To amend sections 125.01, 125.09, 125.11, 3772.033, 5747.98, and 5751.98 and to enact sections 5747.61 and 5751.55 of the Revised Code to provide a five per cent bid preference for state contracts to a business owned by veterans and to authorize a personal income and commercial activity tax credit for a business that hires and employs a veteran for at least one year.

Section 1.  That sections 125.01, 125.09, 125.11, 3772.033, 5747.98, and 5751.98 be amended and sections 5747.61 and 5751.55 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:

Sec. 125.01.  As used in this chapter:

(A) "Order" means a copy of a contract or a statement of the nature of a contemplated expenditure, a description of the property or supplies to be purchased or service to be performed, other than a service performed by officers and regular employees of the state, and per diem of the national guard, and the total sum of the expenditure to be made therefor, if the sum is fixed and ascertained, otherwise the estimated sum thereof, and an authorization to pay for the contemplated expenditure, signed by the person instructed and authorized to pay upon receipt of a proper invoice.

(B) "Invoice" means an itemized listing showing delivery of the supplies or performance of the service described in the order, and the date of the purchase or rendering of the service, or an itemization of the things done, material supplied, or labor furnished, and the sum due pursuant to the contract or obligation.

(C) "Products" means materials, manufacturer's supplies, merchandise, goods, wares, and foodstuffs.

(D) "Produced" means the manufacturing, processing, mining, developing, and making of a thing into a new article with a distinct character in use through the application of input, within the state, of Ohio products, labor, skill, or other services. "Produced" does not include the mere assembling or putting together of non-Ohio products or materials.

(E) "Ohio products" means products that are mined, excavated, produced, manufactured, raised, or grown in the state by a person where the input of Ohio products, labor, skill, or other services constitutes no less than twenty-five per cent of the manufactured cost. With respect to mined products, such products shall be mined or excavated in this state.

(F) "Purchase" means to buy, rent, lease, lease purchase, or otherwise acquire supplies or services. "Purchase" also includes all functions that pertain to the obtaining of supplies or services, including description of requirements, selection and solicitation of sources, preparation and award of contracts, all phases of contract administration, and receipt and acceptance of the supplies and services and payment for them.

(G) "Services" means the furnishing of labor, time, or effort by a person, not involving the delivery of a specific end product other than a report which, if provided, is merely incidental to the required performance. "Services" does not include services furnished pursuant to employment agreements or collective bargaining agreements.

(H) "Supplies" means all property, including, but not limited to, equipment, materials, other tangible assets, and insurance, but excluding real property or an interest in real property.

(I) "Competitive selection" means any of the following procedures for making purchases:

(1) Competitive sealed bidding under section 125.07 of the Revised Code;

(2) Competitive sealed proposals under section 125.071 of the Revised Code;

(3) Reverse auctions under section 125.072 of the Revised Code.

(J) "Veteran" means a person who served in the armed forces of the United States on active military duty and was discharged from the service under honorable conditions, and who either served on active duty for reasons other than training or, while serving on active duty for training, incurred a disability recognized by the United States department of veterans affairs or department of defense as service-connected.

(K) "Qualifying veteran-owned business" means one of the following that is also eligible for the Ohio products preference allowed under section 125.09 of the Revised Code:

(1) A sole proprietorship owned by a veteran;

(2) A partnership in which a majority of the partnership is owned by veterans;

(3) A limited liability company in which a majority of the membership interests of the company are owned by veterans; or

(4) A corporation owned wholly by individuals in which a majority of the common stock of the corporation is owned by veterans.

Sec. 125.09.  (A) Pursuant to section 125.07 of the Revised Code, the department of administrative services may prescribe such conditions under which competitive sealed bids will be received and terms of the proposed purchase as it considers necessary; provided, that all such conditions and terms shall be reasonable and shall not unreasonably restrict competition, and bidders may bid upon all or any item of the supplies or services listed in such notice. Those bidders claiming the preference for United States and, Ohio, and qualifying veteran-owned business products outlined in this chapter shall designate in their bids either that the product to be supplied is an Ohio product or produced or mined by a qualifying veteran-owned business, or that, under the rules established by the director of administrative services, they qualify as having a significant Ohio economic presence.

