130th Ohio General Assembly
The online versions of legislation provided on this website are not official. Enrolled bills are the final version passed by the Ohio General Assembly and presented to the Governor for signature. The official version of acts signed by the Governor are available from the Secretary of State's Office in the Continental Plaza, 180 East Broad St., Columbus.

Sub. H. B. No. 16  As Reported by the Senate Insurance, Commerce and Labor Committee
As Reported by the Senate Insurance, Commerce and Labor Committee

128th General Assembly
Regular Session
2009-2010
Sub. H. B. No. 16


Representative Sykes 

Cosponsors: Representatives Dodd, Letson, Dyer, Phillips, Bolon, Brown, Combs, Domenick, Foley, Gerberry, Goyal, Harris, Heard, Koziura, Luckie, Mallory, Moran, Pryor, Slesnick, Stewart, Szollosi, Weddington, Williams, B., Williams, S., Winburn, Yates, Yuko 



A BILL
To amend sections 2305.24, 2305.25, 4121.04, and 4123.511 of the Revised Code to make changes to the Industrial Commission Law, to make appropriations for the Industrial Commission for the biennium beginning July 1, 2009, and ending June 30, 2011, and to provide authorization and conditions for the operation of Commission programs.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:
Section 101. That sections 2305.24, 2305.25, 4121.04, and 4123.511 of the Revised Code be amended to read as follows:
Sec. 2305.24.  Any information, data, reports, or records made available to a quality assurance committee or utilization committee of a hospital or long-term care facility or of any not-for-profit health care corporation that is a member of the hospital or long-term care facility or of which the hospital or long-term care facility is a member are confidential and shall be used by the committee and the committee members only in the exercise of the proper functions of the committee. Any information, data, reports, or records made available to a utilization committee of a state or local medical society composed of doctors of medicine or doctors of osteopathic medicine are confidential and shall be used by the committee and the committee members only in the exercise of the proper functions of the committee. A right of action similar to that a patient may have against an attending physician for misuse of information, data, reports, or records arising out of the physician-patient relationship shall accrue against a member of a quality assurance committee or utilization committee for misuse of any information, data, reports, or records furnished to the committee by an attending physician. No physician, institution, hospital, or long-term care facility furnishing information, data, reports, or records to a committee with respect to any patient examined or treated by the physician or confined in the institution, hospital, or long-term care facility shall, by reason of the furnishing, be deemed liable in damages to any person, or be held to answer for betrayal of a professional confidence within the meaning and intent of section 4731.22 of the Revised Code. Information, data, or reports furnished to a utilization committee of a state or local medical society shall contain no name of any person involved therein.
Any information, data, reports, or records made available to a quality assurance committee of the bureau of workers' compensation or the industrial commission that is responsible for reviewing the professional qualifications and the performance of providers conducting medical examinations or file reviews for the bureau or the commission are confidential and shall be used by the committee and the committee members only in the exercise of the proper functions of the committee.
As used in this section, "utilization committee" is the committee established to administer a utilization review plan of a hospital, of a not-for-profit health care corporation which is a member of the hospital or of which the hospital is a member, or of a skilled nursing facility as provided in the "Health Insurance for the Aged Act," 79 Stat. 313 (1965), 42 U.S.C. 1395x(k).
Sec. 2305.25. As used in this section and sections 2305.251 to 2305.253 of the Revised Code:
(A)(1) "Health care entity" means an entity, whether acting on its own behalf or on behalf of or in affiliation with other health care entities, that conducts as part of its regular business activities professional credentialing or quality review activities involving the competence of, professional conduct of, or quality of care provided by health care providers, including both individuals who provide health care and entities that provide health care.
(2) "Health care entity" includes any entity described in division (A)(1) of this section, regardless of whether it is a government entity; for-profit or nonprofit corporation; limited liability company; partnership; professional corporation; state or local society composed of physicians, dentists, optometrists, psychologists, or pharmacists; or other health care organization.
