As Introduced

134th General Assembly

Regular Session S. B. No. 295

2021-2022

A BILL

To amend sections 4111.02, 4111.08, 4111.10, 4111.13, 4111.14, 4111.99, 4112.01, 4112.02, and 4112.052 and to enact sections 4111.021, 4111.031, and 4112.025 of the Revised Code regarding wages, overtime, and other matters related to the employment of domestic workers.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

Section 1. That sections 4111.02, 4111.08, 4111.10, 4111.13, 4111.14, 4111.99, 4112.01, 4112.02, and 4112.052 be amended and sections 4111.021, 4111.031, and 4112.025 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:

Sec. 4111.02. ~~Every~~ Except as provided in section 4111.021 of the Revised Code, every employer, as defined in Section 34a of Article II, Ohio Constitution, shall pay each of the employer's employees at a wage rate of not less than the wage rate specified in Section 34a of Article II, Ohio Constitution.

The director of commerce annually shall adjust the wage rate as specified in Section 34a of Article II, Ohio Constitution.

No political subdivision shall establish a minimum wage rate different from the wage rate required under this section.

As used in this section, "employee" has the same meaning as in section 4111.14 of the Revised Code.

Sec. 4111.021. (A) As used in this section:

(1) "Domestic worker" has the same meaning as in section 4112.01 of the Revised Code.

(2) "Employer" means any person employing a domestic worker.

(B) Every employer shall pay each of the employer's domestic workers at a wage rate that is not less than the higher of the following:

(1) The highest wage rate calculated by the director of commerce in accordance with Ohio Constitution, Article II, Section 34a, and section 4111.02 of the Revised Code;

(2) The hourly basic minimum wage specified in section 206(a)(1) of the "Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938," 29 U.S.C. 206(a)(1).

Sec. 4111.031. (A) As used in this section:

(1) "Domestic worker" has the same meaning as in section 4112.01 of the Revised Code.

(2) "Employer" means any person employing a domestic worker.

(B) No domestic worker shall be required to work more than eight hours in a day for an employer. A domestic worker may work for more than eight hours in a day if the domestic worker agrees to work and is paid at an increased rate agreed on by the employer and the domestic worker for any amount of time worked in that day in excess of eight hours.

(C) No domestic worker shall be required to work more than forty hours in any week, or forty-four hours in a week if the domestic worker resides in the home of the domestic worker's employer, unless the domestic worker's employer compensates the domestic worker at a rate that is at least one and one-half times the worker's normal wage rate for any additional hours of work in excess of forty hours or forty-four hours, as applicable.

(D) Every domestic worker shall be allowed at least twenty-four consecutive hours of rest every calendar week. During that period of rest the domestic worker shall not be required to work for the employer. This rest period shall, whenever possible, coincide with the traditional day reserved by the domestic worker for religious worship. Except as provided in division (E) of this section, a domestic worker's employer shall not be required to pay the domestic worker for a period of rest described in this section.

(E) In addition to the rest period required by division (D) of this section, a domestic worker who has worked for the domestic worker's employer for more than a year shall be entitled to at least three days of rest in each calendar year for which the domestic worker shall be compensated by the employer at the domestic worker's normal wage rate.

(F) Nothing in division (D) of this section shall be construed to prohibit a domestic worker from agreeing to work during the domestic worker's rest period as described in that division, provided that the worker receives compensation for the work at a rate of at least one and one-half times the domestic worker's normal wage rate.

Sec. 4111.08. Every employer subject to section 4111.03 of the Revised Code with respect to employees, and every employer subject to section 4111.031 of the Revised Code with respect to domestic workers, or to any rule adopted ~~thereunder~~ under those sections, shall make and keep for a period of not less than three years a record of the name, address, and occupation of each of the employer's employees or domestic workers, the rate of pay and the amount paid each pay period to each employee or domestic worker, the hours worked each day and each work week by the employee or domestic worker, and other information as the director of commerce prescribes by rule as necessary or appropriate for the enforcement of ~~section~~ sections 4111.03 and 4111.031 of the Revised Code, or of the rules thereunder. Records may be opened for inspection or copying by the director at any reasonable time.

Sec. 4111.10. (A) Any employer who pays any employee less than wages to which the employee is entitled under section 4111.03 of the Revised Code, and any employer who pays a domestic worker less than wages to which the domestic worker is entitled under section 4111.031 of the Revised Code, is liable to the employee or domestic worker affected for the full amount of the overtime wage rate, less any amount actually paid to the employee or domestic worker by the employer, and for costs and reasonable attorney's fees as may be allowed by the court. Any agreement between the employee or domestic worker and ~~the~~ an employer to work for less than the overtime wage rate is no defense to an action.

(B) At the written request of any employee or domestic worker paid less than the wages to which the employee or domestic worker is entitled under section 4111.03 or 4111.031 of the Revised Code, respectively, the director of commerce may take an assignment of a wage claim in trust for the assigning employee or domestic worker and may bring any legal action necessary to collect the claim. The employer shall pay the costs and reasonable attorney's fees allowed by the court.

Sec. 4111.13. (A) No employer shall ~~hinder~~ do any of the following:

(1) Hinder or delay the director of commerce in the performance of the director's duties in the enforcement of sections 4111.01 to 4111.17 of the Revised Code, or refuse to admit the director to any place of employment, or fail to make, keep, and preserve any records as required under those sections, or falsify any of those records, or refuse to make them accessible to the director upon demand, or refuse to furnish them or any other information required for the proper enforcement of those sections to the director upon demand, or fail to post a summary of those sections or a copy of any applicable rules as required by section 4111.09 of the Revised Code. Each day of violation constitutes a separate offense.

~~(B) No employer shall discharge~~ (2) Discharge or in any other manner discriminate against any employee or domestic worker because the employee or domestic worker has made any complaint to the ~~employee's~~ employer, or to the director, that the employee or domestic worker has not been paid wages in accordance with sections 4111.01 to 4111.17 of the Revised Code, or because the employee or domestic worker has made any complaint or is about to cause to be instituted any proceeding under or related to those sections, or because the employee or domestic worker has testified or is about to testify in any proceeding.

~~(C) No employer shall pay~~ (3) Pay or agree to pay wages at a rate less than the rate applicable under sections 4111.01 to 4111.17 of the Revised Code. Each week or portion thereof for which the employer pays any employee or domestic worker less than the rate applicable under those sections constitutes a separate offense as to each employer.

~~(D) No employer shall otherwise~~ (4) Otherwise violate sections 4111.01 to 4111.17 of the Revised Code, or any rule adopted thereunder. Each day of violation constitutes a separate offense.

(B) The culpability sufficient to commit a violation of division (A) of this section is as follows:

(1) Negligence if the violation involves a domestic worker;

(2) Reckless if the violation involves an employee.

