designee" means a designee of the elected official in the public office if that elected official is the only elected official in the public office involved or a designee of all of the elected officials in the public office if the public office involved includes more than one elected official.

(2) "Elected official" means an official elected to a local or statewide office. "Elected official" does not include the chief justice or a justice of the supreme court, a judge of a court of appeals, court of common pleas, municipal court, or county court, or a clerk of any of those courts.

(3) "Public office" has the same meaning as in section 149.011 of the Revised Code.

(4) "Public record" has the same meaning as in section 149.43 of the Revised Code.

(B) The attorney general shall develop, provide, and certify training programs and seminars for all elected officials or their appropriate designees in order to enhance the officials' knowledge of the duty to provide access to public records as required by section 149.43 of the Revised Code. The training shall be three hours for every term of office for which the elected official was appointed or elected to the public office involved. The training shall provide elected officials or their appropriate designees with guidance in developing and updating their offices' policies as required under section 149.43 of the Revised Code. The successful completion by an elected official or by an elected official's appropriate designee of the training requirements established by the attorney general under this section shall satisfy the education requirements imposed on elected officials or their appropriate designees under division (E) of section 149.43 of the Revised Code. Prior to providing the training programs and seminars under this section to satisfy the education requirements imposed on elected officials or their appropriate designees under division (E) of section 149.43 of the Revised Code, the attorney general shall ensure that the training programs and seminars are accredited by the commission on continuing legal education established by the supreme court.

(C) The attorney general shall not charge any elected official or the appropriate designee of any elected official any fee for attending the training programs and seminars that the attorney general conducts under this section. The attorney general may allow the attendance of any other interested persons at any of the training programs or seminars that the attorney general conducts under this section and shall not charge the person any fee for attending the training program or seminar.

(D) In addition to developing, providing, and certifying training programs and seminars as required under division (B) of this section, the attorney general may contract with one or more other state agencies, political subdivisions, or other public or private entities to conduct the training programs and seminars for elected officials or their appropriate designees under this section. The contract may provide for the attendance of any other interested persons at any of the training programs or seminars conducted by the contracting state agency, political subdivision, or other public or private entity. The contracting state agency, political subdivision, or other public or private entity may charge an elected official, an elected official's appropriate designee, or an interested person a registration fee for attending the training program or seminar conducted by that contracting agency, political subdivision, or entity pursuant to a contract entered into under this division. The attorney general shall determine a reasonable amount for the registration fee based on the actual and necessary expenses associated with the training programs and seminars. If the contracting state agency, political subdivision, or other public or private entity charges an elected official or an elected official's appropriate designee a registration fee for attending the training program or seminar conducted pursuant to a contract entered into under this division by that contracting agency, political subdivision, or entity, the public office for which the elected official was appointed or elected to represent may use the public office's own funds to pay for the cost of the registration fee.

(E) The attorney general shall develop and provide to all public offices a model public records policy for responding to public records requests in compliance with section 149.43 of the Revised Code in order to provide guidance to public offices in developing their own public record policies for responding to public records requests in compliance with that section.

(F) The attorney general may provide any other appropriate training or educational programs about Ohio's "Sunshine Laws," sections 121.22 and 149.43 of the Revised Code, as may be developed and offered by the attorney general or by the attorney general in collaboration with one or more other state agencies, political subdivisions, or other public or private entities.

(G) The auditor of state, in the course of an annual or biennial audit of a public office pursuant to Chapter 117. of the Revised Code, shall audit the public office for compliance with this section and division (E) of section 149.43 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 149.011.  As used in this chapter, except as otherwise provided:

(A) "Public office" includes any state agency, public institution, political subdivision, or other organized body, office, agency, institution, or entity established by the laws of this state for the exercise of any function of government.

(B) "State agency" includes every department, bureau, board, commission, office, or other organized body established by the constitution and laws of this state for the exercise of any function of state government, including any state-supported institution of higher education, the general assembly, any legislative agency, any court or judicial agency, or any political subdivision or agency of a political subdivision.

(C) "Public money" includes all money received or collected by or due a public official, whether in accordance with or under authority of any law, ordinance, resolution, or order, under color of office, or otherwise. It also includes any money collected by any individual on behalf of a public office or as a purported representative or agent of the public office.

(D) "Public official" includes all officers, employees, or duly authorized representatives or agents of a public office.

(E) "Color of office" includes any act purported or alleged to be done under any law, ordinance, resolution, order, or other pretension to official right, power, or authority.

(F) "Archive" includes any public record that is transferred to the state archives or other designated archival institutions because of the historical information contained on it.

(G) "Records" includes any document, device, or item, regardless of physical form or characteristic, including an electronic record as defined in section 1306.01 of the Revised Code, created or received by or coming under the jurisdiction of any public office of the state or its political subdivisions, which serves to document the organization, functions, policies, decisions, procedures, operations, or other activities of the office.

Sec. 149.31.  (A) The Ohio historical society, in addition to its other functions, shall function as the state archives administration for the state and its political subdivisions.

It shall be the function of the state archives administration to preserve government archives, documents, and records of historical value that may come into its possession from public or private sources.

The archives administration shall evaluate, preserve, arrange, service repair, or make other disposition of, such as including transfer to public libraries, county historical societies, state universities, or other public or quasi-public institutions, agencies, or corporations, of those public records of the state and its political subdivisions that may come into its possession under this section. Such Those public records shall be transferred by written agreement only, and only to public or quasi-public institutions, agencies, or corporations capable of meeting accepted archival standards for housing and use.

The archives administration shall be headed by a trained archivist designated by the Ohio historical society, and shall make its services available to county, city municipal, township, and school district, library, and special taxing district records commissions upon request. The archivist shall be designated as the "state archivist."

(B) The archives administration may purchase or procure for itself, or authorize the board of trustees of an archival institution to purchase or procure, from an insurance company licensed to do business in this state policies of insurance insuring the administration or the members of the board and their officers, employees, and agents against liability on account of damage or injury to persons and property resulting from any act or omission of the board members, officers, employees, and agents in their official capacity.

(C) Notwithstanding any other provision of the Revised Code to the contrary, the archives administration may establish a fee schedule, which may include the cost of labor, for researching, retrieving, copying, and mailing copies of public records in the state archives. Revisions to the fee schedule shall be subject to approval by the board of trustees of the Ohio historical society.

Sec. 149.38.  (A) There is hereby created in each county a county records commission, composed of the president a member of the board of county commissioners as chairperson, the prosecuting attorney, the auditor, the recorder, and the clerk of the court of common pleas. The commission shall appoint a secretary, who may or may not be a member of the commission and who shall serve at the pleasure of the commission. The commission may employ an archivist or records manager to serve under its direction. The commission shall meet at least once every six months, and upon call of the chairperson.

(B) The functions of the county records commission shall be to provide rules for retention and disposal of records of the county and to review applications for one-time records disposal of obsolete records and schedules of records retention and disposal disposition submitted by county offices. Records may be disposed of by the The commission may dispose of records pursuant to the procedure outlined in this section. The commission, at any time, may review any schedule it has previously approved and, for good cause shown, may revise that schedule, subject to division (D) of this section.

(C) When the county records commission has approved any county records application for one-time disposal, a copy of a list of those obsolete records shall be sent or any schedule of records retention and disposition, the commission shall send that application or schedule to the Ohio historical society for its review. The Ohio historical society shall review the application or schedule within a period of not more than sixty days after its receipt of it. Upon completion of its review, the Ohio historical society shall forward the application for one-time disposal of obsolete records or the schedule of records retention and disposition to the auditor of state. If the auditor of state disapproves the action by the commission in whole or in part, the auditor of state shall so inform the commission for the auditor's approval or disapproval. The auditor shall approve or disapprove the application or schedule within a period of not more than sixty days, and those records shall not be destroyed after receipt of it. Before public records are to be disposed of, the commission shall inform the Ohio historical society of the disposal through the submission of a certificate of records disposal and shall give the society the opportunity for a period of sixty fifteen business days to select for its custody such those records as that it considers to be of continuing historical value. When the Ohio historical society is so informed that public records are to be disposed of Upon the expiration of the fifteen-business-day period, the county records commission also shall notify the public libraries, county historical society, state universities, and any other public or quasi-public institutions, agencies, or corporations in the county that have provided the commission with their name and address for these notification purposes, that the commission has informed the Ohio historical society has been so informed of the records disposal and that the notified entities, upon written agreement with the Ohio historical society pursuant to section 149.31 of the Revised Code, may select records of continuing historical value, including records that may be distributed to any of the notified entities under section 149.31 of the Revised Code.

