CHAPTER 101: GENERAL ASSEMBLY

(A) The first regular session of each general assembly shall convene on the first Monday of January in the odd-numbered year, or on the succeeding day if the first Monday of January is a legal holiday, and in second regular session on the same date of the following year. The second regular session of each general assembly shall be in a continuum of the first regular session. At the second regular session, the general assembly shall consider matters held over from the first regular session, revenue and appropriation bills, and other measures agreed to by a majority of the members elected to either house or recommended by the governor in a public proclamation or a message to the general assembly.

(B) At one-thirty p.m. of the day specified for the beginning of the first regular session of the general assembly, the president of the senate during the preceding biennium or in the case of his absence or inability to act, the president pro tempore of the senate during the preceding biennium shall take the chair and call the senate to order. He shall also call the senatorial districts in their numerical order, and as they are called the persons claiming to be senators-elect therefrom shall present their certificates and take the oath of office.

If neither the president nor the president pro tempore designated in this division is available to preside at the beginning of the first regular session, the senators and senators-elect shall designate by party caucus the person who shall preside over the organization of the senate.

Effective Date: 01-08-1979

After the senators-elect have taken the oath of office, if there is a quorum present, the senate shall elect a president, president pro tempore, assistant president pro tempore, and other officials.

Effective Date: 01-08-1979

Effective Date: 12-23-1986

At two p.m. of the day appointed for the beginning of the first regular session of the general assembly, the speaker of the house of representatives during the preceding biennium or in his absence, the speaker pro tempore of the house of representatives during the preceding biennium shall take the chair, call the representatives-elect to order, and appoint one of them clerk pro tempore. He also shall call the districts in numerical order and, as they are called, the representatives-elect therefrom shall present their certificates and take the oath of office.

Effective Date: 09-17-1973

In the event neither the speaker nor the speaker pro tempore, designated in section 101.11 of the Revised Code, is available to preside at the beginning of the first regular session, the members-elect shall designate by party caucus the person who shall preside over the organization of the house of representatives.

Effective Date: 09-17-1973

After the representatives-elect have taken the oath of office, if there is a quorum present, the house of representatives shall elect a speaker, a speaker pro tempore, and other officials.

Effective Date: 10-01-1953

(A) As used in this section:

(1) “Caucus” means all of the members of either house of the general assembly who are members of the same political party.

(2) “Committee” means any committee of either house of the general assembly, a joint committee of both houses of the general assembly, including a committee of conference, or a subcommittee of any committee listed in division (A)(2) of this section.

(3) “Meeting” means any prearranged discussion of the public business of a committee by a majority of its members.

(B) Except as otherwise provided in division (F) of this section, all meetings of any committee are declared to be public meetings open to the public at all times. The secretary assigned to the chairperson of the committee shall prepare, file, and maintain the minutes of every regular or special meeting of a committee. The committee, at its next regular or special meeting, shall approve the minutes prepared, filed, and maintained by the secretary, or, if the minutes prepared, filed, and maintained by the secretary require correction before their approval, the committee shall correct and approve the minutes at the next following regular or special meeting. The committee shall make the minutes available for public inspection not later than seven days after the meeting the minutes reflect or not later than the committee’s next regular or special meeting, whichever occurs first.

(C) Each committee shall establish a reasonable method whereby any person may determine the time and place of all regularly scheduled meetings and the time, place, and purpose of all special meetings. No committee shall hold a regular or special meeting unless it gives at least twenty-four hours’ advance notice to the news media that have requested notification.

The method established by each committee shall provide that upon request and payment of a reasonable fee, any person may obtain reasonable advance notification of all meetings at which any specific type of public business will be discussed. Provisions for advance notification may include, but are not limited to, mailing the agenda of meetings to all subscribers on a mailing list or mailing notices in self-addressed stamped envelopes provided by the person who desires advance notification.

(D) Any action of a committee relating to a bill or resolution, or any other formal action of a committee, is invalid unless taken in an open meeting of the committee. Any action of a committee relating to a bill or resolution, or any other formal action of a committee, taken in an open meeting is invalid if it results from deliberations in a meeting not open to the public.

(E)(1) Any person may bring an action to enforce this section. An action under this division shall be brought within two years after the date of the alleged violation or threatened violation. Upon proof of a violation or threatened violation of this section in an action brought by any person, the court of common pleas shall issue an injunction to compel the members of the committee to comply with its provisions.

(2)(a) If the court of common pleas issues an injunction under division (E)(1) of this section, the court shall order the committee that it enjoins to pay a civil forfeiture of five hundred dollars to the party that sought the injunction and shall award to that party all court costs and, subject to reduction as described in this division, reasonable attorney’s fees. The court, in its discretion, may reduce an award of attorney’s fees to the party that sought the injunction or not award attorney’s fees to that party if the court determines both of the following:

(i) That, based on the ordinary application of statutory law and case law as it existed at the time of the violation or threatened violation that was the basis of the injunction, a well-informed committee reasonably would believe that the committee was not violating or threatening to violate this section;

(ii) That a well-informed committee reasonably would believe that the conduct or threatened conduct that was the basis of the injunction would serve the public policy that underlies the authority that is asserted as permitting that conduct or threatened conduct.

(b) If the court of common pleas does not issue an injunction under division (E)(1) of this section and the court determines at that time that the bringing of the action was frivolous conduct as defined in division (A) of section 2323.51 of the Revised Code, the court shall award to the committee all court costs and reasonable attorney’s fees, as determined by the court.

(3) Irreparable harm and prejudice to the party that sought the injunction shall be conclusively and irrebuttably presumed upon proof of a violation or threatened violation of this section.

(4) A member of a committee who knowingly violates an injunction issued under division (E)(1) of this section may be removed from office by an action brought in the court of common pleas for that purpose by the prosecuting attorney of Franklin county or by the attorney general.

(5) The remedies described in divisions (E)(1) to (4) of this section shall be the exclusive remedies for a violation of this section.

(F) This section does not apply to or affect either of the following:

(1) All meetings of the joint legislative ethics committee created under section 101.34 of the Revised Code other than a meeting that is held for any of the following purposes:

(a) To consider the adoption, amendment, or recission of any rule that the joint legislative ethics committee is authorized to adopt pursuant to division (B)(11) of section 101.34, division (E) of section 101.78, division (B) of section 102.02, or division (E) of section 121.68 of the Revised Code;

(b) To discuss and consider changes to any administrative operation of the joint legislative ethics committee other than any matter described in division (G) of section 121.22 of the Revised Code;

(c) To discuss pending or proposed legislation.

(2) Meetings of a caucus.

(G) For purposes of division (F)(1)(a) of this section, an advisory opinion, written opinion, or decision relative to a complaint is not a rule.

Effective Date: 09-05-2001

A majority of the votes given at an election for an officer of either house shall be necessary to elect. If a choice is not made on or before the tenth voting, the person thereafter receiving the highest number of votes shall be declared elected.

Effective Date: 10-01-1953

For the purpose of organizing the senate and house of representatives of the general assembly, a certificate of election from the board of election of the proper county shall be prima-facie evidence of the right to membership of the person therein certified to be elected senator or representative.

Effective Date: 10-01-1953

The oath of office of senators and representatives; the president and president pro tempore of the senate; the speaker and speaker pro tempore of the house of representatives; the clerk of the senate, the chief administrative officer and the clerk of the house of representatives, and their assistants; and the sergeant at arms and assistant sergeant at arms of each house may be administered by a member, by a former presiding officer of either house of the general assembly, or by a person authorized to administer oaths.

Effective Date: 03-09-1999; 12-30-2004; 06-27-2005

Upon a call of either house, if a quorum of members is not present, or a member is absent, the members present may direct the sergeant at arms or, if there is no sergeant at arms of such house, any other person to compel the attendance of absentees. If, on a call of either house, the members present refuse to excuse an absentee, he shall not be entitled to compensation during his absence and shall be liable for expenses incurred in procuring his attendance, which shall be deducted from his salary.

Effective Date: 10-01-1953

During a regular session of the general assembly, a senator who desires to resign shall do so by presenting a letter of resignation to the president of the senate and a representative who desires to resign shall do so by presenting a letter of resignation to the speaker of the house of representatives. The president or speaker shall verify authenticity of the letter of resignation and, upon doing so, shall send a letter of acknowledgment to the resigning senator or representative.

When the general assembly has adjourned its regular session sine die, a senator or representative who desires to resign shall do so by presenting a letter of resignation to the governor. The governor shall verify authenticity of the letter of resignation and, upon doing so, shall send a letter of acknowledgement to the resigning senator or representative.

An acknowledged resignation takes effect at the time specified in the letter of resignation. If an acknowledged resignation occurs during a regular session of the general assembly, the clerk of the senate or clerk of the house of representatives shall spread the letter of resignation upon the senate or house of representatives journal.

This section does not apply to a member-elect who resigns before the general assembly has organized.

Effective Date: 03-09-1999

No member of either house of the general assembly, except in compliance with this section, shall knowingly do any of the following:

(A) Be appointed as trustee, officer, or manager of a benevolent, educational, or correctional institution that is authorized, created, or regulated by the state and that is supported in whole or in part by funds from the state treasury;

(B) Serve on any committee or commission that is authorized or created by the general assembly and that provides other compensation than actual and necessary expenses;

(C) Accept any appointment, office, or employment from any committee or commission that is authorized or created by the general assembly and that provides other compensation than actual and necessary expenses or accept any appointment, office, or employment from any executive or administrative branch or department of the state that provides other compensation than actual and necessary expenses.

