Chapter 991 | State Expositions

Section 991.01 | State exposition definitions.

• Effective: August 5, 1981
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 1 - 114th General Assembly

As used in sections 991.01 to 991.07 of the Revised Code:

(A) "Commission" means the Ohio expositions commission.

(B) "Fair" or "exposition" means an exhibition of agricultural, business, manufacturing, or other industries and labor, education service organizations, social and religious groups, or any other events or activities consistent with the general welfare and interests of the people of the state, and includes such services as are necessary for the care and comfort or amusement of the public. Such services include rest areas, sanitary and other such comforts, and concessions for food, drink, amusements, and sale of trinkets.

(C) "Exhibition" means one or more displays or demonstrations which are of educational or entertainment value to those witnessing such exhibition.

Section 991.02 | Ohio expositions commission.

• Effective: October 17, 2019
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 166 - 133rd General Assembly

(A) There is hereby created the Ohio expositions commission, which shall consist of the following fifteen members: nine members appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate; the director of development, the director of natural resources, and the director of agriculture, or their designated representatives, who shall be ex officio members with voting rights of the commission; the dean of the college of food, agricultural, and environmental sciences of the Ohio state university as a nonvoting, ex officio member of the commission; and the chairperson of the standing committee in the house of representatives to which matters dealing with agriculture are generally referred and the chairperson of the standing committee in the senate to which matters dealing with agriculture are generally referred, who shall be nonvoting members. If the senate is not in session, recess appointments shall be made by the governor.

(B) Of the nine members of the commission appointed by the governor, not more than five shall be from one political party, at least three members shall receive the major portion of their income from farming, and at least one member shall, at the time of appointment, be a member of the board of directors of an agricultural society that was organized in compliance with section 1711.01 or 1711.02 of the Revised Code. Terms of office shall be for six years, commencing on the second day of December and ending on the first day of December. Each member shall hold office from the date of appointment until the end of the term for which the member was appointed. Any member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring prior to the expiration of the term for which the member's predecessor was appointed shall hold office for the remainder of that term. Any member shall continue in office subsequent to the expiration date of the member's term until the member's successor takes office, or until a period of sixty days has elapsed, whichever occurs first.

The term of each nonvoting, legislative member of the commission shall be for two years or until the end of the member's legislative term, whichever occurs first.

(C) The commission shall annually, during the month of December, select from among its members a chairperson, a vice-chairperson, who in the absence of the chairperson shall carry out the chairperson's duties, and a secretary, who may be a member or employee of the commission, to record the minutes of its meetings and to carry out such other duties as may be assigned by the commission, its chairperson, or its vice-chairperson.

(D) The director of agriculture, the director of natural resources, and the director of development, or their designated representatives, the dean of the college of food, agricultural, and environmental sciences of the Ohio state university, and the two legislators appointed to the commission, as members of the commission shall serve without compensation.

(E) Each of the members of the commission appointed by the governor shall be paid the rate established pursuant to division (J) of section 124.15 of the Revised Code. All members of the commission are entitled to their actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties as such members, payable from the appropriations for the commission.

(F) The commission shall hold at least one regular meeting in each quarter of each calendar year, and shall keep a record of its proceedings, which shall be open to the public for inspection. Special meetings may be called by the chairperson and shall be called by the chairperson upon receipt of a written request therefor signed by two or more members of the commission. Written notice of the time and place of each meeting shall be sent to each member of the commission. Six of the voting members of the commission shall constitute a quorum.

(G) The commission shall employ and prescribe the powers and duties of a general manager who shall serve in the unclassified civil service at a salary fixed pursuant to section 124.14 of the Revised Code. The general manager may employ such assistant managers as the general manager and the commission may approve. At no time shall such assistant managers exceed four in number, one of whom shall be appointed in the classified civil service. The general manager may, subject to the approval of the commission, employ a fiscal officer and such other officers, employees, and consultants with such powers and duties as are necessary to carry out this chapter. With the approval of the commission and in order to implement this chapter, the general manager may employ and fix the compensation of seasonal employees; these employees shall be in the unclassified civil service, and the overtime pay requirements of section 124.18 of the Revised Code do not apply to them. The general manager shall be considered the appointing authority of the commission for purposes of Chapter 124. of the Revised Code.

(H) The governor may remove any appointed voting member of the commission at any time for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.

Section 991.03 | Powers and duties of Ohio expositions commission.

• Effective: September 29, 2015
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 64 - 131st General Assembly

(A) The Ohio expositions commission shall:

(1) Conduct at least one fair or exposition annually;

(2) Maintain and manage property held by the state for the purpose of conducting fairs, expositions, and exhibits;

(3) As provided in section 109.122 of the Revised Code, provide notice of or copies of any proposed entertainment or sponsorship contracts to the attorney general.

(B) The commission may:

(1) Conduct such additional fairs, expositions, or exhibitions as the commission determines are in the general public interest;

(2) Accept on behalf of the state conveyances of property for the purposes of conducting fairs, expositions, and exhibits, subject to any terms and conditions agreed to by the commission and approved by the controlling board;

(3) Accept gifts, devises, and bequests of money, lands, and other property and apply the money, lands, or other property according to the terms of the gift, devise, or bequest. A political subdivision as authorized by law may make gifts and devises to the commission, and the commission shall apply such a gift or devise according to the terms of the gift or devise. All gifts and bequests of money accepted under this division shall be deposited into the state treasury to the credit of the Ohio expositions support fund.

