benefit corporations
Since our last legislative update in March, Ohio’s legislators and staffers have been busy introducing more legislation. As of this morning, there are 332 bills that have been introduced by members of the Ohio General Assembly since January. Some have already passed both the Ohio House and Senate, but most are still pending. While we cannot write about every pending bill, the following bills relate to agricultural, local government, or natural resource law. In addition to these bills that we have not yet covered, see the end of this post for an update about bills we mentioned in our last blog post.
Tax
- Senate Bill 183, titled “Allow tax credits to assist beginning farmers.” Many agricultural news outlets quickly picked up on this bill. The bill would authorize two nonrefundable tax credits. One is for beginning farmers who attend a financial management program, while the other is for individuals or businesses that sell or rent farmland, livestock, buildings, or equipment to beginning farmers. The Ohio Department of Agriculture would be responsible for certifying individuals as beginning farmers and for approving eligible financial management programs. Click HERE for more information about the bill, and HERE for the current official bill analysis.
- House Bill 109, titled “Grant tax exemption for land used for commercial maple syruping.” The bill would exempt “maple forest land” from having to pay property taxes. The landowner would have to apply for the designation with the Ohio Department of Taxation. Eligible lands are those lands bearing a stand of maple trees where 1) an average of at least thirty taps are drilled each year into at least fifteen different maple trees per acre of land, 2) the harvested sap is incorporated into a maple product for commercial sale, 3) the land is managed under a forest land maintenance plan, and 4) the property has ten or more acres or the sap harvest produces an average yearly gross income of more than $2,500. Note that all four requirements must be met in order to qualify as an exempt maple forest land. Click HERE for more information about the bill.
Real property
- House Bill 103, titled “Change law relating to land installment contracts.” Ohio’s Land Installment Contract Law, which applies to contracts involving properties with a residence but not contracts involving only open farmland, would see some significant changes under this proposed legislation. The bill would shift the burden of paying property taxes and homeowner’s insurance from the buyer to the seller. The seller would also be prohibited from holding a mortgage on the property. The contract would have to include provisions stating that the seller is responsible for all repairs and maintenance on the property. Interest rates would also be capped so that the rate cannot exceed the Treasury bill rate for loans of the same length of time by 2%. For example, if a 5-year land installment contract is entered into on September 7th and the 5-year Treasury bill rate on that day is 2.64%, the interest rate for the land installment contract would not be able to exceed 4.64% under this bill. Click HERE for more information about the bill, and HERE for the current official bill analysis.
Estate planning
- House Bill 209, titled “Abolish estate by dower.” Dower provides a surviving spouse with rights in any real property owned by a decedent spouse. This bill would end dower estates moving forward, but any interests that vest before the change would take effect would still be valid. Click HERE for more information about the bill.
Local government
- Senate Bill 114, titled “Expand township authority-regulate noise in unincorporated area.” A board of township trustees is currently limited to regulate noise coming from either areas zoned as residential or premises where a D liquor permit has been issued. The bill would expand the township’s authority to regulate noise anywhere within the unincorporated territory of the township. However, the bill does not affect another section of the law that exempts agriculture from noise ordinances, so agricultural activities would not be subject to any new noise ordinances, should this law pass. Click HERE for more information about the bill, and HERE for the current official bill analysis.
- Senate Bill 12, titled “Change laws governing traffic law enforcement.” Notably for townships, this bill would prohibit township law enforcement officers or representatives from using a traffic camera on an interstate highway. Click HERE for more information about the bill, and HERE for the current official bill analysis.
Regulation of Alcohol
- House Bill 181, titled “Promote use of Ohio agricultural goods in alcoholic beverages.” The bill would authorize the Ohio Department of Agriculture to create promotional logos that producers of Ohio craft beer and spirits may display on their products. Specifically, the bill would authorize an “Ohio Proud Craft Beer” and an “Ohio Proud Craft Spirits promotion. Click HERE for more information about the bill.
