COLUMBUS (January 2, 2007) - Governor Bob Taft today signed the following bills, which will be filed with the Secretary of State's office.

Substitute House Bill 73, sponsored by state Representative James Peter Trakas (R-Independence), increases the amount of time an individual may spend in Ohio before being presumed to be a resident for income tax purposes and to exempt from taxation military pay and allowances. The bill goes into effect 90 days after it is signed by the Governor and filed with the Secretary of State.

Substitute House Bill 149, sponsored by state Representative Chuck Calvert (R-Medina), authorizes refundable tax credits for rehabilitating historic buildings and to exempt from the sales and use taxes property used to clean manufacturing equipment that produces dairy products. The bill goes into effect 90 days after it is signed by the Governor and filed with the Secretary of State.

Amended Substitute Senate Bill 171, sponsored by state Senator Kevin Coughlin (R-Cuyahoga Falls), creates the Carroll County Municipal Court and abolishes the Carroll County County Court on January 1, 2007, to provide one full-time judge for the Carroll County Municipal Court to be elected in 2009, to create the Erie County Municipal court on January 1, 2008, to establish one full-time judgeship in that court, to abolish the Erie County Court on that date, to provide for the election for the Erie County Municipal Court of one full-time judge in 2007, to add one additional judge to the Twelfth District Court of Appeals to be elected at the 2008 general election, to abolish the Cuyahoga Falls Municipal Court and to create the Stow Municipal Court as its replacement effective January 1, 2009, to clarify that the former township of Northampton is no longer within the jurisdiction of the Akron Municipal Court, to amend the versions of sections 1901.01, 1901.02, 1901.03, 1901.08, 1901.31, 1901.34, and 1907.11 of the Revised Code that are scheduled to take effect January 18, 2007, to continue the provisions of this act on and after that effective date, and to declare an emergency.
The bill contains an emergency clause and goes into immediate effect upon signature of the Governor and filing with the Secretary of State.

Substitute House Bill 259, sponsored by state Representative Jeff Wagner (R-Sycamore), prohibits a person, with intent to harass, annoy, threaten, or alarm a law enforcement officer, from causing or attempting to cause the law enforcement officer to come into contact with a bodily substance, to prohibit any person from engaging in the same action with respect to any person when the person is a knowing carrier of certain viruses or bacteria, and to prohibit the impersonation of a federal law enforcement officer. The bill goes into effect 90 days after it is signed by the Governor and filed with the Secretary of State.

Substitute Senate Bill 305, sponsored by state Senator Steve Stivers (R-Columbus), modifies requirements applied to differing types of hotels, to require the State Fire Code to include a provision directing the Fire Marshal to issue permits for temporary membrane structures, tents, and canopies located on state property or used for an event sponsored by a state agency, unless the Fire Marshal directs that the permit be obtained from a local fire code official, to clarify the authority of local governing officials concerning sewerage systems, and to allow certain medical facilities to use delayed-egress doors and electronic doors. The bill goes into effect 90 days after it is signed by the Governor and filed with the Secretary of State.

Amended Substitute House Bill 461, sponsored by state Representative Larry Wolpert (R-Hilliard), increases the prison term for aggravated vehicular homicide when the offender has at least three prior convictions of OVI, OVUAC, or the OVI-type offense related to vessels or aircraft. The bill goes into effect 90 days after it is signed by the Governor and filed with the Secretary of State.

Substitute House Bill 546, sponsored by state Representative Matthew J. Dolan (R-Novelty), authorizes the State Racing Commission to enter into the National Racing Compact in order to provide for the licensure and regulation of individuals involved in the horse racing industry in the Compact states in a specified manner, to change the definition of "Ohio foaled horse," to specify that a thoroughbred mare may leave Ohio for breeding purposes with the Commission's permission and if the mare returns immediately after that activity, to require that all investment earnings on cash balances in the Ohio Thoroughbred Race Fund be credited to the Fund, and to make changes relating to allocations from the Ohio Standardbred Development Fund for harness races. The bill goes into effect 90 days after it is signed by the Governor and filed with the Secretary of State.

Substitute House Bill 551, sponsored by state Representative Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green), prohibits a person from making a false report that results in the implementation of the statewide emergency alert program or a local or regional emergency alert program and to revise the formula to be used by the Auditor of State in determining the amount of the adjustment to be made in the dollar figure specified by statute for a recovery by a wrongfully imprisoned individual. The bill goes into effect 90 days after it is signed by the Governor and filed with the Secretary of State.

Amended Substitute House Bill 690, sponsored by state Representative Bill Seitz (R-Cincinnati), increases the minimum wage in the state of Ohio from $5.15 per hour to $6.85 per hour. The bill goes into effect 90 days after it is signed by the Governor and filed with the Secretary of State.

Amended Substitute House Bill 694, sponsored by state Representative Kevin DeWine (R-Fairborn), limits solicitations of and political contributions by owners and certain family members of owners of businesses that are seeking or that have been awarded public contracts, to require the Attorney General to develop and provide to each executive agency model contracts that the agency is required to use in any contract the agency enters into, and to make other changes to the Campaign Finance Law. The bill goes into effect 90 days after it is signed by the Governor and filed with the Secretary of State.

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Contact: Mark Rickel, Press Secretary, at (614) 644-0957.

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