Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Ohio:
SECTION 1. That sections 307.627, 2151.421, 2151.422, 2151.99, 2317.56, 2919.171, 2919.19, 2919.191, 2919.192, 2919.193, 3701.701, 4731.22, 5153.16, 5153.175, and 5153.176 be amended; sections 2919.191 (2919.192), 2919.192 (2919.194), and 2919.193 (2919.198) be amended for the purpose of adopting new section numbers as indicated in parentheses; and new sections 2919.191 and 2919.193 and sections 2919.195, 2919.196, 2919.197, 2919.199, 2919.1910, and 2919.1911 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:
Sec. 307.627. (A)(1) Notwithstanding section 3701.243 and any other section of the Revised Code pertaining to confidentiality, any individual; public children services agency, private child placing agency, or agency that provides services specifically to individuals or families; law enforcement agency; or other public or private entity that provided services to a child whose death is being reviewed by a child fatality review board, on the request of the review board, shall submit to the review board a summary sheet of information.
(a) With respect to a request made to a health care entity, the summary sheet shall contain only information available and reasonably drawn from the child's medical record created by the health care entity.
(b) With respect to a request made to any other individual or entity, the summary shall contain only information available and reasonably drawn from any record involving the child that the individual or entity develops in the normal course of business.
(c) On the request of the review board, an individual or entity may, at the individual or entity's discretion, make any additional information, documents, or reports available to the review board.
(2) Notwithstanding section 3701.243 and any other section of the Revised Code pertaining to confidentiality, in the case of a child one year of age or younger whose death is being reviewed by a child fatality review board, on the request of the review board, a health care entity that provided services to the child's mother shall submit to the review board a summary sheet of information available and reasonably drawn from the mother's medical record created by the health care entity. Before submitting the summary sheet, the health care entity shall attempt to obtain the mother's consent to do so, but lack of consent shall not preclude the entity from submitting the summary sheet.
(3) For purposes of the review, the review board shall have access to confidential information provided to the review board under this section or division (H)
(I)(4) of section 2151.421 of the Revised Code, and each member of the review board shall preserve the confidentiality of that information.
(B) Notwithstanding division (A) of this section, no person, entity, law enforcement agency, or prosecuting attorney shall provide any information regarding the death of a child to a child fatality review board while an investigation of the death or prosecution of a person for causing the death is pending unless the prosecuting attorney has agreed pursuant to section 307.625 of the Revised Code to allow review of the death.
Sec. 2151.421. (A)(1)(a) No person described in division (A)(1)(b) of this section who is acting in an official or professional capacity and knows, or has reasonable cause to suspect based on facts that would cause a reasonable person in a similar position to suspect, that a child under eighteen years of age or a mentally retarded, developmentally disabled, or physically impaired child under twenty-one years of age has suffered or faces a threat of suffering any physical or mental wound, injury, disability, or condition of a nature that reasonably indicates abuse or neglect of the child shall fail to immediately report that knowledge or reasonable cause to suspect to the entity or persons specified in this division. Except as provided in section 5120.173 of the Revised Code, the person making the report shall make it to the public children services agency or a municipal or county peace officer in the county in which the child resides or in which the abuse or neglect is occurring or has occurred. In the circumstances described in section 5120.173 of the Revised Code, the person making the report shall make it to the entity specified in that section.
(b) Division (A)(1)(a) of this section applies to any person who is an attorney; physician, including a hospital intern or resident; dentist; podiatrist
health care professional; practitioner of a limited branch of medicine as specified in section 4731.15 of the Revised Code; registered nurse; licensed practical nurse; visiting nurse; other health care professional; licensed psychologist; licensed school psychologist; independent marriage and family therapist or marriage and family therapist; speech pathologist or audiologist; coroner; administrator or employee of a child day-care center; administrator or employee of a residential camp, child day camp, or private, nonprofit therapeutic wilderness camp; administrator or employee of a certified child care agency or other public or private children services agency; school teacher; school employee; school authority; person engaged in social work or the practice of professional counseling; agent of a county humane society; person, other than a cleric, rendering spiritual treatment through prayer in accordance with the tenets of a well-recognized religion; employee of a county department of job and family services who is a professional and who works with children and families; superintendent or regional administrator employed by the department of youth services; superintendent, board member, or employee of a county board of developmental disabilities; investigative agent contracted with by a county board of developmental disabilities; employee of the department of developmental disabilities; employee of a facility or home that provides respite care in accordance with section 5123.171 of the Revised Code; employee of a home health agency; employee of an entity that provides homemaker services; a person performing the duties of an assessor pursuant to Chapter 3107. or 5103. of the Revised Code; third party employed by a public children services agency to assist in providing child or family related services; court appointed special advocate; or guardian ad litem.
(c) If two or more health care professionals, after providing health care services to a child, determine or suspect that the child has been or is being abused or neglected, the health care professionals may designate one of the health care professionals to report the abuse or neglect. A single report made under this division shall meet the reporting requirements of division (A)(1) of this section.
(2) Except as provided in division (A)(3) of this section, an attorney or a physician is not required to make a report pursuant to division (A)(1) of this section concerning any communication the attorney or physician receives from a client or patient in an attorney-client or physician-patient relationship, if, in accordance with division (A) or (B) of section 2317.02 of the Revised Code, the attorney or physician could not testify with respect to that communication in a civil or criminal proceeding.
(3) The client or patient in an attorney-client or physician-patient relationship described in division (A)(2) of this section is deemed to have waived any testimonial privilege under division (A) or (B) of section 2317.02 of the Revised Code with respect to any communication the attorney or physician receives from the client or patient in that attorney-client or physician-patient relationship, and the attorney or physician shall make a report pursuant to division (A)(1) of this section with respect to that communication, if all of the following apply:
(a) The client or patient, at the time of the communication, is either a child under eighteen years of age or a mentally retarded, developmentally disabled, or physically impaired person under twenty-one years of age.
(b) The attorney or physician knows, or has reasonable cause to suspect based on facts that would cause a reasonable person in similar position to suspect, as a result of the communication or any observations made during that communication, that the client or patient has suffered or faces a threat of suffering any physical or mental wound, injury, disability, or condition of a nature that reasonably indicates abuse or neglect of the client or patient.
(c) The abuse or neglect does not arise out of the client's or patient's attempt to have an abortion without the notification of her parents, guardian, or custodian in accordance with section 2151.85 of the Revised Code.
(4)(a) No cleric and no person, other than a volunteer, designated by any church, religious society, or faith acting as a leader, official, or delegate on behalf of the church, religious society, or faith who is acting in an official or professional capacity, who knows, or has reasonable cause to believe based on facts that would cause a reasonable person in a similar position to believe, that a child under eighteen years of age or a mentally retarded, developmentally disabled, or physically impaired child under twenty-one years of age has suffered or faces a threat of suffering any physical or mental wound, injury, disability, or condition of a nature that reasonably indicates abuse or neglect of the child, and who knows, or has reasonable cause to believe based on facts that would cause a reasonable person in a similar position to believe, that another cleric or another person, other than a volunteer, designated by a church, religious society, or faith acting as a leader, official, or delegate on behalf of the church, religious society, or faith caused, or poses the threat of causing, the wound, injury, disability, or condition that reasonably indicates abuse or neglect shall fail to immediately report that knowledge or reasonable cause to believe to the entity or persons specified in this division. Except as provided in section 5120.173 of the Revised Code, the person making the report shall make it to the public children services agency or a municipal or county peace officer in the county in which the child resides or in which the abuse or neglect is occurring or has occurred. In the circumstances described in section 5120.173 of the Revised Code, the person making the report shall make it to the entity specified in that section.
(b) Except as provided in division (A)(4)(c) of this section, a cleric is not required to make a report pursuant to division (A)(4)(a) of this section concerning any communication the cleric receives from a penitent in a cleric-penitent relationship, if, in accordance with division (C) of section 2317.02 of the Revised Code, the cleric could not testify with respect to that communication in a civil or criminal proceeding.
(c) The penitent in a cleric-penitent relationship described in division (A)(4)(b) of this section is deemed to have waived any testimonial privilege under division (C) of section 2317.02 of the Revised Code with respect to any communication the cleric receives from the penitent in that cleric-penitent relationship, and the cleric shall make a report pursuant to division (A)(4)(a) of this section with respect to that communication, if all of the following apply:
(i) The penitent, at the time of the communication, is either a child under eighteen years of age or a mentally retarded, developmentally disabled, or physically impaired person under twenty-one years of age.
(ii) The cleric knows, or has reasonable cause to believe based on facts that would cause a reasonable person in a similar position to believe, as a result of the communication or any observations made during that communication, the penitent has suffered or faces a threat of suffering any physical or mental wound, injury, disability, or condition of a nature that reasonably indicates abuse or neglect of the penitent.
(iii) The abuse or neglect does not arise out of the penitent's attempt to have an abortion performed upon a child under eighteen years of age or upon a mentally retarded, developmentally disabled, or physically impaired person under twenty-one years of age without the notification of her parents, guardian, or custodian in accordance with section 2151.85 of the Revised Code.
(d) Divisions (A)(4)(a) and (c) of this section do not apply in a cleric-penitent relationship when the disclosure of any communication the cleric receives from the penitent is in violation of the sacred trust.
(e) As used in divisions (A)(1) and (4) of this section, "cleric" and "sacred trust" have the same meanings as in section 2317.02 of the Revised Code.
(B) Anyone who knows, or has reasonable cause to suspect based on facts that would cause a reasonable person in similar circumstances to suspect, that a child under eighteen years of age or a mentally retarded, developmentally disabled, or physically impaired person under twenty-one years of age has suffered or faces a threat of suffering any physical or mental wound, injury, disability, or other condition of a nature that reasonably indicates abuse or neglect of the child may report or cause reports to be made of that knowledge or reasonable cause to suspect to the entity or persons specified in this division. Except as provided in section 5120.173 of the Revised Code, a person making a report or causing a report to be made under this division shall make it or cause it to be made to the public children services agency or to a municipal or county peace officer. In the circumstances described in section 5120.173 of the Revised Code, a person making a report or causing a report to be made under this division shall make it or cause it to be made to the entity specified in that section.
(C) Any report made pursuant to division (A) or (B) of this section shall be made forthwith either by telephone or in person and shall be followed by a written report, if requested by the receiving agency or officer. The written report shall contain:
(1) The names and addresses of the child and the child's parents or the person or persons having custody of the child, if known;
(2) The child's age and the nature and extent of the child's injuries, abuse, or neglect that is known or reasonably suspected or believed, as applicable, to have occurred or of the threat of injury, abuse, or neglect that is known or reasonably suspected or believed, as applicable, to exist, including any evidence of previous injuries, abuse, or neglect;
(3) Any other information, including, but not limited to, results and reports of any medical examinations, tests, or procedures performed under division (D) of this section, that might be helpful in establishing the cause of the injury, abuse, or neglect that is known or reasonably suspected or believed, as applicable, to have occurred or of the threat of injury, abuse, or neglect that is known or reasonably suspected or believed, as applicable, to exist.
(D)(1) Any person, who is required by division (A) of this section to report child abuse or child neglect that is known or reasonably suspected or believed to have occurred, may take or cause to be taken color photographs of areas of trauma visible on a child and, if medically indicated
necessary for the purpose of diagnosing or treating injuries that are suspected to have occurred as a result of child abuse or child neglect, perform or cause to be performed radiological examinations of the child
and any other medical examinations of, and tests or procedures on, the child.
(D) As used in this division, "children's advocacy center" and "sexual abuse of a child" have the same meanings as in section 2151.425 of the Revised Code
(2) The results and any available reports of examinations, tests, or procedures made under division (D)(1) of this section shall be included in a report made pursuant to division (A) of this section. Any additional reports of examinations, tests, or procedures that become available shall be provided to the public children services agency, upon request.
(3) If a health care professional provides health care services in a hospital, children's advocacy center, or emergency medical facility to a child about whom a report has been made under division (A) of this section, the health care professional may take any steps that are reasonably necessary for the release or discharge of the child to an appropriate environment. Before the child's release or discharge, the health care professional may obtain information, or consider information obtained, from other entities or individuals that have knowledge about the child. Nothing in division (D)(3) of this section shall be construed to alter the responsibilities of any person under sections 2151.27 and 2151.31 of the Revised Code.
(4) A health care professional may conduct medical examinations, tests, or procedures on the siblings of a child about whom a report has been made under division (A) of this section and on other children who reside in the same home as the child, if the professional determines that theexaminations, tests, or procedures are medically necessary to diagnose or treat the siblings or other children in order to determine whether reports under division (A) of this section are warranted with respect to such siblings or other children. The results of the examinations, tests, or procedures on the siblings and other children may be included in a report made pursuant to division (A) of this section.
(5) Medical examinations, tests, or procedures conducted under divisions (D)(1) and (4) of this section and decisions regarding the release or discharge of a child under division (D)(3) of this section do not constitute a law enforcement investigation or activity.
(E)(1) When a municipal or county peace officer receives a report concerning the possible abuse or neglect of a child or the possible threat of abuse or neglect of a child, upon receipt of the report, the municipal or county peace officer who receives the report shall refer the report to the appropriate public children services agency.