Sec. 4111.14. (A) Pursuant to the general assembly's authority to establish a minimum wage under Section 34 of Article II, Ohio Constitution, this section is in implementation of Section 34a of Article II, Ohio Constitution. In implementing Section 34a of Article II, Ohio Constitution, the general assembly hereby finds that the purpose of Section 34a of Article II, Ohio Constitution, is to:

(1) Ensure that Ohio employees, as defined in division (B)(1) of this section, are paid the wage rate required by Section 34a of Article II, Ohio Constitution;

(2) Ensure that covered Ohio employers maintain certain records that are directly related to the enforcement of the wage rate requirements in Section 34a of Article II, Ohio Constitution;

(3) Ensure that Ohio employees who are paid the wage rate required by Section 34a of Article II, Ohio Constitution, may enforce their right to receive that wage rate in the manner set forth in Section 34a of Article II, Ohio Constitution; and

(4) Protect the privacy of Ohio employees' pay and personal information specified in Section 34a of Article II, Ohio Constitution, by restricting an employee's access, and access by a person acting on behalf of that employee, to the employee's own pay and personal information.

(B) In accordance with Section 34a of Article II, Ohio Constitution, the terms "employer," "employee," "employ," "person," and "independent contractor" have the same meanings as in the "Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938," 52 Stat. 1060, 29 U.S.C. 203, as amended. In construing the meaning of these terms, due consideration and great weight shall be given to the United States department of labor's and federal courts' interpretations of those terms under the Fair Labor Standards Act and its regulations. As used in division (B) of this section:

(1) "Employee" means individuals employed in Ohio, but does not mean individuals who are excluded from the definition of "employee" under 29 U.S.C. 203(e) or individuals who are exempted from the minimum wage requirements in 29 U.S.C. 213 and from the definition of "employee" in this chapter.

(2) "Employ" and "employee" do not include any person acting as a volunteer. In construing who is a volunteer, "volunteer" shall have the same meaning as in sections 553.101 to 553.106 of Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations, as amended, and due consideration and great weight shall be given to the United States department of labor's and federal courts' interpretations of the term "volunteer" under the Fair Labor Standards Act and its regulations.

(3) "Employer" includes any person employing a domestic worker as defined in section 4112.01 of the Revised Code. "Employer" does not include a franchisor with respect to the franchisor's relationship with a franchisee or an employee of a franchisee, unless the franchisor agrees to assume that role in writing or a court of competent jurisdiction determines that the franchisor exercises a type or degree of control over the franchisee or the franchisee's employees that is not customarily exercised by a franchisor for the purpose of protecting the franchisor's trademark, brand, or both. For purposes of this division, "franchisor" and "franchisee" have the same meanings as in 16 C.F.R. 436.1.

(4) Subject to division (B)(5) of this section, "employee" does not include an individual who operates a vehicle or vessel in the performance of services for or on behalf of a motor carrier transporting property and to whom all of the following factors apply:

(a) The individual owns the vehicle or vessel that is used in performing the services for or on behalf of the carrier, or the individual leases the vehicle or vessel under a bona fide lease agreement that is not a temporary replacement lease agreement. For purposes of this division, a bona fide lease agreement does not include an agreement between the individual and the motor carrier transporting property for which, or on whose behalf, the individual provides services.

(b) The individual is responsible for supplying the necessary personal services to operate the vehicle or vessel used to provide the service.

(c) The compensation paid to the individual is based on factors related to work performed, including on a mileage-based rate or a percentage of any schedule of rates, and not solely on the basis of the hours or time expended.

(d) The individual substantially controls the means and manner of performing the services, in conformance with regulatory requirements and specifications of the shipper.

(e) The individual enters into a written contract with the carrier for whom the individual is performing the services that describes the relationship between the individual and the carrier to be that of an independent contractor and not that of an employee.

(f) The individual is responsible for substantially all of the principal operating costs of the vehicle or vessel and equipment used to provide the services, including maintenance, fuel, repairs, supplies, vehicle or vessel insurance, and personal expenses, except that the individual may be paid by the carrier the carrier's fuel surcharge and incidental costs, including tolls, permits, and lumper fees.

(g) The individual is responsible for any economic loss or economic gain from the arrangement with the carrier.

(5) A motor carrier may elect to consider an individual described in division (B)(4) of this section as an employee for purposes of this section.

(6) "Motor carrier" has the same meaning as in section 4923.01 of the Revised Code.

(C) In accordance with Section 34a of Article II, Ohio Constitution, the state may issue licenses to employers authorizing payment of a wage below that required by Section 34a of Article II, Ohio Constitution, to individuals with mental or physical disabilities that may otherwise adversely affect their opportunity for employment. In issuing such licenses, the state shall abide by the rules adopted pursuant to section 4111.06 of the Revised Code.

(D)(1) In accordance with Section 34a of Article II, Ohio Constitution, individuals employed in or about the property of an employer or an individual's residence on a casual basis are not included within the coverage of Section 34a of Article II, Ohio Constitution. As used in division (D) of this section:

(a) "Casual basis" means employment that is irregular or intermittent and that is not performed by an individual whose vocation is to be employed in or about the property of the employer or individual's residence. In construing who is employed on a "casual basis," due consideration and great weight shall be given to the United States department of labor's and federal courts' interpretations of the term "casual basis" under the Fair Labor Standards Act and its regulations.

(b) "An individual employed in or about the property of an employer or individual's residence" means an individual employed on a casual basis or an individual employed in or about a residence on a casual basis, respectively.

(2) In accordance with Section 34a of Article II, Ohio Constitution, employees of a solely family-owned and operated business who are family members of an owner are not included within the coverage of Section 34a of Article II, Ohio Constitution. As used in division (D)(2) of this section, "family member" means a parent, spouse, child, stepchild, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, or other member of an owner's immediate family.

(E) In accordance with Section 34a of Article II, Ohio Constitution, an employer shall at the time of hire provide an employee with the employer's name, address, telephone number, and other contact information and update such information when it changes. As used in division (E) of this section:

(1) "Other contact information" may include, where applicable, the address of the employer's internet site on the world wide web, the employer's electronic mail address, fax number, or the name, address, and telephone number of the employer's statutory agent. "Other contact information" does not include the name, address, telephone number, fax number, internet site address, or electronic mail address of any employee, shareholder, officer, director, supervisor, manager, or other individual employed by or associated with an employer.

(2) "When it changes" means that the employer shall provide its employees with the change in its name, address, telephone number, or other contact information within sixty business days after the change occurs. The employer shall provide the changed information by using any of its usual methods of communicating with its employees, including, but not limited to, listing the change on the employer's internet site on the world wide web, internal computer network, or a bulletin board where it commonly posts employee communications or by insertion or inclusion with employees' paychecks or pay stubs.

(F) In accordance with Section 34a of Article II, Ohio Constitution, an employer shall maintain a record of the name, address, occupation, pay rate, hours worked for each day worked, and each amount paid an employee for a period of not less than three years following the last date the employee was employed by that employer. As used in division (F) of this section:

(1) "Address" means an employee's home address as maintained in the employer's personnel file or personnel database for that employee.

(2)(a) With respect to employees who are not exempt from the overtime pay requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act or this chapter, "pay rate" means an employee's base rate of pay.

(b) With respect to employees who are exempt from the overtime pay requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act or this chapter, "pay rate" means an employee's annual base salary or other rate of pay by which the particular employee qualifies for that exemption under the Fair Labor Standards Act or this chapter, but does not include bonuses, stock options, incentives, deferred compensation, or any other similar form of compensation.