(B) "Health insuring corporation" means an entity that holds a certificate of authority under Chapter 1751. of the Revised Code. "Health insuring corporation" includes wholly owned subsidiaries of a health insuring corporation.
(C) "Hospital" means either of the following:
(1) An institution that has been registered or licensed by the department of health as a hospital;
(2) An entity, other than an insurance company authorized to do business in this state, that owns, controls, or is affiliated with an institution that has been registered or licensed by the department of health as a hospital.
(D) "Incident report or risk management report" means a report of an incident involving injury or potential injury to a patient as a result of patient care provided by health care providers, including both individuals who provide health care and entities that provide health care, that is prepared by or for the use of a peer review committee of a health care entity and is within the scope of the functions of that committee.
(E)(1) "Peer review committee" means a utilization review committee, quality assessment committee, performance improvement committee, tissue committee, credentialing committee, or other committee that does either of the following:
(a) Conducts professional credentialing or quality review activities involving the competence of, professional conduct of, or quality of care provided by health care providers, including both individuals who provide health care and entities that provide health care;
(b) Conducts any other attendant hearing process initiated as a result of a peer review committee's recommendations or actions.
(2) "Peer review committee" includes all of the following:
(a) A peer review committee of a hospital or long-term care facility or a peer review committee of a nonprofit health care corporation that is a member of the hospital or long-term care facility or of which the hospital or facility is a member;
(b) A peer review committee of a community mental health center;
(c) A board or committee of a hospital, a long-term care facility, or other health care entity when reviewing professional qualifications or activities of health care providers, including both individuals who provide health care and entities that provide health care;
(d) A peer review committee, professional standards review committee, or arbitration committee of a state or local society composed of members who are in active practice as physicians, dentists, optometrists, psychologists, or pharmacists;
(e) A peer review committee of a health insuring corporation that has at least a two-thirds majority of member physicians in active practice and that conducts professional credentialing and quality review activities involving the competence or professional conduct of health care providers that adversely affects or could adversely affect the health or welfare of any patient;
(f) A peer review committee of a health insuring corporation that has at least a two-thirds majority of member physicians in active practice and that conducts professional credentialing and quality review activities involving the competence or professional conduct of a health care facility that has contracted with the health insuring corporation to provide health care services to enrollees, which conduct adversely affects, or could adversely affect, the health or welfare of any patient;
(g) A peer review committee of a sickness and accident insurer that has at least a two-thirds majority of physicians in active practice and that conducts professional credentialing and quality review activities involving the competence or professional conduct of health care providers that adversely affects or could adversely affect the health or welfare of any patient;
(h) A peer review committee of a sickness and accident insurer that has at least a two-thirds majority of physicians in active practice and that conducts professional credentialing and quality review activities involving the competence or professional conduct of a health care facility that has contracted with the insurer to provide health care services to insureds, which conduct adversely affects, or could adversely affect, the health or welfare of any patient;
(i) A peer review committee of any insurer authorized under Title XXXIX of the Revised Code to do the business of medical professional liability insurance in this state that conducts professional quality review activities involving the competence or professional conduct of health care providers that adversely affects or could affect the health or welfare of any patient;
(j) A peer review committee of the bureau of workers' compensation or the industrial commission that is responsible for reviewing the professional qualifications and the performance of providers conducting medical examinations or file reviews for the bureau or the commission;
(k) Any other peer review committee of a health care entity.
(F) "Physician" means an individual authorized to practice medicine and surgery, osteopathic medicine and surgery, or podiatric medicine and surgery.
(G) "Sickness and accident insurer" means an entity authorized under Title XXXIX of the Revised Code to do the business of sickness and accident insurance in this state.
(H) "Tort action" means a civil action for damages for injury, death, or loss to a patient of a health care entity. "Tort action" includes a product liability claim, as defined in section 2307.71 of the Revised Code, and an asbestos claim, as defined in section 2307.91 of the Revised Code, but does not include a civil action for a breach of contract or another agreement between persons.