(2) When a public children services agency receives a report pursuant to this division or division (A) or (B) of this section, upon receipt of the report, the public children services agency shall do both of the following:
(a) Comply with section 2151.422 of the Revised Code;
(b) If the county served by the agency is also served by a children's advocacy center and the report alleges sexual abuse of a child or another type of abuse of a child that is specified in the memorandum of understanding that creates the center as being within the center's jurisdiction, comply regarding the report with the protocol and procedures for referrals and investigations, with the coordinating activities, and with the authority or responsibility for performing or providing functions, activities, and services stipulated in the interagency agreement entered into under section 2151.428 of the Revised Code relative to that center.
(E)
(F) No township, municipal, or county peace officer shall remove a child about whom a report is made pursuant to this section from the child's parents, stepparents, or guardian or any other persons having custody of the child without consultation with the public children services agency, unless, in the judgment of the officer, and, if the report was made by physician, the physician, immediate removal is considered essential to protect the child from further abuse or neglect. The agency that must be consulted shall be the agency conducting the investigation of the report as determined pursuant to section 2151.422 of the Revised Code.
(F)
(G)(1) Except as provided in section 2151.422 of the Revised Code or in an interagency agreement entered into under section 2151.428 of the Revised Code that applies to the particular report, the public children services agency shall investigate, within twenty-four hours, each report of child abuse or child neglect that is known or reasonably suspected or believed to have occurred and of a threat of child abuse or child neglect that is known or reasonably suspected or believed to exist that is referred to it under this section to determine the circumstances surrounding the injuries, abuse, or neglect or the threat of injury, abuse, or neglect, the cause of the injuries, abuse, neglect, or threat, and the person or persons responsible. The investigation shall be made in cooperation with the law enforcement agency and in accordance with the memorandum of understanding prepared under division (J)
(K) of this section. A representative of the public children services agency shall, at the time of initial contact with the person subject to the investigation, inform the person of the specific complaints or allegations made against the person. The information shall be given in a manner that is consistent with division (H)
(I)(1) of this section and protects the rights of the person making the report under this section.
A failure to make the investigation in accordance with the memorandum is not grounds for, and shall not result in, the dismissal of any charges or complaint arising from the report or the suppression of any evidence obtained as a result of the report and does not give, and shall not be construed as giving, any rights or any grounds for appeal or post-conviction relief to any person. The public children services agency shall report each case to the uniform statewide automated child welfare information system that the department of job and family services shall maintain in accordance with section 5101.13 of the Revised Code. The public children services agency shall submit a report of its investigation, in writing, to the law enforcement agency.
(2) The public children services agency shall make any recommendations to the county prosecuting attorney or city director of law that it considers necessary to protect any children that are brought to its attention.
(G)
(H)(1)(a) Except as provided in division
divisions (H)(1)(b) and (I)(3) of this section, anyone or any person, health care professional, hospital, institution, school, health department, or agency participating in the making of reports under division (A) of this section, anyone or any hospital, institution, school, health department, or agency participating in good faith in the making of reports under division (B) of this section, and anyone participating in good faith in a judicial proceeding resulting from the reports, shall be immune from any civil or criminal liability for injury, death, or loss to person or property that otherwise might be incurred or imposed as a result of the making of the reports or the participation in the judicial proceeding
shall be immune from any civil or criminal liability for injury, death, or loss to person or property that otherwise might be incurred or imposed as a result of any of the following:
(i) Participating in the making of reports pursuant to division (A) of this section or in the making of reports in good faith, pursuant to division (B) of this section;
(ii) Participating in medical examinations, tests, or procedures under division (D) of this section;
(iii) Providing information used in a report made pursuant to division (A) of this section or providing information in good faith used in a report made pursuant to division (B) of this section;
(iv) Participating in a judicial proceeding resulting from a report made pursuant to division (A) of this section or participating in good faith in a proceeding resulting from a report made pursuant to division (B) of this section.
(b) Immunity under division (H)(1)(a)(ii) of this section shall not apply when a health care provider has deviated from the standard of care applicable to the provider's profession.
(c) Notwithstanding section 4731.22 of the Revised Code, the physician-patient privilege shall not be a ground for excluding evidence regarding a child's injuries, abuse, or neglect, or the cause of the injuries, abuse, or neglect in any judicial proceeding resulting from a report submitted pursuant to this section.
(2) In any civil or criminal action or proceeding in which it is alleged and proved that participation in the making of a report under this section was not in good faith or participation in a judicial proceeding resulting from a report made under this section was not in good faith, the court shall award the prevailing party reasonable attorney's fees and costs and, if a civil action or proceeding is voluntarily dismissed, may award reasonable attorney's fees and costs to the party against whom the civil action or proceeding is brought.
(H)
(I)(1) Except as provided in divisions (H)
(I)(4) and (N)
(O) of this section, a report made under this section is confidential. The information provided in a report made pursuant to this section and the name of the person who made the report shall not be released for use, and shall not be used, as evidence in any civil action or proceeding brought against the person who made the report. Nothing in this division shall preclude the use of reports of other incidents of known or suspected abuse or neglect in a civil action or proceeding brought pursuant to division (M)
(N) of this section against a person who is alleged to have violated division (A)(1) of this section, provided that any information in a report that would identify the child who is the subject of the report or the maker of the report, if the maker of the report is not the defendant or an agent or employee of the defendant, has been redacted. In a criminal proceeding, the report is admissible in evidence in accordance with the Rules of Evidence and is subject to discovery in accordance with the Rules of Criminal Procedure.
(2) No
(a) Except as provided in division (I)(2)(b) of this section, no person shall permit or encourage the unauthorized dissemination of the contents of any report made under this section.
(b) A health care professional that obtains the same information contained in a report made under this section from a source other than the report may disseminate the information, if its dissemination is otherwise permitted by law.
(3) A person who knowingly makes or causes another person to make a false report under division (B) of this section that alleges that any person has committed an act or omission that resulted in a child being an abused child or a neglected child is guilty of a violation of section 2921.14 of the Revised Code.
(4) If a report is made pursuant to division (A) or (B) of this section and the child who is the subject of the report dies for any reason at any time after the report is made, but before the child attains eighteen years of age, the public children services agency or municipal or county peace officer to which the report was made or referred, on the request of the child fatality review board or the director of health pursuant to guidelines established under section 3701.70 of the Revised Code, shall submit a summary sheet of information providing a summary of the report to the review board of the county in which the deceased child resided at the time of death or to the director. On the request of the review board or director, the agency or peace officer may, at its discretion, make the report available to the review board or director. If the county served by the public children services agency is also served by a children's advocacy center and the report of alleged sexual abuse of a child or another type of abuse of a child is specified in the memorandum of understanding that creates the center as being within the center's jurisdiction, the agency or center shall perform the duties and functions specified in this division in accordance with the interagency agreement entered into under section 2151.428 of the Revised Code relative to that advocacy center.
(5) A public children services agency shall advise a person alleged to have inflicted abuse or neglect on a child who is the subject of a report made pursuant to this section, including a report alleging sexual abuse of a child or another type of abuse of a child referred to a children's advocacy center pursuant to an interagency agreement entered into under section 2151.428 of the Revised Code, in writing of the disposition of the investigation. The agency shall not provide to the person any information that identifies the person who made the report, statements of witnesses, or police or other investigative reports.
(I)
(J) Any report that is required by this section, other than a report that is made to the state highway patrol as described in section 5120.173 of the Revised Code, shall result in protective services and emergency supportive services being made available by the public children services agency on behalf of the children about whom the report is made, in an effort to prevent further neglect or abuse, to enhance their welfare, and, whenever possible, to preserve the family unit intact. The agency required to provide the services shall be the agency conducting the investigation of the report pursuant to section 2151.422 of the Revised Code.
(J)
(K)(1) Each public children services agency shall prepare a memorandum of understanding that is signed by all of the following:
(a) If there is only one juvenile judge in the county, the juvenile judge of the county or the juvenile judge's representative;
(b) If there is more than one juvenile judge in the county, a juvenile judge or the juvenile judges' representative selected by the juvenile judges or, if they are unable to do so for any reason, the juvenile judge who is senior in point of service or the senior juvenile judge's representative;
(c) The county peace officer;
(d) All chief municipal peace officers within the county;
(e) Other law enforcement officers handling child abuse and neglect cases in the county;
(f) The prosecuting attorney of the county;
(g) If the public children services agency is not the county department of job and family services, the county department of job and family services;
(h) The county humane society;
(i) If the public children services agency participated in the execution of a memorandum of understanding under section 2151.426 of the Revised Code establishing a children's advocacy center, each participating member of the children's advocacy center established by the memorandum.
(2) A memorandum of understanding shall set forth the normal operating procedure to be employed by all concerned officials in the execution of their respective responsibilities under this section and division (C) of section 2919.21, division (B)(1) of section 2919.22, division (B) of section 2919.23, and section 2919.24 of the Revised Code and shall have as two of its primary goals the elimination of all unnecessary interviews of children who are the subject of reports made pursuant to division (A) or (B) of this section and, when feasible, providing for only one interview of a child who is the subject of any report made pursuant to division (A) or (B) of this section. A failure to follow the procedure set forth in the memorandum by the concerned officials is not grounds for, and shall not result in, the dismissal of any charges or complaint arising from any reported case of abuse or neglect or the suppression of any evidence obtained as a result of any reported child abuse or child neglect and does not give, and shall not be construed as giving, any rights or any grounds for appeal or post-conviction relief to any person.
(3) A memorandum of understanding shall include all of the following:
(a) The roles and responsibilities for handling emergency and nonemergency cases of abuse and neglect;
(b) Standards and procedures to be used in handling and coordinating investigations of reported cases of child abuse and reported cases of child neglect, methods to be used in interviewing the child who is the subject of the report and who allegedly was abused or neglected, and standards and procedures addressing the categories of persons who may interview the child who is the subject of the report and who allegedly was abused or neglected.
(4) If a public children services agency participated in the execution of a memorandum of understanding under section 2151.426 of the Revised Code establishing a children's advocacy center, the agency shall incorporate the contents of that memorandum in the memorandum prepared pursuant to this section.
(5) The clerk of the court of common pleas in the county may sign the memorandum of understanding prepared under division (J)
(K)(1) of this section. If the clerk signs the memorandum of understanding, the clerk shall execute all relevant responsibilities as required of officials specified in the memorandum.
(K)
(L)(1) Except as provided in division (K)
(L)(4) or (5) of this section, a person who is required to make a report pursuant to division (A) of this section may make a reasonable number of requests of the public children services agency that receives or is referred the report, or of the children's advocacy center that is referred the report if the report is referred to a children's advocacy center pursuant to an interagency agreement entered into under section 2151.428 of the Revised Code, to be provided with the following information:
(a) Whether the agency or center has initiated an investigation of the report;
(b) Whether the agency or center is continuing to investigate the report;
(c) Whether the agency or center is otherwise involved with the child who is the subject of the report;
(d) The general status of the health and safety of the child who is the subject of the report;
(e) Whether the report has resulted in the filing of a complaint in juvenile court or of criminal charges in another court.
(2) A person may request the information specified in division (K)
(L)(1) of this section only if, at the time the report is made, the person's name, address, and telephone number are provided to the person who receives the report.
When a municipal or county peace officer or employee of a public children services agency receives a report pursuant to division (A) or (B) of this section the recipient of the report shall inform the person of the right to request the information described in division (K)
(L)(1) of this section. The recipient of the report shall include in the initial child abuse or child neglect report that the person making the report was so informed and, if provided at the time of the making of the report, shall include the person's name, address, and telephone number in the report.
Each request is subject to verification of the identity of the person making the report. If that person's identity is verified, the agency shall provide the person with the information described in division (K)
(L)(1) of this section a reasonable number of times, except that the agency shall not disclose any confidential information regarding the child who is the subject of the report other than the information described in those divisions.
(3) A request made pursuant to division (K)
(L)(1) of this section is not a substitute for any report required to be made pursuant to division (A) of this section.
(4) If an agency other than the agency that received or was referred the report is conducting the investigation of the report pursuant to section 2151.422 of the Revised Code, the agency conducting the investigation shall comply with the requirements of division (K)
(L) of this section.
(L)
(5) A health care professional who made a report under division (A) of this section, or on whose behalf such a report was made as provided in division (A)(1)(c) of this section, may authorize a person to obtain the information described in division (L)(1) of this section if the person requesting the information is associated with or acting on behalf of the health care professional who provided health care services to the child about whom the report was made.
(M) The director of job and family services shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code to implement this section. The department of job and family services may enter into a plan of cooperation with any other governmental entity to aid in ensuring that children are protected from abuse and neglect. The department shall make recommendations to the attorney general that the department determines are necessary to protect children from child abuse and child neglect.
(M)
(N) Whoever violates division (A) of this section is liable for compensatory and exemplary damages to the child who would have been the subject of the report that was not made. A person who brings a civil action or proceeding pursuant to this division against a person who is alleged to have violated division (A)(1) of this section may use in the action or proceeding reports of other incidents of known or suspected abuse or neglect, provided that any information in a report that would identify the child who is the subject of the report or the maker of the report, if the maker is not the defendant or an agent or employee of the defendant, has been redacted.
(N)
(O)(1) As used in this division:
(a) "Out-of-home care" includes a nonchartered nonpublic school if the alleged child abuse or child neglect, or alleged threat of child abuse or child neglect, described in a report received by a public children services agency allegedly occurred in or involved the nonchartered nonpublic school and the alleged perpetrator named in the report holds a certificate, permit, or license issued by the state board of education under section 3301.071 or Chapter 3319. of the Revised Code.
(b) "Administrator, director, or other chief administrative officer" means the superintendent of the school district if the out-of-home care entity subject to a report made pursuant to this section is a school operated by the district.