(D) The rules of the county records commission shall include a rule that requires any receipts, checks, vouchers, or other similar records pertaining to expenditures from the delinquent tax and assessment collection fund created in section 321.261 of the Revised Code, from the real estate assessment fund created in section 325.31 of the Revised Code, or from amounts allocated for the furtherance of justice to the county sheriff under section 325.071 of the Revised Code or to the prosecuting attorney under section 325.12 of the Revised Code to be retained for at least four years.

(E) No person shall knowingly violate the rule adopted under division (D) of this section. Whoever violates that rule is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree.

Sec. 149.39.  There is hereby created in each municipal corporation a records commission composed of the chief executive or his the chief executive's appointed representative, as chairman chairperson, and the chief fiscal officer, the chief legal officer, and a citizen appointed by the chief executive. The commission shall appoint a secretary, who may or may not be a member of the commission and who shall serve at the pleasure of the commission. The commission may employ an archivist or records manager to serve under its direction. The commission shall meet at least once every six months, and upon call of the chairman chairperson.

The functions of the commission shall be to provide rules for retention and disposal of records of the municipal corporation and to review applications for one-time disposal of obsolete records disposal and schedules of records retention and disposition submitted by municipal offices. Records may be disposed of by the The commission may dispose of records pursuant to the procedure outlined in this section. The commission may at any time may review any schedule it has previously approved, and for good cause shown may revise that schedule.

When the municipal records have been commission has approved any application for one-time disposal, a list of such obsolete records shall be sent or any schedule of records retention and disposition, the commission shall send that application or schedule to the Ohio historical society for its review. The Ohio historical society shall review the application or schedule within a period of not more than sixty days after its receipt of it. Upon completion of its review, the Ohio historical society shall forward the application for one-time disposal of obsolete records or the schedule of records retention and disposition to the auditor of state. If he disapproves of the action by the municipal commission, in whole or in part, he shall so inform the commission for the auditor's approval or disapproval. The auditor shall approve or disapprove the application or schedule within a period of not more than sixty days and these records shall not be destroyed after receipt of it. Before public records are to be disposed of, the commission shall inform the Ohio historical society shall be informed and given of the disposal through the submission of a certificate of records disposal and shall give the society the opportunity for a period of sixty fifteen business days to select for its custody such those public records as that it considers to be of continuing historical value.

Sec. 149.41.  There is hereby created in each city, local, joint vocational, and exempted village school district a school district records commission and in each educational service center an educational service center records commission. Each records commission shall be composed of the president, the treasurer of the board of education or governing board of the educational service center, and the superintendent of schools in each such district or educational service center. The commission shall meet at least once every twelve months.

The function of the commission shall be to review applications for one-time disposal of obsolete records disposal and schedules of records retention and disposition submitted by any employee of the school district or educational service center. Records may be disposed of by the The commission may dispose of records pursuant to the procedure outlined in this section. The commission may at any time may review any schedule it has previously approved, and for good cause shown may revise that schedule.

When the school district records commission or the educational service center records have been commission has approved any application for one-time disposal, a list of such obsolete records shall be sent or any schedule of records retention and disposition, the appropriate commission shall send that application or schedule to the Ohio historical society for its review. The Ohio historical society shall review the application or schedule within a period of not more than sixty days after its receipt of it. Upon completion of its review, the Ohio historical society shall forward the application for one-time disposal of obsolete records or the schedule of records retention and disposition to the auditor of state. If he disapproves the action by the commission, in whole or in part, he shall so inform the commission for the auditor's approval or disapproval. The auditor shall approve or disapprove the application or schedule within a period of not more than sixty days and these records shall not be destroyed after receipt of it. Before public records are to be disposed of, the appropriate commission shall inform the Ohio historical society shall be informed and given of the disposal through the submission of a certificate of records disposal and shall give the society the opportunity for a period of sixty fifteen business days to select for its custody such those public records as that it considers to be of continuing historical value. The society may not review or select for its custody either of the following:

(A) Records containing personally identifiable information concerning any pupil attending a public school other than directory information, as defined in section 3319.321 of the Revised Code, without the written consent of the parent, guardian, or custodian of each such pupil who is less than eighteen years of age, or without the written consent of each such pupil who is eighteen years of age or older;

(B) Records the release of which would, according to the "Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974," 88 Stat. 571, 20 U.S.C.A. 1232g, disqualify a school or other educational institution from receiving federal funds.

Sec. 149.411.  There is hereby created in each county free public library, municipal free public library, township free public library, county library district, and regional library district a library records commission composed of the members and the clerk of the board of library trustees of the appropriate public library or library district. The commission shall meet at least once every twelve months.

The functions of the commission shall be to review applications for one-time disposal of obsolete records and schedules of records retention and disposition submitted by any employee of the library. The commission may dispose of records pursuant to the procedure outlined in this section. The commission at any time may review any schedule it has previously approved and for good cause shown may revise that schedule.

When the appropriate library records commission has approved any library application for one-time disposal of obsolete records or any schedule of records retention and disposition, the commission shall send that application or schedule to the Ohio historical society for its review. The Ohio historical society shall review the application or schedule within a period of not more than sixty days after its receipt of it. Upon completion of its review, the Ohio historical society shall forward the application for one-time disposal of obsolete records or the schedule of records retention and disposition to the auditor of state for the auditor's approval or disapproval. The auditor shall approve or disapprove the application or schedule within a period of not more than sixty days after receipt of it. Before public records are to be disposed of, the commission shall inform the Ohio historical society of the disposal through the submission of a certificate of records disposal and shall give the society the opportunity for a period of fifteen business days to select for its custody those public records that it considers to be of continuing historical value. The Ohio historical society may not review or select for its custody any records pursuant to section 149.432 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 149.412.  There is hereby created in each special taxing district that is a public office as defined in section 149.011 of the Revised Code and that is not specifically designated in section 149.38, 149.39, 149.41, 149.411, or 149.42 of the Revised Code a special taxing district records commission composed of, at a minimum, the chairperson, a fiscal representative, and a legal representative of the governing board of the special taxing district. The commission shall meet at least once every twelve months and upon the call of the chairperson.

The functions of the commission shall be to review applications for one-time disposal of obsolete records and schedules of records retention and disposition submitted by any employee of the special taxing district. The commission may dispose of records pursuant to the procedure outlined in this section. The commission at any time may review any schedule it has previously approved and for good cause shown may revise that schedule.

When the special taxing district records commission has approved any special taxing district application for one-time disposal of obsolete records or any schedule of records retention and disposition, the commission shall send that application or schedule to the Ohio historical society for its review. The Ohio historical society shall review the application or schedule within a period of not more than sixty days after its receipt of it. Upon completion of its review, the Ohio historical society shall forward the application for one-time disposal of obsolete records or the schedule of records retention and disposition to the auditor of state for the auditor's approval or disapproval. The auditor shall approve or disapprove the application or schedule within a period of not more than sixty days after receipt of it. Before public records are to be disposed of, the commission shall inform the Ohio historical society of the disposal through the submission of a certificate of records disposal and shall give the society the opportunity for a period of fifteen business days to select for its custody those public records that it considers to be of continuing historical value.

Sec. 149.42.  There is hereby created in each township a township records commission, composed of the chairperson of the board of township trustees and the fiscal officer of the township. The commission shall meet at least once every twelve months, and upon call of the chairperson.

The function of the commission shall be to review applications for one-time disposal of obsolete records disposal and schedules of records retention and disposition submitted by township offices. Records may be disposed of by the The commission may dispose of records pursuant to the procedure outlined in this section. The commission may at any time may review any schedule it has previously approved, and for good cause shown may revise that schedule.

