(A) In accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, the administrator of the bureau of workers' compensation may deny registration or revoke the registration of a professional employer organization and rescind its status as a coemployer upon a finding that the professional employer organization has done any of the following:

(1) Obtained or attempted to obtain registration through misrepresentation, misstatement of a material fact, or fraud;

(2) Misappropriated any funds of the client employer;

(3) Used fraudulent or coercive practices to obtain or retain business or demonstrated financial irresponsibility;

(4) Failed to appear, without reasonable cause or excuse, in response to a subpoena lawfully issued by the administrator;

(5) Failed to comply with the requirements of this chapter.

(B) The administrator's decision to deny or revoke a professional employer organization's registration or to rescind its status as a coemployer is stayed pending the exhaustion of all administrative appeals by the professional employer organization.

The administrator shall adopt rules that require that when an employer contacts the bureau of workers' compensation to determine whether a particular professional employer organization is registered, if the administrator has denied or revoked that professional employer organization's registration or rescinded its status as a coemployer, and if all administrative appeals are not yet exhausted when the employer inquires, the appropriate bureau personnel shall inform the inquiring employer of the denial, revocation, or rescission and the fact that the professional employer organization has the right to appeal the administrator's decision.

(C) Upon revocation of the registration of a professional employer organization, each client employer associated with that professional employer organization shall file payroll reports and pay workers' compensation premiums directly to the administrator on its own behalf at a rate determined by the administrator based solely on the claims experience of the client employer.

(D) Upon revocation of a professional employer organization's registration, each client employer associated with that professional employer organization shall file on its own behalf the appropriate documents or data with all state and federal agencies as required by law with respect to any shared employee the client employer and the professional employer organization shared.

Effective Date: 11-05-2004 .