Section 101.721. Disqualification as legislative agent for certain offenses

(A) No person shall be permitted to register as a legislative agent under division (A) or (B) of section 101.72 of the Revised Code if the person is convicted of or pleads guilty to committing on or after the effective date of this section any of the following offenses that is a felony:

(1) A violation of section 2921.02, 2921.03, 2921.05, 2921.41, 2921.42, or 2923.32 of the Revised Code;

(2) A violation of section 2913.42, 2921.04, 2921.11, 2921.12, 2921.31, or 2921.32 of the Revised Code if the person committed the violation while the person was serving in a public office and the conduct constituting the violation was related to the duties of the person's public office or to the person's actions as a public official holding that public office;

(3) A violation of an existing or former municipal ordinance or law of this or any other state or the United States that is substantially equivalent to any violation listed in division (A)(1) of this section;

(4) A violation of an existing or former municipal ordinance or law of this or any other state or the United States that is substantially equivalent to any violation listed in division (A)(2) of this section if the person committed the violation while the person was serving in a public office and the conduct constituting the violation was related to the duties of the person's public office or to the person's actions as a public official holding that public office;

(5) A conspiracy to commit, attempt to commit, or complicity in committing any violation listed in division (A)(1) or described in division (A)(3) of this section;

(6) A conspiracy to commit, attempt to commit, or complicity in committing any violation listed in division (A)(2) or described in division (A)(4) of this section if the person committed the violation while the person was serving in a public office and the conduct constituting the violation that was the subject of the conspiracy, that would have constituted the offense attempted, or constituting the violation in which the person was complicit was or would have been related to the duties of the person's public office or to the person's actions as a public official holding that public office.

(B) If a legislative agent has registered with the joint legislative ethics committee under division (A) or (B) of section 101.72 of the Revised Code and, on or after the effective date of this section and during the period during which the registration is valid, the legislative agent is convicted of or pleads guilty to any felony offense listed or described in division (A)(1), (2), (3), (4), (5), or (6) of this section in the circumstances specified in the particular division, the joint legislative ethics committee immediately upon becoming aware of the conviction or guilty plea shall terminate the registration of the person as a legislative agent, and, after the termination, the ban imposed under division (A) of this section applies to the person.

(C) The ban imposed under division (A) of this section is a lifetime ban, and the offender is forever disqualified from registering as a legislative agent under section 101.72 of the Revised Code.

(D) For purposes of divisions (A) and (B) of this section, a violation of section 2923.32 of the Revised Code or any other violation or offense that includes as an element a course of conduct or the occurrence of multiple acts is "committed on or after the effective date of this section" if the course of conduct continues, one or more of the multiple acts occurs, or the subject person's accountability for the course of conduct or for one or more of the multiple acts continues, on or after the effective date of this section.

(E) As used in this section, "public office" means any elected federal, state, or local government office in this state.

Effective Date: 2008 SB3 05-13-2008