When the township records have been commission has approved any township application for one-time disposal, a list of the obsolete records shall be sent or any schedule of records retention and disposition, the commission shall send that application or schedule to the Ohio historical society for its review. The Ohio historical society shall review the application or schedule within a period of not more than sixty days after its receipt of it. Upon completion of its review, the Ohio historical society shall forward the application for one-time disposal of obsolete records or the schedule of records retention and disposition to the auditor of state. If the auditor of state disapproves of the action by the commission, in whole or in part, the auditor of state shall so inform the commission for the auditor's approval or disapproval. The auditor shall approve or disapprove the application or schedule within a period of not more than sixty days, and these records shall not be destroyed after receipt of it. Before public records are to be disposed of, the commission shall inform the Ohio historical society shall be informed and given of the disposal through the submission of a certificate of records disposal and shall give the society the opportunity for a period of sixty fifteen business days to select for its custody those public records that it considers to be of continuing historical value.

Sec. 149.43.  (A) As used in this section:

(1) "Public record" means records kept by any public office, including, but not limited to, state, county, city, village, township, and school district units, and records pertaining to the delivery of educational services by an alternative school in Ohio this state kept by a the nonprofit or for profit entity operating such the alternative school pursuant to section 3313.533 of the Revised Code. "Public record" does not mean any of the following:

(a) Medical records;

(b) Records pertaining to probation and parole proceedings or to proceedings related to the imposition of community control sanctions and post-release control sanctions;

(c) Records pertaining to actions under section 2151.85 and division (C) of section 2919.121 of the Revised Code and to appeals of actions arising under those sections;

(d) Records pertaining to adoption proceedings, including the contents of an adoption file maintained by the department of health under section 3705.12 of the Revised Code;

(e) Information in a record contained in the putative father registry established by section 3107.062 of the Revised Code, regardless of whether the information is held by the department of job and family services or, pursuant to section 3111.69 of the Revised Code, the office of child support in the department or a child support enforcement agency;

(f) Records listed in division (A) of section 3107.42 of the Revised Code or specified in division (A) of section 3107.52 of the Revised Code;

(g) Trial preparation records;

(h) Confidential law enforcement investigatory records;

(i) Records containing information that is confidential under section 2710.03 or 4112.05 of the Revised Code;

(j) DNA records stored in the DNA database pursuant to section 109.573 of the Revised Code;

(k) Inmate records released by the department of rehabilitation and correction to the department of youth services or a court of record pursuant to division (E) of section 5120.21 of the Revised Code;

(l) Records maintained by the department of youth services pertaining to children in its custody released by the department of youth services to the department of rehabilitation and correction pursuant to section 5139.05 of the Revised Code;

(m) Intellectual property records;

(n) Donor profile records;

(o) Records maintained by the department of job and family services pursuant to section 3121.894 of the Revised Code;

(p) Peace officer, firefighter, or EMT residential and familial information;

(q) In the case of a county hospital operated pursuant to Chapter 339. of the Revised Code or a municipal hospital operated pursuant to Chapter 749. of the Revised Code, information that constitutes a trade secret, as defined in section 1333.61 of the Revised Code;

(r) Information pertaining to the recreational activities of a person under the age of eighteen;

(s) Records provided to, statements made by review board members during meetings of, and all work products of a child fatality review board acting under sections 307.621 to 307.629 of the Revised Code, other than the report prepared pursuant to section 307.626 of the Revised Code;

(t) Records provided to and statements made by the executive director of a public children services agency or a prosecuting attorney acting pursuant to section 5153.171 of the Revised Code other than the information released under that section;

(u) Test materials, examinations, or evaluation tools used in an examination for licensure as a nursing home administrator that the board of examiners of nursing home administrators administers under section 4751.04 of the Revised Code or contracts under that section with a private or government entity to administer;

(v) Records the release of which is prohibited by state or federal law;

(w) Proprietary information of or relating to any person that is submitted to or compiled by the Ohio venture capital authority created under section 150.01 of the Revised Code;

(x) Information reported and evaluations conducted pursuant to section 3701.072 of the Revised Code;

(y) Financial statements and data any person submits for any purpose to the Ohio housing finance agency or the controlling board in connection with applying for, receiving, or accounting for financial assistance from the agency, and information that identifies any individual who benefits directly or indirectly from financial assistance from the agency.

(2) "Confidential law enforcement investigatory record" means any record that pertains to a law enforcement matter of a criminal, quasi-criminal, civil, or administrative nature, but only to the extent that the release of the record would create a high probability of disclosure of any of the following:

(a) The identity of a suspect who has not been charged with the offense to which the record pertains, or of an information source or witness to whom confidentiality has been reasonably promised;

(b) Information provided by an information source or witness to whom confidentiality has been reasonably promised, which information would reasonably tend to disclose the source's or witness's identity;

(c) Specific confidential investigatory techniques or procedures or specific investigatory work product;

(d) Information that would endanger the life or physical safety of law enforcement personnel, a crime victim, a witness, or a confidential information source.

(3) "Medical record" means any document or combination of documents, except births, deaths, and the fact of admission to or discharge from a hospital, that pertains to the medical history, diagnosis, prognosis, or medical condition of a patient and that is generated and maintained in the process of medical treatment.

(4) "Trial preparation record" means any record that contains information that is specifically compiled in reasonable anticipation of, or in defense of, a civil or criminal action or proceeding, including the independent thought processes and personal trial preparation of an attorney.

(5) "Intellectual property record" means a record, other than a financial or administrative record, that is produced or collected by or for faculty or staff of a state institution of higher learning in the conduct of or as a result of study or research on an educational, commercial, scientific, artistic, technical, or scholarly issue, regardless of whether the study or research was sponsored by the institution alone or in conjunction with a governmental body or private concern, and that has not been publicly released, published, or patented.

(6) "Donor profile record" means all records about donors or potential donors to a public institution of higher education except the names and reported addresses of the actual donors and the date, amount, and conditions of the actual donation.

(7) "Peace officer, firefighter, or EMT residential and familial information" means either of the following:

(a) Any information maintained in a personnel record of a peace officer, firefighter, or EMT that discloses any of the following:

(i) The address of the actual personal residence of a peace officer, firefighter, or EMT, except for the state or political subdivision in which the peace officer, firefighter, or EMT resides;

(ii) Information compiled from referral to or participation in an employee assistance program;

(iii) The social security number, the residential telephone number, any bank account, debit card, charge card, or credit card number, or the emergency telephone number of, or any medical information pertaining to, a peace officer, firefighter, or EMT;

(iv) The name of any beneficiary of employment benefits, including, but not limited to, life insurance benefits, provided to a peace officer, firefighter, or EMT by the peace officer's, firefighter's, or EMT's employer;

(v) The identity and amount of any charitable or employment benefit deduction made by the peace officer's, firefighter's, or EMT's employer from the peace officer's, firefighter's, or EMT's compensation unless the amount of the deduction is required by state or federal law;

(vi) The name, the residential address, the name of the employer, the address of the employer, the social security number, the residential telephone number, any bank account, debit card, charge card, or credit card number, or the emergency telephone number of the spouse, a former spouse, or any child of a peace officer, firefighter, or EMT.

(b) Any record that identifies a person's occupation as a peace officer, firefighter, or EMT other than statements required to include the disclosure of that fact under the campaign finance law.

As used in divisions (A)(7) and (B)(5)(9) of this section, "peace officer" has the same meaning as in section 109.71 of the Revised Code and also includes the superintendent and troopers of the state highway patrol; it does not include the sheriff of a county or a supervisory employee who, in the absence of the sheriff, is authorized to stand in for, exercise the authority of, and perform the duties of the sheriff.

As used in divisions (A)(7) and (B)(5)(9) of this section, "firefighter" means any regular, paid or volunteer, member of a lawfully constituted fire department of a municipal corporation, township, fire district, or village.

As used in divisions (A)(7) and (B)(5)(9) of this section, "EMT" means EMTs-basic, EMTs-I, and paramedics that provide emergency medical services for a public emergency medical service organization. "Emergency medical service organization," "EMT-basic," "EMT-I," and "paramedic" have the same meanings as in section 4765.01 of the Revised Code.