Any appointee, officer, or employee described in division (A), (B), or (C) of this section who accepts a certificate of election to either house immediately shall resign from the appointment, office, or employment, and, if he fails or refuses to do so, his seat in the general assembly shall be deemed vacant. Any member of the general assembly who accepts any appointment, office, or employment described in division (A), (B), or (C) of this section immediately shall resign from the general assembly, and, if he fails or refuses to do so, his seat in the general assembly shall be deemed vacant. This section does not apply to members of either house of the general assembly serving an educational institution of the state, supported in whole or in part by funds from the state treasury, in a capacity other than one named in division (A) of this section, school teachers, employees of boards of education, notaries public, or officers of the militia. Division (A) of this section does not apply to any member of either house of the general assembly appointed as trustee, officer, or manager of a private institution that only receives funds from the state treasury in exchange for services rendered.

Effective Date: 10-06-1994

(A)(1) Every member of the senate, except the members elected president, president pro tempore, assistant president pro tempore, majority whip, minority leader, assistant minority leader, minority whip, and assistant minority whip, shall receive as compensation a salary of fifty-one thousand six hundred seventy-four dollars a year during the senator’s term of office. Every member of the house of representatives, except the members elected speaker, speaker pro tempore, majority floor leader, assistant majority floor leader, majority whip, assistant majority whip, minority leader, assistant minority leader, minority whip, and assistant minority whip, shall receive as compensation a salary of fifty-one thousand six hundred seventy-four dollars a year during the representative’s term of office. Such salaries shall be paid in equal monthly installments during such term. All monthly payments shall be made on or before the fifth day of each month. Upon the death of any member of the general assembly during the member’s term of office, any unpaid salary due such member for the remainder of the member’s term shall be paid to the member’s surviving spouse, children, mother, or father, in the order in which the relationship is set forth in this section in monthly installments.

(2) Each member shall receive a travel reimbursement per mile each way, at the same mileage rate allowed for the reimbursement of travel expenses of state agents as provided by rule of the director of budget and management pursuant to division (B) of section 126.31 of the Revised Code, for mileage not more than once a week during the session for travel incurred by a member from and to the member’s place of residence, by the most direct highway route of public travel to and from the seat of government, to be paid quarterly on the last day of March, June, September, and December of each year.

(3) The member of the senate elected president and the member of the house of representatives elected speaker shall each receive as compensation a salary of eighty thousand five hundred forty-nine dollars a year during the president’s or speaker’s term of office.

The member of the senate elected president pro tempore, the member of the senate elected minority leader, the member of the house of representatives elected speaker pro tempore, and the member of the house of representatives elected minority leader shall each receive as compensation a salary of seventy-three thousand four hundred ninety-three dollars a year during the member’s term of office. The member of the house of representatives elected majority floor leader and the member of the senate elected assistant president pro tempore shall each receive as compensation a salary of sixty-nine thousand two hundred twenty-seven dollars a year during the member’s term of office. The member of the senate elected assistant minority leader and the member of the house of representatives elected assistant minority leader shall each receive as compensation a salary of sixty-seven thousand ninety-nine dollars a year during the member’s term of office. The member of the senate elected majority whip and the member of the house of representatives elected assistant majority floor leader shall each receive a salary of sixty-four thousand nine hundred sixty-seven dollars a year during the member’s term of office. The member of the senate elected minority whip, the member of the house of representatives elected majority whip, and the member of the house of representatives elected minority whip shall each receive as compensation a salary of sixty thousand seven hundred six dollars a year during the member’s term of office. The member of the house of representatives elected assistant majority whip shall receive as compensation a salary of fifty-six thousand four hundred forty-three dollars a year during the member’s term of office. The member of the house of representatives elected assistant minority whip and the member of the senate elected assistant minority whip shall each receive a salary of fifty-four thousand sixty dollars a year during the member’s term of office.

(4) The chairperson of the finance committee of each house shall receive an additional sum of ten thousand dollars annually. The chairperson of each standing committee of each house other than the finance committee shall receive an additional sum of six thousand five hundred dollars annually. The chairperson of each standing subcommittee of a finance committee shall receive an additional sum of six thousand five hundred dollars annually. The vice-chairperson of the finance committee of each house shall receive an additional sum of five thousand five hundred dollars annually. The ranking minority member of the finance committee of each house shall receive an additional sum of six thousand five hundred dollars annually. The ranking minority member of each standing subcommittee of a finance committee shall receive an additional sum of five thousand dollars annually. The chairperson of each standing subcommittee of each house other than a standing subcommittee of the finance committee shall receive an additional sum of five thousand dollars annually. The vice-chairperson and ranking minority member of each standing committee of each house other than the finance committee shall each receive an additional sum of five thousand dollars annually. Except for the ranking minority member of each standing subcommittee of a finance committee, the ranking minority member of each standing subcommittee of each house shall receive an additional sum of two thousand five hundred dollars annually.

No member may receive more than one additional sum for serving as chairperson, vice-chairperson, or ranking minority member of a standing committee or standing subcommittee, regardless of the number of standing committees or standing subcommittees on which the member serves as chairperson, vice-chairperson, or ranking minority member.

(5) If a member is absent without leave, or is not excused on the member’s return, there shall be deducted from the member’s compensation twenty dollars for each day’s absence.

(B) Each calendar year from 2002 through 2008, the salary amounts under divisions (A)(1) and (3) of this section shall be increased by the lesser of the following:

(1) Three per cent;

(2) The percentage increase, if any, in the consumer price index over the twelve-month period that ends on the thirtieth day of September of the immediately preceding year, rounded to the nearest one-tenth of one per cent.

(C) As used in this section:

(1) “Consumer price index” means the consumer price index prepared by the United States bureau of labor statistics (U.S. city average for urban wage earners and clerical workers: all items, 1982-1984=100), or, if that index is no longer published, a generally available comparable index.

(2) “Finance committee” means the finance committee of the senate and the finance-appropriations committee of the house of representatives.

Effective Date: 09-05-2001

(A) As used in this section, “medical insurance premium” means any premium payment made under a contract with an insurance company, nonprofit health plan, health insuring corporation, or any combination of such organizations, pursuant to section 124.82 of the Revised Code.

(B) After the general election in each even-numbered year, the clerk of the senate, with the assistance of the department of administrative services, shall estimate the cost of the medical insurance premiums that will be necessary to provide coverage, on the same basis as for a similarly situated state employee, for each person who is elected to a term as senator at such election, or appointed to fill the unexpired portion of any such term, and any of the senator’s dependents qualified for coverage at the time the senator assumes office. Using this estimate, the clerk shall determine a fixed amount to be paid by the state in equal monthly installments on behalf of the senator each year of the senator’s term as a medical insurance premium, but in no event in an amount to exceed the total premium required in any month by the contract of the state by the carrier. Any amount not paid in such a case shall be placed in reserve and applied against any subsequent month’s premium up to the full amount thereof until the entire amount has been paid along with the original estimate for each month. This fixed amount shall be such that, as nearly as can be predicted, the sum of the monthly premiums paid for the senator during the senator’s term shall equal the total amount of medical insurance premiums that will be paid for such an employee, as required by section 124.82 of the Revised Code, during that term. The senator shall pay the difference between the amount so fixed and the total premium required by the contract of the state with the carrier.

(C) After the general election in each even-numbered year, the chief administrative officer of the house of representatives, with the assistance of the department of administrative services, shall estimate the cost of the medical insurance premiums that will be necessary to provide coverage, on the same basis as for a similarly situated state employee, for each person who is elected to a term as representative at such election, or appointed to fill the unexpired portion of any such term, and any of the representative’s dependents qualified for coverage at the time the representative assumes office. Using this estimate, the chief administrator officer shall determine a fixed amount to be paid by the state in equal monthly installments on behalf of the representative each year of the representative’s term as a medical insurance premium, but in no event in an amount to exceed the total premium required in any month by the contract of the state with the carrier. Any amount not paid in such a case shall be placed in reserve and applied against any subsequent month’s premium up to the full amount thereof until the entire reserve has been paid along with the original estimate for each month. This fixed amount shall be such that, as nearly as can be predicted, the sum of the monthly premiums paid for the representative during the representative’s term shall equal the total amount of medical insurance premiums that will be paid for such an employee, as required by section 124.82 of the Revised Code, during that term. The representative shall pay the difference between the amount so fixed and the total premium required by the contract of the state with the carrier.

Effective Date: 03-09-1999

(A) The house reimbursement fund is hereby created in the state treasury. The fund shall consist of refunds from the department of administrative services of overpayments of medical insurance premiums accumulated under division (C) of section 101.271 of the Revised Code; amounts received by the office of the chief administrative officer of the house of representatives for salvage and recycling of equipment, materials, and supplies; and payments from members and employees for incidental use of house equipment or facilities. The fund shall be used to pay operating expenses of the house of representatives.

(B) The senate reimbursement fund is hereby created in the state treasury. The fund shall consist of refunds from the department of administrative services of overpayments of medical insurance premiums accumulated under division (B) of section 101.271 of the Revised Code; amounts received by the senate clerk’s office for salvage and recycling of equipment, materials, and supplies; and payments from members and employees for incidental use of senate equipment or facilities. The fund shall be used to pay operating expenses of the senate.

Effective Date: 03-09-1999

Joint conventions of the two houses of the general assembly shall be held in the hall of the house of representatives, unless otherwise ordered by joint resolution. During a joint convention, each house shall be deemed in session as a separate branch of the general assembly. Except in voting in elections where each member is entitled to a separate vote, each house shall act separately and no question shall be carried otherwise than by concurrent action of both houses. Either house, by vote of a majority of its members, may dissolve such convention by an order withdrawing therefrom. A joint convention, by the concurrent vote of the two houses, may recess or adjourn to a time certain; such recess or adjournment of the convention shall not be an adjournment or recess of either house, or prevent such house from proceeding with its business during such recess or adjournment.