(3) "Record" means the name, address, occupation, pay rate, hours worked for each day worked, and each amount paid an employee in one or more documents, databases, or other paper or electronic forms of record-keeping maintained by an employer. No one particular method or form of maintaining such a record or records is required under this division. An employer is not required to create or maintain a single record containing only the employee's name, address, occupation, pay rate, hours worked for each day worked, and each amount paid an employee. An employer shall maintain a record or records from which the employee or person acting on behalf of that employee could reasonably review the information requested by the employee or person.

An employer is not required to maintain the records specified in division (F)(3) of this section for any period before January 1, 2007. On and after January 1, 2007, the employer shall maintain the records required by division (F)(3) of this section for three years from the date the hours were worked by the employee and for three years after the date the employee's employment ends.

(4)(a) Except for individuals specified in division (F)(4)(b) of this section, "hours worked for each day worked" means the total amount of time worked by an employee in whatever increments the employer uses for its payroll purposes during a day worked by the employee. An employer is not required to keep a record of the time of day an employee begins and ends work on any given day. As used in division (F)(4) of this section, "day" means a fixed period of twenty-four consecutive hours during which an employee performs work for an employer.

(b) An employer is not required to keep records of "hours worked for each day worked" for individuals for whom the employer is not required to keep those records under the Fair Labor Standards Act and its regulations or individuals who are not subject to the overtime pay requirements specified in ~~section~~ sections 4111.03 and 4111.031 of the Revised Code.

(5) "Each amount paid an employee" means the total gross wages paid to an employee for each pay period. As used in division (F)(5) of this section, "pay period" means the period of time designated by an employer to pay an employee the employee's gross wages in accordance with the employer's payroll practices under section 4113.15 of the Revised Code.

(G) In accordance with Section 34a of Article II, Ohio Constitution, an employer must provide such information without charge to an employee or person acting on behalf of an employee upon request. As used in division (G) of this section:

(1) "Such information" means the name, address, occupation, pay rate, hours worked for each day worked, and each amount paid for the specific employee who has requested that specific employee's own information and does not include the name, address, occupation, pay rate, hours worked for each day worked, or each amount paid of any other employee of the employer. "Such information" does not include hours worked for each day worked by individuals for whom an employer is not required to keep that information under the Fair Labor Standards Act and its regulations or individuals who are not subject to the overtime pay requirements specified in ~~section~~ sections 4111.03 and 4111.031 of the Revised Code.

(2) "Acting on behalf of an employee" means a person acting on behalf of an employee as any of the following:

(a) The certified or legally recognized collective bargaining representative for that employee under the applicable federal law or Chapter 4117. of the Revised Code;

(b) The employee's attorney;

A person "acting on behalf of an employee" must be specifically authorized by an employee in order to make a request for that employee's own name, address, occupation, pay rate, hours worked for each day worked, and each amount paid to that employee.

(3) "Provide" means that an employer shall provide the requested information within thirty business days after the date the employer receives the request, unless either of the following occurs:

(a) The employer and the employee or person acting on behalf of the employee agree to some alternative time period for providing the information.

(b) The thirty-day period would cause a hardship on the employer under the circumstances, in which case the employer must provide the requested information as soon as practicable.

(4) A "request" made by an employee or a person acting on behalf of an employee means a request by an employee or a person acting on behalf of an employee for the employee's own information. The employer may require that the employee provide the employer with a written request that has been signed by the employee and notarized and that reasonably specifies the particular information being requested. The employer may require that the person acting on behalf of an employee provide the employer with a written request that has been signed by the employee whose information is being requested and notarized and that reasonably specifies the particular information being requested.

(H) In accordance with Section 34a of Article II, Ohio Constitution, an employee, person acting on behalf of one or more employees, and any other interested party may file a complaint with the state for a violation of any provision of Section 34a of Article II, Ohio Constitution, or any law or regulation implementing its provisions. Such complaint shall be promptly investigated and resolved by the state. The employee's name shall be kept confidential unless disclosure is necessary to resolution of a complaint and the employee consents to disclosure. As used in division (H) of this section:

(1) "Complaint" means a complaint of an alleged violation pertaining to harm suffered by the employee filing the complaint, by a person acting on behalf of one or more employees, or by an interested party.

(2) "Acting on behalf of one or more employees" has the same meaning as "acting on behalf of an employee" in division (G)(2) of this section. Each employee must provide a separate written and notarized authorization before the person acting on that employee's or those employees' behalf may request the name, address, occupation, pay rate, hours worked for each day worked, and each amount paid for the particular employee.

(3) "Interested party" means a party who alleges to be injured by the alleged violation and who has standing to file a complaint under common law principles of standing.

(4) "Resolved by the state" means that the complaint has been resolved to the satisfaction of the state.

(5) "Shall be kept confidential" means that the state shall keep the name of the employee confidential as required by division (H) of this section.

(I) In accordance with Section 34a of Article II, Ohio Constitution, the state may on its own initiative investigate an employer's compliance with Section 34a of Article II, Ohio Constitution, and any law or regulation implementing Section 34a of Article II, Ohio Constitution. The employer shall make available to the state any records related to such investigation and other information required for enforcement of Section 34a of Article II, Ohio Constitution or any law or regulation implementing Section 34a of Article II, Ohio Constitution. The state shall investigate an employer's compliance with this section in accordance with the procedures described in section 4111.04 of the Revised Code. All records and information related to investigations by the state are confidential and are not a public record subject to section 149.43 of the Revised Code. This division does not prevent the state from releasing to or exchanging with other state and federal wage and hour regulatory authorities information related to investigations.

(J) In accordance with Section 34a of Article II, Ohio Constitution, damages shall be calculated as an additional two times the amount of the back wages and in the case of a violation of an anti-retaliation provision an amount set by the state or court sufficient to compensate the employee and deter future violations, but not less than one hundred fifty dollars for each day that the violation continued. The "not less than one hundred fifty dollar" penalty specified in division (J) of this section shall be imposed only for violations of the anti-retaliation provision in Section 34a of Article II, Ohio Constitution.

(K) In accordance with Section 34a of Article II, Ohio Constitution, an action for equitable and monetary relief may be brought against an employer by the attorney general and/or an employee or person acting on behalf of an employee or all similarly situated employees in any court of competent jurisdiction, including the court of common pleas of an employee's county of residence, for any violation of Section 34a of Article II, Ohio Constitution, or any law or regulation implementing its provisions within three years of the violation or of when the violation ceased if it was of a continuing nature, or within one year after notification to the employee of final disposition by the state of a complaint for the same violation, whichever is later.

(1) As used in division (K) of this section, "notification" means the date on which the notice was sent to the employee by the state.

(2) No employee shall join as a party plaintiff in any civil action that is brought under division (K) of this section by an employee, person acting on behalf of an employee, or person acting on behalf of all similarly situated employees unless that employee first gives written consent to become such a party plaintiff and that consent is filed with the court in which the action is brought.

(3) A civil action regarding an alleged violation of this section shall be maintained only under division (K) of this section. This division does not preclude the joinder in a single civil action of an action under this division and an action under section 4111.10 of the Revised Code.

(4) Any agreement between an employee and employer to work for less than the wage rate specified in Section 34a of Article II, Ohio Constitution, is no defense to an action under this section.

