To amend sections 119.03 and 3519.01 of the Revised Code to require the committee named in an initiative petition to file, at the time the petition is filed, a statement identifying the petitioner's intent in proposing the initiated statute or constitutional amendment and to permit the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review to recommend that a proposed rule be invalidated if the proposed rule conflicts with the petitioners' intent in adopting the statute or constitutional amendment on which the rule is based.

Section 1. That sections 119.03 and 3519.01 of the Revised Code be amended to read as follows:

Sec. 119.03.  In the adoption, amendment, or rescission of any rule, an agency shall comply with the following procedure:

(A) Reasonable public notice shall be given in the register of Ohio at least thirty days prior to the date set for a hearing, in the form the agency determines. The agency shall file copies of the public notice under division (B) of this section. (The agency gives public notice in the register of Ohio when the public notice is published in the register under that division.)

The public notice shall include:

(1) A statement of the agency's intention to consider adopting, amending, or rescinding a rule;

(2) A synopsis of the proposed rule, amendment, or rule to be rescinded or a general statement of the subject matter to which the proposed rule, amendment, or rescission relates;

(3) A statement of the reason or purpose for adopting, amending, or rescinding the rule;

(4) The date, time, and place of a hearing on the proposed action, which shall be not earlier than the thirty-first nor later than the fortieth day after the proposed rule, amendment, or rescission is filed under division (B) of this section.

In addition to public notice given in the register of Ohio, the agency may give whatever other notice it reasonably considers necessary to ensure notice constructively is given to all persons who are subject to or affected by the proposed rule, amendment, or rescission.

The agency shall provide a copy of the public notice required under division (A) of this section to any person who requests it and pays a reasonable fee, not to exceed the cost of copying and mailing.

(B) The full text of the proposed rule, amendment, or rule to be rescinded, accompanied by the public notice required under division (A) of this section, shall be filed in electronic form with the secretary of state and with the director of the legislative service commission. (If in compliance with this division an agency files more than one proposed rule, amendment, or rescission at the same time, and has prepared a public notice under division (A) of this section that applies to more than one of the proposed rules, amendments, or rescissions, the agency shall file only one notice with the secretary of state and with the director for all of the proposed rules, amendments, or rescissions to which the notice applies.) The proposed rule, amendment, or rescission and public notice shall be filed as required by this division at least sixty-five days prior to the date on which the agency, in accordance with division (D) of this section, issues an order adopting the proposed rule, amendment, or rescission.

If the proposed rule, amendment, or rescission incorporates a text or other material by reference, the agency shall comply with sections 121.71 to 121.76 of the Revised Code.

The proposed rule, amendment, or rescission shall be available for at least thirty days prior to the date of the hearing at the office of the agency in printed or other legible form without charge to any person affected by the proposal. Failure to furnish such text to any person requesting it shall not invalidate any action of the agency in connection therewith.

If the agency files a substantive revision in the text of the proposed rule, amendment, or rescission under division (H) of this section, it shall also promptly file the full text of the proposed rule, amendment, or rescission in its revised form in electronic form with the secretary of state and with the director of the legislative service commission.

The agency shall file the rule summary and fiscal analysis prepared under section 121.24 or 127.18 of the Revised Code, or both, in electronic form along with a proposed rule, amendment, or rescission or proposed rule, amendment, or rescission in revised form that is filed with the secretary of state or the director of the legislative service commission.

The director of the legislative service commission shall publish in the register of Ohio the full text of the original and each revised version of a proposed rule, amendment, or rescission; the full text of a public notice; and the full text of a rule summary and fiscal analysis that is filed with the director under this division.

(C) On the date and at the time and place designated in the notice, the agency shall conduct a public hearing at which any person affected by the proposed action of the agency may appear and be heard in person, by the person's attorney, or both, may present the person's position, arguments, or contentions, orally or in writing, offer and examine witnesses, and present evidence tending to show that the proposed rule, amendment, or rescission, if adopted or effectuated, will be unreasonable or unlawful. An agency may permit persons affected by the proposed rule, amendment, or rescission to present their positions, arguments, or contentions in writing, not only at the hearing, but also for a reasonable period before, after, or both before and after the hearing. A person who presents a position or arguments or contentions in writing before or after the hearing is not required to appear at the hearing.