Effective Date: 10-01-1953

The senate and the house of representatives shall choose their own officials and employees, respectively, and fix their compensation. The clerk of the senate, the chief administrative officer and the clerk of the house of representatives, and the principal sergeants at arms designated by the respective houses shall receive a travel allowance per mile each way twice a month from and to their place of residence, if outside Franklin County, by the most direct highway route of public travel, to be paid monthly, at the same mileage rate allowed for the reimbursement of travel expenses of state agents as provided by rule of the director of budget and management adopted pursuant to division (B) of section 126.31 of the Revised Code.

The sentence of this section requiring payment for mileage does not include the assistant sergeants at arms designated by the senate and house of representatives.

Effective Date: 03-09-1999

(A) As used in this section:

(1) “Legislative document” includes, but is not limited to, all of the following:

(a) A working paper, work product, correspondence, preliminary draft, note, proposed bill or resolution, proposed amendment to a bill or resolution, analysis, opinion, memorandum, or other document in whatever form or format prepared by legislative staff for a member of the general assembly or for general assembly staff;

(b) Any document or material in whatever form or format provided by a member of the general assembly or general assembly staff to legislative staff that requests, or that provides information or materials to assist in, the preparation of any of the items described in division (A)(1)(a) of this section;

(c) Any summary of a bill or resolution or of an amendment to a bill or resolution in whatever form or format that is prepared by or in the possession of a member of the general assembly or general assembly staff, if the summary is prepared before the bill, resolution, or amendment is filed for introduction or presented at a committee hearing or floor session, as applicable.

(2) “Legislative staff” means the staff of the legislative service commission, legislative budget office of the legislative service commission, or any other legislative agency included in the legislative service commission budget group.

(3) “General assembly staff” means an officer or employee of either house of the general assembly who acts on behalf of a member of the general assembly or on behalf of a committee or either house of the general assembly.

(B) Legislative staff shall maintain a confidential relationship with each member of the general assembly, and with each member of the general assembly staff, with respect to communications between the member of the general assembly or general assembly staff and legislative staff. Except as otherwise provided in this division and division (C) of this section, a legislative document arising out of this confidential relationship is not a public record for purposes of section 149.43 of the Revised Code. When it is in the public interest and with the consent of the commission, the director of the commission may release to the public any legislative document in the possession of the commission staff arising out of a confidential relationship with a former member of the general assembly or former member of the general assembly staff who is not available to make the legislative document a public record as provided in division (C) of this section because of death or disability, whom the director is unable to contact for that purpose, or who fails to respond to the director after the director has made a reasonable number of attempts to make such contact.

(C)(1) A legislative document is a public record for purposes of section 149.43 of the Revised Code if it is an analysis, synopsis, fiscal note, or local impact statement prepared by legislative staff that is required to be prepared by law, or by a rule of either house of the general assembly, for the benefit of the members of either or both of those houses or any legislative committee and if it has been presented to those members.

(2) A legislative document is a public record for purposes of section 149.43 of the Revised Code if a member of the general assembly for whom legislative staff prepared the legislative document does any of the following:

(a) Files it for introduction with the clerk of the senate or the clerk of the house of representatives, if it is a bill or resolution;

(b) Presents it at a committee hearing or floor session, if it is an amendment to a bill or resolution or is a substitute bill or resolution;

(c) Releases it, or authorizes general assembly staff or legislative staff to release it, to the public.

Effective Date: 09-29-1999

(A) As used in this section, “caucus” means all of the members of the house of representatives, or all of the members of the senate, who are members of the same political party.

(B) Notwithstanding any contrary provision of section 2317.021 of the Revised Code, the members of the general assembly who are members of a caucus, and the officers and employees of the general assembly who either serve that caucus or serve the members of the general assembly who are members of that caucus, are clients, for purposes of the attorney-client testimonial privilege specified in division (A) of section 2317.02 of the Revised Code and for purposes of any other statutory or common law attorney-client privilege recognized in this state, of the employee of the house of representatives or senate who serves as the legal counsel for that caucus.

Effective Date: 09-29-1999

The clerk of the senate, the chief administrative officer and the clerk of the house of representatives, and the sergeant at arms of each house shall be present and assist in the organization of the next succeeding general assembly.

Effective Date: 03-09-1999

(A) As used in this section, “capitol square” has the same meaning as in section 105.41 of the Revised Code.

(B)(1) The speaker of the house of representatives shall appoint a sergeant at arms for the house of representatives.

(2) The speaker of the house of representatives shall adopt a policy specifying the minimum continuing training required for a person to maintain employment as house sergeant at arms or an assistant house sergeant at arms. The continuing training for the house sergeant at arms if the house sergeant at arms has arrest authority pursuant to division (E)(1) of this section and for all assistant sergeants at arms shall include firearms requalification under section 109.801 of the Revised Code.

(C)(1) The house sergeant at arms may appoint assistant house sergeants at arms to assist the house sergeant at arms in performing the duties described in divisions (D) and (E) of this section. The house sergeant at arms shall not appoint a person to be an assistant house sergeant at arms unless one of the following applies:

(a) The person previously has been awarded a certificate by the executive director of the Ohio peace officer training commission attesting to the person’s satisfactory completion of an approved state, county, municipal, or department of natural resources peace officer basic training program, the person previously has been employed as a peace officer, the prior employment of the person as a peace officer contains no breaks in service of more than one year, and the person has successfully completed a firearms requalification program under section 109.801 of the Revised Code.

(b) The person previously has been awarded a certificate by the executive director of the Ohio peace officer training commission attesting to the person’s satisfactory completion of an approved state, county, municipal, or department of natural resources peace officer basic training program, the person previously has been employed as a peace officer, the prior employment of the person as a peace officer contains a break in service of one year or more and not more than four years, the person has received all updated training required by the house sergeant at arms, and the person has successfully completed a firearms requalification program under section 109.801 of the Revised Code.

(c) The person previously has been employed as a trooper of the state highway patrol, within one year prior to employment as an assistant house sergeant at arms the person had arrest authority as a trooper of the state highway patrol, and the person has successfully completed a firearms requalification program under section 109.801 of the Revised Code.

(d) The person previously has been employed as a trooper of the state highway patrol, the prior employment as a trooper of the state highway patrol contains a break in service of one year or more and not more than four years, the person has received all updated training required by the house sergeant at arms, and the person has successfully completed a firearms requalification program under section 109.801 of the Revised Code.

(2) In order to maintain employment as the house sergeant at arms or an assistant house sergeant at arms, the sergeant at arms or assistant sergeant at arms shall successfully complete all continuing training programs required by the speaker of the house of representatives under division (B)(2) of this section. If the house sergeant at arms or an assistant house sergeant at arms has a peace officer basic training certificate, or comparable certification issued by another law enforcement agency, the house sergeant at arms or the assistant house sergeant at arms also may complete whatever additional training is needed to maintain that certification. The Ohio peace officer training academy, a state, county, municipal, or department of natural resources training program, or any other program offering continuing training of that nature shall admit the house sergeant at arms or assistant house sergeant at arms to the continuing training program necessary for that sergeant at arms or assistant sergeant at arms to retain that certification.

(3) Any person who has been appointed as the sergeant at arms pursuant to division (B) of this section or as an assistant sergeant at arms pursuant to division (C) of this section on or after the first day of March 2000, and who has received a certificate of completion of basic training programs pursuant to division (D) of section 109.75 of the Revised Code shall be considered a peace officer during the term of the person’s appointment as the sergeant at arms or as an assistant sergeant at arms for the purposes of maintaining a current and valid basic training certificate pursuant to rules adopted under section 109.74 of the Revised Code.

(D)(1) The house sergeant at arms shall do all of the following:

(a) Maintain good order in the corridors, committee rooms, and offices of the house of representatives in the Vern Riffe center, the hall and gallery of the house of representatives, and those areas of the Vern Riffe center under the exclusive use and control of the house of representatives. This section shall not affect or abridge the authority or responsibility of the state highway patrol.

(b) Strictly enforce the rules of the house of representatives regulating admission of persons to the floor of the house of representatives;

(c) Serve all subpoenas and warrants issued by the house of representatives or any duly authorized officer or committee of the house of representatives;

(d) On order for a call of the house of representatives, arrest or cause to be arrested members of the house of representatives and bring the members into the house of representatives;

(e) Execute or cause to be executed a warrant for the arrest of a person failing to appear or produce a paper or record pursuant to house of representatives subpoena or order pursuant to section 101.43 of the Revised Code and convey the person to the house of representatives. If the house sergeant at arms does not have arrest authority pursuant to division (E)(1) of this section, the house sergeant at arms shall cause the warrant to be executed and the person to be conveyed to the house of representatives.

(f) At the direction of the speaker of the house of representatives, provide security for members of the house of representatives, house of representatives and other legislative employees, and other persons.

(2) While providing security pursuant to division (D)(1)(f) of this section, assistant house sergeants at arms, and the house sergeant at arms if the house sergeant at arms has arrest authority pursuant to division (E)(1) of this section, shall have the same arrest powers as other peace officers to apprehend criminal offenders who endanger or threaten the security of any person being protected, no matter where the arrest occurs. The jurisdiction of an assistant house sergeant at arms and the house sergeant at arms if the house sergeant at arms has arrest authority pursuant to division (E)(1) of this section shall be concurrent with that of peace officers of the county, township, or municipal corporation in which the violation occurs and with the state highway patrol.

(E)(1) The house sergeant at arms has the authority specified under section 2935.03 of the Revised Code for peace officers to enforce all state laws, municipal ordinances, and township resolutions and to make arrests for any violation of those laws, ordinances, and resolutions in all areas identified in division (D)(1)(a) of this section as areas in which the house sergeant at arms is to maintain good order, and while providing security pursuant to division (D)(1)(f) of this section if any of the following apply:

(a) The house sergeant at arms previously has been awarded a certificate by the executive director of the Ohio peace officer training commission attesting to the house sergeant at arms’s satisfactory completion of an approved state, county, municipal, or department of natural resources peace officer basic training program, the house sergeant at arms previously has been employed as a peace officer, the prior employment of the house sergeant at arms as a peace officer contains no breaks in service that would require the house sergeant at arms to receive updated training by the Ohio peace officer training academy, and the house sergeant at arms has successfully completed a firearms requalification program under section 109.801 of the Revised Code.