(L) In accordance with Section 34a of Article II, Ohio Constitution, there shall be no exhaustion requirement, no procedural, pleading, or burden of proof requirements beyond those that apply generally to civil suits in order to maintain such action and no liability for costs or attorney's fees on an employee except upon a finding that such action was frivolous in accordance with the same standards that apply generally in civil suits. Nothing in division (L) of this section affects the right of an employer and employee to agree to submit a dispute under this section to alternative dispute resolution, including, but not limited to, arbitration, in lieu of maintaining the civil suit specified in division (K) of this section. Nothing in this division limits the state's ability to investigate or enforce this section.

(M) An employer who provides such information specified in Section 34a of Article II, Ohio Constitution, shall be immune from any civil liability for injury, death, or loss to person or property that otherwise might be incurred or imposed as a result of providing that information to an employee or person acting on behalf of an employee in response to a request by the employee or person, and the employer shall not be subject to the provisions of Chapters 1347. and 1349. of the Revised Code to the extent that such provisions would otherwise apply. As used in division (M) of this section, "such information," "acting on behalf of an employee," and "request" have the same meanings as in division (G) of this section.

(N) As used in this section, "the state" means the director of commerce.

Sec. 4111.99. (A) Whoever violates division (A)(1) or ~~(D)~~ (4) of section 4111.13 of the Revised Code is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.

(B) Whoever violates division ~~(B)~~ (A)(2) or ~~(C)~~ (3) of section 4111.13 of the Revised Code is guilty of a misdemeanor of the third degree.

Sec. 4112.01. (A) As used in this chapter:

(1) "Person" includes one or more individuals, partnerships, associations, organizations, corporations, legal representatives, trustees, trustees in bankruptcy, receivers, and other organized groups of persons. "Person" also includes, but is not limited to, any owner, lessor, assignor, builder, manager, broker, salesperson, appraiser, agent, employee, lending institution, and the state and all political subdivisions, authorities, agencies, boards, and commissions of the state.

(2) "Employer" means the state, any political subdivision of the state, ~~or a~~ any person employing four or more persons within the state, any person employing a domestic worker, for purposes of section 4112.025 of the Revised Code, and any agent of the state, political subdivision, or person.

(3) "Employee" means an individual employed by any employer but does not include, except for purposes of section 4112.025 of the Revised Code, any individual employed in the domestic service of any person.

(4) "Labor organization" includes any organization that exists, in whole or in part, for the purpose of collective bargaining or of dealing with employers concerning grievances, terms or conditions of employment, or other mutual aid or protection in relation to employment.

(5) "Employment agency" includes any person regularly undertaking, with or without compensation, to procure opportunities to work or to procure, recruit, refer, or place employees.

(6) "Commission" means the Ohio civil rights commission created by section 4112.03 of the Revised Code.

(7) "Discriminate" includes segregate or separate.

(8) "Unlawful discriminatory practice" means any act prohibited by section 4112.02, 4112.021, or 4112.022, or 4112.025 of the Revised Code.

(9) "Place of public accommodation" means any inn, restaurant, eating house, barbershop, public conveyance by air, land, or water, theater, store, other place for the sale of merchandise, or any other place of public accommodation or amusement of which the accommodations, advantages, facilities, or privileges are available to the public.

(10) "Housing accommodations" includes any building or structure, or portion of a building or structure, that is used or occupied or is intended, arranged, or designed to be used or occupied as the home residence, dwelling, dwelling unit, or sleeping place of one or more individuals, groups, or families whether or not living independently of each other; and any vacant land offered for sale or lease. "Housing accommodations" also includes any housing accommodations held or offered for sale or rent by a real estate broker, salesperson, or agent, by any other person pursuant to authorization of the owner, by the owner, or by the owner's legal representative.

(11) "Restrictive covenant" means any specification limiting the transfer, rental, lease, or other use of any housing accommodations because of race, color, religion, sex, military status, familial status, national origin, disability, or ancestry, or any limitation based upon affiliation with or approval by any person, directly or indirectly, employing race, color, religion, sex, military status, familial status, national origin, disability, or ancestry as a condition of affiliation or approval.

(12) "Burial lot" means any lot for the burial of deceased persons within any public burial ground or cemetery, including, but not limited to, cemeteries owned and operated by municipal corporations, townships, or companies or associations incorporated for cemetery purposes.

(13) "Disability" means a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, including the functions of caring for one's self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working; a record of a physical or mental impairment; or being regarded as having a physical or mental impairment.

(14) Except as otherwise provided in section 4112.021 of the Revised Code, "age" means an individual aged forty years or older.

(15) "Familial status" means either of the following:

(a) One or more individuals who are under eighteen years of age and who are domiciled with a parent or guardian having legal custody of the individual or domiciled, with the written permission of the parent or guardian having legal custody, with a designee of the parent or guardian;

(b) Any person who is pregnant or in the process of securing legal custody of any individual who is under eighteen years of age.

(16)(a) Except as provided in division (A)(16)(b) of this section, "physical or mental impairment" includes any of the following:

(i) Any physiological disorder or condition, cosmetic disfigurement, or anatomical loss affecting one or more of the following body systems: neurological; musculoskeletal; special sense organs; respiratory, including speech organs; cardiovascular; reproductive; digestive; genito-urinary; hemic and lymphatic; skin; and endocrine;

(ii) Any mental or psychological disorder, including, but not limited to, intellectual disability, organic brain syndrome, emotional or mental illness, and specific learning disabilities;

(iii) Diseases and conditions, including, but not limited to, orthopedic, visual, speech, and hearing impairments, cerebral palsy, autism, epilepsy, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, human immunodeficiency virus infection, intellectual disability, emotional illness, drug addiction, and alcoholism.

(b) "Physical or mental impairment" does not include any of the following:

(i) Homosexuality and bisexuality;

(ii) Transvestism, transsexualism, pedophilia, exhibitionism, voyeurism, gender identity disorders not resulting from physical impairments, or other sexual behavior disorders;

(iii) Compulsive gambling, kleptomania, or pyromania;

(iv) Psychoactive substance use disorders resulting from the current illegal use of a controlled substance or the current use of alcoholic beverages.

(17) "Dwelling unit" means a single unit of residence for a family of one or more persons.

(18) "Common use areas" means rooms, spaces, or elements inside or outside a building that are made available for the use of residents of the building or their guests, and includes, but is not limited to, hallways, lounges, lobbies, laundry rooms, refuse rooms, mail rooms, recreational areas, and passageways among and between buildings.

(19) "Public use areas" means interior or exterior rooms or spaces of a privately or publicly owned building that are made available to the general public.

(20) "Controlled substance" has the same meaning as in section 3719.01 of the Revised Code.

(21) "Disabled tenant" means a tenant or prospective tenant who is a person with a disability.

(22) "Military status" means a person's status in "service in the uniformed services" as defined in section 5923.05 of the Revised Code.

(23) "Aggrieved person" includes both of the following:

(a) Any person who claims to have been injured by any unlawful discriminatory practice described in division (H) of section 4112.02 of the Revised Code;

(b) Any person who believes that the person will be injured by any unlawful discriminatory practice described in division (H) of section 4112.02 of the Revised Code that is about to occur.