- House Bill 160, titled “Revised alcoholic ice cream law.” Under current Ohio law, those wishing to sell ice cream containing alcohol must obtain an A-5 liquor permit and can only sell the ice cream at the site of manufacture, and that site must be in an election precinct that allows for on- and off-premises consumption of alcohol. This bill would allow the ice cream maker to sell to consumers for off-premises enjoyment and to retailers that are authorized to sell alcohol. Click HERE for more information about the bill.
- House Bill 179, titled “Exempt small wineries from retail food establishment licensing.” The bill would exempt small wineries that produce less than 10,000 gallons of wine annually from having to obtain a retail food establishment license in order to sell commercially prepackaged foods. The sales of the prepackaged foods cannot exceed more than 5% of the winery’s gross annual receipts. The winery would have to notify the permitting authority that it is exempt, and also notify its customers about its exemption. Click HERE for more information about the bill.
Energy
- House Bill 20, titled “Prohibit homeowner associations placing limits on solar panels.” The bill would prohibit homeowners and neighborhood associations, along with civic and other associations, from imposing unreasonable restrictions on the installation of solar collector systems on roofs or exterior walls under the ownership or exclusive use of a property owner. Condominium properties would similar be prohibited from imposing unreasonable restrictions where there are no competing uses for the roof or wall space where a solar collector system would be located. According to the bill analysis, an unreasonable limitation is one that significantly increases the cost or significantly decreases the efficiency of a solar collector system. Individual unit owners would also have the right to negotiate a solar access easement. Click HERE or more information about the bill, and HERE for the current official bill analysis.
- Senate Bill 119, titled “Exempt Ohio from daylight savings time.” The bill would require Ohio to observe Daylight Savings Time on a permanent basis effective March 8, 2020. The state’s clocks would spring forward in March, but there would be no falling back in the fall. Click HERE for more information about the bill, and HERE for the current official bill analysis.
As for the bills that we previously covered in our March legislative update, the following chart explains where those bills stand. Those that have passed at least one chamber have their passage status underlined in the column on the right. Those that have had at least one committee hearing list the number of hearings, while those that have not had any activity in committee state only the committee that the bill has been referred to from the floor.
Category |
Bill No. |
Bill Title |
Status |
Hemp |
SB 57 |
Decriminalize hemp and license hemp cultivation |
- Passed Senate - Completed first committee hearing in House |
Watershed Planning |
SB 2 |
Create state watershed planning structure |
- Referred to Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee |
Animals |
HB 24 |
Revise humane society law |
- Completed third committee hearing in House |
Animals |
HB 124 |
Allow small livestock on residential property |
- Referred to House Agriculture and Rural Development Committee |
Oil and Gas |
HB 55 |
Require oil and gas royalty statements |
- Completed first committee hearing in House |
Oil and Gas |
HB 94 |
Ban taking oil or natural gas from bed of Lake Erie |
- Referred to House Energy and Natural Resources Committee |
Oil and Gas |
HB 95 |
Revise oil and gas law about brine and well conversions |
- Referred to House Energy and Natural Resources Committee |
Mineral Rights |
HB 100 |
Revise requirements governing abandoned mineral rights |
- Referred to House Energy and Natural Resources Committee |
Regulations |
SB 1 |
Reduce number of regulatory restrictions |
- Completed three committee hearings in Senate |
Business Law |
SB 21 |
Allow corporation to become benefit corporation |
- Passed Senate - Completed first hearings in two separate House committees |
Animals |
SB 33 |
Establish animal abuse reporting requirements |
- Completed fifth committee hearing in Senate |
Local Gov’t |
HB 48 |
Create local government road improvement fund |
- Referred to House Finance Committee |
Local Gov’t |
HB 54 |
Increase tax revenue allocated to the local government fund |
- Referred to House Ways and Means Committee |
Property |
HB 74 |
Prohibit leaving junk watercraft or motor uncovered on property |
- Completed first committee hearing in House |
Tags: Ohio 133rd General Assembly, hemp, industrial hemp, animal welfare, oil and gas law, mineral rights, regulatory reform, corporations, benefit corporations, local government funding
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State lawmakers have been busy crafting new legislation since the 133rd General Assembly took shape in January. As promised, here are some highlights and summaries of the pending bills that relate to agriculture in Ohio:
- Senate Bill 57, titled “Decriminalize hemp and license hemp cultivation.” The Ohio Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee held a second hearing about the bill on March 13th, and numerous farm organizations spoke in support of the bill. As of now the language of the bill has not changed since we last discussed Ohio’s hemp bill in a blog post, but some changes could be made when the bill is sent out of the committee. Click HERE for more information about the bill, and HERE for the current official bill analysis.