At the hearing, the testimony shall be recorded. Such record shall be made at the expense of the agency. The agency is required to transcribe a record that is not sight readable only if a person requests transcription of all or part of the record and agrees to reimburse the agency for the costs of the transcription. An agency may require the person to pay in advance all or part of the cost of the transcription.

In any hearing under this section the agency may administer oaths or affirmations.

(D) After complying with divisions (A), (B), (C), and (H) of this section, and when the time for legislative review and invalidation under division (I) of this section has expired, the agency may issue an order adopting the proposed rule or the proposed amendment or rescission of the rule, consistent with the synopsis or general statement included in the public notice. At that time the agency shall designate the effective date of the rule, amendment, or rescission, which shall not be earlier than the tenth day after the rule, amendment, or rescission has been filed in its final form as provided in section 119.04 of the Revised Code.

(E) Prior to the effective date of a rule, amendment, or rescission, the agency shall make a reasonable effort to inform those affected by the rule, amendment, or rescission and to have available for distribution to those requesting it the full text of the rule as adopted or as amended.

(F) If the governor, upon the request of an agency, determines that an emergency requires the immediate adoption, amendment, or rescission of a rule, the governor shall issue an order, the text of which shall be filed in electronic form with the agency, the secretary of state, the director of the legislative service commission, and the joint committee on agency rule review, that the procedure prescribed by this section with respect to the adoption, amendment, or rescission of a specified rule is suspended. The agency may then adopt immediately the emergency rule, amendment, or rescission and it becomes effective on the date the rule, amendment, or rescission, in final form and in compliance with division (A)(2) of section 119.04 of the Revised Code, are is filed in electronic form with the secretary of state, the director of the legislative service commission, and the joint committee on agency rule review. If all filings are not completed on the same day, the emergency rule, amendment, or rescission shall be effective on the day on which the latest filing is completed. The director shall publish the full text of the emergency rule, amendment, or rescission in the register of Ohio.

The emergency rule, amendment, or rescission shall become invalid at the end of the ninetieth day it is in effect. Prior to that date the agency may adopt the emergency rule, amendment, or rescission as a nonemergency rule, amendment, or rescission by complying with the procedure prescribed by this section for the adoption, amendment, and rescission of nonemergency rules. The agency shall not use the procedure of this division to readopt the emergency rule, amendment, or rescission so that, upon the emergency rule, amendment, or rescission becoming invalid under this division, the emergency rule, amendment, or rescission will continue in effect without interruption for another ninety-day period, except when division (I)(2)(a) of this section prevents the agency from adopting the emergency rule, amendment, or rescission as a nonemergency rule, amendment, or rescission within the ninety-day period.

This division does not apply to the adoption of any emergency rule, amendment, or rescission by the tax commissioner under division (C)(2) of section 5117.02 of the Revised Code.

(G) Rules adopted by an authority within the department of job and family services for the administration or enforcement of Chapter 4141. of the Revised Code or of the department of taxation shall be effective without a hearing as provided by this section if the statutes pertaining to such agency specifically give a right of appeal to the board of tax appeals or to a higher authority within the agency or to a court, and also give the appellant a right to a hearing on such appeal. This division does not apply to the adoption of any rule, amendment, or rescission by the tax commissioner under division (C)(1) or (2) of section 5117.02 of the Revised Code, or deny the right to file an action for declaratory judgment as provided in Chapter 2721. of the Revised Code from the decision of the board of tax appeals or of the higher authority within such agency.

(H) When any agency files a proposed rule, amendment, or rescission under division (B) of this section, it shall also file in electronic form with the joint committee on agency rule review the full text of the proposed rule, amendment, or rule to be rescinded in the same form and the public notice required under division (A) of this section. (If in compliance with this division an agency files more than one proposed rule, amendment, or rescission at the same time, and has given a public notice under division (A) of this section that applies to more than one of the proposed rules, amendments, or rescissions, the agency shall file only one notice with the joint committee for all of the proposed rules, amendments, or rescissions to which the notice applies.) If the agency makes a substantive revision in a proposed rule, amendment, or rescission after it is filed with the joint committee, the agency shall promptly file the full text of the proposed rule, amendment, or rescission in its revised form in electronic form with the joint committee. The latest version of a proposed rule, amendment, or rescission as filed with the joint committee supersedes each earlier version of the text of the same proposed rule, amendment, or rescission. An agency shall file the rule summary and fiscal analysis prepared under section 121.24 or 127.18 of the Revised Code, or both, in electronic form along with a proposed rule, amendment, or rescission, and along with a proposed rule, amendment, or rescission in revised form, that is filed under this division.

