(A) If a bill or resolution introduced in the general assembly appears to affect the revenues or expenditures of the courts of Ohio, to increase or decrease the workload or caseload of judges or members of their staffs, or to affect case disposition, the Ohio judicial conference may prepare a judicial impact statement of the bill or resolution on its own initiative or at the request of any member of the general assembly. The Ohio judicial conference may prepare a judicial impact statement before the bill or resolution is recommended for passage by the house of representatives or senate committee of the general assembly to which the bill was referred and again before the bill or resolution is taken up for final consideration by either house of the general assembly. The judicial impact statement shall include an estimate, in dollars, of the amount by which the bill or resolution would increase or decrease revenues or expenditures and any other information the Ohio judicial conference considers necessary to explain the fiscal effect of the bill or resolution. The statement also shall include an analysis of the bill or resolution's administrative and procedural effects on the courts of this state.

(B) The Ohio judicial conference shall distribute copies of a judicial impact statement as follows:

(1) For consideration by the senate or house of representatives rules committee, or the standing committee to which a bill is referred, two copies to the chairman together with a copy to each member of the committee;

(2) For final consideration, a copy to each member of the house that is considering the bill.

If the member who introduced the bill or resolution or who requested the statement is not a member of the house or rules committee considering the bill, the Ohio judicial conference shall send the member a copy.

(C) In preparing a judicial impact statement the Ohio judicial conference may request any court, department, division, institution, board, commission, authority, bureau, or other instrumentality or officer of the state or of a county, municipal corporation, township, school district, or other governmental entity of the state to provide any of the following information:

(1) An estimate, in dollars, of the amount by which the bill or resolution would increase or decrease the revenues or expenditures received or made by the court, instrumentality, officer, or entity;

(2) Any other information the Ohio judicial conference considers necessary for it to understand or explain the fiscal, administrative, and procedural effects of the bill or resolution.

The Ohio judicial conference first shall contact the Ohio legislative budget office for information regarding the fiscal effects of the bill or resolution. If the Ohio legislative budget office does not have the fiscal information sought by the Ohio judicial conference, then the Ohio judicial conference and the Ohio legislative budget office jointly may request any of the entities described in division (C) of this section to provide the fiscal information.

A court, instrumentality, officer, or entity shall comply with a request for information as soon as reasonably possible after receiving it. The Ohio judicial conference shall specify the manner of compliance in its request and, if necessary, may specify a period of no longer than five days for compliance. The Ohio judicial conference may consider any information provided under division (C) of this section in preparing a judicial impact statement.

(D) The failure of the Ohio judicial conference to prepare a judicial impact statement before a bill or resolution is taken up for consideration by the house of representatives or senate committee, or by either or both houses for final consideration, shall not impair the validity of any bill or resolution passed by either or both houses of the general assembly.

(E) This section does not affect the duty of the Ohio legislative budget office to prepare fiscal analyses pursuant to section 103.14 of the Revised Code.

(F) As used in this section:

(1) With regard to a bill or resolution, "procedural effects" includes all court-related procedures, including pretrial, trial, and post-trial proceedings.

(2) With regard to a bill or resolution, "administrative effects" includes matters pertaining to the business of the courts, including clerical processes, records management, planning and research, changes in court personnel, calendar management, facilities and equipment, workload distribution, court reorganization, and the creation or addition of judgeships.

Effective Date: 10-06-1994.

Related Legislative Provision: See 129th General AssemblyFile No.39, SB 171, §4 .