(B) The department may require that each bidder provide sufficient information about the energy efficiency or energy usage of the bidder's product or service.

(C) The director of administrative services shall, by rule adopted pursuant to Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, prescribe criteria and procedures for use by all state agencies in giving preference to United States and, Ohio, and qualifying veteran-owned business products as required by division (B) of section 125.11 of the Revised Code. The rules shall extend to:

(1) Criteria for determining that a product is produced or mined in the United States rather than in another country or territory;

(2) Criteria for determining that a product is produced or mined in Ohio;

(3) Subject to division (D) of this section, criteria for determining whether a product is produced or mined by a qualifying veteran-owned business;

(4) Information to be submitted by bidders as to the nature of a product and the location where it is produced or mined;

(4)(5) Criteria and procedures to be used by the director to qualify bidders located in states bordering Ohio who might otherwise be excluded from being awarded a contract by operation of this section and section 125.11 of the Revised Code. The criteria and procedures shall recognize the level and regularity of interstate commerce between Ohio and the border states and provide that the non-Ohio businesses may qualify for award of a contract as long as they are located in a state that imposes no greater restrictions than are contained in this section and section 125.11 of the Revised Code upon persons located in Ohio selling products or services to agencies of that state. The criteria and procedures shall also provide that a non-Ohio business shall not bid on a contract for state printing in this state if the business is located in a state that excludes Ohio businesses from bidding on state printing contracts in that state.

(5)(6) Criteria and procedures to be used to qualify bidders whose manufactured products, except for mined products, are produced in other states or in North America, but the bidders have a significant Ohio economic presence in terms of the number of employees or capital investment a bidder has in this state. Bidders with a significant Ohio economic presence shall qualify for award of a contract on the same basis as if their products were produced in this state.

(6)(7) Criteria and procedures for the director to grant waivers of the requirements of division (B) of section 125.11 of the Revised Code on a contract-by-contract basis where compliance with those requirements would result in the state agency paying an excessive price for the product or acquiring a disproportionately inferior product;

(7)(8) Such other requirements or procedures reasonably necessary to implement the system of preferences established pursuant to division (B) of section 125.11 of the Revised Code.

In adopting the rules required under this division divisions (C)(1), (2), (4), (5), (6), (7), and (8) of this section, the director shall, to the maximum extent possible, conform to the requirements of the federal "Buy America Act," 47 Stat. 1520, (1933), 41 U.S.C.A. 10a-10d, as amended, and to the regulations adopted thereunder.

(D) Where the director of administrative services determines that selection of the lowest qualifying veteran-owned business bid, if any, will not result in an excessive price or a disproportionately inferior product or service, the director shall propose a contract award to the low qualifying veteran-owned business bid at the bid price quoted. As used in this division, "excessive price" means a price that exceeds the lowest price submitted by a bidder that is not a qualifying veteran-owned business by the lesser of five thousand dollars or five per cent of that lowest price, after accounting for all other preferences allowed to bidders under this section.

Sec. 125.11.  (A) Subject to division (B) of this section, contracts awarded pursuant to a reverse auction under section 125.072 of the Revised Code or pursuant to competitive sealed bidding, including contracts awarded under section 125.081 of the Revised Code, shall be awarded to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder on each item in accordance with section 9.312 of the Revised Code. When the contract is for meat products as defined in section 918.01 of the Revised Code or poultry products as defined in section 918.21 of the Revised Code, only those bids received from vendors offering products from establishments on the current list of meat and poultry vendors established and maintained by the director of administrative services under section 125.17 of the Revised Code shall be eligible for acceptance. The department of administrative services may accept or reject any or all bids in whole or by items, except that when the contract is for services or products available from a qualified nonprofit agency pursuant to sections 125.60 to 125.6012 or 4115.31 to 4115.35 of the Revised Code, the contract shall be awarded to that agency.

