130th Ohio General Assembly
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H. B. No. 264  As Introduced
As Introduced

129th General Assembly
Regular Session
2011-2012
H. B. No. 264


Representatives Burke, Grossman 

Cosponsors: Representatives Adams, J., Beck, Brenner, Boose, Combs, Dovilla, Duffey, Huffman, Kozlowski, Martin, McGregor, Thompson, Young 



A BILL
To amend sections 9.90, 101.532, 101.83, 101.84, 101.85, 101.86, 102.02, 109.91, 121.32, 127.14, 173.03, 173.04, 3302.021, 3311.71, 3312.01, 3312.09, 3313.202, 3701.025, 3701.63, 3727.312, 3737.03, 3737.21, 3737.81, 3737.86, 3737.88, 3743.54, 3746.04, 4117.03, 4121.03, 4121.12, 4121.121, 4121.125, 4121.128, 4123.341, 4123.342, 4123.35, 5111.708, 5123.032, and 5123.093; and to repeal sections 9.901, 101.37, 121.374, 122.97, 122.971, 122.98, 122.981, 125.833, 184.23, 184.231, 1349.71, 1349.72, 1501.25, 2151.282, 3311.77, 3312.11, 3312.12, 3319.70, 3319.71, 3701.92, 3727.322, 3746.03, 4121.75, 4121.76, 4121.77, 4121.78, 4121.79, 4501.025, 5111.709, 5111.7010, and 5902.15 of the Revised Code; and to amend Section 5 of Sub. H.B. 125 of the 127th General Assembly as subsequently amended, Section 20 of Am. Sub. H.B. 554 of the 127th General Assembly, Section 3 of Sub. H.B. 187 of the 126th General Assembly, and Section 513.03 of Am. Sub. H.B. 66 of the 126th General Assembly as subsequently amended; and to repeal Section 3 of Sub. H.B. 495 of the 128th General Assembly, Sections 209.40, 309.40.70, and 709.10 of Am. Sub. H.B. 1 of the 128th General Assembly, Sections 755.80 and 756.40 of Am. Sub. H.B. 2 of the 128th General Assembly, Section 3 of Sub. H.B. 7 of the 127th General Assembly, Section 555.17 of Am. Sub. H.B. 67 of the 127th General Assembly, Sections 263.30.30, 337.20.20, 377.20, and 737.11 of Am. Sub. H.B. 119 of the 127th General Assembly, Sections 6 and 7 of Sub. H.B. 125 of the 127th General Assembly, Section 2 of Sub. H.B. 233 of the 127th General Assembly, Sections 703.30 and 715.50 of Am. Sub. H.B. 562 of the 127th General Assembly, Section 4 of Am. Sub. S.B. 77 of the 127th General Assembly, Sections 206.10.12, 206.42.12, 206.66.24, 206.66.43, 209.63.58, 503.09, and 503.12 of Am. Sub. H.B. 66 of the 126th General Assembly, Section 4 of Sub. H.B. 187 of the 126th General Assembly, Section 1 of Sub. H.B. 371 of the 126th General Assembly, Section 235.60.70 of Am. Sub. H.B. 699 of the 126th General Assembly, Section 3 of Am. Sub. S.B. 167 of the 126th General Assembly, Section 5 of Am. Sub. S.B. 260 of the 126th General Assembly, Section 3 of Sub. S.B. 393 of the 126th General Assembly, Sections 12 and 25 of Am. Sub. H.B. 87 of the 125th General Assembly, Sections 41.35 and 153 of Am. Sub. H.B. 95 of the 125th General Assembly, Section 8 of Sub. H.B. 299 of the 125th General Assembly, Section 6 of Am. Sub. H.B. 516 of the 125th General Assembly, Section 3 of Am. Sub. S.B. 86 of the 125th General Assembly, Section 3 of Sub. H.B. 230 of the 124th General Assembly, Section 3 of Am. Sub. H.B. 474 of the 124th General Assembly, Section 4 of Am. Sub. S.B. 281 of the 124th General Assembly, Section 3 of Am. H.B. 416 of the 127th General Assembly as subsequently amended, Section 701.20 of Am. Sub. H.B. 562 of the 127th General Assembly as subsequently amended, Section 206.66.53 of Am. Sub. H.B. 66 of the 126th General Assembly as subsequently amended, Section 6 of Sub. H.B. 336 of the 126th General Assembly as subsequently amended, Section 755.03 of Am. Sub. H.B. 530 of the 126th General Assembly as subsequently amended, Section 6 of Am. Sub. S.B. 238 of the 126th General Assembly as subsequently amended, Section 152 of Am. Sub. H.B. 95 of the 125th General Assembly as subsequently amended, and Section 59.29 of Am. Sub. H.B. 95 of the 125th General Assembly as subsequently amended to implement the recommendations of the Sunset Review Committee by abolishing, terminating, transferring, or renewing various agencies and by reestablishing the Sunset Review Committee but postponing its operation until the 131st General Assembly, to terminate the operation of certain provisions of this act on December 31, 2016, by repealing sections 101.82, 101.83, 101.84, 101.85, 101.86, and 101.87 of the Revised Code on that date, and to declare an emergency.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:
Section 1. That sections 9.90, 101.532, 101.83, 101.84, 101.85, 101.86, 102.02, 109.91, 121.32, 127.14, 173.03, 173.04, 3302.021, 3311.71, 3312.01, 3312.09, 3313.202, 3701.025, 3701.63, 3727.312, 3737.03, 3737.21, 3737.81, 3737.86, 3737.88, 3743.54, 3746.04, 4117.03, 4121.03, 4121.12, 4121.121, 4121.125, 4121.128, 4123.341, 4123.342, 4123.35, 5111.708, 5123.032, and 5123.093 of the Revised Code be amended to read as follows:
Sec. 9.90.  (A) The governing board of any public institution of higher education, including without limitation state universities and colleges, community college districts, university branch districts, technical college districts, and municipal universities, may, in addition to all other powers provided in the Revised Code:
(1) Contract for, purchase, or otherwise procure from an insurer or insurers licensed to do business by the state of Ohio for or on behalf of such of its employees as it may determine, life insurance, or sickness, accident, annuity, endowment, health, medical, hospital, dental, or surgical coverage and benefits, or any combination thereof, by means of insurance plans or other types of coverage, family, group or otherwise, and may pay from funds under its control and available for such purpose all or any portion of the cost, premium, or charge for such insurance, coverage, or benefits. However, the governing board, in addition to or as an alternative to the authority otherwise granted by division (A)(1) of this section, may elect to procure coverage for health care services, for or on behalf of such of its employees as it may determine, by means of policies, contracts, certificates, or agreements issued by at least two health insuring corporations holding a certificate of authority under Chapter 1751. of the Revised Code and may pay from funds under the governing board's control and available for such purpose all or any portion of the cost of such coverage.
(2) Make payments to a custodial account for investment in regulated investment company stock for the purpose of providing retirement benefits as described in section 403(b)(7) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended. Such stock shall be purchased only from persons authorized to sell such stock in this state.
Any income of an employee deferred under divisions (A)(1) and (2) of this section in a deferred compensation program eligible for favorable tax treatment under the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended, shall continue to be included as regular compensation for the purpose of computing the contributions to and benefits from the retirement system of such employee. Any sum so deferred shall not be included in the computation of any federal and state income taxes withheld on behalf of any such employee.
(B) All or any portion of the cost, premium, or charge therefor may be paid in such other manner or combination of manners as the governing board may determine, including direct payment by the employee in cases under division (A)(1) of this section, and, if authorized in writing by the employee in cases under division (A)(1) or (2) of this section, by such governing board with moneys made available by deduction from or reduction in salary or wages or by the foregoing of a salary or wage increase. Nothing in section 3917.01 or section 3917.06 of the Revised Code shall prohibit the issuance or purchase of group life insurance authorized by this section by reason of payment of premiums therefor by the governing board from its funds, and such group life insurance may be so issued and purchased if otherwise consistent with the provisions of sections 3917.01 to 3917.07 of the Revised Code.
(C) The board of education of any school district may exercise any of the powers granted to the governing boards of public institutions of higher education under divisions (A) and (B) of this section, except in relation to the provision of health care benefits to employees. All health care benefits provided to persons employed by the public schools of this state shall be health care plans that contain best practices established by the school employees health care board pursuant to section 9.901 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 101.532.  The main operating appropriations bill shall not contain appropriations for the industrial commission, the workers' compensation council, or the bureau of workers' compensation. Appropriations for the bureau and the council shall be enacted in one bill, and appropriations for the industrial commission shall be enacted in a separate bill.
Sec. 101.83.  (A) An agency in existence on January 1, 2005 2011, shall expire on December 31, 2010 2016, unless the agency is renewed in accordance with division (D) of this section and, if so renewed, shall expire thereafter on the thirty-first day of December of the fourth year after the year in which it was most recently renewed unless the agency is renewed in accordance with division (D) of this section. An agency created after January 1, 2005 2011, that is created on the thirty-first day of December shall expire not later than four years after its creation, unless the agency is renewed in accordance with division (D) of this section. An agency created after January 1, 2005 2011, that is created on any other date shall be considered for the purpose of this section to have been created on the preceding thirty-first day of December, and the agency shall expire not later than four years after the date it was considered to have been created, unless the agency is renewed in accordance with division (D) of this section. Any act creating or renewing an agency shall contain a distinct section providing a specific expiration date for the agency in accordance with this division.
(B) If the general assembly does not renew or transfer an agency on or before its expiration date, it shall expire on that date.
The director of budget and management shall not authorize the expenditure of any moneys for any agency on or after the date of its expiration.
(C) The general assembly may provide by law for the orderly, efficient, and expeditious conclusion of an agency's business and operation. The rules, orders, licenses, contracts, and other actions made, taken, granted, or performed by the agency shall continue in effect according to their terms notwithstanding the agency's abolition, unless the general assembly provides otherwise by law. The general assembly may provide by law for the temporary or permanent transfer of some or all of a terminated or transferred agency's functions and personnel to a successor agency or officer.
The abolition, termination, or transfer of an agency shall not cause the termination or dismissal of any claim pending against the agency by any person, or any claim pending against any person by the agency. Unless the general assembly provides otherwise by law for the substitution of parties, the attorney general shall succeed the agency with reference to any pending claim.
(D) An agency may be renewed by passage of a bill that continues the statutes creating and empowering the agency, that amends or repeals those statutes, or that enacts new statutes, to improve agency usefulness, performance, or effectiveness.
Sec. 101.84.  (A) There is hereby created the sunset review committee, to be composed of nine members and function in calendar years 2009 2015 and 2010 2016. The president of the senate shall appoint three members of the senate to the committee, not more than two of whom shall be members of the same political party. The speaker of the house of representatives shall appoint three members of the house of representatives to the committee, not more than two of whom shall be members of the same political party. The governor, with the advice and consent of the senate, shall appoint three members to the committee, not more than two of whom shall be members of the same political party. Members shall be appointed within fifteen days after the commencement of the first regular session of the 128th 131st general assembly.
(B) Each member of the committee who is appointed by the president of the senate or the speaker of the house of representatives shall serve during that committee member's term of office or until that committee member no longer is a member of the senate or the house of representatives, whichever is applicable. Each member of the committee who is appointed by the governor shall serve a two-year term that ends on the thirty-first day of December in 2010 2016. A vacancy on the committee shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment.
In the first regular session of the 128th 131st general assembly, the chairperson of the committee shall be a member of the house of representatives, and the vice-chairperson of the committee shall be a member of the senate. In the second regular session of the 128th 131st general assembly, the chairperson of the committee shall be a member of the senate, and the vice-chairperson of the committee shall be a member of the house of representatives.
Members of the committee shall receive no compensation, but shall be reimbursed for their necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties.
(C) The committee shall meet not later than thirty days after the first day of the first regular session of the 128th 131st general assembly to choose a chairperson and to commence establishment of the schedule for agency review provided for in section 101.85 of the Revised Code or perform other committee duties under sections 101.82 to 101.87 of the Revised Code. Five members of the committee shall constitute a quorum for the conduct of committee business.
Sec. 101.85.  (A) The sunset review committee, not later than sixty days after its first meeting in 2009 2015, shall schedule for review each agency in existence on January 1, 2009 2015. The committee, by a unanimous vote, also may schedule for review any state board or commission described in division (A)(9) of section 101.82 of the Revised Code that is in existence on that date, and any board or commission so scheduled shall be considered an agency for purposes of sections 101.82 to 101.87 of the Revised Code.
(B) The chairperson of the committee shall send a copy of the schedule for review of agencies for calendar year 2009 2015 and calendar year 2010 2016 to each of the agencies scheduled for review during that year and to the director of the legislative service commission. The director shall publish a copy of the schedule in the Ohio Administrative Code and in the register of Ohio created under section 103.051 of the Revised Code. The commission shall provide the committee with a list of agencies, and state boards and commissions described in division (A)(9) of section 101.82 of the Revised Code, in existence on January 1, 2009 2015, to assist the committee in identifying agencies and exercising its duties under sections 101.82 to 101.87 of the Revised Code with respect to those agencies.
Sec. 101.86.  (A) Not later than six months prior to the date on which an agency in existence on January 1, 2009 2015, is scheduled to expire under division (A) of section 101.83 of the Revised Code, the sunset review committee shall hold hearings to receive the testimony of the public and of the chief executive officer of each agency scheduled for review and otherwise shall consider and evaluate the usefulness, performance, and effectiveness of the agency.
(B) Each agency that is scheduled for review shall submit to the committee a report that contains all of the following information:
(1) The agency's primary purpose and its various goals and objectives;
(2) The agency's past and anticipated workload, the number of staff required to complete that workload, and the agency's total number of staff;
(3) The agency's past and anticipated budgets and its sources of funding;
(4) The number of members of its governing board or other governing entity and their compensation, if any.
(C) Each agency shall have the burden of demonstrating to the committee a public need for its continued existence. In determining whether an agency has demonstrated that need, the committee shall consider all of the following:
(1) The extent to which the agency has permitted qualified applicants to serve the public;
(2) The cost-effectiveness of the agency in terms of number of employees, services rendered, and administrative costs incurred, both past and present;
(3) The extent to which the agency has operated in the public interest, and whether its operation has been impeded or enhanced by existing statutes and procedures and by budgetary, resource, and personnel practices;
(4) Whether the agency has recommended statutory changes to the general assembly that would benefit the public as opposed to the persons regulated by the agency, if any, and whether its recommendations and other policies have been adopted and implemented;
(5) Whether the agency has required any persons it regulates to report to it the impact of agency rules and decisions on the public as they affect service costs and service delivery;
(6) Whether persons regulated by the agency, if any, have been required to assess problems in their business operations that affect the public;
(7) Whether the agency has encouraged public participation in its rule-making and decision-making;
(8) The efficiency with which formal public complaints filed with the agency have been processed to completion;
(9) Whether the programs or services of the agency duplicate or overlap those of other agencies;
(10) Whether the purpose for which the agency was created has been fulfilled, has changed, or no longer exists;
(11) Whether federal law requires that the agency be renewed in some form;
(12) Changes needed in the enabling laws of the agency in order for it to comply with the criteria suggested by the considerations listed in divisions (C)(1) to (11) of this section.
(D) In its initial review of each agency, the committee, whenever possible, shall realign agency titles to conform to the following descriptions:
(1) Commission: an administrative appeals or hearing agency;
(2) Authority: an agency empowered to issue bonds or notes;
(3) Board: an agency having a licensing function only;
(4) Council: an advisory body to a major agency or department;
(5) Committee: an advisory body to a minor agency or department.
Sec. 102.02.  (A) Except as otherwise provided in division (H) of this section, all of the following shall file with the appropriate ethics commission the disclosure statement described in this division on a form prescribed by the appropriate commission: every person who is elected to or is a candidate for a state, county, or city office and every person who is appointed to fill a vacancy for an unexpired term in such an elective office; all members of the state board of education; the director, assistant directors, deputy directors, division chiefs, or persons of equivalent rank of any administrative department of the state; the president or other chief administrative officer of every state institution of higher education as defined in section 3345.011 of the Revised Code; the executive director and the members of the capitol square review and advisory board appointed or employed pursuant to section 105.41 of the Revised Code; all members of the Ohio casino control commission, the executive director of the commission, all professional employees of the commission, and all technical employees of the commission who perform an internal audit function; the individuals set forth in division (B)(2) of section 187.03 of the Revised Code; the chief executive officer and the members of the board of each state retirement system; each employee of a state retirement board who is a state retirement system investment officer licensed pursuant to section 1707.163 of the Revised Code; the members of the Ohio retirement study council appointed pursuant to division (C) of section 171.01 of the Revised Code; employees of the Ohio retirement study council, other than employees who perform purely administrative or clerical functions; the administrator of workers' compensation and each member of the bureau of workers' compensation board of directors; the bureau of workers' compensation director of investments; the chief investment officer of the bureau of workers' compensation; the director appointed by the workers' compensation council; all members of the board of commissioners on grievances and discipline of the supreme court and the ethics commission created under section 102.05 of the Revised Code; every business manager, treasurer, or superintendent of a city, local, exempted village, joint vocational, or cooperative education school district or an educational service center; every person who is elected to or is a candidate for the office of member of a board of education of a city, local, exempted village, joint vocational, or cooperative education school district or of a governing board of an educational service center that has a total student count of twelve thousand or more as most recently determined by the department of education pursuant to section 3317.03 of the Revised Code; every person who is appointed to the board of education of a municipal school district pursuant to division (B) or (F) of section 3311.71 of the Revised Code; all members of the board of directors of a sanitary district that is established under Chapter 6115. of the Revised Code and organized wholly for the purpose of providing a water supply for domestic, municipal, and public use, and that includes two municipal corporations in two counties; every public official or employee who is paid a salary or wage in accordance with schedule C of section 124.15 or schedule E-2 of section 124.152 of the Revised Code; members of the board of trustees and the executive director of the southern Ohio agricultural and community development foundation; all members appointed to the Ohio livestock care standards board under section 904.02 of the Revised Code; and every other public official or employee who is designated by the appropriate ethics commission pursuant to division (B) of this section.
The disclosure statement shall include all of the following:
(1) The name of the person filing the statement and each member of the person's immediate family and all names under which the person or members of the person's immediate family do business;
(2)(a) Subject to divisions (A)(2)(b) and (c) of this section and except as otherwise provided in section 102.022 of the Revised Code, identification of every source of income, other than income from a legislative agent identified in division (A)(2)(b) of this section, received during the preceding calendar year, in the person's own name or by any other person for the person's use or benefit, by the person filing the statement, and a brief description of the nature of the services for which the income was received. If the person filing the statement is a member of the general assembly, the statement shall identify the amount of every source of income received in accordance with the following ranges of amounts: zero or more, but less than one thousand dollars; one thousand dollars or more, but less than ten thousand dollars; ten thousand dollars or more, but less than twenty-five thousand dollars; twenty-five thousand dollars or more, but less than fifty thousand dollars; fifty thousand dollars or more, but less than one hundred thousand dollars; and one hundred thousand dollars or more. Division (A)(2)(a) of this section shall not be construed to require a person filing the statement who derives income from a business or profession to disclose the individual items of income that constitute the gross income of that business or profession, except for those individual items of income that are attributable to the person's or, if the income is shared with the person, the partner's, solicitation of services or goods or performance, arrangement, or facilitation of services or provision of goods on behalf of the business or profession of clients, including corporate clients, who are legislative agents. A person who files the statement under this section shall disclose the identity of and the amount of income received from a person who the public official or employee knows or has reason to know is doing or seeking to do business of any kind with the public official's or employee's agency.
(b) If the person filing the statement is a member of the general assembly, the statement shall identify every source of income and the amount of that income that was received from a legislative agent during the preceding calendar year, in the person's own name or by any other person for the person's use or benefit, by the person filing the statement, and a brief description of the nature of the services for which the income was received. Division (A)(2)(b) of this section requires the disclosure of clients of attorneys or persons licensed under section 4732.12 of the Revised Code, or patients of persons certified under section 4731.14 of the Revised Code, if those clients or patients are legislative agents. Division (A)(2)(b) of this section requires a person filing the statement who derives income from a business or profession to disclose those individual items of income that constitute the gross income of that business or profession that are received from legislative agents.
(c) Except as otherwise provided in division (A)(2)(c) of this section, division (A)(2)(a) of this section applies to attorneys, physicians, and other persons who engage in the practice of a profession and who, pursuant to a section of the Revised Code, the common law of this state, a code of ethics applicable to the profession, or otherwise, generally are required not to reveal, disclose, or use confidences of clients, patients, or other recipients of professional services except under specified circumstances or generally are required to maintain those types of confidences as privileged communications except under specified circumstances. Division (A)(2)(a) of this section does not require an attorney, physician, or other professional subject to a confidentiality requirement as described in division (A)(2)(c) of this section to disclose the name, other identity, or address of a client, patient, or other recipient of professional services if the disclosure would threaten the client, patient, or other recipient of professional services, would reveal details of the subject matter for which legal, medical, or professional advice or other services were sought, or would reveal an otherwise privileged communication involving the client, patient, or other recipient of professional services. Division (A)(2)(a) of this section does not require an attorney, physician, or other professional subject to a confidentiality requirement as described in division (A)(2)(c) of this section to disclose in the brief description of the nature of services required by division (A)(2)(a) of this section any information pertaining to specific professional services rendered for a client, patient, or other recipient of professional services that would reveal details of the subject matter for which legal, medical, or professional advice was sought or would reveal an otherwise privileged communication involving the client, patient, or other recipient of professional services.
(3) The name of every corporation on file with the secretary of state that is incorporated in this state or holds a certificate of compliance authorizing it to do business in this state, trust, business trust, partnership, or association that transacts business in this state in which the person filing the statement or any other person for the person's use and benefit had during the preceding calendar year an investment of over one thousand dollars at fair market value as of the thirty-first day of December of the preceding calendar year, or the date of disposition, whichever is earlier, or in which the person holds any office or has a fiduciary relationship, and a description of the nature of the investment, office, or relationship. Division (A)(3) of this section does not require disclosure of the name of any bank, savings and loan association, credit union, or building and loan association with which the person filing the statement has a deposit or a withdrawable share account.
(4) All fee simple and leasehold interests to which the person filing the statement holds legal title to or a beneficial interest in real property located within the state, excluding the person's residence and property used primarily for personal recreation;
(5) The names of all persons residing or transacting business in the state to whom the person filing the statement owes, in the person's own name or in the name of any other person, more than one thousand dollars. Division (A)(5) of this section shall not be construed to require the disclosure of debts owed by the person resulting from the ordinary conduct of a business or profession or debts on the person's residence or real property used primarily for personal recreation, except that the superintendent of financial institutions shall disclose the names of all state-chartered savings and loan associations and of all service corporations subject to regulation under division (E)(2) of section 1151.34 of the Revised Code to whom the superintendent in the superintendent's own name or in the name of any other person owes any money, and that the superintendent and any deputy superintendent of banks shall disclose the names of all state-chartered banks and all bank subsidiary corporations subject to regulation under section 1109.44 of the Revised Code to whom the superintendent or deputy superintendent owes any money.
(6) The names of all persons residing or transacting business in the state, other than a depository excluded under division (A)(3) of this section, who owe more than one thousand dollars to the person filing the statement, either in the person's own name or to any person for the person's use or benefit. Division (A)(6) of this section shall not be construed to require the disclosure of clients of attorneys or persons licensed under section 4732.12 or 4732.15 of the Revised Code, or patients of persons certified under section 4731.14 of the Revised Code, nor the disclosure of debts owed to the person resulting from the ordinary conduct of a business or profession.
(7) Except as otherwise provided in section 102.022 of the Revised Code, the source of each gift of over seventy-five dollars, or of each gift of over twenty-five dollars received by a member of the general assembly from a legislative agent, received by the person in the person's own name or by any other person for the person's use or benefit during the preceding calendar year, except gifts received by will or by virtue of section 2105.06 of the Revised Code, or received from spouses, parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren, siblings, nephews, nieces, uncles, aunts, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, fathers-in-law, mothers-in-law, or any person to whom the person filing the statement stands in loco parentis, or received by way of distribution from any inter vivos or testamentary trust established by a spouse or by an ancestor;
(8) Except as otherwise provided in section 102.022 of the Revised Code, identification of the source and amount of every payment of expenses incurred for travel to destinations inside or outside this state that is received by the person in the person's own name or by any other person for the person's use or benefit and that is incurred in connection with the person's official duties, except for expenses for travel to meetings or conventions of a national or state organization to which any state agency, including, but not limited to, any legislative agency or state institution of higher education as defined in section 3345.011 of the Revised Code, pays membership dues, or any political subdivision or any office or agency of a political subdivision pays membership dues;
(9) Except as otherwise provided in section 102.022 of the Revised Code, identification of the source of payment of expenses for meals and other food and beverages, other than for meals and other food and beverages provided at a meeting at which the person participated in a panel, seminar, or speaking engagement or at a meeting or convention of a national or state organization to which any state agency, including, but not limited to, any legislative agency or state institution of higher education as defined in section 3345.011 of the Revised Code, pays membership dues, or any political subdivision or any office or agency of a political subdivision pays membership dues, that are incurred in connection with the person's official duties and that exceed one hundred dollars aggregated per calendar year;
(10) If the disclosure statement is filed by a public official or employee described in division (B)(2) of section 101.73 of the Revised Code or division (B)(2) of section 121.63 of the Revised Code who receives a statement from a legislative agent, executive agency lobbyist, or employer that contains the information described in division (F)(2) of section 101.73 of the Revised Code or division (G)(2) of section 121.63 of the Revised Code, all of the nondisputed information contained in the statement delivered to that public official or employee by the legislative agent, executive agency lobbyist, or employer under division (F)(2) of section 101.73 or (G)(2) of section 121.63 of the Revised Code.