(4) Enter into contracts that the commission considers necessary or worthwhile in the conduct of its purposes, provided that contracts made for a term exceeding two years, other than those described in division (B)(4) of this section, shall be subject to the approval of the controlling board and provided that the attorney general, pursuant to the attorney general's authority under section 109.122 of the Revised Code, has not disapproved the proposed contract;

(5) Enter into contracts for the mutual exchange of goods or services;

(6) Sell or convey all or a portion of the property, land, or buildings under its management subject to the approval of the legislature;

(7) Grant leases on all or any part of the property, land, or buildings under the management of the commission to private or public organizations, which appear to be in the best interests of the state, with the approval of the controlling board and director of administrative services, subject to the following conditions:

(a) The lessees shall make or construct improvements on such lands or buildings at no cost to the commission or to the state, subject to prior approval by the director of administrative services of detailed plans and specifications of such improvements.

(b) No person, firm, or corporation shall cause a lien to be filed against any funds or property of the state or of the commission as a result of a lessee's activities pursuant to division (B)(7)(a) of this section.

(c) Leases shall be entered into subject to the sale of such property, lands, or buildings during the term of the lease.

(d) No leases shall be made which interfere with a fair, exposition, or exhibition on such lands.

(8) Encumber appropriations for the entire amount of a contract at the time the contract is made, even though the contract will not be performed in the fiscal year for which the appropriations were made.

(9) Implement a credit card payment program permitting payment by means of a credit card of any fees, charges, and rentals associated with conducting fairs, expositions, and exhibits. The commission may open an account outside the state treasury in a financial institution for the purpose of depositing credit card receipts. By the end of the business day following the deposit of the receipts, the financial institution shall make available to the commission funds in the amount of the receipts. The commission shall then pay these funds into the state treasury to the credit of the Ohio expositions fund.

The commission shall adopt rules as necessary to carry out the purposes of division (B)(9) of this section. The rules shall include standards for determining eligible financial institutions and the manner in which funds shall be made available and shall be consistent with the standards contained in sections 135.03, 135.18, 135.181, and 135.182 of the Revised Code.

The commission shall not adopt or enforce any rules which will prohibit livestock exhibited at the Ohio state fair from participating in county and independent fairs in the state.

Section 991.04 | Ohio expositions fund.

• Effective: September 29, 2013
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 59 - 130th General Assembly

There is hereby established in the state treasury the Ohio expositions fund. Except for gifts and bequests of money accepted under division (B)(3) of section 991.03 of the Revised Code, all moneys collected by the Ohio expositions commission pursuant to sections 991.01 to 991.07 of the Revised Code and any income generated from the investment of those moneys shall be paid into the fund and may be used to defray the costs of administration and carrying out the purposes of sections 991.01 to 991.07 of the Revised Code.

With the approval of the director of budget and management, provisions may be made for a cash fund to be established on the state fairgrounds during the period of activities related to the holding of the annual state fair. The purpose of such fund is to provide for payment of premiums and entertainers and for immediate payment of small amounts for obligations, including ticket refunds, of such nature as to require immediate payment.

The expositions commission shall cause to be kept an accurate record of all transactions, contracts, and proceedings. The director of budget and management shall prescribe a system of accounting and reporting. Such system shall include methods and forms showing the sources from which all revenues of the expositions commission are received, the amount collected from each source, and the amount expended for each purpose.

Section 991.041 | Ohio expositions support fund.

• Effective: September 29, 2013
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 59 - 130th General Assembly

There is in the state treasury the Ohio expositions support fund. All gifts and bequests of money accepted under division (B)(3) of section 991.03 of the Revised Code shall be deposited into the state treasury to the credit of the fund. Investment earnings of the fund shall be deposited into the fund. The Ohio expositions commission may use the fund, consistent with the terms of the gift or bequest, to defray the cost of administration and of carrying out the purposes of sections 991.01 to 991.07 of the Revised Code.

Section 991.05 | Rules for payment of premiums to exhibitors.

• Effective: July 1, 1985
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 201 - 116th General Assembly

The Ohio expositions commission may make such rules for the payment of premiums to exhibitors as it considers in the best interests of the state and consistent with the purposes of sections 991.01 to 991.07 of the Revised Code. Premiums shall be paid out of the Ohio expositions fund or out of any other revenues available to the commission and shall be considered a part of the costs of holding fairs, expositions, or exhibitions. Junior fair premiums shall be paid out of the Ohio expositions fund.

Section 991.06 | Filing financial statement.

• Effective: September 29, 2013
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 59 - 130th General Assembly

Annually on or before the thirtieth day of September the Ohio expositions commission, through its general manager, shall prepare and file with the auditor of state a statement showing the total amount received from each source of revenue, the total amount disbursed for each class of expenditures, and the aggregate of all receipts and expenditures of the commission. This statement shall also include a summary of each contract for the mutual exchange of goods or services entered into by the commission under section 991.03 of the Revised Code. Upon receipt of such statement, the auditor of state shall have it verified and make a report of the auditor of state's findings thereon to the governor.

Assistant auditors of state shall conduct an audit of activities of the annual Ohio state fair on the Ohio exposition center during the period when the fair is in progress.

The cost of such audit shall be included in the annual expenses of the Ohio expositions commission.

Section 991.07 | Acquiring real property.

• Effective: October 26, 1999
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 19 - 123rd General Assembly

The Ohio expositions commission may, with the consent and approval of the department of administrative services and the controlling board, acquire by purchase or by appropriation proceedings in the name of and on behalf of the state such real estate as it deems necessary for the purpose of enlarging the present fair site and increasing the facilities of the lands under the management or maintenance of the commission. The authority to appropriate property shall be exercised in the manner provided in sections 163.01 to 163.22 of the Revised Code.

Any instrument by which real property is acquired pursuant to this section shall identify the agency of the state that has the use and benefit of the real property as specified in section 5301.012 of the Revised Code.