To establish the Commission for the Future of Local Veterans Posts in Ohio to develop recommendations on local veterans posts' economic status, tax and regulatory issues, local economic and civic impact, state funding issues, and sustainability.

Section 1. (A) The Commission for the Future of Local Veterans Posts in Ohio shall develop recommendations for the successful and sustainable operation of local veterans posts in Ohio. In developing its recommendations, the commission shall analyze, but is not limited to analyzing only, the following:

(1) The economic status of local veterans posts throughout the state;

(2) Relevant tax and regulatory issues impacting local veterans posts in the state, and comparable tax and regulatory issues impacting local veterans posts in other states;

(3) Relevant tax and regulatory costs impacting local veterans posts in the state compared to support provided by the state and by its political subdivisions, and comparable relevant tax and regulatory costs impacting local veterans posts in other states compared to support provided by the other states and by their political subdivisions;

(4) The local economic and civic impact of local veterans posts in communities throughout the state;

(5) The existing relationship between state headquarters and local veterans posts and the impact that state funding support of statewide veterans organizations has on local veterans posts and services to veterans;

(6) The sustainability of local veterans posts in the state.

(B) There is a Commission for the Future of Local Veterans Posts in Ohio, consisting of nine members. The President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives each shall appoint one member from their respective houses who shall serve as co-chairpersons of the commission. The Minority Leader of the Senate and the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives each shall appoint one member from their respective houses. The President of the Senate shall appoint, upon recommendation of the organization, a representative of AMVETS of Ohio. The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall appoint, upon recommendation of the organization, a representative of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of Ohio. The Minority Leader of the Senate shall appoint a veteran who is a member of a local veterans post not otherwise represented on the commission. The Minority Leader of the House of Representatives shall appoint, upon recommendation of the organization, a representative of the American Legion of Ohio. The Director of Veterans Services is an ex officio member of the commission.

Initial appointments to the commission shall be made not later than September 1, 2009. Vacancies shall be filled in the manner provided for original appointments.

Members of the commission are not entitled to compensation for their services.

The commission shall conduct public meetings on the development of its recommendations, and in particular on the subjects it is required to analyze under division (A) of this section. The initial meeting of the commission shall be called by the co-chairpersons of the commission in October 2009.

(C) The commission shall report its recommendations and reasons supporting them to the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Minority Leader of the Senate, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, and the Governor not later than March 31, 2010. The commission ceases to exist upon submitting its recommendations.