(8) "Information pertaining to the recreational activities of a person under the age of eighteen" means information that is kept in the ordinary course of business by a public office, that pertains to the recreational activities of a person under the age of eighteen years, and that discloses any of the following:

(a) The address or telephone number of a person under the age of eighteen or the address or telephone number of that person's parent, guardian, custodian, or emergency contact person;

(b) The social security number, birth date, or photographic image of a person under the age of eighteen;

(c) Any medical record, history, or information pertaining to a person under the age of eighteen;

(d) Any additional information sought or required about a person under the age of eighteen for the purpose of allowing that person to participate in any recreational activity conducted or sponsored by a public office or to use or obtain admission privileges to any recreational facility owned or operated by a public office.

(9) "Community control sanction" has the same meaning as in section 2929.01 of the Revised Code.

(10) "Post-release control sanction" has the same meaning as in section 2967.01 of the Revised Code.

(11) "Redaction" means obscuring or deleting any information that is exempt from the duty to permit public inspection or copying from an item that otherwise meets the definition of a "record" in section 149.011 of the Revised Code.

(12) "Designee" and "elected official" have the same meanings as in section 109.43 of the Revised Code.

(B)(1) Subject Upon request and subject to division (B)(4)(8) of this section, all public records responsive to the request shall be promptly prepared and made available for inspection to any person at all reasonable times during regular business hours. Subject to division (B)(4)(8) of this section, upon request, a public office or person responsible for public records shall make copies of the requested public record available at cost, and within a reasonable period of time. In order to facilitate broader access to public records, public offices shall maintain public records in a manner that they can be made available for inspection in accordance with this division. If a public record contains information that is exempt from the duty to permit public inspection or to copy the public record, the public office or the person responsible for the public record shall make available all of the information within the public record that is not exempt. When making that public record available for public inspection or copying that public record, the public office or the person responsible for the public record shall notify the requester of any redaction or make the redaction plainly visible. A redaction shall be deemed a denial of a request to inspect or copy the redacted information, except if federal or state law authorizes or requires a public office to make the redaction.

(2) To facilitate broader access to public records, a public office or the person responsible for public records shall organize and maintain public records in a manner that they can be made available for inspection or copying in accordance with division (B) of this section. A public office also shall have available a copy of its current records retention schedule at a location readily available to the public. If a requester makes an ambiguous or overly broad request or has difficulty in making a request for copies or inspection of public records under this section such that the public office or the person responsible for the requested public record cannot reasonably identify what public records are being requested, the public office or the person responsible for the requested public record may deny the request but shall provide the requester with an opportunity to revise the request by informing the requester of the manner in which records are maintained by the public office and accessed in the ordinary course of the public office's or person's duties.

(3) If a request is ultimately denied, in part or in whole, the public office or the person responsible for the requested public record shall provide the requester with an explanation, including legal authority, setting forth why the request was denied. If the initial request was provided in writing, the explanation also shall be provided to the requester in writing. The explanation shall not preclude the public office or the person responsible for the requested public record from relying upon additional reasons or legal authority in defending an action commenced under division (C) of this section.

(4) Unless specifically required or authorized by state or federal law or in accordance with division (B) of this section, no public office or person responsible for public records may limit or condition the availability of public records by requiring disclosure of the requester's identity or the intended use of the requested public record. Any requirement that the requester disclose the requestor's identity or the intended use of the requested public record constitutes a denial of the request.

(5) A public office or person responsible for public records may ask a requester to make the request in writing, may ask for the requester's identity, and may inquire about the intended use of the information requested, but may do so only after disclosing to the requester that a written request is not mandatory and that the requester may decline to reveal the requester's identity or the intended use and when a written request or disclosure of the identity or intended use would benefit the requester by enhancing the ability of the public office or person responsible for public records to identify, locate, or deliver the public records sought by the requester.

(2)(6) If any person chooses to obtain a copy of a public record in accordance with division (B)(1) of this section, the public office or person responsible for the public record may require that person to pay in advance the cost involved in providing the copy of the public record in accordance with the choice made by the person seeking the copy under this division. The public office or the person responsible for the public record shall permit that person to choose to have the public record duplicated upon paper, upon the same medium upon which the public office or person responsible for the public record keeps it, or upon any other medium upon which the public office or person responsible for the public record determines that it reasonably can be duplicated as an integral part of the normal operations of the public office or person responsible for the public record. When the person seeking the copy makes a choice under this division, the public office or person responsible for the public record shall provide a copy of it in accordance with the choice made by the person seeking the copy. Nothing in this section requires a public office or person responsible for the public record to allow the person seeking a copy of the public record to make the copies of the public record.

(3)(7) Upon a request made in accordance with division (B)(1) of this section and subject to division (B)(6) of this section, a public office or person responsible for public records shall transmit a copy of a public record to any person by United States mail or by any other means of delivery or transmission within a reasonable period of time after receiving the request for the copy. The public office or person responsible for the public record may require the person making the request to pay in advance the cost of postage if the copy is transmitted by United States mail or the cost of delivery if the copy is transmitted other than by United States mail, and to pay in advance the costs incurred for other supplies used in the mailing, delivery, or transmission.

Any public office may adopt a policy and procedures that it will follow in transmitting, within a reasonable period of time after receiving a request, copies of public records by United States mail or by any other means of delivery or transmission pursuant to this division. A public office that adopts a policy and procedures under this division shall comply with them in performing its duties under this division.

In any policy and procedures adopted under this division, a public office may limit the number of records requested by a person that the office will transmit by United States mail to ten per month, unless the person certifies to the office in writing that the person does not intend to use or forward the requested records, or the information contained in them, for commercial purposes. For purposes of this division, "commercial" shall be narrowly construed and does not include reporting or gathering news, reporting or gathering information to assist citizen oversight or understanding of the operation or activities of government, or nonprofit educational research.

(4)(8) A public office or person responsible for public records is not required to permit a person who is incarcerated pursuant to a criminal conviction or a juvenile adjudication to inspect or to obtain a copy of any public record concerning a criminal investigation or prosecution or concerning what would be a criminal investigation or prosecution if the subject of the investigation or prosecution were an adult, unless the request to inspect or to obtain a copy of the record is for the purpose of acquiring information that is subject to release as a public record under this section and the judge who imposed the sentence or made the adjudication with respect to the person, or the judge's successor in office, finds that the information sought in the public record is necessary to support what appears to be a justiciable claim of the person.

(5)(9) Upon written request made and signed by a journalist on or after December 16, 1999, a public office, or person responsible for public records, having custody of the records of the agency employing a specified peace officer, firefighter, or EMT shall disclose to the journalist the address of the actual personal residence of the peace officer, firefighter, or EMT and, if the peace officer's, firefighter's, or EMT's spouse, former spouse, or child is employed by a public office, the name and address of the employer of the peace officer's, firefighter's, or EMT's spouse, former spouse, or child. The request shall include the journalist's name and title and the name and address of the journalist's employer and shall state that disclosure of the information sought would be in the public interest.

As used in this division (B)(5) of this section, "journalist" means a person engaged in, connected with, or employed by any news medium, including a newspaper, magazine, press association, news agency, or wire service, a radio or television station, or a similar medium, for the purpose of gathering, processing, transmitting, compiling, editing, or disseminating information for the general public.

(C)(1) If a person allegedly is aggrieved by the failure of a public office or the person responsible for public records to promptly prepare a public record and to make it available to the person for inspection in accordance with division (B) of this section, or if a person who has requested a copy of a public record allegedly is aggrieved by the any other failure of a public office or the person responsible for the public record to make a copy available to the person allegedly aggrieved or the person responsible for public records to comply with an obligation in accordance with division (B) of this section, the person allegedly aggrieved may commence a mandamus action to obtain a judgment that orders the public office or the person responsible for the public record to comply with division (B) of this section and, that awards court costs and reasonable attorney's fees to the person that instituted the mandamus action, and, if applicable, that includes an order fixing statutory damages under division (C)(1) of this section. The mandamus action may be commenced in the court of common pleas of the county in which division (B) of this section allegedly was not complied with, in the supreme court pursuant to its original jurisdiction under Section 2 of Article IV, Ohio Constitution, or in the court of appeals for the appellate district in which division (B) of this section allegedly was not complied with pursuant to its original jurisdiction under Section 3 of Article IV, Ohio Constitution.