(b) The house sergeant at arms previously has been awarded a certificate by the executive director of the Ohio peace officer training commission attesting to the house sergeant at arms’s satisfactory completion of an approved state, county, municipal, or department of natural resources peace officer basic training program, the house sergeant at arms previously has been employed as a peace officer, the prior employment of the house sergeant at arms as a peace officer contains a break in service that would require the house sergeant at arms to receive updated training by the Ohio peace officer training academy, the house sergeant at arms has received that updated training, and the house sergeant at arms has successfully completed a firearms requalification program under section 109.801 of the Revised Code.

(c) The house sergeant at arms previously has been employed as a trooper of the state highway patrol, within one year prior to employment as house sergeant at arms the house sergeant at arms had arrest authority as a trooper of the state highway patrol, and the house sergeant at arms has successfully completed a firearms requalification program under section 109.801 of the Revised Code.

(2) Assistant house sergeants at arms have the authority specified under section 2935.03 of the Revised Code for peace officers to enforce all state laws, municipal ordinances, and township resolutions and to make arrests for any violation of those laws, ordinances, and resolutions in all areas identified in division (D)(1)(a) of this section as areas in which the house sergeant at arms is to maintain good order, and while providing security pursuant to division (D)(1)(f) of this section.

(3) The jurisdiction of the house sergeant at arms, if the house sergeant at arms has arrest authority pursuant to division (E)(1) of this section, and of an assistant house sergeant at arms shall be concurrent with that of peace officers of the county, township, or municipal corporation in which the violation occurs and with the state highway patrol.

(4) If the house sergeant at arms has arrest authority pursuant to division (E)(1) of this section, the speaker of the house of representatives shall issue to the house sergeant at arms a commission indicating the sergeant at arms’s authority to make arrests as provided in this section. The speaker of the house of representatives, upon the recommendation of the house sergeant at arms, shall issue to each assistant house sergeant at arms a commission indicating the assistant sergeant at arms’s authority to make arrests as provided in this section. The speaker of the house of representatives shall furnish a suitable badge to the house sergeant at arms, if the house sergeant at arms has arrest authority under division (E)(1) of this section, and to each commissioned assistant house sergeant at arms as evidence of the sergeant at arm’s or assistant sergeant at arm’s authority.

Effective Date: 09-05-2001

The clerk of the senate, the chief administrative officer of the house of representatives, and the sergeant at arms of each house shall have control of their respective assistants, and each house by resolution may dismiss any of them whose services are not needed or who do not perform their duties satisfactorily.

Effective Date: 03-09-1999

During the absence or disability of the clerk of the senate, clerk of the house of representatives, or sergeant at arms of either house, the respective house of the general assembly may constitute one of the assistant clerks, clerk pro tempore, or one of the assistant sergeant at arms, sergeant at arms pro tempore, and the assistant so appointed shall have the powers to perform the duties required of the assistant’s principal.

Effective Date: 03-09-1999

(A) There is hereby created a joint legislative ethics committee to serve the general assembly. The committee shall be composed of twelve members, six each from the two major political parties, and each member shall serve on the committee during the member’s term as a member of that general assembly. Six members of the committee shall be members of the house of representatives appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives, not more than three from the same political party, and six members of the committee shall be members of the senate appointed by the president of the senate, not more than three from the same political party. A vacancy in the committee shall be filled for the unexpired term in the same manner as an original appointment. The members of the committee shall be appointed within fifteen days after the first day of the first regular session of each general assembly and the committee shall meet and proceed to recommend an ethics code not later than thirty days after the first day of the first regular session of each general assembly.

In the first regular session of each general assembly, the speaker of the house of representatives shall appoint the chairperson of the committee from among the house members of the committee, and the president of the senate shall appoint the vice-chairperson of the committee from among the senate members of the committee. In the second regular session of each general assembly, the president of the senate shall appoint the chairperson of the committee from among the senate members of the committee, and the speaker of the house of representatives shall appoint the vice-chairperson of the committee from among the house members of the committee. The chairperson, vice-chairperson, and members of the committee shall serve until their respective successors are appointed or until they are no longer members of the general assembly.

The committee shall meet at the call of the chairperson or upon the written request of seven members of the committee.

(B) The joint legislative ethics committee:

(1) Shall recommend a code of ethics that is consistent with law to govern all members and employees of each house of the general assembly and all candidates for the office of member of each house;

(2) May receive and hear any complaint that alleges a breach of any privilege of either house, or misconduct of any member, employee, or candidate, or any violation of the appropriate code of ethics;

(3) May obtain information with respect to any complaint filed pursuant to this section and to that end may enforce the attendance and testimony of witnesses, and the production of books and papers;

(4) May recommend whatever sanction is appropriate with respect to a particular member, employee, or candidate as will best maintain in the minds of the public a good opinion of the conduct and character of members and employees of the general assembly;

(5) May recommend legislation to the general assembly relating to the conduct and ethics of members and employees of and candidates for the general assembly;

(6) Shall employ an executive director for the committee and may employ other staff as the committee determines necessary to assist it in exercising its powers and duties. The executive director and staff of the committee shall be known as the office of legislative inspector general. At least one member of the staff of the committee shall be an attorney at law licensed to practice law in this state. The appointment and removal of the executive director shall require the approval of at least eight members of the committee.

(7) May employ a special counsel to assist the committee in exercising its powers and duties. The appointment and removal of a special counsel shall require the approval of at least eight members of the committee.

(8) Shall act as an advisory body to the general assembly and to individual members, candidates, and employees on questions relating to ethics, possible conflicts of interest, and financial disclosure;

(9) Shall provide for the proper forms on which a statement required pursuant to section 102.02 or 102.021 of the Revised Code shall be filed and instructions as to the filing of the statement;

(10) Exercise the powers and duties prescribed under sections 101.70 to 101.79, sections 101.90 to 101.98, Chapter 102., and sections 121.60 to 121.69 of the Revised Code;

(11) Adopt, in accordance with section 111.15 of the Revised Code, any rules that are necessary to implement and clarify Chapter 102. and sections 2921.42 and 2921.43 of the Revised Code.

(C) There is hereby created in the state treasury the joint legislative ethics committee fund. All money collected from registration fees and late filing fees prescribed under sections 101.72, 101.92, and 121.62 of the Revised Code shall be deposited into the state treasury to the credit of the fund. Money credited to the fund and any interest and earnings from the fund shall be used solely for the operation of the joint legislative ethics committee and the office of legislative inspector general and for the purchase of data storage and computerization facilities for the statements filed with the committee under sections 101.73, 101.74, 101.93, 101.94, 121.63, and 121.64 of the Revised Code.

(D) The chairperson of the joint legislative ethics committee shall issue a written report, not later than the thirty-first day of January of each year, to the speaker and minority leader of the house of representatives and to the president and minority leader of the senate that lists the number of committee meetings and investigations the committee conducted during the immediately preceding calendar year and the number of advisory opinions it issued during the immediately preceding calendar year.

(E) Any investigative report that contains facts and findings regarding a complaint filed with the joint legislative ethics committee and that is prepared by the staff of the committee or a special counsel to the committee shall become a public record upon its acceptance by a vote of the majority of the members of the committee, except for any names of specific individuals and entities contained in the report. If the committee recommends disciplinary action or reports its findings to the appropriate prosecuting authority for proceedings in prosecution of the violations alleged in the complaint, the investigatory report regarding the complaint shall become a public record in its entirety.

(F)(1) Any file obtained by or in the possession of the former house ethics committee or former senate ethics committee shall become the property of the joint legislative ethics committee. Any such file is confidential if either of the following applies:

(a) It is confidential under section 102.06 of the Revised Code or the legislative code of ethics.

(b) If the file was obtained from the former house ethics committee or from the former senate ethics committee, it was confidential under any statute or any provision of a code of ethics that governed the file.

(2) As used in this division, “file” includes, but is not limited to, evidence, documentation, or any other tangible thing.

Effective Date: 09-26-2003; 09-15-2004; 05-18-2005; 2006 HB699 03-29-2007

There is hereby created in the general assembly the joint committee on agency rule review. The committee shall consist of five members of the house of representatives and five members of the senate. Within fifteen days after the commencement of the first regular session of each general assembly, the speaker of the house of representatives shall appoint the members of the committee from the house of representatives, and the president of the senate shall appoint the members of the committee from the senate. Not more than three of the members from each house shall be of the same political party. In the first regular session of a general assembly, the chairperson of the committee shall be appointed by the speaker of the house from among the house members of the committee, and the vice-chairperson shall be appointed by the president of the senate from among the senate members of the committee. In the second regular session of a general assembly, the chairperson shall be appointed by the president of the senate from among the senate members of the committee, and the vice-chairperson shall be appointed by the speaker of the house from among the house members of the committee. The chairperson, vice-chairperson, and members of the committee shall serve until their respective successors are appointed or until they are no longer members of the general assembly. When a vacancy occurs among the officers or members of the committee, it shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment.

Notwithstanding section 101.26 of the Revised Code, the members, when engaged in their duties as members of the committee on days when there is not a voting session of the member’s house of the general assembly, shall be paid at the per diem rate of one hundred fifty dollars, and their necessary traveling expenses, which shall be paid from the funds appropriated for the payment of expenses of legislative committees.

