(A) On or after January 1, 1978, the state, its instrumentalities, its political subdivisions and their instrumentalities, and any subdivision thereof as defined in division (H) of this section and described in this section as public entities, and Indian tribes as defined by section 4(e) of the "Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act," 88 Stat. 2204 (1975), 25 U.S.C.A. 450b(e), shall pay to the director of job and family services for deposit in the unemployment compensation fund an amount in lieu of contributions equal to the full amount of regular benefits, and the amount of extended benefits chargeable under the terms of section 4141.301 of the Revised Code, from that fund that is attributable to service in the employ of the public entity or Indian tribe, under the same terms and conditions as required of nonprofit organizations electing reimbursing status under section 4141.241 of the Revised Code; unless the public entity or Indian tribe elects to pay contributions under section 4141.25 of the Revised Code, under the following conditions:

(1) Any public entity or Indian tribe may elect, after December 31, 1977, to become liable for contribution payments, as set forth in section 4141.25 of the Revised Code, for a period of not less than two calendar years by filing with the director a written notice of its election.

(2) The effective date of the election to pay contributions shall be the first day of the first calendar quarter after the election is approved by the director and which is at least thirty days after the election notice was received.

(B) No surety bond shall be required of any reimbursing public entity or Indian tribe, as is required of nonprofit organizations under division (C) of section 4141.241 of the Revised Code. Any public entity or Indian tribe, either reimbursing or contributory, shall, if it becomes delinquent in the payment of reimbursements, contributions, forfeiture, or interest, be subject to the same terms and the same collection procedures as are set forth for reimbursing employers under division (B) of section 4141.241 of the Revised Code; and as set forth for contributory employers under this chapter except as provided under division (D) of this section.

(C) The state of Ohio account and the accounts and subaccounts of its instrumentalities, as defined in divisions (H)(1)(a) and (b) of this section, shall be administered by the director of administrative services, in coordination with the director of job and family services in accordance with the terms and conditions of this chapter, regarding the determination and payment of benefits attributable to service with the state or its instrumentalities. In this capacity, the director of administrative services shall maintain any necessary accounts and subaccounts for the various agencies and departments of the state and, through the director of budget and management, apportion among the various state entities, and collect, the costs of unemployment benefits, as billed by the director of job and family services, except that any of the individual agencies and departments for which such accounts and subaccounts are maintained may, with the concurrence of the director of administrative services and the director of job and family services, be designated to receive billings directly from the director of job and family services and make payment in response to such billings directly to the director of job and family services. Any moneys paid directly under this division and collected by the director of administrative services shall be forwarded to the director of job and family services for deposit in the fund established by division (A) of section 4141.09 of the Revised Code, and shall be credited to the accounts of the state and its instrumentalities.

(D) The accounts of the various local subdivisions, their instrumentalities, and Indian tribes shall be administered by appropriate officials, as designated to the director of job and family services when the accounts are established.

(E) Two or more reimbursing public entities or Indian tribes may file a joint application to the director of job and family services for the establishment of a group account, for the purpose of sharing the cost of benefits attributable to service with the public entities or Indian tribes, under the conditions provided for nonprofit organizations under division (D) of section 4141.241 of the Revised Code.

(F) Two or more public entities or Indian tribes that have elected to pay contributions may apply for a common rate under division (J) of section 4141.24 of the Revised Code. Clear authority, resolution, or ordinance for combining must be presented with the application requesting the common rate status. Applications must be filed by the first day of October of any year, to be effective for the following calendar year.

(G) A public entity or Indian tribe, either reimbursing or one electing to pay contributions, shall be liable for the full amount of any regular benefits paid that are attributable to service in the employ of the public entity or Indian tribe during the base period of a benefit claim, and any extended benefits paid based on service as provided in divisions (I)(1)(b) and (1)(c) of section 4141.301 of the Revised Code. Where a public entity or Indian tribe has changed from a reimbursing status to a contributory status, during the base period of the benefit claim, then the benefit charges attributable to service with the reimbursement account shall be charged to the reimbursement account; and, the charges attributable to the contributory account shall be charged to that account. The same rule shall be applicable to situations where a contributory public entity or Indian tribe has changed to a reimbursing status during the base period of a benefit claim.

(H)

(1) For the purposes of establishing employer status and accounts for the state and its instrumentalities, its political subdivisions and their instrumentalities, a separate account shall be established and maintained for:

(a) The state, including therein the legislative and executive branches, as defined in Articles II and III of the Ohio Constitution, and the Ohio supreme court;

(b) Each separate instrumentality of the state;

(c) Each political subdivision of the state, including therein the legislative, executive, and judicial functions performed for the subdivision;

(d) Each separate instrumentality of the political subdivision;

(e) Any jointly owned instrumentality of more than one of the public entities described in this division, or any jointly owned instrumentality of any such public entities and one or more other states or political subdivisions thereof.

(2) For the purposes of this chapter, the separate accounts, established by this division, shall be described as "public entity accounts."

(I) An Indian tribe may elect to make payments in lieu of contributions as allowed with respect to governmental entities under this section. An Indian tribe may make a separate election for itself and each subdivision, subsidiary, or business enterprise wholly owned by the Indian tribe. The director shall immediately notify the United States internal revenue service and the United States department of labor if an Indian tribe fails to make payments required under this section and fails to pay any forfeitures, interest, or penalties due within ninety days of receiving a delinquency notice in accordance with rules prescribed by the director.

(J) The director of job and family services, in accordance with any rules that the director may prescribe, shall notify each public entity and Indian tribe of any determination which the director may make of its status as an employer and of the effective date of any election which it makes and of any termination of the election. Any determinations are subject to reconsideration, appeal, and review in accordance with sections 4141.26 and 4141.28 of the Revised Code.

Amended by 128th General Assemblych.179, HB 2, §101.01, eff. 7/1/2009.

Effective Date: 07-01-2000; 09-05-2005