(2) No later than the end of the day following the day on which a public children services agency receives a report of alleged child abuse or child neglect, or a report of an alleged threat of child abuse or child neglect, that allegedly occurred in or involved an out-of-home care entity, the agency shall provide written notice of the allegations contained in and the person named as the alleged perpetrator in the report to the administrator, director, or other chief administrative officer of the out-of-home care entity that is the subject of the report unless the administrator, director, or other chief administrative officer is named as an alleged perpetrator in the report. If the administrator, director, or other chief administrative officer of an out-of-home care entity is named as an alleged perpetrator in a report of alleged child abuse or child neglect, or a report of an alleged threat of child abuse or child neglect, that allegedly occurred in or involved the out-of-home care entity, the agency shall provide the written notice to the owner or governing board of the out-of-home care entity that is the subject of the report. The agency shall not provide witness statements or police or other investigative reports.
(3) No later than three days after the day on which a public children services agency that conducted the investigation as determined pursuant to section 2151.422 of the Revised Code makes a disposition of an investigation involving a report of alleged child abuse or child neglect, or a report of an alleged threat of child abuse or child neglect, that allegedly occurred in or involved an out-of-home care entity, the agency shall send written notice of the disposition of the investigation to the administrator, director, or other chief administrative officer and the owner or governing board of the out-of-home care entity. The agency shall not provide witness statements or police or other investigative reports.
(O)
(P) As used in this section, "investigation"
:
(1) "Children's advocacy center" and "sexual abuse of a child" have the same meanings as in section 2151.425 of the Revised Code.
(2) "Health care professional" means an individual who provides health-related services including a physician, hospital intern or resident, dentist, podiatrist, registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, visiting nurse, licensed psychologist, speech pathologist, audiologist, person engaged in social work or the practice of professional counseling, and employee of a home health agency. "Health care professional" does not include a practitioner of a limited branch of medicine as specified in section 4731.15 of the Revised Code, licensed school psychologist, independent marriage and family therapist or marriage and family therapist, or coroner.
(3) "Investigation" means the public children services agency's response to an accepted report of child abuse or neglect through either an alternative response or a traditional response.
Sec. 2151.422. (A) As used in this section, "Homeless shelter" means a facility that provides accommodations to homeless individuals.
(B) On receipt of a notice pursuant to division (A), (B), or (D)
(E) of section 2151.421 of the Revised Code, the public children services agency shall determine whether the child subject to the report is living in a shelter for victims of domestic violence or a homeless shelter and whether the child was brought to that shelter pursuant to an agreement with a shelter in another county. If the child is living in a shelter and was brought there from another county, the agency shall immediately notify the public children services agency of the county from which the child was brought of the report and all the information contained in the report. On receipt of the notice pursuant to this division, the agency of the county from which the child was brought shall conduct the investigation of the report required pursuant to section 2151.421 of the Revised Code and shall perform all duties required of the agency under this chapter with respect to the child who is the subject of the report. If the child is not living in a shelter or the child was not brought to the shelter from another county, the agency that received the report pursuant to division (A), (B), or (D)
(E) of section 2151.421 of the Revised Code shall conduct the investigation required pursuant to section 2151.421 of the Revised Code and shall perform all duties required of the agency under this chapter with respect to the child who is the subject of the report. The agency of the county in which the shelter is located in which the child is living and the agency of the county from which the child was brought may ask the shelter to provide information concerning the child's residence address and county of residence to the agency.
(C) If a child is living in a shelter for victims of domestic violence or a homeless shelter and the child was brought to that shelter pursuant to an agreement with a shelter in another county, the public children services agency of the county from which the child was brought shall provide services to or take custody of the child if services or custody are needed or required under this Chapter or section 5153.16 of the Revised Code.
(D) When a homeless shelter provides accommodations to a person, the shelter, on admitting the person to the shelter, shall determine, if possible, the person's last known residential address and county of residence. The information concerning the address and county of residence is confidential and may only be released to a public children services agency pursuant to this section.
Sec. 2151.99. (A)(1) Except as otherwise provided in division (A)(2) of this section, whoever violates division (D)(2) or (3) of section 2151.313 or division , (A)(4), (H)
or (I)(2) of section 2151.421 of the Revised Code is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.
(2) Whoever violates division (A)(4) of section 2151.421 of the Revised Code knowing that a child has been abused or neglected and knowing that the person who committed the abuse or neglect was a cleric or another person, other than a volunteer, designated by a church, religious society, or faith acting as a leader, official, or delegate on behalf of the church, religious society, or faith, is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree if the person who violates division (A)(4) of this section and the person who committed the abuse or neglect belong to the same church, religious society, or faith.
(B) Whoever violates division (D)(1) of section 2151.313 of the Revised Code is guilty of a minor misdemeanor.
(C) Whoever violates division (A)(1) of section 2151.421 of the Revised Code shall be punished as follows:
(1) Except as otherwise provided in division (C)(2) of this section, the offender is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.
(2) The offender is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree if the child who is the subject of the required report that the offender fails to make suffers or faces the threat of suffering the physical or mental wound, injury, disability, or condition that would be the basis of the required report when the child is under the direct care or supervision of the offender who is then acting in the offender's official or professional capacity or when the child is under the direct care or supervision of another person over whom the offender while acting in the offender's official or professional capacity has supervisory control.
Sec. 2317.56. (A) As used in this section:
(1) "Medical emergency" has the same meaning as in section 2919.16 of the Revised Code.
(2) "Medical necessity" means a medical condition of a pregnant woman that, in the reasonable judgment of the physician who is attending the woman, so complicates the pregnancy that it necessitates the immediate performance or inducement of an abortion.
(3) "Probable gestational age of the embryo or fetus" means the gestational age that, in the judgment of a physician, is, with reasonable probability, the gestational age of the embryo or fetus at the time that the physician informs a pregnant woman pursuant to division (B)(1)(b) of this section.
(B) Except when there is a medical emergency or medical necessity, an abortion shall be performed or induced only if all of the following conditions are satisfied:
(1) At least twenty-four hours prior to the performance or inducement of the abortion, a physician meets with the pregnant woman in person in an individual, private setting and gives her an adequate opportunity to ask questions about the abortion that will be performed or induced. At this meeting, the physician shall inform the pregnant woman, verbally or, if she is hearing impaired, by other means of communication, of all of the following:
(a) The nature and purpose of the particular abortion procedure to be used and the medical risks associated with that procedure;
(b) The probable gestational age of the embryo or fetus;
(c) The medical risks associated with the pregnant woman carrying the pregnancy to term.
The meeting need not occur at the facility where the abortion is to be performed or induced, and the physician involved in the meeting need not be affiliated with that facility or with the physician who is scheduled to perform or induce the abortion.
(2) At least twenty-four hours prior to the performance or inducement of the abortion, the physician who is to perform or induce the abortion or the physician's agent does each of the following in person, by telephone, by certified mail, return receipt requested, or by regular mail evidenced by a certificate of mailing:
(a) Inform the pregnant woman of the name of the physician who is scheduled to perform or induce the abortion;
(b) Give the pregnant woman copies of the published materials described in division (C) of this section;
(c) Inform the pregnant woman that the materials given pursuant to division (B)(2)(b) of this section are published by the state and that they describe the embryo or fetus and list agencies that offer alternatives to abortion. The pregnant woman may choose to examine or not to examine the materials. A physician or an agent of a physician may choose to be disassociated from the materials and may choose to comment or not comment on the materials.
(3) If it has been determined that the unborn human individual the pregnant woman is carrying has a detectable fetal heartbeat, the physician who is to perform or induce the abortion shall comply with the informed consent requirements in section 2919.1922919.194 of the Revised Code in addition to complying with the informed consent requirements in divisions (B)(1), (2), (4), and (5) of this section.
(4) Prior to the performance or inducement of the abortion, the pregnant woman signs a form consenting to the abortion and certifies both of the following on that form:
(a) She has received the information and materials described in divisions (B)(1) and (2) of this section, and her questions about the abortion that will be performed or induced have been answered in a satisfactory manner.
(b) She consents to the particular abortion voluntarily, knowingly, intelligently, and without coercion by any person, and she is not under the influence of any drug of abuse or alcohol.
The form shall contain the name and contact information of the physician who provided to the pregnant woman the information described in division (B)(1) of this section.
(5) Prior to the performance or inducement of the abortion, the physician who is scheduled to perform or induce the abortion or the physician's agent receives a copy of the pregnant woman's signed form on which she consents to the abortion and that includes the certification required by division (B)(4) of this section.
(C) The department of health shall publish in English and in Spanish, in a typeface large enough to be clearly legible, and in an easily comprehensible format, the following materials on the department's web site:
(1) Materials that inform the pregnant woman about family planning information, of publicly funded agencies that are available to assist in family planning, and of public and private agencies and services that are available to assist her through the pregnancy, upon childbirth, and while the child is dependent, including, but not limited to, adoption agencies. The materials shall be geographically indexed; include a comprehensive list of the available agencies, a description of the services offered by the agencies, and the telephone numbers and addresses of the agencies; and inform the pregnant woman about available medical assistance benefits for prenatal care, childbirth, and neonatal care and about the support obligations of the father of a child who is born alive. The department shall ensure that the materials described in division (C)(1) of this section are comprehensive and do not directly or indirectly promote, exclude, or discourage the use of any agency or service described in this division.
(2) Materials that inform the pregnant woman of the probable anatomical and physiological characteristics of the zygote, blastocyte, embryo, or fetus at two-week gestational increments for the first sixteen weeks of pregnancy and at four-week gestational increments from the seventeenth week of pregnancy to full term, including any relevant information regarding the time at which the fetus possibly would be viable. The department shall cause these materials to be published only after it consults with the Ohio state medical association and the Ohio section of the American college of obstetricians and gynecologists relative to the probable anatomical and physiological characteristics of a zygote, blastocyte, embryo, or fetus at the various gestational increments. The materials shall use language that is understandable by the average person who is not medically trained, shall be objective and nonjudgmental, and shall include only accurate scientific information about the zygote, blastocyte, embryo, or fetus at the various gestational increments. If the materials use a pictorial, photographic, or other depiction to provide information regarding the zygote, blastocyte, embryo, or fetus, the materials shall include, in a conspicuous manner, a scale or other explanation that is understandable by the average person and that can be used to determine the actual size of the zygote, blastocyte, embryo, or fetus at a particular gestational increment as contrasted with the depicted size of the zygote, blastocyte, embryo, or fetus at that gestational increment.
(D) Upon the submission of a request to the department of health by any person, hospital, physician, or medical facility for one copy of the materials published in accordance with division (C) of this section, the department shall make the requested copy of the materials available to the person, hospital, physician, or medical facility that requested the copy.
(E) If a medical emergency or medical necessity compels the performance or inducement of an abortion, the physician who will perform or induce the abortion, prior to its performance or inducement if possible, shall inform the pregnant woman of the medical indications supporting the physician's judgment that an immediate abortion is necessary. Any physician who performs or induces an abortion without the prior satisfaction of the conditions specified in division (B) of this section because of a medical emergency or medical necessity shall enter the reasons for the conclusion that a medical emergency or medical necessity exists in the medical record of the pregnant woman.
(F) If the conditions specified in division (B) of this section are satisfied, consent to an abortion shall be presumed to be valid and effective.
(G) The performance or inducement of an abortion without the prior satisfaction of the conditions specified in division (B) of this section does not constitute, and shall not be construed as constituting, a violation of division (A) of section 2919.12 of the Revised Code. The failure of a physician to satisfy the conditions of division (B) of this section prior to performing or inducing an abortion upon a pregnant woman may be the basis of both of the following:
(1) A civil action for compensatory and exemplary damages as described in division (H) of this section;
(2) Disciplinary action under section 4731.22 of the Revised Code.
(H)(1) Subject to divisions (H)(2) and (3) of this section, any physician who performs or induces an abortion with actual knowledge that the conditions specified in division (B) of this section have not been satisfied or with a heedless indifference as to whether those conditions have been satisfied is liable in compensatory and exemplary damages in a civil action to any person, or the representative of the estate of any person, who sustains injury, death, or loss to person or property as a result of the failure to satisfy those conditions. In the civil action, the court additionally may enter any injunctive or other equitable relief that it considers appropriate.
(2) The following shall be affirmative defenses in a civil action authorized by division (H)(1) of this section:
(a) The physician performed or induced the abortion under the circumstances described in division (E) of this section.
(b) The physician made a good faith effort to satisfy the conditions specified in division (B) of this section.
(3) An employer or other principal is not liable in damages in a civil action authorized by division (H)(1) of this section on the basis of the doctrine of respondeat superior unless either of the following applies:
(a) The employer or other principal had actual knowledge or, by the exercise of reasonable diligence, should have known that an employee or agent performed or induced an abortion with actual knowledge that the conditions specified in division (B) of this section had not been satisfied or with a heedless indifference as to whether those conditions had been satisfied.
(b) The employer or other principal negligently failed to secure the compliance of an employee or agent with division (B) of this section.
(4) Notwithstanding division (E) of section 2919.12 of the Revised Code, the civil action authorized by division (H)(1) of this section shall be the exclusive civil remedy for persons, or the representatives of estates of persons, who allegedly sustain injury, death, or loss to person or property as a result of a failure to satisfy the conditions specified in division (B) of this section.
