Ohio Revised Code
Chapter 4921 | Motor Carrier Authority and Permitting
Section 4921.21 | Public Utilities Transportation Safety Fund.

Effective: September 29, 2017
Latest Legislation: House Bill 49 - 132nd General Assembly
(A) As used in this section, "adjusted credit amount" means the aggregate amount credited to the public utilities transportation safety fund, less the sum of both of the following:
(1) The fees collected by the public utilities commission, in accordance with the unified carrier registration plan under section 4921.11 of the Revised Code, that exceed the federal certification of revenue for each year of the plan;
(2) The forfeitures collected by the commission under section 4923.99 of the Revised Code for violations of rules adopted under division (A)(2) of section 4923.04 of the Revised Code.
(B)(1) There is hereby created in the state treasury the public utilities transportation safety fund. The fees collected in accordance with the unified carrier registration plan under section 4921.11 of the Revised Code, the taxes and fees remitted under section 4921.19 of the Revised Code, the forfeitures imposed under section 4923.99 of the Revised Code, except as provided in division (B)(2) of this section, and the fines collected under section 4163.07 of the Revised Code shall be deposited into the state treasury to the credit of the public utilities transportation safety fund, until the adjusted credit amount in a fiscal year is equal to the total amount appropriated from the fund for the fiscal year. Once this point of parity is reached, any additional fees, taxes, forfeitures, or fines received during the fiscal year shall be credited to the general revenue fund, except as provided in division (B)(2) of this section, and except for the fees collected in accordance with the unified carrier registration plan under section 4921.11 of the Revised Code that exceed the federal certification of revenue for each year of the plan.
(2) The first eight hundred thousand dollars of forfeitures collected under section 4923.99 of the Revised Code, for violations of rules adopted under division (A)(2) of section 4923.04 of the Revised Code, during each fiscal year shall be credited to the public utilities transportation safety fund. Any forfeitures in excess of that amount shall be deposited into the general revenue fund. In each fiscal year, the commission shall distribute moneys from these forfeitures credited to the public utilities transportation safety fund for the purposes of emergency response planning and the training of safety, enforcement, and emergency services personnel in proper techniques for the management of hazardous materials releases that occur during transportation or otherwise. For these purposes, fifty per cent of all such moneys credited to the public utilities transportation safety fund shall be distributed to Cleveland state university, forty-five per cent shall be distributed to other educational institutions, state agencies, regional planning commissions, and political subdivisions, and five per cent shall be retained by the commission for the administration of this section and for training employees. However, if, in any such period, moneys from these forfeitures credited to the public utilities transportation safety fund equal an amount less than four hundred thousand dollars, the commission shall distribute, to the extent of the aggregate amount of those moneys, two hundred thousand dollars to Cleveland state university and the remainder to other educational institutions, state agencies, regional planning commissions, and political subdivisions.
(C) The purpose of the public utilities transportation safety fund shall be for defraying all expenses incident to maintaining the nonrailroad transportation activities of the commission.
(D) There is hereby created in the state treasury the federal commercial vehicle transportation systems fund. The fund shall consist of money received from the United States department of transportation's commercial vehicle intelligent transportation systems infrastructure deployment program. The public utilities commission shall use the fund to deploy the Ohio commercial vehicle information systems networks project and to improve safety of motor carrier operations through electronic exchange of data.
(E) There is hereby created in the state treasury the motor carrier safety fund. The fund shall consist of money received from the United States department of transportation for motor carrier safety. The commission shall use the fund to administer the state's motor carrier safety assistance program and associated grants, including the motor carrier safety assistance program basic grant, the incentive grant, the high priority grants, the new entrant safety assurance grant, the safety data improvement grant, or their equivalents.
(F) If the director of budget and management determines there is not sufficient money in the public utilities transportation safety fund, the director shall transfer money from the general revenue fund to the public utilities transportation safety fund in an amount up to the difference between the balance of the public utilities transportation safety fund and the appropriations from that fund. If the director subsequently determines during the fiscal year that the balance of the public utilities transportation safety fund exceeds the amount needed to support the appropriations from the fund, the director shall transfer the excess money, up to the amount of the original transfer, to the general revenue fund.

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