A person may file a statement required by this section in person or by mail. A person who is a candidate for elective office shall file the statement no later than the thirtieth day before the primary, special, or general election at which the candidacy is to be voted on, whichever election occurs soonest, except that a person who is a write-in candidate shall file the statement no later than the twentieth day before the earliest election at which the person's candidacy is to be voted on. A person who holds elective office shall file the statement on or before the fifteenth day of April of each year unless the person is a candidate for office. A person who is appointed to fill a vacancy for an unexpired term in an elective office shall file the statement within fifteen days after the person qualifies for office. Other persons shall file an annual statement on or before the fifteenth day of April or, if appointed or employed after that date, within ninety days after appointment or employment. No person shall be required to file with the appropriate ethics commission more than one statement or pay more than one filing fee for any one calendar year.
The appropriate ethics commission, for good cause, may extend for a reasonable time the deadline for filing a statement under this section.
A statement filed under this section is subject to public inspection at locations designated by the appropriate ethics commission except as otherwise provided in this section.
(B) The Ohio ethics commission, the joint legislative ethics committee, and the board of commissioners on grievances and discipline of the supreme court, using the rule-making procedures of Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, may require any class of public officials or employees under its jurisdiction and not specifically excluded by this section whose positions involve a substantial and material exercise of administrative discretion in the formulation of public policy, expenditure of public funds, enforcement of laws and rules of the state or a county or city, or the execution of other public trusts, to file an annual statement on or before the fifteenth day of April under division (A) of this section. The appropriate ethics commission shall send the public officials or employees written notice of the requirement by the fifteenth day of February of each year the filing is required unless the public official or employee is appointed after that date, in which case the notice shall be sent within thirty days after appointment, and the filing shall be made not later than ninety days after appointment.
Except for disclosure statements filed by members of the board of trustees and the executive director of the southern Ohio agricultural and community development foundation, disclosure statements filed under this division with the Ohio ethics commission by members of boards, commissions, or bureaus of the state for which no compensation is received other than reasonable and necessary expenses shall be kept confidential. Disclosure statements filed with the Ohio ethics commission under division (A) of this section by business managers, treasurers, and superintendents of city, local, exempted village, joint vocational, or cooperative education school districts or educational service centers shall be kept confidential, except that any person conducting an audit of any such school district or educational service center pursuant to section 115.56 or Chapter 117. of the Revised Code may examine the disclosure statement of any business manager, treasurer, or superintendent of that school district or educational service center. Disclosure statements filed with the Ohio ethics commission under division (A) of this section by the individuals set forth in division (B)(2) of section 187.03 of the Revised Code shall be kept confidential. The Ohio ethics commission shall examine each disclosure statement required to be kept confidential to determine whether a potential conflict of interest exists for the person who filed the disclosure statement. A potential conflict of interest exists if the private interests of the person, as indicated by the person's disclosure statement, might interfere with the public interests the person is required to serve in the exercise of the person's authority and duties in the person's office or position of employment. If the commission determines that a potential conflict of interest exists, it shall notify the person who filed the disclosure statement and shall make the portions of the disclosure statement that indicate a potential conflict of interest subject to public inspection in the same manner as is provided for other disclosure statements. Any portion of the disclosure statement that the commission determines does not indicate a potential conflict of interest shall be kept confidential by the commission and shall not be made subject to public inspection, except as is necessary for the enforcement of Chapters 102. and 2921. of the Revised Code and except as otherwise provided in this division.
(C) No person shall knowingly fail to file, on or before the applicable filing deadline established under this section, a statement that is required by this section.
(D) No person shall knowingly file a false statement that is required to be filed under this section.
(E)(1) Except as provided in divisions (E)(2) and (3) of this section, the statement required by division (A) or (B) of this section shall be accompanied by a filing fee of forty dollars.
(2) The statement required by division (A) of this section shall be accompanied by the following filing fee to be paid by the person who is elected or appointed to, or is a candidate for, any of the following offices:
For state office, except member of the
state board of education $65
For office of member of general assembly $40
For county office $40
For city office $25
For office of member of the state board
of education $25
For office of member of the Ohio
livestock care standards board $25
For office of member of a city, local,
exempted village, or cooperative
education board of
education or educational service
center governing board $20
For position of business manager,
treasurer, or superintendent of a
city, local, exempted village, joint
vocational, or cooperative education
school district or
educational service center $20

(3) No judge of a court of record or candidate for judge of a court of record, and no referee or magistrate serving a court of record, shall be required to pay the fee required under division (E)(1) or (2) or (F) of this section.
(4) For any public official who is appointed to a nonelective office of the state and for any employee who holds a nonelective position in a public agency of the state, the state agency that is the primary employer of the state official or employee shall pay the fee required under division (E)(1) or (F) of this section.
(F) If a statement required to be filed under this section is not filed by the date on which it is required to be filed, the appropriate ethics commission shall assess the person required to file the statement a late filing fee of ten dollars for each day the statement is not filed, except that the total amount of the late filing fee shall not exceed two hundred fifty dollars.
(G)(1) The appropriate ethics commission other than the Ohio ethics commission and the joint legislative ethics committee shall deposit all fees it receives under divisions (E) and (F) of this section into the general revenue fund of the state.
(2) The Ohio ethics commission shall deposit all receipts, including, but not limited to, fees it receives under divisions (E) and (F) of this section and all moneys it receives from settlements under division (G) of section 102.06 of the Revised Code, into the Ohio ethics commission fund, which is hereby created in the state treasury. All moneys credited to the fund shall be used solely for expenses related to the operation and statutory functions of the commission.
(3) The joint legislative ethics committee shall deposit all receipts it receives from the payment of financial disclosure statement filing fees under divisions (E) and (F) of this section into the joint legislative ethics committee investigative fund.
(H) Division (A) of this section does not apply to a person elected or appointed to the office of precinct, ward, or district committee member under Chapter 3517. of the Revised Code; a presidential elector; a delegate to a national convention; village or township officials and employees; any physician or psychiatrist who is paid a salary or wage in accordance with schedule C of section 124.15 or schedule E-2 of section 124.152 of the Revised Code and whose primary duties do not require the exercise of administrative discretion; or any member of a board, commission, or bureau of any county or city who receives less than one thousand dollars per year for serving in that position.
Sec. 109.91.  (A) There is hereby established within the office of the attorney general the crime victims assistance office.
(B) There is hereby established the state victims assistance advisory committee council. The committee council shall consist of a chairperson, to be appointed by the attorney general, three ex officio members, and fifteen members to be appointed by the attorney general as follows: one member who represents the Ohio victim-witness association; three members who represent local victim assistance programs, including one from a municipally operated program and one from a county-operated program; one member who represents the interests of elderly victims; one member who is a board member of any statewide or local organization that exists primarily to aid victims of domestic violence, or who is an employee of, or counselor for, such an organization; one member who is an employee or officer of a county probation department or a probation department operated by the department of rehabilitation and correction; one member who is a county prosecuting attorney; one member who is a city law director; one member who is a county sheriff; one member who is a member or officer of a township or municipal police department; one member who is a court of common pleas judge; one member who is a municipal court judge or county court judge; and two members who are private citizens and are not government employees.
The committee council shall include the following ex officio, nonvoting members: the attorney general, one member of the senate to be designated by the president of the senate, and one member of the house of representatives to be designated by the speaker of the house.
Members of the committee council shall serve without compensation, but shall be reimbursed for travel and other necessary expenses that are incurred in the conduct of their official duties as members of the committee council. The chairperson and members of the committee council appointed by the attorney general shall serve at the pleasure of the attorney general. The attorney general shall serve on the committee council until the end of the term of office that qualified the attorney general for membership on the committee council. The member of the senate and the member of the house of representatives shall serve at the pleasure of the president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives, respectively.
(C) The victims assistance advisory committee council shall perform both of the following duties:
(1) Advise the crime victims assistance office in determining crime and delinquency victim service needs, determining crime and delinquency victim policies for the state, and improving and exercising leadership in the quality of crime and delinquency victim programs in the state;
(2) Review and recommend to the crime victims assistance office the victim assistance programs that should be considered for the receipt of state financial assistance pursuant to section 109.92 of the Revised Code. The financial assistance allocation recommendations of the committee council shall be based on the following priorities:
(a) Programs in existence on July 1, 1985, shall be given first priority;
(b) Programs offering or proposing to offer the broadest range of services and referrals to the community served, including medical, psychological, financial, educational, vocational, and legal services that were not in existence on July 1, 1985, shall be given second priority;
(c) Other qualified programs shall be given last priority.
(D) As used in this section and section 109.92 of the Revised Code, "victim assistance program" includes, but is not limited to a program that provides at least one of the following:
(1) Services to victims of any offense of violence or delinquent act that would be an offense of violence if committed by an adult;
(2) Financial assistance or property repair services to victims of crime or delinquent acts;
(3) Assistance to victims of crime or delinquent acts in judicial proceedings;
(4) Assistance to victims of crime or delinquent acts under the operation of any political subdivision of the state or a branch of the criminal justice system set forth in division (B)(1)(a), (b), or (c) of section 5502.61 of the Revised Code;
(5) Technical assistance to persons or organizations that provide services to victims of crime or delinquent acts under the operation of a branch of the criminal justice system set forth in division (B)(1)(a), (b), or (c) of section 5502.61 of the Revised Code.
A victim assistance program does not include the program for the reparation of crime victims established pursuant to Chapter 2743. of the Revised Code.
Sec. 121.32.  The commission on Hispanic-Latino affairs shall:
(A) Gather and disseminate information and conduct hearings, conferences, investigations, and special studies on problems and programs concerning Spanish-speaking people;
(B) Secure appropriate recognition of the accomplishments and contributions of Spanish-speaking people to this state;
(C) Stimulate public awareness of the problems of Spanish-speaking people by conducting a program of public education;
(D) Develop, coordinate, and assist other public and private organizations that serve Spanish-speaking people, including the conducting of training programs for community leadership and service project staff;
(E) Advise the governor, general assembly, and state departments and agencies of the nature, magnitude, and priorities of the problems of Spanish-speaking people;
(F) Advise the governor, general assembly, and state departments and agencies on, and assist in the development and implementation of, comprehensive and coordinated policies, programs, and procedures focusing on the special problems and needs of Spanish-speaking people, especially in the fields of education, employment, energy, health, housing, welfare, and recreation;
(G) Propose new programs concerning Spanish-speaking people to public and private agencies and evaluate for such agencies existing programs or prospective legislation concerning Spanish-speaking people;
(H) Review and approve grants to be made from federal, state, or private funds which are administered or subcontracted by the office of Spanish-speaking affairs;
(I) Review and approve the annual report prepared by the office of Spanish-speaking affairs;
(J) Create an interagency council consisting of the following persons or their authorized representatives: one member of the senate appointed by the president of the senate; one member of the house of representatives appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives; the directors of administrative services, agriculture, education, development, health, highway safety, job and family services, liquor control, mental health, developmental disabilities, natural resources, rehabilitation and correction, youth services, transportation, environmental protection, and budget and management; the chairperson of the Ohio civil rights commission, the administrators of the bureau of workers' compensation and the rehabilitation services commission, and an additional member of the governor's cabinet appointed by the governor. The commission on Hispanic-Latino affairs, by rule, may designate other state officers or their representatives to be members of the council. The director of the commission shall be the chairperson of the council.
The interagency council shall provide Provide and coordinate the exchange of information relative to the needs of Spanish-speaking people and promote the delivery of state services to such people. The council shall meet at the call of the chairperson.
Sec. 127.14.  The controlling board may, at the request of any state agency or the director of budget and management, authorize, with respect to the provisions of any appropriation act:
(A) Transfers of all or part of an appropriation within but not between state agencies, except such transfers as the director of budget and management is authorized by law to make, provided that no transfer shall be made by the director for the purpose of effecting new or changed levels of program service not authorized by the general assembly;
(B) Transfers of all or part of an appropriation from one fiscal year to another;
(C) Transfers of all or part of an appropriation within or between state agencies made necessary by administrative reorganization or by the abolition of an agency or part of an agency;
(D) Transfers of all or part of cash balances in excess of needs from any fund of the state to the general revenue fund or to such other fund of the state to which the money would have been credited in the absence of the fund from which the transfers are authorized to be made, except that the controlling board may not authorize such transfers from the accrued leave liability fund, auto registration distribution fund, budget stabilization fund, development bond retirement fund, facilities establishment fund, gasoline excise tax fund, general revenue fund, higher education improvement fund, highway improvement bond retirement fund, highway obligations bond retirement fund, highway capital improvement fund, highway operating fund, horse racing tax fund, improvements bond retirement fund, public library fund, liquor control fund, local government fund, local transportation improvement program fund, mental health facilities improvement fund, Ohio fairs fund, parks and recreation improvement fund, public improvements bond retirement fund, school district income tax fund, state agency facilities improvement fund, state and local government highway distribution fund, state highway safety fund, state lottery fund, undivided liquor permit fund, Vietnam conflict compensation bond retirement fund, volunteer fire fighters' dependents fund, waterways safety fund, wildlife fund, workers' compensation fund, workers' compensation council remuneration fund, or any fund not specified in this division that the director of budget and management determines to be a bond fund or bond retirement fund;
(E) Transfers of all or part of those appropriations included in the emergency purposes account of the controlling board;
(F) Temporary transfers of all or part of an appropriation or other moneys into and between existing funds, or new funds, as may be established by law when needed for capital outlays for which notes or bonds will be issued;
(G) Transfer or release of all or part of an appropriation to a state agency requiring controlling board approval of such transfer or release as provided by law;
(H) Temporary transfer of funds included in the emergency purposes appropriation of the controlling board. Such temporary transfers may be made subject to conditions specified by the controlling board at the time temporary transfers are authorized. No transfers shall be made under this division for the purpose of effecting new or changed levels of program service not authorized by the general assembly.
As used in this section, "request" means an application by a state agency or the director of budget and management seeking some action by the controlling board.
When authorizing the transfer of all or part of an appropriation under this section, the controlling board may authorize the transfer to an existing appropriation item and the creation of and transfer to a new appropriation item.
Whenever there is a transfer of all or part of funds included in the emergency purposes appropriation by the controlling board, pursuant to division (E) of this section, the state agency or the director of budget and management receiving such transfer shall keep a detailed record of the use of the transferred funds. At the earliest scheduled meeting of the controlling board following the accomplishment of the purposes specified in the request originally seeking the transfer, or following the total expenditure of the transferred funds for the specified purposes, the state agency or the director of budget and management shall submit a report on the expenditure of such funds to the board. The portion of any appropriation so transferred which is not required to accomplish the purposes designated in the original request to the controlling board shall be returned to the proper appropriation of the controlling board at this time.
Notwithstanding any provisions of law providing for the deposit of revenues received by a state agency to the credit of a particular fund in the state treasury, whenever there is a temporary transfer of funds included in the emergency purposes appropriation of the controlling board pursuant to division (H) of this section, revenues received by any state agency receiving such a temporary transfer of funds shall, as directed by the controlling board, be transferred back to the emergency purposes appropriation.
The board may delegate to the director of budget and management authority to approve transfers among items of appropriation under division (A) of this section.
Sec. 173.03.  (A) There is hereby created the Ohio advisory council for the aging, which shall consist of twelve members to be appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate. Two ex officio members of the council shall be members of the house of representatives appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives and shall be members of two different political parties. Two ex officio members of the council shall be members of the senate appointed by the president of the senate and shall be members of two different political parties. The directors of mental health, developmental disabilities, health, and job and family services, or their designees, shall serve as ex officio members of the council. The council shall carry out its role as defined under the "Older Americans Act of 1965," 79 Stat. 219, 42 U.S.C. 3001, as amended.
At the first meeting of the council, and annually thereafter, the members shall select one of their members to serve as chairperson and one of their members to serve as vice-chairperson.
(B) Members of the council shall be appointed for a term of three years, except that for the first appointment members of the Ohio commission on aging who were serving on the commission immediately prior to July 26, 1984, shall become members of the council for the remainder of their unexpired terms. Thereafter, appointment to the council shall be for a three-year term by the governor. Each member shall hold office from the date of appointment until the end of the term for which the member was appointed. Any member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring prior to the expiration of the term for which the member's predecessor was appointed shall hold office for the remainder of the term. Any No member may shall continue in office subsequent to the expiration date of the member's term until a successor takes office and shall be compensated for the period served between the expiration of the member's term and the beginning of the successor's term unless reappointed under the provisions of this section, and no member shall serve more than three consecutive terms on the council.
(C) Membership of the council shall represent all areas of Ohio and shall be as follows:
(1) A majority of members of the council shall have attained the age of sixty and have a knowledge of and continuing interest in the affairs and welfare of the older citizens of Ohio. The fields of business, labor, health, law, and human services shall be represented in the membership.
(2) No more than seven members shall be of the same political party.
(D) Any member of the council may be removed from office by the governor for neglect of duty, misconduct, or malfeasance in office after being informed in writing of the charges and afforded an opportunity for a hearing. Two consecutive unexcused absences from regularly scheduled meetings constitute neglect of duty.
(E) Members of the council shall be compensated at the rate of fifty dollars for each day actually employed in the discharge of official duties but not to exceed two thousand dollars per year and in addition shall be allowed actual and necessary expenses The director of aging may reimburse a member for actual and necessary traveling and other expenses incurred in the discharge of official duties. But reimbursement shall be made in the manner and at rates that do not exceed those prescribed by the director of budget and management for any officer, member, or employee of, or consultant to, any state agency.
(F) Council members are not limited as to the number of terms they may serve.
(G) Council members shall not be interested directly or indirectly in any contract awarded by the department of aging (1) The department of aging may award grants to or enter into contracts with a member of the advisory council or an entity that the member represents if any of the following apply:
(a) The department determines that the member or the entity the member represents is capable of providing the goods or services specified under the terms of the grant or contract.
(b) The member has not taken part in any discussion or vote of the council related to whether the council should recommend that the department of aging award the grant to or enter into the contract with the member of the advisory council or the entity that the member represents.
(2) A member of the advisory council is not in violation of Chapter 102. or section 2921.42 of the Revised Code with regard to receiving a grant or entering into a contract under this section if the conditions of division (G)(1)(a) and (b) of this section have been met.
Sec. 173.04.  (A) As used in this section, "respite care" means short-term, temporary care or supervision provided to a person who has Alzheimer's disease in the absence of the person who normally provides that care or supervision.
(B) Through the internet web site maintained by the department of aging, the director of aging shall disseminate Alzheimer's disease training materials for licensed physicians, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, administrators of health care programs, social workers, and other health care and social service personnel who participate or assist in the care or treatment of persons who have Alzheimer's disease. The training materials disseminated through the web site may be developed by the director or obtained from other sources.
(C) To the extent funds are available, the director shall administer respite care programs and other supportive services for persons who have Alzheimer's disease and their families or care givers. Respite care programs shall be approved by the director and shall be provided for the following purposes:
(1) Giving persons who normally provide care or supervision for a person who has Alzheimer's disease relief from the stresses and responsibilities that result from providing such care;
(2) Preventing or reducing inappropriate institutional care and enabling persons who have Alzheimer's disease to remain at home as long as possible.
(D) The director may provide services under this section to persons with Alzheimer's disease and their families regardless of the age of the persons with Alzheimer's disease.
(E) The director shall may adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code governing respite care programs and other supportive services, the distribution of funds, and the purpose for which funds may be utilized under this section.
(F) The director may create an Alzheimer's disease and related disorders task force to advise the director on the following:
(1) The rights of persons with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders;
(2) The development and evaluation of education and training programs, home care programs, and respite care programs that serve persons with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders;
(3) How to serve persons with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders in Ohio's unified long-term care budget system.
If a task force is created, the members shall include representatives of the Alzheimer's disease association and other organizations the director considers appropriate.
Sec. 3302.021. (A) Not earlier than July 1, 2005, and not later than July 1, 2007, the department of education shall implement a value-added progress dimension for school districts and buildings and shall incorporate the value-added progress dimension into the report cards and performance ratings issued for districts and buildings under section 3302.03 of the Revised Code.
The state board of education shall adopt rules, pursuant to Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, for the implementation of the value-added progress dimension. In adopting rules, the state board shall consult with the Ohio accountability task force established under division (E) of this section. The rules adopted under this division shall specify both of the following:
(1) A scale for describing the levels of academic progress in reading and mathematics relative to a standard year of academic growth in those subjects for each of grades three through eight;
(2) That the department shall maintain the confidentiality of individual student test scores and individual student reports in accordance with sections 3301.0711, 3301.0714, and 3319.321 of the Revised Code and federal law. The department may require school districts to use a unique identifier for each student for this purpose. Individual student test scores and individual student reports shall be made available only to a student's classroom teacher and other appropriate educational personnel and to the student's parent or guardian.
(B) The department shall use a system designed for collecting necessary data, calculating the value-added progress dimension, analyzing data, and generating reports, which system has been used previously by a non-profit nonprofit organization led by the Ohio business community for at least one year in the operation of a pilot program in cooperation with school districts to collect and report student achievement data via electronic means and to provide information to the districts regarding the academic performance of individual students, grade levels, school buildings, and the districts as a whole.
(C) The department shall not pay more than two dollars per student for data analysis and reporting to implement the value-added progress dimension in the same manner and with the same services as under the pilot program described by division (B) of this section. However, nothing in this section shall preclude the department or any school district from entering into a contract for the provision of more services at a higher fee per student. Any data analysis conducted under this section by an entity under contract with the department shall be completed in accordance with timelines established by the superintendent of public instruction.
(D) The department shall share any aggregate student data and any calculation, analysis, or report utilizing aggregate student data that is generated under this section with the chancellor of the Ohio board of regents. The department shall not share individual student test scores and individual student reports with the chancellor.
(E)(1) There is hereby established the Ohio accountability task force. The task force shall consist of the following thirteen members:
(a) The chairpersons and ranking minority members of the house of representatives and senate standing committees primarily responsible for education legislation, who shall be nonvoting members;
(b) One representative of the governor's office, appointed by the governor;
(c) The superintendent of public instruction, or the superintendent's designee;
(d) One representative of teacher employee organizations formed pursuant to Chapter 4117. of the Revised Code, appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives;
(e) One representative of school district boards of education, appointed by the president of the senate;
(f) One school district superintendent, appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives;
(g) One representative of business, appointed by the president of the senate;
(h) One representative of a non-profit nonprofit organization led by the Ohio business community, appointed by the governor;
(i) One school building principal, appointed by the president of the senate;
(j) A member of the state board of education, appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives.
Initial appointed members of the task force shall serve until January 1, 2005. Thereafter, terms of office for appointed members shall be for two years, each term ending on the same day of the same month as did the term that it succeeds. Each appointed member shall hold office from the date of appointment until the end of the term for which the member was appointed. Members may be reappointed. Vacancies shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment. Any member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring prior to the expiration of the term for which the member's predecessor was appointed shall hold office for the remainder of that term.
The task force shall select from among its members a chairperson. The task force shall meet at least six times once each calendar year and at other times upon the call of the chairperson to conduct its business. Members of the task force shall serve without compensation.
(2) The task force shall do all of the following:
(a) Examine the implementation of the value-added progress dimension by the department, including the system described in division (B) of this section, the reporting of performance data to school districts and buildings, and the provision of professional development on the interpretation of the data to classroom teachers and administrators;
(b) Periodically review any fees for data analysis and reporting paid by the department pursuant to division (C) of this section and determine if the fees are appropriate based upon the level of services provided;
(c) Periodically report to the department and the state board on all issues related to the school district and building accountability system established under this chapter;
(d) Not later than seven years after its initial meeting, make recommendations to improve the school district and building accountability system established under this chapter. The task force shall adopt recommendations by a majority vote of its members. Copies of the recommendations shall be provided to the state board, the governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the president of the senate.
(e) Determine starting dates for the implementation of the value-added progress dimension and its incorporation into school district and building report cards and performance ratings.
Sec. 3311.71.  (A) As used in this section and in sections 3311.72 to 3311.77 3311.76 of the Revised Code:
(1) "Municipal school district" means a school district that is or has ever been under a federal court order requiring supervision and operational, fiscal, and personnel management of the district by the state superintendent of public instruction.
(2) "Mayor" means the mayor of the municipal corporation containing the greatest portion of a municipal school district's territory.
(B) Whenever any municipal school district is released by a federal court from an order requiring supervision and operational, fiscal, and personnel management of the district by the state superintendent, the management and control of that district shall be assumed, effective immediately, by a new nine-member board of education. Members of the new board shall be appointed by the mayor, who shall also designate one member as the chairperson of the board. In addition to the rights, authority, and duties conferred upon the chairperson by sections 3311.71 to 3311.76 of the Revised Code, the chairperson shall have all the rights, authority, and duties conferred upon the president of a board of education by the Revised Code that are not inconsistent with sections 3311.71 to 3311.76 of the Revised Code.
(C) No school board member shall be appointed by the mayor pursuant to division (B) of this section until the mayor has received a slate of at least eighteen candidates nominated by a municipal school district nominating panel, at least three of whom reside in the municipal school district but not in the municipal corporation containing the greatest portion of the district's territory. The municipal school district nominating panel shall be initially convened and chaired by the state superintendent of public instruction, who shall serve as a nonvoting member for the first two years of the panel's existence, and shall consist of eleven persons selected as follows:
(1) Three parents or guardians of children attending the schools of the municipal school district appointed by the district parent-teacher association, or similar organization selected by the state superintendent;
(2) Three persons appointed by the mayor;
(3) One person appointed by the president of the legislative body of the municipal corporation containing the greatest portion of the municipal school district's territory;
(4) One teacher appointed by the collective bargaining representative of the school district's teachers;
(5) One principal appointed through a vote of the school district's principals, which vote shall be conducted by the state superintendent;
(6) One representative of the business community appointed by an organized collective business entity selected by the mayor;
(7) One president of a public or private institution of higher education located within the municipal school district appointed by the state superintendent of public instruction.
The municipal school district nominating panel shall select one of its members as its chairperson commencing two years after the date of the first meeting of the panel, at which time the state superintendent of public instruction shall no longer convene or chair the panel. Thereafter, the panel shall meet as necessary to make nominations at the call of the chairperson. All members of the panel shall serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority. Vacancies on the panel shall be filled in the same manner as the initial appointments.