(I) The department of job and family services shall prepare and conduct a public information program to inform women of all available governmental programs and agencies that provide services or assistance for family planning, prenatal care, child care, or alternatives to abortion.
Sec. 2919.171. (A)(1) A physician who performs or induces or attempts to perform or induce an abortion on a pregnant woman shall submit a report to the department of health in accordance with the forms, rules, and regulations adopted by the department that includes all of the information the physician is required to certify in writing or determine under sections section 2919.17 and, section 2919.18, divisions (A) and (C) of section 2919.192, division (C) of section 2919.193, division (B) of section 2919.195, or division (A) of section 2919.196 of the Revised Code:.
(2) If a person other than the physician described in division (A)(1) of this section makes or maintains a record required by sections 2919.192 to 2919.196 of the Revised Code on the physician's behalf or at the physician's direction, that person shall comply with the reporting requirement described in division (A)(1) of this section as if the person were the physician described in that division.
(B) By September 30 of each year, the department of health shall issue a public report that provides statistics for the previous calendar year compiled from all of the reports covering that calendar year submitted to the department in accordance with this section for each of the items listed in division (A) of this section. The report shall also provide the statistics for each previous calendar year in which a report was filed with the department pursuant to this section, adjusted to reflect any additional information that a physician provides to the department in a late or corrected report. The department shall ensure that none of the information included in the report could reasonably lead to the identification of any pregnant woman upon whom an abortion is performed.
(C)(1) The physician shall submit the report described in division (A) of this section to the department of health within fifteen days after the woman is discharged. If the physician fails to submit the report more than thirty days after that fifteen-day deadline, the physician shall be subject to a late fee of five hundred dollars for each additional thirty-day period or portion of a thirty-day period the report is overdue. A physician who is required to submit to the department of health a report under division (A) of this section and who has not submitted a report or has submitted an incomplete report more than one year following the fifteen-day deadline may, in an action brought by the department of health, be directed by a court of competent jurisdiction to submit a complete report to the department of health within a period of time stated in a court order or be subject to contempt of court.
(2) If a physician fails to comply with the requirements of this section, other than filing a late report with the department of health, or fails to submit a complete report to the department of health in accordance with a court order, the physician is subject to division (B)(41) (44) of section 4731.22 of the Revised Code.
(3) No person shall falsify any report required under this section. Whoever violates this division is guilty of abortion report falsification, a misdemeanor of the first degree.
(D) Within ninety days of the effective date of this section, the The department of health shall adopt rules pursuant to section 111.15 of the Revised Code to assist in compliance with this section.
Sec. 2919.19. (A) As used in this section and sections 2919.191 to 2919.193 2919.1910 of the Revised Code:
(A) (1) "Conception" means fertilization.
(2) "Contraceptive" means a drug, device, or chemical that prevents conception.
(3) "DNA" means deoxyribonucleic acid.
(4) "Fetal heartbeat" means cardiac activity or the steady and repetitive rhythmic contraction of the fetal heart within the gestational sac.
(B)(5) "Fetus" means the human offspring developing during pregnancy from the moment of conception and includes the embryonic stage of development.
(C)(6) "Gestational age" means the age of an unborn human individual as calculated from the first day of the last menstrual period of a pregnant woman.
(D)(7) "Gestational sac" means the structure that comprises the extraembryonic membranes that envelop the fetus and that is typically visible by ultrasound after the fourth week of pregnancy.
(E)(8) "Intrauterine pregnancy" means a pregnancy in which the fetus is attached to the placenta within the uterus of the pregnant woman.
(9) "Medical emergency" has the same meaning as in section 2919.16 of the Revised Code.
(F)(10) "Physician" has the same meaning as in section 2305.113 of the Revised Code.
(G)(11) "Pregnancy" means the human female reproductive condition that begins with fertilization, when the woman is carrying the developing human offspring, and that is calculated from the first day of the last menstrual period of the woman.
(H)(12) "Serious risk of the substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function" has the same meaning as in section 2919.16 of the Revised Code.
(I) (13) "Spontaneous miscarriage" means the natural or accidental termination of a pregnancy and the expulsion of the fetus, typically caused by genetic defects in the fetus or physical abnormalities in the pregnant woman.
(14) "Standard medical practice" means the degree of skill, care, and diligence that a physician of the same medical specialty would employ in like circumstances. As applied to the method used to determine the presence of a fetal heartbeat for purposes of section 2919.191 2919.192 of the Revised Code, "standard medical practice" includes employing the appropriate means of detection depending on the estimated gestational age of the fetus and the condition of the woman and her pregnancy.
(J)(15) "Unborn human individual" means an individual organism of the species homo sapiens from fertilization until live birth.
(B) If any provision of this section or sections 2919.171 or 2919.191 to 2919.1910 of the Revised Code is held invalid, or if the application of such provision to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the invalidity of that provision does not affect any other provisions or applications of this section and sections 2919.171 and 2919.191 to 2919.1910 of the Revised Code that can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end the provisions of this section and sections 2919.171 and 2919.191 to 2919.1910 of the Revised Code are severable as provided in section 1.50 of the Revised Code. In particular, it is the intent of the general assembly that any invalidity or potential invalidity of a provision of this section or sections 2919.171 or 2919.191 to 2919.1910 of the Revised Code is not to impair the immediate and continuing enforceability of the remaining provisions. It is furthermore the intent of the general assembly that the provisions of this section and sections 2919.171 and 2919.191 to 2919.1910 of the Revised Code are not to have the effect of repealing or limiting any other laws of this state, except as specified by this section and sections 2919.171 and 2919.191 to 2919.1910 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 2919.191. (A) The general assembly hereby declares that it finds, according to contemporary medical research, all of the following:
(1) As many as thirty per cent of natural pregnancies end in spontaneous miscarriage.
(2) Less than five per cent of all natural pregnancies end in spontaneous miscarriage after detection of fetal cardiac activity.
(3) Over ninety per cent of in vitro pregnancies survive t he first trimester if cardiac activity is detected in the gestational sac.
(4) Nearly ninety per cent of in vitro pregnancies do not survive the first trimester where cardiac activity is not detected in the gestational sac.
(5) Fetal heartbeat, therefore, has become a key medical predictor that an unborn human individual will reach live birth.
(6) Cardiac activity begins at a biologically identifiable moment in time, normally when the fetal heart is formed in the gestational sac.
(7) The state of Ohio has legitimate interests from the outset of the pregnancy in protecting the health of the woman and the life of an unborn human individual who may be born.
(8) In order to make an informed choice about whether to continue her pregnancy, the pregnant woman has a legitimate interest in knowing the likelihood of the fetus surviving to full-term birth based upon the presence of cardiac activity.
(B) Sections 2919.192 to 2919.195 of the Revised Code apply only to intrauterine pregnancies.
Sec. 2919.191 2919.192. (A) A person who intends to perform or induce an abortion on a pregnant woman shall determine whether there is a detectable fetal heartbeat of the unborn human individual the pregnant woman is carrying. The method of determining the presence of a fetal heartbeat shall be consistent with the person's good faith understanding of standard medical practice, provided that if rules have been adopted under division (C)(B) of this section, the method chosen shall be one that is consistent with the rules. The person who determines the presence or absence of a fetal heartbeat shall record in the pregnant woman's medical record the estimated gestational age of the unborn human individual, the method used to test for a fetal heartbeat, the date and time of the test, and the results of the test.
(B)(1) Except when a medical emergency exists that prevents compliance with this division, no person shall perform or induce an abortion on a pregnant woman prior to determining if the unborn human individual the pregnant woman is carrying has a detectable fetal heartbeat. Any person who performs or induces an abortion on a pregnant woman based on the exception in this division shall note in the pregnant woman's medical records that a medical emergency necessitating the abortion existed and shall also note the medical condition of the pregnant woman that prevented compliance with this division. The person shall maintain a copy of the notes described in this division in the person's own records for at least seven years after the notes are entered into the medical records.
(2) The person who performs the examination for the presence of a fetal heartbeat shall give the pregnant woman the option to view or hear the fetal heartbeat.
(C)(B) The director of health may promulgate adopt rules pursuant to section 111.15 of the Revised Code specifying the appropriate methods of performing an examination for the purpose of determining the presence of a fetal heartbeat of an unborn individual based on standard medical practice. The rules shall require only that an examination shall be performed externally.
(D)(C) A person is not in violation of division (A) or (B) of this section if that person has performed an examination for the purpose of determining the presence of a fetal heartbeat in the fetus of an unborn human individual utilizing standard medical practice, that examination does not reveal a fetal heartbeat or the person has been informed by a physician who has performed the examination for a fetal heartbeat that the examination did not reveal a fetal heartbeat, and the person notes in the pregnant woman's medical records the procedure utilized to detect the presence of a fetal heartbeat.
(E) Except as provided in division (F) of this section, no person shall knowingly and purposefully perform or induce an abortion on a pregnant woman before determining in accordance with division (A) of this section whether the unborn human individual the pregnant woman is carrying has a detectable heartbeat. The failure of a person to satisfy the requirements of this section prior to performing or inducing an abortion on a pregnant woman may be the basis for either of the following:
(1) A civil action for compensatory and exemplary damages;
(2) Disciplinary action under section 4731.22 of the Revised Code.
(F) Division (E) of this section does not apply to a physician who performs or induces the abortion if the physician believes that a medical emergency exists that prevents compliance with that division.
(G) The director of health may determine and specify in rules adopted pursuant to section 111.15 of the Revised Code and based upon available medical evidence the statistical probability of bringing an unborn human individual to term based on the gestational age of an unborn human individual who possesses a detectable fetal heartbeat.
(H) A woman on whom an abortion is performed in violation of division (B) of this section or division (B)(3) of section 2317.56 of the Revised Code may file a civil action for the wrongful death of the woman's unborn child and may receive at the mother's election at any time prior to final judgment damages in an amount equal to ten thousand dollars or an amount determined by the trier of fact after consideration of the evidence subject to the same defenses and requirements of proof, except any requirement of live birth, as would apply to a suit for the wrongful death of a child who had been born alive.
Sec. 2919.193. (A) Except as provided in division (B) of this section, no person shall knowingly and purposefully perform or induce an abortion on a pregnant woman before determining in accordance with division (A) of section 2919.192 of the Revised Code whether the unborn human individual the pregnant woman is carrying has a detectable heartbeat.
Whoever violates this division is guilty of performing or inducing an abortion before determining whether there is a detectable fetal heartbeat, a felony of the fifth degree. A violation of this division may also be the basis of either of the following:
(1) A civil action for compensatory and exemplary damages;
(2) Disciplinary action under section 4731.22 of the Revised Code.
(B) Division (A) of this section does not apply to a physician who performs or induces the abortion if the physician believes that a medical emergency exists that prevents compliance with that division.
(C) A physician who performs or induces an abortion on a pregnant woman based on the exception in division (B) of this section shall make written notations in the pregnant woman's medical records of both of the following:
(1) The physician's belief that a medical emergency necessitating the abortion existed;
(2) The medical condition of the pregnant woman that assertedly prevented compliance with division (A) of this section.
For at least seven years from the date the notations are made, the physician shall maintain in the physician's own records a copy of the notations.
(D) A person is not in violation of division (A) of this section if the person acts in accordance with division (A) of section 2919.192 of the Revised Code and the method used to determine the presence of a fetal heartbeat does not reveal a fetal heartbeat.
Sec. 2919.192 2919.194. (A) If a person who intends to perform or induce an abortion on a pregnant woman has determined, under section 2919.191 2919.192 of the Revised Code, that the unborn human individual the pregnant woman is carrying has a detectable heartbeat, the person shall not, except as provided in division (B) of this section, perform or induce the abortion until all of the following requirements have been met and at least twenty-four hours have elapsed after the last of the requirements is met:
(1) The person intending to perform or induce the abortion shall inform the pregnant woman in writing that the unborn human individual the pregnant woman is carrying has a fetal heartbeat.
(2) The person intending to perform or induce the abortion shall inform the pregnant woman, to the best of the person's knowledge, of the statistical probability of bringing the unborn human individual possessing a detectable fetal heartbeat to term based on the gestational age of the unborn human individual or, if the director of health has specified statistical probability information pursuant to rules adopted under division (C) of this section, shall provide to the pregnant woman that information.
(3) The pregnant woman shall sign a form acknowledging that the pregnant woman has received information from the person intending to perform or induce the abortion that the unborn human individual the pregnant woman is carrying has a fetal heartbeat and that the pregnant woman is aware of the statistical probability of bringing the unborn human individual the pregnant woman is carrying to term.
(B) Division (A) of this section does not apply if the person who intends to perform or induce the abortion believes that a medical emergency exists that prevents compliance with that division.
(C) The director of health may adopt rules that specify information regarding the statistical probability of bringing an unborn human individual possessing a detectable heartbeat to term based on the gestational age of the unborn human individual. The rules shall be based on available medical evidence and shall be adopted in accordance with section 111.15 of the Revised Code.
(D) This section does not have the effect of repealing or limiting any other provision of the Revised Code relating to informed consent for an abortion, including the provisions in section 2317.56 of the Revised Code.
(E) Whoever violates division (A) of this section is guilty of performing or inducing an abortion without informed consent when there is a detectable fetal heartbeat, a misdemeanor of the first degree on a first offense and a felony of the fourth degree on each subsequent offense.
Sec. 2919.195. (A) Except as provided in division (B) of this section, no person shall knowingly and purposefully perform or induce an abortion on a pregnant woman with the specific intent of causing or abetting the termination of the life of the unborn human individual the pregnant woman is carrying and whose fetal heartbeat has been detected in accordance with division (A) of section 2919.192 of the Revised Code.
