To enact section 101.88 of the Revised Code to create the State Government Efficiency Commission.

Section 1. That section 101.88 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:

Sec. 101.88. (A) The state government efficiency commission shall make findings and develop recommendations on reforming and restructuring state government to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of state government operations, to achieve cost savings by cutting waste, and to expand the private sector economy in this state. In making findings and developing recommendations, the commission may create subcommittees of commission members to focus on specific areas within the commission's duties and require the subcommittee to meet and submit to the commission findings and recommendations for the specific area. In particular, the commission shall consider what state agencies it considers to be not business-friendly, and shall examine any such agencies with extra scrutiny. The recommendations shall specify measures that the state could take in order to create cost savings, shall indicate projected cost savings for each recommendation, and shall be prioritized. The commission shall not review any functions of an agency scheduled for review or being reviewed by the sunset review committee under sections 101.82 to 101.86 of the Revised Code.

(B) There is hereby created the state government efficiency commission.

The commission shall consist of twelve members. The governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, the president of the senate, and the auditor of state each shall appoint three members. The members shall be recognized, established business leaders, either active or retired, with expertise and experience required to carry out the commission's duties under division (A) of this section. No member shall have a personal or professional conflict of interest that would prevent the member from fully and objectively discharging the member's duties. No member may derive a financial benefit from the commission's work, other than the general financial benefit received by all citizens of this state from increased governmental efficiency. No member shall be a current employee of a state agency or of an entity that lobbies the General Assembly. The appointments shall be made not later than sixty days after the effective date of this section.

Vacancies shall be filled in the manner provided for original appointments.

The members of the commission shall select a chairperson of the commission from among the members of the commission at the commission's first meeting.

The commission shall meet at least once every two months.

Members of the commission shall serve without compensation or reimbursement.

The commission may appoint professional, technical, and clerical employees who are necessary to enable the commission to achieve its mission, but only if the commission has entered into an agreement with a business that is not an individual under which the business agrees to delegate and compensate, or to compensate, each such employee to or for the commission.

A credit is allowed against any tax or across any taxes for which such a business is liable. The credit is an amount equal to the costs the business incurred to delegate and compensate, or to compensate, each such employee. For any tax, the credit shall be claimed for the tax accounting period in which the costs were incurred, and shall not exceed the tax for which the business is liable in that period. If any amount of the credit remains after it has been claimed against a tax, the credit may be claimed against other taxes for which the business is liable until the credit is exhausted. The tax commissioner shall determine the taxes to which the credit applies, how the credit may be claimed across taxes and in relation to any other credits the business may be allowed, and the evidence the business shall submit to prove that it is allowed the credit and to ensure that the credit is accurately computed and applied. The credit is disallowed if any such evidence is not timely submitted.

Sections 101.82 to 101.86 of the Revised Code do not apply to the commission.

(C) At the commission's request, the auditor of state, the director of administrative services, the director of development, the director of job and family services, the director of transportation, and any member of the general assembly shall provide information to or testify before the commission on matters that the commission considers relevant to achieving its mission.

(D) The commission shall provide recommendations or, in the absence of any recommendations, a status report, to the Governor every ninety days beginning one hundred twenty days after the effective date of this section. The commission shall issue a final report of its findings and recommendations to the president of the senate, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the governor not later than January 31, 2011. The commission ceases to exist upon submitting its final report.

(E) The state shall implement ninety per cent of the commission's recommendations regarding cost savings within two biennia from the date the commission submits its final report.