If a requestor transmits a written request by hand delivery or certified mail to inspect or receive copies of any public record in a manner that fairly describes the public record or class of public records to the public office or person responsible for the requested public records, except as otherwise provided in this section, the requestor shall be entitled to recover the amount of statutory damages set forth in this division if a court determines that the public office or the person responsible for public records failed to comply with an obligation in accordance with division (B) of this section.

The amount of statutory damages shall be fixed at one hundred dollars for each business day during which the public office or person responsible for the requested public records failed to comply with an obligation in accordance with division (B) of this section, beginning with the day on which the requester files a mandamus action to recover statutory damages, up to a maximum of one thousand dollars. The award of statutory damages shall not be construed as a penalty, but as compensation for injury arising from lost use of the requested information. The existence of this injury shall be conclusively presumed. The award of statutory damages shall be in addition to all other remedies authorized by this section.

The court may reduce an award of statutory damages or not award statutory damages if the court determines both of the following:

(a) That, based on the ordinary application of statutory law and case law as it existed at the time of the conduct or threatened conduct of the public office or person responsible for the requested public records that allegedly constitutes a failure to comply with an obligation in accordance with division (B) of this section and that was the basis of the mandamus action, a well-informed public office or person responsible for the requested public records reasonably would believe that the conduct or threatened conduct of the public office or person responsible for the requested public records did not constitute a failure to comply with an obligation in accordance with division (B) of this section;

(b) That a well-informed public office or person responsible for the requested public records reasonably would believe that the conduct or threatened conduct of the public office or person responsible for the requested public records would serve the public policy that underlies the authority that is asserted as permitting that conduct or threatened conduct.

(2)(a) If the court issues a writ of mandamus that orders the public office or the person responsible for the public record to comply with division (B) of this section and determines that the circumstances described in division (C)(1) of this section exist, the court shall determine and award to the relator all court costs.

(b) If the court renders a judgment that orders the public office or the person responsible for the public record to comply with division (B) of this section, the court may award reasonable attorney's fees subject to reduction as described in division (C)(2)(c) of this section. The court shall award reasonable attorney's fees, subject to reduction as described in division (C)(2)(c) of this section when either of the following applies:

(i) The public office or the person responsible for the public records failed to respond affirmatively or negatively to the public records request in accordance with the time allowed under division (B) of this section.

(ii) The public office or the person responsible for the public records promised to permit the relator to inspect or receive copies of the public records requested within a specified period of time but failed to fulfill that promise within that specified period of time.

(c) Court costs and reasonable attorney's fees awarded under this section shall be construed as remedial and not punitive. Reasonable attorney's fees shall include reasonable fees incurred to produce proof of the reasonableness and amount of the fees and to otherwise litigate entitlement to the fees. The court may reduce an award of attorney's fees to the relator or not award attorney's fees to the relator if the court determines both of the following:

(i) That, based on the ordinary application of statutory law and case law as it existed at the time of the conduct or threatened conduct of the public office or person responsible for the requested public records that allegedly constitutes a failure to comply with an obligation in accordance with division (B) of this section and that was the basis of the mandamus action, a well-informed public office or person responsible for the requested public records reasonably would believe that the conduct or threatened conduct of the public office or person responsible for the requested public records did not constitute a failure to comply with an obligation in accordance with division (B) of this section;

(ii) That a well-informed public office or person responsible for the requested public records reasonably would believe that the conduct or threatened conduct of the public office or person responsible for the requested public records as described in division (C)(2)(c)(i) of this section would serve the public policy that underlies the authority that is asserted as permitting that conduct or threatened conduct.

(D) Chapter 1347. of the Revised Code does not limit the provisions of this section.

(E)(1) To ensure that all employees of public offices are appropriately educated about a public office's obligations under division (B) of this section, all elected officials or their appropriate designees shall attend training approved by the attorney general as provided in section 109.43 of the Revised Code. In addition, all public offices shall adopt a public records policy in compliance with this section for responding to public records requests. In adopting a public records policy under this division, a public office may obtain guidance from the model public records policy developed and provided to the public office by the attorney general under section 109.43 of the Revised Code. Except as otherwise provided in this section, the policy may not limit the number of public records that the public office will make available to a single person, may not limit the number of public records that it will make available during a fixed period of time, and may not establish a fixed period of time before it will respond to a request for inspection or copying of public records, unless that period is less than eight hours.

(2) The public office shall distribute the public records policy adopted by the public office under division (E)(1) of this section to the employee of the public office who is the records custodian or records manager or otherwise has custody of the records of that office. The public office shall require that employee to acknowledge receipt of the copy of the public records policy. The public office shall create a poster that describes its public records policy and shall post the poster in a conspicuous place in the public office and in all locations where the public office has branch offices. The public office may post its public records policy on the internet web site of the public office if the public office maintains an internet web site. A public office that has established a manual or handbook of its general policies and procedures for all employees of the public office shall include the public records policy of the public office in the manual or handbook.

(E)(F)(1) The bureau of motor vehicles may adopt rules pursuant to Chapter 119. of the Revised Code to reasonably limit the number of bulk commercial special extraction requests made by a person for the same records or for updated records during a calendar year. The rules may include provisions for charges to be made for bulk commercial special extraction requests for the actual cost of the bureau, plus special extraction costs, plus ten per cent. The bureau may charge for expenses for redacting information, the release of which is prohibited by law.

(2) As used in divisions (B)(3) and (E) division (F)(1) of this section:

(a) "Actual cost" means the cost of depleted supplies, records storage media costs, actual mailing and alternative delivery costs, or other transmitting costs, and any direct equipment operating and maintenance costs, including actual costs paid to private contractors for copying services.

(b) "Bulk commercial special extraction request" means a request for copies of a record for information in a format other than the format already available, or information that cannot be extracted without examination of all items in a records series, class of records, or data base by a person who intends to use or forward the copies for surveys, marketing, solicitation, or resale for commercial purposes. "Bulk commercial special extraction request" does not include a request by a person who gives assurance to the bureau that the person making the request does not intend to use or forward the requested copies for surveys, marketing, solicitation, or resale for commercial purposes.

(c) "Commercial" means profit-seeking production, buying, or selling of any good, service, or other product.

(d) "Special extraction costs" means the cost of the time spent by the lowest paid employee competent to perform the task, the actual amount paid to outside private contractors employed by the bureau, or the actual cost incurred to create computer programs to make the special extraction. "Special extraction costs" include any charges paid to a public agency for computer or records services.

(3) For purposes of divisions (E)(F)(1) and (2) of this section, "commercial surveys, marketing, solicitation, or resale for commercial purposes" shall be narrowly construed and does not include reporting or gathering news, reporting or gathering information to assist citizen oversight or understanding of the operation or activities of government, or nonprofit educational research.

Sec. 321.46.  (A) To enhance the background and working knowledge of county treasurers in governmental accounting, portfolio reporting and compliance, investments, and cash management, the auditor of state and the treasurer of state shall conduct education programs for persons elected for the first time to the office of county treasurer and shall hold biennial continuing education programs for persons who continue to hold the office of county treasurer. Education programs for newly elected county treasurers shall be held between the first day of December and the first Monday of September next following that person's election to the office of county treasurer. Similar initial training may also be provided to any county treasurer who is appointed to fill a vacancy or who is elected at a special election.

(B)(1) The auditor of state shall determine the manner and content of the education programs in the subject areas of governmental accounting and portfolio reporting and compliance. In those areas, newly elected county treasurers shall take at least thirteen hours of education before taking office.

(2) The treasurer of state shall determine the manner and content of the education programs in the subject areas of investments and cash management. In those areas, newly elected county treasurers shall take at least thirteen hours of education before taking office.

(3)(a) After completing one year in office, a county treasurer shall take not less than twenty-four hours of continuing education during each biennial cycle. For purposes of division (B)(3)(a) of this section, a biennial cycle for continuing education shall be every two calendar years after the treasurer's first year in office. The treasurer of state shall determine the manner and content of the education programs in the subject areas of investments, cash management, the collection of taxes, ethics, and any other subject area that the treasurer of state determines is reasonably related to the duties of the office of the county treasurer. The auditor of state shall determine the manner and content of the education programs in the subject areas of governmental accounting, portfolio reporting and compliance, office management, and any other subject area that the auditor of state determines is reasonably related to the duties of the office of the county treasurer.