Whoever violates this division is guilty of performing or inducing an abortion after the detection of a fetal heartbeat, a felony of the fifth degree.
(B) Division (A) of this section does not apply to a physician who performs a medical procedure that, in the physician's reasonable medical judgment, is designed or intended to prevent the death of the pregnant woman or to prevent a serious risk of the substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function of the pregnant woman.
A physician who performs a medical procedure as described in this division shall declare, in a written document, that the medical procedure is necessary, to the best of the physician's reasonable medical judgment, to prevent the death of the pregnant woman or to prevent a serious risk of the substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function of the pregnant woman. In the document, the physician shall specify the pregnant woman's medical condition that the medical procedure is asserted to address and the medical rationale for the physician's conclusion that the medical procedure is necessary to prevent the death of the pregnant woman or to prevent a serious risk of the substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function of the pregnant woman.
A physician who performs a medical procedure as described in this division shall place the written document required by this division in the pregnant woman's medical records. The physician shall maintain a copy of the document in the physician's own records for at least seven years from the date the document is created.
(C) A person is not in violation of division (A) of this section if the person acts in accordance with division (A) of section 2919.192 of the Revised Code and the method used to determine the presence of a fetal heartbeat does not reveal a fetal heartbeat.
(D) Division (A) of this section does not have the effect of repealing or limiting any other provision of the Revised Code that restricts or regulates the performance or inducement of an abortion by a particular method or during a particular stage of a pregnancy.
Sec. 2919.196. (A) A person who performs or induces an abortion on a pregnant woman shall do whichever of the following is applicable:
(1) If the reason for the abortion purportedly is to preserve the health of the pregnant woman, the person shall specify in a written document the medical condition that the abortion is asserted to address and the medical rationale for the person's conclusion that the abortion is necessary to address that condition.
(2) If the reason for the abortion is other than to preserve the health of the pregnant woman, the person shall specify in a written document that maternal health is not the purpose of the abortion.
(B) The person who specifies the information in the document described in division (A) of this section shall place the document in the pregnant woman's medical records. The person who specifies the information shall maintain a copy of the document in the person's own records for at least seven years from the date the document is created.
Sec. 2919.197. Nothing in sections 2919.19 to 2919.196 of the Revised Code prohibits the sale, use, prescription, or administration of a drug, device, or chemical that is designed for contraceptive purposes.
Sec. 2919.193 2919.198. A pregnant woman on whom an abortion is performed or induced in violation of section 2919.191 or 2919.192 2919.193, 2919.194, 2919.195 of the Revised Code is not guilty of violating any of those sections; is not guilty of attempting to commit, conspiring to commit, or complicity in committing a violation of any of those sections; and is not subject to a civil penalty based on the abortion being performed or induced in violation of any of those sections.
Sec. 2919.199. (A) A woman who meets either or both of the following criteria may file a civil action for the wrongful death of her unborn child:
(1) A woman on whom an abortion was performed or induced in violation of division (A) of section 2919.193 or division (A) of section 2919.195 of the Revised Code;
(2) A woman on whom an abortion was performed or induced who was not given the information described in divisions (A)(1) and (2) of section 2919.194 of the Revised Code or who did not sign a form described in division (A)(3) of section 2919.194 of the Revised Code.
(B) A woman who prevails in an action filed under division (A) of this section shall receive both of the following from the person who committed the one or more acts described in division (A) (1) or (2) of this section:
(1) Damages in an amount equal to ten thousand dollars or an amount determined by the trier of fact after consideration of the evidence at the mother's election at any time prior to final judgment subject to the same defenses and requirements of proof, except any requirement of live birth, as would apply to a suit for the wrongful death of a child who had been born alive;
(2) Court costs and reasonable attorney's fees.
(C) A determination that division (A) of section 2919.193 of the Revised Code, division (A) (1), (2), or (3) of section 2919.194 of the Revised Code, or division (A) of section 2919.195 of the Revised Code is unconstitutional shall be a defense to an action filed under division (A) of this section alleging that the defendant violated the division that was determined to be unconstitutional.
(D) If the defendant in an action filed under division (A) of this section prevails and all of the following apply the court shall award reasonable attorney's fees to the defendant in accordance with section 2323.51 of the Revised Code:
(1) The court finds that the commencement of the action constitutes frivolous conduct, as defined in section 2323.51 of the Revised Code.
(2) The court's finding in division (D)(1) of this section i s not based on that court or another court determining that division (A) of section 2919.193 of the Revised Code, division (A)(1), (2), or (3) of section 2919.194 of the Revised Code, or division (A) of section 2919.195 of the Revised Code is unconstitutional.
(3) The court finds that the defendant was adversely affected by the frivolous conduct.
Sec. 2919.1910. (A) It is the intent of the general assembly that women whose pregnancies are protected under division (A) of section 2919.195 of the Revised Code be informed of available options for adoption.
(B) In furtherance of the intent expressed in division (A) of this section, there is hereby created the joint legislative committee on adoption promotion and support. The committee may review or study any matter that it considers relevant to the adoption process in this state, with priority given to the study or review of mechanisms intended to increase awareness of the process, increase its effectiveness, or both.
(C) The committee shall consist of three members of the house of representatives appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives and three members of the senate appointed by the president of the senate. Not more than two members appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives and not more than two members appointed by the president of the senate may be of the same political party.
Each member of the committee shall hold office during the general assembly in which the member is appointed and until a successor has been appointed, notwithstanding the adjournment sine die of the general assembly in which the member was appointed or the expiration of the member's term as a member of the general assembly. Any vacancies occurring among the members of the committee shall be filled in the manner of the original appointment.
(D) The committee has the same powers as other standing or select committees of the general assembly.
Sec. 2919.1911. The department of health shall inspect the medical records from any facility that performs abortions to ensure that the physicians or other persons who perform abortions at that facility are in compliance with the reporting requirements under section 2919.171 of the Revised Code. The facility shall make the medical records available for inspection to the department of health but shall not release any personal medical information in the medical records that is prohibited by law.
Sec. 3701.701. (A)(1) Notwithstanding section 3701.243 and any other section of the Revised Code pertaining to confidentiality, any individual, public children services agency, private child placing agency, or agency that provides services specifically to individuals or families, law enforcement agency, or other public or private entity that provided services to a child whose death is being reviewed by the director of health pursuant to guidelines established under section 3701.70 of the Revised Code, on the request of the director, shall submit to the director a summary sheet of information.
(a) With respect to a request made to a health care entity, the summary sheet shall contain only information available and reasonably drawn from the child's medical record created by the health care entity.
(b) With respect to a request made to any other individual or entity, the summary sheet shall contain only information available and reasonably drawn from any record involving the child that the individual or entity develops in the normal course of business.
(c) On the request of the director, an individual or entity may, at the individual's or entity's discretion, make any additional information, documents, or reports available to the director.
(2) Notwithstanding section 3701.243 and any other section of the Revised Code pertaining to confidentiality, in the case of a child one year of age or younger whose death is being reviewed by the director, on the request of the director, a health care entity that provided services to the child's mother shall submit to the director a summary sheet of information available and reasonably drawn from the mother's medical record created by the health care entity. Before submitting the summary sheet, the health care entity shall attempt to obtain the mother's consent to do so, but lack of consent shall not preclude the entity from submitting the summary sheet.
(3) For purposes of the review, the director shall have access to confidential information provided to the director under this section or division (H)
(I)(4) of section 2151.421 of the Revised Code, and the director shall preserve the confidentiality of that information.
(B) Notwithstanding division (A) of this section, no person, entity, law enforcement agency, or prosecuting attorney shall provide any information regarding the death of a child to the director pursuant to guidelines established under section 3701.70 of the Revised Code while an investigation of the death or prosecution of a person for causing the death is pending, unless the prosecuting attorney agrees to allow the review.
Sec. 4731.22. (A) The state medical board, by an affirmative vote of not fewer than six of its members, may limit, revoke, or suspend an individual's certificate to practice or certificate to recommend, refuse to grant a certificate to an individual, refuse to renew a certificate, refuse to reinstate a certificate, or reprimand or place on probation the holder of a certificate if the individual or certificate holder is found by the board to have committed fraud during the administration of the examination for a certificate to practice or to have committed fraud, misrepresentation, or deception in applying for, renewing, or securing any certificate to practice or certificate to recommend issued by the board.
(B) The board, by an affirmative vote of not fewer than six members, shall, to the extent permitted by law, limit, revoke, or suspend an individual's certificate to practice or certificate to recommend, refuse to issue a certificate to an individual, refuse to renew a certificate, refuse to reinstate a certificate, or reprimand or place on probation the holder of a certificate for one or more of the following reasons:
(1) Permitting one's name or one's certificate to practice to be used by a person, group, or corporation when the individual concerned is not actually directing the treatment given;
(2) Failure to maintain minimal standards applicable to the selection or administration of drugs, or failure to employ acceptable scientific methods in the selection of drugs or other modalities for treatment of disease;
(3) Selling, giving away, personally furnishing, prescribing, or administering drugs for other than legal and legitimate therapeutic purposes or a plea of guilty to, a judicial finding of guilt of, or a judicial finding of eligibility for intervention in lieu of conviction of, a violation of any federal or state law regulating the possession, distribution, or use of any drug;
(4) Willfully betraying a professional confidence.
For purposes of this division, "willfully betraying a professional confidence" does not include providing any information, documents, or reports under sections 307.621 to 307.629 of the Revised Code to a child fatality review board; does not include providing any information, documents, or reports to the director of health pursuant to guidelines established under section 3701.70 of the Revised Code; does not include written notice to a mental health professional under section 4731.62 of the Revised Code; and does not include the making of a report of an employee's use of a drug of abuse, or a report of a condition of an employee other than one involving the use of a drug of abuse, to the employer of the employee as described in division (B) of section 2305.33 of the Revised Code. Nothing in this division affects the immunity from civil liability conferred by section 2305.33 or 4731.62 of the Revised Code upon a physician who makes a report in accordance with section 2305.33 or notifies a mental health professional in accordance with section 4731.62 of the Revised Code. As used in this division, "employee," "employer," and "physician" have the same meanings as in section 2305.33 of the Revised Code.
(5) Making a false, fraudulent, deceptive, or misleading statement in the solicitation of or advertising for patients; in relation to the practice of medicine and surgery, osteopathic medicine and surgery, podiatric medicine and surgery, or a limited branch of medicine; or in securing or attempting to secure any certificate to practice issued by the board.
As used in this division, "false, fraudulent, deceptive, or misleading statement" means a statement that includes a misrepresentation of fact, is likely to mislead or deceive because of a failure to disclose material facts, is intended or is likely to create false or unjustified expectations of favorable results, or includes representations or implications that in reasonable probability will cause an ordinarily prudent person to misunderstand or be deceived.
(6) A departure from, or the failure to conform to, minimal standards of care of similar practitioners under the same or similar circumstances, whether or not actual injury to a patient is established;
(7) Representing, with the purpose of obtaining compensation or other advantage as personal gain or for any other person, that an incurable disease or injury, or other incurable condition, can be permanently cured;
(8) The obtaining of, or attempting to obtain, money or anything of value by fraudulent misrepresentations in the course of practice;
(9) A plea of guilty to, a judicial finding of guilt of, or a judicial finding of eligibility for intervention in lieu of conviction for, a felony;
(10) Commission of an act that constitutes a felony in this state, regardless of the jurisdiction in which the act was committed;
(11) A plea of guilty to, a judicial finding of guilt of, or a judicial finding of eligibility for intervention in lieu of conviction for, a misdemeanor committed in the course of practice;
(12) Commission of an act in the course of practice that constitutes a misdemeanor in this state, regardless of the jurisdiction in which the act was committed;
(13) A plea of guilty to, a judicial finding of guilt of, or a judicial finding of eligibility for intervention in lieu of conviction for, a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude;
(14) Commission of an act involving moral turpitude that constitutes a misdemeanor in this state, regardless of the jurisdiction in which the act was committed;
(15) Violation of the conditions of limitation placed by the board upon a certificate to practice;
(16) Failure to pay license renewal fees specified in this chapter;
(17) Except as authorized in section 4731.31 of the Revised Code, engaging in the division of fees for referral of patients, or the receiving of a thing of value in return for a specific referral of a patient to utilize a particular service or business;
(18) Subject to section 4731.226 of the Revised Code, violation of any provision of a code of ethics of the American medical association, the American osteopathic association, the American podiatric medical association, or any other national professional organizations that the board specifies by rule. The state medical board shall obtain and keep on file current copies of the codes of ethics of the various national professional organizations. The individual whose certificate is being suspended or revoked shall not be found to have violated any provision of a code of ethics of an organization not appropriate to the individual's profession.
For purposes of this division, a "provision of a code of ethics of a national professional organization" does not include any provision that would preclude the making of a report by a physician of an employee's use of a drug of abuse, or of a condition of an employee other than one involving the use of a drug of abuse, to the employer of the employee as described in division (B) of section 2305.33 of the Revised Code. Nothing in this division affects the immunity from civil liability conferred by that section upon a physician who makes either type of report in accordance with division (B) of that section. As used in this division, "employee," "employer," and "physician" have the same meanings as in section 2305.33 of the Revised Code.
(19) Inability to practice according to acceptable and prevailing standards of care by reason of mental illness or physical illness, including, but not limited to, physical deterioration that adversely affects cognitive, motor, or perceptive skills.
