(B)
Policy
In keeping with good personnel
management procedures and to guarantee equal employment opportunities to all,
applicants may not be hired for or promoted into positions in which they would
supervise or be subject to the immediate supervision of a member of their
immediate family.
This policy will be upheld regardless
of the sex of the relatives involved and will be equally applied to both males
and females.
If a proposed hire, promotion, marriage
or other action places an employee in supervision of another immediate family
member; the matter should be brought to the immediate attention of the
responsible vice-president. Easy accommodation of the situation may not always
be possible. Appointment of spouses or other members of the immediate family to
the same department is not necessarily nepotism, but employees may not
participate in career decisions on other members of their immediate
family.
Immediate family is defined as: spouse,
mother, father, son, daughter, brother, sister, mother-in-law, father-in-law,
son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, grandparent and
legal guardian or other person who stands in place of a parent.
(C)
Ohio
ethics law (general assembly of Ohio, 1973)
The Ohio Ethics Law was enacted in 1973
by the general assembly to insure the integrity of government and to improve
public confidence in government officials and employees. The following eleven
points describe the major provisions of the law:
(1)
Conflict of
interest.
The ethics law guards against public
officials and employees who would misuse their positions for personal gain or
benefit.
Section
102.03 of the Revised Code
prohibits persons appointed to or employed by a public agency now or within the
past year from appearing before that agency in a representative capacity, the
so-called revolving door. The section also prohibits the disclosure or use for
profit of confidential information acquired during public service, and
restricts participation in license or ratemaking proceedings where personal
benefits might be derived.
In addition, the section prohibits
public servants from using their positions to secure anything of value for
them.
Section
102.04 of the Revise Code
prohibits public servants, whether elected, appointed or employed, from
appearing before or selling goods and services to other agencies within the
same governmental entity. The section does, however, exempt non-elected public
officials and employees from the prohibition if they first declare their intent
in the form of a statement filed with both the agency with which they serve and
the agency with which the business is to be conducted.
(2)
Investigations.
The commission responds to complaints
and conducts its own investigations into alleged conflicts of
interest.
(3)
Confidentiality.
All matters concerning investigations
are confidential. If, after a hearing, a complaint is dismissed, the accused
person may ask that the matter be made public.
(4)
Hearings.
The commission conducts hearings on
complaints filed with it after it has been determined that the complaint is not
frivolous and that there is reasonable cause to believe the facts as alleged
would constitute a violation.
(5)
Report of
findings.
If the commission finds, based on a
preponderance of the evidence, that a public official has violated the ethics
law, the evidence is turned over to the appropriate prosecuting
authority.
(6)
Penalties.
Persons found guilty under the Ohio
ethics law may be fined a maximum of one thousand dollars or imprisoned up to
six months or both. Persons who are required to file a financial disclosure
statement but who fail to do so, face a maximum fine of two hundred
and fifty dollars and up to thirty days
imprisonment.
(7)
Financial disclosure.
All candidates for public office,
except those running for village, township or school board office, and all
elected officials, except those holding village, township or school board
office, are required to file a financial disclosure statement with the
appropriate ethics commission each year. Also, certain appointed state
officials are required to file a disclosure statement. The statement requires
that sources of income and other financial interests are disclosed. Most public
officials are required to file with their respective ethics commission by April
fifteenth of each year. Candidates are required to file thirty days prior to
the first election in which they appear. Statements are available from any
county board of elections or from the commission.
(8)
Public
inspection.
Financial disclosure statements on file
with the commission are open to public inspection and copies are available on
written request.
(9)
Special rules.
The Ohio ethics commission has adopted
two rules under its rule-making authority, which extend the financial
disclosure-filing requirement to certain classes of public officials. The first
such rule, EC-2, requires the chief administrative officers of about one
hundred state boards, commissions and other agencies to file an annual
statement. The second rule, EC-3, requires the members of the same boards,
commissions and other agencies to file a disclosure statement.
(10)
Four
ethics commissions.
The administration of the Ohio ethics
law is entrusted to four separate agencies, each having a distinct
jurisdiction. The house legislative ethics committee and the senate legislative
ethics committee are concerned with candidates for and members and employees of
the general assembly. The supreme court board of commissioners on grievances
and discipline is concerned with judicial officers, employees and candidates
for judicial office. The Ohio ethics commission has jurisdiction over all other
public officials, employees and candidates for public office under the purview
of chapter
one hundred and two
102 of the the Revised Code.
(11)
Advisory
opinions.
The commission issues advisory opinions
in response to questions relating to ethics, conflicts of interest and
financial disclosure.
Date: January 1, 2014