(D) No individual shall be appointed by the mayor pursuant to division (B) or (F) of this section unless the individual has been nominated by the nominating panel, resides in the school district, and holds no elected public office. At any given time, four of the nine members appointed by the mayor to serve on the board pursuant to either division (B) or (F) of this section shall have displayed, prior to appointment, significant expertise in either the education field, finance, or business management. At all times at least one member of the board shall be an individual who resides in the municipal school district but not in the municipal corporation containing the greatest portion of the district's territory.
(E) The terms of office of all members appointed by the mayor pursuant to division (B) of this section shall expire on the next thirtieth day of June following the referendum election required by section 3311.73 of the Revised Code. The mayor may, with the advice and consent of the nominating panel, remove any member appointed pursuant to that division or division (F) of this section for cause.
(F) If the voters of the district approve the continuation of an appointed board at the referendum election required by section 3311.73 of the Revised Code, the mayor shall appoint the members of a new board from a slate prepared by the nominating panel in the same manner as the initial board was appointed pursuant to divisions (B), (C), and (D) of this section. Five of the members of the new board shall be appointed to four-year terms and the other four shall be appointed to two-year terms, each term beginning on the first day of July. Thereafter, the mayor shall appoint members to four-year terms in the same manner as described in divisions (B), (C), and (D) of this section. The minimum number of individuals who shall be on the slate prepared by the nominating panel for this purpose shall be at least twice the number of members to be appointed, including at least two who reside in the municipal school district but not in the municipal corporation containing the greatest portion of the district's territory.
(G) In addition to the nine members appointed by the mayor, the boards appointed pursuant to divisions (B) and (F) of this section shall include the following nonvoting ex officio members:
(1) If the main campus of a state university specified in section 3345.011 of the Revised Code is located within the municipal school district, the president of the university or the president's designee;
(2) If any community college has its main branch located within the district, the president of the community college that has the largest main branch within the district, or the president's designee.
Sec. 3312.01. (A) The educational regional service system is hereby established. The system shall support state and regional education initiatives and efforts to improve school effectiveness and student achievement. Services, including special education and related services, shall be provided under the system to school districts, community schools established under Chapter 3314. of the Revised Code, and chartered nonpublic schools.
It is the intent of the general assembly that the educational regional service system reduce the unnecessary duplication of programs and services and provide for a more streamlined and efficient delivery of educational services without reducing the availability of the services needed by school districts and schools.
(B) The educational regional service system shall consist of the following:
(1) The state regional alliance advisory board established under section 3312.11 of the Revised Code;
(2) The advisory councils and subcommittees established under sections 3312.03 and 3312.05 of the Revised Code;
(3)(2) A fiscal agent for each of the regions as configured under section 3312.02 of the Revised Code;
(4)(3) Educational service centers, information technology centers established under section 3301.075 of the Revised Code, and other regional education service providers.
(C) Educational service centers shall provide the services that they are specifically required to provide by the Revised Code and may enter into agreements pursuant to section 3313.843, 3313.844, or 3313.845 of the Revised Code for the provision of other services, which may include any of the following:
(1) Assistance in improving student performance;
(2) Services to enable a school district or school to operate more efficiently or economically;
(3) Professional development for teachers or administrators;
(4) Assistance in the recruitment and retention of teachers and administrators;
(5) Any other educational, administrative, or operational services.
In addition to implementing state and regional education initiatives and school improvement efforts under the educational regional service system, educational service centers shall implement state or federally funded initiatives assigned to the service centers by the general assembly or the department of education.
Any educational service center selected to be a fiscal agent for its region pursuant to section 3312.07 of the Revised Code shall continue to operate as an educational service center for the part of the region that comprises its territory.
(D) Information technology centers may enter into agreements for the provision of services pursuant to section 3312.10 of the Revised Code.
(E) No school district, community school, or chartered nonpublic school shall be required to purchase services from an educational service center or information technology center in the region in which the district or school is located, except that a local school district shall receive any services required by the Revised Code to be provided by an educational service center to the local school districts in its territory from the educational service center in whose territory the district is located.
Sec. 3312.09. (A) Each performance contract entered into by the department of education and the fiscal agent of a region for implementation of a state or regional education initiative or school improvement effort shall include the following:
(1) An explanation of how the regional needs and priorities for educational services have been identified by the advisory council of the region, the advisory council's subcommittees, and the department;
(2) A definition of the services to be provided to school districts, community schools, and chartered nonpublic schools in the region, including any services provided pursuant to division (A) of section 3302.04 of the Revised Code;
(3) Expected outcomes from the provision of the services defined in the contract;
(4) The method the department will use to evaluate whether the expected outcomes have been achieved;
(5) A requirement that the fiscal agent develop and implement a corrective action plan if the results of the evaluation are unsatisfactory;
(6) Data reporting requirements;
(7) The aggregate fees to be charged by the fiscal agent and any entity with which it subcontracts to cover personnel and program costs associated with administering the contract, which fees shall be subject to controlling board approval if in excess of four per cent of the value of the contract;
(8) A requirement that a member of the advisory council in the region be a member of the state regional alliance advisory board established under section 3312.11 of the Revised Code.
(B) Upon completion of each evaluation described in a performance contract, the department shall post the results of that evaluation on its web site.
Sec. 3313.202.  Any elected or appointed member of the board of education of a school district and the dependent children and spouse of the member may be covered, at the option of the member, under any health care plan containing best practices prescribed by the school employees health care board authorized under section 9.901 9.90 of the Revised Code. The member shall pay all premiums for that coverage. Payments for such coverage shall be made, in advance, in a manner prescribed by the school employees health care board. The member's exercise of an option to be covered under this section shall be in writing, announced at a regular public meeting of the board of education, and recorded as a public record in the minutes of the board.
Sec. 3701.025.  (A) There is hereby created the medically handicapped children's medical advisory council consisting of twenty-one members to be appointed by the director of health for terms set in accordance with rules adopted by the public health council under division (A)(11) of section 3701.021 of the Revised Code. The medically handicapped children's medical advisory council shall advise the director regarding the administration of the program for medically handicapped children, the suitable quality of medical practice for providers, and the requirements for medical eligibility for the program.
All members of the council shall be licensed physicians, surgeons, dentists, and other professionals in the field of medicine, representative of the various disciplines involved in the treatment of children with medically handicapping conditions, and representative of the treatment facilities involved, such as hospitals, private and public health clinics, and private physicians' offices, and shall be eligible for the program.
Members of the council shall receive no compensation, but shall receive their actual and necessary travel expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties in accordance with the rules of the office of budget and management.
(B) The director of health may appoint a maternal and child health council to represent the views of service providers, other interest groups, consumers, and various geographic areas of the state. The maternal and child health council shall advise the department of health on matters pertaining to maternal and child health and, in particular, the "Maternal and Child Health Block Grant," Title V of the "Social Security Act," 95 Stat. 818, (1981) 42 U.S.C.A. 701, as amended. Members of the council shall receive no compensation, but shall receive their actual and necessary travel expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties in accordance with the rules of the office of budget and management.
Sec. 3701.63. (A) As used in this section and section 3701.64 of the Revised Code:
(1) "Child day-care center," "type A family day-care home," and "certified type B family day-care home" have the same meanings as in section 5104.01 of the Revised Code.
(2) "Child care facility" means a child day-care center, a type A family day-care home, or a certified type B family day-care home.
(3) "Freestanding birthing center" has the same meaning as in section 3702.51 of the Revised Code.
(4) "Hospital" means a hospital classified pursuant to rules adopted under section 3701.07 of the Revised Code as a general hospital or children's hospital.
(5) "Maternity unit" means any unit or place in a hospital where women are regularly received and provided care during all or part of the maternity cycle, except that "maternity unit" does not include an emergency department or similar place dedicated to providing emergency health care.
(6) "Parent" means either parent, unless the parents are separated or divorced or their marriage has been dissolved or annulled, in which case "parent" means the parent who is the residential parent and legal custodian of the child. "Parent" also means a prospective adoptive parent with whom a child is placed.
(7) "Shaken Baby Syndrome" means signs and symptoms, including, but not limited to, retinal hemorrhages in one or both eyes, subdural hematoma, or brain swelling, resulting from the violent shaking or the shaking and impacting of the head of an infant or small child.
(B) The director of health shall establish the shaken baby syndrome education program by doing all of the following:
(1) By not later than one year after the effective date of this section, with the advice of the work group appointed under division (D) of this section February 29, 2008, developing educational materials that present readily comprehendible information on shaken baby syndrome;
(2) Making available on the department of health web site in an easily accessible format the educational materials developed under division (B)(1) of this section;
(3) Beginning in 2009, annually assessing the effectiveness of the shaken baby syndrome education program by evaluating the reports received pursuant to section 5101.135 of the Revised Code.
(C) In meeting the requirements under division (B) of this section, the director shall not develop educational materials that will impose an administrative or financial burden on any of the entities or persons listed in section 3701.64 of the Revised Code.
(D) The director of health shall appoint and convene a work group to advise the director on the shaken baby syndrome educational materials the director is required to develop under division (B) of this section. The work group shall include at least one representative of each of the following:
(1) Child abuse prevention advocates;
(2) The staff of the "help me grow" program established pursuant to section 3701.61 of the Revised Code;
(3) Experts in the field of infant care, particularly in the area of infant calming methods;
(4) Maternity unit directors;
(5) Parenting skills educators;
(6) Child care facilities.
The work group may also include, at the director's discretion, representatives of other professions whose members have practical experience regarding shaken baby syndrome and representatives of citizens' organizations whose members are knowledgeable about shaken baby syndrome.
Sec. 3727.312.  The hospital measures advisory council shall do all of the following:
(A) Study the issue of hospitals reporting information regarding their performance in meeting measures for hospital inpatient and outpatient services, including how such reports are made in other states;
(B) Not later than one year after the date the last of the initial council members is appointed, issue a report to the director of health with recommendations for all of the following:
(1) Collecting, pursuant to section 3727.33 of the Revised Code, information from hospitals that shows their performance in meeting measures for hospital inpatient and outpatient services;
(2) The audits conducted pursuant to section 3727.331 of the Revised Code;
(3) Disseminating information about the performance of hospitals in meeting the measures, including effective methods of displaying information on any internet web site established under section 3727.39 of the Revised Code;
(4) Explaining to the public how to use the information about the performance of hospitals in meeting the measures, including explanations about the limitations of the information.
(C) Provide the director of health ongoing advice on all of the following:
(1) The issue of hospitals reporting information regarding their performance in meeting measures for hospital inpatient and outpatient services;
(2) Disseminating the information reported by hospitals;
(3) Making improvements to the reports and dissemination of information;
(4) Making changes to the information collection requirements and dissemination methods;
(5) Recommendations regarding measurers for children's hospital inpatient and outpatient services.
(D) Convene a group of health care consumers, nurses, and experts in infection control, the members of which shall be appointed by the council according to a method selected by the council, to provide information about infection issues to the council as needed for the council to perform its duties.
Sec. 3737.03.  The state fire commission council may do all of the following:
(A) Conduct research, make and publish reports on fire safety, and recommend to the governor, the general assembly, the board of building standards, and other state agencies, any needed changes in the laws, rules, or administrative policies relating to fire safety;
(B) Recommend revisions in the rules included in the state fire code adopted by the fire marshal. The recommendations may propose the adoption of new rules or the amendment or repeal of existing rules. The commission council shall file its recommendations in the office of the fire marshal, and, within sixty days after the recommendations are filed, the fire marshal shall file with the chairperson of the commission council the fire marshal's comments on, and proposed action in response to, the recommendations.
(C) Maintain the Ohio fire service hall of fame. In maintaining the hall of fame, the commission council shall keep official commendations that recognize and commemorate exemplary accomplishments and acts of heroism by firefighters and other persons at fire-related incidents or similar events occurring in the state. The commission council may adopt criteria and guidelines for selecting individuals for that recognition and commemoration. The recognition and commemoration of individuals may occur annually and include an annual awards ceremony. The expenses associated with the recognition and commemoration of individuals shall be paid in accordance with division (F) of section 3737.81 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 3737.21.  (A) The director of the department of commerce shall appoint, from names submitted to the director by the state fire commission council, a fire marshal, who shall serve at the pleasure of the director and shall possess the following qualifications:
(1) A degree from an accredited college or university with specialized study in either the field of fire protection or fire protection engineering, or the equivalent qualifications determined from training, experience, and duties in a fire service;
(2) Five years of recent, progressively more responsible experience in fire inspection, fire code enforcement, fire investigation, fire protection engineering, teaching of fire safety engineering, or fire fighting.
(B) When a vacancy occurs in the position of fire marshal, the director shall notify the state fire commission council. The commission council shall communicate the fact of the vacancy by regular mail to all fire chiefs and fire protection engineers known to the commission council, or whose identity may be ascertained by the commission council by the exercise of due diligence. The commission council, no earlier than thirty days after mailing the notification, shall compile a list of all applicants for the position of fire marshal who are qualified under this section. The commission council shall submit the names of at least three persons on the list to the director. The director shall appoint the fire marshal from the list of at least three names or may request the commission council to submit additional names.
Sec. 3737.81.  (A) There is hereby created the state fire commission council consisting of ten members to be appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate. The fire marshal or chief deputy fire marshal, a representative designated by the department of public safety who has tenure in fire suppression, and a representative designated by the board of building standards shall be ex officio members. Of the initial appointments made to the commission council, two shall be for a term ending one year after November 1, 1978, two shall be for a term ending two years after that date, two shall be for a term ending three years after that date, two shall be for a term ending four years after that date, and two shall be for a term ending five years after that date. Thereafter, terms of office shall be for five years, each term ending on the same day of the same month of the year as did the term which it succeeds. Each member shall hold office from the date of appointment until the end of the term for which the member was appointed. Any member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring prior to the expiration of the term for which the member's predecessor was appointed shall hold office for the remainder of that term. Any member shall continue in office subsequent to the expiration date of the member's term until a successor takes office, or until a period of sixty days has elapsed, whichever occurs first. Members shall be qualified by experience and training to deal with the matters that are the responsibility of the commission council. Two members shall be members of paid fire services, one shall be a member of volunteer fire services, two shall be mayors, managers, or members of legislative authorities of municipal corporations, one shall represent commerce and industry, one shall be a representative of a fire insurance company domiciled in this state, one shall represent the flammable liquids industry, one shall represent the construction industry, and one shall represent the public. At no time shall more than six members be members of or associated with the same political party. Membership on the commission council shall not constitute holding a public office, and no person shall forfeit or otherwise vacate the person's office or position of employment because of membership on the commission council.
(B) The ex officio members may not vote, except that the fire marshal or chief deputy fire marshal may vote in case of a tie.
(C) Each member of the commission council, other than ex officio members, shall be paid an amount fixed pursuant to division (J) of section 124.15 of the Revised Code, and the member's actual and necessary expenses.
(D) The commission council shall select a chairperson and a vice-chairperson from among its members. No business may be transacted in the absence of a quorum. A quorum shall be at least six members, excluding ex officio members, and shall include either the chairperson or vice-chairperson. The commission council shall hold regular meetings at least once every two months and may meet at any other time at the call of the chairperson.
(E) The fire marshal shall provide the commission council with office space, meeting rooms, staff, and clerical assistance necessary for the commission council to perform its duties. If the commission council maintains the Ohio fire service hall of fame under division (C) of section 3737.03 of the Revised Code, the fire marshal shall preserve, in an appropriate manner, in the office space or meeting rooms provided to the commission council under this division or in another location, copies of all official commendations awarded to individuals recognized and commemorated for their exemplary accomplishments and acts of heroism at fire-related incidents or similar events that occurred in this state.
(F) If the commission council maintains the Ohio fire service hall of fame under division (C) of section 3737.03 of the Revised Code, the expenses incurred for the recognition and commemoration of individuals for their exemplary accomplishments and acts of heroism at fire-related incidents or similar events that occurred in this state, including, but not limited to, expenses for official commendations and an annual awards ceremony as described in division (B) of section 3737.03 of the Revised Code, may be paid from moneys appropriated by the general assembly for purposes of that recognition and commemoration, from moneys that are available to the fire marshal under this chapter, or from other funding sources available to the commission council.
Sec. 3737.86.  (A) As used in this section, "rule" includes the adoption, amendment, or repeal of any rule by the fire marshal under sections 3737.82 to 3737.86 of the Revised Code, regardless of whether or not the rule is included in the state fire code.
(B) The fire marshal shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code. In adopting rules, the fire marshal shall consider and make appropriate findings with respect to the degree and nature of the risk of injury that the rule is designed to prevent or reduce, the approximate number of products or types or classes of products subject to the rule, the public need for the products involved, the probable effect of the rule on the utility, cost, or availability of such product, and any means of achieving the objective of the rule that will minimize adverse effects on competition or disruption or dislocation of manufacturing and other commercial practices. The minimum standards embodied in the rules shall be published in such a manner as to assure that all interested parties have a reasonable opportunity to be informed of the standards so established.
(C) The fire marshal shall file a copy of the full text of any proposed rule with the chairman chairperson of the state fire commission council. The fire marshal shall not adopt the proposed rule until the commission council has filed in the office of the fire marshal recommendations for revisions in the proposed rule or until a period of sixty days has elapsed since the proposed rule was filed with the chairman chairperson of the commission council, whichever occurs first. The fire marshal shall consider any recommendations made by the commission council before adopting the proposed rule, but may accept, reject, or modify the recommendations.
Sec. 3737.88.  (A)(1) The fire marshal shall have responsibility for implementation of the underground storage tank program and corrective action program for releases from underground petroleum storage tanks established by the "Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976," 90 Stat. 2795, 42 U.S.C.A. 6901, as amended. To implement the program, the fire marshal may adopt, amend, and rescind such rules, conduct such inspections, require annual registration of underground storage tanks, issue such citations and orders to enforce those rules, enter into environmental covenants in accordance with sections 5301.80 to 5301.92 of the Revised Code, and perform such other duties, as are consistent with those programs. The fire marshal, by rule, may delegate the authority to conduct inspections of underground storage tanks to certified fire safety inspectors.
(2) In the place of any rules regarding release containment and release detection for underground storage tanks adopted under division (A)(1) of this section, the fire marshal, by rule, shall designate areas as being sensitive for the protection of human health and the environment and adopt alternative rules regarding release containment and release detection methods for new and upgraded underground storage tank systems located in those areas. In designating such areas, the fire marshal shall take into consideration such factors as soil conditions, hydrogeology, water use, and the location of public and private water supplies. Not later than July 11, 1990, the fire marshal shall file the rules required under this division with the secretary of state, director of the legislative service commission, and joint committee on agency rule review in accordance with divisions (B) and (H) of section 119.03 of the Revised Code.
(B) Before adopting any rule under this section or section 3737.881 or 3737.882 of the Revised Code, the fire marshal shall file written notice of the proposed rule with the chairperson of the state fire commission council, and, within sixty days after notice is filed, the commission council may file responses to or comments on and may recommend alternative or supplementary rules to the fire marshal. At the end of the sixty-day period or upon the filing of responses, comments, or recommendations by the commission council, the fire marshal may adopt the rule filed with the commission council or any alternative or supplementary rule recommended by the commission council.
(C) The state fire commission council may recommend courses of action to be taken by the fire marshal in carrying out the fire marshal's duties under this section. The commission council shall file its recommendations in the office of the fire marshal, and, within sixty days after the recommendations are filed, the fire marshal shall file with the chairperson of the commission council comments on, and proposed action in response to, the recommendations.
(D) For the purpose of sections 3737.87 to 3737.89 of the Revised Code, the fire marshal shall adopt, and may amend and rescind, rules identifying or listing hazardous substances. The rules shall be consistent with and equivalent in scope, coverage, and content to regulations identifying or listing hazardous substances adopted under the "Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980," 94 Stat. 2779, 42 U.S.C.A. 9602, as amended, except that the fire marshal shall not identify or list as a hazardous substance any hazardous waste identified or listed in rules adopted under division (A) of section 3734.12 of the Revised Code.
(E) Notwithstanding any provision of the laws of this state to the contrary, the fire marshal has exclusive jurisdiction to regulate the storage, treatment, and disposal of petroleum contaminated soil generated from corrective actions undertaken in response to releases of petroleum. The fire marshal may adopt, amend, or rescind such rules as the fire marshal considers to be necessary or appropriate to regulate the storage, treatment, or disposal of petroleum contaminated soil so generated.
(F) The fire marshal shall adopt, amend, and rescind rules under sections 3737.88 to 3737.882 of the Revised Code in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code.
Sec. 3743.54.  (A) A licensed exhibitor of fireworks may acquire fireworks for use at a public fireworks exhibition only from a licensed manufacturer of fireworks or licensed wholesaler of fireworks, and only in accordance with the procedures specified in this section and section 3743.55 of the Revised Code.
(B)(1) A licensed exhibitor of fireworks who wishes to conduct a public fireworks exhibition shall apply for approval to conduct the exhibition to whichever of the following persons is appropriate under the circumstances:
(a) Unless division (B)(1)(c) or (d) of this section applies, if the exhibition will take place in a municipal corporation, the approval shall be obtained from the fire chief, and from the police chief or other similar chief law enforcement officer, or the designee of the police chief or similar chief law enforcement officer, of the particular municipal corporation.
(b) Unless division (B)(1)(c) or (d) of this section applies, if the exhibition will take place in an unincorporated area, the approval shall be obtained from the fire chief of the particular township or township fire district, and from the police chief or other similar chief law enforcement officer, or the designee of the police chief or similar chief law enforcement officer, of the particular township or township police district.
(c) If fire protection services for the premises on which the exhibition will take place are provided in accordance with a contract between political subdivisions, the approval shall be obtained from the fire chief of the political subdivision providing the fire protection services and from the police chief or other similar chief law enforcement officer, or the designee of the police chief or similar chief law enforcement officer, of the political subdivision in which the premises on which the exhibition will take place are located. If police services for the premises on which the exhibition will take place are provided in accordance with a contract between political subdivisions, the approval shall be obtained from the police chief or other similar chief law enforcement officer, or the designee of the police chief or similar chief law enforcement officer, of the political subdivision providing the police services and from the fire chief of the political subdivision in which the premises on which the exhibition will take place are located. If both fire and police protection services for the premises on which the exhibition will take place are provided in accordance with a contract between political subdivisions, the approval shall be obtained from the fire chief, and from the police chief or other similar chief law enforcement officer, or the designee of the police chief or similar chief law enforcement officer, of the political subdivisions providing the police and fire protection services.
(d) If there is no municipal corporation, township, or township fire district fire department, no municipal corporation, township, or township police district police department, and no contract for police or fire protection services between political subdivisions covering the premises on which the exhibition will take place, the approval shall be obtained from the fire prevention officer, and from the police chief or other similar chief law enforcement officer, or the designee of the police chief or other similar chief law enforcement officer, having jurisdiction over the premises.
(2) The approval required by division (B)(1) of this section shall be evidenced by the fire chief or fire prevention officer and by the police chief or other similar chief law enforcement officer, or the designee of the police chief or other similar chief law enforcement officer, signing a permit for the exhibition. The fire marshal shall prescribe the form of exhibition permits and distribute copies of the form to fire chiefs, to fire prevention officers, and to police chiefs or other similar chief law enforcement officers of municipal corporations, townships, or township police districts, or their designees, in this state. Any exhibitor of fireworks who wishes to conduct a public fireworks exhibition may obtain a copy of the form from the fire marshal or, if it is available, from a fire chief, a fire prevention officer, a police chief or other similar chief law enforcement officer of a municipal corporation, township, or township police district, or a designee of such a police chief or other similar chief law enforcement officer.
(C) Before a permit is signed and issued to a licensed exhibitor of fireworks, the fire chief or fire prevention officer, in consultation with the police chief or other similar chief law enforcement officer or with the designee of the police chief or other similar chief law enforcement officer, shall inspect the premises on which the exhibition will take place and shall determine that, in fact, the applicant for the permit is a licensed exhibitor of fireworks. Each applicant shall show the applicant's license as an exhibitor of fireworks to the fire chief or fire prevention officer.
The fire chief or fire prevention officer, and the police chief or other similar chief law enforcement officer, or the designee of the police chief or other similar chief law enforcement officer, shall give approval to conduct a public fireworks exhibition only if satisfied, based on the inspection, that the premises on which the exhibition will be conducted allow the exhibitor to comply with the rules adopted by the fire marshal pursuant to divisions (B) and (E) of section 3743.53 of the Revised Code and that the applicant is, in fact, a licensed exhibitor of fireworks. The fire chief or fire prevention officer, in consultation with the police chief or other similar chief law enforcement officer or with the designee of the police chief or other similar chief law enforcement officer, may inspect the premises immediately prior to the exhibition to determine if the exhibitor has complied with the rules, and may revoke a permit for noncompliance with the rules.
(D) If the legislative authorities of their political subdivisions have prescribed a fee for the issuance of a permit for a public fireworks exhibition, fire chiefs or fire prevention officers, and police chiefs, other similar chief law enforcement officers, or their designee, shall not issue a permit until the exhibitor pays the requisite fee.
Each exhibitor shall provide an indemnity bond in the amount of at least one million dollars, with surety satisfactory to the fire chief or fire prevention officer and to the police chief or other similar chief law enforcement officer, or the designee of the police chief or other similar chief law enforcement officer, conditioned for the payment of all final judgments that may be rendered against the exhibitor on account of injury, death, or loss to persons or property emanating from the fireworks exhibition, or proof of insurance coverage of at least one million dollars for liability arising from injury, death, or loss to persons or property emanating from the fireworks exhibition. The legislative authority of a political subdivision in which a public fireworks exhibition will take place may require the exhibitor to provide an indemnity bond or proof of insurance coverage in amounts greater than those required by this division. Fire chiefs or fire prevention officers, and police chiefs, other similar chief law enforcement officers, or their designee, shall not issue a permit until the exhibitor provides the bond or proof of the insurance coverage required by this division or by the political subdivision in which the fireworks exhibition will take place.