In enforcing this division, the board, upon a showing of a possible violation, may compel any individual authorized to practice by this chapter or who has submitted an application pursuant to this chapter to submit to a mental examination, physical examination, including an HIV test, or both a mental and a physical examination. The expense of the examination is the responsibility of the individual compelled to be examined. Failure to submit to a mental or physical examination or consent to an HIV test ordered by the board constitutes an admission of the allegations against the individual unless the failure is due to circumstances beyond the individual's control, and a default and final order may be entered without the taking of testimony or presentation of evidence. If the board finds an individual unable to practice because of the reasons set forth in this division, the board shall require the individual to submit to care, counseling, or treatment by physicians approved or designated by the board, as a condition for initial, continued, reinstated, or renewed authority to practice. An individual affected under this division shall be afforded an opportunity to demonstrate to the board the ability to resume practice in compliance with acceptable and prevailing standards under the provisions of the individual's certificate. For the purpose of this division, any individual who applies for or receives a certificate to practice under this chapter accepts the privilege of practicing in this state and, by so doing, shall be deemed to have given consent to submit to a mental or physical examination when directed to do so in writing by the board, and to have waived all objections to the admissibility of testimony or examination reports that constitute a privileged communication.
(20) Except when civil penalties are imposed under section 4731.225 or 4731.282 of the Revised Code, and subject to section 4731.226 of the Revised Code, violating or attempting to violate, directly or indirectly, or assisting in or abetting the violation of, or conspiring to violate, any provisions of this chapter or any rule promulgated by the board.
This division does not apply to a violation or attempted violation of, assisting in or abetting the violation of, or a conspiracy to violate, any provision of this chapter or any rule adopted by the board that would preclude the making of a report by a physician of an employee's use of a drug of abuse, or of a condition of an employee other than one involving the use of a drug of abuse, to the employer of the employee as described in division (B) of section 2305.33 of the Revised Code. Nothing in this division affects the immunity from civil liability conferred by that section upon a physician who makes either type of report in accordance with division (B) of that section. As used in this division, "employee," "employer," and "physician" have the same meanings as in section 2305.33 of the Revised Code.
(21) The violation of section 3701.79 of the Revised Code or of any abortion rule adopted by the director of health pursuant to section 3701.341 of the Revised Code;
(22) Any of the following actions taken by an agency responsible for authorizing, certifying, or regulating an individual to practice a health care occupation or provide health care services in this state or another jurisdiction, for any reason other than the nonpayment of fees: the limitation, revocation, or suspension of an individual's license to practice; acceptance of an individual's license surrender; denial of a license; refusal to renew or reinstate a license; imposition of probation; or issuance of an order of censure or other reprimand;
(23) The violation of section 2919.12 of the Revised Code or the performance or inducement of an abortion upon a pregnant woman with actual knowledge that the conditions specified in division (B) of section 2317.56 of the Revised Code have not been satisfied or with a heedless indifference as to whether those conditions have been satisfied, unless an affirmative defense as specified in division (H)(2) of that section would apply in a civil action authorized by division (H)(1) of that section;
(24) The revocation, suspension, restriction, reduction, or termination of clinical privileges by the United States department of defense or department of veterans affairs or the termination or suspension of a certificate of registration to prescribe drugs by the drug enforcement administration of the United States department of justice;
(25) Termination or suspension from participation in the medicare or medicaid programs by the department of health and human services or other responsible agency for any act or acts that also would constitute a violation of division (B)(2), (3), (6), (8), or (19) of this section;
(26) Impairment of ability to practice according to acceptable and prevailing standards of care because of habitual or excessive use or abuse of drugs, alcohol, or other substances that impair ability to practice.
For the purposes of this division, any individual authorized to practice by this chapter accepts the privilege of practicing in this state subject to supervision by the board. By filing an application for or holding a certificate to practice under this chapter, an individual shall be deemed to have given consent to submit to a mental or physical examination when ordered to do so by the board in writing, and to have waived all objections to the admissibility of testimony or examination reports that constitute privileged communications.
If it has reason to believe that any individual authorized to practice by this chapter or any applicant for certification to practice suffers such impairment, the board may compel the individual to submit to a mental or physical examination, or both. The expense of the examination is the responsibility of the individual compelled to be examined. Any mental or physical examination required under this division shall be undertaken by a treatment provider or physician who is qualified to conduct the examination and who is chosen by the board.
Failure to submit to a mental or physical examination ordered by the board constitutes an admission of the allegations against the individual unless the failure is due to circumstances beyond the individual's control, and a default and final order may be entered without the taking of testimony or presentation of evidence. If the board determines that the individual's ability to practice is impaired, the board shall suspend the individual's certificate or deny the individual's application and shall require the individual, as a condition for initial, continued, reinstated, or renewed certification to practice, to submit to treatment.
Before being eligible to apply for reinstatement of a certificate suspended under this division, the impaired practitioner shall demonstrate to the board the ability to resume practice in compliance with acceptable and prevailing standards of care under the provisions of the practitioner's certificate. The demonstration shall include, but shall not be limited to, the following:
(a) Certification from a treatment provider approved under section 4731.25 of the Revised Code that the individual has successfully completed any required inpatient treatment;
(b) Evidence of continuing full compliance with an aftercare contract or consent agreement;
(c) Two written reports indicating that the individual's ability to practice has been assessed and that the individual has been found capable of practicing according to acceptable and prevailing standards of care. The reports shall be made by individuals or providers approved by the board for making the assessments and shall describe the basis for their determination.
The board may reinstate a certificate suspended under this division after that demonstration and after the individual has entered into a written consent agreement.
When the impaired practitioner resumes practice, the board shall require continued monitoring of the individual. The monitoring shall include, but not be limited to, compliance with the written consent agreement entered into before reinstatement or with conditions imposed by board order after a hearing, and, upon termination of the consent agreement, submission to the board for at least two years of annual written progress reports made under penalty of perjury stating whether the individual has maintained sobriety.
(27) A second or subsequent violation of section 4731.66 or 4731.69 of the Revised Code;
(28) Except as provided in division (N) of this section:
(a) Waiving the payment of all or any part of a deductible or copayment that a patient, pursuant to a health insurance or health care policy, contract, or plan that covers the individual's services, otherwise would be required to pay if the waiver is used as an enticement to a patient or group of patients to receive health care services from that individual;
(b) Advertising that the individual will waive the payment of all or any part of a deductible or copayment that a patient, pursuant to a health insurance or health care policy, contract, or plan that covers the individual's services, otherwise would be required to pay.
(29) Failure to use universal blood and body fluid precautions established by rules adopted under section 4731.051 of the Revised Code;
(30) Failure to provide notice to, and receive acknowledgment of the notice from, a patient when required by section 4731.143 of the Revised Code prior to providing nonemergency professional services, or failure to maintain that notice in the patient's file;
(31) Failure of a physician supervising a physician assistant to maintain supervision in accordance with the requirements of Chapter 4730. of the Revised Code and the rules adopted under that chapter;
(32) Failure of a physician or podiatrist to enter into a standard care arrangement with a clinical nurse specialist, certified nurse-midwife, or certified nurse practitioner with whom the physician or podiatrist is in collaboration pursuant to section 4731.27 of the Revised Code or failure to fulfill the responsibilities of collaboration after entering into a standard care arrangement;
(33) Failure to comply with the terms of a consult agreement entered into with a pharmacist pursuant to section 4729.39 of the Revised Code;
(34) Failure to cooperate in an investigation conducted by the board under division (F) of this section, including failure to comply with a subpoena or order issued by the board or failure to answer truthfully a question presented by the board in an investigative interview, an investigative office conference, at a deposition, or in written interrogatories, except that failure to cooperate with an investigation shall not constitute grounds for discipline under this section if a court of competent jurisdiction has issued an order that either quashes a subpoena or permits the individual to withhold the testimony or evidence in issue;
(35) Failure to supervise an oriental medicine practitioner or acupuncturist in accordance with Chapter 4762. of the Revised Code and the board's rules for providing that supervision;
(36) Failure to supervise an anesthesiologist assistant in accordance with Chapter 4760. of the Revised Code and the board's rules for supervision of an anesthesiologist assistant;
(37) Assisting suicide, as defined in section 3795.01 of the Revised Code;
(38) Failure to comply with the requirements of section 2317.561 of the Revised Code;
(39) Failure to supervise a radiologist assistant in accordance with Chapter 4774. of the Revised Code and the board's rules for supervision of radiologist assistants;
(40) Performing or inducing an abortion at an office or facility with knowledge that the office or facility fails to post the notice required under section 3701.791 of the Revised Code;
(41) Failure to comply with the standards and procedures established in rules under section 4731.054 of the Revised Code for the operation of or the provision of care at a pain management clinic;
(42) Failure to comply with the standards and procedures established in rules under section 4731.054 of the Revised Code for providing supervision, direction, and control of individuals at a pain management clinic;
(43) Failure to comply with the requirements of section 4729.79 or 4731.055 of the Revised Code, unless the state board of pharmacy no longer maintains a drug database pursuant to section 4729.75 of the Revised Code;
(44) Failure to comply with the requirements of section 2919.171 of the Revised Code or failure to submit to the department of health in accordance with a court order a complete report as described in section 2919.171 of the Revised Code;
(45) Practicing at a facility that is subject to licensure as a category III terminal distributor of dangerous drugs with a pain management clinic classification unless the person operating the facility has obtained and maintains the license with the classification;
(46) Owning a facility that is subject to licensure as a category III terminal distributor of dangerous drugs with a pain management clinic classification unless the facility is licensed with the classification;
(47) Failure to comply with any of the requirement requirements regarding making or maintaining notes medical records or documents described in division (B) of section 2919.191 (A) of section 2919.192, division (c) of section 2919.193, division (B) of section 2919.195, or division (A) of section 2919.196 of the Revised Code or failure to satisfy the requirements of section 2919.191 of the Revised Code prior to performing or inducing an abortion upon a pregnant woman;
(48) Failure to comply with the requirements in section 3719.061 of the Revised Code before issuing for a minor a prescription for an opioid analgesic, as defined in section 3719.01 of the Revised Code;
(49) Failure to comply with the requirements of section 4731.30 of the Revised Code or rules adopted under section 4731.301 of the Revised Code when recommending treatment with medical marijuana.
(C) Disciplinary actions taken by the board under divisions (A) and (B) of this section shall be taken pursuant to an adjudication under Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, except that in lieu of an adjudication, the board may enter into a consent agreement with an individual to resolve an allegation of a violation of this chapter or any rule adopted under it. A consent agreement, when ratified by an affirmative vote of not fewer than six members of the board, shall constitute the findings and order of the board with respect to the matter addressed in the agreement. If the board refuses to ratify a consent agreement, the admissions and findings contained in the consent agreement shall be of no force or effect.
A telephone conference call may be utilized for ratification of a consent agreement that revokes or suspends an individual's certificate to practice or certificate to recommend. The telephone conference call shall be considered a special meeting under division (F) of section 121.22 of the Revised Code.
If the board takes disciplinary action against an individual under division (B) of this section for a second or subsequent plea of guilty to, or judicial finding of guilt of, a violation of section 2919.123 of the Revised Code, the disciplinary action shall consist of a suspension of the individual's certificate to practice for a period of at least one year or, if determined appropriate by the board, a more serious sanction involving the individual's certificate to practice. Any consent agreement entered into under this division with an individual that pertains to a second or subsequent plea of guilty to, or judicial finding of guilt of, a violation of that section shall provide for a suspension of the individual's certificate to practice for a period of at least one year or, if determined appropriate by the board, a more serious sanction involving the individual's certificate to practice.
(D) For purposes of divisions (B)(10), (12), and (14) of this section, the commission of the act may be established by a finding by the board, pursuant to an adjudication under Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, that the individual committed the act. The board does not have jurisdiction under those divisions if the trial court renders a final judgment in the individual's favor and that judgment is based upon an adjudication on the merits. The board has jurisdiction under those divisions if the trial court issues an order of dismissal upon technical or procedural grounds.
(E) The sealing of conviction records by any court shall have no effect upon a prior board order entered under this section or upon the board's jurisdiction to take action under this section if, based upon a plea of guilty, a judicial finding of guilt, or a judicial finding of eligibility for intervention in lieu of conviction, the board issued a notice of opportunity for a hearing prior to the court's order to seal the records. The board shall not be required to seal, destroy, redact, or otherwise modify its records to reflect the court's sealing of conviction records.
(F)(1) The board shall investigate evidence that appears to show that a person has violated any provision of this chapter or any rule adopted under it. Any person may report to the board in a signed writing any information that the person may have that appears to show a violation of any provision of this chapter or any rule adopted under it. In the absence of bad faith, any person who reports information of that nature or who testifies before the board in any adjudication conducted under Chapter 119. of the Revised Code shall not be liable in damages in a civil action as a result of the report or testimony. Each complaint or allegation of a violation received by the board shall be assigned a case number and shall be recorded by the board.
(2) Investigations of alleged violations of this chapter or any rule adopted under it shall be supervised by the supervising member elected by the board in accordance with section 4731.02 of the Revised Code and by the secretary as provided in section 4731.39 of the Revised Code. The president may designate another member of the board to supervise the investigation in place of the supervising member. No member of the board who supervises the investigation of a case shall participate in further adjudication of the case.
