Section 126.31 - Travel and other expenses(A) Any officer, member, or employee of, or consultant to, the general assembly, supreme court, court of appeals, court of claims, any agency of any of these, or any state university or college as defined in division (A)(1) of section 3345.12 of the Revised Code may be reimbursed for actual and necessary traveling and other expenses incurred while attending any gathering, conference, or convention, or while performing official duties, inside or outside this state, if authorized by the general assembly or by that court, agency, university, or college, respectively. Reimbursement shall be made in the manner, and at rates that do not exceed those, prescribed by law or, in the absence of such law, in the manner, and at rates that do not exceed those, established by the general assembly or by that court, agency, university, or college, respectively.(B) Any officer, member, or employee of, or consultant to, any state agency, other than a state agency described in division (A) of this section, whose compensation is paid in whole or in part from state funds may be reimbursed directly for traveling and other expenses incurred while the officer, member, employee, or consultant is attending any meeting, conference, retreat, convention, or similar gathering, or while the officer, member, employee, or consultant is performing official duties, inside or outside this state, if authorized by that state agency, or the provider of goods or services to the officer, member, employee, or consultant may be reimbursed directly for those traveling or other expenses. Notwithstanding any other statute to the contrary, reimbursement to the officer, member, employee, consultant, or provider shall be made in the manner, and at rates that do not exceed those, provided by rule of the director of budget and management adopted in accordance with section 111.15 of the Revised Code. Not later than the thirtieth day of September each year, the director of budget and management shall submit to the president and minority leader of the senate and the speaker and minority leader of the house of representatives a summary of all out-of-state travel expenditures reimbursed by any state agencies under this division during the preceding fiscal year.(C) The spouse of the governor may be reimbursed directly for the spouse's traveling and other expenses incurred while attending any meeting, conference, retreat, convention, or similar gathering to assist or serve the governor in the discharge of the governor's official duties, or while otherwise assisting or serving the governor in the discharge of the governor's official duties, inside or outside this state, if authorized by the governor, or the provider of goods or services to the governor's spouse may be reimbursed directly for those traveling or other expenses. Notwithstanding any other statute to the contrary, reimbursement made under this division is exclusively for the use and benefit of the governor's spouse and shall not be considered as inuring to the use or benefit of the governor for any purpose. Reimbursement shall be made in the manner, and at rates that do not exceed those, provided by rule of the director of budget and management adopted in accordance with section 111.15 of the Revised Code.(D) The director of budget and management may establish by rule adopted in accordance with section 111.15 of the Revised Code or by guidelines the allowable expenses a state agency may incur to host or sponsor any meeting, conference, retreat, convention, or similar gathering and the manner in which and the rates at which the state agency may incur those expenses. A state agency shall comply with any rule or guideline adopted under this division. This division does not apply to the general assembly, supreme court, court of claims, any agency of any of these, or any state university or college as defined in division (A)(1) of section 3345.12 of the Revised Code.
Effective Date: 9/29/1999.