(24) "Unlawful discriminatory practice relating to employment" means both of the following:

(a) An unlawful discriminatory practice that is prohibited by division (A), (B), (C), (D), (E), or (F) of section 4112.02 or by section 4112.025 of the Revised Code;

(b) An unlawful discriminatory practice that is prohibited by division (I) or (J) of section 4112.02 of the Revised Code that is related to employment.

(25) "Notice of right to sue" means a notice sent by the commission to a person who files a charge under section 4112.051 of the Revised Code that states that the person who filed the charge may bring a civil action related to the charge pursuant to section 4112.052 or 4112.14 of the Revised Code, in accordance with section 4112.052 of the Revised Code.

(26) "Domestic worker" means a person employed in a home or residence for the purpose of caring for a child; serving as a companion for a sick, convalescing, or elderly person; or housekeeping; or for any other domestic service purpose. "Domestic worker" does not include any of the following:

(a) An individual who is working on a casual basis, as defined in section 4111.14 of the Revised Code;

(b) An individual who is engaged in providing companionship services, as defined in 29 C.F.R. 552.6, and who is employed by an employer or agency other than the family or household for which the individual is providing services;

(i) The employer;

(ii) The person for whom the individual is providing services under a program funded or administered by the federal or state government or a local government.

(B) For the purposes of divisions (A) to (F) of section 4112.02 of the Revised Code, the terms "because of sex" and "on the basis of sex" include, but are not limited to, because of or on the basis of pregnancy, any illness arising out of and occurring during the course of a pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. Women affected by pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions shall be treated the same for all employment-related purposes, including receipt of benefits under fringe benefit programs, as other persons not so affected but similar in their ability or inability to work, and nothing in division (B) of section 4111.17 of the Revised Code shall be interpreted to permit otherwise. This division shall not be construed to require an employer to pay for health insurance benefits for abortion, except where the life of the mother would be endangered if the fetus were carried to term or except where medical complications have arisen from the abortion, provided that nothing in this division precludes an employer from providing abortion benefits or otherwise affects bargaining agreements in regard to abortion.

Sec. 4112.02. It shall be an unlawful discriminatory practice:

(A) For any employer, because of the race, color, religion, sex, military status, national origin, disability, age, or ancestry of any person, to discharge without just cause, to refuse to hire, or otherwise to discriminate against that person with respect to hire, tenure, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, or any matter directly or indirectly related to employment.

(B) For an employment agency or personnel placement service, because of race, color, religion, sex, military status, national origin, disability, age, or ancestry, to do any of the following:

(1) Refuse or fail to accept, register, classify properly, or refer for employment, or otherwise discriminate against any person;

(2) Comply with a request from an employer for referral of applicants for employment if the request directly or indirectly indicates that the employer fails to comply with the provisions of sections 4112.01 to 4112.07 of the Revised Code.

(1) Limit or classify its membership on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, military status, national origin, disability, age, or ancestry;

(2) Discriminate against, limit the employment opportunities of, or otherwise adversely affect the employment status, wages, hours, or employment conditions of any person as an employee because of race, color, religion, sex, military status, national origin, disability, age, or ancestry.

(D) For any employer, labor organization, or joint labor-management committee controlling apprentice training programs to discriminate against any person because of race, color, religion, sex, military status, national origin, disability, or ancestry in admission to, or employment in, any program established to provide apprentice training.

(E) Except where based on a bona fide occupational qualification certified in advance by the commission, for any employer, employment agency, personnel placement service, or labor organization, prior to employment or admission to membership, to do any of the following:

(1) Elicit or attempt to elicit any information concerning the race, color, religion, sex, military status, national origin, disability, age, or ancestry of an applicant for employment or membership;

(2) Make or keep a record of the race, color, religion, sex, military status, national origin, disability, age, or ancestry of any applicant for employment or membership;

(3) Use any form of application for employment, or personnel or membership blank, seeking to elicit information regarding race, color, religion, sex, military status, national origin, disability, age, or ancestry; but an employer holding a contract containing a nondiscrimination clause with the government of the United States, or any department or agency of that government, may require an employee or applicant for employment to furnish documentary proof of United States citizenship and may retain that proof in the employer's personnel records and may use photographic or fingerprint identification for security purposes;

(4) Print or publish or cause to be printed or published any notice or advertisement relating to employment or membership indicating any preference, limitation, specification, or discrimination, based upon race, color, religion, sex, military status, national origin, disability, age, or ancestry;

(5) Announce or follow a policy of denying or limiting, through a quota system or otherwise, employment or membership opportunities of any group because of the race, color, religion, sex, military status, national origin, disability, age, or ancestry of that group;

(6) Utilize in the recruitment or hiring of persons any employment agency, personnel placement service, training school or center, labor organization, or any other employee-referring source known to discriminate against persons because of their race, color, religion, sex, military status, national origin, disability, age, or ancestry.

(F) For any person seeking employment to publish or cause to be published any advertisement that specifies or in any manner indicates that person's race, color, religion, sex, military status, national origin, disability, age, or ancestry, or expresses a limitation or preference as to the race, color, religion, sex, military status, national origin, disability, age, or ancestry of any prospective employer.

(G) For any proprietor or any employee, keeper, or manager of a place of public accommodation to deny to any person, except for reasons applicable alike to all persons regardless of race, color, religion, sex, military status, national origin, disability, age, or ancestry, the full enjoyment of the accommodations, advantages, facilities, or privileges of the place of public accommodation.

(H) Subject to section 4112.024 of the Revised Code, for any person to do any of the following:

(1) Refuse to sell, transfer, assign, rent, lease, sublease, or finance housing accommodations, refuse to negotiate for the sale or rental of housing accommodations, or otherwise deny or make unavailable housing accommodations because of race, color, religion, sex, military status, familial status, ancestry, disability, or national origin;

(2) Represent to any person that housing accommodations are not available for inspection, sale, or rental, when in fact they are available, because of race, color, religion, sex, military status, familial status, ancestry, disability, or national origin;

(3) Discriminate against any person in the making or purchasing of loans or the provision of other financial assistance for the acquisition, construction, rehabilitation, repair, or maintenance of housing accommodations, or any person in the making or purchasing of loans or the provision of other financial assistance that is secured by residential real estate, because of race, color, religion, sex, military status, familial status, ancestry, disability, or national origin or because of the racial composition of the neighborhood in which the housing accommodations are located, provided that the person, whether an individual, corporation, or association of any type, lends money as one of the principal aspects or incident to the person's principal business and not only as a part of the purchase price of an owner-occupied residence the person is selling nor merely casually or occasionally to a relative or friend;

(4) Discriminate against any person in the terms or conditions of selling, transferring, assigning, renting, leasing, or subleasing any housing accommodations or in furnishing facilities, services, or privileges in connection with the ownership, occupancy, or use of any housing accommodations, including the sale of fire, extended coverage, or homeowners insurance, because of race, color, religion, sex, military status, familial status, ancestry, disability, or national origin or because of the racial composition of the neighborhood in which the housing accommodations are located;

(5) Discriminate against any person in the terms or conditions of any loan of money, whether or not secured by mortgage or otherwise, for the acquisition, construction, rehabilitation, repair, or maintenance of housing accommodations because of race, color, religion, sex, military status, familial status, ancestry, disability, or national origin or because of the racial composition of the neighborhood in which the housing accommodations are located;

