To enact section 149.60 of the Revised Code to establish the Local Government Information Exchange Grant Program and to make an appropriation.

Section 1. That section 149.60 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:

Sec. 149.60. (A) As used in this section:

(1) "Local government" means a county, township, or municipal corporation or public library.

(2) "Metropolitan planning organization" means a metropolitan planning organization designated under section 9(a) of the "Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1962," 76 Stat. 1148, 23 U.S.C. 134, as amended.

(3) "Public record" has the meaning defined in section 149.43 of the Revised Code.

(B) There is the local government information exchange grant program in the department of administrative services. The program shall be administered by the director of administrative services. The director shall adopt rules under Chapter 119. of the Revised Code as are necessary to administer the program. The rules shall include all of the following:

(1) Grant eligibility criteria, which shall include a requirement that a grantee be a local government, or a regional planning commission, metropolitan planning organization, or regional council of governments, which may apply on behalf of a local government or group of local governments to assist them in meeting the requirements of this section;

(2) Specifications for what data points must be included by local governments in order for the local governments to be eligible for the grant funding;

(3) A requirement that electronic data satisfying the grant criteria be posted on the internet, by the local government or by the state, in an open format that is capable of being searched, viewed, and downloaded by the public;

(4) Specifications for consistent formatting and technology standards for electronic data satisfying the grant eligibility criteria; and

(5) Specifications for accounting standards for data provided by local governments.

Required data points may be different for each type of local government.

(C) The director shall disburse a grant of ten thousand dollars to each local government that meets the grant eligibility criteria established by the director, or to a regional planning commission, metropolitan planning organization, or regional council of governments for each local government applied for that meets the grant eligibility criteria established by the director. Grants shall be awarded in the order in which the local governments have met the eligibility criteria. The total amount of grants awarded shall not exceed the amount that can be funded with appropriations made by the general assembly for this purpose.

Section 2.  All items in this section are hereby appropriated as designated out of any moneys in the state treasury to the credit of the General Revenue Fund. For all appropriations made in this act, those in the first column are for fiscal year 2015 and the appropriations in the second column are for fiscal year 2016. The appropriations made in this act are in addition to any other appropriations made for the FY 2014-FY 2015 biennium and the FY 2016-FY 2017 biennium.

General Revenue Fund

LOCAL GOVERNMENT INFORMATION EXCHANGE GRANTS

Of the foregoing appropriation item 100501, Local Government Information Exchange Grants, up to $250,000 in fiscal year 2015 shall be used by the Director of Administrative Services for administration and maintenance of the Local Government Information Exchange Grant Program and for administration of Local Government Information Exchange Grants. The remainder of the foregoing appropriation item 100501, Local Government Information Exchange Grants, shall be used by the Director of Administrative Services to disburse grant awards to eligible counties, townships, and municipal corporations, and to regional planning commissions, metropolitan planning organizations, and regional councils of governments, under section 149.60 of the Revised Code.

Section 3. Within the limits set forth in this act, the Director of Budget and Management shall establish accounts indicating the source and amount of funds for each appropriation made in this act, and shall determine the form and manner in which appropriation accounts shall be maintained. Expenditures from the FY 2015 appropriations contained in this act shall be accounted for as though made in H.B. 59 of the 130th General Assembly.

The FY 2015 appropriations made in this act are subject to all provisions of H.B. 59 of the 130th General Assembly that are generally applicable to such appropriations.

Expenditures from the FY 2016 appropriation contained in this act shall be accounted for as though made in the main operating appropriations act of the 131st General Assembly. The FY 2016 appropriation made in this act is subject to all provisions of the main operating appropriations act of the 131st General Assembly that are generally applicable to such appropriations.