(3) In investigating a possible violation of this chapter or any rule adopted under this chapter, or in conducting an inspection under division (E) of section 4731.054 of the Revised Code, the board may question witnesses, conduct interviews, administer oaths, order the taking of depositions, inspect and copy any books, accounts, papers, records, or documents, issue subpoenas, and compel the attendance of witnesses and production of books, accounts, papers, records, documents, and testimony, except that a subpoena for patient record information shall not be issued without consultation with the attorney general's office and approval of the secretary and supervising member of the board.
(a) Before issuance of a subpoena for patient record information, the secretary and supervising member shall determine whether there is probable cause to believe that the complaint filed alleges a violation of this chapter or any rule adopted under it and that the records sought are relevant to the alleged violation and material to the investigation. The subpoena may apply only to records that cover a reasonable period of time surrounding the alleged violation.
(b) On failure to comply with any subpoena issued by the board and after reasonable notice to the person being subpoenaed, the board may move for an order compelling the production of persons or records pursuant to the Rules of Civil Procedure.
(c) A subpoena issued by the board may be served by a sheriff, the sheriff's deputy, or a board employee designated by the board. Service of a subpoena issued by the board may be made by delivering a copy of the subpoena to the person named therein, reading it to the person, or leaving it at the person's usual place of residence, usual place of business, or address on file with the board. When serving a subpoena to an applicant for or the holder of a certificate issued under this chapter, service of the subpoena may be made by certified mail, return receipt requested, and the subpoena shall be deemed served on the date delivery is made or the date the person refuses to accept delivery. If the person being served refuses to accept the subpoena or is not located, service may be made to an attorney who notifies the board that the attorney is representing the person.
(d) A sheriff's deputy who serves a subpoena shall receive the same fees as a sheriff. Each witness who appears before the board in obedience to a subpoena shall receive the fees and mileage provided for under section 119.094 of the Revised Code.
(4) All hearings, investigations, and inspections of the board shall be considered civil actions for the purposes of section 2305.252 of the Revised Code.
(5) A report required to be submitted to the board under this chapter, a complaint, or information received by the board pursuant to an investigation or pursuant to an inspection under division (E) of section 4731.054 of the Revised Code is confidential and not subject to discovery in any civil action.
The board shall conduct all investigations or inspections and proceedings in a manner that protects the confidentiality of patients and persons who file complaints with the board. The board shall not make public the names or any other identifying information about patients or complainants unless proper consent is given or, in the case of a patient, a waiver of the patient privilege exists under division (B) of section 2317.02 of the Revised Code, except that consent or a waiver of that nature is not required if the board possesses reliable and substantial evidence that no bona fide physician-patient relationship exists.
The board may share any information it receives pursuant to an investigation or inspection, including patient records and patient record information, with law enforcement agencies, other licensing boards, and other governmental agencies that are prosecuting, adjudicating, or investigating alleged violations of statutes or administrative rules. An agency or board that receives the information shall comply with the same requirements regarding confidentiality as those with which the state medical board must comply, notwithstanding any conflicting provision of the Revised Code or procedure of the agency or board that applies when it is dealing with other information in its possession. In a judicial proceeding, the information may be admitted into evidence only in accordance with the Rules of Evidence, but the court shall require that appropriate measures are taken to ensure that confidentiality is maintained with respect to any part of the information that contains names or other identifying information about patients or complainants whose confidentiality was protected by the state medical board when the information was in the board's possession. Measures to ensure confidentiality that may be taken by the court include sealing its records or deleting specific information from its records.
(6) On a quarterly basis, the board shall prepare a report that documents the disposition of all cases during the preceding three months. The report shall contain the following information for each case with which the board has completed its activities:
(a) The case number assigned to the complaint or alleged violation;
(b) The type of certificate to practice, if any, held by the individual against whom the complaint is directed;
(c) A description of the allegations contained in the complaint;
(d) The disposition of the case.
The report shall state how many cases are still pending and shall be prepared in a manner that protects the identity of each person involved in each case. The report shall be a public record under section 149.43 of the Revised Code.
(G) If the secretary and supervising member determine both of the following, they may recommend that the board suspend an individual's certificate to practice or certificate to recommend without a prior hearing:
(1) That there is clear and convincing evidence that an individual has violated division (B) of this section;
(2) That the individual's continued practice presents a danger of immediate and serious harm to the public.
Written allegations shall be prepared for consideration by the board. The board, upon review of those allegations and by an affirmative vote of not fewer than six of its members, excluding the secretary and supervising member, may suspend a certificate without a prior hearing. A telephone conference call may be utilized for reviewing the allegations and taking the vote on the summary suspension.
The board shall issue a written order of suspension by certified mail or in person in accordance with section 119.07 of the Revised Code. The order shall not be subject to suspension by the court during pendency of any appeal filed under section 119.12 of the Revised Code. If the individual subject to the summary suspension requests an adjudicatory hearing by the board, the date set for the hearing shall be within fifteen days, but not earlier than seven days, after the individual requests the hearing, unless otherwise agreed to by both the board and the individual.
Any summary suspension imposed under this division shall remain in effect, unless reversed on appeal, until a final adjudicative order issued by the board pursuant to this section and Chapter 119. of the Revised Code becomes effective. The board shall issue its final adjudicative order within seventy-five days after completion of its hearing. A failure to issue the order within seventy-five days shall result in dissolution of the summary suspension order but shall not invalidate any subsequent, final adjudicative order.
(H) If the board takes action under division (B)(9), (11), or (13) of this section and the judicial finding of guilt, guilty plea, or judicial finding of eligibility for intervention in lieu of conviction is overturned on appeal, upon exhaustion of the criminal appeal, a petition for reconsideration of the order may be filed with the board along with appropriate court documents. Upon receipt of a petition of that nature and supporting court documents, the board shall reinstate the individual's certificate to practice. The board may then hold an adjudication under Chapter 119. of the Revised Code to determine whether the individual committed the act in question. Notice of an opportunity for a hearing shall be given in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code. If the board finds, pursuant to an adjudication held under this division, that the individual committed the act or if no hearing is requested, the board may order any of the sanctions identified under division (B) of this section.
(I) The certificate to practice issued to an individual under this chapter and the individual's practice in this state are automatically suspended as of the date of the individual's second or subsequent plea of guilty to, or judicial finding of guilt of, a violation of section 2919.123 of the Revised Code. In addition, the certificate to practice or certificate to recommend issued to an individual under this chapter and the individual's practice in this state are automatically suspended as of the date the individual pleads guilty to, is found by a judge or jury to be guilty of, or is subject to a judicial finding of eligibility for intervention in lieu of conviction in this state or treatment or intervention in lieu of conviction in another jurisdiction for any of the following criminal offenses in this state or a substantially equivalent criminal offense in another jurisdiction: aggravated murder, murder, voluntary manslaughter, felonious assault, kidnapping, rape, sexual battery, gross sexual imposition, aggravated arson, aggravated robbery, or aggravated burglary. Continued practice after suspension shall be considered practicing without a certificate.
The board shall notify the individual subject to the suspension by certified mail or in person in accordance with section 119.07 of the Revised Code. If an individual whose certificate is automatically suspended under this division fails to make a timely request for an adjudication under Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, the board shall do whichever of the following is applicable:
(1) If the automatic suspension under this division is for a second or subsequent plea of guilty to, or judicial finding of guilt of, a violation of section 2919.123 of the Revised Code, the board shall enter an order suspending the individual's certificate to practice for a period of at least one year or, if determined appropriate by the board, imposing a more serious sanction involving the individual's certificate to practice.
(2) In all circumstances in which division (I)(1) of this section does not apply, enter a final order permanently revoking the individual's certificate to practice.
(J) If the board is required by Chapter 119. of the Revised Code to give notice of an opportunity for a hearing and if the individual subject to the notice does not timely request a hearing in accordance with section 119.07 of the Revised Code, the board is not required to hold a hearing, but may adopt, by an affirmative vote of not fewer than six of its members, a final order that contains the board's findings. In that final order, the board may order any of the sanctions identified under division (A) or (B) of this section.
(K) Any action taken by the board under division (B) of this section resulting in a suspension from practice shall be accompanied by a written statement of the conditions under which the individual's certificate to practice may be reinstated. The board shall adopt rules governing conditions to be imposed for reinstatement. Reinstatement of a certificate suspended pursuant to division (B) of this section requires an affirmative vote of not fewer than six members of the board.
(L) When the board refuses to grant or issue a certificate to practice to an applicant, revokes an individual's certificate to practice, refuses to renew an individual's certificate to practice, or refuses to reinstate an individual's certificate to practice, the board may specify that its action is permanent. An individual subject to a permanent action taken by the board is forever thereafter ineligible to hold a certificate to practice and the board shall not accept an application for reinstatement of the certificate or for issuance of a new certificate.
(M) Notwithstanding any other provision of the Revised Code, all of the following apply:
(1) The surrender of a certificate issued under this chapter shall not be effective unless or until accepted by the board. A telephone conference call may be utilized for acceptance of the surrender of an individual's certificate to practice. The telephone conference call shall be considered a special meeting under division (F) of section 121.22 of the Revised Code. Reinstatement of a certificate surrendered to the board requires an affirmative vote of not fewer than six members of the board.
(2) An application for a certificate made under the provisions of this chapter may not be withdrawn without approval of the board.
(3) Failure by an individual to renew a certificate to practice in accordance with this chapter or a certificate to recommend in accordance with rules adopted under section 4731.301 of the Revised Code shall not remove or limit the board's jurisdiction to take any disciplinary action under this section against the individual.
(4) At the request of the board, a certificate holder shall immediately surrender to the board a certificate that the board has suspended, revoked, or permanently revoked.
(N) Sanctions shall not be imposed under division (B)(28) of this section against any person who waives deductibles and copayments as follows:
(1) In compliance with the health benefit plan that expressly allows such a practice. Waiver of the deductibles or copayments shall be made only with the full knowledge and consent of the plan purchaser, payer, and third-party administrator. Documentation of the consent shall be made available to the board upon request.
(2) For professional services rendered to any other person authorized to practice pursuant to this chapter, to the extent allowed by this chapter and rules adopted by the board.
(O) Under the board's investigative duties described in this section and subject to division (F) of this section, the board shall develop and implement a quality intervention program designed to improve through remedial education the clinical and communication skills of individuals authorized under this chapter to practice medicine and surgery, osteopathic medicine and surgery, and podiatric medicine and surgery. In developing and implementing the quality intervention program, the board may do all of the following:
(1) Offer in appropriate cases as determined by the board an educational and assessment program pursuant to an investigation the board conducts under this section;
(2) Select providers of educational and assessment services, including a quality intervention program panel of case reviewers;
(3) Make referrals to educational and assessment service providers and approve individual educational programs recommended by those providers. The board shall monitor the progress of each individual undertaking a recommended individual educational program.
(4) Determine what constitutes successful completion of an individual educational program and require further monitoring of the individual who completed the program or other action that the board determines to be appropriate;
(5) Adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code to further implement the quality intervention program.
An individual who participates in an individual educational program pursuant to this division shall pay the financial obligations arising from that educational program.
Sec. 5153.16. (A) Except as provided in section 2151.422 of the Revised Code, in accordance with rules adopted under section 5153.166 of the Revised Code, and on behalf of children in the county whom the public children services agency considers to be in need of public care or protective services, the public children services agency shall do all of the following:
(1) Make an investigation concerning any child alleged to be an abused, neglected, or dependent child;
(2) Enter into agreements with the parent, guardian, or other person having legal custody of any child, or with the department of job and family services, department of mental health and addiction services, department of developmental disabilities, other department, any certified organization within or outside the county, or any agency or institution outside the state, having legal custody of any child, with respect to the custody, care, or placement of any child, or with respect to any matter, in the interests of the child, provided the permanent custody of a child shall not be transferred by a parent to the public children services agency without the consent of the juvenile court;
(3) Accept custody of children committed to the public children services agency by a court exercising juvenile jurisdiction;
(4) Provide such care as the public children services agency considers to be in the best interests of any child adjudicated to be an abused, neglected, or dependent child the agency finds to be in need of public care or service;
(5) Provide social services to any unmarried girl adjudicated to be an abused, neglected, or dependent child who is pregnant with or has been delivered of a child;
(6) Make available to the bureau for children with medical handicaps of the department of health at its request any information concerning a crippled child found to be in need of treatment under sections 3701.021 to 3701.028 of the Revised Code who is receiving services from the public children services agency;
(7) Provide temporary emergency care for any child considered by the public children services agency to be in need of such care, without agreement or commitment;
(8) Find certified foster homes, within or outside the county, for the care of children, including handicapped children from other counties attending special schools in the county;
(9) Subject to the approval of the board of county commissioners and the state department of job and family services, establish and operate a training school or enter into an agreement with any municipal corporation or other political subdivision of the county respecting the operation, acquisition, or maintenance of any children's home, training school, or other institution for the care of children maintained by such municipal corporation or political subdivision;
(10) Acquire and operate a county children's home, establish, maintain, and operate a receiving home for the temporary care of children, or procure certified foster homes for this purpose;
(11) Enter into an agreement with the trustees of any district children's home, respecting the operation of the district children's home in cooperation with the other county boards in the district;
(12) Cooperate with, make its services available to, and act as the agent of persons, courts, the department of job and family services, the department of health, and other organizations within and outside the state, in matters relating to the welfare of children, except that the public children services agency shall not be required to provide supervision of or other services related to the exercise of parenting time rights granted pursuant to section 3109.051 or 3109.12 of the Revised Code or companionship or visitation rights granted pursuant to section 3109.051, 3109.11, or 3109.12 of the Revised Code unless a juvenile court, pursuant to Chapter 2151. of the Revised Code, or a common pleas court, pursuant to division (E)(6) of section 3113.31 of the Revised Code, requires the provision of supervision or other services related to the exercise of the parenting time rights or companionship or visitation rights;
(13) Make investigations at the request of any superintendent of schools in the county or the principal of any school concerning the application of any child adjudicated to be an abused, neglected, or dependent child for release from school, where such service is not provided through a school attendance department;
(14) Administer funds provided under Title IV-E of the "Social Security Act," 94 Stat. 501 (1980), 42 U.S.C.A. 671, as amended, in accordance with rules adopted under section 5101.141 of the Revised Code;
(15) In addition to administering Title IV-E adoption assistance funds, enter into agreements to make adoption assistance payments under section 5153.163 of the Revised Code;
(16) Implement a system of safety and risk assessment, in accordance with rules adopted by the director of job and family services, to assist the public children services agency in determining the risk of abuse or neglect to a child;
(17) Enter into a plan of cooperation with the board of county commissioners under section 307.983 of the Revised Code and comply with each fiscal agreement the board enters into under section 307.98 of the Revised Code that include family services duties of public children services agencies and contracts the board enters into under sections 307.981 and 307.982 of the Revised Code that affect the public children services agency;
(18) Make reasonable efforts to prevent the removal of an alleged or adjudicated abused, neglected, or dependent child from the child's home, eliminate the continued removal of the child from the child's home, or make it possible for the child to return home safely, except that reasonable efforts of that nature are not required when a court has made a determination under division (A)(2) of section 2151.419 of the Revised Code;
(19) Make reasonable efforts to place the child in a timely manner in accordance with the permanency plan approved under division (E) of section 2151.417 of the Revised Code and to complete whatever steps are necessary to finalize the permanent placement of the child;
(20) Administer a Title IV-A program identified under division (A)(4)(c) or (g) of section 5101.80 of the Revised Code that the department of job and family services provides for the public children services agency to administer under the department's supervision pursuant to section 5101.801 of the Revised Code;
(21) Administer the kinship permanency incentive program created under section 5101.802 of the Revised Code under the supervision of the director of job and family services;
(22) Provide independent living services pursuant to sections 2151.81 to 2151.84 of the Revised Code;
(23) File a missing child report with a local law enforcement agency upon becoming aware that a child in the custody of the public children services agency is or may be missing.