This division does not apply to:

(1) An emergency rule, amendment, or rescission;

(2) Any proposed rule, amendment, or rescission that must be adopted verbatim by an agency pursuant to federal law or rule, to become effective within sixty days of adoption, in order to continue the operation of a federally reimbursed program in this state, so long as the proposed rule contains both of the following:

(a) A statement that it is proposed for the purpose of complying with a federal law or rule;

(b) A citation to the federal law or rule that requires verbatim compliance.

If a rule or amendment is exempt from legislative review under division (H)(2) of this section, and if the federal law or rule pursuant to which the rule or amendment was adopted expires, is repealed or rescinded, or otherwise terminates, the rule or amendment, or its rescission, is thereafter subject to legislative review under division (H) of this section.

(I)(1) The joint committee on agency rule review may recommend the adoption of a concurrent resolution invalidating a proposed rule, amendment, rescission, or part thereof if it finds any of the following:

(a) That the rule-making agency has exceeded the scope of its statutory authority in proposing the rule, amendment, or rescission;

(b) That the proposed rule, amendment, or rescission conflicts with another rule, amendment, or rescission adopted by the same or a different rule-making agency;

(c) That the proposed rule, amendment, or rescission conflicts with the legislative intent in enacting the statute under which the rule-making agency proposed the rule, amendment, or rescission, if the statute was enacted by the general assembly;

(d) , or, that the proposed rule, amendment, or rescission conflicts with the petitioners' intent in enacting the statute or constitutional amendment under which the rule-making agency proposed the rule, amendment, or rescission, if the statute or constitutional amendment was enacted by initiative under Section 1a or 1b of Article II of the Ohio Constitution;

(d) That the rule-making agency has failed to prepare a complete and accurate rule summary and fiscal analysis of the proposed rule, amendment, or rescission as required by section 121.24 or 127.18 of the Revised Code, or both, or that the proposed rule, amendment, or rescission incorporates a text or other material by reference and either the rule-making agency has failed to file the text or other material incorporated by reference as required by section 121.73 of the Revised Code or, in the case of a proposed rule or amendment, the incorporation by reference fails to meet the standards stated in section 121.72, 121.75, or 121.76 of the Revised Code.

The joint committee shall not hold its public hearing on a proposed rule, amendment, or rescission earlier than the forty-first day after the original version of the proposed rule, amendment, or rescission was filed with the joint committee.

The house of representatives and senate may adopt a concurrent resolution invalidating a proposed rule, amendment, rescission, or part thereof. The concurrent resolution shall state which of the specific rules, amendments, rescissions, or parts thereof are invalidated. A concurrent resolution invalidating a proposed rule, amendment, or rescission shall be adopted not later than the sixty-fifth day after the original version of the text of the proposed rule, amendment, or rescission is filed with the joint committee, except that if more than thirty-five days after the original version is filed the rule-making agency either files a revised version of the text of the proposed rule, amendment, or rescission, or revises the rule summary and fiscal analysis in accordance with division (I)(4) of this section, a concurrent resolution invalidating the proposed rule, amendment, or rescission shall be adopted not later than the thirtieth day after the revised version of the proposed rule or rule summary and fiscal analysis is filed. If, after the joint committee on agency rule review recommends the adoption of a concurrent resolution invalidating a proposed rule, amendment, rescission, or part thereof, the house of representatives or senate does not, within the time remaining for adoption of the concurrent resolution, hold five floor sessions at which its journal records a roll call vote disclosing a sufficient number of members in attendance to pass a bill, the time within which that house may adopt the concurrent resolution is extended until it has held five such floor sessions.

Within five days after the adoption of a concurrent resolution invalidating a proposed rule, amendment, rescission, or part thereof, the clerk of the senate shall send the rule-making agency, the secretary of state, and the director of the legislative service commission in electronic form a certified text of the resolution together with a certification stating the date on which the resolution takes effect. The secretary of state and the director of the legislative service commission shall each note the invalidity of the proposed rule, amendment, rescission, or part thereof, and shall each remove the invalid proposed rule, amendment, rescission, or part thereof from the file of proposed rules. The rule-making agency shall not proceed to adopt in accordance with division (D) of this section, or to file in accordance with division (B)(1) of section 111.15 of the Revised Code, any version of a proposed rule, amendment, rescission, or part thereof that has been invalidated by concurrent resolution.