The committee has the same powers as other standing or select committees of the general assembly. Six members constitute a quorum, and the concurrence of six members is required for the recommendation of a concurrent resolution invalidating a proposed or effective rule, amendment, rescission, or part thereof, or for the suspension of a rule, amendment, rescission, or part thereof, under division (I) of section 119.03 or section 119.031 of the Revised Code.

When a member of the committee is absent, the president or speaker, as the case may be, may designate a substitute from the same house and political party as the absent member. The substitute shall serve on the committee in the member’s absence, and is entitled to perform the duties of a member of the committee. For serving on the committee, the substitute shall be paid the same per diem and necessary traveling expenses as the substitute would be entitled to receive if the substitute were a member of the committee.

The president or speaker shall inform the executive director of the committee of a substitution. If the executive director learns of a substitution sufficiently in advance of the meeting of the committee the substitute is to attend, the executive director shall publish notice of the substitution on the internet, make reasonable effort to inform of the substitution persons who are known to the executive director to be interested in rules that are scheduled for review at the meeting, and inform of the substitution persons who inquire of the executive director concerning the meeting.

The committee may meet during periods in which the general assembly has adjourned. At meetings of the committee, the committee may request a rule-making agency, as defined in section 119.01 of the Revised Code, to provide information relative to the agency’s implementation of its statutory authority.

A member of the committee, and the executive director and staff of the committee, are entitled in their official capacities to attend, but not in their official capacities to participate in, a public hearing conducted by a rule-making agency on a proposed rule, amendment, or rescission.

Effective Date: 09-15-1999

Effective Date: 12-02-1996

(A) There is hereby created the joint council on mental retardation and developmental disabilities. The joint council shall consist of three members of the house of representatives appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives, not more than two of whom shall be members of the same political party, three members of the senate appointed by the president of the senate, not more than two of whom shall be members of the same political party, and the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities. At least one member of the joint council appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives and at least one member appointed by the president of the senate shall be a member of the house or senate committee with primary responsibility for appropriation issues and at least one member appointed by the speaker and at least one member appointed by the president shall be a member of the house or senate committee with primary responsibility for human services issues.

Members of the joint council shall be reimbursed for their actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties, provided that reimbursement for such expenses shall not exceed limits imposed upon the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities by administrative rules regulating travel within this state. Members shall receive no other compensation.

The joint council shall organize itself within fifteen days after the commencement of each regular session of the general assembly by electing a chairperson and vice-chairperson. The joint council may meet upon the call of the chairperson, the director, or on the request of any three members.

Members of the joint council who are appointed from the general assembly shall serve until the expiration of their terms in the general assembly. Any vacancies occurring among the general assembly members of the joint council shall be filled in the manner of the original appointment.

(B) The joint council shall do all of the following:

(1) Appoint the original members of the citizen’s advisory council at any institution under the control of the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities that is created after November 15, 1981;

(2) Make final determinations in any dispute between the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities and a citizen’s advisory council concerning the appointment of members to the citizen’s advisory council, as provided for in section 5123.092 of the Revised Code;

(3) Receive reports from citizen’s advisory councils on or before the thirty-first day of January of each year, as required by section 5123.093 of the Revised Code;

(4) Receive reports as appropriate concerning extenuating circumstances at institutions under the control of the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities;

(5) Conduct reviews and make recommendations to the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities with respect to any disputes between the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities and entities that have entered into contracts with the department for the provision of protective services to individuals with mental retardation or developmental disabilities;

(6) Provide the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities with advice on legislative and fiscal issues affecting the department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, persons with mental retardation or developmental disabilities, and providers of services to persons with mental retardation or developmental disabilities and on related issues the director requests the joint council to address;

(7) On behalf of the director of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, advocate to the general assembly legislative issues about which the joint council has provided advice to the director.

(C) Reports and any correspondence received by the joint council shall be deposited with the legislative service commission, which shall retain them for not less than three years after the date of deposit.

Effective Date: 09-05-2001

(A) As used in this section, “relative” means a spouse, parent, parent-in-law, sibling, sibling-in-law, child, child-in-law, grandparent, aunt, or uncle.

(B) There is hereby created the Ohio cystic fibrosis legislative task force to study and make recommendations on issues pertaining to the care and treatment of individuals with cystic fibrosis. The task force shall study and make recommendations on the following issues:

(1) Use of prescription drug and innovative therapies under the program for medically handicapped children established under section 3701.023 of the Revised Code and the program for adults with cystic fibrosis administered by the department of health under division (G) of that section;

(2) Screening of newborn children for the presence of genetic disorders, as required under section 3701.501 of the Revised Code;

(3) Any other issues the task force considers appropriate.

(C) The task force shall consist of the following members, each with the authority to vote on matters before the task force:

(1) Three members of the senate: two appointed by the president of the senate from the majority party and one appointed by the minority leader of the senate;

(2) Three members of the house of representatives: two appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives from the majority party and one appointed by the minority leader of the house of representatives;

(3) Three members, at least two of whom have been diagnosed with cystic fibrosis or are relatives of individuals who have been diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, appointed by the president of the senate;

(4) Three members, at least two of whom have been diagnosed with cystic fibrosis or are relatives of individuals who have been diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives.

Initial members shall be appointed not later than sixty days after the effective date of this section.

(D) Each member of the task force shall serve a one-year term that ends on the same day of the same month as did the term that it succeeds. Members may be reappointed.

(E) A vacancy shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment. 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.

(F) Members of the task force shall elect a chair to serve a term of one year. A vacancy of the chair position shall be filled by election.

(G) Members of the task force shall receive no compensation, except to the extent that serving as a member is part of the individual’s regular duties of employment and except for the reimbursement of expenses that may be provided under division (H) of this section.

(H) The task force may solicit and accept grants from public and private sources. Grant funds may be used to reimburse members for expenses incurred in the performance of official task force duties and to pursue initiatives pertaining to the care and treatment of individuals with cystic fibrosis.

(I) A majority of the members of the task force constitutes a quorum for the conduct of task force meetings.

Effective Date: 05-18-2005

(A) There is hereby created the joint legislative committee on health care oversight. The committee may review or study any matter related to the provision of health care services that it considers of significance to the citizens of this state, including the availability of health care, the quality of health care, the effectiveness and efficiency of managed care systems, and the operation of the medical assistance program established under Chapter 5111. of the Revised Code or other government health programs.

The department of job and family services, department of health, department of aging, department of mental health, department of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, department of alcohol and drug addiction services, and other state agencies shall cooperate with the committee in its study and review of health care issues. On request, the departments shall provide the committee with reports and other information sufficient for the committee to fulfill its duties.

The committee may issue recommendations as it determines appropriate. The recommendations may be made to the general assembly, state agencies, private industry, or any other entity.

(B) The committee shall consist of the following members of the general assembly: the chairperson of the senate’s standing committee with primary responsibility for health legislation, the chairperson of the house of representatives’ standing committee with primary responsibility for health legislation, four members of the house of representatives appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives, and four members of the senate appointed by the president of the senate. Not more than two members appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives and not more than two members appointed by the president of the senate may be of the same political party. Except in 1995, appointments shall be made not later than fifteen days after the commencement of the first regular session of each general assembly. The chairpersons of the standing committees with primary responsibility for health legislation shall serve as co-chairpersons of the committee.

Each member of the committee shall hold office during the general assembly in which the member is appointed and until a successor has been appointed, notwithstanding the adjournment sine die of the general assembly in which the member was appointed or the expiration of the member’s term as a member of the general assembly. Any vacancies occurring among the members of the committee shall be filled in the manner of the original appointment.

The committee shall meet at least quarterly and at the call of the co-chairpersons. The co-chairpersons shall determine the time, place, and agenda for each meeting of the committee.

The committee has the same powers as other standing or select committees of the general assembly. The committee may request assistance from the legislative service commission and the legislative budget office of the legislative service commission.

Effective Date: 07-01-2000

(A) There is hereby created the joint legislative committee on medicaid technology and reform. The committee may review or study any matter that it considers relevant to the operation of the medicaid program established under Chapter 5111. of the Revised Code, with priority given to the study or review of mechanisms to enhance the program’s effectiveness through improved technology systems and program reform.

(B) The committee shall consist of five members of the house of representatives appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives and five members of the senate appointed by the president of the senate. Not more than three members appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives and not more than three members appointed by the president of the senate may be of the same political party.

Each member of the committee shall hold office during the general assembly in which the member is appointed and until a successor has been appointed, notwithstanding the adjournment sine die of the general assembly in which the member was appointed or the expiration of the member’s term as a member of the general assembly. Any vacancies occurring among the members of the committee shall be filled in the manner of the original appointment.

(C) The committee has the same powers as other standing or select committees of the general assembly. The committee may employ an executive director.

Effective Date: 06-30-2005

The chairman of a standing or select committee, or a subcommittee thereof, of the general assembly, or of either house thereof, authorized to send for persons and papers, may subpoena witnesses in any part of the state to appear before such committee or subcommittee at a time and place designated in the subpoena, to testify concerning matters of inquiry committed to the committee or subcommittee and may require the production of books, papers, and records by such witnesses.

Effective Date: 10-01-1953

If the subpoena referred to in section 101.41 of the Revised Code is issued by a joint committee or a subcommittee thereof, it may be delivered to the sergeant at arms of either house as the chairman determines; if it is issued by a committee of one house, or a subcommittee of such committee, it shall be directed to the sergeant at arms of such house; but in either case it may be directed to the sheriff of any county. The officer to whom such subpoena is directed, or his assistant or deputy, shall serve and return it to the chairman issuing it, as subpoenas issued by courts of record are served and returned. The subpoena shall be substantially in the following form:

The State of Ohio . . . . . . . . . . County, ss.:

To the sergeant at arms of the . . . . . . . . . . or the sheriff of the county of . . . . . . . . . . (as the case may be):

By authority of the (insert, general assembly, senate, or house of representatives, as the case may be) of the state of Ohio, you are hereby commanded to summon . . . . . . . ., of . . . . . . . ., to appear before the . . . . . . . . . . committee of the said . . . . . . . . ., at . . . . . . . . . . on the . . . . . . day of . . . . . . . . . ., A.D. . . . . . . . . . ., at the hours of . . . . . . . . . .; then and there to testify concerning matters of inquiry committed to such committee, and not to depart without leave of such committee. Of this writ make due return with your proceedings in this behalf indorsed thereon.