- Senate Bill 2, titled “Create state watershed planning structure.” The one sentence bill expresses the General Assembly’s intent “to create and fund a comprehensive statewide watershed planning structure to be implemented at the local soil and water conservation district level.” It further expresses the intent “to provide authorization and conditions for the operation of watershed programs implemented by local soil and water conservation districts.” Click HERE for more information about the bill.
- House Bill 24, titled “Revise humane society law.” The bill would make various changes to Ohio’s Humane Society Law, including changes to enforcement powers, appointment and removal procedures, training, and criminal law applicability. One of the significant changes would expand to all animals the seizure and impoundment provisions that currently apply only to companion animals. This change would allow an officer to seize and impound any animal that the officer has probable cause to believe is the subject of a violation of Ohio’s domestic animal law. At the same time, the bill would remove certain provisions from current law that pertain to harm to people, thereby focusing the new law solely on the protection of animals. Click HERE for more information about the bill, and HERE for the current official bill analysis.
- House Bill 124, titled “Allow small livestock on residential property.” Under this bill, counties and townships would no longer be allowed to restrict via zoning certain noncommercial agricultural activities on residential property conducted for an individual’s personal use and enjoyment. Instead, owners of residential property that is not generally agricultural would be allowed to keep, harbor, breed, and maintain small livestock on their property. Small livestock includes goats, chickens and similar fowl, rabbits, and similar small animals. Roosters are explicitly excluded from this definition. However, the owner would lose his or her rights to keep small livestock if the small livestock create a nuisance, are kept in a manner that causes noxious odors or unsanitary conditions, are kept in a building that is unsafe as defined under the statute, or if the number of animals exceeds a certain ratio of animals to acres as defined under the statute. The ratio may be modified by the local jurisdiction to allow for more animals per acre. Click HERE for more information about the bill.
- House Bill 55, titled “Require oil and gas royalty statements.” Owners of oil and gas wells would have to provide mandatory reports to holders of royalty interests under this bill. Current law only requires disclosure of the information upon request, but this bill would make the disclosure mandatory. The bill would expand the types of information that the reports must include, and allows the holder of royalty interests to sue to enforce the new rights. Click HERE for more information about the bill, and HERE for the current official bill analysis.
- House Bill 94, titled “Ban taking oil or natural gas from bed of Lake Erie.” The Ohio Department of Natural Resources handles oil and gas permitting in Ohio, and this bill would bar the agency from issuing permits or making leases “to take or remove oil or natural gas from and under the bed of Lake Erie.” Click HERE for more information about the bill.
- House Bill 95, titled “Revise Oil and Gas Law about brine and well conversions.” The bill would ban the use of brine in secondary oil and gas recovery operations. It would also ban putting brine, crude oil, natural gas, and other fluids associated with oil and gas exploration in ground or surface waters, on the ground, or in the land. This restriction would apply even if the fluid received treatment in a public water system or other treatment process. Further, brine disposal permits would not be allowed to utilize underground injection or disposal on the land or in surface or ground water. Click HERE for more information about the bill.
- House Bill 100, titled “Revise requirements governing abandoned mineral rights.” Ohio has a statute that governs when a surface owner can take the mineral rights held or claimed by another by operation of law, essentially because of the passage of time. The bill would require a surface owner to attempt to give notice to a holder of mineral rights by personal service, certified mail, or if those are unsuccessful then by publication. Currently, if a holder of mineral rights believes that his or her interest remains valid, he or she may file an affidavit that complies with Ohio Revised Code (ORC) § 5301.56(H)(1) in the county property records. If the holder of mineral rights fails to file an affidavit, the surface owner may then file an affidavit under ORC § 5301.56(H)(2) that effectively vests the mineral rights in the surface owner. The new law would allow the surface owner to challenge a holder of mineral rights’ ORC § 5301.56(H)(1) affidavit. This process would require the surface owner to obtain a court determination that the affidavit is invalid. Then the surface owner would be able to file the new ORC § 5301.56(H)(3) affidavit to obtain the mineral rights. Click HERE for more information about the bill.