(B) Prior to awarding a contract under division (A) of this section, the department of administrative services or the state agency responsible for evaluating a contract for the purchase of products shall evaluate the bids received according to the criteria and procedures established pursuant to divisions (C)(1) and, (2), and (3) of section 125.09 of the Revised Code for determining if a product is produced or mined in the United States and, if a product is produced or mined in this state, and if a product is produced or mined by a qualifying veteran-owned business. The department or other state agency shall first remove bids that offer products that have not been or that will not be produced or mined in the United States. From among the remaining bids, the department or other state agency shall select the lowest responsive and responsible bid, in accordance with section 9.312 of the Revised Code, from among the bids that offer products that have been produced or mined in this state or from bids, if any, that offer products that have been produced or mined by qualifying veteran-owned businesses in accordance with division (D) of section 125.09 of the Revised Code, where sufficient competition can be generated within this state to ensure that compliance with these requirements will not result in an excessive price for the product or acquiring a disproportionately inferior product.

(C) Division (B) of this section applies to contracts for which competitive bidding is waived by the controlling board.

(D) Division (B) of this section does not apply to the purchase by the division of liquor control of spirituous liquor.

(E) The director of administrative services shall publish in the form of a model act for use by counties, townships, municipal corporations, or any other political subdivision described in division (B) of section 125.04 of the Revised Code, a system of preferences for products mined and produced in this state and in the United States and for Ohio-based contractors. The model act shall reflect substantial equivalence to the system of preferences in purchasing and public improvement contracting procedures under which the state operates pursuant to this chapter and section 153.012 of the Revised Code. To the maximum extent possible, consistent with the Ohio system of preferences in purchasing and public improvement contracting procedures, the model act shall incorporate all of the requirements of the federal "Buy America Act," 47 Stat. 1520 (1933), 41 U.S.C. 10a to 10d, as amended, and the rules adopted under that act.

Before and during the development and promulgation of the model act, the director shall consult with appropriate statewide organizations representing counties, townships, and municipal corporations so as to identify the special requirements and concerns these political subdivisions have in their purchasing and public improvement contracting procedures. The director shall promulgate the model act by rule adopted pursuant to Chapter 119. of the Revised Code and shall revise the act as necessary to reflect changes in this chapter or section 153.012 of the Revised Code.

The director shall make available copies of the model act, supporting information, and technical assistance to any township, county, or municipal corporation wishing to incorporate the provisions of the act into its purchasing or public improvement contracting procedure.

Sec. 3772.033. In carrying out the responsibilities vested in the commission by this chapter, the commission may do all the following and may designate any such responsibilities to the executive director, to the commission's employees, or to the gaming agents:

(A) Inspect and examine all premises where casino gaming is conducted or gaming supplies, devices, or equipment are manufactured, sold, or distributed;

(B) Inspect all gaming supplies, devices, and equipment in or about a casino facility;

(C) Summarily impound and seize and remove from the casino facility premises gaming supplies, devices, and equipment for the purpose of examination and inspection;

(D) Determine any facts, or any conditions, practices, or other matters, as the commission considers necessary or proper to aid in the enforcement of this chapter or of a rule adopted thereunder;

(E) Audit gaming operations, including those that have ceased operation;

(F) Investigate, for the purpose of prosecution, any suspected violation of this chapter or rules adopted thereunder;

(G) Investigate as appropriate to aid the commission and to seek the executive director's advice in adopting rules;

(H) Secure information as is necessary to provide a basis for recommending legislation for the improvement of this chapter;

(I) Make, execute, and otherwise effectuate all contracts and other agreements, including contracts for necessary purchases of goods and services. Except for any contract entered into with independent testing laboratories under section 3772.31 of the Revised Code, the commission shall ensure use of Ohio or qualifying veteran-owned business products or services in compliance with sections 125.09 and 125.11 of the Revised Code and all rules adopted thereunder.

(J) Employ the services of persons the commission considers necessary for the purposes of consultation or investigation, and fix the salaries of, or contract for the services of, legal, accounting, technical, operational, and other personnel and consultants;

(K) Secure, by agreement, information and services as the commission considers necessary from any state agency or other unit of state government;

(L) Acquire furnishings, equipment, supplies, stationery, books, and all other things the commission considers necessary or desirable to successfully and efficiently carry out the commission's duties and functions; and

(M) Perform all other things the commission considers necessary to effectuate the intents and purposes of this chapter. This section shall not prohibit the commission from imposing administrative discipline, including fines and suspension or revocation of licenses, on licensees under this chapter if the licensee is found to be in violation of the commission's rules.

