(A) As used in this section:

"Armed forces" means the armed forces of the United States, including the army, navy, air force, marine corps, coast guard, or any reserve component of those forces; the national guard of any state; the commissioned corps of the United States public health service; the merchant marine service during wartime; such other service as may be designated by congress; and the Ohio organized militia when engaged in full-time national guard duty for a period of more than thirty days.

"State agency" has the meaning defined in section 1.60 of the Revised Code.

"Veteran" means any person who has completed service in the armed forces, including the national guard of any state, or a reserve component of the armed forces, who has been honorably discharged or discharged under honorable conditions from the armed forces or who has been transferred to the reserve with evidence of satisfactory service.

"Veteran-friendly business enterprise" means a sole proprietorship, association, partnership, corporation, limited liability company, or joint venture that meets veteran employment standards established by the director of administrative services and the director of transportation under this section.

(B) The director of administrative services and the director of transportation shall establish and maintain the veteran-friendly business procurement program. The director of administrative services shall adopt rules to administer the program for all state agencies except the department of transportation, and the director of transportation shall adopt rules to administer the program for the department of transportation. The rules shall be adopted under Chapter 119. of the Revised Code. The rules, as adopted separately by but with the greatest degree of consistency possible between the two directors, shall do all of the following:

(1) Establish criteria, based on the percentage of an applicant's employees who are veterans, that qualifies an applicant for certification as a veteran-friendly business enterprise;

(2) Establish procedures by which a sole proprietorship, association, partnership, corporation, limited liability company, or joint venture may apply for certification as a veteran-friendly business enterprise;

(3) Establish procedures for certifying a sole proprietorship, association, partnership, corporation, limited liability company, or joint venture as a veteran-friendly business enterprise;

(4) Establish standards for determining when a veteran-friendly business enterprise no longer qualifies for certification as a veteran-friendly business enterprise;

(5) Establish procedures, to be used by state agencies or the department of transportation, for the evaluation and ranking of proposals, which provide preference or bonus points to each certified veteran-friendly business enterprise that submits a bid or other proposal for a contract with the state or an agency of the state other than the department of transportation, or with the department of transportation, for the rendering of services, or the supplying of materials, or for the construction, demolition, alteration, repair, or reconstruction of any public building, structure, highway, or other improvement;

(6) Implement an outreach program to educate potential participants about the veteran-friendly business procurement program; and

(7) Establish a process for monitoring overall performance of the veteran-friendly business procurement program.

Added by 131st General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 64, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2015.