To enact section 5502.71 of the Revised Code to establish a program of state financial assistance to counties, municipal corporations, and townships to help in defraying the costs of the county's sheriff, the county's drug task force, or the municipal corporation's or township's law enforcement agency in combatting the opioid abuse and heroin addiction epidemic and to make an appropriation.

Section 1. That section 5502.71 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:

Sec. 5502.71.  (A) As used in this section:

(1)(a) "Opioid abuse and heroin addiction epidemic" means all of the following:

(i) A violation of any section in Chapter 2925. of the Revised Code that involves any opioid or heroin;

(ii) A violation of any ordinance of a municipal corporation that is substantially equivalent to any section identified in division (A)(1)(a)(i) of this section;

(iii) Conduct not described in division (A)(1)(a)(i) or (ii) of this section that relates to any illegal activity that involves any opioid or heroin;

(b) In addition to the violations and conduct described in division (A)(1)(a) of this section, "opioid abuse and heroin addiction epidemic" includes any ongoing issue with other drug use and trafficking.

(2) "Drug task force" has the same meaning as in section 5502.68 of the Revised Code.

(B)(1) The board of county commissioners of a county may apply to the department of public safety for a grant of financial assistance to help in defraying the costs of the county's sheriff or of the drug task force, if any, organized in the county in combatting an opioid abuse and heroin addiction epidemic in the county.

(2) The legislative authority of a municipal corporation may apply to the department of public safety for a grant of financial assistance to help in defraying the costs of the municipal corporation's law enforcement agency in combatting an opioid abuse and heroin addiction epidemic in the municipal corporation.

(3) The board of township trustees of a township may apply to the department of public safety for a grant of financial assistance to help in defraying the costs of the township's law enforcement agency in combatting an opioid abuse and heroin addiction epidemic in the township.

(4) Application under division (B)(1), (2), or (3) of this section shall be made in accordance with rules adopted by the department of public safety pursuant to division (E) of this section.

(C) The department of public safety shall begin accepting applications for grants of financial assistance to counties, municipal corporations, and townships for the purposes described in divisions (B)(1), (2), and (3) of this section as soon as practicable after it adopts the rules under division (E) of this section. If a county, municipal corporation, or township applies for a grant of financial assistance under division (B)(1), (2), or (3) of this section and the department finds that the application is in accordance with those rules and determines that the applicant is to be provided financial assistance under the process established under those rules, the department, from moneys appropriated to it for purposes of granting financial assistance under this section, may grant the applicant financial assistance. The amount of the financial assistance shall be determined pursuant to the process established under the rules adopted under division (E) of this section.

The department shall make and distribute grants of financial assistance under this section as soon as practicable after the effective date of this section. Thereafter, the department shall make and distribute grants of financial assistance under this section on an ongoing basis, throughout the fiscal year, as applications are received.

(D) A county, municipal corporation, or township that receives a grant of financial assistance under this section shall use the financial assistance received only for the following purposes:

(1) To pay some or all of the cost of the county's, drug task force's, municipal corporation's, or township's hiring of part-time or full-time law enforcement and investigative officers to combat the opioid abuse and heroin addiction problem in the county, municipal corporation, or township;

(2) To pay the cost of training for the county's, drug task force's, municipal corporation's, or township's law enforcement and investigative officers who perform duties in combatting the opioid abuse and heroin addiction problem in the county, municipal corporation, or township;

(3) To pay the cost of necessary equipment for the county, drug task force, municipal corporation, or township to be used in combatting the opioid abuse and heroin addiction problem in the county, municipal corporation, or township;

(4) To pay any other cost or expense that relates to combatting the opioid abuse and heroin addiction problem in the county, municipal corporation, or township.

(E) The department of public safety shall adopt rules to implement the program of granting financial assistance to counties, municipal corporations, and townships for the purposes described in divisions (B)(1), (2), and (3) of this section. The rules shall be provided to each sheriff, each drug task force, each municipal law enforcement agency, and each township law enforcement agency. The rules shall include, but shall not be limited to, provisions that:

(1) Prescribe the manner of application for the financial assistance;

(2) Establish a process for determining whether an applicant county, municipal corporation, or township will be provided financial assistance, which process shall base the determinations on the need of the applicants and give priority to applicants that identify in their application a significant challenge in the particular county, municipal corporation, or township with respect to an opioid abuse and heroin addiction epidemic;

(3) Establish a process for determining the amount of financial assistance to be provided to each applicant county, municipal corporation, or township that will be provided financial assistance as determined under the process described in division (E)(2) of this section.

(F) The department of public safety shall conduct a statewide study to determine the counties, drug task forces, municipal corporations, and townships that are in need of, but financially unable to afford, the hiring of additional law enforcement and investigative officers to combat an opioid abuse and heroin addiction epidemic in the county, municipal corporation, or township. The department shall prepare a report that contains its findings from the study. Not later than March 31, 2015, the department shall do all of the following:

(1) Publish the report prepared under this division;

(2) Make recommendations to the general assembly regarding the use of, and further demand for, additional resources for county sheriffs, drug task forces, municipal law enforcement agencies, and township law enforcement agencies to combat the opioid abuse and heroin addiction epidemic, which recommendations shall include proposed increases or decreases to any line item that could be used to help fund those resources as a part of combatting the epidemic.

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 designated fund. For all appropriations made in this act, those in the first column are for fiscal year 2014 and those in the second column are for fiscal year 2015. The appropriations made in this act are in addition to any other appropriations made for the FY 2014-FY 2015 biennium.

General Revenue Fund Group

LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT GRANTS

The foregoing appropriation item 768506, Local Law Enforcement Grants, shall be used to award grants for fiscal year 2015 under section 5502.71 of the Revised Code, as enacted by this act.

BUDGET STABILIZATION FUND TRANSFERS

Notwithstanding section 131.43 and division (D) of section 127.14 of the Revised Code, the Director of Budget and Management may, with Controlling Board approval, transfer up to $10 million cash from the Budget Stabilization Fund to the General Revenue Fund in fiscal year 2015 to help ensure that the available revenue receipts and balances in the General Revenue Fund are not less than the appropriations for fiscal year 2015.

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 appropriations contained in this act shall be accounted for as though made in Am. Sub. H.B. 59 of the 130th General Assembly.

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