(6) Refuse to consider without prejudice the combined income of both husband and wife for the purpose of extending mortgage credit to a married couple or either member of a married couple;

(7) Print, publish, or circulate any statement or advertisement, or make or cause to be made any statement or advertisement, relating to the sale, transfer, assignment, rental, lease, sublease, or acquisition of any housing accommodations, or relating to the loan of money, whether or not secured by mortgage or otherwise, for the acquisition, construction, rehabilitation, repair, or maintenance of housing accommodations, that indicates any preference, limitation, specification, or discrimination based upon race, color, religion, sex, military status, familial status, ancestry, disability, or national origin, or an intention to make any such preference, limitation, specification, or discrimination;

(8) Except as otherwise provided in division (H)(8) or (17) of this section, make any inquiry, elicit any information, make or keep any record, or use any form of application containing questions or entries concerning race, color, religion, sex, military status, familial status, ancestry, disability, or national origin in connection with the sale or lease of any housing accommodations or the loan of any money, whether or not secured by mortgage or otherwise, for the acquisition, construction, rehabilitation, repair, or maintenance of housing accommodations. Any person may make inquiries, and make and keep records, concerning race, color, religion, sex, military status, familial status, ancestry, disability, or national origin for the purpose of monitoring compliance with this chapter.

(9) Include in any transfer, rental, or lease of housing accommodations any restrictive covenant, or honor or exercise, or attempt to honor or exercise, any restrictive covenant;

(10) Induce or solicit, or attempt to induce or solicit, a housing accommodations listing, sale, or transaction by representing that a change has occurred or may occur with respect to the racial, religious, sexual, military status, familial status, or ethnic composition of the block, neighborhood, or other area in which the housing accommodations are located, or induce or solicit, or attempt to induce or solicit, a housing accommodations listing, sale, or transaction by representing that the presence or anticipated presence of persons of any race, color, religion, sex, military status, familial status, ancestry, disability, or national origin, in the block, neighborhood, or other area will or may have results including, but not limited to, the following:

(a) The lowering of property values;

(b) A change in the racial, religious, sexual, military status, familial status, or ethnic composition of the block, neighborhood, or other area;

(d) A decline in the quality of the schools serving the block, neighborhood, or other area.

(11) Deny any person access to or membership or participation in any multiple-listing service, real estate brokers' organization, or other service, organization, or facility relating to the business of selling or renting housing accommodations, or discriminate against any person in the terms or conditions of that access, membership, or participation, on account of race, color, religion, sex, military status, familial status, national origin, disability, or ancestry;

(12) Coerce, intimidate, threaten, or interfere with any person in the exercise or enjoyment of, or on account of that person's having exercised or enjoyed or having aided or encouraged any other person in the exercise or enjoyment of, any right granted or protected by division (H) of this section;

(13) Discourage or attempt to discourage the purchase by a prospective purchaser of housing accommodations, by representing that any block, neighborhood, or other area has undergone or might undergo a change with respect to its religious, racial, sexual, military status, familial status, or ethnic composition;

(14) Refuse to sell, transfer, assign, rent, lease, sublease, or finance, or otherwise deny or withhold, a burial lot from any person because of the race, color, sex, military status, familial status, age, ancestry, disability, or national origin of any prospective owner or user of the lot;

(15) Discriminate in the sale or rental of, or otherwise make unavailable or deny, housing accommodations to any buyer or renter because of a disability of any of the following:

(a) The buyer or renter;

(b) A person residing in or intending to reside in the housing accommodations after they are sold, rented, or made available;

(16) Discriminate in the terms, conditions, or privileges of the sale or rental of housing accommodations to any person or in the provision of services or facilities to any person in connection with the housing accommodations because of a disability of any of the following:

(a) That person;

(b) A person residing in or intending to reside in the housing accommodations after they are sold, rented, or made available;

(17) Except as otherwise provided in division (H)(17) of this section, make an inquiry to determine whether an applicant for the sale or rental of housing accommodations, a person residing in or intending to reside in the housing accommodations after they are sold, rented, or made available, or any individual associated with that person has a disability, or make an inquiry to determine the nature or severity of a disability of the applicant or such a person or individual. The following inquiries may be made of all applicants for the sale or rental of housing accommodations, regardless of whether they have disabilities:

(a) An inquiry into an applicant's ability to meet the requirements of ownership or tenancy;

(b) An inquiry to determine whether an applicant is qualified for housing accommodations available only to persons with disabilities or persons with a particular type of disability;

(c) An inquiry to determine whether an applicant is qualified for a priority available to persons with disabilities or persons with a particular type of disability;

(d) An inquiry to determine whether an applicant currently uses a controlled substance in violation of section 2925.11 of the Revised Code or a substantively comparable municipal ordinance;

(e) An inquiry to determine whether an applicant at any time has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any offense, an element of which is the illegal sale, offer to sell, cultivation, manufacture, other production, shipment, transportation, delivery, or other distribution of a controlled substance.

(18)(a) Refuse to permit, at the expense of a person with a disability, reasonable modifications of existing housing accommodations that are occupied or to be occupied by the person with a disability, if the modifications may be necessary to afford the person with a disability full enjoyment of the housing accommodations. This division does not preclude a landlord of housing accommodations that are rented or to be rented to a disabled tenant from conditioning permission for a proposed modification upon the disabled tenant's doing one or more of the following:

(i) Providing a reasonable description of the proposed modification and reasonable assurances that the proposed modification will be made in a workerlike manner and that any required building permits will be obtained prior to the commencement of the proposed modification;

(ii) Agreeing to restore at the end of the tenancy the interior of the housing accommodations to the condition they were in prior to the proposed modification, but subject to reasonable wear and tear during the period of occupancy, if it is reasonable for the landlord to condition permission for the proposed modification upon the agreement;

(iii) Paying into an interest-bearing escrow account that is in the landlord's name, over a reasonable period of time, a reasonable amount of money not to exceed the projected costs at the end of the tenancy of the restoration of the interior of the housing accommodations to the condition they were in prior to the proposed modification, but subject to reasonable wear and tear during the period of occupancy, if the landlord finds the account reasonably necessary to ensure the availability of funds for the restoration work. The interest earned in connection with an escrow account described in this division shall accrue to the benefit of the disabled tenant who makes payments into the account.

(b) A landlord shall not condition permission for a proposed modification upon a disabled tenant's payment of a security deposit that exceeds the customarily required security deposit of all tenants of the particular housing accommodations.

(19) Refuse to make reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, practices, or services when necessary to afford a person with a disability equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling unit, including associated public and common use areas;

(20) Fail to comply with the standards and rules adopted under division (A) of section 3781.111 of the Revised Code;

(21) Discriminate against any person in the selling, brokering, or appraising of real property because of race, color, religion, sex, military status, familial status, ancestry, disability, or national origin;

(22) Fail to design and construct covered multifamily dwellings for first occupancy on or after June 30, 1992, in accordance with the following conditions:

(a) The dwellings shall have at least one building entrance on an accessible route, unless it is impractical to do so because of the terrain or unusual characteristics of the site.

(b) With respect to dwellings that have a building entrance on an accessible route, all of the following apply:

(i) The public use areas and common use areas of the dwellings shall be readily accessible to and usable by persons with a disability.