Sec. 4121.04.  (A) There is hereby created the industrial commission nominating council consisting of four five employer representatives and, four labor representatives, one representative from the Ohio association for justice, and two members of the public, each of a different political party, who are appointed by the governor. The nominating council shall make recommendations to the governor for the appointment of members to the industrial commission as provided in section 4121.02 of the Revised Code.
(B) The governor shall make initial appointments to the nominating council within fourteen days after October 20, 1993, by appointing two persons, each of a different political party, as public representatives and the four employer and four employee representatives. In making the appointments, the governor shall select the members representing employees from a list of eight names submitted by the Ohio federation of labor, the member representing the Ohio association for justice from a list of two names submitted by the Ohio association of justice, and the members representing employers from a list of eight ten names submitted jointly by the major statewide Ohio industry organizations representing self-insuring employers, manufacturers, retail merchants, and chambers of commerce, provided that such organizations have been in existence since prior to November 3, 1974, and further provided that from the list submitted from the organizations representing industry, the. The governor shall appoint at least one member from each of the Ohio industry organizations which represent self-insuring employers, manufacturers, retail merchants, and chambers of commerce. Of the list submitted by the Ohio industry organizations representing industry, two individuals from each of the Ohio industry organizations which represent self-insuring employers, manufacturers, retail merchants, and chambers of commerce shall be included in the list. One employer and employee representative shall serve an initial term of office ending October 20, 1994, one employer and one employee representative shall serve an initial term of office ending October 20, 1995, one employer and one employee representative shall serve an initial term of office ending October 20, 1996, and one employer and one employee representative shall serve an initial term of office ending four years after the effective date of this section. Thereafter, terms Terms of office of employer and employee representatives are for four years, each term ending on the same day as the date of their original appointment. The Ohio federation of labor for a vacancy of an employee representative on the council, and the Ohio industry organizations, for a vacancy of an employer representative on the council, shall submit to the governor a list containing two names for appointment and the governor shall appoint an individual from the list to fill the vacancy provided that the list submitted to fill an industry representative vacancy shall contain the names of individuals who represent the organizations for which a vacancy has occurred. One public member shall represent the interests of small business and shall serve an initial term of office ending October 20, 1994, and the remaining public member shall serve a term of office ending October 20, 1995. Thereafter, public Public members shall serve for a term of two years, each term ending on the same day as the date of their original appointment. The governor shall fill a vacancy occurring on the nominating council for a public member in the same manner as for the original appointment but only for the unexpired part of the term. As used in this division, "small business" means any manufacturing establishment employing five hundred or fewer employees or any retail, or other service establishment employing one hundred or fewer employees. The representative from the Ohio association for justice shall serve for a term of four years, each term ending on the twentieth day of October of the appropriate year. The governor shall fill a vacancy occurring on the nominating council for the representative from the Ohio association for justice in the same manner as the original appointment. In the event that an appointment to the council does not conform to this division, such organizations may challenge the appointment pursuant to division (E) of this section, provided that the industry organizations only may challenge the appointment of an industry representative, and further provided that the labor organization only may challenge the appointment of a labor representative.
(C) At the time of the initial appointment of the members to the nominating council, the governor shall immediately call a meeting of the nominating council in order to make the initial recommendations to the governor for the appointment of industrial commission members under section 4121.02 of the Revised Code. At that meeting, the members shall elect a chairperson and such other officers as it determines necessary. Thereafter, the The nominating council annually shall meet and elect such officers as it determines appropriate and shall meet at such other times as it determines appropriate in order to make recommendations to the governor for the appointment of industrial commission members pursuant to section 4121.02 of the Revised Code.
(D) Members of the nominating council shall be paid fifty dollars per day and their actual and necessary expenses while engaged in the performance of their duties as members of the nominating council, which the industrial commission shall pay from funds which the industrial commission uses to pay its operating expenses.