(E)(1) Each permit for a fireworks exhibition issued by a fire chief or fire prevention officer, and by the police chief or other similar chief law enforcement officer, or the designee of the police chief or other similar chief law enforcement officer, shall contain a distinct number, designate the municipal corporation, township, or township fire or police district of the fire chief, fire prevention officer, police chief or other similar chief law enforcement officer, or designee of the police chief or other similar chief law enforcement officer, and identify the certified fire safety inspector, fire chief, or fire prevention officer who will be present before, during, and after the exhibition, where appropriate. A copy of each permit issued shall be forwarded by the fire chief or fire prevention officer, and by the police chief or other similar chief law enforcement officer, or the designee of the police chief or other similar chief law enforcement officer, issuing it to the fire marshal, who shall keep a record of the permits received. A permit is not transferable or assignable.
(2) Each fire chief, fire prevention officer, police chief or other similar chief law enforcement officer, and designee of a police chief or other similar chief law enforcement officer shall keep a record of issued permits for fireworks exhibitions. In this list, the fire chief, fire prevention officer, police chief or other similar chief law enforcement officer, and designee of a police chief or other similar chief law enforcement officer shall list the name of the exhibitor, the exhibitor's license number, the premises on which the exhibition will be conducted, the date and time of the exhibition, and the number and political subdivision designation of the permit issued to the exhibitor for the exhibition.
(F) The governing authority having jurisdiction in the location where an exhibition is to take place shall require that a certified fire safety inspector, fire chief, or fire prevention officer be present before, during, and after the exhibition, and shall require the certified fire safety inspector, fire chief, or fire prevention officer to inspect the premises where the exhibition is to take place and determine whether the exhibition is in compliance with this chapter.
(G) Notwithstanding any provision of the Revised Code to the contrary, the state fire marshal is hereby authorized to create additional license categories for fireworks exhibitors and to create additional permit requirements for fireworks exhibitions for the indoor use of fireworks and other uses of pyrotechnics, including the use of pyrotechnic materials that do not meet the definition of fireworks as described in section 3743.01 of the Revised Code. Such licenses and permits and the fees for such licenses and permits shall be described in rules adopted by the fire marshal under Chapter 119. of the Revised Code. Such rules may provide for different standards for exhibitor licensure and the permitting and conducting of a fireworks exhibition than the requirements of this chapter.
Prior to the state fire marshal's adoption of the rules described in this division, the director of commerce shall appoint a committee consisting of the state fire marshal or the marshal's designee, three representatives of the fireworks industry, and three representatives of the fire service to assist the state fire marshal in adopting these rules. Unless an extension is granted by the director of commerce, the state fire marshal shall adopt initial rules under this section not later than July 1, 2010.
Sec. 3746.04.  Within one year after September 28, 1994, the director of environmental protection, in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code and with the advice of the multidisciplinary council appointed under section 3746.03 of the Revised Code, shall adopt, and subsequently may amend, suspend, or rescind, rules that do both of the following:
(A) Revise the rules adopted under Chapters 3704., 3714., 3734., 6109., and 6111. of the Revised Code to incorporate the provisions necessary to conform those rules to the requirements of this chapter. The amended rules adopted under this division also shall establish response times for all submittals to the environmental protection agency required under this chapter or rules adopted under it.
(B) Establish requirements and procedures that are reasonably necessary for the implementation and administration of this chapter, including, without limitation, all of the following:
(1) Appropriate generic numerical clean-up standards for the treatment or removal of soils, sediments, and water media for hazardous substances and petroleum. The rules shall establish separate generic numerical clean-up standards based upon the intended use of properties after the completion of voluntary actions, including industrial, commercial, and residential uses and such other categories of land use as the director considers to be appropriate. The generic numerical clean-up standards established for each category of land use shall be the concentration of each contaminant that may be present on a property that shall ensure protection of public health and safety and the environment for the reasonable exposure for that category of land use. When developing the standards, the director shall consider such factors as all of the following:
(a) Scientific information, including, without limitation, toxicological information and realistic assumptions regarding human and environmental exposure to hazardous substances or petroleum;
(b) Climatic factors;
(c) Human activity patterns;
(d) Current statistical techniques;
(e) For petroleum at industrial property, alternatives to the use of total petroleum hydrocarbons.
The generic numerical clean-up standards established in the rules adopted under division (B)(1) of this section shall be consistent with and equivalent in scope, content, and coverage to any applicable standard established by federal environmental laws and regulations adopted under them, including, without limitation, the "Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972," 86 Stat. 886, 33 U.S.C.A. 1251, as amended; the "Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976," 90 Stat. 2806, 42 U.S.C.A. 6921, as amended; the "Toxic Substances Control Act," 90 Stat. 2003 (1976), 15 U.S.C.A. 2601, as amended; the "Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980," 94 Stat. 2779, 42 U.S.C.A. 9601, as amended; and the "Safe Drinking Water Act," 88 Stat. 1660 (1974), 42 U.S.C.A. 300f, as amended.
In order for the rules adopted under division (B)(1) of this section to require that any such federal environmental standard apply to a property, the property shall meet the requirements of the particular federal statute or regulation involved in the manner specified by the statute or regulation.
The generic numerical clean-up standards for petroleum at commercial or residential property shall be the standards established in rules adopted under division (B) of section 3737.882 of the Revised Code.
(2)(a) Procedures for performing property-specific risk assessments that would be performed at a property to demonstrate that the remedy evaluated in a risk assessment results in protection of public health and safety and the environment instead of complying with the generic numerical clean-up standards established in the rules adopted under division (B)(1) of this section. The risk assessment procedures shall describe a methodology to establish, on a property-specific basis, allowable levels of contamination to remain at a property to ensure protection of public health and safety and the environment on the property and off the property when the contamination is emanating off the property, taking into account all of the following:
(i) The implementation of treatment, storage, or disposal, or a combination thereof, of hazardous substances or petroleum;
(ii) The existence of institutional controls or activity and use limitations that eliminate or mitigate exposure to hazardous substances or petroleum through the restriction of access to hazardous substances or petroleum;
(iii) The existence of engineering controls that eliminate or mitigate exposure to hazardous substances or petroleum through containment of, control of, or restrictions of access to hazardous substances or petroleum, including, without limitation, fences, cap systems, cover systems, and landscaping.
(b) The risk assessment procedures and levels of acceptable risk set forth in the rules adopted under division (B)(2) of this section shall be based upon all of the following:
(i) Scientific information, including, without limitation, toxicological information and actual or proposed human and environmental exposure;
(ii) Locational and climatic factors;
(iii) Surrounding land use and human activities;
(iv) Differing levels of remediation that may be required when an existing land use is continued compared to when a different land use follows the remediation.
(c) Any standards established pursuant to rules adopted under division (B)(2) of this section shall be no more stringent than standards established under the environmental statutes of this state and rules adopted under them for the same contaminant in the same environmental medium that are in effect at the time the risk assessment is conducted.
(3) Minimum standards for phase I property assessments. The standards shall specify the information needed to demonstrate that there is no reason to believe that contamination exists on a property. The rules adopted under division (B)(3) of this section, at a minimum, shall require that a phase I property assessment include all of the following:
(a) A review and analysis of deeds, mortgages, easements of record, and similar documents relating to the chain of title to the property that are publicly available or that are known to and reasonably available to the owner or operator;
(b) A review and analysis of any previous environmental assessments, property assessments, environmental studies, or geologic studies of the property and any land within two thousand feet of the boundaries of the property that are publicly available or that are known to and reasonably available to the owner or operator;
(c) A review of current and past environmental compliance histories of persons who owned or operated the property;
(d) A review of aerial photographs of the property that indicate prior uses of the property;
(e) Interviews with managers of activities conducted at the property who have knowledge of environmental conditions at the property;
(f) Conducting an inspection of the property consisting of a walkover;
(g) Identifying the current and past uses of the property, adjoining tracts of land, and the area surrounding the property, including, without limitation, interviews with persons who reside or have resided, or who are or were employed, within the area surrounding the property regarding the current and past uses of the property and adjacent tracts of land.
The rules adopted under division (B)(3) of this section shall establish criteria to determine when a phase II property assessment shall be conducted when a phase I property assessment reveals facts that establish a reason to believe that hazardous substances or petroleum have been treated, stored, managed, or disposed of on the property if the person undertaking the phase I property assessment wishes to obtain a covenant not to sue under section 3746.12 of the Revised Code.
(4) Minimum standards for phase II property assessments. The standards shall specify the information needed to demonstrate that any contamination present at the property does not exceed applicable standards or that the remedial activities conducted at the property have achieved compliance with applicable standards. The rules adopted under division (B)(4) of this section, at a minimum, shall require that a phase II property assessment include all of the following:
(a) A review and analysis of all documentation prepared in connection with a phase I property assessment conducted within the one hundred eighty days before the phase II property assessment begins. The rules adopted under division (B)(4)(a) of this section shall require that if a period of more than one hundred eighty days has passed between the time that the phase I assessment of the property was completed and the phase II assessment begins, the phase II assessment shall include a reasonable inquiry into the change in the environmental condition of the property during the intervening period.
(b) Quality assurance objectives for measurements taken in connection with a phase II assessment;
(c) Sampling procedures to ensure the representative sampling of potentially contaminated environmental media;
(d) Quality assurance and quality control requirements for samples collected in connection with phase II assessments;
(e) Analytical and data assessment procedures;
(f) Data objectives to ensure that samples collected in connection with phase II assessments are biased toward areas where information indicates that contamination by hazardous substances or petroleum is likely to exist.
(5) Standards governing the conduct of certified professionals, criteria and procedures for the certification of professionals to issue no further action letters under section 3746.11 of the Revised Code, and criteria for the suspension and revocation of those certifications. The director shall take an action regarding a certification as a final action. The issuance, denial, renewal, suspension, and revocation of those certifications are subject to Chapter 3745. of the Revised Code, except that, in lieu of publishing an action regarding a certification in a newspaper of general circulation as required in section 3745.07 of the Revised Code, such an action shall be published on the environmental protection agency's web site and in the agency's weekly review not later than fifteen days after the date of the issuance, denial, renewal, suspension, or revocation of the certification and not later than thirty days before a hearing or public meeting concerning the action.
The rules adopted under division (B)(5) of this section shall do all of the following:
(a) Provide for the certification of environmental professionals to issue no further action letters pertaining to investigations and remedies in accordance with the criteria and procedures set forth in the rules. The rules adopted under division (B)(5)(a) of this section shall do at least all of the following:
(i) Authorize the director to consider such factors as an environmental professional's previous performance record regarding such investigations and remedies and the environmental professional's environmental compliance history when determining whether to certify the environmental professional;
(ii) Ensure that an application for certification is reviewed in a timely manner;
(iii) Require the director to certify any environmental professional who the director determines complies with those criteria;
(iv) Require the director to deny certification for any environmental professional who does not comply with those criteria.
(b) Establish an annual fee to be paid by environmental professionals certified pursuant to the rules adopted under division (B)(5)(a) of this section. The fee shall be established at an amount calculated to defray the costs to the agency for the required reviews of the qualifications of environmental professionals for certification and for the issuance of the certifications.
(c) Develop a schedule for and establish requirements governing the review by the director of the credentials of environmental professionals who were deemed to be certified professionals under division (D) of section 3746.07 of the Revised Code in order to determine if they comply with the criteria established in rules adopted under division (B)(5) of this section. The rules adopted under division (B)(5)(c) of this section shall do at least all of the following:
(i) Ensure that the review is conducted in a timely fashion;
(ii) Require the director to certify any such environmental professional who the director determines complies with those criteria;
(iii) Require any such environmental professional initially to pay the fee established in the rules adopted under division (B)(5)(b) of this section at the time that the environmental professional is so certified by the director;
(iv) Establish a time period within which any such environmental professional who does not comply with those criteria may obtain the credentials that are necessary for certification;
(v) Require the director to deny certification for any such environmental professional who does not comply with those criteria and who fails to obtain the necessary credentials within the established time period.
(d) Require that any information submitted to the director for the purposes of the rules adopted under division (B)(5)(a) or (c) of this section comply with division (A) of section 3746.20 of the Revised Code;
(e) Authorize the director to suspend or revoke the certification of an environmental professional if the director finds that the environmental professional's performance has resulted in the issuance of no further action letters under section 3746.11 of the Revised Code that are not consistent with applicable standards or finds that the certified environmental professional has not substantially complied with section 3746.31 of the Revised Code;
(f) Authorize the director to suspend for a period of not more than five years or to permanently revoke a certified environmental professional's certification for any violation of or failure to comply with an ethical standard established in rules adopted under division (B)(5) of this section;
(g) Require the director to revoke the certification of an environmental professional if the director finds that the environmental professional falsified any information on the environmental professional's application for certification regarding the environmental professional's credentials or qualifications or any other information generated for the purposes of or use under this chapter or rules adopted under it;
(h) Require the director permanently to revoke the certification of an environmental professional who has violated or is violating division (A) of section 3746.18 of the Revised Code;
(i) Preclude the director from revoking the certification of an environmental professional who only conducts investigations and remedies at property contaminated solely with petroleum unless the director first consults with the director of commerce.
(6) Criteria and procedures for the certification of laboratories to perform analyses under this chapter and rules adopted under it. The issuance, denial, suspension, and revocation of those certifications are subject to Chapter 3745. of the Revised Code, and the director of environmental protection shall take any such action regarding a certification as a final action.
The rules adopted under division (B)(6) of this section shall do all of the following:
(a) Provide for the certification to perform analyses of laboratories in accordance with the criteria and procedures established in the rules adopted under division (B)(6)(a) of this section and establish an annual fee to be paid by those laboratories. The fee shall be established at an amount calculated to defray the costs to the agency for the review of the qualifications of those laboratories for certification and for the issuance of the certifications. The rules adopted under division (B)(6)(a) of this section may provide for the certification of those laboratories to perform only particular types or categories of analyses, specific test parameters or group of test parameters, or a specific matrix or matrices under this chapter.
(b) Develop a schedule for and establish requirements governing the review by the director of the operations of laboratories that were deemed to be certified laboratories under division (E) of section 3746.07 of the Revised Code in order to determine if they comply with the criteria established in rules adopted under division (B)(6) of this section. The rules adopted under division (B)(6)(b) of this section shall do at least all of the following:
(i) Ensure that the review is conducted in a timely fashion;
(ii) Require the director to certify any such laboratory that the director determines complies with those criteria;
(iii) Require any such laboratory initially to pay the fee established in the rules adopted under division (B)(6)(a) of this section at the time that the laboratory is so certified by the director;
(iv) Establish a time period within which any such laboratory that does not comply with those criteria may make changes in its operations necessary for the performance of analyses under this chapter and rules adopted under it in order to be certified by the director;
(v) Require the director to deny certification for any such laboratory that does not comply with those criteria and that fails to make the necessary changes in its operations within the established time period.
(c) Require that any information submitted to the director for the purposes of the rules adopted under division (B)(6)(a) or (b) of this section comply with division (A) of section 3746.20 of the Revised Code;
(d) Authorize the director to suspend or revoke the certification of a laboratory if the director finds that the laboratory's performance has resulted in the issuance of no further action letters under section 3746.11 of the Revised Code that are not consistent with applicable standards;
(e) Authorize the director to suspend or revoke the certification of a laboratory if the director finds that the laboratory falsified any information on its application for certification regarding its credentials or qualifications;
(f) Require the director permanently to revoke the certification of a laboratory that has violated or is violating division (A) of section 3746.18 of the Revised Code.
(7) Information to be included in a no further action letter prepared under section 3746.11 of the Revised Code, including, without limitation, all of the following:
(a) A summary of the information required to be submitted to the certified environmental professional preparing the no further action letter under division (C) of section 3746.10 of the Revised Code;
(b) Notification that a risk assessment was performed in accordance with rules adopted under division (B)(2) of this section if such an assessment was used in lieu of generic numerical clean-up standards established in rules adopted under division (B)(1) of this section;
(c) The contaminants addressed at the property, if any, their source, if known, and their levels prior to remediation;
(d) The identity of any other person who performed work to support the request for the no further action letter as provided in division (B)(2) of section 3746.10 of the Revised Code and the nature and scope of the work performed by that person;
(e) A list of the data, information, records, and documents relied upon by the certified environmental professional in preparing the no further action letter.
(8) Methods for determining fees to be paid for the following services provided by the agency under this chapter and rules adopted under it:
(a) Site- or property-specific technical assistance in developing or implementing plans in connection with a voluntary action;
(b) Reviewing applications for and issuing consolidated standards permits under section 3746.15 of the Revised Code and monitoring compliance with those permits;
(c) Negotiating, preparing, and entering into agreements necessary for the implementation and administration of this chapter and rules adopted under it;
(d) Reviewing no further action letters, issuing covenants not to sue, and monitoring compliance with any terms and conditions of those covenants and with operation and maintenance agreements entered into pursuant to those covenants, including, without limitation, conducting audits of properties where voluntary actions are being or were conducted under this chapter and rules adopted under it.
The fees established pursuant to the rules adopted under division (B)(8) of this section shall be at a level sufficient to defray the direct and indirect costs incurred by the agency for the administration and enforcement of this chapter and rules adopted under it other than the provisions regarding the certification of professionals and laboratories.
(9) Criteria for selecting the no further action letters issued under section 3746.11 of the Revised Code that will be audited under section 3746.17 of the Revised Code, and the scope and procedures for conducting those audits. The rules adopted under division (B)(9) of this section, at a minimum, shall require the director to establish priorities for auditing no further action letters to which any of the following applies:
(a) The letter was prepared by an environmental professional who was deemed to be a certified professional under division (D) of section 3746.07 of the Revised Code, but who does not comply with the criteria established in rules adopted under division (B)(5) of this section as determined pursuant to rules adopted under division (B)(5)(d) of this section;
(b) The letter was submitted fraudulently;
(c) The letter was prepared by a certified environmental professional whose certification subsequently was revoked in accordance with rules adopted under division (B)(5) of this section, or analyses were performed for the purposes of the no further action letter by a certified laboratory whose certification subsequently was revoked in accordance with rules adopted under division (B)(6) of this section;
(d) A covenant not to sue that was issued pursuant to the letter was revoked under this chapter;
(e) The letter was for a voluntary action that was conducted pursuant to a risk assessment in accordance with rules adopted under division (B)(2) of this section;
(f) The letter was for a voluntary action that included as remedial activities engineering controls or institutional controls or activity and use limitations authorized under section 3746.05 of the Revised Code.
The rules adopted under division (B)(9) of this section shall provide for random audits of no further action letters to which the rules adopted under divisions (B)(9)(a) to (f) of this section do not apply.
(10) A classification system to characterize ground water according to its capability to be used for human use and its impact on the environment and a methodology that shall be used to determine when ground water that has become contaminated from sources on a property for which a covenant not to sue is requested under section 3746.11 of the Revised Code shall be remediated to the standards established in the rules adopted under division (B)(1) or (2) of this section.
(a) In adopting rules under division (B)(10) of this section to characterize ground water according to its capability for human use, the director shall consider all of the following:
(i) The presence of legally enforceable, reliable restrictions on the use of ground water, including, without limitation, local rules or ordinances;
(ii) The presence of regional commingled contamination from multiple sources that diminishes the quality of ground water;
(iii) The natural quality of ground water;
(iv) Regional availability of ground water and reasonable alternative sources of drinking water;
(v) The productivity of the aquifer;
(vi) The presence of restrictions on the use of ground water implemented under this chapter and rules adopted under it;
(vii) The existing use of ground water.
(b) In adopting rules under division (B)(10) of this section to characterize ground water according to its impacts on the environment, the director shall consider both of the following:
(i) The risks posed to humans, fauna, surface water, sediments, soil, air, and other resources by the continuing presence of contaminated ground water;
(ii) The availability and feasibility of technology to remedy ground water contamination.
(11) Governing the application for and issuance of variances under section 3746.09 of the Revised Code;
(12)(a) In the case of voluntary actions involving contaminated ground water, specifying the circumstances under which the generic numerical clean-up standards established in rules adopted under division (B)(1) of this section and standards established through a risk assessment conducted pursuant to rules adopted under division (B)(2) of this section shall be inapplicable to the remediation of contaminated ground water and under which the standards for remediating contaminated ground water shall be established on a case-by-case basis prior to the commencement of the voluntary action pursuant to rules adopted under division (B)(12)(b) of this section;
(b) Criteria and procedures for the case-by-case establishment of standards for the remediation of contaminated ground water under circumstances in which the use of the generic numerical clean-up standards and standards established through a risk assessment are precluded by the rules adopted under division (B)(12)(a) of this section. The rules governing the procedures for the case-by-case development of standards for the remediation of contaminated ground water shall establish application, public participation, adjudication, and appeals requirements and procedures that are equivalent to the requirements and procedures established in section 3746.09 of the Revised Code and rules adopted under division (B)(11) of this section, except that the procedural rules shall not require an applicant to make the demonstrations set forth in divisions (A)(1) to (3) of section 3746.09 of the Revised Code.
(13) A definition of the evidence that constitutes sufficient evidence for the purpose of division (A)(5) of section 3746.02 of the Revised Code.
At least thirty days before filing the proposed rules required to be adopted under this section with the secretary of state, director of the legislative service commission, and joint committee on agency rule review in accordance with divisions (B) and (H) of section 119.03 of the Revised Code, the director of environmental protection shall hold at least one public meeting on the proposed rules in each of the five districts into which the agency has divided the state for administrative purposes.
Sec. 4117.03.  (A) Public employees have the right to:
(1) Form, join, assist, or participate in, or refrain from forming, joining, assisting, or participating in, except as otherwise provided in Chapter 4117. of the Revised Code, any employee organization of their own choosing;
(2) Engage in other concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid and protection;
(3) Representation by an employee organization;
(4) Bargain collectively with their public employers to determine wages, hours, terms and other conditions of employment and the continuation, modification, or deletion of an existing provision of a collective bargaining agreement, and enter into collective bargaining agreements;
(5) Present grievances and have them adjusted, without the intervention of the bargaining representative, as long as the adjustment is not inconsistent with the terms of the collective bargaining agreement then in effect and as long as the bargaining representatives have the opportunity to be present at the adjustment.
(B) Persons on active duty or acting in any capacity as members of the organized militia do not have collective bargaining rights.
(C) Except as provided in division (D) of this section, nothing in Chapter 4117. of the Revised Code prohibits public employers from electing to engage in collective bargaining, to meet and confer, to hold discussions, or to engage in any other form of collective negotiations with public employees who are not subject to Chapter 4117. of the Revised Code pursuant to division (C) of section 4117.01 of the Revised Code.
(D) A public employer shall not engage in collective bargaining or other forms of collective negotiations with the employees of county boards of elections referred to in division (C)(12) of section 4117.01 of the Revised Code.
(E) Employees of public schools may bargain collectively for health care benefits; however, all health care benefits shall include best practices prescribed by the school employees health care board, in accordance with section 9.901 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 4121.03.  (A) The governor shall appoint from among the members of the industrial commission the chairperson of the industrial commission. The chairperson shall serve as chairperson at the pleasure of the governor. The chairperson is the head of the commission and its chief executive officer.
(B) The chairperson shall appoint, after consultation with other commission members and obtaining the approval of at least one other commission member, an executive director of the commission. The executive director shall serve at the pleasure of the chairperson. The executive director, under the direction of the chairperson, shall perform all of the following duties:
(1) Act as chief administrative officer for the commission;
(2) Ensure that all commission personnel follow the rules of the commission;
(3) Ensure that all orders, awards, and determinations are properly heard and signed, prior to attesting to the documents;
(4) Coordinate, to the fullest extent possible, commission activities with the bureau of workers' compensation activities;
(5) Do all things necessary for the efficient and effective implementation of the duties of the commission.
The responsibilities assigned to the executive director of the commission do not relieve the chairperson from final responsibility for the proper performance of the acts specified in this division.
(C) The chairperson shall do all of the following:
(1) Except as otherwise provided in this division, employ, promote, supervise, remove, and establish the compensation of all employees as needed in connection with the performance of the commission's duties under this chapter and Chapters 4123., 4127., and 4131. of the Revised Code and may assign to them their duties to the extent necessary to achieve the most efficient performance of its functions, and to that end may establish, change, or abolish positions, and assign and reassign duties and responsibilities of every employee of the commission. The civil service status of any person employed by the commission prior to November 3, 1989, is not affected by this section. Personnel employed by the bureau or the commission who are subject to Chapter 4117. of the Revised Code shall retain all of their rights and benefits conferred pursuant to that chapter as it presently exists or is hereafter amended and nothing in this chapter or Chapter 4123. of the Revised Code shall be construed as eliminating or interfering with Chapter 4117. of the Revised Code or the rights and benefits conferred under that chapter to public employees or to any bargaining unit.
(2) Hire district and staff hearing officers after consultation with other commission members and obtaining the approval of at least one other commission member;
(3) Fire staff and district hearing officers when the chairperson finds appropriate after obtaining the approval of at least one other commission member;
(4) Maintain the office for the commission in Columbus;
(5) To the maximum extent possible, use electronic data processing equipment for the issuance of orders immediately following a hearing, scheduling of hearings and medical examinations, tracking of claims, retrieval of information, and any other matter within the commission's jurisdiction, and shall provide and input information into the electronic data processing equipment as necessary to effect the success of the claims tracking system established pursuant to division (B)(15) of section 4121.121 of the Revised Code;
(6) Exercise all administrative and nonadjudicatory powers and duties conferred upon the commission by Chapters 4121., 4123., 4127., and 4131. of the Revised Code;
(7) Approve all contracts for special services.
