Boards and Commissions - About

Notes for Users

The State Boards and Commissions Database published by the Legislative Service Commission (LSC) covers boards, commissions, councils, committees, task forces, authorities, and assorted other entities created by the General Assembly, the Ohio Constitution, or occasionally another governmental or quasi-governmental body, such as the Ohio Supreme Court and the Ohio History Connection.

The database generally does not cover (1) standing committees or subcommittees of the General Assembly, (2) entities created by federal law or executive order of the Governor, (3) entities associated with interstate compacts, (4) state cabinet departments, or (5) advisory boards that the directors of state cabinet departments, with the Governor's approval, may establish under R.C. 121.13 to aid in the conduct of the work of their departments.

The database was completely revised in 2018, and has been updated to reflect all enactments through December 2020. The database indicates the temporary or permanent nature of a covered entity and whether it is an ongoing entity, has expired after accomplishing its mission, or has been legislatively abolished. The database also indicates whether an entity is subject or not subject to "Sunset Review" by the General Assembly. In the latter regard, sections 101.82 to 101.87 of the Revised Code are relevant.

The twenty-one principal categories and explanations of the terminology the reader generally will find in each category are set forth in the following table:

Principal Category
Terminology
Name
Official name or a descriptive name of an entity
Status
Current; Abolished; or Expired
Type of Board
Permanent or Temporary
Authority
Citation to the law that authorizes the entity
Total Membership
Actual number, minimum or maximum number, or indeterminate number of entity members
Dates of Appointment
Specific date or other description of when one or more terms of office commence for an entity as best as can be determined from the authorizing law
Term Length
Specific number of years or other description of how long a term of office lasts
Ending Date of Term
Specific date or other description of when a term of office expires, as best as can be determined from the authorizing law
Report Requirements
Statement of any applicable report requirements
Chairperson
Generic description, (not an individual's name)
Qualifications
Required characteristics one or more members of an entity must possess.
Subject to Sunset Review
"Yes" indicates that the entity is subject to Sunset Review by the General Assembly[1]
Full-time
"Yes" indicates that service on the entity is a full-time responsibility
Restriction on Partisan Affiliation
"Yes" indicates that the entity is required to include members from different political parties
Senate Confirmation Required
"Yes" indicates that the Senate is required to confirm appointment for at least one member of the entity[2]
Expiration Date
A specific date or not applicable[3]
Appointment Authority
Governor; Speaker of the House of Representatives; President of the Senate; House Minority Leader; Senate Minority Leader; House or Senate Minority Leader makes recommendations only; other
Membership Composition
House members (at least one House member on an entity); Senate members (at least one Senate member on an entity); Legislators only (no members other than House or Senate members on an entity); Public members (at least one representative of the general public on an entity); State agency employees (at least one employee of a state agency on the entity); Statewide elected officials/department heads (e.g., Attorney General or Director of Administrative Services); Members with other stated qualifications (e.g., doctors, attorneys, certain association members, etc.); Other (members not falling into any of the other Membership Composition subcategories)
Compensation
Expenses only; no compensation; not specified; R.C. 124.12(J)[4]; specified salary; other[5]
Staff Assistance
Legislative Service Commission; Executive agency staff; none specified; own staff; other

For some boards, commissions, councils, committees, task forces, authorities, and other entities, more information may be set forth in the database under "Additional Information."

For many entities covered by the database, there likely are statutory provisions governing the entities' powers and duties beyond those cited under the "Authority" principal category. The database is updated periodically. Readers are cautioned to confirm the continued accuracy of the database's information pertaining to any particular entity by actually examining the "Authority" cited for that entity for any changes that may have occurred (legislatively or otherwise) since the last updating of the entity's database information. For each entity in the database, the date of the last updating of its information is noted.

Footnotes:
  1. Generally, an entity is "not subject to" Sunset Review for one of the following reasons: (a) it is excluded from the definition of an "agency" that is subject to that review in R.C. 101.82(A), (b) it is expressly excluded from Sunset Review by a provision in the law governing the entity, or (c) it has "expired" or been "abolished" by the General Assembly and, thus, does not exist to be reviewed under the Sunset Review Law (see "Expiration Date").
  2. In rare circumstances, House of Representatives' confirmation may also be required.
  3. If an entity is subject to Sunset Review by the General Assembly, but is otherwise permanent in nature, this date likely will be the date that the entity's authorization expires unless it is renewed by the General Assembly. Otherwise, the date may reflect an expiration date expressed in a specific law for the entity, or the date the entity is scheduled to expire under R.C. 101.62 (occupational licensing regulation).
  4. Under this statute, the Director of Administrative Services establishes, pursuant to specified pay schedules, the rate and method of payment of compensation for members of state boards and commissions who are not given compensation by another statute. Thus, if a statute creating a covered entity says nothing about compensation, it cannot automatically be presumed, because of R.C. 124.15(J), that the entity's members will not receive compensation; for they actually may receive compensation fixed by the Director under R.C. 124.15(J).
  5. "Other" includes the compensation of board members on a per diem basis.