Witness my hand this . . . . . . day of . . . . . ., A.D. . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . Chairman.

Effective Date: 10-01-1953

Whoever willfully fails to appear in obedience to the subpoena provided for in sections 101.41 and 101.42 of the Revised Code, or appears and refuses to answer a question pertinent to the matter of inquiry, or declines to produce a paper or record in his possession or control, is liable to the penalties for contempt of the authority of the general assembly if the committee is a joint committee, or of the proper house of the general assembly if the committee is appointed by one house, and shall be dealt with by the general assembly, or such house, according to parliamentary rules and usages in cases of contempt. The chairman of the committee before which such person fails to appear or refuses to answer or produce a paper or record on its order shall report the facts to the proper house, and on like order issue a warrant for the arrest and conveyance of the witness before that house to answer for the contempt. The sergeant at arms or sheriff to whom such warrant is directed shall forthwith execute it. Proceedings against a witness, or his punishment by the general assembly or either house thereof, for contempt, shall not prevent or affect his indictment and punishment for the same offense in a court of competent jurisdiction.

Effective Date: 10-01-1953

Except a person who, in writing, requests permission to appear before a committee or subcommittee of the general assembly, or of either house thereof, or who, in writing, waives the rights, privileges, and immunities granted by this section, the testimony of a witness examined before a committee or subcommittee shall not be used as evidence in a criminal proceeding against such witness. This section does not exempt a witness from the penalties for perjury.

Effective Date: 01-17-1977

Sheriffs and witnesses shall be paid the same fees and mileage for services and attendance as are allowed in the court of common pleas for similar services and attendance. Such fees and mileage shall be paid from the state treasury on the certificate of the chairman of the committee or subcommittee which issued the subpoena.

Effective Date: 10-01-1953

The chairman, or a member of a committee or subcommittee of the general assembly, or of either house thereof, may administer oaths to witnesses appearing before such committee or subcommittee.

Effective Date: 10-01-1953

A complaint praying for an investigation of the official conduct of an officer liable to impeachment may be presented to the house of representatives. The person preferring such complaint may take depositions of witnesses to substantiate the complaint, and use such depositions as testimony before the house, in determining whether it will impeach such officer. Such depositions may be taken before a person authorized by law to take depositions.

Notice of the time and place of taxing such depositions shall be given in the manner required by sections 2319.15 to 2319.17 of the Revised Code; but if the officer against whom the complaint is made or is about to be made is out of the state, notice may be left at his place of residence in the state. If he has no known place of residence in the state, such notice may be published in a newspaper published in the county of the state where he last resided, for three consecutive weeks next preceding the time of taking of the depositions.

If an impeachment is preferred to the senate, and the officer impeached is convicted, the person who has caused depositions to be taken shall be allowed the legal fees accruing thereon.

Effective Date: 10-07-1977

Effective Date: 03-09-1999

As used in sections 101.51 to 101.543 of the Revised Code:

(A) “Composition” includes shape, size, paper, typeface, typeface size, line width, margins, spacing, division, binding, and other matters relating to the makeup of a document.

(B) “Document” means a bill, act, resolution, journal, pamphlet law, bulletin, index, report, form, or other document that is used in the proceedings or operations of, or that is laid before, the senate or house of representatives.

(C) “Method of printing” means a method of printing that mechanically or electronically produces or reproduces a document by completely and accurately transferring to paper or to electronic memory, the characters of which the text of the document is composed.

Effective Date: 03-09-1999

The clerk of the senate and the clerk of the house of representatives are custodians of the documents in possession of the senate or house of representatives, and are responsible for the printing of a document when its printing becomes necessary in the course of the proceedings or operations of the clerk’s respective house. The clerk shall discharge this responsibility for printing, whether for a particular document or for a particular class of documents, by printing the document internally in the clerk’s office, by contracting with a private printer outside the clerk’s office, by participating in the public printing services provided by the department of administrative services, or by requesting the director of administrative services to let a contract for the printing. In choosing among these methods of printing a document or class of documents, the clerk shall not select a method unless it reasonably appears under the circumstances that the method will enable the clerk successfully and efficiently to discharge the clerk’s responsibility for printing the document or class of documents.

Effective Date: 03-09-1999

If the clerk of the senate or the clerk of the house of representatives prints a document or class of documents internally in the clerk’s office, the clerk shall compose the document and select the method of printing to be used. Except for matters of composition and quantity prescribed by law, by rule of the senate or house of representatives, by joint rule of both houses, or by order of the senate or house of representatives, the clerk, taking into consideration means of effectively communicating the content of the document, shall determine the composition of the document, and, taking into consideration the uses to which the document foreseeably is to be put, shall determine the approximate quantity of the document to be printed.

Effective Date: 03-09-1999

If the clerk of the senate or the clerk of the house of representatives contracts with a private printer outside the clerk’s office to print a document or class of documents, the clerk shall negotiate and agree with the printer upon those terms as are necessary and proper with respect to the printing job being contracted for. The terms are to include provisions with respect to:

(A) Composition of the document, reflecting means of effectively communicating the content of the document, subject to matters of composition prescribed by law, by rule of the senate or house of representatives, by joint rule of both houses, or by order of the senate or house of representatives;

(B) Method of printing to be used;

(C) Delivery to the clerk of proof sheets, return to the printer of corrected proofs, and making of corrections;

(D) Approximate quantity to be printed, reflecting the uses to which the document foreseeably is to be put, subject to matters of quantity prescribed by law, by rule of the senate or house of representatives, by joint rule of both houses, or by order of the senate or house of representatives;

(E) Deadlines;

(F) Compensation to be paid to the printer for services rendered and materials provided, and any liquidated damages to be charged against the printer for misfeasance or nonfeasance;

(G) Term of the contract, and

(H) Other matters as are necessary and proper for efficient, timely, and successful performance of the printing job.

Effective Date: 03-09-1999

If the clerk of the senate or the clerk of the house of representatives prints a document or class of documents by participating in the public printing services provided by the department of administrative services, the clerk shall negotiate and agree with the director of administrative services with respect to the printing services the department is to provide to the clerk. Terms of participation, except as may be limited by the law governing the department’s public printing services, are the same as those to be included in a contract with a private printer. The clerk and the director shall memorialize their agreement in a memorandum.

Effective Date: 03-09-1999

Upon request of the clerk of the senate or the clerk of the house of representatives to let a contract for printing, the director of administrative services shall negotiate and enter into a contract for the printing requested by the clerk.

Effective Date: 03-09-1999

Bills shall be printed in the exact language in which they were passed, under the supervision of the clerk of the house in which they originated. The legislative service commission, by rule adopted under section 111.15 of the Revised Code, shall direct how new matter shall be indicated and old matter omitted.

Effective Date: 05-09-2000

The material used in printing or producing bills shall be held and used to print or produce pamphlet laws and the session laws. The lines of each bill shall be numbered.

Effective Date: 03-19-2003

The main operating appropriations bill shall not contain appropriations for the industrial commission or the bureau of workers’ compensation. Appropriations for these two agencies shall be enacted in separate bills.

Effective Date: 03-09-1999

The clerk of the senate and the clerk of the house of representatives shall keep a daily journal of the proceedings of the clerk’s house of the general assembly, which shall be read and corrected in the clerk’s presence. After the reading, correction, and approval of the journal, it shall be attested by the clerk and recorded. The recorded journals shall be deposited with the Ohio historical society and be the true journals. The original daily journal, as kept, corrected, approved, and attested, shall be used by the clerk to print the journals.

Effective Date: 03-09-1999

To each final journal there shall be an appendix of petitions and memorials, reports of committees, special reports, communications of officers or boards, and other papers and documents laid before either or both houses. The abstract of votes for governor and other state officers shall be printed in the appendix to the senate journal. The standing rules shall be printed in the appendix to each journal.

Effective Date: 03-09-1999

The clerk of the senate and the clerk of the house of representatives shall make an index to the journals of the senate and house of representatives, and an index to the appendix to both journals. The clerk of the senate and the clerk of the house of representatives shall print the indexes in the appendix to the final senate and house of representatives journals.

Effective Date: 03-09-1999

As used in this section, “published” means to produce an electronic record that is accessible to the public.

The daily journals of the senate and house of representatives shall be printed or published daily during each session of the general assembly . The composition used in printing or publishing the daily journals shall be retained for use in printing the final journals.

The final journals and appendixes of the senate and house of representatives shall be printed after adjournment sine die and be bound in half law binding. The respective journal of each house and its proper appendix shall compose one volume unless the clerk of the senate or clerk of the house of representatives, as the case may be, directs that they be bound in separate volumes.

Effective Date: 03-09-1999; 06-30-2006

Effective Date: 03-09-1999

Effective Date: 03-09-1999

Effective Date: 01-08-1979

Effective Date: 03-09-1999

Effective Date: 03-09-1999

Effective Date: 03-09-1999

Effective Date: 03-09-1999

Effective Date: 03-09-1999

(A) Subject to division (D) of this section, within thirty days of the convening of the first regular session of the general assembly, each agency required to submit reports or similar documents to the general assembly pursuant to section 103.43, 3301.07, 5139.33, 5501.07, 5537.17, or 5593.21 of the Revised Code shall send written notice to each member of the general assembly in order to determine whether the member desires to personally receive the reports or similar documents as they are made available by the agency. If the member desires to personally receive the reports or similar documents as they become available, the member shall send a written request to the agency within thirty days of receiving the notice.