(D) The chairperson is responsible for all administrative matters and may secure for the commission facilities, equipment, and supplies necessary to house the commission, any employees, and files and records under the commission's control and to discharge any duty imposed upon the commission by law, the expense thereof to be audited and paid in the same manner as other state expenses. For that purpose, the chairperson, separately from the budget prepared by the administrator of workers' compensation and the budget prepared by the director of the workers' compensation council, shall prepare and submit to the office of budget and management a budget for each biennium according to sections 101.532 and 107.03 of the Revised Code. The budget submitted shall cover the costs of the commission and staff and district hearing officers in the discharge of any duty imposed upon the chairperson, the commission, and hearing officers by law.
(E) A majority of the commission constitutes a quorum to transact business. No vacancy impairs the rights of the remaining members to exercise all of the powers of the commission, so long as a majority remains. Any investigation, inquiry, or hearing that the commission may hold or undertake may be held or undertaken by or before any one member of the commission, or before one of the deputies of the commission, except as otherwise provided in this chapter and Chapters 4123., 4127., and 4131. of the Revised Code. Every order made by a member, or by a deputy, when approved and confirmed by a majority of the members, and so shown on its record of proceedings, is the order of the commission. The commission may hold sessions at any place within the state. The commission is responsible for all of the following:
(1) Establishing the overall adjudicatory policy and management of the commission under this chapter and Chapters 4123., 4127., and 4131. of the Revised Code, except for those administrative matters within the jurisdiction of the chairperson, bureau of workers' compensation, and the administrator of workers' compensation under those chapters;
(2) Hearing appeals and reconsiderations under this chapter and Chapters 4123., 4127., and 4131. of the Revised Code;
(3) Engaging in rulemaking where required by this chapter or Chapter 4123., 4127., or 4131. of the Revised Code.
Sec. 4121.12.  (A) There is hereby created the bureau of workers' compensation board of directors consisting of eleven members to be appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate. One member shall be an individual who, on account of the individual's previous vocation, employment, or affiliations, can be classed as a representative of employees; two members shall be individuals who, on account of their previous vocation, employment, or affiliations, can be classed as representatives of employee organizations and at least one of these two individuals shall be a member of the executive committee of the largest statewide labor federation; three members shall be individuals who, on account of their previous vocation, employment, or affiliations, can be classed as representatives of employers, one of whom represents self-insuring employers, one of whom is a state fund employer who employs one hundred or more employees, and one of whom is a state fund employer who employs less than one hundred employees; two members shall be individuals who, on account of their vocation, employment, or affiliations, can be classed as investment and securities experts who have direct experience in the management, analysis, supervision, or investment of assets and are residents of this state; one member who shall be a certified public accountant; one member who shall be an actuary who is a member in good standing with the American academy of actuaries or who is an associate or fellow with the society of actuaries; and one member shall represent the public and also be an individual who, on account of the individual's previous vocation, employment, or affiliations, cannot be classed as either predominantly representative of employees or of employers. The governor shall select the chairperson of the board who shall serve as chairperson at the pleasure of the governor.
None of the members of the board, within one year immediately preceding the member's appointment, shall have been employed by the bureau of workers' compensation or by any person, partnership, or corporation that has provided to the bureau services of a financial or investment nature, including the management, analysis, supervision, or investment of assets.
(B) Of the initial appointments made to the board, the governor shall appoint the member who represents employees, one member who represents employers, and the member who represents the public to a term ending one year after June 11, 2007; one member who represents employers, one member who represents employee organizations, one member who is an investment and securities expert, and the member who is a certified public accountant to a term ending two years after June 11, 2007; and one member who represents employers, one member who represents employee organizations, one member who is an investment and securities expert, and the member who is an actuary to a term ending three years after June 11, 2007. Thereafter, terms of office shall be for three years, with each term ending on the same day of the same month as did the term that it succeeds. Each member shall hold office from the date of the member's appointment until the end of the term for which the member was appointed.
Members may be reappointed. Any member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring prior to the expiration date of the term for which the member's predecessor was appointed shall hold office as a member for the remainder of that term. A member shall continue in office subsequent to the expiration date of the member's term until a successor takes office or until a period of sixty days has elapsed, whichever occurs first.
(C) In making appointments to the board, the governor shall select the members from the list of names submitted by the workers' compensation board of directors nominating committee pursuant to this division. The nominating committee shall submit to the governor a list containing four separate names for each of the members on the board. Within fourteen days after the submission of the list, the governor shall appoint individuals from the list.
At least thirty days prior to a vacancy occurring as a result of the expiration of a term and within thirty days after other vacancies occurring on the board, the nominating committee shall submit an initial list containing four names for each vacancy. Within fourteen days after the submission of the initial list, the governor either shall appoint individuals from that list or request the nominating committee to submit another list of four names for each member the governor has not appointed from the initial list, which list the nominating committee shall submit to the governor within fourteen days after the governor's request. The governor then shall appoint, within seven days after the submission of the second list, one of the individuals from either list to fill the vacancy for which the governor has not made an appointment from the initial list. If the governor appoints an individual to fill a vacancy occurring as a result of the expiration of a term, the individual appointed shall begin serving as a member of the board when the term for which the individual's predecessor was appointed expires or immediately upon appointment by the governor, whichever occurs later. With respect to the filling of vacancies, the nominating committee shall provide the governor with a list of four individuals who are, in the judgment of the nominating committee, the most fully qualified to accede to membership on the board.
In order for the name of an individual to be submitted to the governor under this division, the nominating committee shall approve the individual by an affirmative vote of a majority of its members.
(D) All members of the board shall receive their reasonable and necessary expenses pursuant to section 126.31 of the Revised Code while engaged in the performance of their duties as members and also shall receive an annual salary not to exceed sixty thousand dollars in total, payable on the following basis:
(1) Except as provided in division (D)(2) of this section, a member shall receive two thousand five hundred dollars during a month in which the member attends one or more meetings of the board and shall receive no payment during a month in which the member attends no meeting of the board.
(2) A member may receive no more than thirty thousand dollars per year to compensate the member for attending meetings of the board, regardless of the number of meetings held by the board during a year or the number of meetings in excess of twelve within a year that the member attends.
(3) Except as provided in division (D)(4) of this section, if a member serves on the workers' compensation audit committee, workers' compensation actuarial committee, or the workers' compensation investment committee, the member shall receive two thousand five hundred dollars during a month in which the member attends one or more meetings of the committee on which the member serves and shall receive no payment during any month in which the member attends no meeting of that committee.
(4) A member may receive no more than thirty thousand dollars per year to compensate the member for attending meetings of any of the committees specified in division (D)(3) of this section, regardless of the number of meetings held by a committee during a year or the number of committees on which a member serves.
The chairperson of the board shall set the meeting dates of the board as necessary to perform the duties of the board under this chapter and Chapters 4123., 4125., 4127., 4131., and 4167. of the Revised Code. The board shall meet at least twelve times a year. The administrator of workers' compensation shall provide professional and clerical assistance to the board, as the board considers appropriate.
(E) Before entering upon the duties of office, each appointed member of the board shall take an oath of office as required by sections 3.22 and 3.23 of the Revised Code and file in the office of the secretary of state the bond required under section 4121.127 of the Revised Code.
(F) The board shall:
(1) Establish the overall administrative policy for the bureau for the purposes of this chapter and Chapters 4123., 4125., 4127., 4131., and 4167. of the Revised Code;
(2) Review progress of the bureau in meeting its cost and quality objectives and in complying with this chapter and Chapters 4123., 4125., 4127., 4131., and 4167. of the Revised Code;
(3) Submit an annual report to the president of the senate, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the governor, and the workers' compensation council and include all of the following in that report:
(a) An evaluation of the cost and quality objectives of the bureau;
(b) A statement of the net assets available for the provision of compensation and benefits under this chapter and Chapters 4123., 4127., and 4131. of the Revised Code as of the last day of the fiscal year;
(c) A statement of any changes that occurred in the net assets available, including employer premiums and net investment income, for the provision of compensation and benefits and payment of administrative expenses, between the first and last day of the fiscal year immediately preceding the date of the report;
(d) The following information for each of the six consecutive fiscal years occurring previous to the report:
(i) A schedule of the net assets available for compensation and benefits;
(ii) The annual cost of the payment of compensation and benefits;
(iii) Annual administrative expenses incurred;
(iv) Annual employer premiums allocated for the provision of compensation and benefits.
(e) A description of any significant changes that occurred during the six years for which the board provided the information required under division (F)(3)(d) of this section that affect the ability of the board to compare that information from year to year.
(4) Review all independent financial audits of the bureau. The administrator shall provide access to records of the bureau to facilitate the review required under this division.
(5) Study issues as requested by the administrator or the governor;
(6) Contract with all of the following:
(a) An independent actuarial firm to assist the board in making recommendations to the administrator regarding premium rates;
(b) An outside investment counsel to assist the workers' compensation investment committee in fulfilling its duties;
(c) An independent fiduciary counsel to assist the board in the performance of its duties.
(7) Approve the investment policy developed by the workers' compensation investment committee pursuant to section 4121.129 of the Revised Code if the policy satisfies the requirements specified in section 4123.442 of the Revised Code.
(8) Review and publish the investment policy no less than annually and make copies available to interested parties.
(9) Prohibit, on a prospective basis, any specific investment it finds to be contrary to the investment policy approved by the board.
(10) Vote to open each investment class and allow the administrator to invest in an investment class only if the board, by a majority vote, opens that class;
(11) After opening a class but prior to the administrator investing in that class, adopt rules establishing due diligence standards for employees of the bureau to follow when investing in that class and establish policies and procedures to review and monitor the performance and value of each investment class;
(12) Submit a report annually on the performance and value of each investment class to the governor, the president and minority leader of the senate, and the speaker and minority leader of the house of representatives, and the workers' compensation council.
(13) Advise and consent on all of the following:
(a) Administrative rules the administrator submits to it pursuant to division (B)(5) of section 4121.121 of the Revised Code for the classification of occupations or industries, for premium rates and contributions, for the amount to be credited to the surplus fund, for rules and systems of rating, rate revisions, and merit rating;
(b) The duties and authority conferred upon the administrator pursuant to section 4121.37 of the Revised Code;
(c) Rules the administrator adopts for the health partnership program and the qualified health plan system, as provided in sections 4121.44, 4121.441, and 4121.442 of the Revised Code;
(d) Rules the administrator submits to it pursuant to Chapter 4167. of the Revised Code regarding the public employment risk reduction program and the protection of public health care workers from exposure incidents.
As used in this division, "public health care worker" and "exposure incident" have the same meanings as in section 4167.25 of the Revised Code.
(14) Perform all duties required under this chapter and Chapters 4123., 4125., 4127., 4131., and 4167. of the Revised Code;
(15) Meet with the governor on an annual basis to discuss the administrator's performance of the duties specified in this chapter and Chapters 4123., 4125., 4127., 4131., and 4167. of the Revised Code;
(16) Develop and participate in a bureau of workers' compensation board of directors education program that consists of all of the following:
(a) An orientation component for newly appointed members;
(b) A continuing education component for board members who have served for at least one year;
(c) A curriculum that includes education about each of the following topics:
(i) Board member duties and responsibilities;
(ii) Compensation and benefits paid pursuant to this chapter and Chapters 4123., 4127., and 4131. of the Revised Code;
(iii) Ethics;
(iv) Governance processes and procedures;
(v) Actuarial soundness;
(vi) Investments;
(vii) Any other subject matter the board believes is reasonably related to the duties of a board member.
(17) Submit the program developed pursuant to division (F)(16) of this section to the workers' compensation council for approval;
(18) Hold all sessions, classes, and other events for the program developed pursuant to division (F)(16) of this section in this state.
(G) The board may do both of the following:
(1) Vote to close any investment class;
(2) Create any committees in addition to the workers' compensation audit committee, the workers' compensation actuarial committee, and the workers' compensation investment committee that the board determines are necessary to assist the board in performing its duties.
(H) The office of a member of the board who is convicted of or pleads guilty to a felony, a theft offense as defined in section 2913.01 of the Revised Code, or a violation of section 102.02, 102.03, 102.04, 2921.02, 2921.11, 2921.13, 2921.31, 2921.41, 2921.42, 2921.43, or 2921.44 of the Revised Code shall be deemed vacant. The vacancy shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment. A person who has pleaded guilty to or been convicted of an offense of that nature is ineligible to be a member of the board. A member who receives a bill of indictment for any of the offenses specified in this section shall be automatically suspended from the board pending resolution of the criminal matter.
(I) For the purposes of division (G)(1) of section 121.22 of the Revised Code, the meeting between the governor and the board to review the administrator's performance as required under division (F)(15) of this section shall be considered a meeting regarding the employment of the administrator.
Sec. 4121.121.  (A) There is hereby created the bureau of workers' compensation, which shall be administered by the administrator of workers' compensation. A person appointed to the position of administrator shall possess significant management experience in effectively managing an organization or organizations of substantial size and complexity. A person appointed to the position of administrator also shall possess a minimum of five years of experience in the field of workers' compensation insurance or in another insurance industry, except as otherwise provided when the conditions specified in division (C) of this section are satisfied. The governor shall appoint the administrator as provided in section 121.03 of the Revised Code, and the administrator shall serve at the pleasure of the governor. The governor shall fix the administrator's salary on the basis of the administrator's experience and the administrator's responsibilities and duties under this chapter and Chapters 4123., 4125., 4127., 4131., and 4167. of the Revised Code. The governor shall not appoint to the position of administrator any person who has, or whose spouse has, given a contribution to the campaign committee of the governor in an amount greater than one thousand dollars during the two-year period immediately preceding the date of the appointment of the administrator.
The administrator shall hold no other public office and shall devote full time to the duties of administrator. Before entering upon the duties of the office, the administrator shall take an oath of office as required by sections 3.22 and 3.23 of the Revised Code, and shall file in the office of the secretary of state, a bond signed by the administrator and by surety approved by the governor, for the sum of fifty thousand dollars payable to the state, conditioned upon the faithful performance of the administrator's duties.
(B) The administrator is responsible for the management of the bureau and for the discharge of all administrative duties imposed upon the administrator in this chapter and Chapters 4123., 4125., 4127., 4131., and 4167. of the Revised Code, and in the discharge thereof shall do all of the following:
(1) Perform all acts and exercise all authorities and powers, discretionary and otherwise that are required of or vested in the bureau or any of its employees in this chapter and Chapters 4123., 4125., 4127., 4131., and 4167. of the Revised Code, except the acts and the exercise of authority and power that is required of and vested in the bureau of workers' compensation board of directors or the industrial commission pursuant to those chapters. The treasurer of state shall honor all warrants signed by the administrator, or by one or more of the administrator's employees, authorized by the administrator in writing, or bearing the facsimile signature of the administrator or such employee under sections 4123.42 and 4123.44 of the Revised Code.
(2) Employ, direct, and supervise all employees required in connection with the performance of the duties assigned to the bureau by this chapter and Chapters 4123., 4125., 4127., 4131., and 4167. of the Revised Code, including an actuary, and may establish job classification plans and compensation for all employees of the bureau provided that this grant of authority shall not be construed as affecting any employee for whom the state employment relations board has established an appropriate bargaining unit under section 4117.06 of the Revised Code. All positions of employment in the bureau are in the classified civil service except those employees the administrator may appoint to serve at the administrator's pleasure in the unclassified civil service pursuant to section 124.11 of the Revised Code. The administrator shall fix the salaries of employees the administrator appoints to serve at the administrator's pleasure, including the chief operating officer, staff physicians, and other senior management personnel of the bureau and shall establish the compensation of staff attorneys of the bureau's legal section and their immediate supervisors, and take whatever steps are necessary to provide adequate compensation for other staff attorneys.
The administrator may appoint a person who holds a certified position in the classified service within the bureau to a position in the unclassified service within the bureau. A person appointed pursuant to this division to a position in the unclassified service shall retain the right to resume the position and status held by the person in the classified service immediately prior to the person's appointment in the unclassified service, regardless of the number of positions the person held in the unclassified service. An employee's right to resume a position in the classified service may only be exercised when the administrator demotes the employee to a pay range lower than the employee's current pay range or revokes the employee's appointment to the unclassified service. An employee forfeits the right to resume a position in the classified service when the employee is removed from the position in the unclassified service due to incompetence, inefficiency, dishonesty, drunkenness, immoral conduct, insubordination, discourteous treatment of the public, neglect of duty, violation of this chapter or Chapter 124., 4123., 4125., 4127., 4131., or 4167. of the Revised Code, violation of the rules of the director of administrative services or the administrator, any other failure of good behavior, any other acts of misfeasance, malfeasance, or nonfeasance in office, or conviction of a felony. An employee also forfeits the right to resume a position in the classified service upon transfer to a different agency.
Reinstatement to a position in the classified service shall be to a position substantially equal to that position in the classified service held previously, as certified by the department of administrative services. If the position the person previously held in the classified service has been placed in the unclassified service or is otherwise unavailable, the person shall be appointed to a position in the classified service within the bureau that the director of administrative services certifies is comparable in compensation to the position the person previously held in the classified service. Service in the position in the unclassified service shall be counted as service in the position in the classified service held by the person immediately prior to the person's appointment in the unclassified service. When a person is reinstated to a position in the classified service as provided in this division, the person is entitled to all rights, status, and benefits accruing to the position during the person's time of service in the position in the unclassified service.
(3) Reorganize the work of the bureau, its sections, departments, and offices to the extent necessary to achieve the most efficient performance of its functions and to that end may establish, change, or abolish positions and assign and reassign duties and responsibilities of every employee of the bureau. All persons employed by the commission in positions that, after November 3, 1989, are supervised and directed by the administrator under this section are transferred to the bureau in their respective classifications but subject to reassignment and reclassification of position and compensation as the administrator determines to be in the interest of efficient administration. The civil service status of any person employed by the commission is not affected by this section. Personnel employed by the bureau or the commission who are subject to Chapter 4117. of the Revised Code shall retain all of their rights and benefits conferred pursuant to that chapter as it presently exists or is hereafter amended and nothing in this chapter or Chapter 4123. of the Revised Code shall be construed as eliminating or interfering with Chapter 4117. of the Revised Code or the rights and benefits conferred under that chapter to public employees or to any bargaining unit.
(4) Provide offices, equipment, supplies, and other facilities for the bureau.
(5) Prepare and submit to the board information the administrator considers pertinent or the board requires, together with the administrator's recommendations, in the form of administrative rules, for the advice and consent of the board, for classifications of occupations or industries, for premium rates and contributions, for the amount to be credited to the surplus fund, for rules and systems of rating, rate revisions, and merit rating. The administrator shall obtain, prepare, and submit any other information the board requires for the prompt and efficient discharge of its duties.
(6) Keep the accounts required by division (A) of section 4123.34 of the Revised Code and all other accounts and records necessary to the collection, administration, and distribution of the workers' compensation funds and shall obtain the statistical and other information required by section 4123.19 of the Revised Code.
(7) Exercise the investment powers vested in the administrator by section 4123.44 of the Revised Code in accordance with the investment policy approved by the board pursuant to section 4121.12 of the Revised Code and in consultation with the chief investment officer of the bureau of workers' compensation. The administrator shall not engage in any prohibited investment activity specified by the board pursuant to division (F)(9) of section 4121.12 of the Revised Code and shall not invest in any type of investment specified in divisions (B)(1) to (10) of section 4123.442 of the Revised Code. All business shall be transacted, all funds invested, all warrants for money drawn and payments made, and all cash and securities and other property held, in the name of the bureau, or in the name of its nominee, provided that nominees are authorized by the administrator solely for the purpose of facilitating the transfer of securities, and restricted to the administrator and designated employees.
(8) Make contracts for and supervise the construction of any project or improvement or the construction or repair of buildings under the control of the bureau.
(9) Purchase supplies, materials, equipment, and services; make contracts for, operate, and superintend the telephone, other telecommunication, and computer services for the use of the bureau; and make contracts in connection with office reproduction, forms management, printing, and other services. Notwithstanding sections 125.12 to 125.14 of the Revised Code, the administrator may transfer surplus computers and computer equipment directly to an accredited public school within the state. The computers and computer equipment may be repaired or refurbished prior to the transfer.
(10) Prepare and submit to the board an annual budget for internal operating purposes for the board's approval. The administrator also shall, separately from the budget the industrial commission submits and from the budget the director of the workers' compensation council submits, prepare and submit to the director of budget and management a budget for each biennium. The budgets submitted to the board and the director shall include estimates of the costs and necessary expenditures of the bureau in the discharge of any duty imposed by law.
(11) As promptly as possible in the course of efficient administration, decentralize and relocate such of the personnel and activities of the bureau as is appropriate to the end that the receipt, investigation, determination, and payment of claims may be undertaken at or near the place of injury or the residence of the claimant and for that purpose establish regional offices, in such places as the administrator considers proper, capable of discharging as many of the functions of the bureau as is practicable so as to promote prompt and efficient administration in the processing of claims. All active and inactive lost-time claims files shall be held at the service office responsible for the claim. A claimant, at the claimant's request, shall be provided with information by telephone as to the location of the file pertaining to the claimant's claim. The administrator shall ensure that all service office employees report directly to the director for their service office.
(12) Provide a written binder on new coverage where the administrator considers it to be in the best interest of the risk. The administrator, or any other person authorized by the administrator, shall grant the binder upon submission of a request for coverage by the employer. A binder is effective for a period of thirty days from date of issuance and is nonrenewable. Payroll reports and premium charges shall coincide with the effective date of the binder.
(13) Set standards for the reasonable and maximum handling time of claims payment functions, ensure, by rules, the impartial and prompt treatment of all claims and employer risk accounts, and establish a secure, accurate method of time stamping all incoming mail and documents hand delivered to bureau employees.
(14) Ensure that all employees of the bureau follow the orders and rules of the commission as such orders and rules relate to the commission's overall adjudicatory policy-making and management duties under this chapter and Chapters 4123., 4127., and 4131. of the Revised Code.
(15) Manage and operate a data processing system with a common data base for the use of both the bureau and the commission and, in consultation with the commission, using electronic data processing equipment, shall develop a claims tracking system that is sufficient to monitor the status of a claim at any time and that lists appeals that have been filed and orders or determinations that have been issued pursuant to section 4123.511 or 4123.512 of the Revised Code, including the dates of such filings and issuances.
(16) Establish and maintain a medical section within the bureau. The medical section shall do all of the following:
(a) Assist the administrator in establishing standard medical fees, approving medical procedures, and determining eligibility and reasonableness of the compensation payments for medical, hospital, and nursing services, and in establishing guidelines for payment policies which recognize usual, customary, and reasonable methods of payment for covered services;
(b) Provide a resource to respond to questions from claims examiners for employees of the bureau;
(c) Audit fee bill payments;
(d) Implement a program to utilize, to the maximum extent possible, electronic data processing equipment for storage of information to facilitate authorizations of compensation payments for medical, hospital, drug, and nursing services;
(e) Perform other duties assigned to it by the administrator.
(17) Appoint, as the administrator determines necessary, panels to review and advise the administrator on disputes arising over a determination that a health care service or supply provided to a claimant is not covered under this chapter or Chapter 4123., 4127., or 4131. of the Revised Code or is medically unnecessary. If an individual health care provider is involved in the dispute, the panel shall consist of individuals licensed pursuant to the same section of the Revised Code as such health care provider.
(18) Pursuant to section 4123.65 of the Revised Code, approve applications for the final settlement of claims for compensation or benefits under this chapter and Chapters 4123., 4127., and 4131. of the Revised Code as the administrator determines appropriate, except in regard to the applications of self-insuring employers and their employees.
(19) Comply with section 3517.13 of the Revised Code, and except in regard to contracts entered into pursuant to the authority contained in section 4121.44 of the Revised Code, comply with the competitive bidding procedures set forth in the Revised Code for all contracts into which the administrator enters provided that those contracts fall within the type of contracts and dollar amounts specified in the Revised Code for competitive bidding and further provided that those contracts are not otherwise specifically exempt from the competitive bidding procedures contained in the Revised Code.
(20) Adopt, with the advice and consent of the board, rules for the operation of the bureau.
(21) Prepare and submit to the board information the administrator considers pertinent or the board requires, together with the administrator's recommendations, in the form of administrative rules, for the advice and consent of the board, for the health partnership program and the qualified health plan system, as provided in sections 4121.44, 4121.441, and 4121.442 of the Revised Code.
(C) The administrator, with the advice and consent of the senate, shall appoint a chief operating officer who has a minimum of five years of experience in the field of workers' compensation insurance or in another similar insurance industry if the administrator does not possess such experience. The chief operating officer shall not commence the chief operating officer's duties until after the senate consents to the chief operating officer's appointment. The chief operating officer shall serve in the unclassified civil service of the state.
Sec. 4121.125.  (A) The bureau of workers' compensation board of directors, based upon recommendations of the workers' compensation actuarial committee, may contract with one or more outside actuarial firms and other professional persons, as the board determines necessary, to assist the board in measuring the performance of Ohio's workers' compensation system and in comparing Ohio's workers' compensation system to other state and private workers' compensation systems. The board, actuarial firm or firms, and professional persons shall make such measurements and comparisons using accepted insurance industry standards, including, but not limited to, standards promulgated by the National Council on Compensation Insurance.
(B) The board may contract with one or more outside firms to conduct management and financial audits of the workers' compensation system, including audits of the reserve fund belonging to the state insurance fund, and to establish objective quality management principles and methods by which to review the performance of the workers' compensation system.