(E) An association generally recognized as representing the interests of labor or industry may file, within fifteen days after the governor's appointment of a member, a challenge in the common pleas court of Franklin county asserting that a representative named to represent its interests is not representative of the interests the appointee has been appointed to represent. An appointee whose appointment has been challenged shall not receive any pay nor serve on the nominating council until the court, acting without a jury and following the expedited timetable provided for hearing on restraining orders in Civil Rule 65, makes a determination that the appointee is a true and qualified representative of the group for which the appointee is selected and possesses all of the qualifications.
A challenged appointee may request the attorney general to represent the appointee in an action brought under this division and the attorney general shall provide the appointee with competent representation without charge.
(F) As used in this section, "Ohio industry organizations" means all of the following organizations:
(1) The Ohio self-insurers' association;
(2) The Ohio manufacturers' association;
(3) The Ohio council of retail merchants;
(4) The Ohio chamber of commerce;
(5) The national federation of independent business.
Sec. 4123.511.  (A) Within seven days after receipt of any claim under this chapter, the bureau of workers' compensation shall notify the claimant and the employer of the claimant of the receipt of the claim and of the facts alleged therein. If the bureau receives from a person other than the claimant written or facsimile information or information communicated verbally over the telephone indicating that an injury or occupational disease has occurred or been contracted which may be compensable under this chapter, the bureau shall notify the employee and the employer of the information. If the information is provided verbally over the telephone, the person providing the information shall provide written verification of the information to the bureau according to division (E) of section 4123.84 of the Revised Code. The receipt of the information in writing or facsimile, or if initially by telephone, the subsequent written verification, and the notice by the bureau shall be considered an application for compensation under section 4123.84 or 4123.85 of the Revised Code, provided that the conditions of division (E) of section 4123.84 of the Revised Code apply to information provided verbally over the telephone. Upon receipt of a claim, the bureau shall advise the claimant of the claim number assigned and the claimant's right to representation in the processing of a claim or to elect no representation. If the bureau determines that a claim is determined to be a compensable lost-time claim, the bureau shall notify the claimant and the employer of the availability of rehabilitation services. No bureau or industrial commission employee shall directly or indirectly convey any information in derogation of this right. This section shall in no way abrogate the bureau's responsibility to aid and assist a claimant in the filing of a claim and to advise the claimant of the claimant's rights under the law.
The administrator of workers' compensation shall assign all claims and investigations to the bureau service office from which investigation and determination may be made most expeditiously.
The bureau shall investigate the facts concerning an injury or occupational disease and ascertain such facts in whatever manner is most appropriate and may obtain statements of the employee, employer, attending physician, and witnesses in whatever manner is most appropriate.
The administrator, with the advice and consent of the bureau of workers' compensation board of directors, may adopt rules that identify specified medical conditions that have a historical record of being allowed whenever included in a claim. The administrator may grant immediate allowance of any medical condition identified in those rules upon the filing of a claim involving that medical condition and may make immediate payment of medical bills for any medical condition identified in those rules that is included in a claim. If an employer contests the allowance of a claim involving any medical condition identified in those rules, and the claim is disallowed, payment for the medical condition included in that claim shall be charged to and paid from the surplus fund created under section 4123.34 of the Revised Code.
(B)(1) Except as provided in division (B)(2) of this section, in claims other than those in which the employer is a self-insuring employer, if the administrator determines under division (A) of this section that a claimant is or is not entitled to an award of compensation or benefits, the administrator shall issue an order no later than twenty-eight days after the sending of the notice under division (A) of this section, granting or denying the payment of the compensation or benefits, or both as is appropriate to the claimant. Notwithstanding the time limitation specified in this division for the issuance of an order, if a medical examination of the claimant is required by statute, the administrator promptly shall schedule the claimant for that examination and shall issue an order no later than twenty-eight days after receipt of the report of the examination. The administrator shall notify the claimant and the employer of the claimant and their respective representatives in writing of the nature of the order and the amounts of compensation and benefit payments involved. The employer or claimant may appeal the order pursuant to division (C) of this section within fourteen days after the date of the receipt of the order. The employer and claimant may waive, in writing, their rights to an appeal under this division.