There are also some bills that could have some indirect implications in the agricultural and natural resources sectors. These indirect effects make this next set of bills noteworthy, or at least interesting.
- Senate Bill 1, titled “Reduce number of regulatory restrictions.” The bill would require each state agency to count its total number of regulatory restrictions, and then reduce the number of restrictions based on that baseline by 30% by 2022. Once an agency meets its reduction target, it would not be able to increase the number of regulatory restrictions without making additional cuts elsewhere. The bill would target agency rules that require or prohibit specific acts. Click HERE for more information about the bill, and HERE for the current official bill analysis.
- Senate Bill 21, titled “Allow corporation to become benefit corporation.” Much like the LLC merged the principles of a corporation and a partnership, the benefit corporation merges the principles of a corporation and a non-profit. A benefit corporation must follow the formalities of a corporation, but the articles of incorporation can designate a social purpose for the business to pursue, such as promoting the environment through sustainable practices. One of the unique traits of benefit corporations is that benefit corporations cannot be held liable for damages for failing to seek, achieve, or comply with their beneficial purpose, or even obtain a profit; however, certain individuals may seek a court ordered injunction to force the company to pursue those interests. In a sense, the benefit corporation reduces the traditional fiduciary duties expected in general corporations. The bill purports to maintain the traditional fiduciary duties, but by allowing a social purpose other than profit to guide decisions, the traditional fiduciary duties are in effect modified. Click HERE for more information about the bill, and HERE for the current official bill analysis.
- House Bill 33, titled “Establish animal abuse reporting requirements.” Under the bill, veterinarians and social service professionals would have to report their knowledge of abuse, cruelty, or abandonment toward a companion animal. Social service professionals would include licensed counselors, social workers, and marriage or family therapists acting in their professional capacity. Companion animals include non-wild animals kept in a residential dwelling, along with any cats and dogs kept anywhere. These individuals would be required to report the neglect to law enforcement, agents of the county humane society, dog wardens, or other animal control officers. Further, dog wardens, deputy dog wardens, and animal control officers would become mandatory reporters of child abuse. Lastly, the bill explains the information that must be reported, the timing, and the penalties for failure to comply. Click HERE for more information about the bill, and HERE for the current official bill analysis.
- House Bill 48, titled “Create local government road improvement fund.” The bill proposes to deposit into a new local government road improvement fund some of the surplus funds generated when the state spends less than it appropriates in the general revenue fund. Under current law, this surplus is split between the budget stabilization fund, also known as the “rainy day fund,” and the income tax reduction fund, which would redistribute remaining surplus to taxpayers. Click HERE for more information about the bill.
- House Bill 54, titled “Increase tax revenue allocated to the local government fund.” The bill would increase the proportion of state tax revenue allocated to the Local Government Fund from 1.66% to 3.53%. Click HERE for more information about the bill.
- House Bill 74, titled “Prohibit leaving junk watercraft or motor uncovered on property.” The bill would allow a sheriff, chief of police, highway patrol officer, or township trustee to send notice to a landowner to remove a junk vessel or outboard motor within 10 days. The prohibition applies to junk vessels, including watercraft, and outboard motors that are three years or older, apparently inoperable, and with a fair market value of $1,500 or less. Failure to cover, house, or remove the item in ten days could result in conviction of a misdemeanor. Click HERE for more information about the bill, and HERE for the current official bill analysis.
As more bills are introduced, and as these bills move along, stay tuned to the Ag Law Blog for updates.
Tags: Ohio 133rd General Assembly, hemp, industrial hemp, animal welfare, oil and gas law, mineral rights, regulatory reform, corporations, benefit corporations, local government funding
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