Unless the house of representatives and senate adopt a concurrent resolution invalidating a proposed rule, amendment, rescission, or part thereof within the time specified by this division, the rule-making agency may proceed to adopt in accordance with division (D) of this section, or to file in accordance with division (B)(1) of section 111.15 of the Revised Code, the latest version of the proposed rule, amendment, or rescission as filed with the joint committee. If by concurrent resolution certain of the rules, amendments, rescissions, or parts thereof are specifically invalidated, the rule-making agency may proceed to adopt, in accordance with division (D) of this section, or to file in accordance with division (B)(1) of section 111.15 of the Revised Code, the latest version of the proposed rules, amendments, rescissions, or parts thereof as filed with the joint committee that are not specifically invalidated. The rule-making agency may not revise or amend any proposed rule, amendment, rescission, or part thereof that has not been invalidated except as provided in this chapter or in section 111.15 of the Revised Code.

(2)(a) A proposed rule, amendment, or rescission that is filed with the joint committee under division (H) of this section or division (D) of section 111.15 of the Revised Code shall be carried over for legislative review to the next succeeding regular session of the general assembly if the original or any revised version of the proposed rule, amendment, or rescission is filed with the joint committee on or after the first day of December of any year.

(b) The latest version of any proposed rule, amendment, or rescission that is subject to division (I)(2)(a) of this section, as filed with the joint committee, is subject to legislative review and invalidation in the next succeeding regular session of the general assembly in the same manner as if it were the original version of a proposed rule, amendment, or rescission that had been filed with the joint committee for the first time on the first day of the session. A rule-making agency shall not adopt in accordance with division (D) of this section, or file in accordance with division (B)(1) of section 111.15 of the Revised Code, any version of a proposed rule, amendment, or rescission that is subject to division (I)(2)(a) of this section until the time for legislative review and invalidation, as contemplated by division (I)(2)(b) of this section, has expired.

(3) Invalidation of any version of a proposed rule, amendment, rescission, or part thereof by concurrent resolution shall prevent the rule-making agency from instituting or continuing proceedings to adopt any version of the same proposed rule, amendment, rescission, or part thereof for the duration of the general assembly that invalidated the proposed rule, amendment, rescission, or part thereof unless the same general assembly adopts a concurrent resolution permitting the rule-making agency to institute or continue such proceedings.

The failure of the general assembly to invalidate a proposed rule, amendment, rescission, or part thereof under this section shall not be construed as a ratification of the lawfulness or reasonableness of the proposed rule, amendment, rescission, or any part thereof or of the validity of the procedure by which the proposed rule, amendment, rescission, or any part thereof was proposed or adopted.

(4) In lieu of recommending a concurrent resolution to invalidate a proposed rule, amendment, rescission, or part thereof because the rule-making agency has failed to prepare a complete and accurate fiscal analysis, the joint committee on agency rule review may issue, on a one-time basis, for rules, amendments, rescissions, or parts thereof that have a fiscal effect on school districts, counties, townships, or municipal corporations, a finding that the rule summary and fiscal analysis is incomplete or inaccurate and order the rule-making agency to revise the rule summary and fiscal analysis and refile it with the proposed rule, amendment, rescission, or part thereof. If an emergency rule is filed as a nonemergency rule before the end of the ninetieth day of the emergency rule's effectiveness, and the joint committee issues a finding and orders the rule-making agency to refile under division (I)(4) of this section, the governor may also issue an order stating that the emergency rule shall remain in effect for an additional sixty days after the ninetieth day of the emergency rule's effectiveness. The governor's orders shall be filed in accordance with division (F) of this section. The joint committee shall send in electronic form to the rule-making agency, the secretary of state, and the director of the legislative service commission a certified text of the finding and order to revise the rule summary and fiscal analysis, which shall take immediate effect.