(2) Notwithstanding the time limitation specified in division (B)(1) of this section for the issuance of an order, if the employer certifies a claim for payment of compensation or benefits, or both, to a claimant, and the administrator has completed the investigation of the claim, the payment of benefits or compensation, or both, as is appropriate, shall commence upon the later of the date of the certification or completion of the investigation and issuance of the order by the administrator, provided that the administrator shall issue the order no later than the time limitation specified in division (B)(1) of this section.
(3) If an appeal is made under division (B)(1) or (2) of this section, the administrator shall forward the claim file to the appropriate district hearing officer within seven days of the appeal. In contested claims other than state fund claims, the administrator shall forward the claim within seven days of the administrator's receipt of the claim to the industrial commission, which shall refer the claim to an appropriate district hearing officer for a hearing in accordance with division (C) of this section.
(C) If an employer or claimant timely appeals the order of the administrator issued under division (B) of this section or in the case of other contested claims other than state fund claims, the commission shall refer the claim to an appropriate district hearing officer according to rules the commission adopts under section 4121.36 of the Revised Code. The district hearing officer shall notify the parties and their respective representatives of the time and place of the hearing.
The district hearing officer shall hold a hearing on a disputed issue or claim within forty-five days after the filing of the appeal under this division and issue a decision within seven days after holding the hearing. The district hearing officer shall notify the parties and their respective representatives in writing of the order. Any party may appeal an order issued under this division pursuant to division (D) of this section within fourteen days after receipt of the order under this division.
(D) Upon the timely filing of an appeal of the order of the district hearing officer issued under division (C) of this section, the commission shall refer the claim file to an appropriate staff hearing officer according to its rules adopted under section 4121.36 of the Revised Code. The staff hearing officer shall hold a hearing within forty-five days after the filing of an appeal under this division and issue a decision within seven days after holding the hearing under this division. The staff hearing officer shall notify the parties and their respective representatives in writing of the staff hearing officer's order. Any party may appeal an order issued under this division pursuant to division (E) of this section within fourteen days after receipt of the order under this division.
(E) Upon the filing of a timely appeal of the order of the staff hearing officer issued under division (D) of this section, the commission or a designated staff hearing officer, on behalf of the commission, shall determine whether the commission will hear the appeal. If the commission or the designated staff hearing officer decides to hear the appeal, the commission or the designated staff hearing officer shall notify the parties and their respective representatives in writing of the time and place of the hearing. The commission shall hold the hearing within forty-five days after the filing of the notice of appeal and, within seven days after the conclusion of the hearing, the commission shall issue its order affirming, modifying, or reversing the order issued under division (D) of this section. The commission shall notify the parties and their respective representatives in writing of the order. If the commission or the designated staff hearing officer determines not to hear the appeal, within fourteen days after the filing of the notice of appeal expiration of the period in which an appeal of the order of the staff hearing officer may be filed as provided in division (D) of this section, the commission or the designated staff hearing officer shall issue an order to that effect and notify the parties and their respective representatives in writing of that order.
Except as otherwise provided in this chapter and Chapters 4121., 4127., and 4131. of the Revised Code, any party may appeal an order issued under this division to the court pursuant to section 4123.512 of the Revised Code within sixty days after receipt of the order, subject to the limitations contained in that section.
(F) Every notice of an appeal from an order issued under divisions (B), (C), (D), and (E) of this section shall state the names of the claimant and employer, the number of the claim, the date of the decision appealed from, and the fact that the appellant appeals therefrom.