(ii) All the doors designed to allow passage into and within all premises shall be sufficiently wide to allow passage by persons with a disability who are in wheelchairs.

(iii) All premises within covered multifamily dwelling units shall contain an accessible route into and through the dwelling; all light switches, electrical outlets, thermostats, and other environmental controls within such units shall be in accessible locations; the bathroom walls within such units shall contain reinforcements to allow later installation of grab bars; and the kitchens and bathrooms within such units shall be designed and constructed in a manner that enables an individual in a wheelchair to maneuver about such rooms.

For purposes of division (H)(22) of this section, "covered multifamily dwellings" means buildings consisting of four or more units if such buildings have one or more elevators and ground floor units in other buildings consisting of four or more units.

(I) For any person to discriminate in any manner against any other person because that person has opposed any unlawful discriminatory practice defined in this section or section 4112.025 of the Revised Code or because that person has made a charge, testified, assisted, or participated in any manner in any investigation, proceeding, or hearing under sections 4112.01 to 4112.07 of the Revised Code.

(J) For any person to aid, abet, incite, compel, or coerce the doing of any act declared by this section or section 4112.025 of the Revised Code to be an unlawful discriminatory practice, to obstruct or prevent any person from complying with this chapter or any order issued under it, or to attempt directly or indirectly to commit any act declared by this section or section 4112.025 of the Revised Code to be an unlawful discriminatory practice.

(K) Nothing in divisions (A) to (E) of this section shall be construed to require a person with a disability to be employed or trained under circumstances that would significantly increase the occupational hazards affecting either the person with a disability, other employees, the general public, or the facilities in which the work is to be performed, or to require the employment or training of a person with a disability in a job that requires the person with a disability routinely to undertake any task, the performance of which is substantially and inherently impaired by the person's disability.

(L) With regard to age, it shall not be an unlawful discriminatory practice and it shall not constitute a violation of division (A) of section 4112.14 of the Revised Code for any employer, employment agency, joint labor-management committee controlling apprenticeship training programs, or labor organization to do any of the following:

(1) Establish bona fide employment qualifications reasonably related to the particular business or occupation that may include standards for skill, aptitude, physical capability, intelligence, education, maturation, and experience;

(2) Observe the terms of a bona fide seniority system or any bona fide employee benefit plan, including, but not limited to, a retirement, pension, or insurance plan, that is not a subterfuge to evade the purposes of this section. However, no such employee benefit plan shall excuse the failure to hire any individual, and no such seniority system or employee benefit plan shall require or permit the involuntary retirement of any individual, because of the individual's age except as provided for in the "Age Discrimination in Employment Act Amendment of 1978," 92 Stat. 189, 29 U.S.C.A. 623, as amended by the "Age Discrimination in Employment Act Amendments of 1986," 100 Stat. 3342, 29 U.S.C.A. 623, as amended.

(3) Retire an employee who has attained sixty-five years of age who, for the two-year period immediately before retirement, is employed in a bona fide executive or a high policymaking position, if the employee is entitled to an immediate nonforfeitable annual retirement benefit from a pension, profit-sharing, savings, or deferred compensation plan, or any combination of those plans, of the employer of the employee, which equals, in the aggregate, at least forty-four thousand dollars, in accordance with the conditions of the "Age Discrimination in Employment Act Amendment of 1978," 92 Stat. 189, 29 U.S.C.A. 631, as amended by the "Age Discrimination in Employment Act Amendments of 1986," 100 Stat. 3342, 29 U.S.C.A. 631, as amended;

(4) Observe the terms of any bona fide apprenticeship program if the program is registered with the Ohio apprenticeship council pursuant to sections 4139.01 to 4139.06 of the Revised Code and is approved by the federal committee on apprenticeship of the United States department of labor.

(M) Nothing in this chapter prohibiting age discrimination and nothing in division (A) of section 4112.14 of the Revised Code shall be construed to prohibit the following:

(1) The designation of uniform age the attainment of which is necessary for public employees to receive pension or other retirement benefits pursuant to Chapter 145., 742., 3307., 3309., or 5505. of the Revised Code;

(2) The mandatory retirement of uniformed patrol officers of the state highway patrol as provided in section 5505.16 of the Revised Code;

(3) The maximum age requirements for appointment as a patrol officer in the state highway patrol established by section 5503.01 of the Revised Code;

(4) The maximum age requirements established for original appointment to a police department or fire department in sections 124.41 and 124.42 of the Revised Code;

(5) Any maximum age not in conflict with federal law that may be established by a municipal charter, municipal ordinance, or resolution of a board of township trustees for original appointment as a police officer or firefighter;

(6) Any mandatory retirement provision not in conflict with federal law of a municipal charter, municipal ordinance, or resolution of a board of township trustees pertaining to police officers and firefighters;

(7) Until January 1, 1994, the mandatory retirement of any employee who has attained seventy years of age and who is serving under a contract of unlimited tenure, or similar arrangement providing for unlimited tenure, at an institution of higher education as defined in the "Education Amendments of 1980," 94 Stat. 1503, 20 U.S.C.A. 1141(a).

(N)(1)(a) Except as provided in division (N)(1)(b) of this section, for purposes of divisions (A) to (E) of this section, a disability does not include any physiological disorder or condition, mental or psychological disorder, or disease or condition caused by an illegal use of any controlled substance by an employee, applicant, or other person, if an employer, employment agency, personnel placement service, labor organization, or joint labor-management committee acts on the basis of that illegal use.

(b) Division (N)(1)(a) of this section does not apply to an employee, applicant, or other person who satisfies any of the following:

(i) The employee, applicant, or other person has successfully completed a supervised drug rehabilitation program and no longer is engaging in the illegal use of any controlled substance, or the employee, applicant, or other person otherwise successfully has been rehabilitated and no longer is engaging in that illegal use.

(ii) The employee, applicant, or other person is participating in a supervised drug rehabilitation program and no longer is engaging in the illegal use of any controlled substance.

(iii) The employee, applicant, or other person is erroneously regarded as engaging in the illegal use of any controlled substance, but the employee, applicant, or other person is not engaging in that illegal use.

(2) Divisions (A) to (E) of this section do not prohibit an employer, employment agency, personnel placement service, labor organization, or joint labor-management committee from doing any of the following:

(a) Adopting or administering reasonable policies or procedures, including, but not limited to, testing for the illegal use of any controlled substance, that are designed to ensure that an individual described in division (N)(1)(b)(i) or (ii) of this section no longer is engaging in the illegal use of any controlled substance;

(b) Prohibiting the illegal use of controlled substances and the use of alcohol at the workplace by all employees;

(c) Requiring that employees not be under the influence of alcohol or not be engaged in the illegal use of any controlled substance at the workplace;

(d) Requiring that employees behave in conformance with the requirements established under "The Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988," 102 Stat. 4304, 41 U.S.C.A. 701, as amended;

(e) Holding an employee who engages in the illegal use of any controlled substance or who is an alcoholic to the same qualification standards for employment or job performance, and the same behavior, to which the employer, employment agency, personnel placement service, labor organization, or joint labor-management committee holds other employees, even if any unsatisfactory performance or behavior is related to an employee's illegal use of a controlled substance or alcoholism;

(f) Exercising other authority recognized in the "Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990," 104 Stat. 327, 42 U.S.C.A. 12101, as amended, including, but not limited to, requiring employees to comply with any applicable federal standards.