(C) The board shall do all of the following:
(1) Contract to have prepared annually by or under the supervision of an actuary a report that meets the requirements specified under division (E) of this section and that consists of an actuarial valuation of the assets, liabilities, and funding requirements of the state insurance fund and all other funds specified in this chapter and Chapters 4123., 4127., and 4131. of the Revised Code;
(2) Require that the actuary or person supervised by an actuary referred to in division (C)(1) of this section complete the valuation in accordance with the actuarial standards of practice promulgated by the actuarial standards board of the American academy of actuaries;
(3) Submit the report referred to in division (C)(1) of this section to the workers' compensation council and the standing committees of the house of representatives and the senate with primary responsibility for workers' compensation legislation on or before the first day of November following the year for which the valuation was made;
(4) Have an actuary or a person who provides actuarial services under the supervision of an actuary, at such time as the board determines, and at least once during the five-year period that commences on September 10, 2007, and once within each five-year period thereafter, conduct an actuarial investigation of the experience of employers, the mortality, service, and injury rate of employees, and the payment of temporary total disability, permanent partial disability, and permanent total disability under sections 4123.56 to 4123.58 of the Revised Code to update the actuarial assumptions used in the report required by division (C)(1) of this section;
(5) Submit the report required under division (F) of this section to the council and the standing committees of the house of representatives and the senate with primary responsibility for workers' compensation legislation not later than the first day of November following the fifth year of the period that the report covers;
(6) Have prepared by or under the supervision of an actuary an actuarial analysis of any introduced legislation expected to have a measurable financial impact on the workers' compensation system;
(7) Submit the report required under division (G) of this section to the legislative service commission, and the standing committees of the house of representatives and the senate with primary responsibility for workers' compensation legislation, and the council not later than sixty days after the date of introduction of the legislation.
(D) The administrator of workers' compensation and the industrial commission shall compile information and provide access to records of the bureau and the industrial commission to the board to the extent necessary for fulfillment of both of the following requirements:
(1) Conduct of the measurements and comparisons described in division (A) of this section;
(2) Conduct of the management and financial audits and establishment of the principles and methods described in division (B) of this section.
(E) The firm or person with whom the board contracts pursuant to division (C)(1) of this section shall prepare a report of the valuation and submit the report to the board. The firm or person shall include all of the following information in the report that is required under division (C)(1) of this section:
(1) A summary of the compensation and benefit provisions evaluated;
(2) A summary of the census data and financial information used in the valuation;
(3) A description of the actuarial assumptions, actuarial cost method, and asset valuation method used in the valuation;
(4) A summary of findings that includes a statement of the actuarial accrued compensation and benefit liabilities and unfunded actuarial accrued compensation and benefit liabilities;
(5) A schedule showing the effect of any changes in the compensation and benefit provisions, actuarial assumptions, or cost methods since the previous annual actuarial valuation report was submitted to the board.
(F) The actuary or person whom the board designates to conduct an actuarial investigation under division (C)(4) of this section shall prepare a report of the actuarial investigation and shall submit the report to the board. The actuary or person shall prepare the report and make any recommended changes in actuarial assumptions in accordance with the actuarial standards of practice promulgated by the actuarial standards board of the American academy of actuaries. The actuary or person shall include all of the following information in the report:
(1) A summary of relevant decrement and economic assumption experience;
(2) Recommended changes in actuarial assumptions to be used in subsequent actuarial valuations required by division (C)(1) of this section;
(3) A measurement of the financial effect of the recommended changes in actuarial assumptions.
(G) The actuary or person whom the board designates to conduct the actuarial analysis under division (C)(6) of this section shall prepare a report of the actuarial analysis and shall submit that report to the board. The actuary or person shall complete the analysis in accordance with the actuarial standards of practice promulgated by the actuarial standards board of the American academy of actuaries. The actuary or person shall include all of the following information in the report:
(1) A summary of the statutory changes being evaluated;
(2) A description of or reference to the actuarial assumptions and actuarial cost method used in the report;
(3) A description of the participant group or groups included in the report;
(4) A statement of the financial impact of the legislation, including the resulting increase, if any, in employer premiums, in actuarial accrued liabilities, and, if an increase in actuarial accrued liabilities is predicted, the per cent of premium increase that would be required to amortize the increase in those liabilities as a level per cent of employer premiums over a period not to exceed thirty years.
(5) A statement of whether the employer premiums paid to the bureau of workers' compensation after the proposed change is enacted are expected to be sufficient to satisfy the funding objectives established by the board.
(H) The board may, at any time, request an actuary to make any studies or actuarial valuations to determine the adequacy of the premium rates established by the administrator in accordance with sections 4123.29 and 4123.34 of the Revised Code, and may adjust those rates as recommended by the actuary.
(I) The board shall have an independent auditor, at least once every ten years, conduct a fiduciary performance audit of the investment program of the bureau of workers' compensation. That audit shall include an audit of the investment policies approved by the board and investment procedures of the bureau. The board shall submit a copy of that audit to the auditor of state.
(J) The administrator, with the advice and consent of the board, shall employ an internal auditor who shall report findings directly to the board, workers' compensation audit committee, and administrator, except that the internal auditor shall not report findings directly to the administrator when those findings involve malfeasance, misfeasance, or nonfeasance on the part of the administrator. The board and the workers' compensation audit committee may request and review internal audits conducted by the internal auditor.
(K) The administrator shall pay the expenses incurred by the board to effectively fulfill its duties and exercise its powers under this section as the administrator pays other operating expenses of the bureau.
Sec. 4121.128.  The attorney general shall be the legal adviser of the bureau of workers' compensation board of directors and the workers' compensation council.
Sec. 4123.341.  The administrative costs of the industrial commission, the workers' compensation council, the bureau of workers' compensation board of directors, and the bureau of workers' compensation shall be those costs and expenses that are incident to the discharge of the duties and performance of the activities of the industrial commission, the council, the board, and the bureau under this chapter and Chapters 4121., 4125., 4127., 4131., and 4167. of the Revised Code, and all such costs shall be borne by the state and by other employers amenable to this chapter as follows:
(A) In addition to the contribution required of the state under sections 4123.39 and 4123.40 of the Revised Code, the state shall contribute the sum determined to be necessary under section 4123.342 of the Revised Code.
(B) The director of budget and management may allocate the state's share of contributions in the manner the director finds most equitably apportions the costs.
(C) The counties and taxing districts therein shall contribute such sum as may be required under section 4123.342 of the Revised Code.
(D) The private employers shall contribute the sum required under section 4123.342 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 4123.342.  (A) The administrator of workers' compensation shall allocate among counties and taxing districts therein as a class, the state and its instrumentalities as a class, private employers who are insured under the private fund as a class, and self-insuring employers as a class their fair shares of the administrative costs which are to be borne by such employers under division (D) of section 4123.341 of the Revised Code, separately allocating to each class those costs solely attributable to the activities of the industrial commission, those costs solely attributable to the activities of the workers' compensation council, and those costs solely attributable to the activities of the bureau of workers' compensation board of directors, and the bureau of workers' compensation in respect of the class, allocating to any combination of classes those costs attributable to the activities of the industrial commission, council, board, or bureau in respect of the classes, and allocating to all four classes those costs attributable to the activities of the industrial commission, council, board, and bureau in respect of all classes. The administrator shall separately calculate each employer's assessment in the class, except self-insuring employers, on the basis of the following three factors: payroll, paid compensation, and paid medical costs of the employer for those costs solely attributable to the activities of the board and the bureau. The administrator shall separately calculate each employer's assessment in the class, except self-insuring employers, on the basis of the following three factors: payroll, paid compensation, and paid medical costs of the employer for those costs solely attributable to the activities of the industrial commission. The administrator shall separately calculate each employer's assessment in the class, except self-insuring employers, on the basis of the following three factors: payroll, paid compensation, and paid medical costs of the employer for those costs solely attributable to the activities of the council. The administrator shall separately calculate each self-insuring employer's assessment in accordance with section 4123.35 of the Revised Code for those costs solely attributable to the activities of the board and the bureau. The administrator shall separately calculate each self-insuring employer's assessment in accordance with section 4123.35 of the Revised Code for those costs solely attributable to the activities of the industrial commission. The administrator shall separately calculate each self-insuring employer's assessment in accordance with section 4123.35 of the Revised Code for those costs solely attributable to the activities of the council. In a timely manner, the industrial commission shall provide to the administrator, the information necessary for the administrator to allocate and calculate, with the approval of the chairperson of the industrial commission, for each class of employer as described in this division, the costs solely attributable to the activities of the industrial commission. In a timely manner, the director of the workers' compensation council shall submit to the administrator the information necessary for the administrator to allocate and calculate, with the approval of the director, for each class of employer as described in this division, the costs solely attributable to the activities of the council.
(B) The administrator shall divide the administrative cost assessments collected by the administrator into three two administrative assessment accounts within the state insurance fund. One of the administrative assessment accounts shall consist of the administrative cost assessment collected by the administrator for the industrial commission. One of the administrative assessment accounts shall consist of the administrative cost assessment collected by the administrator for the council. One of the administrative assessment accounts shall consist of the administrative cost assessments collected by the administrator for the bureau and the board. The administrator may invest the administrative cost assessments in these accounts on behalf of the bureau, the council, and the industrial commission as authorized in section 4123.44 of the Revised Code. In a timely manner, the administrator shall provide to the industrial commission and the council the information and reports the commission or council, as applicable, deems necessary for the commission or the council, as applicable, to monitor the receipts and the disbursements from the administrative assessment account for the industrial commission or the administrative assessment account for the council, as applicable.
(C) The administrator or the administrator's designee shall transfer moneys as necessary from the administrative assessment account identified for the bureau and the board to the workers' compensation fund for the use of the bureau and the board. As necessary and upon the authorization of the industrial commission, the administrator or the administrator's designee shall transfer moneys from the administrative assessment account identified for the industrial commission to the industrial commission operating fund created under section 4121.021 of the Revised Code. To the extent that the moneys collected by the administrator in any fiscal biennium of the state equal the sum appropriated by the general assembly for administrative costs of the industrial commission, board, and bureau for the biennium and the administrative costs approved by the workers' compensation council, the moneys shall be paid into the workers' compensation fund, or the industrial commission operating fund of the state, the workers' compensation council fund, and the workers' compensation council remuneration fund, as appropriate, and any remainder shall be retained in those funds and applied to reduce the amount collected during the next biennium.
(D) As necessary and upon authorization of the director of the council, the administrator or the administrator's designee shall transfer moneys from the administrative assessment account identified for the council to the workers' compensation council fund created in division (C) of section 4121.79 of the Revised Code.
(E) Sections 4123.41, 4123.35, and 4123.37 of the Revised Code apply to the collection of assessments from public and private employers respectively, except that for boards of county hospital trustees that are self-insuring employers, only those provisions applicable to the collection of assessments for private employers apply.
Sec. 4123.35.  (A) Except as provided in this section, every employer mentioned in division (B)(2) of section 4123.01 of the Revised Code, and every publicly owned utility shall pay semiannually in the months of January and July into the state insurance fund the amount of annual premium the administrator of workers' compensation fixes for the employment or occupation of the employer, the amount of which premium to be paid by each employer to be determined by the classifications, rules, and rates made and published by the administrator. The employer shall pay semiannually a further sum of money into the state insurance fund as may be ascertained to be due from the employer by applying the rules of the administrator, and a receipt or certificate certifying that payment has been made, along with a written notice as is required in section 4123.54 of the Revised Code, shall be mailed immediately to the employer by the bureau of workers' compensation. The receipt or certificate is prima-facie evidence of the payment of the premium, and the proper posting of the notice constitutes the employer's compliance with the notice requirement mandated in section 4123.54 of the Revised Code.
The bureau of workers' compensation shall verify with the secretary of state the existence of all corporations and organizations making application for workers' compensation coverage and shall require every such application to include the employer's federal identification number.
An employer as defined in division (B)(2) of section 4123.01 of the Revised Code who has contracted with a subcontractor is liable for the unpaid premium due from any subcontractor with respect to that part of the payroll of the subcontractor that is for work performed pursuant to the contract with the employer.
Division (A) of this section providing for the payment of premiums semiannually does not apply to any employer who was a subscriber to the state insurance fund prior to January 1, 1914, or who may first become a subscriber to the fund in any month other than January or July. Instead, the semiannual premiums shall be paid by those employers from time to time upon the expiration of the respective periods for which payments into the fund have been made by them.
The administrator shall adopt rules to permit employers to make periodic payments of the semiannual premium due under this division. The rules shall include provisions for the assessment of interest charges, where appropriate, and for the assessment of penalties when an employer fails to make timely premium payments. An employer who timely pays the amounts due under this division is entitled to all of the benefits and protections of this chapter. Upon receipt of payment, the bureau immediately shall mail a receipt or certificate to the employer certifying that payment has been made, which receipt is prima-facie evidence of payment. Workers' compensation coverage under this chapter continues uninterrupted upon timely receipt of payment under this division.
Every public employer, except public employers that are self-insuring employers under this section, shall comply with sections 4123.38 to 4123.41, and 4123.48 of the Revised Code in regard to the contribution of moneys to the public insurance fund.
(B) Employers who will abide by the rules of the administrator and who may be of sufficient financial ability to render certain the payment of compensation to injured employees or the dependents of killed employees, and the furnishing of medical, surgical, nursing, and hospital attention and services and medicines, and funeral expenses, equal to or greater than is provided for in sections 4123.52, 4123.55 to 4123.62, and 4123.64 to 4123.67 of the Revised Code, and who do not desire to insure the payment thereof or indemnify themselves against loss sustained by the direct payment thereof, upon a finding of such facts by the administrator, may be granted the privilege to pay individually compensation, and furnish medical, surgical, nursing, and hospital services and attention and funeral expenses directly to injured employees or the dependents of killed employees, thereby being granted status as a self-insuring employer. The administrator may charge employers who apply for the status as a self-insuring employer a reasonable application fee to cover the bureau's costs in connection with processing and making a determination with respect to an application.
All employers granted status as self-insuring employers shall demonstrate sufficient financial and administrative ability to assure that all obligations under this section are promptly met. The administrator shall deny the privilege where the employer is unable to demonstrate the employer's ability to promptly meet all the obligations imposed on the employer by this section.
(1) The administrator shall consider, but is not limited to, the following factors, where applicable, in determining the employer's ability to meet all of the obligations imposed on the employer by this section:
(a) The employer employs a minimum of five hundred employees in this state;
(b) The employer has operated in this state for a minimum of two years, provided that an employer who has purchased, acquired, or otherwise succeeded to the operation of a business, or any part thereof, situated in this state that has operated for at least two years in this state, also shall qualify;
(c) Where the employer previously contributed to the state insurance fund or is a successor employer as defined by bureau rules, the amount of the buyout, as defined by bureau rules;
(d) The sufficiency of the employer's assets located in this state to insure the employer's solvency in paying compensation directly;
(e) The financial records, documents, and data, certified by a certified public accountant, necessary to provide the employer's full financial disclosure. The records, documents, and data include, but are not limited to, balance sheets and profit and loss history for the current year and previous four years.
(f) The employer's organizational plan for the administration of the workers' compensation law;
(g) The employer's proposed plan to inform employees of the change from a state fund insurer to a self-insuring employer, the procedures the employer will follow as a self-insuring employer, and the employees' rights to compensation and benefits; and
(h) The employer has either an account in a financial institution in this state, or if the employer maintains an account with a financial institution outside this state, ensures that workers' compensation checks are drawn from the same account as payroll checks or the employer clearly indicates that payment will be honored by a financial institution in this state.
The administrator may waive the requirements of divisions (B)(1)(a) and (b) of this section and the requirement of division (B)(1)(e) of this section that the financial records, documents, and data be certified by a certified public accountant. The administrator shall adopt rules establishing the criteria that an employer shall meet in order for the administrator to waive the requirement of division (B)(1)(e) of this section. Such rules may require additional security of that employer pursuant to division (E) of section 4123.351 of the Revised Code.
The administrator shall not grant the status of self-insuring employer to the state, except that the administrator may grant the status of self-insuring employer to a state institution of higher education, excluding its hospitals, that meets the requirements of division (B)(2) of this section.
(2) When considering the application of a public employer, except for a board of county commissioners described in division (G) of section 4123.01 of the Revised Code, a board of a county hospital, or a publicly owned utility, the administrator shall verify that the public employer satisfies all of the following requirements as the requirements apply to that public employer:
(a) For the two-year period preceding application under this section, the public employer has maintained an unvoted debt capacity equal to at least two times the amount of the current annual premium established by the administrator under this chapter for that public employer for the year immediately preceding the year in which the public employer makes application under this section.
(b) For each of the two fiscal years preceding application under this section, the unreserved and undesignated year-end fund balance in the public employer's general fund is equal to at least five per cent of the public employer's general fund revenues for the fiscal year computed in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.
(c) For the five-year period preceding application under this section, the public employer, to the extent applicable, has complied fully with the continuing disclosure requirements established in rules adopted by the United States securities and exchange commission under 17 C.F.R. 240.15c 2-12.
(d) For the five-year period preceding application under this section, the public employer has not had its local government fund distribution withheld on account of the public employer being indebted or otherwise obligated to the state.
(e) For the five-year period preceding application under this section, the public employer has not been under a fiscal watch or fiscal emergency pursuant to section 118.023, 118.04, or 3316.03 of the Revised Code.
(f) For the public employer's fiscal year preceding application under this section, the public employer has obtained an annual financial audit as required under section 117.10 of the Revised Code, which has been released by the auditor of state within seven months after the end of the public employer's fiscal year.
(g) On the date of application, the public employer holds a debt rating of Aa3 or higher according to Moody's investors service, inc., or a comparable rating by an independent rating agency similar to Moody's investors service, inc.
(h) The public employer agrees to generate an annual accumulating book reserve in its financial statements reflecting an actuarially generated reserve adequate to pay projected claims under this chapter for the applicable period of time, as determined by the administrator.
(i) For a public employer that is a hospital, the public employer shall submit audited financial statements showing the hospital's overall liquidity characteristics, and the administrator shall determine, on an individual basis, whether the public employer satisfies liquidity standards equivalent to the liquidity standards of other public employers.
(j) Any additional criteria that the administrator adopts by rule pursuant to division (E) of this section.
The administrator shall not approve the application of a public employer, except for a board of county commissioners described in division (G) of section 4123.01 of the Revised Code, a board of a county hospital, or publicly owned utility, who does not satisfy all of the requirements listed in division (B)(2) of this section.
(C) A board of county commissioners described in division (G) of section 4123.01 of the Revised Code, as an employer, that will abide by the rules of the administrator and that may be of sufficient financial ability to render certain the payment of compensation to injured employees or the dependents of killed employees, and the furnishing of medical, surgical, nursing, and hospital attention and services and medicines, and funeral expenses, equal to or greater than is provided for in sections 4123.52, 4123.55 to 4123.62, and 4123.64 to 4123.67 of the Revised Code, and that does not desire to insure the payment thereof or indemnify itself against loss sustained by the direct payment thereof, upon a finding of such facts by the administrator, may be granted the privilege to pay individually compensation, and furnish medical, surgical, nursing, and hospital services and attention and funeral expenses directly to injured employees or the dependents of killed employees, thereby being granted status as a self-insuring employer. The administrator may charge a board of county commissioners described in division (G) of section 4123.01 of the Revised Code that applies for the status as a self-insuring employer a reasonable application fee to cover the bureau's costs in connection with processing and making a determination with respect to an application. All employers granted such status shall demonstrate sufficient financial and administrative ability to assure that all obligations under this section are promptly met. The administrator shall deny the privilege where the employer is unable to demonstrate the employer's ability to promptly meet all the obligations imposed on the employer by this section. The administrator shall consider, but is not limited to, the following factors, where applicable, in determining the employer's ability to meet all of the obligations imposed on the board as an employer by this section:
(1) The board as an employer employs a minimum of five hundred employees in this state;
(2) The board has operated in this state for a minimum of two years;
(3) Where the board previously contributed to the state insurance fund or is a successor employer as defined by bureau rules, the amount of the buyout, as defined by bureau rules;
(4) The sufficiency of the board's assets located in this state to insure the board's solvency in paying compensation directly;
(5) The financial records, documents, and data, certified by a certified public accountant, necessary to provide the board's full financial disclosure. The records, documents, and data include, but are not limited to, balance sheets and profit and loss history for the current year and previous four years.
(6) The board's organizational plan for the administration of the workers' compensation law;
(7) The board's proposed plan to inform employees of the proposed self-insurance, the procedures the board will follow as a self-insuring employer, and the employees' rights to compensation and benefits;
(8) The board has either an account in a financial institution in this state, or if the board maintains an account with a financial institution outside this state, ensures that workers' compensation checks are drawn from the same account as payroll checks or the board clearly indicates that payment will be honored by a financial institution in this state;
(9) The board shall provide the administrator a surety bond in an amount equal to one hundred twenty-five per cent of the projected losses as determined by the administrator.
(D) The administrator shall require a surety bond from all self-insuring employers, issued pursuant to section 4123.351 of the Revised Code, that is sufficient to compel, or secure to injured employees, or to the dependents of employees killed, the payment of compensation and expenses, which shall in no event be less than that paid or furnished out of the state insurance fund in similar cases to injured employees or to dependents of killed employees whose employers contribute to the fund, except when an employee of the employer, who has suffered the loss of a hand, arm, foot, leg, or eye prior to the injury for which compensation is to be paid, and thereafter suffers the loss of any other of the members as the result of any injury sustained in the course of and arising out of the employee's employment, the compensation to be paid by the self-insuring employer is limited to the disability suffered in the subsequent injury, additional compensation, if any, to be paid by the bureau out of the surplus created by section 4123.34 of the Revised Code.
(E) In addition to the requirements of this section, the administrator shall make and publish rules governing the manner of making application and the nature and extent of the proof required to justify a finding of fact by the administrator as to granting the status of a self-insuring employer, which rules shall be general in their application, one of which rules shall provide that all self-insuring employers shall pay into the state insurance fund such amounts as are required to be credited to the surplus fund in division (B) of section 4123.34 of the Revised Code. The administrator may adopt rules establishing requirements in addition to the requirements described in division (B)(2) of this section that a public employer shall meet in order to qualify for self-insuring status.
Employers shall secure directly from the bureau central offices application forms upon which the bureau shall stamp a designating number. Prior to submission of an application, an employer shall make available to the bureau, and the bureau shall review, the information described in division (B)(1) of this section, and public employers shall make available, and the bureau shall review, the information necessary to verify whether the public employer meets the requirements listed in division (B)(2) of this section. An employer shall file the completed application forms with an application fee, which shall cover the costs of processing the application, as established by the administrator, by rule, with the bureau at least ninety days prior to the effective date of the employer's new status as a self-insuring employer. The application form is not deemed complete until all the required information is attached thereto. The bureau shall only accept applications that contain the required information.
(F) The bureau shall review completed applications within a reasonable time. If the bureau determines to grant an employer the status as a self-insuring employer, the bureau shall issue a statement, containing its findings of fact, that is prepared by the bureau and signed by the administrator. If the bureau determines not to grant the status as a self-insuring employer, the bureau shall notify the employer of the determination and require the employer to continue to pay its full premium into the state insurance fund. The administrator also shall adopt rules establishing a minimum level of performance as a criterion for granting and maintaining the status as a self-insuring employer and fixing time limits beyond which failure of the self-insuring employer to provide for the necessary medical examinations and evaluations may not delay a decision on a claim.
(G) The administrator shall adopt rules setting forth procedures for auditing the program of self-insuring employers. The bureau shall conduct the audit upon a random basis or whenever the bureau has grounds for believing that a self-insuring employer is not in full compliance with bureau rules or this chapter.
The administrator shall monitor the programs conducted by self-insuring employers, to ensure compliance with bureau requirements and for that purpose, shall develop and issue to self-insuring employers standardized forms for use by the self-insuring employer in all aspects of the self-insuring employers' direct compensation program and for reporting of information to the bureau.
The bureau shall receive and transmit to the self-insuring employer all complaints concerning any self-insuring employer. In the case of a complaint against a self-insuring employer, the administrator shall handle the complaint through the self-insurance division of the bureau. The bureau shall maintain a file by employer of all complaints received that relate to the employer. The bureau shall evaluate each complaint and take appropriate action.
The administrator shall adopt as a rule a prohibition against any self-insuring employer from harassing, dismissing, or otherwise disciplining any employee making a complaint, which rule shall provide for a financial penalty to be levied by the administrator payable by the offending self-insuring employer.
(H) For the purpose of making determinations as to whether to grant status as a self-insuring employer, the administrator may subscribe to and pay for a credit reporting service that offers financial and other business information about individual employers. The costs in connection with the bureau's subscription or individual reports from the service about an applicant may be included in the application fee charged employers under this section.
(I) The administrator, notwithstanding other provisions of this chapter, may permit a self-insuring employer to resume payment of premiums to the state insurance fund with appropriate credit modifications to the employer's basic premium rate as such rate is determined pursuant to section 4123.29 of the Revised Code.
(J) On the first day of July of each year, the administrator shall calculate separately each self-insuring employer's assessments for the safety and hygiene fund, administrative costs pursuant to section 4123.342 of the Revised Code, and for the portion of the surplus fund under division (B) of section 4123.34 of the Revised Code that is not used for handicapped reimbursement, on the basis of the paid compensation attributable to the individual self-insuring employer according to the following calculation:
(1) The total assessment against all self-insuring employers as a class for each fund and for the administrative costs for the year that the assessment is being made, as determined by the administrator, divided by the total amount of paid compensation for the previous calendar year attributable to all amenable self-insuring employers;
(2) Multiply the quotient in division (J)(1) of this section by the total amount of paid compensation for the previous calendar year that is attributable to the individual self-insuring employer for whom the assessment is being determined. Each self-insuring employer shall pay the assessment that results from this calculation, unless the assessment resulting from this calculation falls below a minimum assessment, which minimum assessment the administrator shall determine on the first day of July of each year with the advice and consent of the bureau of workers' compensation board of directors, in which event, the self-insuring employer shall pay the minimum assessment.
In determining the total amount due for the total assessment against all self-insuring employers as a class for each fund and the administrative assessment, the administrator shall reduce proportionately the total for each fund and assessment by the amount of money in the self-insurance assessment fund as of the date of the computation of the assessment.
The administrator shall calculate the assessment for the portion of the surplus fund under division (B) of section 4123.34 of the Revised Code that is used for handicapped reimbursement in the same manner as set forth in divisions (J)(1) and (2) of this section except that the administrator shall calculate the total assessment for this portion of the surplus fund only on the basis of those self-insuring employers that retain participation in the handicapped reimbursement program and the individual self-insuring employer's proportion of paid compensation shall be calculated only for those self-insuring employers who retain participation in the handicapped reimbursement program. The administrator, as the administrator determines appropriate, may determine the total assessment for the handicapped portion of the surplus fund in accordance with sound actuarial principles.