(G) All of the following apply to the proceedings under divisions (C), (D), and (E) of this section:
(1) The parties shall proceed promptly and without continuances except for good cause;
(2) The parties, in good faith, shall engage in the free exchange of information relevant to the claim prior to the conduct of a hearing according to the rules the commission adopts under section 4121.36 of the Revised Code;
(3) The administrator is a party and may appear and participate at all administrative proceedings on behalf of the state insurance fund. However, in cases in which the employer is represented, the administrator shall neither present arguments nor introduce testimony that is cumulative to that presented or introduced by the employer or the employer's representative. The administrator may file an appeal under this section on behalf of the state insurance fund; however, except in cases arising under section 4123.343 of the Revised Code, the administrator only may appeal questions of law or issues of fraud when the employer appears in person or by representative.
(H) Except as provided in section 4121.63 of the Revised Code and division (K) of this section, payments of compensation to a claimant or on behalf of a claimant as a result of any order issued under this chapter shall commence upon the earlier of the following:
(1) Fourteen days after the date the administrator issues an order under division (B) of this section, unless that order is appealed;
(2) The date when the employer has waived the right to appeal a decision issued under division (B) of this section;
(3) If no appeal of an order has been filed under this section or to a court under section 4123.512 of the Revised Code, the expiration of the time limitations for the filing of an appeal of an order;
(4) The date of receipt by the employer of an order of a district hearing officer, a staff hearing officer, or the industrial commission issued under division (C), (D), or (E) of this section.
(I) Payments of medical benefits payable under this chapter or Chapter 4121., 4127., or 4131. of the Revised Code shall commence upon the earlier of the following:
(1) The date of the issuance of the staff hearing officer's order under division (D) of this section;
(2) The date of the final administrative or judicial determination.
(J) The administrator shall charge the compensation payments made in accordance with division (H) of this section or medical benefits payments made in accordance with division (I) of this section to an employer's experience immediately after the employer has exhausted the employer's administrative appeals as provided in this section or has waived the employer's right to an administrative appeal under division (B) of this section, subject to the adjustment specified in division (H) of section 4123.512 of the Revised Code.
(K) Upon the final administrative or judicial determination under this section or section 4123.512 of the Revised Code of an appeal of an order to pay compensation, if a claimant is found to have received compensation pursuant to a prior order which is reversed upon subsequent appeal, the claimant's employer, if a self-insuring employer, or the bureau, shall withhold from any amount to which the claimant becomes entitled pursuant to any claim, past, present, or future, under Chapter 4121., 4123., 4127., or 4131. of the Revised Code, the amount of previously paid compensation to the claimant which, due to reversal upon appeal, the claimant is not entitled, pursuant to the following criteria:
(1) No withholding for the first twelve weeks of temporary total disability compensation pursuant to section 4123.56 of the Revised Code shall be made;
(2) Forty per cent of all awards of compensation paid pursuant to sections 4123.56 and 4123.57 of the Revised Code, until the amount overpaid is refunded;
(3) Twenty-five per cent of any compensation paid pursuant to section 4123.58 of the Revised Code until the amount overpaid is refunded;
(4) If, pursuant to an appeal under section 4123.512 of the Revised Code, the court of appeals or the supreme court reverses the allowance of the claim, then no amount of any compensation will be withheld.
The administrator and self-insuring employers, as appropriate, are subject to the repayment schedule of this division only with respect to an order to pay compensation that was properly paid under a previous order, but which is subsequently reversed upon an administrative or judicial appeal. The administrator and self-insuring employers are not subject to, but may utilize, the repayment schedule of this division, or any other lawful means, to collect payment of compensation made to a person who was not entitled to the compensation due to fraud as determined by the administrator or the industrial commission.
(L) If a staff hearing officer or the commission fails to issue a decision or the commission fails to refuse to hear an appeal within the time periods required by this section, payments to a claimant shall cease until the staff hearing officer or commission issues a decision or hears the appeal, unless the failure was due to the fault or neglect of the employer or the employer agrees that the payments should continue for a longer period of time.
(M) Except as otherwise provided in this section or section 4123.522 of the Revised Code, no appeal is timely filed under this section unless the appeal is filed with the time limits set forth in this section.