(b) A county treasurer who accumulates more than twenty-four hours of continuing education in a biennial cycle described in division (B)(3)(a) of this section may credit the hours in excess of twenty-four hours to the next biennial cycle. However, regardless of the total number of hours earned, no more than six hours in the education programs determined by the treasurer of state pursuant to division (B)(3)(a) of this section and six hours in the education programs determined by the auditor of state pursuant to that division shall be carried over to the next biennial cycle.

(c) A county treasurer who participates in a training program or seminar established under section 109.43 of the Revised Code may apply the three hours of training to the twenty-four hours of continuing education required in a biennial cycle under division (B)(3)(a) of this section.

(C) The auditor of state and the treasurer of state may each charge counties a registration fee that will meet actual and necessary expenses of the training of county treasurers, including instructor fees, site acquisition costs, and the cost of course materials. The necessary personal expenses of county treasurers as a result of attending the training programs shall be borne by the counties the treasurers represent.

(D) The auditor of state and the treasurer of state may allow any other interested person to attend any of the education programs that are held pursuant to this section, provided that before attending any such education program, the interested person shall pay to either the auditor of state or the treasurer of state, as appropriate, the full registration fee set for the education program.

(E)(1) If a county treasurer fails to complete the initial education programs required by this section before taking office, the treasurer's authority to invest county funds and to manage the county portfolio immediately is suspended, and this authority is transferred to the county's investment advisory committee until full compliance with the initial education programs is determined by the treasurer of state.

(2) If a county treasurer fails to complete continuing education programs as required by this section, the county treasurer is subject to divisions (B) to (E) of section 321.47 of the Revised Code, including possible suspension of the treasurer's authority to invest county funds and to manage the county portfolio and transfer of this authority to the county's investment advisory committee.

(F)(1) Notwithstanding divisions (B) and (E) of this section, a county treasurer who fails to complete the initial or continuing education programs required by this section shall invest only in the Ohio subdivisions fund pursuant to division (A)(6) of section 135.35 of the Revised Code, in no load money market mutual funds pursuant to division (A)(5) of section 135.35 of the Revised Code, or in time certificates of deposit or savings or deposit accounts pursuant to division (A)(3) of section 135.35 of the Revised Code.

(2) A county treasurer who has failed to complete the initial education programs required by this section and invests in other than the investments permitted by division (F)(1) of this section immediately shall have the county treasurer's authority to invest county funds and to manage the county portfolio suspended, and this authority shall be transferred to the county's investment advisory committee until full compliance with the initial education programs is determined by the treasurer of state.

(3) If a county treasurer fails to complete continuing education programs required by this section and invests in other than the investments permitted by division (F)(1) of this section, the county treasurer is subject to divisions (B) to (E) of section 321.47 of the Revised Code, including possible suspension of the treasurer's authority to invest county funds and to manage the county portfolio and transfer of this authority to the county's investment advisory committee.

(G)(1) There is hereby created in the state treasury the county treasurer education fund, to be used by the treasurer of state for actual and necessary expenses of education programs held pursuant to this section and section 135.22 of the Revised Code. All registration fees collected by the treasurer of state under this section and section 135.22 of the Revised Code shall be paid into that fund.

(2) All registration fees collected by the auditor of state under this section shall be paid into the auditor of state training program fund established under section 117.44 of the Revised Code.

(H) The treasurer of state, with the advice and consent of the auditor of state, may adopt reasonable rules not inconsistent with this section for the implementation of this section.

Sec. 2923.129. (A)(1) If a sheriff, the superintendent of the bureau of criminal identification and investigation, the employees of the bureau, the Ohio peace officer training commission, or the employees of the commission make a good faith effort in performing the duties imposed upon the sheriff, the superintendent, the bureau's employees, the commission, or the commission's employees by sections 109.731, 311.41, and 2923.124 to 2923.1213 of the Revised Code, in addition to the personal immunity provided by section 9.86 of the Revised Code or division (A)(6) of section 2744.03 of the Revised Code and the governmental immunity of sections 2744.02 and 2744.03 of the Revised Code and in addition to any other immunity possessed by the bureau, the commission, and their employees, the sheriff, the sheriff's office, the county in which the sheriff has jurisdiction, the bureau, the superintendent of the bureau, the bureau's employees, the commission, and the commission's employees are immune from liability in a civil action for injury, death, or loss to person or property that allegedly was caused by or related to any of the following:

(a) The issuance, renewal, suspension, or revocation of a license to carry a concealed handgun or the issuance, suspension, or revocation of a temporary emergency license to carry a concealed handgun;

(b) The failure to issue, renew, suspend, or revoke a license to carry a concealed handgun or the failure to issue, suspend, or revoke a temporary emergency license to carry a concealed handgun;

(c) Any action or misconduct with a handgun committed by a licensee.

(2) Any action of a sheriff relating to the issuance, renewal, suspension, or revocation of a license to carry a concealed handgun or the issuance, suspension, or revocation of a temporary emergency license to carry a concealed handgun shall be considered to be a governmental function for purposes of Chapter 2744. of the Revised Code.

(3) An entity that or instructor who provides a competency certification of a type described in division (B)(3) of section 2923.125 of the Revised Code is immune from civil liability that might otherwise be incurred or imposed for any death or any injury or loss to person or property that is caused by or related to a person to whom the entity or instructor has issued the competency certificate if all of the following apply:

(a) The alleged liability of the entity or instructor relates to the training provided in the course, class, or program covered by the competency certificate.

(b) The entity or instructor makes a good faith effort in determining whether the person has satisfactorily completed the course, class, or program and makes a good faith effort in assessing the person in the competency examination conducted pursuant to division (G)(2) of section 2923.125 of the Revised Code.

(c) The entity or instructor did not issue the competency certificate with malicious purpose, in bad faith, or in a wanton or reckless manner.

(4) An entity that or instructor who provides a renewed competency certification of a type described in division (G)(4) of section 2923.125 of the Revised Code is immune from civil liability that might otherwise be incurred or imposed for any death or any injury or loss to person or property that is caused by or related to a person to whom the entity or instructor has issued the renewed competency certificate if all of the following apply:

(a) The entity or instructor makes a good faith effort in assessing the person in the competency examination conducted pursuant to division (G)(2) of section 2923.125 of the Revised Code.

(b) The entity or instructor did not issue the renewed competency certificate with malicious purpose, in bad faith, or in a wanton or reckless manner.

(5) A law enforcement agency that employs a peace officer is immune from liability in a civil action to recover damages for injury, death, or loss to person or property allegedly caused by any act of that peace officer if the act occurred while the peace officer carried a concealed handgun and was off duty and if the act allegedly involved the peace officer's use of the concealed handgun. Sections 9.86 and 9.87, and Chapter 2744., of the Revised Code apply to any civil action involving a peace officer's use of a concealed handgun in the performance of the peace officer's official duties while the peace officer is off duty.

(B)(1) Notwithstanding section 149.43 of the Revised Code, except as provided in division (B)(2) of this section, the records that a sheriff keeps relative to the issuance, renewal, suspension, or revocation of a license to carry a concealed handgun or the issuance, suspension, or revocation of a temporary emergency license to carry a concealed handgun, including, but not limited to, completed applications for the issuance or renewal of a license, completed affidavits submitted regarding an application for a temporary emergency license, reports of criminal records checks and incompetency records checks under section 311.41 of the Revised Code, and applicants' social security numbers and fingerprints that are obtained under division (A) of section 311.41 of the Revised Code, are confidential and are not public records. Except as provided in division (B)(2) of this section, no person shall release or otherwise disseminate records that are confidential under this division unless required to do so pursuant to a court order.

(2) Upon a written request made to a sheriff and signed by a (a) A journalist, on or after the effective date of this section April 8, 2004, the may submit to a sheriff shall disclose to the journalist a signed, written request to view the name, county of residence, and date of birth of each person to whom the sheriff has issued a license or replacement license to carry a concealed handgun, renewed a license to carry a concealed handgun, or issued a temporary emergency license or replacement temporary emergency license to carry a concealed handgun under section 2923.125 or 2923.1213 of the Revised Code, or a signed, written request to view the name, county of residence, and date of birth of each person for whom the sheriff has suspended or revoked a license to carry a concealed handgun or a temporary emergency license to carry a concealed handgun under section 2923.128 of the Revised Code. The request shall include the journalist's name and title, shall include the name and address of the journalist's employer, and shall state that disclosure of the information sought would be in the public interest. If a journalist submits a signed, written request to the sheriff to view the information described in this division, the sheriff shall grant the journalist's request. The journalist shall not copy the name, county of residence, or date of birth of each person to or for whom the sheriff has issued, suspended, or revoked a license described in this division.