Sec. 5747.61.  (A) As used in this section, "veteran" means a person subject to the tax imposed by section 5747.02 of the Revised Code who served in the armed forces of the United States on active military duty and was discharged from the service under honorable conditions, and who either served on active duty for reasons other than training or, while serving on active duty for training, incurred a disability recognized by the United States department of veterans affairs or department of defense as service-connected.

(B) There is hereby allowed a nonrefundable credit against the tax imposed by section 5747.02 of the Revised Code for a taxpayer that is an employer required to deduct and withhold income tax from an employee's compensation and remit such amounts under sections 5747.06 and 5747.07 of the Revised Code and that employs a veteran for a period of twelve consecutive months, provided the veteran is employed by the employer for at least one thousand five hundred sixty hours during that period. The amount of the credit shall equal two thousand dollars for each veteran so employed.

The credit shall be claimed for the taxable year immediately following the taxable year that includes the date that is one year following the date on which the veteran was hired. The credit shall be claimed in the order required under section 5747.98 of the Revised Code. Any credit amount in excess of the tax due after allowing for credits that precede the credit under this section in that order may be carried forward to any ensuing taxable year, but the amount of any excess credit allowed in any such year shall be deducted from the balance carried forward to the next year.

A credit may be claimed under this section by a taxpayer only once for each individual veteran. A person that claims the credit under section 5751.55 of the Revised Code may not claim the credit under this section for the same veteran.

Nothing in this section limits or disallows pass-through treatment of the credit.

Sec. 5747.98.  (A) To provide a uniform procedure for calculating the amount of tax due under section 5747.02 of the Revised Code, a taxpayer shall claim any credits to which the taxpayer is entitled in the following order:

(1) The retirement income credit under division (B) of section 5747.055 of the Revised Code;

(2) The senior citizen credit under division (C) of section 5747.05 of the Revised Code;

(3) The lump sum distribution credit under division (D) of section 5747.05 of the Revised Code;

(4) The dependent care credit under section 5747.054 of the Revised Code;

(5) The lump sum retirement income credit under division (C) of section 5747.055 of the Revised Code;

(6) The lump sum retirement income credit under division (D) of section 5747.055 of the Revised Code;

(7) The lump sum retirement income credit under division (E) of section 5747.055 of the Revised Code;

(8) The low-income credit under section 5747.056 of the Revised Code;

(9) The credit for displaced workers who pay for job training under section 5747.27 of the Revised Code;

(10) The campaign contribution credit under section 5747.29 of the Revised Code;

(11) The twenty-dollar personal exemption credit under section 5747.022 of the Revised Code;

(12) The joint filing credit under division (G) of section 5747.05 of the Revised Code;

(13) The nonresident credit under division (A) of section 5747.05 of the Revised Code;

(14) The credit for a resident's out-of-state income under division (B) of section 5747.05 of the Revised Code;

(15) The credit for employers that enter into agreements with child day-care centers under section 5747.34 of the Revised Code;

(16) The credit for employers that reimburse employee child care expenses under section 5747.36 of the Revised Code;

(17) The credit for adoption of a minor child under section 5747.37 of the Revised Code;

(18) The credit for purchases of lights and reflectors under section 5747.38 of the Revised Code;

(19) The nonrefundable job retention credit under division (B) of section 5747.058 of the Revised Code;

(20) The credit for selling alternative fuel under section 5747.77 of the Revised Code;

(21) The nonrefundable credit for employing veterans under section 5747.61 of the Revised Code;

(22) The second credit for purchases of new manufacturing machinery and equipment and the credit for using Ohio coal under section 5747.31 of the Revised Code;

(22)(23) The job training credit under section 5747.39 of the Revised Code;

(23)(24) The enterprise zone credit under section 5709.66 of the Revised Code;

(24)(25) The credit for the eligible costs associated with a voluntary action under section 5747.32 of the Revised Code;

(25)(26) The credit for employers that establish on-site child day-care centers under section 5747.35 of the Revised Code;

(26)(27) The ethanol plant investment credit under section 5747.75 of the Revised Code;

(27)(28) The credit for purchases of qualifying grape production property under section 5747.28 of the Revised Code;

(28)(29) The small business investment credit under section 5747.81 of the Revised Code;