(B) The public children services agency shall use the system implemented pursuant to division (A)(16) of this section in connection with an investigation undertaken pursuant to division (F)
(G)(1) of section 2151.421 of the Revised Code to assess both of the following:
(1) The ongoing safety of the child;
(2) The appropriateness of the intensity and duration of the services provided to meet child and family needs throughout the duration of a case.
(C) Except as provided in section 2151.422 of the Revised Code, in accordance with rules of the director of job and family services, and on behalf of children in the county whom the public children services agency considers to be in need of public care or protective services, the public children services agency may do the following:
(1) Provide or find, with other child serving systems, specialized foster care for the care of children in a specialized foster home, as defined in section 5103.02 of the Revised Code, certified under section 5103.03 of the Revised Code;
(2)(a) Except as limited by divisions (C)(2)(b) and (c) of this section, contract with the following for the purpose of assisting the agency with its duties:
(i) County departments of job and family services;
(ii) Boards of alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services;
(iii) County boards of developmental disabilities;
(iv) Regional councils of political subdivisions established under Chapter 167. of the Revised Code;
(v) Private and government providers of services;
(vi) Managed care organizations and prepaid health plans.
(b) A public children services agency contract under division (C)(2)(a) of this section regarding the agency's duties under section 2151.421 of the Revised Code may not provide for the entity under contract with the agency to perform any service not authorized by the department's rules.
(c) Only a county children services board appointed under section 5153.03 of the Revised Code that is a public children services agency may contract under division (C)(2)(a) of this section. If an entity specified in division (B) or (C) of section 5153.02 of the Revised Code is the public children services agency for a county, the board of county commissioners may enter into contracts pursuant to section 307.982 of the Revised Code regarding the agency's duties.
Sec. 5153.175. (A) Notwithstanding division (H)
(I)(1) of section 2151.421, section 5153.17, and any other section of the Revised Code pertaining to confidentiality, when a public children services agency has determined that child abuse or neglect occurred and that abuse or neglect involves a person who has applied for licensure as a type A family day-care home or type B family day-care home, the agency shall promptly provide to the department of job and family services any information the agency determines to be relevant for the purpose of evaluating the fitness of the person, including, but not limited to, both of the following:
(1) A summary report of the chronology of abuse and neglect reports made pursuant to section 2151.421 of the Revised Code of which the person is the subject where the agency determined that abuse or neglect occurred and the final disposition of the investigation of the reports or, if the investigations have not been completed, the status of the investigations;
(2) Any underlying documentation concerning those reports.
(B) The agency shall not include in the information provided to the department under division (A) of this section the name of the person or entity that made the report or participated in the making of the report of child abuse or neglect.
(C) Upon provision of information under division (A) of this section, the agency shall notify the department of both of the following:
(1) That the information is confidential;
(2) That unauthorized dissemination of the information is a violation of division (H)(I)(2) of section 2151.421 of the Revised Code and any person who permits or encourages unauthorized dissemination of the information is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree pursuant to section 2151.99 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 5153.176. As used in this section, "license" has the same meaning as in section 3319.31 of the Revised Code.
(A) Notwithstanding division (H)
(I)(1) of section 2151.421, section 5153.17, or any other section of the Revised Code pertaining to confidentiality, the director of a public children services agency shall promptly provide to the superintendent of public instruction information regarding the agency's investigation of a report of child abuse or neglect made pursuant to section 2151.421 of the Revised Code involving a person who holds a license issued by the state board of education where the agency has determined that child abuse or neglect occurred and that abuse or neglect is related to the person's duties and responsibilities under the license. The information provided by the director shall include the following:
(1) A summary of the nature of the allegations contained in the report of which the person is the subject and the final disposition of the investigation conducted in response to that report or, if the investigation is not complete, the status of the investigation;
(2) Upon written request of the superintendent of public instruction, the additional information described in division (C) of this section regarding the agency's investigation of the report, unless the prosecuting attorney of the county served by the agency determines that such information may not be released pursuant to division (B) of this section.
(B) Upon receipt of a written request from the superintendent of public instruction for the additional information described in division (C) of this section, the director shall determine if the prosecuting attorney of the county served by the public children services agency intends to prosecute the subject of the report based on the allegations contained in the report. If the prosecuting attorney intends to prosecute the subject of the report, the prosecuting attorney shall determine the information described in division (C) of this section that may be released, if any, and shall provide the director with written authorization to release the information so determined. The director shall provide the superintendent of public instruction with any information described in division (C) of this section that the prosecuting attorney determines may be released, but in no case shall the director provide any information that the prosecuting attorney determines shall not be released. If the prosecuting attorney does not intend to prosecute the subject of the report, the prosecuting attorney shall notify the director of that fact and the director shall provide all of the information described in division (C) of this section to the superintendent of public instruction.
(C) In accordance with division (B) of this section, the director shall provide information to the superintendent of public instruction regarding the public children services agency's investigation of the report described in division (A) of this section, including, but not limited to, the following:
(1) The following information about the alleged child victim of the abuse or neglect:
(a) Full name;
(b) Date of birth;
(c) Address and telephone number;
(d) Grade level;
(e) Name and contact information of the child's parent, guardian, or legal custodian;
(f) Name and contact information of any medical facility that provided treatment to the child, if the child was injured in connection with the abuse or neglect and if that information is available;
(g) A summary of interviews with the child or, if an entity other than the agency conducted the interviews, the contact information for that entity. The summary shall include an accounting of the facts and circumstances of the alleged abuse or neglect, including, but not limited to, the time and place that the abuse or neglect occurred.
(h) Copies of any written correspondence between the child and the alleged perpetrator of the abuse or neglect that was used by the agency to determine that abuse or neglect occurred, the release of which is not otherwise prohibited by law.
(2) The following information about the alleged perpetrator of the abuse or neglect:
(a) Full name;
(b) Date of birth;
(c) Address and telephone number;
(d) Name of school district and school building that employed the alleged perpetrator at the time the report was made;
(e) Name and contact information of any medical facility that provided treatment to the alleged perpetrator, if the alleged perpetrator was injured in connection with the abuse or neglect and if that information is available;
(f) A summary of interviews with the alleged perpetrator or, if an entity other than the agency conducted the interviews, the contact information for that entity. The summary shall include an accounting of the facts and circumstances of the alleged abuse or neglect, including, but not limited to, the time and place that the abuse or neglect occurred.
(g) Copies of any written correspondence between the alleged child victim and the alleged perpetrator that was used by the agency to determine that abuse or neglect occurred, the release of which is not otherwise prohibited by law;
(h) If the alleged perpetrator has been the subject of any previous reports made pursuant to section 2151.421 of the Revised Code where the agency determined that physical or sexual child abuse occurred, a summary of the chronology of those reports; the final disposition of the investigations conducted in response to those reports, or if an investigation is not complete, the status of that investigation; and any underlying documentation concerning those reports.
(3) The following information about each person, other than the alleged child victim and the alleged perpetrator, whom the agency has determined to be important to the investigation, except that the information shall not be provided about the person who made the report unless that person grants written permission for the director to release the information:
(a) Full name;
(b) Address and telephone number;
(c) If the person has been interviewed regarding the alleged abuse or neglect, a summary of those interviews or, if an entity other than the agency conducted the interviews, the contact information for such entity.
(D) Upon provision of any information to the superintendent of public instruction under this section, the director shall notify the superintendent of both of the following:
(1) That the information is confidential;
(2) That unauthorized dissemination of the information is a violation of division (H)
(I)(2) of section 2151.421 and section 3319.311 of the Revised Code and any person who permits or encourages unauthorized dissemination of the information is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree pursuant to section 2151.99 of the Revised Code.
If the director determines that the superintendent of public instruction or any person involved in the conduct of an investigation under section 3319.311 of the Revised Code committed, caused, permitted, or encouraged the unauthorized dissemination of any information provided under this section, the director shall provide written notification of the unauthorized dissemination to the prosecuting attorney of the county or the village solicitor, city director of law, or similar chief legal officer of the municipal corporation in which the unauthorized dissemination occurred. A copy of the notification shall be retained in the investigative record maintained by the public children services agency.
(E) The director shall include documentation of the information provided to the superintendent of public instruction under this section in the investigative record maintained by the public children services agency. The documentation shall include the following:
(1) A list of the information provided;
(2) The date the information was provided;
(3) If the superintendent of public instruction designates a person to receive the information on the superintendent's behalf, the name of that person;
(4) The reason for providing the information;
(5) If written authorization to provide the information is required from the prosecuting attorney under division (B) of this section, a copy of that authorization.
(F) No director of a public children services agency shall knowingly fail to comply with division (A) or (C) of this section.
(G) A director of a public children services agency who provides information to the superintendent of public instruction in accordance with this section in good faith shall be immune from any civil or criminal liability that otherwise might be incurred or imposed for injury, death, or loss to person or property as a result of the provision of that information.
(H) Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary in Chapter 4117. of the Revised Code, the provisions of this section prevail over any conflicting provisions of a collective bargaining agreement or contract for employment entered into after March 30, 2007.
SECTION 2. That existing sections 307.627, 2151.421, 2151.422, 2151.99, 2317.56, 2919.171, 2919.19, 2919.191, 2919.192, 2919.193, 3701.701, 4731.22, 5153.16, 5153.175, and 5153.176 of the Revised Code are hereby repealed.
SECTION 3. Section 2151.99 of the Revised Code is presented in this act as a composite of the section as amended by both Am. Sub. S.B. 17 and Sub. S.B. 137 of the 126th General Assembly. The General Assembly, applying the principle stated in division (B) of section 1.52 of the Revised Code that amendments are to be harmonized if reasonably capable of simultaneous operation, finds that the composite is the resulting version of the section in effect prior to the effective date of the section as presented in this act.
SECTION 4. All items in this section are hereby appropriated as designated out of any moneys in the state treasury to the credit of the designated fund. For all appropriations made in this act, those in the first column are for fiscal year 2016 and those in the second column are for fiscal year 2017. The appropriations made in this act are in addition to any other appropriations made for the FY 2016- FY 2017 biennium.
JFS DEPARTMENT OF JOB AND FAMILY SERVICES
| General Revenue Fund | |||
| GRF 600528 | Adoption Services State | $0 | $100,000 |
| TOTAL GRF | General Revenue Fund | $0 | $100,000 |
| TOTAL ALL BUDGET FUND GROUPS | $0 | $100,000 |
SECTION 5. Within the limits set forth in this act, the Director of Budget and Management shall establish accounts indicating the source and amount of funds for each appropriation made in this act, and shall determine the form and manner in which appropriation accounts shall be maintained. Expenditures from appropriations contained in this act shall be accounted for as though made in Am. Sub. H.B. 64 of the 131st General Assembly.
The appropriations made in this act are subject to all provisions of Am. Sub. H.B. 64 of the 131st General Assembly that are generally applicable to such appropriations.
SECTION 6. If any provisions of a section as amended or enacted by this act, or the application thereof to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the invalidity does not affect other provisions or applications of the section or related sections which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end the provisions are severable.