(b) As used in division (B)(2) of this section, "journalist" means a person engaged in, connected with, or employed by any news medium, including a newspaper, magazine, press association, news agency, or wire service, a radio or television station, or a similar medium, for the purpose of gathering, processing, transmitting, compiling, editing, or disseminating information for the general public.

(C) Each sheriff shall report to the Ohio peace officer training commission the number of licenses to carry a concealed handgun that the sheriff issued, renewed, suspended, revoked, or denied during the previous quarter of the calendar year, the number of applications for those licenses for which processing was suspended in accordance with division (D)(3) of section 2923.125 of the Revised Code during the previous quarter of the calendar year, and the number of temporary emergency licenses to carry a concealed handgun that the sheriff issued, suspended, revoked, or denied during the previous quarter of the calendar year. The sheriff shall not include in the report the name or any other identifying information of an applicant or licensee. The sheriff shall report that information in a manner that permits the commission to maintain the statistics described in division (D) of section 109.731 of the Revised Code and to timely prepare the statistical report described in that division. The information that is received by the commission under this division is a public record kept by the commission for the purposes of section 149.43 of the Revised Code.

(D) Law enforcement agencies may use the information a sheriff makes available through the use of the law enforcement automated data system pursuant to division (H) of section 2923.125 or division (B)(2) or (D) of section 2923.1213 of the Revised Code for law enforcement purposes only. The information is confidential and is not a public record. A person who releases or otherwise disseminates this information obtained through the law enforcement automated data system in a manner not described in this division is guilty of a violation of section 2913.04 of the Revised Code.

(E) Whoever violates division (B) of this section is guilty of illegal release of confidential concealed handgun license records, a felony of the fifth degree. In addition to any penalties imposed under Chapter 2929. of the Revised Code for a violation of division (B) of this section or a violation of section 2913.04 of the Revised Code described in division (D) of this section, if the offender is a sheriff, an employee of a sheriff, or any other public officer or employee, and if the violation was willful and deliberate, the offender shall be subject to a civil fine of one thousand dollars. Any person who is harmed by a violation of division (B) or (C) of this section or a violation of section 2913.04 of the Revised Code described in division (D) of this section has a private cause of action against the offender for any injury, death, or loss to person or property that is a proximate result of the violation and may recover court costs and attorney's fees related to the action.

Sec. 3319.321.  (A) No person shall release, or permit access to, the names or other personally identifiable directory information concerning any students attending a public school to any person or group for use in a profit-making plan or activity. Notwithstanding division (B)(4) of section 149.43 of the Revised Code, a person may require disclosure of the requestor's identity or the intended use of the directory information concerning any students attending a public school to ascertain whether the directory information is for use in a profit-making plan or activity.

(B) No person shall release, or permit access to, personally identifiable information other than directory information concerning any student attending a public school, for purposes other than those identified in division (C), (E), (G), or (H) of this section, without the written consent of the parent, guardian, or custodian of each such student who is less than eighteen years of age, or without the written consent of each such student who is eighteen years of age or older.

(1) For purposes of this section, "directory information" includes a student's name, address, telephone listing, date and place of birth, major field of study, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance, date of graduation, and awards received.

(2)(a) Except as provided in division (B)(2)(b) of this section, no school district board of education shall impose any restriction on the presentation of directory information that it has designated as subject to release in accordance with the "Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974," 88 Stat. 571, 20 U.S.C. 1232q, as amended, to representatives of the armed forces, business, industry, charitable institutions, other employers, and institutions of higher education unless such restriction is uniformly imposed on each of these types of representatives, except that if a student eighteen years of age or older or a student's parent, guardian, or custodian has informed the board that any or all such information should not be released without such person's prior written consent, the board shall not release that information without such person's prior written consent.

(b) The names and addresses of students in grades ten through twelve shall be released to a recruiting officer for any branch of the United States armed forces who requests such information, except that such data shall not be released if the student or student's parent, guardian, or custodian submits to the board a written request not to release such data. Any data received by a recruiting officer shall be used solely for the purpose of providing information to students regarding military service and shall not be released to any person other than individuals within the recruiting services of the armed forces.

(3) Except for directory information and except as provided in division (E), (G), or (H) of this section, information covered by this section that is released shall only be transferred to a third or subsequent party on the condition that such party will not permit any other party to have access to such information without written consent of the parent, guardian, or custodian, or of the student who is eighteen years of age or older.

(4) Except as otherwise provided in this section, any parent of a student may give the written parental consent required under this section. Where parents are separated or divorced, the written parental consent required under this section may be obtained from either parent, subject to any agreement between such parents or court order governing the rights of such parents. In the case of a student whose legal guardian is in an institution, a person independent of the institution who has no other conflicting interests in the case shall be appointed by the board of education of the school district in which the institution is located to give the written parental consent required under this section.

(5)(a) A parent of a student who is not the student's residential parent, upon request, shall be permitted access to any records or information concerning the student under the same terms and conditions under which access to the records or information is available to the residential parent of that student, provided that the access of the parent who is not the residential parent is subject to any agreement between the parents, to division (F) of this section, and, to the extent described in division (B)(5)(b) of this section, is subject to any court order issued pursuant to section 3109.051 of the Revised Code and any other court order governing the rights of the parents.

(b) If the residential parent of a student has presented the keeper of a record or information that is related to the student with a copy of an order issued under division (H)(1) of section 3109.051 of the Revised Code that limits the terms and conditions under which the parent who is not the residential parent of the student is to have access to records and information pertaining to the student or with a copy of any other court order governing the rights of the parents that so limits those terms and conditions, and if the order pertains to the record or information in question, the keeper of the record or information shall provide access to the parent who is not the residential parent only to the extent authorized in the order. If the residential parent has presented the keeper of the record or information with such an order, the keeper of the record shall permit the parent who is not the residential parent to have access to the record or information only in accordance with the most recent such order that has been presented to the keeper by the residential parent or the parent who is not the residential parent.

(C) Nothing in this section shall limit the administrative use of public school records by a person acting exclusively in the person's capacity as an employee of a board of education or of the state or any of its political subdivisions, any court, or the federal government, and nothing in this section shall prevent the transfer of a student's record to an educational institution for a legitimate educational purpose. However, except as provided in this section, public school records shall not be released or made available for any other purpose. Fingerprints, photographs, or records obtained pursuant to section 3313.96 or 3319.322 of the Revised Code, or pursuant to division (E) of this section, or any medical, psychological, guidance, counseling, or other information that is derived from the use of the fingerprints, photographs, or records, shall not be admissible as evidence against the minor who is the subject of the fingerprints, photographs, or records in any proceeding in any court. The provisions of this division regarding the administrative use of records by an employee of the state or any of its political subdivisions or of a court or the federal government shall be applicable only when the use of the information is required by a state statute adopted before November 19, 1974, or by federal law.

(D) A board of education may require, subject to division (E) of this section, a person seeking to obtain copies of public school records to pay the cost of reproduction and, in the case of data released under division (B)(2)(b) of this section, to pay for any mailing costs, which payment shall not exceed the actual cost to the school.

(E) A principal or chief administrative officer of a public school, or any employee of a public school who is authorized to handle school records, shall provide access to a student's records to a law enforcement officer who indicates that the officer is conducting an investigation and that the student is or may be a missing child, as defined in section 2901.30 of the Revised Code. Free copies of information in the student's record shall be provided, upon request, to the law enforcement officer, if prior approval is given by the student's parent, guardian, or legal custodian. Information obtained by the officer shall be used solely in the investigation of the case. The information may be used by law enforcement agency personnel in any manner that is appropriate in solving the case, including, but not limited to, providing the information to other law enforcement officers and agencies and to the bureau of criminal identification and investigation for purposes of computer integration pursuant to section 2901.30 of the Revised Code.