The administrator shall calculate the assessment for the portion of the surplus fund under division (B) of section 4123.34 of the Revised Code that under division (D) of section 4121.66 of the Revised Code is used for rehabilitation costs in the same manner as set forth in divisions (J)(1) and (2) of this section, except that the administrator shall calculate the total assessment for this portion of the surplus fund only on the basis of those self-insuring employers who have not made the election to make payments directly under division (D) of section 4121.66 of the Revised Code and an individual self-insuring employer's proportion of paid compensation only for those self-insuring employers who have not made that election.
The administrator shall calculate the assessment for the portion of the surplus fund under division (B) of section 4123.34 of the Revised Code that is used for reimbursement to a self-insuring employer under division (H) of section 4123.512 of the Revised Code in the same manner as set forth in divisions (J)(1) and (2) of this section except that the administrator shall calculate the total assessment for this portion of the surplus fund only on the basis of those self-insuring employers that retain participation in reimbursement to the self-insuring employer under division (H) of section 4123.512 of the Revised Code and the individual self-insuring employer's proportion of paid compensation shall be calculated only for those self-insuring employers who retain participation in reimbursement to the self-insuring employer under division (H) of section 4123.512 of the Revised Code.
An employer who no longer is a self-insuring employer in this state or who no longer is operating in this state, shall continue to pay assessments for administrative costs and for the portion of the surplus fund under division (B) of section 4123.34 of the Revised Code that is not used for handicapped reimbursement, based upon paid compensation attributable to claims that occurred while the employer was a self-insuring employer within this state.
(K) The administrator shall deposit any moneys received from a self-insuring employer for the self-insuring employer's assessment to pay the costs solely attributable to the workers' compensation council into the administrative assessment account described in division (B) of section 4123.342 of the Revised Code for the administrative cost assessment collected by the administrator for the council. There is hereby created in the state treasury the self-insurance assessment fund. All investment earnings of the fund shall be deposited in the fund. The administrator shall use the money in the self-insurance assessment fund only for administrative costs as specified in section 4123.341 of the Revised Code.
(L) Every self-insuring employer shall certify, in affidavit form subject to the penalty for perjury, to the bureau the amount of the self-insuring employer's paid compensation for the previous calendar year. In reporting paid compensation paid for the previous year, a self-insuring employer shall exclude from the total amount of paid compensation any reimbursement the self-insuring employer receives in the previous calendar year from the surplus fund pursuant to section 4123.512 of the Revised Code for any paid compensation. The self-insuring employer also shall exclude from the paid compensation reported any amount recovered under section 4123.931 of the Revised Code and any amount that is determined not to have been payable to or on behalf of a claimant in any final administrative or judicial proceeding. The self-insuring employer shall exclude such amounts from the paid compensation reported in the reporting period subsequent to the date the determination is made. The administrator shall adopt rules, in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, that provide for all of the following:
(1) Establishing the date by which self-insuring employers must submit such information and the amount of the assessments provided for in division (J) of this section for employers who have been granted self-insuring status within the last calendar year;
(2) If an employer fails to pay the assessment when due, the administrator may add a late fee penalty of not more than five hundred dollars to the assessment plus an additional penalty amount as follows:
(a) For an assessment from sixty-one to ninety days past due, the prime interest rate, multiplied by the assessment due;
(b) For an assessment from ninety-one to one hundred twenty days past due, the prime interest rate plus two per cent, multiplied by the assessment due;
(c) For an assessment from one hundred twenty-one to one hundred fifty days past due, the prime interest rate plus four per cent, multiplied by the assessment due;
(d) For an assessment from one hundred fifty-one to one hundred eighty days past due, the prime interest rate plus six per cent, multiplied by the assessment due;
(e) For an assessment from one hundred eighty-one to two hundred ten days past due, the prime interest rate plus eight per cent, multiplied by the assessment due;
(f) For each additional thirty-day period or portion thereof that an assessment remains past due after it has remained past due for more than two hundred ten days, the prime interest rate plus eight per cent, multiplied by the assessment due.
(3) An employer may appeal a late fee penalty and penalty assessment to the administrator.
For purposes of division (L)(2) of this section, "prime interest rate" means the average bank prime rate, and the administrator shall determine the prime interest rate in the same manner as a county auditor determines the average bank prime rate under section 929.02 of the Revised Code.
The administrator shall include any assessment and penalties that remain unpaid for previous assessment periods in the calculation and collection of any assessments due under this division or division (J) of this section.
(M) As used in this section, "paid compensation" means all amounts paid by a self-insuring employer for living maintenance benefits, all amounts for compensation paid pursuant to sections 4121.63, 4121.67, 4123.56, 4123.57, 4123.58, 4123.59, 4123.60, and 4123.64 of the Revised Code, all amounts paid as wages in lieu of such compensation, all amounts paid in lieu of such compensation under a nonoccupational accident and sickness program fully funded by the self-insuring employer, and all amounts paid by a self-insuring employer for a violation of a specific safety standard pursuant to Section 35 of Article II, Ohio Constitution and section 4121.47 of the Revised Code.
(N) Should any section of this chapter or Chapter 4121. of the Revised Code providing for self-insuring employers' assessments based upon compensation paid be declared unconstitutional by a final decision of any court, then that section of the Revised Code declared unconstitutional shall revert back to the section in existence prior to November 3, 1989, providing for assessments based upon payroll.
(O) The administrator may grant a self-insuring employer the privilege to self-insure a construction project entered into by the self-insuring employer that is scheduled for completion within six years after the date the project begins, and the total cost of which is estimated to exceed one hundred million dollars or, for employers described in division (R) of this section, if the construction project is estimated to exceed twenty-five million dollars. The administrator may waive such cost and time criteria and grant a self-insuring employer the privilege to self-insure a construction project regardless of the time needed to complete the construction project and provided that the cost of the construction project is estimated to exceed fifty million dollars. A self-insuring employer who desires to self-insure a construction project shall submit to the administrator an application listing the dates the construction project is scheduled to begin and end, the estimated cost of the construction project, the contractors and subcontractors whose employees are to be self-insured by the self-insuring employer, the provisions of a safety program that is specifically designed for the construction project, and a statement as to whether a collective bargaining agreement governing the rights, duties, and obligations of each of the parties to the agreement with respect to the construction project exists between the self-insuring employer and a labor organization.
A self-insuring employer may apply to self-insure the employees of either of the following:
(1) All contractors and subcontractors who perform labor or work or provide materials for the construction project;
(2) All contractors and, at the administrator's discretion, a substantial number of all the subcontractors who perform labor or work or provide materials for the construction project.
Upon approval of the application, the administrator shall mail a certificate granting the privilege to self-insure the construction project to the self-insuring employer. The certificate shall contain the name of the self-insuring employer and the name, address, and telephone number of the self-insuring employer's representatives who are responsible for administering workers' compensation claims for the construction project. The self-insuring employer shall post the certificate in a conspicuous place at the site of the construction project.
The administrator shall maintain a record of the contractors and subcontractors whose employees are covered under the certificate issued to the self-insured employer. A self-insuring employer immediately shall notify the administrator when any contractor or subcontractor is added or eliminated from inclusion under the certificate.
Upon approval of the application, the self-insuring employer is responsible for the administration and payment of all claims under this chapter and Chapter 4121. of the Revised Code for the employees of the contractor and subcontractors covered under the certificate who receive injuries or are killed in the course of and arising out of employment on the construction project, or who contract an occupational disease in the course of employment on the construction project. For purposes of this chapter and Chapter 4121. of the Revised Code, a claim that is administered and paid in accordance with this division is considered a claim against the self-insuring employer listed in the certificate. A contractor or subcontractor included under the certificate shall report to the self-insuring employer listed in the certificate, all claims that arise under this chapter and Chapter 4121. of the Revised Code in connection with the construction project for which the certificate is issued.
A self-insuring employer who complies with this division is entitled to the protections provided under this chapter and Chapter 4121. of the Revised Code with respect to the employees of the contractors and subcontractors covered under a certificate issued under this division for death or injuries that arise out of, or death, injuries, or occupational diseases that arise in the course of, those employees' employment on that construction project, as if the employees were employees of the self-insuring employer, provided that the self-insuring employer also complies with this section. No employee of the contractors and subcontractors covered under a certificate issued under this division shall be considered the employee of the self-insuring employer listed in that certificate for any purposes other than this chapter and Chapter 4121. of the Revised Code. Nothing in this division gives a self-insuring employer authority to control the means, manner, or method of employment of the employees of the contractors and subcontractors covered under a certificate issued under this division.
The contractors and subcontractors included under a certificate issued under this division are entitled to the protections provided under this chapter and Chapter 4121. of the Revised Code with respect to the contractor's or subcontractor's employees who are employed on the construction project which is the subject of the certificate, for death or injuries that arise out of, or death, injuries, or occupational diseases that arise in the course of, those employees' employment on that construction project.
The contractors and subcontractors included under a certificate issued under this division shall identify in their payroll records the employees who are considered the employees of the self-insuring employer listed in that certificate for purposes of this chapter and Chapter 4121. of the Revised Code, and the amount that those employees earned for employment on the construction project that is the subject of that certificate. Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary under this chapter and Chapter 4121. of the Revised Code, the administrator shall exclude the payroll that is reported for employees who are considered the employees of the self-insuring employer listed in that certificate, and that the employees earned for employment on the construction project that is the subject of that certificate, when determining those contractors' or subcontractors' premiums or assessments required under this chapter and Chapter 4121. of the Revised Code. A self-insuring employer issued a certificate under this division shall include in the amount of paid compensation it reports pursuant to division (L) of this section, the amount of paid compensation the self-insuring employer paid pursuant to this division for the previous calendar year.
Nothing in this division shall be construed as altering the rights of employees under this chapter and Chapter 4121. of the Revised Code as those rights existed prior to September 17, 1996. Nothing in this division shall be construed as altering the rights devolved under sections 2305.31 and 4123.82 of the Revised Code as those rights existed prior to September 17, 1996.
As used in this division, "privilege to self-insure a construction project" means privilege to pay individually compensation, and to furnish medical, surgical, nursing, and hospital services and attention and funeral expenses directly to injured employees or the dependents of killed employees.
(P) A self-insuring employer whose application is granted under division (O) of this section shall designate a safety professional to be responsible for the administration and enforcement of the safety program that is specifically designed for the construction project that is the subject of the application.
A self-insuring employer whose application is granted under division (O) of this section shall employ an ombudsperson for the construction project that is the subject of the application. The ombudsperson shall have experience in workers' compensation or the construction industry, or both. The ombudsperson shall perform all of the following duties:
(1) Communicate with and provide information to employees who are injured in the course of, or whose injury arises out of employment on the construction project, or who contract an occupational disease in the course of employment on the construction project;
(2) Investigate the status of a claim upon the request of an employee to do so;
(3) Provide information to claimants, third party administrators, employers, and other persons to assist those persons in protecting their rights under this chapter and Chapter 4121. of the Revised Code.
A self-insuring employer whose application is granted under division (O) of this section shall post the name of the safety professional and the ombudsperson and instructions for contacting the safety professional and the ombudsperson in a conspicuous place at the site of the construction project.
(Q) The administrator may consider all of the following when deciding whether to grant a self-insuring employer the privilege to self-insure a construction project as provided under division (O) of this section:
(1) Whether the self-insuring employer has an organizational plan for the administration of the workers' compensation law;
(2) Whether the safety program that is specifically designed for the construction project provides for the safety of employees employed on the construction project, is applicable to all contractors and subcontractors who perform labor or work or provide materials for the construction project, and has as a component, a safety training program that complies with standards adopted pursuant to the "Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970," 84 Stat. 1590, 29 U.S.C.A. 651, and provides for continuing management and employee involvement;
(3) Whether granting the privilege to self-insure the construction project will reduce the costs of the construction project;
(4) Whether the self-insuring employer has employed an ombudsperson as required under division (P) of this section;
(5) Whether the self-insuring employer has sufficient surety to secure the payment of claims for which the self-insuring employer would be responsible pursuant to the granting of the privilege to self-insure a construction project under division (O) of this section.
(R) As used in divisions (O), (P), and (Q), "self-insuring employer" includes the following employers, whether or not they have been granted the status of being a self-insuring employer under division (B) of this section:
(1) A state institution of higher education;
(2) A school district;
(3) A county school financing district;
(4) An educational service center;
(5) A community school established under Chapter 3314. of the Revised Code;
(6) A municipal power agency as defined in section 3734.058 of the Revised Code.
(S) As used in this section:
(1) "Unvoted debt capacity" means the amount of money that a public employer may borrow without voter approval of a tax levy;
(2) "State institution of higher education" means the state universities listed in section 3345.011 of the Revised Code, community colleges created pursuant to Chapter 3354. of the Revised Code, university branches created pursuant to Chapter 3355. of the Revised Code, technical colleges created pursuant to Chapter 3357. of the Revised Code, and state community colleges created pursuant to Chapter 3358. of the Revised Code.
Sec. 5111.708. (A) The director of job and family services, after consulting with the medicaid buy-in advisory council, shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code as necessary to implement the medicaid buy-in for workers with disabilities program. The rules shall do all of the following:
(1) Specify assets, asset values, and amounts to be disregarded in determining asset and income eligibility limits for the program;
(2) Establish meanings for the terms "earned income," "health insurance," "resources," "spouse," and "unearned income";
(3) Establish additional eligibility requirements for the program that must be established for the United States secretary of health and human services to approve the program;
(4) For the purpose of division (B) of section 5111.704 of the Revised Code, specify an amount to be subtracted from the difference determined under division (A) of that section.
(B) The director, after consulting with the medicaid buy-in advisory council, may adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code to specify amounts to be disregarded from an individual's earned income, unearned income, or both under division (C) of section 5111.703 of the Revised Code for the purpose of determining whether the individual is within the income eligibility limit for the medicaid buy-in for workers with disabilities program.
Sec. 5123.032. (A) As used in this section, "developmental center" means any institution or facility of the department of developmental disabilities that, on or after January 30, 2004, is named, designated, or referred to as a developmental center.
(B) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, on and after January 30, 2004, any closure of a developmental center shall be subject to, and in accordance with, this section. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, if the governor announced on or after January 1, 2003, and prior to January 30, 2004, the intended closure of a developmental center and if the closure identified in the announcement has not occurred prior to January 30, 2004, the closure identified in the announcement shall be subject to the criteria set forth in this section as if the announcement had been made on or after January 30, 2004, except for the time at which the notice to the general assembly must be provided as identified in division (C) of this section.
(C) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, on and after January 30, 2004, at least ten days prior to making any official, public announcement that the governor intends to close one or more developmental centers, the governor shall notify the general assembly in writing that the governor intends to close one or more developmental centers. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, if the governor announced on or after January 1, 2003, and prior to January 30, 2004, the intended closure of a developmental center and if the closure identified in the announcement has not occurred prior to January 30, 2004, not later than ten days after January 30, 2004, the The governor shall notify the general assembly in writing of the prior announcement and that the governor intends to close the center identified in the prior announcement, and the notification to the general assembly shall constitute, for purposes of this section, the governor's official, public announcement that the governor intends to close that center.
The notice required by this division shall identify by name each developmental center that the governor intends to close or, if the governor has not determined any specific developmental center to close, shall state the governor's general intent to close one or more developmental centers. When the governor notifies the general assembly as required by this division, the legislative service commission promptly shall conduct an independent study of the developmental centers of the department of developmental disabilities and of the department's operation of the centers, and the study shall address relevant criteria and factors, including, but not limited to, all of the following:
(1) The manner in which the closure of developmental centers in general would affect the safety, health, well-being, and lifestyle of the centers' residents and their family members and would affect public safety and, if the governor's notice identifies by name one or more developmental centers that the governor intends to close, the manner in which the closure of each center so identified would affect the safety, health, well-being, and lifestyle of the center's residents and their family members and would affect public safety;
(2) The availability of alternate facilities;
(3) The cost effectiveness of the facilities identified for closure;
(4) A comparison of the cost of residing at a facility identified for closure and the cost of new living arrangements;
(5) The geographic factors associated with each facility and its proximity to other similar facilities;
(6) The impact of collective bargaining on facility operations;
(7) The utilization and maximization of resources;
(8) Continuity of the staff and ability to serve the facility population;
(9) Continuing costs following closure of a facility;
(10) The impact of the closure on the local economy;
(11) Alternatives and opportunities for consolidation with other facilities;
(12) How the closing of a facility identified for closure relates to the department's plans for the future of developmental centers in this state;
(13) The effect of the closure of developmental centers in general upon the state's fiscal resources and fiscal status and, if the governor's notice identifies by name one or more developmental centers that the governor intends to close, the effect of the closure of each center so identified upon the state's fiscal resources and fiscal status.
(D) The legislative service commission shall complete the study required by division (C) of this section, and prepare a report that contains its findings, not later than sixty days after the governor makes the official, public announcement that the governor intends to close one or more developmental centers as described in division (C) of this section. The commission shall provide a copy of the report to each member of the general assembly who requests a copy of the report.
Not later than the date on which the legislative service commission is required to complete the report under this division, the developmental disabilities developmental center closure commission is hereby created as described in division (E) of this section. The officials with the duties to appoint members of the closure commission, as described in division (E) of this section, shall appoint the specified members of the closure commission, and, as soon as possible after the appointments, the closure commission shall meet for the purposes described in that division. Upon completion of the report and the creation of the closure commission under this division, the legislative service commission promptly shall provide a copy of the report to the closure commission and shall present the report as described in division (E) of this section.
(E)(1) A developmental disabilities developmental center closure commission shall be created at the time and in the manner specified in division (D) of this section. The closure commission consists of six members. One member shall be the director of developmental disabilities. One member shall be the director of health. One member shall be a private executive with expertise in facility utilization, in economics, or in both facility utilization and economics, jointly appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives and the president of the senate. The member appointed for expertise in facility utilization, economics, or both may not be a member of the general assembly and may not have a developmental center identified for closure by the governor in the county in which the member resides. One member shall be a member of the board of the Ohio civil service employees' association, jointly appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives and the president of the senate. One member shall be either a family member of a resident of a developmental center or a representative of a mental retardation and developmental disabilities advocacy group, jointly appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives and the president of the senate. The member appointed who is a family member of a developmental center resident or a representative of an advocacy group may not be a member of the general assembly. One member shall be a member of the law enforcement community, appointed by the governor. The officials with the duties to appoint members of the closure commission shall make the appointments, and the closure commission shall meet, within the time periods specified in division (D) of this section. The members of the closure commission shall serve without compensation. At the closure commission's first meeting, the members shall organize and appoint a chairperson and vice-chairperson.
The closure commission shall meet as often as is necessary for the purpose of making the recommendations to the governor that are described in this division. The closure commission's meetings shall be open to the public, and the closure commission shall accept public testimony. The legislative service commission shall appear before the closure commission and present the report the legislative service commission prepared under division (D) of this section. The closure commission shall meet for the purpose of making recommendations to the governor, which recommendations may include all of the following:
(a) Whether any developmental center should be closed;
(b) If the recommendation described in division (E)(1)(a) of this section is that one or more developmental centers should be closed, which center or centers should be closed;
(c) If the governor's notice described in division (C) of this section identifies by name one or more developmental centers that the governor intends to close, whether the center or centers so identified should be closed.
(2) The developmental disabilities developmental center closure commission, not later than sixty days after it receives the report of the legislative service commission under division (D) of this section, shall prepare a report containing its recommendations to the governor. The closure commission shall send a copy of the report to the governor and to each member of the general assembly who requests a copy of the report. Upon receipt of the closure commission's report, the governor shall review and consider the commission's recommendation. The governor shall do one of the following:
(a) Follow the recommendation of the commission;
(b) Close no developmental center;
(c) Take other action that the governor determines is necessary for the purpose of expenditure reductions or budget cuts and state the reasons for the action.
The governor's decision is final. Upon the governor's making of the decision, the closure commission shall cease to exist. Another closure commission shall be created under this section each time the governor subsequently makes an official, public announcement that the governor intends to close one or more developmental centers.
Sec. 5123.093.  The citizen's advisory councils established under section 5123.092 of the Revised Code shall:
(A) Transmit verbal or written information from any person or organization associated with the institution or within the community, that an advisory council considers important, to the joint council on developmental disabilities created by section 101.37 of the Revised Code and the director of developmental disabilities;
(B) Review the records of all applicants to any unclassified position at the institution, except for resident physician positions filled under section 5123.11 of the Revised Code;
(C) Review and evaluate institutional employee training and continuing education programs;
(D) On or before the thirty-first day of January of each year, submit a written report to the joint council on developmental disabilities and the director of developmental disabilities regarding matters affecting the institution including, but not limited to, allegations of dehumanizing practices and violations of individual or legal rights;
(E) Review institutional budgets, programs, services, and planning;
(F) Develop and maintain relationships within the community with community mental retardation and developmental disabilities organizations;
(G) Participate in the formulation of the institution's objectives, administrative procedures, program philosophy, and long range goals;
(H) Bring any matter that an advisory council considers important to the attention of the joint council on developmental disabilities and the director of developmental disabilities;
(I) Recommend to the director of developmental disabilities persons for appointment to citizen's advisory councils;
(J) Adopt any rules or procedures necessary to carry out this section.
The chairperson of the advisory council or the chairperson's designee shall be notified within twenty-four hours of any alleged incident of abuse to a resident or staff member by anyone. Incidents of resident or staff abuse shall include, but not be limited to, sudden deaths, accidents, suicides, attempted suicides, injury caused by other persons, alleged criminal acts, errors in prescribing or administering medication, theft from clients, fires, epidemic disease, administering unprescribed drugs, unauthorized use of restraint, withholding of information concerning alleged abuse, neglect, or any deprivation of rights as defined in Chapter 5122. or 5123. of the Revised Code.
Section 2. That existing sections 9.90, 101.532, 101.83, 101.84, 101.85, 101.86, 102.02, 109.91, 121.32, 127.14, 173.03, 173.04, 3302.021, 3311.71, 3312.01, 3312.09, 3313.202, 3701.025, 3701.63, 3727.312, 3737.03, 3737.21, 3737.81, 3737.86, 3737.88, 3743.54, 3746.04, 4117.03, 4121.03, 4121.12, 4121.121, 4121.125, 4121.128, 4123.341, 4123.342, 4123.35, 5111.708, 5123.032, and 5123.093 and sections 9.901, 101.37, 121.374, 122.97, 122.971, 122.98, 122.981, 125.833, 184.23, 184.231, 1349.71, 1349.72, 1501.25, 2151.282, 3311.77, 3312.11, 3312.12, 3319.70, 3319.71, 3701.92, 3727.322, 3746.03, 4121.75, 4121.76, 4121.77, 4121.78, 4121.79, 4501.025, 5111.709, 5111.7010, and 5902.15 of the Revised Code are hereby repealed.
Section 3. That Section 20 of Am. Sub. H.B. 554 of the 127th General Assembly be amended to read as follows:
Sec. 20. The amendments to section 184.02 that add the cross references to sections 184.25 and 184.26 and enactments of sections 184.23, 184.231, 184.24, 184.25, and 184.26 of the Revised Code are hereby repealed, effective June 30, 2011.
Section 3.02. That existing Section 20 of Am. Sub. H.B. 554 of the 127th General Assembly is hereby repealed.
Section 3.03. The intent of the repeal of sections 184.23 and 184.231 of the Revised Code and the amendment of Section 20 of Am. Sub. H.B. 554 of the 127th General Assembly is to extinguish sections 184.23 and 184.231 of the Revised Code on the effective date of this act.
Section 4. The following agencies are retained under division (D) of section 101.83 of the Revised Code and expire on December 31, 2016:
AGENCY NAME REVISED CODE OR UNCODIFIED SECTION
Academic Distress Commission 3302.10
Advisory Board of Governor's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives 107.12
Advisory Board to Assist and Advise in the Operation of the Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence 3323.33, 3323.34
Advisory Council on Amusement Ride Safety 1711.51, 1711.52
Advisory Council of Directors for Prison Labor 5145.162
Advisory Council for Wild, Scenic, or Recreational River Area(s) 1547.84
Advisory Committee on Livestock Exhibitions 901.71
Agricultural Commodity Marketing Programs Operating Committees 924.07
Agricultural Commodity Marketing Programs Coordinating Committee 924.14
Alternative Energy Advisory Committee 4928.64(D)
AMBER Alert Advisory Committee 5502.521
Apprenticeship Council Chapter 4139.
Armory Board of Control 5911.09, 5911.12
Automated Title Processing Board 4505.09(C)(1)
Backflow Advisory Board 3703.21
Banking Commission 1123.01
Board of Directors of the Great Lakes Protection Fund 1506.22 (6161.04)
Board of Directors of the Medical Liability Underwriting Association Stabilization Fund 3929.631
Board of Directors of the Ohio Appalachian Center for Higher Education 3333.58
Board of Directors of the Ohio Health Reinsurance Program 3924.08 - 3924.11
Board of Governors of the Commercial Insurance Joint Underwriting Association 3930.03
Board of Governors of the Medical Liability Underwriting Association 3929.64
Board of Voting Machines Examiners 3506.05
Budget Planning and Management Commission Section 509.10, H.B. 1, 128th G.A.
