Bill Text: OH HB271 | 2011-2012 | 129th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: To create the Ohio Works Progress Administration, and to require the General Revenue Fund surplus revenue to be used for operation of the Ohio Works Progress Administration.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 21-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-06-21 - To Finance & Appropriations [HB271 Detail]

Download: Ohio-2011-HB271-Introduced.html

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As Introduced

129th General Assembly Regular Session 2011-2012

H. B. No. 271

Representatives Antonio, Foley 

Cosponsors: Representatives Hagan, R., Ramos, Celeste, Lundy, Murray, Barnes, Garland, Okey, Williams, Gerberry, Weddington, Boyd, Driehaus, Luckie, Letson, O'Brien, Stinziano, Pillich, Phillips 

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A BILL

To enact sections 6302.01, 6302.02, 6302.03, 6302.04,

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and 6302.05 of the Revised Code to create the Ohio

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Works Progress Administration, and to require the

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General Revenue Fund surplus revenue to be used

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for operation of the Ohio Works Progress

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Administration.

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BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

Section 1.  That sections 6302.01, 6302.02, 6302.03, 6302.04,	7
and 6302.05 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:	8

Sec. 6302.01.  The Ohio works progress administration (OWPA)	9
shall perform work for the public good, improve public property,	10
provide needed public services, and provide participants with work	11
experience. Examples of these purposes include:	12

(A) Planting, pruning, and cutting trees.

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(B) Litter removal.

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(C) Cleaning and repair of drainage ditches.

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(D) Roadway, waterway, and community beautification.

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(E) Demolition or renovation of foreclosed or abandoned	17
homes, or other properties, in the possession of the state or of a	18
political subdivision, for the purpose of preparing the property	19
for use by the state or a political subdivision, or for sale.	20

(F) Renovation of foreclosed or abandoned homes, or other	21
properties, in the possession of the state or of a political	22
subdivision, for the purpose of creating residential housing for	23
OWPA field workers.	24

(G) Assisting with an environmental remediation program	25
managed by the Ohio environmental protection agency or the United	26
States environmental protection agency.	27

(H) Designing, installing, and maintaining public art	28
projects.	29

(I) Providing basic home maintenance and repair services to	30
senior citizens.	31

(J) Providing home weatherization services to citizens.

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(K) Maintaining the grounds and facilities of public	33
cemeteries.	34

(L) Maintaining the grounds and facilities of public parks.

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(M) Development and maintenance of community gardens.

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(N) Lead paint abatement.

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Sec. 6302.02. There is the Ohio works progress	38
administration. The Ohio works progress administration may be	39
referred to by its initials, OWPA.	40

OWPA shall be administered by the director of OWPA, who shall	41
be appointed by the governor with advice and consent of the	42
senate. The director is entitled to a salary of seventy-five	43
thousand dollars per year.	44

The director shall appoint field workers under section	45
6302.03 of the Revised Code and other professional, technical,	46
clerical, and supervisory personnel as are necessary to achieve	47
the purposes of OWPA.	48

The director and the employees of OWPA are in the	49
unclassified service.	50

OWPA may apply for, and may receive and accept grants, and	51
may receive and accept gifts and contributions, from public and	52
private sources, including agencies and instrumentalities of the	53
United States and of this state, and shall deposit the grants,	54
gifts, or contributions into the Ohio works progress	55
administration fund.	56

Sec. 6302.03. (A) There shall be field worker positions in	57
OWPA. Application for a field worker position shall be in writing	58
and on a form prescribed by the director of OWPA. An individual	59
may be employed as an OWPA field worker if the individual meets	60
all the following qualifications:	61

(1) The individual is a resident of this state;

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(2) The individual is at least eighteen years of age;

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(3) The individual is unemployed, as that term is defined in	64
section 4141.01 of the Revised Code; and	65

(4) The individual has been awarded a high school diploma or	66
a certificate of high school equivalence issued for achievement of	67
specified minimum scores on the general educational development	68
test of the American council on education.	69

An individual may obtain a three-month exemption from the	70
educational requirement by providing a signed affidavit stating	71
that the individual is preparing to take the general educational	72
development test.	73

An individual may be employed as an artist field worker if	74
the director determines that the individual has skill and	75
experience as a fine artist in one or more media, including	76
painting, drawing, or sculpture.	77

The director may not rely on a person's prior conviction of a	78
felony as the sole reason for not employing a person as a field	79
worker.	80

(B)(1) A minimum of fifty field workers shall be employed in	81
each county, at least two of whom are artists. The artists may	82
engage in work projects to fulfill the public art purpose of OWPA.	83

The director shall establish policies and procedures for	84
assigning field workers to the several counties. The policies and	85
procedures shall be designed to achieve a gender and racial	86
demographic of OWPA field workers within a county that closely	87
matches the gender and racial demographic of the county.	88

(2) In addition to the field workers assigned to the several	89
counties, the director shall employ and assign to each county	90
supervisory personnel as are necessary to schedule, direct, and	91
supervise field workers. The supervisory personnel shall be	92
knowledgeable and experienced in the types of work projects that	93
the field workers under their supervision will be engaged in. The	94
supervisory personnel are responsible, under the director's	95
guidance, for identifying, and assigning field workers to, work	96
projects that fulfill the purposes of OWPA.	97

(C) The director shall procure housing in each county and	98
shall make the housing available to field workers. The housing	99
shall include necessary utilities for heat, water, and cooking.	100
Field workers residing in the housing are not obligated to pay	101
rent or to pay for the utilities. Field workers shall provide	102
their own food, necessities, and work clothing. Field workers who	103
choose not to live in the housing are not entitled to a housing	104
allowance. Field workers are responsible for their own	105
transportation to and from the OWPA job site to which they are	106
assigned.	107

(D) OWPA field workers are entitled to a salary of twenty	108
seven thousand five hundred dollars per year.	109

Sec. 6302.04.  The director of OWPA shall adopt rules under	110
Chapter 119. of the Revised Code on the following subjects:	111

(A) Standards to govern work assignments;

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(B) Job descriptions and responsibilities for professional,	113
technical, and clerical employees of OWPA, and for supervisory	114
personnel;	115

(C) Field worker standards of conduct;

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(D) Eligibility standards for senior citizens to receive	117
basic home maintenance and repair services from OWPA field	118
workers;	119

(E) Eligibility standards for citizens to receive home	120
weatherization services from OWPA field workers;	121

(F) Any other subjects that will help to achieve the purposes	122
of OWPA.	123

Sec. 6302.05.  There is the Ohio works progress	124
administration fund in the state treasury. The fund shall consist	125
of general revenue fund surplus revenue transferred to the fund,	126
and of gifts, grants, and contributions. Investment earnings of	127
the fund shall be deposited into the fund. The director shall use	128
money in the fund to operate OWPA.	129

Section 2. As used in this section, "surplus revenue" and	130
"required year-end balance" have the meanings defined in section	131
131.44 of the Revised Code.	132

Notwithstanding divisions (B) and (C) of section 131.44 of	133
the Revised Code, the Director of Budget and Management shall	134
determine the General Revenue Fund surplus revenue that existed on	135
June 30, 2011, in excess of the required year-end balance, and	136
transfer that amount from the General Revenue Fund to the Ohio	137
Works Progress Administration Fund.	138