(B) Whenever any statute or rule requires that a report, recommendation, or other similar document be submitted to the general assembly under a law not cited in division (A) of this section, to the members of the general assembly, to one house of the general assembly, or to the members of one house of the general assembly, the requirement shall be fulfilled by the submission of a copy of the report, recommendation, or document to the director of the legislative service commission, the president of the senate, the minority leader of the senate, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the minority leader of the house of representatives if both houses of the general assembly or their members are specified, or to the director of the legislative service commission, the president of the senate, and the minority leader of the senate if only the senate or its members are specified, or to the director of the legislative service commission, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the minority leader of the house of representatives if only the house of representatives or its members are specified. This division does not apply to items required to be distributed to members of the general assembly pursuant to section 103.14, 149.04, 149.07, or 149.17 of the Revised Code.

(C) Each month the legislative service commission shall provide to each member of the senate and to each member of the house of representatives a list of all reports, recommendations, and documents submitted to the officers of the general assembly under division (B) of this section. The list shall include a short and accurate description of the content, length, and form of each report, recommendation, or document submitted, as well as a statement setting forth the number printed, if applicable, and the cost of preparation. Each member may request from the legislative service commission a copy of any report, recommendation, or document on the list, and the legislative service commission shall comply with any such request.

(D) Notwithstanding any provision of the Revised Code to the contrary, whenever any statute or rule requires that an agency submit a report, recommendation, or other similar document to the general assembly or otherwise as described in division (B) of this section in a paper, book, or other hard copy format, the report, recommendation, or other document, to the extent technologically feasible, shall be submitted to the general assembly or otherwise as described in division (B) of this section through electronic means, rather than in the hard copy format, and shall be displayed by the agency on a web site it maintains.

Effective Date: 09-14-2000; 09-29-2005

All money collected by the senate clerk’s office from the sale of flags, insignia, seals, frames for resolutions, and similar items shall be deposited in the state treasury to the credit of the senate miscellaneous sales fund, which is hereby created. Money credited to the fund shall be used solely to pay costs of procuring such items. Any costs of procuring such items in excess of the money available in the fund shall be paid out of the regular appropriation to the senate.

All money collected by the office of the chief administrative officer of the house of representatives for the sale of flags, insignia, seals, frames for resolutions, and similar items shall be deposited in the state treasury to the credit of the house miscellaneous sales fund, which is hereby created. Money credited to the fund shall be used solely to pay costs of procuring such items. Any costs of procuring such items in excess of the money available in the fund shall be paid out of the regular appropriation to the house of representatives.

Effective Date: 03-09-1999

(A) Either house of the general assembly or any legislative agency may dispose of any excess or surplus supplies that it possesses by sale, lease, donation, or other transfer, including, but not limited to, sale by public auction over the internet. Nothing in this division prohibits either house of the general assembly or a legislative agency from having the director of administrative services dispose of excess or surplus supplies of that house under sections 125.12 to 125.14 of the Revised Code.

(B) Any proceeds from sales, leases, or other transfers made under division (A) of this section shall be deposited in the house reimbursement fund, the senate reimbursement fund, or a legislative agency special revenue fund identified by the director of the agency, as appropriate.

Effective Date: 09-05-2001; 11-05-2004

As used in sections 101.70 to 101.79 and 101.99 of the Revised Code:

(A) “Person” means any individual, partnership, trust, estate, business trust, association, or corporation; any labor organization or manufacturer association; any department, commission, board, publicly supported college or university, division, institution, bureau, or other instrumentality of the state; or any county, township, municipal corporation, school district, or other political subdivision of the state.

(B) “Legislation” means bills, resolutions, amendments, nominations, and any other matter pending before the general assembly, any matter pending before the controlling board, or the executive approval or veto of any bill acted upon by the general assembly.

(C) “Compensation” means a salary, gift, payment, benefit, subscription, loan, advance, reimbursement, or deposit of money or anything of value; or a contract, promise, or agreement, whether or not legally enforceable, to make compensation.

(D) “Expenditure” means any of the following that is made to, at the request of, for the benefit of, or on behalf of any member of the general assembly, any member of the controlling board, the governor, the director of a department created under section 121.02 of the Revised Code, or any member of the staff of any public officer or employee listed in this division:

(1) A payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit, reimbursement, or gift of money, real estate, or anything of value, including, but not limited to, food and beverages, entertainment, lodging, or transportation;

(2) A contract, promise, or agreement to make an expenditure, whether or not legally enforceable;

(3) The purchase, sale, or gift of services or any other thing of value.

“Expenditure” does not include a contribution, gift, or grant to a foundation or other charitable organization that is exempt from federal income taxation under subsection 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. “Expenditure” does not include the purchase, sale, or gift of services or any other thing of value that is available to the general public on the same terms as it is available to the persons listed in this division, or an offer or sale of securities to any person listed in this division that is governed by regulation D, 17 C.F.R. 2301.501 to 2301.508, adopted under the authority of the “Securities Act of 1933,” 48 Stat. 74, 15 U.S.C.A. and following, or that is governed by a comparable provision under state law.

(E) “Actively advocate” means to promote, advocate, or oppose the passage, modification, defeat, or executive approval or veto of any legislation by direct communication with any member of the general assembly, any member of the controlling board, the governor, the director of any department listed in section 121.02 of the Revised Code, or any member of the staff of any public officer or employee listed in this division. “Actively advocate” does not include the action of any person not engaged by an employer who has a direct interest in legislation if the person, acting under Section 3 of Article I, Ohio Constitution, assembles together with other persons to consult for their common good, instructs a public officer or employee who is listed in this division, or petitions that public officer or employee for the redress of grievances.

(F) “Legislative agent” means any individual, except a member of the general assembly, a member of the staff of the general assembly, the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, treasurer of state, or auditor of state, who is engaged during at least a portion of his time to actively advocate as one of his main purposes.

(G) “Employer” means any person who, directly or indirectly, engages a legislative agent.

(H) “Engage” means to make any arrangement, and “engagement” means any arrangement, whereby an individual is employed or retained for compensation to act for or on behalf of an employer to actively advocate.

(I) “Financial transaction” means a transaction or activity that is conducted or undertaken for profit and arises from the joint ownership or the ownership or part ownership in common of any real or personal property or any commercial or business enterprise of whatever form or nature between the following:

(1) A legislative agent, his employer, or a member of the immediate family of the legislative agent or his employer; and

(2) Any member of the general assembly, any member of the controlling board, the governor, the director of a department created under section 121.02 of the Revised Code, or any member of the staff of a public officer or employee listed in division (I)(2) of this section.

“Financial transaction” does not include any transaction or activity described in division (I) of this section if it is available to the general public on the same terms, or if it is an offer or sale of securities to any person listed in division (I)(2) of this section that is governed by regulation D, 17 C.F.R. 2301.501 to 2301.508, adopted under the authority of the “Securities Act of 1933,” 48 Stat. 74, 15 U.S.C.A. and following, or that is governed by a comparable provision under state law.

(J) “Staff” means any state employee whose official duties are to formulate policy and who exercises administrative or supervisory authority or who authorizes the expenditure of state funds.

Effective Date: 05-12-1994

(A) No legislative agent or employer shall knowingly fail to register as required under section 101.72 of the Revised Code.

(B) No legislative agent or employer shall knowingly fail to keep a receipt or maintain a record that section 101.73 of the Revised Code requires the person to keep or maintain.

(C) No person shall knowingly fail to file a statement that section 101.73 or 101.74 of the Revised Code requires the person to file.

(D) No person shall knowingly file a false statement that section 101.73 or 101.74 of the Revised Code requires the person to file.

Effective Date: 05-12-1994

(A) Each legislative agent and employer, within ten days following an engagement of a legislative agent, shall file with the joint legislative ethics committee an initial registration statement showing all of the following:

(1) The name, business address, and occupation of the legislative agent;

(2) The name and business address of the employer and the real party in interest on whose behalf the legislative agent is actively advocating, if it is different from the employer. For the purposes of division (A) of this section, where a trade association or other charitable or fraternal organization that is exempt from federal income taxation under subsection 501(c) of the federal Internal Revenue Code is the employer, the statement need not list the names and addresses of each member of the association or organization, so long as the association or organization itself is listed.

(3) A brief description of the type of legislation to which the engagement relates.

(B) In addition to the initial registration statement required by division (A) of this section, each legislative agent and employer shall file with the joint committee, not later than the last day of January, May, and September of each year, an updated registration statement that confirms the continuing existence of each engagement described in an initial registration statement and that lists the specific bills or resolutions on which the agent actively advocated under that engagement during the period covered by the updated statement, and with it any statement of expenditures required to be filed by section 101.73 of the Revised Code and any details of financial transactions required to be filed by section 101.74 of the Revised Code.

(C) If a legislative agent is engaged by more than one employer, the agent shall file a separate initial and updated registration statement for each engagement. If an employer engages more than one legislative agent, the employer need file only one updated registration statement under division (B) of this section, which shall contain the information required by division (B) of this section regarding all of the legislative agents engaged by the employer.

(D)(1) A change in any information required by division (A)(1), (2), or (B) of this section shall be reflected in the next updated registration statement filed under division (B) of this section.

(2) Within thirty days after the termination of an engagement, the legislative agent who was employed under the engagement shall send written notification of the termination to the joint committee.

(E) Except as otherwise provided in this division, a registration fee of twenty-five dollars shall be charged for filing an initial registration statement. All money collected from registration fees under this division and late filing fees under division (G) of this section shall be deposited into the state treasury to the credit of the joint legislative ethics committee fund created under section 101.34 of the Revised Code.

