This letter transmits three amended rules and one rescinded rule regulating locally controlled regional child abuse and neglect prevention councils created statutorily by House Bill 64 of the 131st General Assembly. This language amends rules that the OCTF is required to adopt and rescinds that are obsolete and/or duplicative of the Ohio Revised Code. These rules will be effective July 1, 2021.

The following is a brief explanation of the amended rules:

Amended: OAC 5101:5-1-01 entitled “Regional prevention councils operation and regional prevention council member duties” removes sections of the rule which are duplicative of section 3109.179 of the Revised Code, including the Duties and structure of a regional prevention council, Officers and their duties, Compensation of council members, and Workgroups.

Additionally, the amended rule removes language that is obsolete and/or unenforceable, including the required adoption of Robert’s Rules of Order (2011), the process for minutes and agenda, the involvement of council members with acquiring county level data, and an attendance rule. The Robert’s Rules of Order is an obsolete requirement removing the local control of the council chair to regulate the councils in accordance with council-preferred operations. The processes for minutes and agenda are contract language included in OCTF’s agreement with the Regional Coordinating Entities and are unnecessarily placed within the Ohio Administrative Code. The involvement of council members with acquiring county level data is obsolete as the OCTF created a Data Dashboard responsible for this and council member involvement is no longer required. The attendance requirements are removed as obsolete and unenforceable as the requirements are applicable concurrently with council term limits. The requirements that councils must work within the OCTF online system is being removed as the online system does not exist.

The requirements pertaining to officer's duties, council meetings and notices, the council’s duty to engage the prevention plan, to serve on at least one workgroup, and to assist with the needs assessment are retained as applicable and relevant regulations.

Amended: OAC 5101:5-1-02 entitled “Regional prevention coordinator duties and selection process” provides guidance, in accordance with division (B) of section 3109.179 of the Revised Code, on the responsibilities of regional prevention coordinators including the selection of child abuse and child neglect regional prevention council chairpersons, the conducting of comprehensive needs assessments and the provision of management and administrative functions of the regional prevention councils and their workgroups. These provisions are rescinded as contract language not appropriate for Ohio Administrative Code. The rule is amended to provide guidance for situations in which a regional prevention coordinator is unable to continue and/or is not fulfilling its statutory obligations. The rule is amended to be entitled OCTF as regional prevention coordinator.

Amended: OAC 5101:5-1-03 entitled “Boards of county commissioners appointing of regional prevention council members” provides guidance, in accordance with division (A) of section 3109.179 of the Revised Code, on the manner in which boards of county commissioners are to appoint and reappoint child abuse and child neglect regional prevention council members.

This rule is amended to remove language duplicative of division (D) of section 3109.172 of the Ohio Revised Code.

Rescinded: OAC 5101:5-1-04 entitled “Regional prevention council designations” creates names, in accordance with division (B) of section 3109.179 of the Revised Code, for each of the eight child abuse and child neglect regional prevention councils established under division (B) of section 3109.172 of the Revised Code to serve the eight child abuse and child neglect prevention regions created and defined under section 3109.171 of the Revised Code.

This rule is rescinded as an unnecessary addition to the Ohio Administrative Code that only serves to name the regions, which can be updated in Ohio Revised Code, if necessary.

INSTRUCTIONS:

The following chart identifies the material that should be added to the Children's Trust Fund Manual (CTFMTL).