(F) No person shall release to a parent of a student who is not the student's residential parent or to any other person, or permit a parent of a student who is not the student's residential parent or permit any other person to have access to, any information about the location of any elementary or secondary school to which a student has transferred or information that would enable the parent who is not the student's residential parent or the other person to determine the location of that elementary or secondary school, if the elementary or secondary school to which the student has transferred and that requested the records of the student under section 3313.672 of the Revised Code informs the elementary or secondary school from which the student's records are obtained that the student is under the care of a shelter for victims of domestic violence, as defined in section 3113.33 of the Revised Code.

(G) A principal or chief administrative officer of a public school, or any employee of a public school who is authorized to handle school records, shall comply with any order issued pursuant to division (D)(1) of section 2151.14 of the Revised Code, any request for records that is properly made pursuant to division (D)(3)(a) of section 2151.14 or division (A) of section 2151.141 of the Revised Code, and any determination that is made by a court pursuant to division (D)(3)(b) of section 2151.14 or division (B)(1) of section 2151.141 of the Revised Code.

(H) Notwithstanding any provision of this section, a principal of a public school, to the extent permitted by the "Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974," shall make the report required in section 3319.45 of the Revised Code that a pupil committed any violation listed in division (A) of section 3313.662 of the Revised Code on property owned or controlled by, or at an activity held under the auspices of, the board of education, regardless of whether the pupil was sixteen years of age or older. The principal is not required to obtain the consent of the pupil who is the subject of the report or the consent of the pupil's parent, guardian, or custodian before making a report pursuant to section 3319.45 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 4123.88.  (A) No person shall orally or in writing, directly or indirectly, or through any agent or other person fraudulently hold the person's self out or represent the person's self or any of the person's partners or associates as authorized by a claimant or employer to take charge of, or represent the claimant or employer in respect of, any claim or matter in connection therewith before the bureau of workers' compensation or the industrial commission or its district or staff hearing officers. No person shall directly or indirectly solicit authority, or pay or give anything of value to another person to solicit authority, or accept or receive pay or anything of value from another person for soliciting authority, from a claimant or employer to take charge of, or represent the claimant or employer in respect of, any claim or appeal which is or may be filed with the bureau or commission. No person shall, without prior authority from the bureau, a member of the commission, the claimant, or the employer, examine or directly or indirectly cause or employ another person to examine any claim file or any other file pertaining thereto. No person shall forge an authorization for the purpose of examining or cause another person to examine any such file. No district or staff hearing officer or other employee of the bureau or commission, notwithstanding the provisions of section 4123.27 of the Revised Code, shall divulge any information in respect of any claim or appeal which is or may be filed with a district or staff hearing officer, the bureau, or commission to any person other than members of the commission or to the superior of the employee except upon authorization of the administrator of workers' compensation or a member of the commission or upon authorization of the claimant or employer.

(B) The records described or referred to in division (A) of this section are not public records as defined in division (A)(1) of section 149.43 of the Revised Code. Any information directly or indirectly identifying the address or telephone number of a claimant, regardless of whether the claimant's claim is active or closed, is not a public record. No person shall solicit or obtain any such information from any such employee without first having obtained an authorization therefor as provided in this section.

(C) Except as otherwise specified in division (D) of this section, information kept by the commission or the bureau pursuant to this section is for the exclusive use and information of the commission and the bureau in the discharge of their official duties, and shall not be open to the public nor be used in any court in any action or proceeding pending therein, unless the commission or the bureau is a party to the action or proceeding. The information, however, may be tabulated and published by the commission or the bureau in statistical form for the use and information of other state agencies and the public.

(D)(1) Upon receiving a written request made and signed by a journalist, the commission or the bureau shall disclose to the journalist the address or addresses and telephone number or numbers of claimants, regardless of whether their claims are active or closed, and the dependents of those claimants.

(2) A journalist is permitted to request the information described in division (D)(1) of this section for multiple workers or dependents in one written request.

(3) A journalist shall include all of the following in the written request:

(a) The journalist's name, title, and signature;

(b) The name and title of the journalist's employer;

(c) A statement that the disclosure of the information sought is in the public interest.

(4) Neither the commission nor the bureau may inquire as to the specific public interest served by the disclosure of information requested by a journalist under division (D) of this section.

(E) As used in this section, "journalist" has the same meaning as in division (B)(5)(9) of section 149.43 of the Revised Code.

SECTION 2. That existing sections 149.011, 149.31, 149.38, 149.39, 149.41, 149.42, 149.43, 321.46, 2923.129, 3319.321, and 4123.88 of the Revised Code are hereby repealed.

SECTION 3. That Section 1 of Sub. H.B. 101 of the 126th General Assembly be amended to read as follows:

Sec. 1. (A) There is hereby created the Local Government Public Notice Task Force consisting of the following twenty-two members:

(1) Two members of the House of Representatives, appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, with at least one member being appointed from a recommendation of the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives;

(2) Two members of the Senate, appointed by the President of the Senate, with at least one member being appointed from a recomendation recommendation of the Minority Leader of the Senate;

(3) One member representing the Governor's office, appointed by the Governor;

(4) One member representing municipal government, appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives from a list of names provided by the Ohio Municipal League;

(5) One member representing township government, appointed by the President of the Senate from a list of names provided by the Ohio Township Association;

(6) One member representing county government, appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives from a list of names provided by the County Commissioners' Association of Ohio;

(7) One member representing county recorders, one member representing prosecuting attorneys, one member representing sheriffs, one member representing county coroners, one member representing county engineers, one member representing county auditors, one member representing county treasurers, and one member representing clerks of the courts of common pleas. The members representing county recorders, prosecuting attorneys, sheriffs, and county coroners shall be appointed by the President of the Senate from a list of names provided by an organization representing those county officers. The members representing county engineers, county auditors, county treasurers, and clerks of the courts of common pleas shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives from a list of names provided by an organization representing those county officers.

(8) One member representing the Attorney General's office, appointed by the Attorney General;

(9) One member representing the Ohio Legal Daily Coalition, appointed by the Governor;

(10) One member representing a daily newspaper with a circulation of more than one hundred thousand, one member representing a daily newspaper with a circulation of twenty thousand to one hundred thousand, one member representing a daily newspaper with a circulation of under twenty thousand, and one member representing weekly newspapers, appointed by the Governor from a list of names provided by the Ohio Newspaper Association.

(B) Appointments to the Task Force shall be made not later than thirty days after the effective date of this act May 17, 2006. A member of the House of Representatives appointed by and designated by the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall be the chairperson of the Task Force, and a member of the Senate appointed by and designated by the President of the Senate shall serve as the vice-chairperson of the Task Force.

The members of the Task Force shall serve without compensation. The Task Force shall meet as often as necessary to carry out its official duties and responsibilities. The Legislative Service Commission shall provide staff assistance to the Task Force.

(C) The Task Force shall study the public notice requirements in the Revised Code for local governments and determine if the public notices are still needed and if there are other ways to fulfill those requirements, such as by the use of media or technology other than those currently mandated. The Task Force shall determine if any changes would enhance public availability and provide cost savings to local governments.

Not later than one year after the effective date of this act May 1, 2008, the Task Force shall prepare and submit a report of its findings and recommendations on whether or not to change local government public notice requirements to the Governor, the President and Minority Leader of the Senate, and the Speaker and Minority Leader of the House of Representatives. On submission of that report, the Task Force shall cease to exist.

(D) Sections 101.82 to 101.87 of the Revised Code do not apply to the Task Force.

SECTION 4. That existing Section 1 of Sub. H.B. 101 of the 126th General Assembly is hereby repealed.

SECTION 5. Sections 1 and 2 of this act take effect six months after the effective date of this act.

SECTION 6.  Section 149.43 of the Revised Code is presented in this act as a composite of the section as amended by Am. Sub. H.B. 303, Am. Sub. H.B. 431, and Sub. S.B. 222, all of the 125th General Assembly. The General Assembly, applying the principle stated in division (B) of section 1.52 of the Revised Code that amendments are to be harmonized if reasonably capable of simultaneous operation, finds that the composite is the resulting version of the section in effect prior to the effective date of this act.