An officer or employee of a state agency who actively advocates in a fiduciary capacity as a representative of that state agency need not pay the registration fee prescribed by this division or file expenditure statements under section 101.73 of the Revised Code. As used in this division, “state agency” does not include a state institution of higher education as defined in section 3345.011 of the Revised Code.

(F) Upon registration pursuant to division (A) of this section, the legislative agent shall be issued a card by the joint committee showing that the legislative agent is registered. The registration card and the legislative agent’s registration shall be valid from the date of their issuance until the next thirty-first day of December of an even-numbered year.

(G) The executive director of the joint committee shall be responsible for reviewing each registration statement filed with the joint committee under this section and for determining whether the statement contains all of the information required by this section. If the joint committee determines that the registration statement does not contain all of the required information or that a legislative agent or employer has failed to file a registration statement, the joint committee shall send written notification by certified mail to the person who filed the registration statement regarding the deficiency in the statement or to the person who failed to file the registration statement regarding the failure. Any person so notified by the joint committee shall, not later than fifteen days after receiving the notice, file a registration statement or an amended registration statement that does contain all of the information required by this section. If any person who receives a notice under this division fails to file a registration statement or such an amended registration statement within this fifteen-day period, the joint committee shall assess a late filing fee equal to twelve dollars and fifty cents per day, up to a maximum of one hundred dollars, upon that person. The joint committee may waive the late filing fee for good cause shown.

(H) On or before the fifteenth day of March of each year, the joint committee shall, in the manner and form that it determines, publish a report containing statistical information on the registration statements filed with it under this section during the preceding year.

Effective Date: 09-26-2003; 2006 HB699 03-29-2007

(A) Each legislative agent and each employer shall file in the office of the joint legislative ethics committee, with the updated registration statement required by division (B) of section 101.72 of the Revised Code, a statement of expenditures as specified in divisions (B) and (C) of this section. A legislative agent shall file a separate statement of expenditures under this section for each employer engaging the legislative agent.

(B)(1) In addition to the information required by divisions (B)(2) and (3) of this section, a statement filed by a legislative agent shall show the total amount of expenditures made by the legislative agent during the reporting period covered by the statement.

(2) If, during a reporting period covered by a statement, an employer or any legislative agent the employer engaged made, either separately or in combination with each other, either directly or indirectly, expenditures to, at the request of, for the benefit of, or on behalf of any particular member of the general assembly, any particular member of the controlling board, the governor, the director of a department created under section 121.02 of the Revised Code, or any particular member of the staff of any of the public officers or employees listed in division (B)(2) of this section, then the employer or legislative agent shall also state all of the following:

(a) The name of the public officer or employee to whom, at whose request, for whose benefit, or on whose behalf the expenditures were made;

(b) The total amount of the expenditures made;

(c) A brief description of the expenditures made;

(d) The approximate date the expenditures were made;

(e) The specific items of legislation, if any, for which the expenditures were made and the identity of the client on whose behalf each expenditure was made.

As used in division (B)(2) of this section, “expenditures” does not include expenditures made by a legislative agent as payment for meals and other food and beverages.

(3) If, during a reporting period covered by a statement, a legislative agent made expenditures as payment for meals and other food and beverages, other than for meals and other food and beverages provided to a member of the general assembly at a meeting at which the member participated in a panel, seminar, or speaking engagement or provided to a member of the general assembly at a meeting or convention of a national 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, that, when added to the amount of previous payments made for meals and other food and beverages by that legislative agent during that same calendar year, exceeded a total of fifty dollars to, at the request of, for the benefit of, or on behalf of any particular member of the general assembly, any particular member of the controlling board, the governor, the director of a department created under section 121.02 of the Revised Code, or any particular member of the staff of any of the public officers or employees listed in division (B)(3) of this section, then the legislative agent shall also state all of the following regarding those expenditures:

(a) The name of the public officer or employee to whom, at whose request, for whose benefit, or on whose behalf the expenditures were made;

(b) The total amount of the expenditures made;

(c) A brief description of the expenditures made;

(d) The approximate date the expenditures were made;

(e) The specific items of legislation, if any, for which the expenditures were made and the identity of the client on whose behalf each expenditure was made.

(C) In addition to the information required by divisions (B)(2) and (3) of this section, a statement filed by an employer shall show the total amount of expenditures made by the employer filing the statement during the period covered by the statement. As used in this section, “expenditures” does not include the expenses of maintaining office facilities or the compensation paid to legislative agents engaged by an employer.

No employer is required to show any expenditure on a statement filed under this division if the expenditure is reported on a statement filed under division (B) of this section by a legislative agent engaged by the employer.

(D) Any statement required to be filed under this section shall be filed at the times specified in section 101.72 of the Revised Code. Each statement shall cover expenditures made during the four-calendar-month period that ended on the last day of the month immediately preceding the month in which the statement is required to be filed.

No portion of the amount of an expenditure for a dinner, party, or other function sponsored by an employer or legislative agent need be attributed to, or counted toward the amount for, a reporting period specified in division (B)(2) or (3) of this section if the sponsor has invited to the function all the members of either of the following:

(1) The general assembly;

(2) Either house of the general assembly.

However, the amount spent for such function and its date and purpose shall be reported separately on the statement required to be filed under this section and the amount spent for the function shall be added with other expenditures for the purpose of determining the total amount of expenditures reported in the statement under division (B)(1) or (C) of this section.

If it is impractical or impossible for a legislative agent or employer to determine exact dollar amounts or values of expenditures, reporting of good faith estimates, based upon reasonable accounting procedures, constitutes compliance with this section.

(E) All legislative agents and employers shall retain receipts or maintain records for all expenditures that are required to be reported pursuant to this section. These receipts or records shall be maintained for a period ending on the thirty-first day of December of the second calendar year after the year in which the expenditure was made.

(F)(1) An employer or legislative agent who is required to file an expenditure statement under division (B) or (C) of this section shall deliver a copy of the statement, or of the portion showing the expenditure, to the public officer or employee who is listed in the statement as having received the expenditure or on whose behalf it was made, at least ten days before the date on which the statement is filed.

(2) If, during a reporting period covered by an expenditure statement filed under division (B)(2) of this section, an employer or any legislative agent the employer engaged made, either separately or in combination with each other, either directly or indirectly, expenditures for transportation, lodging, or food and beverages purchased for consumption on the premises in which the food and beverages were sold to, at the request of, for the benefit of, or on behalf of any of the public officers or employees described in division (B)(2) of this section, the employer or legislative agent shall deliver to the public officer or employee a statement that contains all of the nondisputed information prescribed in division (B)(2)(a) through (e) of this section with respect to the expenditures described in division (F)(2) of this section. The statement of expenditures made under division (F)(2) of this section shall be delivered to the public officer or employee to whom, at whose request, for whose benefit, or on whose behalf those expenditures were made on the same day in which a copy of the expenditure statement or of a portion showing the expenditure is delivered to the public officer or employee under division (F)(1) of this section. An employer is not required to show any expenditure on a statement delivered under division (F)(2) of this section if the expenditure is shown on a statement delivered under division (F)(2) of this section by a legislative agent engaged by the employer.

Effective Date: 09-05-2001

(A) Any legislative agent who has had any financial transaction with or for the benefit of any member of the general assembly, any member of the controlling board, the governor, the director of a department created under section 121.02 of the Revised Code, or any member of the staff of any public officer or employee listed in this division shall describe the details of the transaction, including the name of the public officer or employee, the purpose and nature of the transaction, and the date it was made or entered into, in a statement filed with the joint legislative ethics committee with the updated registration statement required by division (B) of section 101.72 of the Revised Code. The statement shall be filed at the times specified in section 101.72 of the Revised Code. Each statement shall describe each financial transaction that occurred during the four-calendar-month period that ended on the last day of the month immediately preceding the month in which the statement is required to be filed.

(B) Except as provided in division (D) of this section, any employer who has had any financial transaction with or for the benefit of any member of the general assembly, any member of the controlling board, the governor, the director of a department created under section 121.02 of the Revised Code, or any member of the staff of any public officer or employee listed in this division shall describe the details of the transaction, including the name of the public officer or employee, the purpose and nature of the transaction, and the date it was made or entered into, in a statement filed with the joint committee with the updated registration statement required by division (B) of section 101.72 of the Revised Code. The statement shall be filed at the times specified in section 101.72 of the Revised Code. Each statement shall describe each financial transaction that occurred during the four-calendar-month period that ended on the last day of the month immediately preceding the month in which the statement is required to be filed.

(C) An employer or legislative agent who is required to file a statement describing a financial transaction under this section shall deliver a copy of the statement to the public officer or employee with whom or for whose benefit the transaction was made at least ten days before the date on which the statement is filed.

(D) No employer shall be required to file any statement under this section or to deliver a copy of the statement to a public officer or employee with whom or for whose benefit the transaction was made if the financial transaction to which the statement pertains is reported by a legislative agent engaged by the employer.

Effective Date: 05-12-1994

If a dispute arises between any member of the general assembly, any member of the controlling board, or a member of the staff of the general assembly or controlling board and an employer or legislative agent with respect to an expenditure or financial transaction alleged in any statement to be filed under section 101.73 or 101.74 of the Revised Code, the member, employer, or legislative agent may file a complaint with the joint legislative ethics committee. The committee shall proceed to investigate the complaint as provided for other complaints in section 101.34 of the Revised Code.

The complaint shall be filed at least three days prior to the time the statement is required to be filed with the joint legislative ethics committee. The time for filing a disputed expenditure or financial transaction in any statement of expenditures or the details of a financial transaction shall be extended pending the final decision of the joint committee. This extension does not extend the time for filing the nondisputed portions of an expenditure statement or of the details of