Brain Injury Advisory Committee 3304.231
Bureau of Workers' Compensation Board of Directors 4121.12
Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board 105.41
Child Care Advisory Council 5104.08
Child Support Guideline Advisory Council 3119.024
Children's Trust Fund Board 3109.15 - 3109.17
Citizen's Advisory Council 5123.092, 5123.093
Clean Ohio Trail Advisory Board 1519.06
Coastal Resources Advisory Council 1506.12
Commission on African-American Males 4112.12, 4112.13
Commission on Hispanic-Latino Affairs 121.31
Commission on Minority Health 3701.78
Committee on Prescriptive Governance 4723.49 - 4723.492
Commodity Advisory Commission 926.32
Consumer Advisory Committee to the Rehabilitation Services Commission 3304.24
Continuing Education Committee 109.80(B)
Council on Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services 3793.09
Council on Unreclaimed Strip Mined Lands 1513.29
County Sheriff's Standard Car Marking and Uniform Commission 311.25 - 311.27
Credential Review Board 3319.65
Credit Union Council 1733.329
Criminal Sentencing Advisory Committee 181.22
Data Collection and Analysis Group 3727.32
Dentist Loan Repayment Advisory Board 3702.92
Department Advisory Council(s) 107.18, 121.13
Development Financing Advisory Council 122.40, 122.41
Early Childhood Advisory Council 3301.90
Education Commission of the States (Interstate Compact for Education) 3301.48, 3301.49
Education Management Information System Advisory Board 3301.0713
Educator Standards Board 3319.60
Electrical Safety Inspector Advisory Committee 3783.08
Emergency Response Commission 3750.02
Engineering Experiment Station Advisory Committee 3335.27
Environmental Education Council 3745.21
Environmental Protection Agency Advisory Board(s) 121.13, 3704.03, 3745.01
eTech Ohio Commission 3353.02 - 3353.04
Ex-Offender Reentry Coalition 5120.07
Farmland Preservation Advisory Board 901.23
Financial Planning and Supervision Commission(s) for Municipal Corporation, County, or Township 118.05
Financial Planning and Supervision Commission for a school district 3316.05
Forestry Advisory Council 1503.40
Governance Authority for a State University or College 3345.75
Governor's Council on People with Disabilities 3303.41
Governor's Policy Information Working Group Section 313, H.B. 420, 127th G.A.
Governor's Residence Advisory Commission 107.40
Grain Marketing Program Operating Committee 924.20 - 924.30
Great Lakes Commission (Great Lakes Basin Compact) 6161.01
Gubernatorial Transition Committee 107.29, 126.26
Help Me Grow Advisory Council 3701.611
Hemophilia Advisory Subcommittee of the Medically Handicapped Children's Medical Advisory Council 3701.0210
Harmon Commission 3306.50
Homeland Security Advisory Council 5502.011(E)
Hospital Measures Advisory Council 3727.31
Housing Trust Fund Advisory Committee 174.06
Industrial Commission Nominating Council 4121.04
Industrial Technology and Enterprise Advisory Council 122.29, 122.30
Infant Hearing Screening Subcommittee 3701.507
Infection Control Group 3727.312(D)
Insurance Agent Education Advisory Council 3905.483
Interstate Rail Passenger Advisory Council 4981.35
Joint Select Committee on Volume Cap 133.021
Labor-Management Government Advisory Council 4121.70
Legal Rights Service Commission 5123.60
Legislative Programming Committee of the Ohio Government Telecommunications Service 3353.07
Legislative Task Force on Redistricting, Reapportionment, and Demographic Research 103.51
Maternity and Newborn Advisory Council 3711.20, 3711.21
Medically Handicapped Children's Medical Advisory Council 3701.025
Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Compact Commission 4981.361
Milk Sanitation Board 917.03 - 917.032
Mine Subsidence Insurance Governing Board 3929.51
Minority Development Financing Advisory Board 122.72, 122.73
Multi-Agency Radio Communications System (MARCS) Steering Committee Section 15.02, H.B. 640, 123rd G.A.
National Museum of Afro-American History and Culture Planning Committee 149.303
New African Immigrants Commission 4112.31, 4112.32
Ohio Accountability Task Force 3302.021(E)
Ohio Advisory Council for the Aging 173.03
Ohio Agriculture License Plate Scholarship Fund Board 901.90
Ohio Arts Council Chapter 3379.
Ohio Business Gateway Steering Committee 5703.57
Ohio Cemetery Dispute Resolution Commission 4767.05, 4767.06
Ohio Civil Rights Commission Advisory Agencies and Conciliation Councils 4112.04(B)(4)
Ohio Commercial Market Assistance Plan Executive Committee 3930.02
Ohio Commission on Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management 179.02 - 179.04
Ohio Community Service Council 121.40 - 121.404
Ohio Council for Interstate Adult Offender Supervision 5149.22
Ohio Cultural Facilities Commission Chapter 3383.
Ohio Cystic Fibrosis Legislative Task Force 101.38
Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council 5123.35
Ohio Expositions Commission 991.02
Ohio Family and Children First Cabinet Council 121.37
Ohio Geographically Referenced Information Program Council 125.901, 125.902
Ohio Geology Advisory Council 1501.11
Ohio Grape Industries Committee 924.51 - 924.55
Ohio Historic Site Preservation Advisory Board 149.301
Ohio Historical Society Board of Trustees 149.30
Ohio Judicial Conference 105.91 - 105.97
Ohio Lake Erie Commission 1506.21
Ohio Legislative Commission on the Education and Preservation of State History Section 701.05, H.B. 1, 128th G.A.
Ohio Medical Quality Foundation 3701.89
Ohio Parks and Recreation Council 1541.40
Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission 109.71, 109.72
Ohio Private Investigation and Security Services Commission 4749.021, 4743.01
Ohio Public Defender Commission 120.01 - 120.03
Ohio Public Library Information Network Board of Trustees 3375.65, 3375.66
Ohio Quarter Horse Development Commission 3769.086
Ohio Small Government Capital Improvements Commission 164.02(C)(D)
Ohio Soil and Water Conservation Commission 1515.02
Ohio Standardbred Development Commission 3769.085
Ohio Subrogation Rights Commission 2323.44
Ohio Thoroughbred Racing Advisory Committee 3769.084
Ohio Transportation Finance Commission 5531.12(B) to (D)
Ohio Tuition Trust Authority 3334.03, 3334.08
Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine Advisory Committee 3337.10, 3337.11
Ohio Vendors Representative Committee 3304.34, 20 USC 107
Ohio War Orphans Scholarship Board 5910.02 - 5910.06
Ohio Water Advisory Council 1521.031
Ohio Water Resources Council Advisory Group 1521.19
Ohio Water Resources Council 1521.19
Oil and Gas Commission 1509.35
Operating Committee of the Oil and Gas Marketing Program 1510.06, 1510.11
Organized Crime Investigations Commission 177.01
Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee of the Department of Job and Family Services 5111.084
Physician Assistant Policy Committee of the State Medical Board 4730.05, 4730.06
Physician Loan Repayment Advisory Board 3702.81
Power Siting Board 4906.02
Prequalification Review Board 5525.07
Private Water Systems Advisory Council 3701.346
Public Health Council 3701.33, 3701.34
Public Utilities Commission Nominating Council 4901.021
Public Utility Property Tax Study Committee 5727.85(K)
Radiation Advisory Council 3748.20
Reclamation Commission 1513.05
Reclamation Forfeiture Fund Advisory Board 1513.182
Recreation and Resources Commission 1501.04
Recycling and Litter Prevention Advisory Council 1502.04
School and Ministerial Lands Divestiture Committee 501.041
Savings and Loan Associations and Savings Banks Board 1181.16
School Funding Advisory Council 3306.29
Second Chance Trust Fund Advisory Committee 2108.35
Service Coordination Workgroup Section 751.20, H.B. 1, 128th G.A.
Ski Tramway Board 4169.02
Small Business Stationary Source Technical and Environmental Compliance Assistance Council 3704.19
Solid Waste Management Advisory Council 3734.51
Special Commission to Consider the Suspension of Local Government Officials 3.16
Speed to Scale Task Force Section 375.60.80, H.B. 119, 128th G.A.
State Agency Coordinating Group 1521.19
State Audit Committee 126.46
State Council of Uniform State Laws 105.21 - 105.27
State Criminal Sentencing Commission 181.21 - 181.26
State Fire Council 3737.81
State Library Board 3375.01
State Victims Assistance Advisory Council 109.91(B) and (C)
Statewide Consortium of County Law Library Resource Boards 3375.481
STEM Committee 3326.02
Student Tuition Recovery Authority 3332.081
Sunset Review Committee 101.84 - 101.87
Tax Credit Authority 122.17(M)
Technical Advisory Committee to Assist Director of the Ohio Coal Development Office 1551.35
Technical Advisory Council on Oil and Gas 1509.38
Transportation Review Advisory Council 5512.07 - 5512.09
Unemployment Compensation Advisory Council 4141.08
Unemployment Compensation Review Commission 4141.06
Veterans Advisory Committee 5902.02(K)
Volunteer Fire Fighters' Dependents Fund Boards (private volunteer) 146.02 - 146.06
Volunteer Fire Fighters' Dependents Fund Boards (public) 146.02 - 146.06
Water and Sewer Commission 1525.11(C)
Waterways Safety Council 1547.73
Wildlife Council 1531.03 - 1531.05
Workers' Compensation Board of Directors Nominating Committee 4121.123

Section 5.  That sections 101.82, 101.83, 101.84, 101.85, 101.86, and 101.87 of the Revised Code are hereby repealed on December 31, 2016.
Section 6.01. That Section 513.03 of Am. Sub. H.B. 66 of the 126th General Assembly, as amended by Am. Sub. H.B. 100 of the 126th General Assembly, be amended to read as follows:
Sec. 513.03. (A) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary and during the period beginning July 1, 2005, and ending May 1, 2006, or the effective date of H.B. 397 of the 126th General Assembly, whichever is earlier, the Director of Environmental Protection or a board of health as defined in section 3714.01 of the Revised Code shall not issue a license to open a new construction and demolition debris facility under Chapter 3714. of the Revised Code and rules adopted under it. Except as otherwise provided in this division, the moratorium established by this division applies both with respect to an application for a license to open a new construction and demolition debris facility that is submitted on or after the effective date of this section and to an application for such a license that has been submitted to the Director or a board of health prior to the effective date of this section, but concerning which a license for a facility has not been issued as of that effective date.
The board of county commissioners of a county may request the Director or a board of health to continue to process an application for a license to open a new construction and demolition debris facility in that county that has been submitted to the Director or board of health prior to the effective date of this section. After receiving such a request from a board of county commissioners, the Director or board of health may then issue a license for the new construction and demolition debris facility notwithstanding the moratorium established by this division.
The moratorium established by this division does not apply to a license for a new construction and demolition debris facility if the new facility will be located adjacent or contiguous to a previously licensed construction and demolition debris facility. The moratorium also does not apply to an expansion of or other modification to an existing licensed construction and demolition debris facility.
(B) The moratorium established by division (A) of this section does not apply to an application for a license to establish a construction and demolition debris facility pending before a board of health or the Director of Environmental Protection, as applicable, prior to July 1, 2005, and such an application shall be reviewed and the license shall be issued or denied in accordance with Chapter 3714. of the Revised Code, if all of the following apply to the applicant for the license:
(1) The applicant has acquired an interest in the property on which the facility will be located on or before May 1, 2005.
(2) The applicant has begun a hydrogeologic investigation pursuant to section 3745-400-09 of the Ohio Administrative Code prior to submitting the application.
(3) The applicant has begun the engineering plans for the facility prior to submitting the application.
(4) The application submitted by the applicant would have been determined to be complete if the moratorium had not been in effect.
The director shall determine whether this division applies to an applicant within forty-five days after receiving an applicant's request for a determination under this division.
(C)(1) There is hereby created the Construction and Demolition Debris Facility Study Committee composed of the following thirteen members:
(a) Three members of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;
(b) Three members of the Senate appointed by the President of the Senate;
(c) The Director of Environmental Protection or the Director's designee;
(d) One member representing health districts in the state appointed by the Governor;
(e) Three members representing the construction and demolition debris industry in the state appointed by the Governor, one of whom shall be the owner of both a construction and demolition debris facility and a solid waste disposal facility;
(f) Two members representing environmental consulting organizations or firms in the state appointed by the Governor.
Appointments shall be made to the Committee not later than fifteen days after the effective date of this section. Members of the Committee shall not receive compensation for their service on the Committee and shall not receive reimbursement for expenses incurred related to that service.
(2) The Committee shall study the laws of this state governing construction and demolition debris facilities and the rules adopted under those laws and shall make recommendations to the General Assembly regarding changes to those laws including, but not limited to, recommendations concerning the following topics:
(a) The establishment of a code of ethics for owners and operators of construction and demolition debris facilities;
(b) The establishment of best management practices;
(c) Licensing requirements;
(d) Testing and monitoring requirements and protocols;
(e) Siting and setback criteria for construction and demolition debris facilities;
(f) State and local oversight and regulatory authority;
(g) Fees;
(h) The regulation of construction and demolition debris from sources inside and outside the state;
(i) The closure process for construction and demolition debris facilities.
(3) The Committee shall submit a report of its study and any recommendations that it has developed to the General Assembly not later than September 30, 2005. The Committee shall cease to exist on the date on which it submits its report.
The General Assembly shall enact legislation based on the recommendations of the Committee as soon as is practicable.
Section 6.02. That existing Section 513.03 of Am. Sub. H.B. 66 of the 126th General Assembly, as amended by Am. Sub. H.B. 100 of the 126th General Assembly is hereby repealed.
Section 6.03. That Section 5 of Sub. H.B. 125 of the 127th General Assembly, as most recently amended by Sub. H.B. 198 of the 128th General Assembly, be amended to read as follows:
Sec. 5. (A) As used in this section and Section 6 of Sub. H.B. 125 of the 127th General Assembly:
(1) "Most favored nation clause" means a provision in a health care contract that does any of the following:
(a) Prohibits, or grants a contracting entity an option to prohibit, the participating provider from contracting with another contracting entity to provide health care services at a lower price than the payment specified in the contract;
(b) Requires, or grants a contracting entity an option to require, the participating provider to accept a lower payment in the event the participating provider agrees to provide health care services to any other contracting entity at a lower price;
(c) Requires, or grants a contracting entity an option to require, termination or renegotiation of the existing health care contract in the event the participating provider agrees to provide health care services to any other contracting entity at a lower price;
(d) Requires the participating provider to disclose the participating provider's contractual reimbursement rates with other contracting entities.
(2) "Contracting entity," "health care contract," "health care services," "participating provider," and "provider" have the same meanings as in section 3963.01 of the Revised Code, as enacted by Sub. H.B. 125 of the 127th General Assembly.
(B) With respect to a contracting entity and a provider other than a hospital, no health care contract that includes a most favored nation clause shall be entered into, and no health care contract at the instance of a contracting entity shall be amended or renewed to include a most favored nation clause, for a period of three years after the effective date of Sub. H.B. 125 of the 127th General Assembly.
(C) With respect to a contracting entity and a hospital, no health care contract that includes a most favored nation clause shall be entered into, and no health care contract at the instance of a contracting entity shall be amended or renewed to include a most favored nation clause, for a period of three years after the effective date of Sub. H.B. 125 of the 127th General Assembly, subject to extension as provided in Section 6 of Sub. H.B. 125 of the 127th General Assembly.
(D) This section does not apply to and does not prohibit the continued use of a most favored nation clause in a health care contract that is between a contracting entity and a hospital and that is in existence on the effective date of Sub. H.B. 125 of the 127th General Assembly even if the health care contract is materially amended with respect to any provision of the health care contract other than the most favored nation clause during the two-year period specified in this section or during any extended period of time as provided in Section 6 of Sub. H.B. 125 of the 127th General Assembly.
Section 6.04. That existing Section 5 of Sub. H.B. 125 of the 127th General Assembly, as most recently amended by Sub. H.B. 198 of the 128th General Assembly, is hereby repealed.
Section 7.01. That Section 3 of Sub. H.B. 187 of the 126th General Assembly be amended to read as follows:
Sec. 3. In addition to its recommendations that are included in this act Sub. H.B. 187 of the 126th General Assembly, the Civil Service Review Commission that was created by Amended Senate Bill No. 210 of the 123rd General Assembly recommends, with necessary changes made by the General Assembly to reflect subsequent legislative enactments, all of the following:
(A) The that the Department of Administrative Services, in conjunction with all appropriate stakeholder groups, shall study the compensation and classification system that applies to employees paid by warrant of the Director of Budget and Management and county employees in order to determine how the system could be simplified. The Department shall report to the General Assembly on the results of its study not later than six months after the effective date of this act and at appropriate intervals thereafter.
(B) An ad hoc committee shall be formed to review, study, and encourage greater awareness of the use of alternate dispute resolution procedures, such as mediation, in appeals to the State Personnel Board of Review and to municipal and civil service township civil service commissions. The committee shall consist of representatives of labor organizations, counties, cities, the State Personnel Board of Review, the State Employment Relations Board, the Office of Collective Bargaining of the Department of Administrative Services, the Ohio Commission on Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management, the American Arbitration Association, and the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. Professors on the faculty of Ohio law schools, a professional arbitrator with experience in public sector disputes, and a plaintiff's lawyer with experience in civil service disputes also should be members of the committee. The committee shall report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly within six months after the effective date of this act.
Section 7.02. That existing Section 3 of Sub. H.B. 187 of the 126th General Assembly is hereby repealed.
Section 8. That Section 3 of Sub. H.B. 495 of the 128th General Assembly and Section 6 of Am. Sub. H.B. 516 of the 125th General Assembly are repealed.
This repeal prevents the repeal of sections 101.82, 101.83, 101.84, 101.85, 101.86, and 101.87 of the Revised Code that was to have been effective on December 31, 2010, and that was postponed until July 1, 2011. These repeals remove all limitations upon the continued existence of sections 101.82, 101.83, 101.84, 101.85, 101.86, and 101.87 of the Revised Code. The rule of construction that the repeal of a repealing act does not revive the statute repealed, which is reflected in section 1.57 of the Revised Code, does not affect the intent of this section.
Section 9. The following Sections are repealed:
Sections 209.40, 309.40.70, and 709.10 of Am. Sub. H.B. 1 of the 128th General Assembly
Sections 755.80 and 756.40 of Am. Sub. H.B. 2 of the 128th General Assembly
Section 3 of Sub. H.B. 7 of the 127th General Assembly
Section 555.17 of Am. Sub. H.B. 67 of the 127th General Assembly
Sections 263.30.30, 337.20.20, 377.20, and 737.11 of Am. Sub. H.B. 119 of the 127th General Assembly
Sections 6 and 7 of Sub. H.B. 125 of the 127th General Assembly
Section 2 of Sub. H.B. 233 of the 127th General Assembly
Sections 703.30 and 715.50 of Am. Sub. H.B. 562 of the 127th General Assembly
Section 4 of Am. Sub. S.B. 77 of the 127th General Assembly
Sections 206.10.12, 206.42.12, 206.66.24, 206.66.43, 209.63.58, 503.09, and 503.12 of Am. Sub. H.B. 66 of the 126th General Assembly
Section 4 of Sub. H.B. 187 of the 126th General Assembly
Section 1 of Sub. H.B. 371 of the 126th General Assembly
Section 235.60.70 of Am. Sub. H.B. 699 of the 126th General Assembly
Section 3 of Am. Sub. S.B. 167 of the 126th General Assembly
Section 5 of Am. Sub. S.B. 260 of the 126th General Assembly
Section 3 of Sub. S.B. 393 of the 126th General Assembly
Sections 12 and 25 of Am. Sub. H.B. 87 of the 125th General Assembly
Sections 41.35 and 153 of Am. Sub. H.B. 95 of the 125th General Assembly
Section 8 of Sub. H.B. 299 of the 125th General Assembly
Section 3 of Am. Sub. S.B. 86 of the 125th General Assembly
Section 3 of Sub. H.B. 230 of the 124th General Assembly
Section 3 of Am. Sub. H.B. 474 of the 124th General Assembly
Section 4 of Am. Sub. S.B. 281 of the 124th General Assembly
Section 3 of Am. H.B. 416 of the 127th General Assembly, as amended by Am. Sub. S.B. 110 of the 128th General Assembly
Section 701.20 of Am. Sub. H.B. 562 of the 127th General Assembly, as subsequently amended by Sub. H.B. 393 of the 128th General Assembly
Section 206.66.53 of Am. Sub. H.B. 66 of the 126th General Assembly, as amended by S.B. 87 of the 126th General Assembly
Section 6 of Sub. H.B. 336 of the 126th General Assembly, as amended by Am. Sub. S.B. 155 of the 127th General Assembly
Section 755.03 of Am. Sub. H.B. 530 of the 126th General Assembly, as amended by Am. Sub. H.B. 67 of the 127th General Assembly
Section 6 of Am. Sub. S.B. 238 of the 126th General Assembly, as amended by Am. Sub. H.B. 461 of the 126th General Assembly
Section 152 of Am. Sub. H.B. 95 of the 125th General Assembly, as amended by Am. Sub. S.B. 2 of the 125th General Assembly
Section 59.29 of Am. Sub. H.B. 95 of the 125th General Assembly, as amended by Am. Sub. S.B. 189 of the 125th General Assembly
Section 10.  It is in part the intent of the General Assembly in enacting this act to implement the report of the Sunset Review Committee that was created by Am. Sub. H.B. 516 of the 125th General Assembly and the committee that convened under that act during the 128th General Assembly. That report is implemented in part as follows:
(A) By the abolishment in this act, through amendments to relevant codified sections of law and through outright repeals of codified or uncodified sections of law, of numerous agencies, as defined in section 101.82 of the Revised Code, that were subject to the Committee's jurisdiction;
(B) By the termination, through amendments to relevant codified sections of law and through outright repeals of codified or uncodified sections of law, of several agencies, as defined in section 101.82 of the Revised Code, that were subject to the Committee's jurisdiction;
(C) By the transfer, through the amendment of codified or uncodified sections of law, of several agencies, as defined in section 101.82 of the Revised Code, that were subject to the Committee's jurisdiction;
(D) By the renewal, through the amendment or enactment of codified or uncodified sections of law, of the existence of numerous agencies, as defined in section 101.82 of the Revised Code, that were subject to the Committee's jurisdiction.
Section 11. The hospital measures advisory council shall supersede the group of experts in pediatric medicine and their members and succeed to and have and perform all the duties, powers, and obligations pertaining to the duties, powers, and obligations of the group of experts in pediatric medicine and their members. All rules, actions, determinations, commitments, resolutions, decisions, and agreements pertaining to those duties, powers, obligations, functions, and rights in force or in effect on the effective date of this section shall continue in force and effect subject to any further lawful action thereon by the hospital measures advisory council. Wherever the group of experts in pediatric medicine are referred to in any provision of law, or in any agreement or document that pertains to those duties, powers, obligations, functions, and rights, the reference is to the hospital measures advisory council.
All authorized obligations and supplements thereto of the group of experts in pediatric medicine and their members pertaining to the duties, powers, and obligations transferred are binding on the hospital measures advisory council, and nothing in this act impairs the obligations or rights thereunder or under any contract. The abolition of the group of experts in pediatric medicine and the transfer of their duties, powers, and obligations do not affect the validity of agreements or obligations made by the group of experts in pediatric medicine and their members pursuant to Chapters 4121., 4123., 4125., 4127., 4131., and 4167. of the Revised Code or any other provisions of law.
In connection with the transfer of duties, powers, obligations, functions, and rights and abolition of the group of experts in pediatric medicine, all real property and interest therein, documents, books, money, papers, records, machinery, furnishings, office equipment, furniture, and all other property over which the group of experts in pediatric medicine have control pertaining to the duties, powers, and obligations transferred and the rights of the group of experts in pediatric medicine to enforce or receive any of the aforesaid is automatically transferred to the hospital measures advisory council without necessity for further action on the part of the hospital measures advisory council. Additionally, all appropriations or reappropriations made to the group of experts in pediatric medicine for the purposes of the performance of their duties, powers, and obligations, are transferred to the hospital measures advisory council to the extent of the remaining unexpended or unencumbered balance thereof, whether allocated or unallocated, and whether obligated or unobligated.
Section 12. The commission on Hispanic-Latino affairs shall supersede the interagency council on Hispanic-Latino affairs and its members and succeed to and have and perform all the duties, powers, and obligations pertaining to the duties, powers, and obligations of the interagency council on Hispanic-Latino affairs and its members. All rules, actions, determinations, commitments, resolutions, decisions, and agreements pertaining to those duties, powers, obligations, functions, and rights in force or in effect on the effective date of this section shall continue in force and effect subject to any further lawful action thereon by the commission on Hispanic-Latino affairs. Wherever the interagency council on Hispanic-Latino affairs is referred to in any provision of law, or in any agreement or document that pertains to those duties, powers, obligations, functions, and rights, the reference is to the commission on Hispanic-Latino affairs.
All authorized obligations and supplements thereto of the interagency council on Hispanic-Latino affairs and its members pertaining to the duties, powers, and obligations transferred are binding on the commission on Hispanic-Latino affairs, and nothing in this act impairs the obligations or rights thereunder or under any contract. The abolition of the interagency council on Hispanic-Latino affairs and the transfer of their duties, powers, and obligations do not affect the validity of agreements or obligations made by the interagency council on Hispanic-Latino affairs and its members pursuant to Chapters 4121., 4123., 4125., 4127., 4131., and 4167. of the Revised Code or any other provisions of law.
In connection with the transfer of duties, powers, obligations, functions, and rights and abolition of the interagency council on Hispanic-Latino affairs, all real property and interest therein, documents, books, money, papers, records, machinery, furnishings, office equipment, furniture, and all other property over which the interagency council on Hispanic-Latino affairs has control pertaining to the duties, powers, and obligations transferred and the rights of the interagency council on Hispanic-Latino affairs to enforce or receive any of the aforesaid is automatically transferred to the commission on Hispanic-Latino affairs without necessity for further action on the part of the commission on Hispanic-Latino affairs. Additionally, all appropriations or reappropriations made to the interagency council on Hispanic-Latino affairs for the purposes of the performance of their duties, powers, and obligations, are transferred to the commission on Hispanic-Latino affairs to the extent of the remaining unexpended or unencumbered balance thereof, whether allocated or unallocated, and whether obligated or unobligated.
Section 13. This act is an emergency measure necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, and safety. The sunset review law is scheduled to operate on July 1, 2011, as a matter of law. And if the sunset review law operates before the effective date of this act, uncertainty and confusion, with respect to the authority for certain agencies to operate, could result. Therefore, this act goes into immediate effect.
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