Sub.
H.B. 233*
127th General Assembly
(As Reported by S. Agriculture)
Reps. Reinhard, Bubp, Collier, DeWine, Evans, Fende, Goodwin, Goyal, Huffman, Latta, J. McGregor, Schlichter, Seitz, Setzer, Webster, Zehringer, Wolpert, J. Hagan, R. Hagan, Schindel, Wagner, Heard, B. Williams, DeBose, Chandler, Lundy, Celeste, Stebelton, Otterman, Mallory, Adams, Aslanides, Bacon, Batchelder, Blessing, Bolon, Brown, Budish, Carmichael, Core, Daniels, Dodd, Domenick, Dyer, Flowers, Garrison, Gibbs, Harwood, Healy, Hite, Hughes, Koziura, Letson, Luckie, Mandel, Miller, Oelslager, Okey, Patton, Sayre, Schneider, Uecker, Ujvagi, Wachtmann, Wagoner, Widener
BILL SUMMARY
· Permanently revives the Rural Industrial Parks Loan Program that was administered by the Director of Development and expired on July 1, 2007.
· Revises the funding mechanism for the Local Government Services Collaboration Grant Program.
· Eliminates the requirement that the Director of Budget and Management, in determining tax revenues credited to the General Revenue Fund in December 2007, disregard transfers made from the General Revenue Fund to the Local Government Fund, Local Government Revenue Assistance Fund, and Library and Local Government Support Fund.
· Creates the Ohio Agriculture to Chemicals, Polymers, and Advanced Materials Task Force.
· Requires the Task Force to submit a report to the General Assembly and the Governor not later than four months after the bill's effective date that provides an overview of the agriculture industry and the specialty chemicals and polymer industry in Ohio, a description of the conditions of and trends in those industries in Ohio, an identification and description of potential alignments between the agricultural industry and the specialty chemicals and polymer industry in Ohio, and recommendations for expanding the agriculture industry and the specialty chemicals and polymer industry in Ohio and for providing methods to increase alignments between those industries.
CONTENT AND OPERATION
Under prior law, the Director of Development disbursed loans under the Rural Industrial Parks Loan Program to be used in an eligible area for land acquisition, infrastructure improvements, or construction, renovation, or improvements of existing industrial park buildings. Originally, the Program was scheduled to expire on January 1, 1999, but subsequently was continued every two years. However, the Program expired on July 1, 2007. The bill revives the Program and does not establish an expiration date. (Secs. 122.23 to 122.27.)
Under current law, the Director of Development must administer a Local Government Services Collaboration Grant Program. The Program provides money to counties, municipal corporations, and townships to conduct feasibility studies that address how, and in what manner, those political subdivisions may combine provisions of local government services. The Local Government Services Collaboration Grant Fund is scheduled to be funded in December 2007 by a credit of $1 million that is otherwise scheduled to be credited to the Local Government Fund. Current law requires the $1 million to be taken from the countywide nontownship and nonvillage distribution of personal income tax revenue in January 2008. The bill removes the requirement that the $1 million be taken from that distribution and requires the money to be credited in January 2008. (Sections 3 and 5.)
Existing law requires the Director of Budget and Management, in determining the General Revenue Fund tax revenues in December 2007, to disregard transfers made from the General Revenue Fund to the Local Government Fund, the Local Government Revenue Assistance Fund, and the Library and Local Government Support Fund. The bill eliminates that requirement. (Section 3.)
The bill creates the Ohio Agriculture to Chemicals, Polymers, and Advanced Materials Task Force, which is required to consist of the following 13 members:
(1) Three members of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, two of whom must be members of the majority party and one of whom must be a member of the minority party;
(2) Three members of the Senate appointed by the President of the Senate, two of whom must be members of the majority party and one of whom must be a member of the minority party;
(3) A representative of the Ohio Chemistry Technology Council appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;
(4) A representative of Polymer Ohio appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;
(5) A representative of the Ohio BioProducts Innovation Center appointed by the President of the Senate;
(6) A representative of the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation appointed by the President of the Senate;
(7) A representative of the Department of Agriculture appointed by the Director of Agriculture;
(8) A representative of the Department of Development appointed by the Director of Development; and
(9) The energy advisor to the Governor appointed by the Governor.
Appointments must be made, and the Task Force must hold its first meeting, not later than 15 days after the bill's effective date. The representative of the Department of Agriculture must appoint a chairperson, and the Task Force must elect from its members a vice-chairperson. (Section 1(A).)
Not later than four months after the bill's effective date, the Task Force must submit a report to the General Assembly and the Governor. The report must do all of the following:
(1) Provide an overview of the agriculture industry and the specialty chemicals and polymer industry in Ohio;
(2) Describe the conditions of and trends in those industries in Ohio;
(3) Identify and describe potential alignments between the agricultural industry and the specialty chemicals and polymer industry in Ohio; and
(4) Include recommendations to the General Assembly for expanding the agriculture industry and the specialty chemicals and polymer industry in Ohio and for providing methods to increase alignments between those industries.
Following submission of the report, the Task Force ceases to exist. (Section 1(B).)
HISTORY
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ACTION |
DATE |
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Introduced |
05-22-07 |
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Reported, H. Economic Development & Environment |
06-13-07 |
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Passed House (99-0) |
06-19-07 |
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Reported, S. Agriculture |
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h0233-rs-127.doc/kl
* This analysis was prepared before the report of the Senate Agriculture Committee appeared in the Senate Journal. Note that the list of co-sponsors and the legislative history may be incomplete.