(29)(30) The credit for research and development and technology transfer investors under section 5747.33 of the Revised Code;

(30)(31) The enterprise zone credits under section 5709.65 of the Revised Code;

(31)(32) The research and development credit under section 5747.331 of the Revised Code;

(32)(33) The credit for rehabilitating a historic building under section 5747.76 of the Revised Code;

(33)(34) The refundable credit for rehabilitating a historic building under section 5747.76 of the Revised Code;

(34)(35) The refundable jobs creation credit or job retention credit under division (A) of section 5747.058 of the Revised Code;

(35)(36) The refundable credit for taxes paid by a qualifying entity granted under section 5747.059 of the Revised Code;

(36)(37) The refundable credits for taxes paid by a qualifying pass-through entity granted under division (J) of section 5747.08 of the Revised Code;

(37)(38) The refundable credit for tax withheld under division (B)(1) of section 5747.062 of the Revised Code;

(38)(39) The refundable credit for tax withheld under section 5747.063 of the Revised Code;

(39)(40) The refundable credit under section 5747.80 of the Revised Code for losses on loans made to the Ohio venture capital program under sections 150.01 to 150.10 of the Revised Code;

(40)(41) The refundable motion picture production credit under section 5747.66 of the Revised Code.

(B) For any credit, except the refundable credits enumerated in this section and the credit granted under division (I) of section 5747.08 of the Revised Code, the amount of the credit for a taxable year shall not exceed the tax due after allowing for any other credit that precedes it in the order required under this section. Any excess amount of a particular credit may be carried forward if authorized under the section creating that credit. Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to allow a taxpayer to claim, directly or indirectly, a credit more than once for a taxable year.

Sec. 5751.55.  (A) As used in this section, "veteran" has the same meaning as in section 5747.61 of the Revised Code.

(B) There is hereby allowed a nonrefundable credit against the tax imposed by section 5751.02 of the Revised Code for a taxpayer that is an employer required to deduct and withhold income tax from an employee's compensation and remit such amounts under sections 5747.06 and 5747.07 of the Revised Code and that employs a veteran for a period of twelve consecutive months, provided the veteran is employed by the employer for at least one thousand five hundred sixty hours during that period. The amount of the credit shall equal two thousand dollars for each veteran so employed.

The credit shall be claimed for the first tax period of the calendar year immediately following the calendar year that includes the date that is one year following the date on which the veteran was hired. The credit shall be claimed in the order required under section 5751.98 of the Revised Code. Any credit amount in excess of the tax due after allowing for credits that precede the credit under this section in that order may be carried forward to any ensuing tax period, but the amount of any excess credit allowed in any such period shall be deducted from the balance carried forward to the next period.

A credit may be claimed under this section by a taxpayer only once for each individual veteran. A person that claims the credit under section 5747.61 of the Revised Code may not claim the credit under this section for the same veteran.

Sec. 5751.98.  (A) To provide a uniform procedure for calculating the amount of tax due under this chapter, a taxpayer shall claim any credits to which it is entitled in the following order:

(1) The nonrefundable jobs retention credit under division (B) of section 5751.50 of the Revised Code;

(2) The nonrefundable credit for employing veterans under section 5751.55 of the Revised Code;

(3) The nonrefundable credit for qualified research expenses under division (B) of section 5751.51 of the Revised Code;

(3)(4) The nonrefundable credit for a borrower's qualified research and development loan payments under division (B) of section 5751.52 of the Revised Code;

(4)(5) The nonrefundable credit for calendar years 2010 to 2029 for unused net operating losses under division (B) of section 5751.53 of the Revised Code;

(5)(6) The refundable credit for calendar year 2030 for unused net operating losses under division (C) of section 5751.53 of the Revised Code;

(6)(7) The refundable jobs creation credit or job retention credit under division (A) of section 5751.50 of the Revised Code.

(B) For any credit except the refundable credits enumerated in this section, the amount of the credit for a tax period shall not exceed the tax due after allowing for any other credit that precedes it in the order required under this section. Any excess amount of a particular credit may be carried forward if authorized under the section creating the credit.

Section 2.  That existing sections 125.01, 125.09, 125.11, 3772.033, 5747.98, and 5751.98 of the Revised Code are hereby repealed.