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Ohio Ethics Commission warns dedicated fund decline, requests additional GRF support
Summary
Paul Nick, executive director of the Ohio Ethics Commission, told the committee that declines in filers and late‑fee revenue have reduced the commission's dedicated‑purpose fund and that the commission requests increased GRF funding to restore staffing and maintain financial disclosure operations.
Paul Nick, executive director of the Ohio Ethics Commission, told the House Development Committee that the commission oversees advice, education, investigations and financial disclosure compliance for thousands of Ohio public officials and employees and that recent declines in filing fees and the number of filers have eroded the commission's dedicated‑purpose fund.
Nick said the commission administers advice and education programs that reached tens of thousands last year, provides prompt written advisory opinions and conducts confidential investigations. He told the committee the commission handled roughly 960 alleged inquiries in 2024 and carried a docket of 174 active investigations, closing 96 cases during that period.
Because filing fees and late penalties have decreased (Nick attributed part of that decline to faster electronic notification through the commission's online filing portal), the commission projects its dedicated‑purpose fund will be essentially depleted by the end of FY27 unless additional GRF support is provided. Nick said a fully supported funding request would include $2,598,544 in GRF funding for FY26 and $2,725,228 for FY27, and would be supplemented by projected dedicated‑purpose funds of $649,781 in FY26 and $670,793 in FY27.
Committee members asked what "acted on" investigations meant; Nick explained that "acting on" a matter generally means opening an inquiry and conducting an investigation and that the commission can resolve matters through settlement, close them as unsubstantiated, refer for prosecution, or otherwise handle the matter but does not itself impose discipline. When asked about the commission's current cash balance, Nick said the dedicated‑purpose fund balance is around $600,000 and is projected to fall toward $390,000 by the end of the fiscal year without supplemental funding.
Nick urged caution on fee increases that could raise costs for state agencies and potential candidates; he said the last fee change was in 2012. The committee did not act on the Ethics Commission's request in the hearing.