(3) For purposes of this chapter, a test to determine the illegal use of any controlled substance does not include a medical examination.

(4) Division (N) of this section does not encourage, prohibit, or authorize, and shall not be construed as encouraging, prohibiting, or authorizing, the conduct of testing for the illegal use of any controlled substance by employees, applicants, or other persons, or the making of employment decisions based on the results of that type of testing.

(O) This section does not apply to a religious corporation, association, educational institution, or society with respect to the employment of an individual of a particular religion to perform work connected with the carrying on by that religious corporation, association, educational institution, or society of its activities.

The unlawful discriminatory practices defined in this section do not make it unlawful for a person or an appointing authority administering an examination under section 124.23 of the Revised Code to obtain information about an applicant's military status for the purpose of determining if the applicant is eligible for the additional credit that is available under that section.

Sec. 4112.025. It shall be an unlawful discriminatory practice for an employer to do any of the following:

(A) Make unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or engage in other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature toward a domestic worker when any of the following apply:

(1) The domestic worker's submission to the conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of the domestic worker's employment.

(2) The domestic worker's submission to or rejection of the conduct is used as the basis for employment decisions affecting the domestic worker.

(3) The conduct is intended to unreasonably interfere, or has the effect of unreasonably interfering, with the domestic worker's work performance by creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment.

(B) Subject a domestic worker to unwelcome harassment based on race, religion, sex, or national origin if the harassment is intended to unreasonably interfere, or has the effect of unreasonably interfering, with the domestic worker's work performance by creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment.

Sec. 4112.052. (A) Subject to division (B) of this section, and except as provided in division (D)(2) of section 4112.14 of the Revised Code, a person alleging an unlawful discriminatory practice relating to employment ~~in violation of section 4112.02 of the Revised Code~~ may bring a civil action in a court of competent jurisdiction.

(B)(1) Except as otherwise provided in division (B)(2) of this section, a person may file a civil action under this section alleging an unlawful discriminatory practice relating to employment or a violation of division (A) of section 4112.14 of the Revised Code only if the person satisfies both of the following conditions:

(a) The person has first filed a charge with the Ohio civil rights commission under section 4112.051 of the Revised Code with respect to the practice complained of in the complaint for the civil action within the time period required under that section.

(b) One of the following occurs:

(i) The person receives a notice of right to sue from the Ohio civil rights commission pursuant to section 4112.051 of the Revised Code.

(ii) The person has requested a notice of right to sue from the Ohio civil rights commission, and the commission fails to issue the notice of right to sue within forty-five days after the date the commission is permitted to grant the request under division (N) of section 4112.051 of the Revised Code.

(iii) The Ohio civil rights commission, after a preliminary investigation conducted pursuant to a charge filed under section 4112.051 of the Revised Code, determines that it is probable that an unlawful discriminatory practice relating to employment has occurred or is occurring and the complainant, after being informed by the commission of the right to file a civil action under this chapter, elects to file a civil action and notifies the commission of that fact.

(2) A person may file a civil action under this section alleging an unlawful discriminatory practice relating to employment or a violation of division (A) of section 4112.14 of the Revised Code without satisfying the conditions of division (B)(1) of this section if either of the following apply:

(a) The person seeks only injunctive relief.

(b) All of the following occur:

(i) The person has filed a charge with the Ohio civil rights commission under section 4112.051 of the Revised Code with respect to the practice complained of in the complaint for the civil action within the time period required under that section.

(ii) The person has filed a charge with the equal employment opportunity commission or its successor organization with respect to the practice complained of in the complaint for the civil action within the time period required under federal law.

(iii) The person has received a notice from the equal employment opportunity commission or its successor organization that states that the person may bring a civil action against the employer and the notice was sent in connection with the charge filed with the equal employment opportunity commission or its successor organization.

(3) With respect to an action described in division (B)(2)(a) of this section, the person may amend the complaint to include damages, but the amendment will relate back to the original filing date of the complaint in the action only after one of the following occurs:

(a) The person receives a notice of right to sue from the Ohio civil rights commission pursuant to section 4112.051 of the Revised Code.

(b) The person has requested a notice of right to sue from the Ohio civil rights commission, and the commission fails to issue the notice of right to sue within forty-five days after the date the commission is permitted to grant the request under division (N) of section 4112.051 of the Revised Code.

(c) The Ohio civil rights commission, after a preliminary investigation conducted pursuant to a charge filed under section 4112.051 of the Revised Code, determines that it is probable that an unlawful discriminatory practice relating to employment has occurred or is occurring and the complainant, after being informed by the commission of the right to file a civil action under this chapter, elects to file a civil action and notifies the commission of that fact.

(4) With respect to an unlawful discriminatory practice relating to employment described in division (A)(24)(b) of section 4112.01 of the Revised Code, a charge filed with the Ohio civil rights commission or the equal employment opportunity commission satisfies division (B)(1)(a) or divisions (B)(2)(b)(i) and (ii) of this section if both of the following apply:

(a) The charge is related to the conduct alleged in the complaint for the civil action;

(b) The charge is filed against the person who committed the unlawful discriminatory practice, the employer of the person who committed the unlawful discriminatory practice, or both the person who committed the unlawful discriminatory practice and the person's employer.

(C)(1) Except as provided in division (C)(2) of this section, a civil action brought under this section shall be filed within two years after the alleged unlawful discriminatory practice was committed.

(2) The time period to file a civil action shall be tolled for one of the following periods, as applicable:

(a) If a charge that is based, in whole or in part, on the same allegations and practices was filed under section 4112.051 of the Revised Code less than sixty days before the time period specified under that section expires, the time period to file a civil action is tolled for the period beginning on the date the charge was filed and ending on the date that is sixty days after the charge is no longer pending with the commission.

(b) If a charge that is based, in whole or in part, on the same allegations and practices was filed under section 4112.051 of the Revised Code sixty or more days before the time period specified under that section expires, the time period to file a civil action is tolled for the period beginning on the date the charge was filed and ending on the date the charge is no longer pending with the commission.

(D) A civil action based on 42 U.S.C. 1981a, 42 U.S.C. 1983, and 42 U.S.C. 1985 shall be brought within two years after the cause of action accrues. The period of limitations set forth in this division does not apply to causes of action based on 42 U.S.C. 1981 as amended by the "Civil Rights Act of 1991," Pub. L. No. 102-166.

(E) The Ohio civil rights commission may intervene in a civil action if the commission determines that the case is of public importance.

Section 2. That existing sections 4111.02, 4111.08, 4111.10, 4111.13, 4111.14, 4111.99, 4112.01, 4112.02, and 4112.052 of the Revised Code are hereby repealed.

Section 3. The Director of Commerce shall prepare a report on the feasibility and practicality of allowing domestic workers to organize for purposes of collective bargaining. In preparing the report, the Director shall consult with representatives of domestic workers and individuals and agencies that employ domestic workers, and with relevant state agencies including the State Employment Relations Board. On completion of the report, and before December 31, 2022, the Director shall submit the report to the Governor, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the President of the Senate.