An order issued under division (I)(4) of this section shall prevent the rule-making agency from instituting or continuing proceedings to adopt any version of the proposed rule, amendment, rescission, or part thereof until the rule-making agency revises the rule summary and fiscal analysis and refiles it in electronic form with the joint committee along with the proposed rule, amendment, rescission, or part thereof. If the joint committee finds the rule summary and fiscal analysis to be complete and accurate, the joint committee shall issue a new order noting that the rule-making agency has revised and refiled a complete and accurate rule summary and fiscal analysis. The joint committee shall send in electronic form to the rule-making agency, the secretary of state, and the director of the legislative service commission a certified text of this new order. The secretary of state and the director of the legislative service commission shall each link this order to the proposed rule, amendment, rescission, or part thereof. The rule-making agency may then proceed to adopt in accordance with division (D) of this section, or to file in accordance with division (B)(1) of section 111.15 of the Revised Code, the proposed rule, amendment, rescission, or part thereof that was subject to the finding and order under division (I)(4) of this section. If the joint committee determines that the revised rule summary and fiscal analysis is still inaccurate or incomplete, the joint committee shall recommend the adoption of a concurrent resolution in accordance with division (I)(1) of this section.

(J) As used in this section, "petitioners' intent" means the intent of a majority of the members the committee established in section 3519.02 of the Revised Code to represent the petitioners for the applicable initiated statute or constitutional amendment as expressed in the statement of intent filed under section 3519.01 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 3519.01.  (A) Only one proposal of law or constitutional amendment to be proposed by initiative petition shall be contained in an initiative petition to enable the voters to vote on that proposal separately. A petition shall include the text of any existing statute or constitutional provision that would be amended or repealed if the proposed law or constitutional amendment is adopted.

Whoever seeks to propose a law or constitutional amendment by initiative petition shall, by a written petition signed by one thousand qualified electors, submit the proposed law or constitutional amendment and a summary of it to the attorney general for examination. Within The petitioners also shall submit with the proposed law or constitutional amendment and summary a statement of intent that specifies the intent of a majority of the members of the committee named in the submitted petition.

Within ten days after the receipt of the written petition and the summary of it, the attorney general shall conduct an examination of the summary. If, in the opinion of the attorney general, the summary is a fair and truthful statement of the proposed law or constitutional amendment, the attorney general shall so certify and then forward the submitted petition to the Ohio ballot board for its approval under division (A) of section 3505.062 of the Revised Code. If the Ohio ballot board returns the submitted petition to the attorney general with its certification as described in that division, the attorney general shall then file with the secretary of state a verified copy of the proposed law or constitutional amendment together with, its summary and, the attorney general's certification , and the statement of intent filed by the petitioners.

Whenever the Ohio ballot board divides an initiative petition into individual petitions containing only proposed law or constitutional amendment under division (A) of section 3505.062 of the Revised Code resulting in the need for the petitioners to resubmit to the attorney general appropriate summaries for each of the individual petitions arising from the board's division of the initiative petition, the attorney general shall review the resubmitted summaries, within ten days after their receipt, to determine if they are a fair and truthful statement of the respective proposed laws or constitutional amendments and, if so, certify them. These resubmissions shall contain no new explanations or arguments but may contain separate statements of intent for each divided petition. Then, the attorney general shall file with the secretary of state a verified copy of each of the proposed laws or constitutional amendments together with, their respective summaries and, the attorney general's certification of each , and the statements of intent filed by the petitioners.

(B)(1) Whoever seeks to file a referendum petition against any law, section, or item in any law shall, by a written petition signed by one thousand qualified electors, submit the measure to be referred and a summary of it to the secretary of state and, on the same day or within one business day before or after that day, submit a copy of the petition, measure, and summary to the attorney general.

(2) Not later than ten business days after receiving the petition, measure, and summary, the secretary of state shall do both of the following:

(a) Have the validity of the signatures on the petition verified;

(b) After comparing the text of the measure to be referred with the copy of the enrolled act on file in the secretary of state's office containing the law, section, or item of law, determine whether the text is correct and, if it is, so certify.

(3) Not later than ten business days after receiving a copy of the petition, measure, and summary, the attorney general shall examine the summary and, if in the attorney general's opinion, the summary is a fair and truthful statement of the measure to be referred, so certify.

(C) Any person who is aggrieved by a certification decision under division (A) or (B) of this section may challenge the certification or failure to certify of the attorney general in the supreme court, which shall have exclusive, original jurisdiction in all challenges of those certification decisions.

Section 2.  That existing sections 119.03 and 3519.01 of the Revised Code are hereby repealed.