(N) No person who is not an employee of the bureau or commission or who is not by law given access to the contents of a claims file shall have a file in the person's possession.
(O) Upon application of a party who resides in an area in which an emergency or disaster is declared, the industrial commission and hearing officers of the commission may waive the time frame within which claims and appeals of claims set forth in this section must be filed upon a finding that the applicant was unable to comply with a filing deadline due to an emergency or a disaster.
As used in this division:
(1) "Emergency" means any occasion or instance for which the governor of Ohio or the president of the United States publicly declares an emergency and orders state or federal assistance to save lives and protect property, the public health and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe.
(2) "Disaster" means any natural catastrophe or fire, flood, or explosion, regardless of the cause, that causes damage of sufficient magnitude that the governor of Ohio or the president of the United States, through a public declaration, orders state or federal assistance to alleviate damage, loss, hardship, or suffering that results from the occurrence.
Section 102. That existing sections 2305.24, 2305.25, 4121.04, and 4123.511 of the Revised Code are hereby repealed.
Section 201. All items in this section are hereby appropriated out of any moneys in the state treasury to the credit of the designated fund. For all appropriations made in this section, those in the first column are for fiscal year 2010, and those in the second column are for fiscal year 2011.
Appropriations

FND AI AI TITLE FY 2010 FY 2011

OIC INDUSTRIAL COMMISSION
Workers' Compensation Fund Group
5W30 845321 Operating Expenses $ 50,838,924 $ 52,838,924
5W30 845402 Rent - William Green Building $ 6,149,960 $ 6,011,960
5W30 845410 Attorney General Payments $ 3,793,650 $ 3,793,650
TOTAL WCF Workers' Compensation
Fund Group $ 60,782,534 $ 62,644,534
TOTAL ALL BUDGET FUND GROUPS $ 60,782,534 $ 62,644,534

RENT - WILLIAM GREEN BUILDING
The foregoing appropriation item 845402, Rent - William Green Building, shall be used for rent and operating expenses for the space occupied by the Industrial Commission in the William Green Building.
Section 210. Nothing in this act shall affect the term of any member of the Industrial Commission Nominating Council serving on the effective date of this section.
The Governor shall appoint to the Industrial Commission Nominating Council a person to serve as a member who represents employers and a person to serve as a representative from the Ohio Association for Justice not later than fourteen days after the effective date of this section, and those members shall take office not later than ninety days after the effective date of this section. The Governor shall choose the employer representative from a list of two names selected by the National Federation of Independent Business and shall appoint that employer representative to a term ending October 20, 2013. The Governor shall appoint the representative from the Ohio Association for Justice to a term ending October 20, 2010.
Except as otherwise provided in this section, the appointments made by the Governor pursuant to this section shall comply with section 4121.04 of the Revised Code, as amended by this act.
Section 230. Law contained in the main operating appropriations act of the 128th General Assembly that applies generally to the appropriations made in that act also applies generally to the appropriations made in this act.
Section 301. The provisions of law contained in this act, and their applications, are severable. If any provision of law contained in this act, or if any application of any provision of law contained in this act, is held invalid, the invalidity does not affect other provisions of law contained in this act and their applications that can be given effect without the invalid provision or application.
Section 401. An item that composes the whole or part of an uncodified section of law contained in this act has no effect after June 30, 2011, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
Section 501. Except as otherwise provided in this act, the amendment or enactment by this act of a section of law is exempt from the referendum because it is or relates to an appropriation for current expenses within the meaning of Ohio Constitution, Article II, Section 1d and section 1.471 of the Revised Code and therefore takes effect immediately when this act becomes law.
Section 503.  The amendment of sections 2305.24, 2305.25, and 4123.511 of the Revised Code by this act are subject to the referendum under Ohio Constitution, Article II, Section 1c and therefore take effect on the ninety-first day after this act is filed with the Secretary of State.
Please send questions and comments to the Webmaster.
© 2024 Legislative Information Systems | Disclaimer